Sparkling Shells and Whispering Winds

[CosmicChaos21]

Time for a brand new playthrough! I really love writing the worldbuilding for this one so I hope y'all can enjoy it! No screenshots yet as this first post will just be some worldbuilding stuff because 1. I'm very excited about it and 2. It'll feel less cluttered.

-

The Ocean Pack and the Sky Pack live on the Starry Isles, with the Ocean Pack living among the waves and along the shore while the Sky Pack roam the grasses and among the trees of the inland with the two packs having made a truce many seasons ago to keep peace.

The Sea Pack is known for their swimming prowess and ability to find worms or easily crack open clams, with water body being a common trait but those who don’t have it instead stick to the shores where they can swim for short bursts before returning to the sands.

They have a feast when new life is brought into the pack, where a large variety of seafood is brought into a pile on the shore’s edge so all of the pack’s nichelings can eat, talk, and even play until sunrise. They also preform swimming contests to see what nichelings are the fastest when there are calm waters, the contests can be for fun or for prizes like rare food or shiny pearls.

When a Sea Pack nicheling wants to confess their romantic feelings to another nicheling it is tradition for the confessing nicheling to carve their own design into a seashell to present to the other to prove that they mean it.

The Sky pack is known for their strength and battle prowess along with their tendency to live in open fields, though pups, elderly members, and those who are afraid of living in the open live in dug out dens instead. Wings and bigger bodies are common but there are also more lean nichelings who are known for being more swift and agile in the pack.

The Sky pack have a feast to celebrate a nicheling recovering from a bad injury especially if they gain a scar from it, they gather a large amount of roots, meat, and acorns for the pack to eat as they relax and do what they want for the day. They have spars both as a way to keep skills sharp and also to have fun, it may just be for fun or the winner could get a prize like rare food or something like a blue bird feather or even a bearyena claw as a trophy.

When a Sky Pack nicheling wants to confess they are supposed to make a neck accessory made with various plant life like vines, grass, and flowers to prove that they are willing to go the extra mile for the one they are confessing to.

=

Most members of the packs are happy with staying on the Starry Isles but some want to go somewhere new, somewhere that they haven’t lived their entire lives, and some don’t want to be without those who want to wander. So two small group of each pack ended up saying their goodbyes before leaving to find their own home, though the groups departed at different times meaning they weren’t aware of the other’s existence.

With them they brought their former packs traditions and culture as they explored, hopping island to island with the intent of finding somewhere new yet similar enough that they would keep their traditions.

Both small groups made their home on the same island though they were unaware of the other residing there due to staying on different places of the island.

[CosmicChaos21]

Time to dip our feet into the playthrough with the first group of nichelings! We'll alternate between the two groups unless something really important is happening that requires us to focus on a single one for multiple posts.

-

Both groups had named their groups in a similar vein to their old pack as a sort of memorial of the packs they came from as a way of honoring them. So the group of sea-faring nichelings decided to name themselves the Tidepool Pack in honor of their former pack.

“I win! Just as I expected” Reed, a dark brown nicheling with a cracker jaw, said as soon as she surfaced, smug about the fact she’d won the swimming race against Shark. Shark, a red nicheling with orange stripes, surfaced with a shake of his head before rolling his eyes at the other nicheling. “Only because you hit me in the face with your tail cheater” Shark scowled as he swiped at Reed, she just casually moved out of the way as she knew he wouldn’t actually hurt her over losing a race, would he be grumpy for the rest of the day? Sure but that’s about it and the whole pack knew it.

Which is exactly why Clam, A reddish-brown nicheling with a large fluffy tail, didn’t move a claw when she heard the two bickering as she knew nothing serious would come of it. Clam was the leader of the pack as this point as she had been better at leading them and keeping them safe than any other member of the group, even Reed respected her even if she did tend to cause trouble from time to time.

“Well there were no rules against it so it ain’t cheating!” Reed argued as she swam over before settling against a rock that was sticking out of the water. “I thought it would’ve just been common sense to not hit someone in the snout during a race but I guess I should’ve known better when it comes to you” Shark said making Reed narrow her eyes before getting an idea. Shark noticed the mischievous glint in Reed’s eyes but before he could figure it out he had to splutter as he suddenly got a heaping of seawater launched at his face.

“HEY!” Shark snapped in agitation after spitting out the mouthful of seawater before fixing Reed with a glare that would probably terrify a nicheling that didn’t know him. “I thought you’d be used to seawater by now” Reed smirked as she stared him in the eye making Shark’s expression sour further before an idea came to him.

