hey guys, sound off if you got an email notification for this. I'm pretty sure FFN is just completely screwed in that regard rn.
Annabelle braced herself on one of the overhanging rocks as she peered into the cave, gazing down at the end where the small river disappeared into darkness.
"You're sure this tunnel has air all the way down?" She asked finally. "I can't breathe water."
"Yes! It ends in a cave under Herobrine's house." Buoy swam up to the entrance. "It's dark, but don't worry, there'll be enough light to see."
"Okay…" Annabelle looked down at Skip, beside her. "Wanna go for a swim, bud?"
"He can swim?" Buoy gaped in astonishment.
"Yeah, just, not forever. And neither can I." Annabelle squinted down the tunnel again. "So I hope there's land down there."
"There is." Buoy assured her. "It's not far. But I like to go down there, there's glow squids in there." Annabelle lifted a brow. She'd never heard of those.
"Okay…" Annabelle took the loose hem of her shirt and tied a knot in it before climbing off the rock and down into the water. It was shallow here, but she could see it drop off fairly quickly, and Skip jumped into the water behind her as Buoy swam into the tunnel.
Annabelle waded carefully through the water, lifting her hands as the water rose up to her chest. Soon, the bottom of the river dropped out from beneath her, and she began to swim, keeping her head above the water so she could see where she was going. Skip paddled along beside her as she followed Buoy, the decreasing sunlight glinting off her scales helping Annabelle keep track of the mermaid.
As the light continued to shrink, Annabelle called out, "How far does this go?"
"Not too far!" Buoy called back. "Hurry!"
"I don't have a tail, I can't swim as fast!" Annabelle protested. The water was getting quite cold, but it wasn't something she was unused to, so she pushed onwards.
As she swam, now in nearly pitch blackness, a bluish-green light appeared in the water ahead of her. Annabelle slowed, blinking in astonishment as patches of Buoy's body lit up, illuminating the narrow tunnel and helping her find her way.
Finally, light other than that produced by her guide appeared ahead of her, and they swam from the mouth of the tunnel into a huge cave. Vines hung from the ceiling far above them, growing from which were glowing, yellow berries, and across the underground lake was a wooden dock. Annabelle was getting quite tired of swimming, so she ducked under the water, speeding up until she reached the dock lit with lanterns.
"This is below Herobrine's house!" Buoy chirped as Annabelle climbed up the ladder. "He doesn't come down here much, but I like to stay quiet anyway, just in case."
"Yeah, I don't like him much either." Annabelle tried to wipe the water off her face, with little success. Nearby, Skip pulled himself up onto the shore, shaking the water out of his fur and panting.
"Oh," Buoy draped herself against the dock, curling her still-glowing tail around one of the supports. "I don't… dislike him. He just doesn't like me." She shrugged. "He thinks I'm annoying." Annabelle blinked, then frowned. Sure, she could see that, Buoy was a teenager after all, but really?
"Well, that's his loss." She said bluntly. "He can keep being lonely then." Buoy nodded, though she didn't seem pacified.
"Yeah, but I wish- glow squid!" The mermaid vanished underwater. Annabelle watched as Buoy descended towards a faint light far below them, which abruptly winked out when she reached it.
Skip trotted onto the dock, sitting down next to Annabelle and shaking his head again to billow out his fur. Annabelle made a face at him as he sprayed her with droplets.
"You're just having a grand old time, aren't you?" She asked. Skip licked her arm. "Yeah, that's what I thought."
"So!" Buoy popped out of the water, a teal tentacle clutched in one small hand. "Where did you come from? Because you didn't live on this island, right?"
Annabelle shook her head. "No, I come from the mainland to the south." She trailed the tip of her toes in the cool water. "Which is, like… a reaaally big island." Buoy's eye widened with interest.
"Cool."
"I have a house there, though it isn't as big as Herobrine's." Annabelle went on. "And a farm, where I take care of my animals."
"What kinds of animals?" Buoy pressed. "Dogs and cats?" Annabelle muffled a snicker.
"I have one dog, and a few cats at home, yes. But I also have chickens and cows, and pigs and sheep."
Buoy blinked uncomprehendingly. "I don't know what that is."
"Well… how far are you allowed to go from home?" Annabelle gave her a little smile. "Maybe, when I get out of here, you can come visit me at my farm sometime." Buoy's jaw dropped, and Annabelle could swear she saw sparkles in her eye.
"Really? I could-"
"Hey!" A loud clap caused Buoy to squeak, and Annabelle spun to find Herobrine marching down the stairs. "Get out of here! Shoo!" By the time Annabelle had turned around again, all she could see was the fin of Buoy's tail as the girl made a hasty escape.
Annabelle turned around again, fixing her captor with a nasty look. "What was that for?"
"I told that brat not to come around here." Herobrine responded offhandedly, plucking a glow berry from a hanging cluster and popping it in his mouth. Almost immediately, his body began to glow, but he paid it no mind. "She's a nuisance."
"And?" Annabelle shot back. "You were lonely enough to kidnap me, but when a kid comes to you wanting to be your friend you turn them away?" She scoffed. "Makes you wonder, huh." Herobrine blinked at her, then ate another glow berry.
"Well, you don't damage the local squid population."
"Oh, please. Those things are an emerald chip a dozen."
"And that's a reason for the guardians to eat them all up?" Herobrine threw both hands in the air. "This is my island. I have to have the drowned chase them off now."
Annabelle scoffed lowly. "Seems you missed one."
"Seems I did." Herobrine agreed.
Annabelle stood, brushing past him and marching up the stairs. "Well, I've been here two days, and I've already made more friends than you. Come on, Skip." Her dog hopped up, trotting after her.
"No, come here, Skip." Herobrine cut in. Skip stopped in his tracks, glancing between them as Annabelle stopped as well. "Skip!" Herobrine offered his arms, and the big dog bounded joyfully in his direction. As Annabelle bristled, Herobrine shot her a teasing grin.
"But I have your dog."
Annabelle's irritation came to a peak at that moment. Red flashed in front of her vision, and the next thing she knew she was marching back down the stairs, planting her hands firmly on Herobrine's chest and shoving him off of the dock into the water.
The man fell with a shout, which was cut off when he hit the water, which Annabelle continued to scowl at until he surfaced a moment later. Herobrine coughed, but merely grinned up at her.
"It was a joke, I promise."
"Say that again and I'm coming into the water to hit you again." She threatened. "Read my mind. I'm serious." His grin only widened.
"While I would love to see that, I wouldn't want you to somehow drown yourself in the process."
"I work harder every day than you have in your entire life!" Annabelle fired back. "I guarantee I would not drown myself."
"That's a bold claim." Herobrine noted. "I haven't seen you working very hard since you got here."
"I'm on vacation!"
"Guys?" A new voice interrupted their verbal battle, and Annabelle turned in surprise to find Steve standing at the top of the stairs. "Everything alright down here?"
"Steve!" Annabelle exclaimed, feeling herself calm at the sight of the familiar, non-grinning face. Herobrine dragged himself out of the water, draping himself mournfully against one of the dock's supports.
"Stephen, you're just in time. She meant to drown me."
"You're so dramatic." Steve said with a sigh. "Come on, upstairs, both of you. Let's find something… less violent to do."