Wings of Fire: Dragons, Steel, and Pom-Poms

XXII - Tintenfische Things (ii)

>In the waters near Safe Harbor_

The imposing floating metal construct loomed overhead. Like a lazy bull shark it nonchalantly grew closer and closer. What paltry warm light the awakening sun cast imparted a dark shadow under the strange thing's bulk.

Cuttlefish was frozen. He'd no idea what to do. Should he try to swim away? Get some distance from the boat-thing? Would that agitate it? Should he just remain still? What if that was what it wanted him to do? What if it didn't even know he was actually here?

He tried to remember what he did the last times he'd been confronted by things like this. The first time; he and his friends were kind of dumbstruck on the spot, and didn't move. Nothing bad happened to them that time, but that was in the middle of the open ocean, and before these things proved dangerous to dragons.

The second had been with the underwater-boat-thing. Twice, actually. Both times Cuttlefish literally swam up to it and poked his head out of the water. In hindsight, that seemed a pretty foolish idea. Neither time ended badly when he did, though...

But would this boat-thing be the same? Cuttlefish still didn't know what these things were capable of. It probably could kill him if he just held still like this. It probably could kill him if he tried to swim away. It could definitely kill him if he tried to swim up to it and say hello like last time.

It also might not. It might be like with the scavengers on the underwater-boat-thing. Where was that thing, anyway? He thought it might have come over here, but he couldn't see it from where he was. Then again, he couldn't see most of the boat-things' undersides from his current underwater position.

Cuttlefish stared up at the boat-thing as it drew closer. The bubble trail coming from behind it was clearly visible, and the shaking vibrations in the water around quite apparent indeed.

This could also prove an opportunity to see scavengers up close again... Isn't that what you wanted?

More or less... Cuttlefish found himself wondering why exactly he had blundered all the way out here.

Because he was bored? Because these scavengers were weird? Because he was curious? To be honest, he wasn't fully sure. This had seemed like a much better idea beforetalon, before he actually went out and did it. But now that he is here... Maybe he might as well go all the way?

The young SeaWing found himself seriously considering doing what he did with the previous boat-thing, and just going up and saying hello. Despite his wariness, that went well last time, right?

Maybe then, this could be an opportunity for him to be a brave SeaWing for once. Not that anyone was around to bear witness to his courage, anyway.

Still, it would feel pretty redeeming after his whole 'scared-of-the-ocean' thing...

Come on, Cuttlefish. You'll be fine. What's the worst that could happen...?

Cuttlefish stared up at the gradually approaching metal hulk for a few moments, stalling. He eventually managed to harden his resolve, and nervously paddled up to the boat-thing's right-talon side. He tried to squint through the rippling surface up at the above-water portion of the boat-thing, but couldn't make anything out through the disturbed seawater.

This is it, no turning back...

Cuttlefish hurriedly popped his head out of the water, and hastily shook it to clear the water from his eyes; coughing and spitting out water as he cleared his gills to use his lungs again.

No sooner than he took his first complete breath of the salty air, did he hear something that sounded rather like the scavenger barking he'd known from before: