The Ballad of the Bygone Drifters - The Depthstriders

╔═════════ The depthstriders - Chapter ONE ═════════╗

828 Words

The group found themselves squeezing through a slick wet tunnel, Cailu at the helm. Despite his large stature, he snaked through the tight space with ease. Grizz, Mari and Otho stepped out into a cavern caked in moss, bioluminescent flora adorning the space and a pool of crisp water taking up the majority of the floor space.

The three were exhausted from their journey; games and races meant the trio had barely a chance to rest, and when they did bunk down for the night it wasn’t a comfortable sleep but rather one full of tossing and turning, unable to settle in such an unfamiliar environment.

Grizz stopped as Mari and Otho plodded onwards, heads held low. “Wait,” she stated, “The tunnel ends here, where are you expecting us to go Cailu?” her voice became more and more panicked as it was clear exactly where the Haedian was headed.

“I mean, they’re called the Depthstriders, where else would you expect them to be?”

“Cailu, two of us are long furred, we’ll be weighed down like a sack of potatoes. You’ll be introducing the Depthstriders to three drowned Vayrons!”

“Don’t worry,” the Haedian smiled coyly, "we won't be travelling alone.”

Grizz leaned to look past Cailu as the water roiled and bubbled. The fur on the back of her neck stood on end and her hackles raised, ready for a fight. Mari gave her a tired glance, one that told her this wasn’t the time to fight. Grizz huffed and sat down, watching the water in anticipation.

A bright green head adorned in black and blue markings emerged from the basin, water sloughing off keeled scales. This Haedian grinned, showing off sharp teeth of pearl white, as he pulled his front from the water. “Greetings wingless ones!” he beamed, “I have been anticipating your arrival since Cailu sent word. I am Ornaax,” he bowed his head and extended a hand, “The leader of the Depthstriders.”

Mari cocked her head slightly in confusion. To be greeted immediately by a clan leader? It was a shock indeed, as so far it felt like they had to earn the audience of the other clan leaders. And Ornaax? Well just from this small introduction he seemed pleasantly down to earth and approachable.

Otho however was the one to take the lead for the Vayron troupe, having immediately taken to the Haedian leader’s charismatic nature, “Greetings Ornaax!” he parroted, placing his paw in Ornaax’s open palm, “I am Otho of Roenden, and joining me are my partners Margrave and Gristle.” Ornaax took a moment to surreptitiously run a thumb over the top of the Vayron’s paw, enamoured by the unique structure which was so vastly different to his own.

“You and your brethren are so… anatomically unique.” he mumbled, “I was expecting the lack of wings but… not the lack of thumbs. How do you use tools?” He released Otho’s paw as he realised the Vayron was becoming unbalanced on three legs, who laughed awkwardly as he found his feet again.

“Ha, with difficulty, but it can be done.” 

Ornaax looked down at the group in amusement, catching himself as he realised he was staring, “Ah, apologies, I am being quite intrusive!” he gestured to the pool, “It would be my pleasure to invite you into our home, there is no need for concern,” he hastily added as the three Vayrons shared a worried look, “We are not water breathers, there are air pockets scattered throughout our caverns.”

The Haedian took to his belt, unwinding several spools of rope, one of which he passed to Cailu. “I can take two on my back, and Cailu can carry the third. It is but a short jaunt to the main sanctum.” he finished tying the rope around his torso, and quickly assisted his fellow Haedian.

Cailu helped Otho and Grizz alight on Ornaax’s back, slinging the rope around their chests, tightening it with a tug. Similarly Mari was tucked into Cailu’s rope. The short-furred puller flattened herself as much as possible against Cailu’s back, but she couldn’t hide the tremble that shook her body. “Fear not little one,” whispered the Haedian, “I am a strong swimmer.”

Mari nodded, despite Cailu’s reassurance she could not stem the fear wracking her body. Ornaax took to the water first, slipping into the water with elegance, despite his encumbering passengers. Cailu followed moments after.

The waterlogged caverns were a sight to behold, colourful shelves of coral adorning the walls and floors with bioluminescent specks floating lazily on the currents. It was a gorgeous sight to behold, even with the painful straining on their lungs. 

