Depthstriders Clan: Sisters 1

“Are we going the right way?” Furor asked as she and her sisters weaved through the tunnels heading in a direction away from the Watchers clan. 

“I’m sure we would know if you had kept your temper in check,” Kaimana huffed when they had come to a stop to gather their bearings. 

“I couldn’t let him talk to us that way!” Furor shot back. 

Kaimana was about to fire an insult toward her younger sister, but Cheiro stepped between them trying to get some semblance of peace. Cheiro and her many limbs created a wall between the two and without saying a word her body language told them to be quiet. Furor grunted and turned away to pout, while Kaimana rolled her eyes, but both remained silent. 

“Stay here,” Cheiro ordered, “I’ll scout ahead.”

Cheiro vanished into the shadows and darted ahead further into the tunnels. The further she traveled the more she worried they truly had gone in the wrong direction. The only thing giving her hope was that she didn’t recognize the area so she assumed they weren’t headed towards one of the previous clans. After a few more minutes of flying, she came across blue light spilling into the tunnel from a large opening and the sound of splashing. She wasn't sure what the new clan would be, but she knew this was something so she turned and raced back to her sisters. 

Kaimana and Furor had managed to stay quiet the whole time Cheiro was gone. They stood back to back staring into the darkness. Furor sighed, getting tired of waiting. 

“Let’s just head in the direction Cheiro went,” Furor mumbled, her boredom very clear.

When Kaimana didn’t say anything Furor continued, “It’s unlikely we’re going the wrong way.”

Kaimana rolled her eyes but agreed with her younger sister. She nodded and the pair wandered after Cheiro. They had only been walking a few minutes when Cheiro plowed into them, knocking everyone onto the ground. 

“I thought I said to wait,” Cheiro admonished the second the dust settled. 

“We were bored and this is the right way, it has to be,” Furor stated matter-of-factly. 

Cheiro wished she could disagree with her sister, to teach her some sort of lesson, but there was nothing to say. Cheiro growled to herself and turned around to lead her sister toward the space of blue light and water. Kaimana and Furor silently followed Cheiro for a few minutes before they came to the large space. The group walked into the opening and gasped at the bioluminescent plants, water, and warmth. 

Their gasps brought the attention of a Haedian, whose bright green head popped out of the water to see who had arrived. He quickly wandered over to the three empyrians standing at the edge of his watery domain. 

“Hi, I’m Ornaax,” he spoke quickly as he looked at the startled empyrians. 

The sisters looked at the Haedian surprised to see one so comfortable in the water. It wasn’t something they were expecting to see and they could hear more splashing as if more Haedians were playing in the water not far from them. Cheiro was the first to snap out of her surprise and she introduced everyone in return. 

“If you follow me this way,” Ornaax gestured further into the water, “I can take you to the heart of the Depthstriders clan.”

“Just like that?” Kaimana looked at the Haedian, not entirely convinced especially after the tests and treatment they had received from the last couple of clans.

“Yup!” Ornaax didn’t hesitate, “ There are many games you can partake in. It’s fun!”

The sisters eyed the Haedian, still not convinced, but this was the only way forward in their journey. Furor huffed and then shifted her gaze to the water. None of them knew how to swim. Ornaax moved towards them, out of the water, and offered his help when he noticed one of the empyrians staring at the water. 

“We can start off slow,” Ornaax said, “The start of the swim is fairly shallow.”

Ornaax took his time guiding the empyrians to a sandbar not far from the shore. With Furor, she was first, she didn’t accept the help, but Ornaax remained close anyway. She barrelled into the water refusing to back down from the new challenge. It was awkward with her wings and arms, but with some advice from Ornaax, Furor managed to figure out how to move through the water with ease. 

Kaimana and Cheiro watched as Furor fumbled in the water. They would chuckle under their breath when she would fall or splash aggressively to rebalance. Their laughter came to a halt when Ornaax rapidly cut through the water to help the next sister. Cheiro and Kaimana stared at each other, but neither moved. 

“Come on guys!” Furor called, “I can see some haedians playing games, it looks fun!”

Kaimana clenched her teeth and moved forward to meet Ornaax in the shallow water. Kaimana moved through the water a little more gracefully after mimicking some of Furor’s techniques. As she got closer to the sandbar Furor was standing on, Furor splashed her with water. 

“What was that for?” Kaimana sputtered and spit out water. 

“I heard you two laughing,” Furor growled. 

Ornaax laughed nervously before excusing himself to get the last sister. Cheiro had her own challenges with her extra wings, there was more to move through the water. Cheiro moved slowly and more awkwardly than either of her sisters. Ornaax suggested some swimming techniques, but he was out of his element with a seraph empyrian. Cheiro tried a few things, but ultimately it was easier to go through the water like a snake. 

When everyone was settled on the sand bar, Ornaax prepared them for the next part of the swim. It would be deeper water with fewer chances to rest. He gave them a warning before diving into the water. The sisters followed along, each using their own swimming method. Once they became more comfortable in the water, their focus began to wander. 

“What do you think they’re playing?” Furor asked as she knocked Cheiro’s shoulder.

Kaimana and Cheiro looked at the group of Haedians jumping around swimming away from each other quickly.

“Looks something like tag?” Cheiro shrugged. 

As the group followed Ornaax, they passed many groups of Haedians, young and old, playing various games. Some of the games, the empyrians could guess what they might be, but others looked foreign and confusing. Ornaax kept an ear and eye on the trio to see how they would respond to some of the playful ways of his clan. 

[1104]