The depthstrides' clan pt1
The cave's walls shined with the reflection of the crystals in the copious puddles below their feet, the tunnel that should be dark but is instead brightly illuminated by the constant sources of light and their reflection. Cailu, Jeon-e, Mer, and Valentine sniffed the air, following the damp, mossy scent that clung to the walls.
Water trickled from stalactites above, their drips echoing in the otherwise quiet caverns, the constant drips a background sound for the past hour of walking. They had left the Watcher's clan and were now trying to get further into the depths of the caves, and as they strutted forward a new noise, a break in the neverending dripping that had accompanied them, broke the silence. A splashing noise, unnatural in itself, without the rhythm that would accompany a water source. It was faint at first, but then it got louder as they drew closer.
"What do you think it is?" whispered Jeon-e, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.
“it sounds like water?” Valentine guessed. “But it sounds... deliberate, like something’s moving in it.”
Mer tilted his head, the glow of the gems making his eyes seem blue instead of amber. “It’s not a fish, that's for sure. Whatever it is, it sounds big.”
Cailu, their guide for the underground, motioned with his head to proceed quietly. They crept forward, their breaths shallow as they peered around the corner into an opening in the tunnels, a chamber where water pooled, dark and deep, seemingly fed by a tunnel half submerged that connected to it from the side.
At the centre of the natural pool, emerging from the submerged tunnel, was a haedian. His fur, a deep blue with areas of toxic green, was glued to his body as he trudged effortlessly in the water, and some areas of his body seemed unnaturally flat, like there wasn't any fur on them but scales.
He dipped below the surface once the tunnel connected to the pool, which seemed to be at least two meters deep, and then emerged with a fish clamped between his teeth, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction as he pulled himself to the edge of the pool.
As he did so, he noticed the four reps watching him, and with a deep voice he said "I didn’t expect company down here."
Cailu stepped forward, making a nod with his head in greeting. "We didn’t expect to find anyone, either. I'm Cailu, and these are Jeon-e, Mer, and Valentine." He pointed at each one of them as he said their name.
The blue haedian dropped his catch on the shore of the pool and returned the nod, his gaze unblinking. "I am Ornaax," he said. "I'm the leader of the Depthstriders clan, I hope you are smart enough to understand what the name implies."
The reos exchanged a glance. From what they had heard from the Watchers' clan, the Depthstriders lived underwater? They knew what they were seeing, Ornaax seemed comfortable with water, but the idea still sounded foreign to their brain.
"So... you fish to survive?" Jeon-e asked, inching closer, her tail flicking in curiosity.
"Yes" Ornaax nodded, and a hint of pride colored his expression. "Over time, our clan learned to keep our breath for longer than most, diving deep and gliding through the submerged tunnels. We adapted to survive here, feeding on the fish that have also adapted to this underwater lifestyle.”
“How can you stay underwater for so long?” asked Mer, his tone both sceptical and impressed. Ornaax had chased the fish in the pool for what felt an eternity to him.
"It took many generations," Ornaax explained, sitting back on his haunches. "Our ancestors had no choice but to train themselves, holding their breath longer and longer each time. Those with the greatest lung capacity, who could hold their breath the longest, were the most successful. They became our leaders and guided us. Over time, it simply became natural to us."
He gestured with his nose, which seemed slightly different from the reos' noses, to the glistening tunnel from which he had emerged. "But it’s no easy feat. You all can keep your breath for a while, can you?"
The four reos exchanged hesitant glances. "Not... like that," Mer commented, his gaze fixed on the dark water of the pool.
Ornaax laughed, his voice echoing in the quiet cave. "Then you better stay clear of the tunnels with water in them, as they become submerged most of the time at one point or another. But follow me, I'll guide you" He motioned with his tail and started moving towards another tunnel, where the water from the pool concerningly covered the bottom half of it, but it only reached up to their shoulders once they actually stepped in it.
As they advanced through the cold water, the reos looked around the tunnel at the shimmering gems embedded in the walls, casting blue and green hues across their now drenched fur. After a couple of minutes, the water started receding and the tunnel opened up into a wide, shallow cavern, where the main sound heard was one of laughter.
On the shore created by the water of the tunnel they had just popped out of, a group of small haedian children played in the water. They darted around each other, pouncing and screaming as they nipped each other's tails when they were in reach, springing back and forth and spraying water as they splashed in and out of it.
Jeon-e’s gaze softened, her loving personality shining through. "They’re so cute," she murmured, her voice quiet, and nobody heard her.
