Prologue~ Birth
Bowfin was so exhausted she could care less if she was floating. The sunlight was unfamiliar to her. A part of a world that wasn't hers. Her world was a world of darkness and of silence, that dark void that lay below the waves where her kind flourished. But she was told for safety's sake that her pups had to be born above water. The old submarine groaned as contractions seized her. She wished her mate was here but the male submarine labeled as B-2 was miles away in the protected reserve in southern Florida. Bowfin ached from bow to stern and she panted in the heat. Other submarines gave berth below the water to prevent heat exhaustion that they would otherwise suffer. Bowfin did not have that luxury. "Come on, hurry up my dears or I won't be able to push you out!" She groaned.
Her prayers were answered several minutes later when, the most beautiful pair of pups Bowfin had ever seen squirmed and wriggled their way to her side. Pure blooded submarines would often surface on their own as long as they had the aid of their mothers to get their lungs working. So Bowfin began licking them. They both gave loud angry cries telling Bowfin her actions were unnecessary. She smiled and looked up to see her close friend Fletcher nearby. She had promised the destroyer the first peak. "Fletcher, if you can stop trying to dig a hole to China come meet my two daughters!" Bowfin called. "Two..." Fletcher raced over at flank speed. She settled beside her soul sister.
The two bundles nestled in Bowfin's side were clearly submarine in physical appearance. They had sleek, clean destroyer lines on their conning towers and one pup had her father's ice blue eyes. The other had Bowfin's green. "Aww, they're adorable." Fletcher cooed as they began to suckle. Bowfin smiled. "What should we name them?" She asked. "You are their mother, it is only fair I leave that honor to you." Fletcher replied. Bowfin laughed. "You're too modest." She said. "I'll name one, you name the other." She said. "Very well, darling." Fletcher replied. The one with the green eyes was named Thresher. Fletcher named the other Scorpion.
"Hey, Seawolf!" She called to her friend. The young submarine approached. "Yeah Bowfin?" She replied. "Can you watch these two for a bit. I'm gonna go cool off." Bowfin said. Since she was above water for the whole birthing process, Bowfin was in danger of suffering heat stroke. The only way to prevent that was to dive to her crush depth and sit there for several hours, letting the cold seawater rush over her. Seawolf nodded her understanding. "Be safe out there!" Fletcher called. "Always!" Bowfin replied and dove, the cool water washing over her decks until she was beyond the sight of the surface above.