Deeper Waters [Leviathantale]

Ch7 - Collection

Cookies POV

"Wooaahhh... So pretty..." You gasped when an iridescent blur attracted you to a shell laying in the sand. You had been exploring for maybe an hour now, and only come up with a few shells worthy of taking home.

There were many shells littering the seafloors here, so much so that you could baily see the beige colored sands beneath, but that didn't mean they were good enough to give your mama and papa. But this particular one was easily the most colorful, and therefore worthy of keeping!

You scooped it into your hands to examine it closer. It was sort of clam shaped. The outside was a dull beige color, a small crack making it almost look as though it were smiling, whilst the inner part was a beautiful pearlescent white.

Deciding that you would not be letting this one go, you had another look around, eyelights settling when you found a very similar one nearby. Examining it, you realised the two could have matched if it weren't for the differences in sizing.

You let out a happy chirp. Now you had a mama shell and a baby shell! Now you just needed something pretty for papa as well! And maybe some extra ones to make the nest more fun...

You scoured through the sand, never quite finding one that drew your attention. You stopped, though, when you found a rock. It had a blend of reds, beiges and whites, and didn't look like it belonged in this area. It was small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, so you scooped it up.

The colors reminded you of mama, but you already had a gift for him. Maybe you could keep this one for yourself to remind you of mama? You giggled at the thought, pleased with your unusual find.

You picked up a few more shells, then found another smooth rock. This one was a smoky black color, with little tiny holes dotted around it. It had a rough texture but it wasn't sharp. This one looked a lot more like papa! Now you had two pretty stones to remind you of mama and papa!

Realising your little pile was growing difficult to hold, you decided to make your way to the rockier outskirts of the reef where you knew that Geno was currently hunting. It wasn't as colorful here but still pretty.

When you spotted him near some smooth but chunky rock formations, you hid yourself, placing your little pile down in a place you would be sure not to lose it. Then, you peered at Geno.

You saw quickly that he was fixated on a very large crab. It was a vibrant orange and white color, blending in with the rocks that lay around it, claws large enough you knew they'd hurt if they pinched you.

Geno had his own sharp claws flared, but he stayed motionless in the water, waiting for the most opportune moment to strike. When he finally did so, he moved in a flash, and the crab was dead in all the time it took to blink.

You stifled a gasp of awe, eyelights shifting into starlights. You were certainly impressed by Geno's kill. He was so fast! The crabby didn't stand a chance against somebody as cool as your mama!

You moved carefully through the water, barely hiding your excitement as you did so. Geno tossed the dead crab into a pile of five others, but before he could fixate on his nect target, you let out a cheerful chirp.

He turned to you, slightly startled for a moment, before relaxing when he recognised exactly who it was preening for his attention. "Hey Cookie," he hummed gently.

"That was so cool!" you giggled, swishing your tail in an excited fashion. "You went zoom and the crab tried to run away but you were so faaast!"

"I'm glad you enjoyed watching, little Cookie. You are very good at blending in, I'm impressed," he said as he wrapped his arms around you. You nuzzled into his chest, reciprocating the hug.

"That's because I was behind the really big rock!" you exclaimed, thinking he just meant that he couldn't see you. You did have darker colors and that made you stand out, which was why you used the rock to your advantage.

"I meant that I couldn't sense you through the water. Every animal makes ripples in the water when they move, which is how creatures like us can tell if something is nearby. You were able to get really close without me noticing," he clarified.

"Oh!" you exclaimed, taking a moment to let that knowledge sit in. It took a moment before you thought of just how you could use it. "That means I can give you and papa lots of surprise hugs!" you chirped.

"Pfft, yes, I suppose you can," Geno agreed, patting your head. "Did you find anything cool?"

"Yes! Yes!" you responded, immediately remembering the little pile yoi had left behind. Without a moment of hesitation, you begun to pull Geno along, trying to make him follow you to your little spot. He complied, rolling his eyes a little at your insistance.

When you reached the hoard you had gathered, you immediately went to show Geno every item. First, you shoved the matching shells into his hands, eager for his response. They were your favorite out of all the shells you had claimed.

Geno seemed confused as to what you were giving him at first, not having expected you to just wordlessly shove them into his hands. Then he gave a warm smile, examining your find carefully "These are very pretty. Are they for me?" he asked with a cheeky grin.

"Yeah!" you let out with unbridled enthusiasm. "Its a mama shell and a baby shell! Like you and me!"

His face lit up with a warm red blush at your words. "That's very sweet, little Cookie. What else did you find?"

You showed him the two smooth rocks. "This one looks like you and this one looks like papa!" you cheered. He picked them up one at a time, examining them with a smile.

"This one is a volcanic rock, that is why it has all the little holes in it," he explained. "Then this one is a type of agate or quartz, I think. They're both lovely finds."

"I wanna keep them," you hummed. "They're like you and papa, so if I have them with me, its like you and papa are here, even if you go away!"

Geno's soul warmed at the thought. It was clear that you adored him and his partner. They were the first people you had ever met that looked sort of like you, and they had been so kind! You hoped they'd never go away. You didn't want to end up all alone again.

"Hey, cookie... I want you to remember though that even if your papa or I are not here, we still love you very much, okay? Papa is hunting somewhere a little bit dangerous right now which is why he isn't with us, but I'm sure he'll play with you when we get back to the nest later. He hasn't forgotten or abandoned you, I promise."

"Okay!" You responded. You didn't quite understand what had caused him to talk about such a random thing, but somehow, it was exactly what you needed. Reassurance that you wouldn't be left behind.

Despite the serious nature of the topic that had come up, you were very easily distracted. It didn't take you long to realise the rocks in this part of the reef were different to where you had been earlier. You were, after all, a child, and didn't have much of a sense of social nuances yet.

"Oh! Oh! Look at this funny rock!" you let out as you dove down to the sandy seafloor, already searching for anything pretty to take home. "I'm gonna give this one to papa! Or... maybe this one? No! This one!" You giggled, slowly sorting through whatever drew your attention.

Geno gave an airy laugh at your enthusiasm. "I am sure your Papa will love anything you gift him, Cookie. We'll have to head home soon though, we've been out here for a few hours now."