One of the little haedian, spotting Ornaax first and then the reos, paused mid-play and cocked his head curiously. His eyes were full of consideration, taking in the new strange creatures he had never seen. Wingless and with their fur weighted down by the water, they sure made a weird impression in the eyes of a child.
“Hello!” the little one said, bouncing with excitement. “What are you?” he said while approaching. He probably felt comfortable enough doing so since Ornaax was near them.
"We're vayrons, little one," Jeon-e replied, his voice gentle. "We’re just visiting the underground of where we live."
“Do you play tag?” the small haedian asked, his voice a mix of eagerness and challenge.
Before any of them could answer, the other haedian bounded over, joining the first one earnestly. “Come play!” one of them said, spinning in a circle. “Ornaax, can they play with us? Please!”
Ornaax chuckled, nudging one of the little haedian with his nose. “If they agree, you can play with them” he said, looking at Cailu and the others. “do you want to entertain these little ones for a while?"
The four reos glanced at each other, and then Mer leapt forward, darting after one of the little ones, who did a sound close to a squeak and bolted away. Valentine bolted after him, while Jeon-e took off in the opposite direction, slower than the other two, trying to circle right in front of the small haedian's path.
The quiet of the cave, eerie at first, was now full of sounds of paws splashing around and thumping the ground, as well as the sounds of the little haedian's laughter, their young age making so that they have not yet learnt how to mask sounds while giving chase or escaping from something. Mer, the quickest of the all, darted after another little one, smiling as they narrowly dodged him by going in the water and splashing him with a flick of their tail.
In the center of the cave, Jeon-e scooped one of the smaller haedian's by the nape, who squealed and wriggled trying to escape, before she let him go and watched as he faked going away, angry that he was scooped up, only to turn around and start chasing her.
Valentine found himself surrounded by three haedians, each challenging him to chase them as they leapt at him, small nips at the air to egg him on. He feigned a growl and fake dashed at one of them, scattering the three in different directions so they could not be chased at the same time.
Ornaax watched the scene with consideration, evaluating both the newcomers and the pups of his clan.
"They're still small so they're not used to going underwater for a long time," he said to Cailu, who stayed near him and let his vayron companions prove themselves to Ornaax, "if the land dwellers had met them just a couple months in the future, they would not be able to follow.”
“Even for us haedians, we could never chase you Depthstriders if you went underwater,” Cailu replied, glancing back at the playful haedians. "Our tunnels are as dry as they can get, and the land dwellers have told me they have something called 'sea' above, a vast amount of water, bigger than anything else, but the ones I'm travelling with do not seem to be used to the sea they talk about."
Ornaax nodded, his gaze distant as he looked around the familiar cave. "For us, when our ancestors established themselves in this part of the tunnels, the water was already here, and it always has been our ally, and our challenge to conquer. It was hard at first, my parents were pups when they got pushed in this area but they still struggled to learn, they were not naturally advantaged like me or these little ones, with seniors to teach them.”
One of the haedians darted over, stopping in front of Ornaax with a grin. “I held my breath for a minute!” he said proudly, awaiting acknowledgement from his clan's leader.
Ornaax lowered his head, touching his nose to the haedian. “That’s impressive, little one,” he said warmly. “Keep it up, and soon you’ll be diving through the tunnels like your older brothers and sisters.”
The haedian beamed, then dashed back towards the water to join his friends, who had gotten closer and closer to the pool of this room.
The three vayrons kept at it, playing and entertaining the little ones for a long while, so that they could get all their energy out.
At one point Ornaax let them know that they should start heading towards the clan's base, to which the pups dashed to the tunnel while the four reos slowed and started following Ornaax, leaving the guiding to him.
"Thank you," Cailu said to Ornaax "for being so kind to strangers"
Ornaax gave a humble nod, his eyes softening. "You do not seem bad people, and I'm sure you have your reasons for embarking in this journey, so we will listen to your story."
And so, they walked, telling Onraax why they were there, and hoping he would help them.
1801 words
https://www.deviantart.com/reos-empire/art/S-T1-Ornaax-16564-1018002341
https://www.deviantart.com/reos-empire/art/S-T1-Cailu-16558-1018001366
https://www.deviantart.com/reos-empire/art/Jeon-e-17263-1119400196
https://www.deviantart.com/reos-empire/art/Valentine-17284-1125665856
https://www.deviantart.com/reos-empire/art/Mer-17277-1123141798
Submitted By Nora
Submitted: 1 month ago ・
Last Updated: 1 month ago
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