A City?
Daniel found herself staring in wonder for a good long moment, pausing in her chase to observe the creatures darting around, before she snapped back to attention and refocused on her initial goal. Sightseeing could wait. The selkie immediately made her way back in the direction the stranger had gone, each movement of her swishing tail increasing her speed all the while.
Why are they avoiding me? Can’t they see I’m just like them? Daniel thought to herself in mild frustration as she swam; this whole chase was getting pretty damn tiresome just as she expected, considering she wasn’t used to moving at such speeds in this new body, but she knew she couldn’t stop now. Instead, she kept pushing herself forward, increasing speed until her body had reached it’s limit and she began to pant a little from exhaustion, wheezing now and again too. Perhaps this chase would be able to test her limits; not in the best way, though. Daniel tuckered out her body with each burst of speed, but in the end, it had been worth it - before long, she had entered a much more vibrant area; the sea floor was littered with numerous patches of living coral, countless unlike the single one she had seen before. More fish and other creatures swam this way and that around her, and the silhouettes of odd, huge structures rose up in the distance just ahead of her and the fleeing stranger. Buildings, perhaps? Or rather, makeshift buildings - constructed from coral and rock, she figured, as Daniel neared them. Was she entering an underwater city of some sort? A massive civilization, perhaps for her own kind? It seemed so. As she slowed down, Daniel noticed that the stranger selkie had done the same; it seemed like the both of them were exhausted from swimming so quickly. This was understandable; the chase was definitely tiring for the both of them, after all. Before long, Daniel had no choice but to stop and catch her breath by a patch of coral, coughing a little then raising her head in hopes of catching sight of the stranger. The selkie she had been chasing was ahead of her, facing Daniel for the first time; the creature tilted its head curiously, staring at Daniel in awe and wonder for a long moment.
A little confused, Daniel straightened up; once she did, the fellow selkie smiled in her direction and gestured for her to follow; it seemed that the stranger hadn’t been fleeing from her in the first place. Perhaps the selkie had been leading Daniel this whole time; leading her away from the barren seafloor to a vibrant civilization, rich with life and bright with color. It was definitely a lot prettier here, welcoming even - so Daniel certainly wasn’t about to complain just yet. Swishing her tail, Daniel offered a smile back at the fellow selkie, waving at her and beginning to make her way toward them.
In response, the stranger nodded and turned away, gesturing once more and beginning to swim at a much more reasonable speed toward the structures in the distance. As far as Daniel could tell, selkies didn’t live among the numerous patches of coral surrounding her - the only ones here were Daniel herself and the stranger. Thus, she figured the others must live in those unusual, giant structures - but she supposed she’d find out soon enough.
Written by monochromecheshire on 13 August 2017