Reed flinched back in surprise when Shark just vanished under the waves instead of saying anything. After a bit she leaned closer to the water in mild concern but jolted when she felt something slimy touch her face, causing her to slip and fall into the water.

She flailed for a few moments before freeing herself and seeing what it was. A bit embarrassed and flustered at her reaction she quickly surfaced to see Shark and even Clam snickering at her. “Did you stick seaweed on my snout?!” Reed screeched as her shoulder-fins twitched with a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance at the other nicheling’s actions. “It’s good for you, you should thank me for the free snack” Shark grinned as his expression mirrored the smug one Reed had on earlier. “You’re just bitter I won” Reed settled on before turning her head away with a huff, only making Shark laugh harder which she chose to ignore.

After some silence Clam suddenly spoke up catching the other nicheling’s attention. “Have either of you seen Trout recently? She said she’d be back by sunset” Clam said turning Shark’s attention towards the sun and noticing that it was indeed casting an orange glow over the rippling waves. Reed looked around before thinking to put her head underwater and turning her snout in a few directions before pulling her head back up.

“No” Reed said as she didn’t recall seeing her since they all woke up. Clam’s face twisted in concern upon hearing those words as she stood up from her spot laying on a flat rock. “I’ll look for her” Shark offered making Clam look at him with consideration before nodding, which was all the confirmation Shark needed.Reed and Clam watched Shark vanish under the water, silently deciding to stick around in case Trout came back so she didn’t find an empty shore.

 

-

Shark swiftly swam through the water, throwing his gaze around as he searched for any signs of the daydreaming nicheling, feeling dread build in his chest the longer he went without any indicators. He weaved through patches of seaweed and past scattering swarms of fish as he made his way further into the depths.

He peeked past a cluster of seaweed, jolting in shock at a sudden movement that made him ready himself for a battle before realizing that the short thin-furred tail was familiar. He slowly swam in a circle so he was in front of the reddish-brown nicheling with orange spots, as to not scare her.

Trout flinched despite his attempts to make his presence obvious, dropping the shell she was holding in the process, before realizing that the nicheling was one she knew. She looked at his with a tilt of her head in a silent question as they couldn’t speak underwater. Shark flicked his tail in a ‘follow me’ gesture causing Trout to hesitate and longingly glance at the shell she dropped before following Shark and leaving the shell to sit in the sand.

Clam almost tripped over her own paws as she rushed to swim over to Trout when the two appeared. “Why were you so late, you weren’t hurt were you?” Clam said as she checked Trout for any signs of an injury which made her a bit flustered so she swam a few tail-lengths away before answering. “I’m fine, I just lost track of time I guess, sorry” Trout apologized as she looked away from Clam who sighed in a worried way. “Keep track of the sun better, I thought you’d gotten hurt or trapped” Clam said making Trout’s ears droop in shame. “I will” Trout promised with a crooked smile.

Reed and Shark watched the two interact with different expressions but a fairly similar feeling. Both nichelings agreed that it was painfully obvious that the two had mutual crushes on each other but it seemed like they were the only ones who didn’t notice and felt a small piece of them die a little each time they see the two interact. They even had a deal where depending on who confessed the loser would have to find the winner a shiny pearl simply due to how hard they are to find.

“I was so close to winning” Shark grumbled after the two had swam a fair distance from the shore where Trout and Clam were interacting so they would be out of earshot. “What do you mean?” Reed asked as she turned her attention towards Shark instead as he sighed. “Trout was holding a shell, you know what that means” He groaned in annoyance as he laid his head on the rock that was jutting out from the waves only causing Reed to cackle which caught the attention of the two shore nichelings.

“Just about our next race!” Reed yelled in response when Clam yelled to ask what she was laughing about, causing the leader’s attention to return to Trout. “And you didn’t wait long enough to win the deal?” Reed asked after making sure Clam and Trout were distracted with talking to each other again. “Well Clam and you were worried so I made sure to bring her back as quickly as I could” Shark replied causing Reed to scoff. “Becuase you totally weren’t worried either” Reed drawled out sarcastically making Shark glare at her but not say a word in defense because he couldn’t deny it.

-

“Guess I just tend to get stuck in my head a lot” Trout said with a nervous laugh as she glanced towards the sandy shore instead of the concerned nicheling in front of her. “I’ll go with you next time than” Clam said making Trout’s head snap towards the other nicheling. “No!” The sudden raise in volume stunned Clam into silence at the uncharacteristic loudness that the usually quiet nicheling spoke with.

“Er I mean I just like being alone sometimes” Trout tried to correct herself but realized that might’ve sounded bad. “Not that you’re bad company I just- I uh-” Clam cut her off before Trout could’ve further dug herself deeper. “It’s fine I’m not offended” Clam said with a chuckle feeling mildly amused at Trout’s attempts to correct her phrasing. “I know you’re not a social nicheling and I get it, I just want you to be safe” Clam continued making Trout’s heart beat faster, which she desperately tried to ignore at the moment.

A sudden cackling noise startled both nichelings, whipping their heads toward the sound only to notice it was from a far away Reed. “What are you laughing so hard about?” Clam yelled to make sure the two nichelings in the distance could hear her. After getting the response Clam could only shake her head in an exasperated yet amused way.

“Those two compete over everything don’t they?” Trout said as she watched the two talk for a few seconds before looking over at Clam, who was already looking at her. “Yeah, seems more like they’re trying to impress each other rather than anything else” Clam said with a chuckle which caused the both of them to quietly snicker at the two competitive nicheling’s constant contests against each other.

[Stranger]

On 2/26/2024 at 5:07 PM, CosmicChaos21 said:

Time to dip our feet into the playthrough with the first group of nichelings! We'll alternate between the two groups unless something really important is happening that requires us to focus on a single one for multiple posts.

-

Both groups had named their groups in a similar vein to their old pack as a sort of memorial of the packs they came from as a way of honoring them. So the group of sea-faring nichelings decided to name themselves the Tidepool Pack in honor of their former pack.

“I win! Just as I expected” Reed, a dark brown nicheling with a cracker jaw, said as soon as she surfaced, smug about the fact she’d won the swimming race against Shark. Shark, a red nicheling with orange stripes, surfaced with a shake of his head before rolling his eyes at the other nicheling. “Only because you hit me in the face with your tail cheater” Shark scowled as he swiped at Reed, she just casually moved out of the way as she knew he wouldn’t actually hurt her over losing a race, would he be grumpy for the rest of the day? Sure but that’s about it and the whole pack knew it.

Which is exactly why Clam, A reddish-brown nicheling with a large fluffy tail, didn’t move a claw when she heard the two bickering as she knew nothing serious would come of it. Clam was the leader of the pack as this point as she had been better at leading them and keeping them safe than any other member of the group, even Reed respected her even if she did tend to cause trouble from time to time.

“Well there were no rules against it so it ain’t cheating!” Reed argued as she swam over before settling against a rock that was sticking out of the water. “I thought it would’ve just been common sense to not hit someone in the snout during a race but I guess I should’ve known better when it comes to you” Shark said making Reed narrow her eyes before getting an idea. Shark noticed the mischievous glint in Reed’s eyes but before he could figure it out he had to splutter as he suddenly got a heaping of seawater launched at his face.

“HEY!” Shark snapped in agitation after spitting out the mouthful of seawater before fixing Reed with a glare that would probably terrify a nicheling that didn’t know him. “I thought you’d be used to seawater by now” Reed smirked as she stared him in the eye making Shark’s expression sour further before an idea came to him.

Reed flinched back in surprise when Shark just vanished under the waves instead of saying anything. After a bit she leaned closer to the water in mild concern but jolted when she felt something slimy touch her face, causing her to slip and fall into the water.

She flailed for a few moments before freeing herself and seeing what it was. A bit embarrassed and flustered at her reaction she quickly surfaced to see Shark and even Clam snickering at her. “Did you stick seaweed on my snout?!” Reed screeched as her shoulder-fins twitched with a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance at the other nicheling’s actions. “It’s good for you, you should thank me for the free snack” Shark grinned as his expression mirrored the smug one Reed had on earlier. “You’re just bitter I won” Reed settled on before turning her head away with a huff, only making Shark laugh harder which she chose to ignore.

After some silence Clam suddenly spoke up catching the other nicheling’s attention. “Have either of you seen Trout recently? She said she’d be back by sunset” Clam said turning Shark’s attention towards the sun and noticing that it was indeed casting an orange glow over the rippling waves. Reed looked around before thinking to put her head underwater and turning her snout in a few directions before pulling her head back up.

“No” Reed said as she didn’t recall seeing her since they all woke up. Clam’s face twisted in concern upon hearing those words as she stood up from her spot laying on a flat rock. “I’ll look for her” Shark offered making Clam look at him with consideration before nodding, which was all the confirmation Shark needed.Reed and Clam watched Shark vanish under the water, silently deciding to stick around in case Trout came back so she didn’t find an empty shore.

 

-

Shark swiftly swam through the water, throwing his gaze around as he searched for any signs of the daydreaming nicheling, feeling dread build in his chest the longer he went without any indicators. He weaved through patches of seaweed and past scattering swarms of fish as he made his way further into the depths.

He peeked past a cluster of seaweed, jolting in shock at a sudden movement that made him ready himself for a battle before realizing that the short thin-furred tail was familiar. He slowly swam in a circle so he was in front of the reddish-brown nicheling with orange spots, as to not scare her.

Trout flinched despite his attempts to make his presence obvious, dropping the shell she was holding in the process, before realizing that the nicheling was one she knew. She looked at his with a tilt of her head in a silent question as they couldn’t speak underwater. Shark flicked his tail in a ‘follow me’ gesture causing Trout to hesitate and longingly glance at the shell she dropped before following Shark and leaving the shell to sit in the sand.

Clam almost tripped over her own paws as she rushed to swim over to Trout when the two appeared. “Why were you so late, you weren’t hurt were you?” Clam said as she checked Trout for any signs of an injury which made her a bit flustered so she swam a few tail-lengths away before answering. “I’m fine, I just lost track of time I guess, sorry” Trout apologized as she looked away from Clam who sighed in a worried way. “Keep track of the sun better, I thought you’d gotten hurt or trapped” Clam said making Trout’s ears droop in shame. “I will” Trout promised with a crooked smile.

Reed and Shark watched the two interact with different expressions but a fairly similar feeling. Both nichelings agreed that it was painfully obvious that the two had mutual crushes on each other but it seemed like they were the only ones who didn’t notice and felt a small piece of them die a little each time they see the two interact. They even had a deal where depending on who confessed the loser would have to find the winner a shiny pearl simply due to how hard they are to find.

“I was so close to winning” Shark grumbled after the two had swam a fair distance from the shore where Trout and Clam were interacting so they would be out of earshot. “What do you mean?” Reed asked as she turned her attention towards Shark instead as he sighed. “Trout was holding a shell, you know what that means” He groaned in annoyance as he laid his head on the rock that was jutting out from the waves only causing Reed to cackle which caught the attention of the two shore nichelings.

“Just about our next race!” Reed yelled in response when Clam yelled to ask what she was laughing about, causing the leader’s attention to return to Trout. “And you didn’t wait long enough to win the deal?” Reed asked after making sure Clam and Trout were distracted with talking to each other again. “Well Clam and you were worried so I made sure to bring her back as quickly as I could” Shark replied causing Reed to scoff. “Becuase you totally weren’t worried either” Reed drawled out sarcastically making Shark glare at her but not say a word in defense because he couldn’t deny it.

-

“Guess I just tend to get stuck in my head a lot” Trout said with a nervous laugh as she glanced towards the sandy shore instead of the concerned nicheling in front of her. “I’ll go with you next time than” Clam said making Trout’s head snap towards the other nicheling. “No!” The sudden raise in volume stunned Clam into silence at the uncharacteristic loudness that the usually quiet nicheling spoke with.

“Er I mean I just like being alone sometimes” Trout tried to correct herself but realized that might’ve sounded bad. “Not that you’re bad company I just- I uh-” Clam cut her off before Trout could’ve further dug herself deeper. “It’s fine I’m not offended” Clam said with a chuckle feeling mildly amused at Trout’s attempts to correct her phrasing. “I know you’re not a social nicheling and I get it, I just want you to be safe” Clam continued making Trout’s heart beat faster, which she desperately tried to ignore at the moment.

A sudden cackling noise startled both nichelings, whipping their heads toward the sound only to notice it was from a far away Reed. “What are you laughing so hard about?” Clam yelled to make sure the two nichelings in the distance could hear her. After getting the response Clam could only shake her head in an exasperated yet amused way.

“Those two compete over everything don’t they?” Trout said as she watched the two talk for a few seconds before looking over at Clam, who was already looking at her. “Yeah, seems more like they’re trying to impress each other rather than anything else” Clam said with a chuckle which caused the both of them to quietly snicker at the two competitive nicheling’s constant contests against each other.

Lmaooo Shark and Reed are my favourites they are the best!! 

[CosmicChaos21]

1 hour ago, Stranger said:

Lmaooo Shark and Reed are my favourites they are the best!! 

That's fair- They're a blast to write as their interactions come naturally to me! Currently writing the next part so hopefully you'll also enjoy the other nichelings :3

[CosmicChaos21]

Now it's time to surface and see what's up with the more land-bound pack of our playthrough!

