She had always hated the ocean. Thalassophobia was the technical term. Fear of Deep Water. Any time she was on or in it, there was just this overwhelming feeling that if she let her guard down for even a second, it would swallow her whole. Drag her down into the dark, abyssal depths where no one would ever find her. As soon as she was old enough to not have her parents planning vacations anymore, she simply decided that beaches, cruises, and other aquatic treks would be off the menu, assuming that that would solve the problem. In a sane world, she would have been right.
But she no longer lives in a sane world, and the ocean has decided that it would take her, even if reality itself had to be overridden for it to happen.
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One day, she awoke to her worst nightmare. Water was above her, below her, surrounding her in every direction. It took her several solid minutes of panicking and flailing about to notice that she wasn't drowning, just drifting, and then a few more to realize that she now inhabited a completely alien shape. She couldn't kick her legs or paddle her arms to swim because she didn't have them anymore. She had flat, wing-like fins and a slender, whip-like tail. The distinctive shape of a ray was unmistakeable, doubly so when she realized that her eyes were situated to see a wide angle to either side of her, and the flat, lavender-gray shapes dominating the edges of my vision were, in fact, part of her own body. It was like having a mirror visible out of the corner of her eye at all times. Annoying and entirely unwelcome.
What followed was a whirlwind of panic, despair, denial, panic, confusion, panic, panic, and causing enough of a ruckus in that part of the sea that she drew the attention of some kind-hearted locals who rescued her from her predicament. Or, more accurately, made sure she didn't suffocate herself from a lack of movement. As it turned out, she was one of the kinds of fish that couldn't breathe unless water was actively being pushed over her gills, and that required her to keep moving at all times.
So this is how the ocean gets me, she couldn't help but think. Lurking below me at all times, abyssal maw wide, waiting for me to tire and drown before devouring me. She could never escape it now. It was always there, always present. She was always ready for things to just keep getting worse. For the hidden depths below her to contain nightmares beyond her comprehension.
But she was determined to survive. If reality wanted to spite her, if the ocean wanted to taunt her, she would spite them right back.
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"Why do you want to go out on your own?" Blue-Wake subtly tweaked the movement of their swimming, a signal that came across clear as day to the weird, precise electrical sense that a shark like them shared with rays. It made for a convenient mode of communication for animals like the two of them. "Being alone is what led to you being... like this."
"You heard the trader at Land's Reach," Sky-Gazer said, slightly altering the rhythm of her "wingbeats" to get her message across in much the same way. Despite experiencing it constantly and knowing what it was from half-remembered nature documentaries, she still couldn't quite wrap her head around electrolocation. She had a sense of where living things were, how big they were, and what they were doing within a short radius around her. There was no visual overlay, no association with sound or scent or touch. She just knew. "Rumors are coming in from all over the Known World of others like me being out there. I have to find one of them. I don't want to be alone anymore."
"You are not alone here, though! You have a School. You have me!"
"You're not- I don't mean- The School is..." She paused, trying to sort her feelings into something she could explain. This School had saved her life, and adopted her without question. They even helped her find a new name. It was almost idyllic in concept. A community of "movement-breathing" fish from differing species, banded together to combat the inherent loneliness of not being able to stop, of not being physically able to settle down and build like other animals could. If they had to keep moving to survive, they would keep moving together. And Blue-Wake, more than anyone else in it, had been her best friend, practically sticking to her like glue. But something was still missing. "This is a different kind of loneliness. I need to know that I'm not one-of-a-kind. That somewhere out there is someone else who remembers my world. Someone I can talk to about it without confusing them. Someone to relate to about... being 'like this.'"
Blue-Wake drifted above her and gently brushed the tip of their left fin against the ray's. "If that is what you need, then I will just have to accompany you."
"You don't have to do that," Sky-Gazer tilted right, drifting out from beneath the shark. They were huge compared to her, just as wide as her fin-to-fin and about three or four times as long, and while oftentimes that was comforting, right now she wasn't in the mood. "I can't ask you to abandon your home and family just to help me. That's not fair to do to you."
"What is not fair is you assuming that I'd be giving up more by going with you than staying here." The shark swam ahead a little bit and turned around, forcing the both of them to come to an uncomfortable stop. They were incredibly serious. "I can always return to the School someday. But if I were to lose you forever..." The two of them floated for what seemed like ages, effectively holding their breath. Sky-Gazer broke first, flapping her fins and rocketing over Blue-Wake, barely maneuvering around their dorsal fin. She immediately slowed down to wait for the shark, though.
"I didn't realize I was that important to you," the ray signaled, feeling both genuinely touched and rather confused. "Sorry..."
"Do not be." Blue-Wake quickly caught up and then matched speed. "You are just... the most interesting creature I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. You have such unique perspectives, having known life in such a different place and form. And yet you were still willing to share in ours. I want to learn from you, and be your friend, just as you've learned from me and been mine."
