Quietly he slipped beneath the ice, sleek body parting the few schools of minnows sluggish from the winter chill as he fought his way up against the current. His explorations had led him to many strange waters, but it was only his most recent which seemed to promise more than just the prospect of fresh fish. Just the entrance to the underwater caverns he’d found were enough to send him darting back into the shallows, but despite his terror, he'd found himself returning. Again and again. Gazing into its inky depths reminded the little cat of distant tales his mother had once told him, of brave adventurers who'd braved Tsillah's trials and dove even deeper. To what they'd found varied on the day she told the tales, but she always said that it was something wonderful.
Delta certainly was no brave adventurer, but in that moment, a face had flashed in his memory. Loch had mentioned liking treasure; could such a thing be found here? It was certainly stranger than any other underwater caves he’d seen before—from his whiskers he’d felt the pull of currents fighting through narrow, twisting tunnels that seemed to wind endlessly amongst themselves, certainly impossible for any land creature to navigate. Delta had the advantage of gills, but certainly wasn’t brave enough to dive down to see what laid beneath the strange, sunken surface.
At least, not alone.
Maybe there was treasure, maybe there wasn’t. Delta was certainly curious of the place itself. Perhaps he moreso missed the finned wolf he’d met at the cove, and hoped that he’d find interest and wish to join him in spelunking the eerie depths. It wasn’t like there was much else to do with the surface frozen.
Alright, Delta was getting a bit stir crazy. And lonely. He hadn’t seen much of anyone this past winter, and one could only swim the same streams so many times before boredom drove you mad. Mad enough to consider diving into an underwater maze by yourself in a harebrained search for…whatever, really.
Delta tasted the water, whiskers flaring to feel the current and any minuscule changes in the sediment. The riverbed was growing muddier, a sign that he was approaching the two factions—one of which where Loch resided. The little cat gave a few experimental scratches at the ice ceiling, but it was far to thick for him to disturb. Close enough, he hoped, pinning his ears tight against his head and sucking a deep breath of cold water through his gills. The shriek he released was shrill and haunting, suited more for long distance calls across the ocean rather than rivers and lakes. It felt raspy in his throat, long disused for its proper purpose and nearly sending him into a sputtering fit by its end
He managed at least a simple message in his call, taking a moment to cough and clear his throat before repeating it again. Slowly he fell back into the familiar rhythm, broadcasting the sonar in repeating waves just in case his initial had been missed.
“LOCH. COME? TUNNELS, WATER, FOUND. DELTA.”
With his message out, the little cat lowered himself onto the riverbed and tucked his paws cozily beneath him, hoping that the wolf had heard.
Delta certainly was no brave adventurer, but in that moment, a face had flashed in his memory. Loch had mentioned liking treasure; could such a thing be found here? It was certainly stranger than any other underwater caves he’d seen before—from his whiskers he’d felt the pull of currents fighting through narrow, twisting tunnels that seemed to wind endlessly amongst themselves, certainly impossible for any land creature to navigate. Delta had the advantage of gills, but certainly wasn’t brave enough to dive down to see what laid beneath the strange, sunken surface.
At least, not alone.
Maybe there was treasure, maybe there wasn’t. Delta was certainly curious of the place itself. Perhaps he moreso missed the finned wolf he’d met at the cove, and hoped that he’d find interest and wish to join him in spelunking the eerie depths. It wasn’t like there was much else to do with the surface frozen.
Alright, Delta was getting a bit stir crazy. And lonely. He hadn’t seen much of anyone this past winter, and one could only swim the same streams so many times before boredom drove you mad. Mad enough to consider diving into an underwater maze by yourself in a harebrained search for…whatever, really.
Delta tasted the water, whiskers flaring to feel the current and any minuscule changes in the sediment. The riverbed was growing muddier, a sign that he was approaching the two factions—one of which where Loch resided. The little cat gave a few experimental scratches at the ice ceiling, but it was far to thick for him to disturb. Close enough, he hoped, pinning his ears tight against his head and sucking a deep breath of cold water through his gills. The shriek he released was shrill and haunting, suited more for long distance calls across the ocean rather than rivers and lakes. It felt raspy in his throat, long disused for its proper purpose and nearly sending him into a sputtering fit by its end
He managed at least a simple message in his call, taking a moment to cough and clear his throat before repeating it again. Slowly he fell back into the familiar rhythm, broadcasting the sonar in repeating waves just in case his initial had been missed.
“LOCH. COME? TUNNELS, WATER, FOUND. DELTA.”
With his message out, the little cat lowered himself onto the riverbed and tucked his paws cozily beneath him, hoping that the wolf had heard.