Hi! I've decided to get back into writing after a long break, so this is more just a practice to get back into the swing of things. Comment or Like or whatever this site does these days! Or don't, I can't tell you what to do.
The sounds of waves overhead were a soothing comfort from the storm the night before. Air bubbles fizzed through his gills as he took another breath. Lance emerged from his cave, webbed fingers gripping the rock and coral walls. Fish that would be considered exotic to others whizzed past, going about their day. A small school stopped on their way past, greeting him cheerfully before moving on. Even with the terrible storm, the marine life went about their day. Stretching, Lance swam out of the cave he called home, to survey any damages to the reef. According to the chatter of a small group of brightly coloured fish, something big had crashed into the ocean during the storm, crushing a large area of the coral. Lance made his way to where the alleged thing had crashed.
Half the day had gone by and there had been no sight of it, and Lance had to wonder if he was even going in the right direction any more. Then he noticed a few clumps of broken corals. And then another. And another. Each larger than last. As if something had bounced off the ocean floor several times before skidding to a stop. Finally something interesting. Lance followed the trail of the destroyed seabed, mending what he could as he went. He was lifting a rock off the fin of an eel when something called out to him. Not out loud for his ears to hear, but in his mind. It was a bizarre sensation. And it didn't sound like words, it sounded sort of like an image. Like and image of a hand reaching out to him. Reaching out for help! Waving goodbye to the eel, Lance hurried to the voice, feeling it grow more and more frantic the closer he got. As if it couldn't survive under water much longer, which was odd, considering this whole planet was covered with water, and nothing dared go above the surface, besides dolphins and whales and such, but everyone knows those guys are nuts anyway.
Lance was just thinking about his when something came into his line of sight. The fish weren't lying when they said it was big. Huge even. It was blue and silver, and in the shape of a beast that Lance had never seen in his lifetime. Nearby life warned him to stay away, that it was dangerous. The voice in his mind told him different, that it needed his help. That was enough for the Merman to gather up his courage and approach the thing. Now up close and personal, Lance realised he had no idea how to help it. He circled every inch looking for a way in. If it wanted his help it wasn't making it easy. Pausing in front of what Lance assumed was its face, he put his hand on its nose, reaching back out with his mind to find what was calling for him. Something clicked. The jaw of the beast unhinged, sucking in the water, and Lance with it.
He felt his body being jerked back into the mouth of the great beast, clawing desperately at the water around him, but it was no good. He was swirled round in the whirlpool of water, before finally coming to a halt in a room. It housed a chair and a smooth surface that shined with the reflection of the slowly fading sunlight. The hand that had beckoned him in nudged him gently to sit, and guided him through how to pilot the beast. He hesitantly touched the buttons it told him, and the beast shuddered to life, glass glowing and buttons lighting up. It encouraged him to slowly push the leaver, and as he did, the beast rose. It floated its way to the surface. He was going to the surface, where only the air-breathing crazy fish dared go. He was going to see if the view of water for miles and miles as truly as breathtaking as they claimed. Lance wasn't sure what to expect, but the sun setting over the horizon of a calm ocean was not one of them. He should have come up here years ago, he found himself thinking. The beast shuddered again, as if taking deep breath of air. And then it spoke. With words this time, not images f a hand much like his own gently nudging him forward. The voice of the beast echoed in his mind in a booming, yet gentle tone.
"Creature of the depths, do you have a name I may thank you by?"
"Lance, and no thanks are necessary. Do you have a name?"
"I go by Blue Lion, and I have chosen you to be my Paladin"
"Okay, um, a few questions. One, what is a Paladin? Two, why me? And Three, what is a lion?"
"I have chosen you for your courage and your compassion. But you are not the only Paladin. There are four others like you. We must meet with them immediately."
"Well, Okay then, I guess. Why not?"
"Excellent! Let us take to the skies, Young Paladin! Let us charge towards the future together!"
So there we have it! Let me know what you think 'n stuff. I think I'll do Hunk next...