Thankfully, Ornaax had spoken true, and graciously led the group to each and every air pocket before ducking under the waves again. Soon they broke the surface for the final time as the two Haedians pulled themselves and their quarries onto relatively dry land. An open cavern filled with the joy and colour of the Depthstriders.

cavern filled with the joy and colour of the Depthstriders.

╔═════════ The depthstriders - Chapter TWO ═════════╗

819 Words

“Another race?” whined Otho, “I’ve barely recovered from the last.” 

“Except this race is far worse,” grumbled Grizz, “As this one is underwater.”

Otho nodded in agreement, still damp fur curling slightly at the ends. He draped his head over his front paw and huffed, his emerald eyes following Mari and Cailu’s movements as the pair discussed tactics and gathered supplies, folded waterproof fabrics, goggles and reeds.

Grizz moved to sit beside her fellow long-haired puller, flopping down by his side. “Well,” she sighed, “If we drown here at least Mari will live on to tell our tale.”

Without turning to face them, Mari clicked her tongue in frustration, “You two will be fine. Ornaax assures me there are Haedians posted along the route, who shall retrieve us should we fall.”

“Of course you’re confident Mari, the water slicks right off your coat.” she shot her companion a piercing stare over her shoulder, and turned to trot towards him, pile of supplies still in hand.

“Otho, you will be fine. Worst comes to worst you can reach an air pocket and tap out. Here,” she placed her pile gently on the ground and retrieved a pair of goggles from the top, carefully placing them on Otho’s head and tugging them over his eyes. She fluffed his ears making sure they weren’t trapped underneath the restrictive band.

Once the goggles were in place she clipped a collar around his neck, a silver metal tube marking its apex. “Goggles to help you see underwater, and a rebreather should you need an extra puff of air before you hit an air pocket.”

“Thank you.” he muttered in resignation. It was clear at this point that there was no getting out of this race. Mari had already moved on to Grizz, adorning her in the same equipment as their partner, the fluffy pullers returned the favour in kind and soon all three were decked out in their waterbound equipment.

Not thirty minutes later, the group stood at the beginning of the race, flanked by several waterborne Haedians who were itching to leap into the water. Mari couldn’t help but notice the demographic of the Haedians around them seemed to sway towards the younger and older of the clan, with the children and teens wearing similar support items to the Vayrons.

Cailu flustered around them like a fussy mother, making sure that each of the Vayrons were fully equipped and that their equipment was sound and attached securely.

“Remember,” he whispered, “There’s no shame in giving up. If you can go on no longer find an air pocket and someone will come to retrieve you.”

Otho nodded, teeth clenched to stop their tremble. Grizz stood stoic, and despite her resignation was poised to leap into the water. Mari was the most relaxed, tail lazily sweeping the stone behind her. Cailu quickly took his place beside them.

Ornaax stood at the centre of the line of participants, a wide expanse of water stretching out in front of them. “Ready!” The entrants all snapped into position, one front foot ahead of the other with their chest close to the ground. Silence reigned for what felt like an age, but in reality was only a few seconds.

“DIVE!”

Ornaax, Cailu and the Haedians torpedoed into the waters, sending up a cascade of water. Mari was close behind them, narrowly avoiding being lashed in the face with an overzealous tail. Otho and Grizz shared a look of apprehension, both of them deciding to wait until the majority of the water had calmed before slipping into the water together with all the grace of a waterlogged elephant.

Despite their location, the underwater tunnels were bright and the water was warm. Bioluminescent lichen and tiny crystals coated the walls and floors, giving the Vayrons a clear guide to the finish line.

The pair paddled along together, opting to stick close to each other with the aim of simply completing the race. Grizz, despite being the most competitive out of the three, would even be content with being marked as “Did not Finish.”

Ahead of them, Mari cut through the water like a shark. Although she was born and raised in the icy fields of Roenden, she felt at home in the water, her heart pounding against her ribs as her lungs ached for breath. She burst from the water at the first air pocket, gasping hungrily for air. Beside her, Ornaax surfaced, grinning.

“Impressive!” he commented, “Time for me to pick up the pace!” he winked at her and quickly snaked beneath the water once again. Mari had no time to waste, hell bent on at least keeping Ornaax in her sights. She filled her lungs and submerged once again, kicking off from the cave wall to catch up with the bright green Haedian, the thoughts of her companions long behind her as she hyper focused on winning this race.