One With the Fish

Water flowing through her toes, the runner peered down into the crystal depths. It was so clear, she almost thought she was looking through glass. She had decided that this place was the most colorful out of any of the territories she had been in previously, but she also wasn't sure if it was safe.

There was no way she was going to be able to swim with them for long, especially with no way to breathe underwater. She wondered if maybe the magic here would allow her to breathe without needing anything else. 

Before she could step into the water fully though, a Haedian's head popped out of the water in front of her. It's as if the leader had heard her thoughts, Ornaax giving her a cheeky smile before grabbing her and pulling her in. Antlia didn't even have time to scream before she was plunged into the crystal waters, but her worry soon faded as she realized her breathing had stayed the same. What she didn't realize was the air bubble that was enclosing her head until she looked at the leader and saw he was a tiny bit blurry.

“Huh, who would have thought that this is how you would introduce me to your clan.” She couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips as she looked at the Haedian.

“Nothing says welcome like a surprise plunge in the water! I figured it'd be easier to just drag you in instead of trying to convince you otherwise.”

Antlia looked at her side, thankful that she remembered to take her bag off before making a decision. Though she was a bit bummed she wouldn't be able to get any scrolls made for this clan till later, she was happy that she could enjoy seeing how they lived down here. Now that the runner and the leader were both underwater, she was amazed at how vibrant everything was. 

Fish swam by her without a care in the world, though a few were curious about what she was. The coral around them was bright and she could see a couple eels swimming through the rocks below. The rocks themselves seemed alive as well, algae clinging where it could. 

Antlia wondered if Nora had been here already or if she was still in the caverns exploring above. Not that she had much time to think on it before Ornaax continued talking, but she hoped that her adventures would satisfy her in the end. 

“You seem to be enjoying the view, do you not have things like this where you’re from?” The Haedian mused, curious on what life was like outside the caves.

“I mean, I’m from the same place you are, we just live on the floating islands above. It’s hard to have something this intricate up there when there’s not too many solid islands.” She thought back to her home, there were a few ponds but nothing that resembled an ocean. Some of the Vayrons up there had aquariums though; she wasn’t sure they counted. 

She could feel Ornaax’ eyes on her, and she gave him a quick smile. “It’s ok though, it means I get to enjoy this sight for the first time! Some of these fish I’ve never seen before, and I’ve never seen an actual coral reef. Just the fake ones others have in their homes.” While she was talking another fish made its way over to her, swimming around her and stopping in front of her face. “What type of fish is this one?”

He didn’t say anything, opting to slowly move her away from the fish instead. Once he thought she was a safe distance away but close enough to still observe him, he let out a sigh. “They’re called pufferfish, have you heard of them before?” Antlia nodded, looking at the fish as it stayed where it had settled previously. She wasn’t sure if the fish would’ve done anything to her, he seemed curious more than anything.

She didn’t have long to dwell on the matter though as flashes of red, blue, and purple zoomed past her. The runner cocked her head as she noticed they were more Haedians. They all sported similar patterns to Ornaax and she looked at him for a brief moment before turning to stare at where the others had gone.

“Tag, it’s quite common down here. Especially here in the reefs, easier places to dart through and get away from your pursuer without having to put much effort into it. A lot of the Haedians in my clan know every nook and cranny in this place, and I’m sure by the time you depart you will as well.”

Antlia nodded, hopeful that she would learn more about how they ran things down here, she didn’t want to leave empty pawed.