"Have I really been that good of a friend?"
"Would a bad friend help herd schooling feral fish for me when I injured my tail, despite not being able to eat fish that large itself? Or volunteer to navigate the cramped shallows of the shore settlements to find a particular type of wood when the School's cargo raft was damaged?"
"No, but a good friend wouldn't have been the one to make you injure your tail in the first place, nor have been the one who broke the raft handle by startling the Transporter from their blind spot."
"Mistakes can always happen, and your mistakes were far more excusable than most. What was remarkable is that you went far beyond what was asked of you to make up for them. I want to go just as far beyond what you are asking of me. We are stronger together than apart."
"You must be really soft to be stronger with a flabby pancake like me by your side." Sky-Gazer teased the shark, lightly flicking their side with her wispy tail.
"I take pride in my softness," Blue-Wake retorted, returning the favor and nearly spinning the smaller ray like a pinwheel. "It makes up for being so rough-skinned."
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And so it was decided. The rest of the School was informed of the pair's plans, and the leaders' gave their blessing. The shark and ray said their goodbyes and parted ways with their School near one of the coastal settlements, and the pair got to work asking around for any leads. They knew they would likely have to leave the Inner Sea through the Deeps to track anyone down, but without a destination in mind, they would just be blindly swimming across the whole Known World without a ready supply of food to sustain them.
"Rumors of creatures suddenly behaving strangely?" A friendly gazelle named Short-Prong contemplated the question as they gazed at the water, their eyes following the tight figure-eight pattern Sky-Gazer was swimming in to stay close to the docks. "I did hear something about an odd sickness breaking out far left of dawnward, all the way in Darksoil, from one of the Messengers sent ahead of the latest caravan." They paused before stamping a hoof as they remembered something. "Oh! There was quite the commotion up in the Skypeaks about nine days ago. Apparently a survey team from the Explorers' Guild there came back in complete disarray, with several of the Guild's veteran members incapacitated despite not being visibly injured. They stopped giving the public details rather quickly, but it does sound close to what you are looking for. Does that help?"
"It does, thanks!" Sky-Gazer splashed about on the surface a bit, waving a fin at the gazelle.
"You should stop by more often! We do not often see deep-water species around here. Usually they get claustrophobic without much vertical space, if they can fit in the shallows at all, but you seem quite comfortable." Short-Prong lowered their head to the water as if they were going to drink, meeting her at eye-level. "New and interesting creatures passing through is my favorite part of living in a port like this, but I only ever get to meet terrestrial visitors. The deep-water Schools never stick around to converse."
"I appreciate the offer, but-"
"I can try and find more rumors for you! I am acquainted with quite the network of gossipers." The gazelle posed proudly. "Gathering little stories from far away places is a hobby of mine."
"Stories from far away, huh?" Sky-Gazer drifted to a stop for a moment to think. She'd been avoiding talking about her past so much that she'd never even considered that there might be creatures who would be interested in hearing about it. Having made perhaps the easiest decision of her life, she extended her right fin as far out of the water as she could manage. "You've got yourself a deal! I have some stories of my own I think you will like. Ones far too complicated to tell quickly."
"Perfect!" Short-Prong bumped their hoof against the ray's fin, picking up on her intent for a "handshake" as best as a non-human like them possibly could.
"I have to go meet up with my companion and keep traveling, but I'll make sure to stop by again on the return trip." Sky-Gazer waved farewell and began to swim away.
"I will be here!" Short-Prong bleated after her. "Just ask anyone on the docks for me by name, I am exceptionally popular!"
Stolen story; please report.
Sky-Gazer opted to take the long way back, weaving between the wooden posts and sunken-stone foundations laid out over the shallows to construct the part of the settlement where land and sea could intermingle. The information she'd gotten from Short-Prong wasn't all that useful. "Far north" was too vague to be useful yet, and the Skypeaks were basically unreachable for them, unless they spontaneously gained the abilities of salmon to just acclimate to fresh water and navigate up strong-flowing rivers and streams. But there was still value in coming here. She'd made a friend, for one, but it was places like this that made her feel closest to "normal." Being able to touch the floor without losing sight of the sky. It had been her steadfast insistence on not looking down and keeping the sky in view that had led her Schoolmates to suggest Sky-Gazer as a "Gift-compatible" name, but sometimes she just wanted to rest on the ground.
She let herself drift to a stop in a shaded part of the shallows, the muffled thrumming of footfalls and wagon wheels above carried through the cleanly-cut wooden posts around her and formed a relaxing backdrop. She'd stopped moving, but the steady back and forth motion of the surf was enough to let her keep breathing. She'd actually considered living here briefly, when she'd visited a few days ago to obtain repair supplies for the School. This kind of environment was the only place she could possibly settle down. The only place that could possibly be a home for her anymore. She had just started coming to grips that "sleep" was now a foreign concept. That at best she'd be able to zone out and gently glide while her mind and body recharged. The idea of just brute forcing things to be as close as they possibly could to how they were before was appealing beyond measure.
