Aquatic Adventures - The Depthstriders: Part 1

Aquatic Adventures
The Depthstriders: Part 1

“I think it’s going to be an Empyrian.”

“I vote for a Puller, smaller than me.”

   Meline and Aethone were joking over who’s going to join them on their journey next as they headed down from a spacious tunnel. They found it amusing how with each clan they’ve had a different companion. Elyse, who joined them during their visit to the Watchers, decided to head back to the Tranquil clan as her first interaction was with the Watchers, so hearing from Meline and Cailu about the other clans she wished them luck and energetically trotted towards the Tranquil territory. Aethone and Meline carried on, Cailu leading the way as usual while the girls played the guessing game on their potential new third topsider.

   Having spent time with the Watchers and learning more about their culture, Cailu reminded them that they need to carry on, this time to a clan called the Depthstriders. It was obvious that the damp underground system must have some water in it, but Aethone imagined it to be quite stagnant and unpleasant, while Meline though how she had been pleasantly surprised by the riches the Beneath had to offer, so she expected the water-borne Haedians to be something spectacular.

   The descending tunnel ended at a chamber with a small crystal clear lake adorning it. The rough chunks of glowing crystals illuminated the space around them perfectly, so they could see the gorgeous speleothems decorating the walls, ceiling and the edges of the pool. However, all three’s attention was on the Runner in the room, who seemed to be talking to a Haedian. The Hae was floating in the water with ease, having just the brightly colored scaled head curiously sticking out. They both turned to look at the newcomers.

“Cailu! Hi! And more topsiders? Welcome!”

   The Haedian squeaked with childish joy and energy, to which Cailu chuckled and offered his friendly greetings, after which he turned to the new Runner, whose coat was dominantly covered in pitch black fur with bright unnatural patterns in it.

“And greetings to you, topsider. I assume you’ve already answered the million questions Ornaax had about your kind?”

   The Runner couldn’t help but laugh, as this was indeed something she’d been busy with for the past few hours. Not that she would mind, it was only natural to have curiosity and questions when meeting a member of another species. Ornaax playfully scoffed at Cailu’s remark.

“Laniata has been a wonderful company, telling me so many amazing stories of the world above us. Oohhh, and these must be a Puller, and a fellow Tyrian!”

   Ornaax’s attention shifted to Aethone and Meline, who stepped forward and introduced themselves. The Haedian in the water couldn’t contain his excitement as he dived, made several loops in the pool before resurfacing and looking at everyone with his bright green eyes. Laniata greeted the others with a kind smile, politely introducing herself once more. Meline admired Laniata’s patterns as they looked very similar to the ones she had decorating her own hide.

“So glad to have such delightful people here. Please, join me in the water and follow me, I’d like to show you my home.”

   Ornaax paddled a bit further from the shore, making space for the others to hop in. Indeed, the other side of the pool was a lot brighter, probably having an underwater opening out of this cavern to the Depthstriders’ territory. Laniata was the first to test the warmth of the water. To her surprise, it was pleasantly warm. She pushed off the secure rock and doggy-paddled towards Ornaax, clearly enjoying the refreshing swim. Cailu and Aethone went in next, causing waves to crash and slosh against the walls. Meline hesitated, as she had the most fur out of the five in the chamber, worrying whether the soaked coat would be a problem later on. Ornaax convinced her to come in, so she did.

   Having all four guests in tow, Ornaax took a deep breath and went underwater. Having made sure all of them followed, he guided them through the opening in a bright and spacious pool behind it.

   When they resurfaced, the view was breathtaking. Fortunately Aethone’s mental vision of the place proved to be the total opposite, matching with Meline’s optimistic expectations, and more. The cavern was enormous and bright, crystal clear water reflecting the light on rocky arcs and pillars while showing through the blindingly colorful corals underneath it. There were very few other Haedians around here, but they were masters at swimming as they played around both on the terrain and in water.

“Oh, Ornaax, your words didn’t do justice to this place.”

   Laniata gasped as she looked around, Aethone and Meline wondering how it’s even possible to describe something so beautiful with words alone. Even Cailu couldn’t help but to be enchanted by the sight, his eyes shining from joy. Ornaax seemed to be pleased that the topsiders liked his lands a lot, and with a playful jump out of the water, he encouraged others to keep following him before he dived once again, gracefully heading somewhere.

“Come on, there’s so much to see!”

   Laniata took a deep breath and paddled hastily after Ornaax with her head underwater. Seeing that they have no other choice, Meline and Aethone followed them, with Cailu being the very last. Cailu was a good swimmer, but definitely no match to the Depthstriders themselves. Even less so was Aethone, who managed to get where she wanted but that took quite much effort. Meline soon figured out that the most efficient way forward is to “fly” underwater. She was still no match to the Depthstriders, who joined them and elegantly swimmed around them, playfully passing by, slipping through the surrounding short underwater tunnels or loops to show how much fun they were having. Ornaax kept an eye on his guests, but since Laniata was so much faster than the others, she could keep up with Ornaax, gliding through the water by his side. They all occasionally resurfaced to gasp for fresh air before diving again and following the general direction of the Depthstriders.

   Aethone had a lot of stamina, but not when it came to swimming. She started to lag behind until she lost sight of the main group. Fortunately there were other clan members who stayed around her, making sure she’s heading in the right direction. Cailu also kept the big Puller company, while Meline had to switch over to propelling herself forward with her tail as her wings got tired of fighting the dense water. This method was a success, as she didn’t stay as far behind as Aethone but still didn’t keep up with Ornaax like Laniata did. To make matters slightly worse, the underwater terrain around her started to remind her of the race she just had with the Watchers in their labyrinth of tunnels, passages, paths, corners and obstructions, except this time it was even harder to pass it as they were in water. The slightly anxious Empyrian hoped that they wouldn't be tested here with a race as she still hadn’t fully recovered from the trials they endured with the Watchers.

   Laniata started to use the environment around her to her advantage by pushing herself off the rocks and walls to give herself a boost. The Depthstriders seemed to like her innovative ideas as they started to mimic her, inventing a game of their own out of it. Ornaax also gave it a try, and found it great. Meline also noticed it and this gave her an idea. She sought out a climbable arc, dragged herself with her soaked heavy fur on top of it and pushed off to glide above the water, before submerging again as she currently wasn’t capable of a long flight. This little trick was also positively received by the Depthstriders, and thanks to that Aethone could get a visual how further ahead the others were. She wasn’t a fan of putting her head underwater, so her head was always above the surface. Cailu went ahead of her to show her the path while several Depthstriders twirled around her, curiously observing the Puller struggle with something that was so natural to them.

   They carried on like that for a short while, until the wide canal ended with a large pool. There were numerous columns and other rocks in the bottom of it, but on the surface they could swim freely without the fear of bumping into something. This also gave them an opportunity to properly admire the vivid coral reefs, countless species of fish passing by and of course all the Depthstriders energetically playing their games or circling around the visitors. Ornaax and Laniata stopped, waiting for others to catch up before proceeding further. Meline arrived after them, visibly glad to reach the destination as she climbed out on a smooth rock to rest and let water drip out of her coat while taking in the breathtaking beauty around her. Cailu appeared next with Aethone’s snout barely above the surface behind him. The Puller had exhausted her energy reservoirs and a couple Haedians helped her to heave herself halfway up on the quay where she could recover. Despite the hardships, they had reached the heart of the most beautiful place they’d ever been in their lives - the home of the playful Depthstriders.