TEU: The Depthstriders p.1

Lea found herself in one of the underwater dens, she was lying at the edge of a cliff with her head beneath the water surface. The water was so clear that she could see very clearly under the surface, she had to look at everything. So beautiful, she thought to herself as her eyes studied the underwater flora and fauna. All the different coloured fishes swimming between the corals, going in circles and dancing in the water. She noticed some Haedians racing underwater, they are amazing swimmers due to most of their homes being underwater in air pockets that served as dens to them.

She felt a small bump in her side, gentle but firm enough to catch her attention. She quickly pulled her head back and were facing a Haedian; it was Ornaax. An eye-catching male with green and blue coloured coat. His scales were shining slightly due to being wet, he chuckled at her. “Are you enjoying the views?” He asked. Lea blushed slightly as she was caught off guard “Um, yeah. It’s very pretty view from here!” She looked at the water again and were mesmerised by the fishes swimming just below the surface. Ornaax bumped her again, and suggested “Do you want to get closer?” Her head quickly turned to him, but her eyes were looking away. “I’m not a good swimmer…” She mumbled quietly. “That’s alright, I’ll guide you” He replied modestly, pulling out his front right hand. Lea looked at it for a few seconds, hesitated but decided to grab it.

She at once felt heavy as her Persian tail got wet but were still doing her best to follow Ornaax. He was holding her claws to guide her slowly through the expressive flora. There were pillars going from the bottom of the underwater caves and all the way to the top of the ceiling. Covered with diverse types of corals and seaweed. It was also home to a few fishes. They were swimming towards the next air bubble, Lea felt relief as she was not the best at holding her breath.

They broke the surface and Lea could take a deep breath; they were now in a residential den where a couple of eyes met them. The Haedians living here gave them a big smile, especially when they saw Ornaax. Every single Haedian she had come across were always wearing the most exotic and beautiful coat colours. They matched their environment perfectly. Lea and Ornaax waved them goodby, took a deep breath and continued with their journey underwater.

As their journey went on, they started to meet more and more Haedians underwater. Even a few Vayrons and Empyreans that were exploring with a guiding Haedian. The bioluminescent flora was glowing at the bottom, leaving no shadows to exist. Lea looked over at Ornaax, he was swimming like a crocodile; sweeping his tail behind him which made him propel forward. His wings were waving gently through the water and acted as fins on his back. She felt a slight envy towards him, he was such a good swimmer.

They approached a weird looking coral; it was emitting soccer ball sized air bubbles out of it every 5-7 seconds or so. Ornaax pointed at it, and then pointed at his mouth. Lea tilted her head and thought to herself ‘Am I supposed to eat that?’ And then faced the oxygen coral. She approached with her face first, colliding with an air bubble with her head and instantly got a shock of oxygen. She jumped but felt her lungs filling up with oxygen again. Her surprised look made Ornaax laugh, his laugh being muffled underwater. He had to refill with oxygen himself, and then nodded. ‘I guess this is how they can stay underwater for a long time’ She concluded to herself.

They were soon at the heart of the Depthstriders clan, and an increasingly amount of colourful Haedians greeted them. They all seemed very curious about Lea’s tail, even if a few of them had similar tails to her. They were trying to make sense of how she was swimming at all with her big wings and tail. Lea noticed the attention she was getting and avoided eye contact. She kept her gaze on Ornaax who completely missed the fact that they were studying her. Surely, they didn’t mean to be rude, right?

They noticed a few Haedians racing between the pillars and flora, making Ornaax extremely excited. He faced Lea with a grin, and she gave him a nervous smile back. What is he planning? She thought to herself, and before she could think she was getting dragged towards the racing Haedians. The instant panic she felt. She was almost out of oxygen, and nudged Ornaax. He faced her and noticed she was struggling, and quickly guided her to the surface and apologised. “Sorry, I saw a few of them play and I really wanted us to join in” Lea chuckled nervously. “You, you wanted to play. I nearly drowned” She replied to him exhausted. Ornaax turned red and realised that she, as an Empyrean, was not capable of staying underwater for a long time. She was a sky dweller, and belonged in the sky. “I think you did really well though” He smiled at her. Lea blushed “I guess” She looked away and quickly got distracted by the beautiful waters again. “Let’s take a break, there’s a lot more to see” Ornaax exclaimed and sat down next to Lea. “I would love to see more, just no more drowning” She jokingly said, he laughed. “Agreed”.