But there were two problems. The first was that she wouldn't be able to force herself to sleep even if she tried. Her body just didn't work that way anymore. The second was that this place was empty. Not literally, there were people everywhere. But there was no contact. No presence. Electrolocation had a short range, and even within that it only extended to the water's surface. If someone didn't touch the water, on some weird level they ceased to exist. So despite being aware of and conversing with creatures up top, there was a far clearer separation between them and her than there was between her and other creatures in the water. That sense was a part of her now, and it was when she picked up no one from the world around her that she truly felt alone. Even the fish that lived in the shallows were feral, unable to provide comfort or companionship. In the end, it was nice to have some time to herself, but she knew she wouldn't want to live there. A place couldn't be her home, but people could.
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Sky-Gazer met back up with Blue-Wake that evening, the shark having visited some of the local reef communities to ask for similar rumors. There were no immediate leads to speak of, however, save one. Something that was less of a lead, and more of a local mystery.
About ten days ago, mysterious raids on several nearby fisheries began occurring. Barrier walls would be broken down, and feral fish would be attacked and eaten under the cover of darkness. At first the assumed culprit was a feral predator of some sort, but as defenses were shored up and usually-effective deterrents were deployed, the thefts continued and the countermeasures were dismantled in ways only a Gifted creature could think to do. This baffled just about everyone, because the fisheries were a public service. If anyone wanted fish, they simply had to ask and they would be provided with enough to suit their needs.
Sky-Gazer, however, immediately put two and two together. The only type of person who would break into a fishery for food would be someone who had no idea where they were or that other creatures could be communicated with. Someone like her.
"You are quite reasonable, though," Blue-Wake stated, unconvinced. "Why would someone in your situation behave like this?"
"I only have any semblance of an idea how anything works because you and the rest of our School found me, and it took a lot of effort to get me to realize that you were actually communicating with me. The Inner Sea is big, and often empty. If my luck had just been a little bit poorer..." I'd have accidentally drowned myself and my corpse would be lost to the depths. She refused to outwardly express that last part. There was no need to dwell on what might have happened.
"I suppose desperation and confusion make for an unfortunate combination..."
Luckily, they had something that the shallow-dwelling locals did not: A shark with a supremely keen sense of smell. From the site of the most recent attack, the scent of the fish was easy enough to follow in a general direction, even Sky-Gazer had a decent idea of it. But as they traveled farther away, the trail became fainter and only Blue-Wake could pick it up. The thief had traveled parallel to the shore, mostly sticking to the shallows. A pretty understandable choice if they were a former human and didn't have immediate need of deeper waters. Unfortunately, scent trail eventually became too faint to track, even for Blue-Wake. They were on the verge of doubling back and coming up with a different plan when the shark gently nudged Sky-Gazer with a fin.
"Wait. Do you feel that?"
"Feel what?"
"Hold still for a moment."
The ray stopped swimming and let herself drift, keeping her senses open for whatever Blue-Wake was noticing. Eventually she both felt and heard it. A faint WHUMP in the water that washed over her skin as a combination of sound and pressure. She banked left and oriented herself towards it.
"That's definitely something!" She lashed her tail excitedly. "Let's go!"
The waters on this part of the coast were murkier than elsewhere, as it gradually transitioned into a brackish river delta the farther towards land you went. Skirting around the waters they weren't suited for, the repeated sound of something impacting the water drew them to a secluded cove, surrounded by rocky cliffs. The waters were far deeper and clearer here, suggesting a lakebed from before the formation of the Inner Sea, at least according to what Blue-Wake once heard. Eventually, they caught sight of a blurry shape in the distance, diving down and surging upward, leaping out of the water, only to splash down with the distinctive impact they'd followed here. They were a dolphin.
"It is... breaching?" Blue-Wake signaled confusion. "I would have expected something more fearful or desperate. Not... playful."
"It makes sense to me. If you're stuck in a stressful situation, finding distractions where you can get them is important." Sky-Gazer barrel-rolled over the shark for emphasis. "Why do you think I first decided to start hanging around you?"
"Fair enough." Blue-Wake began to swim forward, only for the ray to move to cut them off.
"Sorry, I think you should hang back."
"Why?"
"Where I come from, sharks have... a less than stellar reputation." Sky-Gazer's fins drooped slightly. "All animals are feral there, so you can imagine how... dangerous you would seem to be to someone unaware of your Gift."
"Is that so?" Blue-Wake turned to the side, feigning annoyance. "That is a sad and extremely misguided attitude. Perhaps you should talk some sense into it, then."
