Chandler and his new friend, the little submarine pup he'd found days earlier, were out exploring the harbor. Thresher had given her the name Artemis, named for the Greek goddess of the hunt and the night. This was done in the hopes that little Artemis could grow up big and strong. Right now she was a small, weak and sometimes sickly little thing. Today was one of her good days though and Chandler was happy to take her out on one his little jaunts.
The pair sailed amongst the oil rigs on the far side of the harbor. Chandler knew he'd get a spanking if he was caught here but his father was no where to be found. In fact Nathan was out on a patrol heading for the naval base at Norfolk to meet with, and discuss defense strategies for the East Coast and Rachel went with him. This left Chandler and Artemis to their own devises. Only Thresher was around to watch the pair and the old submarine had come down with a nasty bout of sub flu just a day after Chandler's parents had left. Which meant she was in no condition to keep up with the rambunctious pair.
All she told them, in between her bouts of coughing and throwing up was "Keep within sight and earshot. Stay away from the oil rigs, and don't get into anything you're not supposed to."
Right now, Chandler and Artemis were disobeying all three of those orders. They were well out of sight and though Thresher could call them her voice was so hoarse that it was unlikely they would hear. They were sailing right through said restricted area and were about to head straight into a mound of tires used as part of a training course for young cadets.
Chandler was only 3 months old, his mast only just beginning to straighten up. Artemis was 2 months old and while she had grown a bit, 20 feet instead of her original 15, she was still tiny and could easily be overlooked. This forced Chandler or someone bigger into sticking with her whenever she went out. Adult submarines were difficult to spot but at least they could dive. Artemis had yet to master the art of swimming under water so if a surface ship came her way, she'd have no where to run. Her escort served as a warning system and rescue ship to this effect, keeping her out of harms way.
Right now the pair were sailing into harms way, well the fun kind anyways. Chandler stretched his bow out of the water as he reached up to grab a tire just above his head. Sinking his teeth into the hard rubbery surface he pulled it out from the stack which wobbled dangerously. Behind him Artemis cheeped worriedly but Chandler reassured her when he came back down, tire held in his jaws with his head held high.
Next it was the submarines' turn. Artemis, unlike Chandler, could move out of the water using her fins or diving planes. The acted like seal fins in this regard, allowing her to flop along a beach in the same manner as the previously mentioned aquatic mammalia cousin. Finding the tire she wanted, Artemis got her teeth on it and tugged but it wouldn't budge, being held in place by other tires. Squeaking in frustration the submarine tugged harder, balancing as her port plane gripped a nearby tire. It wobbled under her 130 lbs of weight but held, until with a final tug, Artemis pulled her tire free. Her triumph was short lived. The tire holding her weight gave way and with a squeal the submarine fell back, 30 feet to the water below. The rest of the stack came tumbling down after her.
Chandler's first words ever spoken were the ones he said in that moment. "Oh shit!" He cried, diving forward to catch Artemis. Briefly the shipling wondered how Thresher would feel when he showed her he could speak. The submarine would be thrilled. But he pushed the thought from his mind in an instant. Artemis took priority now.
He gave a grunt of pain as the submarine landed on his back, still gripping her tire in her teeth. The destroyer shipling bolted out of there as fast as his little engines could carry him, but Artemis was heavy and weighing him down and it wasn't long before little Chandler was buried under the falling tires, his cries of distress fading into nothing as they were covered up.
Thresher's superb hearing had heard the tire stack falling and the submarine straightened up in her berth, looking out in that direction. "Punk kids." She snorted, thinking it was some unlucky destroyer cadet who had failed his test and was taking his anger out on the tire stack. But she felt compelled to check just in case. Chandler and Artemis hadn't returned yet and knowing the exploring streak of Nathan's son, the submarine knew that off limits areas were just where he would be found.
The submarine ignored her aching body as it was wracked with feverish shivers and sailed off. She had to partially dive to clear the oil rigs, her sail making it with inches of clearance. "If those kids came here, they're in a heap of trouble." She growled as she came out the other side.
"What a mess." Thresher thought to herself when she arrived on the scene. Tires were strewn everywhere, some floating single on the water, drifting with the currents towards the main channel, others were stacked four, five high even in small piles, but nothing like the giant mound that existed before. The wooden post that was anchored firmly in the seabed was once buried in the center of the stack. It now was fully exposed, a dozen tires hanging from it like some kind of tire shiscobob.
A cheep broke the silence and Thresher paused, her hearing tuning in on it. After a few seconds, there it was again. A shipling's cheep, a distress call. Thresher's paternal instincts flared and the submarine was on high alert at once, the rush of adrenaline providing an extra dose of clarity to her senses. When the sound came a third time, Thresher had an exact fix on it. She approached one of the biggest mounds farthest from where the tire pile used to be. She could just make out the tires moving, fractions of an inch upwards and then back down again, as though something was underneath it and was trying to get out.
Instantly, the submarine lunged forward and grabbed the top layer of tires in her jaws, flinging them to the side. She repeated this several more times until she found Chandler, Artemis huddled at his side and still gripping her tire. Her little form shook from the shock of what had just happened. Thresher sighed.
"What am I going to do with you two?" She asked as she removed the tires surrounding them and lifted the pair free. "From now on you two are staying with me. No more excursions."
Chandler cheeped sadly and lowered his head, his desire to show Thresher he could talk now gone. He accepted his punishment though.
Thresher put a fin around the shipling to keep him close, Artemis huddled on the other side as the older submarine led the way back. Both shiplings could feel the heat coming off her hull, and the sweat mixed with seawater running down her sides. Periodically, Thresher's head would drop and her coughs would rack her so hard that she'd let go of Chandler as her planes jerked upwards. Her nose ran green snot and she did her best to wipe it away.
Chandler cheeped worriedly and nuzzled her side with his little bow, Artemis did the same holding out the tire she managed to keep.
"Did you catch that little one?" Thresher asked her.
The shipling nodded proudly. Thresher licked her. "Keep it kiddo. I'll be alright." She assured.
Artemis placed it on Thresher's back nonetheless, snuggling up to her as they entered the berth. Thresher licked her adopted daughter as she yawned tiredly. She wasn't tired enough though to cheep for food. With an amused chuckle, Thresher rolled on her side so the baby sub could feed. Artemis happily found herself a teet and began suckling down her dinner. Chandler watched, tipping his bow to the side in confusion. He'd drunk from his mother but she was human, it was a whole different ballgame. He was also being weaned and would take either fish or milk. But watching Artemis he settled on the latter. Thresher gave a soft bark, meant to appeal to her pups instincts much the same way a ships coo would. Chandler didn't understand nor did his instincts respond to it but he was hungry and he too began to suckle right alongside Artemis.
The submarine finished first, and giving a toothless yawn, little blue eyes closing, she curled up and went right to sleep. Thresher rubbed a gentle fin over her back and Artemis burped before giving a small sigh of contentment, fins twitching as she fell asleep. Chandler was next and Thresher patted his back, similar to how she burped Artemis until the destroyer shipling belched. Thresher chuckled and set him down beside Artemis watching as Chandler curled up against her, mast tickling her stomach.
Usually, Thresher would enjoy this but her sub flu kicked in and reaching for her bucket she lowered her head and threw up noisily into it. Finished for now, she pushed it away where a dockworker would come by at some point and empty it for her. She then curled around the pair of sleeping shiplings and tried to get some rest as well, her own fins twitching in her sleep, just like Artemis.