"As you wish." It was times like this that the ray missed laughter. Simply Understanding humor didn't quite hit the same as physically feeling it. But right now there was something more important to worry about. Unfortunately, getting the dolphin's attention proved far more difficult than expected. They were fast, darting about between jumps in a clear attempt to blow off steam. She couldn't get close, and any attempts at communication from afar weren't acknowledged, unsurprisingly. It had taken someone physically touching Sky-Gazer, something extremely and obviously unusual for a wild animal to do, for her to recognize attempts to converse and begin Understanding them. So she would have to improvise. Come up with something extremely attention-grabbing. Something the dolphin wouldn't be able to ignore or shrug off as just feral ray behavior. She lacked a voice to scream with, the maneuverability to physically reach them, and the limbs for complex gestures. The only thing she could really do was swim...
WHUMP
The dolphin splashed back down after another breach, pausing to float on the surface afterwards to catch their breath. This wouldn't last long, they'd be taking off again before Sky-Gazer would be able to reach them, and there was no telling how long before they'd stop messing around and move on swimming away faster than they'd be able to follow. It couldn't be long, they'd been at this for a while. She'd have to do something big, and fast.
As she wracked her brain, an image came to her. One from one of those half-remembered wildlife documentaries she'd mostly slept through when an old roommate put them on. In it, manta rays leapt out of the water, flapping their fins and doing acrobatic twirls. She could try breaching too. She wasn't exactly a manta ray, she was some much smaller species, but she could definitely get some speed in short bursts if she tried. She should be able to do it, right? And if she performed a big enough stunt in clear view of the dolphin, that'd have to pique their curiosity!
Okay Sky, you can do this. She psyched herself up, knowing that this first part would be the hardest. Breaching would necessarily involve diving down to give herself room. She had become remarkably good at simply ignoring the depths below her over the past week or so. She'd tune out the darkness at the lower edges of her wide field of view, and not angle herself too far downward unless strictly necessary. It wasn't like she could avoid needing to swim down completely, and doing so anywhere she couldn't see the bottom always made her anxious, but she'd managed to get away with not needing to go at this steep of an angle more than a few harrowing times. But more than her comfort or convenience was at stake here, so she put her full focus and will towards the task.
The darkness below encompassed her vision as she swam down. The inky maw of the abyss threatened to swallow her whole. But she wouldn't be swallowed, not today, not ever. with a mighty flap of her fins, she angled skyward and shot upward. Again and again she flapped, the blackness now behind her with the comforting light of day her destination.
She breached the surface, and for a moment, time seemed to stop. She was in the air, actual air, for the first time since she'd woken up in this body. The wind caressed her skin, and the warmth of the sun greeted her like an old friend. She knew what she needed to do, and in this moment, there was nothing she wanted more.
"HELLO DOWN THERE!!!" With a hard flap of her right fin, she began to twirl, corkscrewing above the water as droplets of it were scattered around her in a spectacular, light-catching display. Rotating around the periphery of her vision she could see the dolphin poking their head out of the water, transfixed by the display as her intended greeting finally seemed to reach them.
And then it was over. She splashed back down, the impact of the water against her underside stinging a little, offset by the sensation of water returning to her gills.
"...Hello?" A high-pitched click carried through the water as the dolphin began to process what just happened and how they could respond. "Are you actually there? Or am I just hallucinating again?"
"I'm extremely real, I promise!" Sky-Gazer performed another twirl for emphasis, underwater this time, and the dolphin cautiously approached. "I'm so sorry you've had to be alone all this time. My name is Sky-Gazer. I'm human, like you. There's a lot to explain, and a lot that can't be explained. But we're in this together."
"Okay..." the dolphin swam around her nervously, examining her from every angle before nudging her with her long, rounded snout. "I don't know if I'm ready to hear this all at once. Can explanations wait? What if we just... talked about something normal? Something only another human would know? Like... video games? Or sports? Were you into baseball?"
"I'm more of a tennis person myself, but baseball isn't bad." It was clear what the dolphin was doing. They were trying to prove to themselves that she was real, while simultaneously trying to avoid thinking about the situation any harder than they had to. She could only imagine what being completely isolated in this state for so long would do to someone. They just wanted to feel normal. "Got any more jumps in you? I find that physical activity keeps me grounded in times like this, and doing that to get your attention was the most alive I've felt since I woke up here. We'll talk sports as we go. Keep it casual."
"I would like that, I think." A dolphin's face couldn't really smile, but they could do this little open-mouthed expression that got the vibes across just fine.
"Sure thing! You're going to be fine. I promise." Sky-Gazer hoped that Blue-Wake was fine with waiting a little longer. But she could apologize later. Right now, she'd found what she'd been looking for, along with something she didn't even know she needed.
She'd discovered that she could soar.