-

The other group had named themselves as an echo of their former pack as well, calling themselves the Gale Pack to respect their old pack while making their own identity.

“Confess confess confess, c’mon!” Maple, a dark red-furred nicheling with a bushy tail, has considered murdering her best friend at LEAST twelve times as she kept trying to push her to confess. Yes she may have a circle of twined grass with a few dried healing fruit blooms at the ready but she wants to make sure this confession is perfect and it won’t be if it’s rushed.

Maple batted at the other nicheling’s snout with sheathed claws to express her annoyance only causing the other one to cackle in response and shove her paw away. Azalea, a bright red-furred nicheling with ram horns and a clawed paw, was more amused than anything with her best friend’s hesitance on confessing ‘too soon’ though she was getting annoyed as she had been planning for almost three moons now.

“What if you never get the chance because something happens though? Wouldn’t you hate to never get your feelings out?” Azalea prompted as she stared at Maple making her squeeze her eyes shut in annoyance as she considered the other nicheling’s words. “But what if my words come out messy and I mess everything up?” Maple snapped back, Azalea didn’t really react to the harsh tone of her words as she responded. “Well at least you won’t live your life in suspense” Azalea said making Maple squeeze her eyes shut for a few moments before opening them with a groan of misery.

“I…fine, but if it goes wrong I’m blaming you” Azalea’s eyes flew open in shock before processing what her friend said. “Deal!” She agreed readily as she felt like this would go well.

Maple hesitated before grabbing the twined grass and going to the clearing to try and find her crush.

Maple heavily considered turning around and not confessing for the rest of her life when she entered the small clearing and saw that every single member of the pack was there. Failing a confession? Bad enough, but failing in front of her whole pack? Absolutely crushing and mortifying. But when she glanced back Azalea gave her an encouraging grin though it was lined with sympathy as she also noticed the group of nichelings that were there.

Maple brushed her claws through her fur and adjusted the fur on her face, taking a deep breath before squaring her posture into her usual confident one and walking over to her crush like she had all the guts in the world.

Zinnia, a pink nicheling with long, spiraling horns turned his head as he heard the sound of someone approaching him. “Ah Maple, what can I do for you on this fine sunrise?” Zinnia asked before noticing the twined circle of grass Maple held in her jaws. “That’s quite a beautiful thing, who would it happen to be for?” He asked despite having an idea considering she had approached him, but he was giving her a chance to rethink it considering he didn’t think he was the best choice.

Maple focused her eyes only on Zinnia as a way to ignore the stares she could feel burning into her pelt, focusing instead on taking a moment to muster all her courage before holding the accessory with one paw. “I’ve made it for you, your agility and charm have worked their wonders on me to the point I’ve fallen for you deeper than the sea’s depths and am hoping you feel even a small fraction of the affection I do” Maple recited the words that she had been practicing with Azalea for moons, internally thanking Azalea for the idea now though she had been mortified by it at first.

“…That is a fancy way to ask someone to be your mate” Zinnia spoke after a silence that felt like seasons on Maple’s end. “I’m supposing that’s a no” Maple said with casual confidence that implied that she wasn’t bothered but inside her heart clenched painfully at the idea of rejection. Zinnia shook his head in response. “No, I’ll accept I was just commenting on how fancy it was” He said making Maple’s brain crash for a few moments as she processed his words.

“Oh! Well than here” Maple said as she held out the neck accessory to Zinnia, who took it and put his head through the circle so it fell around his neck in a neat and beautiful manner. Maple’s grin was almost arrogant on the outside but her heart burst with affection as she saw the one she loved wearing the accessory she had painstakingly crafted with her own two paws.

Zinnia used a paw to bring the accessory closer to his face to better admire the gift. He looked at the neatly twined grasses that trapped dried blooms tight enough to prevent them falling with every step yet loose enough to not damage them. He knows that his feelings are nowhere near as strong as Maple’s but he can’t deny the pull he feels whenever she’s around, he can admire her confidence in everything she does along with the fact she never lets herself fall behind on her duties in the pack.

“Maybe we could…walk around?” Zinnia asked, trying to think of some sort of activity for the two to do as a way to bond now. “Sure” Maple answered casually though her perked ears gave away her excitement at the idea, following Zinnia as he led her out of the clearing.

Sequoia, a dark reddish-brown furred nicheling with very fluffy fur and ram horns, was currently grinning ear to ear as they looked at the newly-made couple leave before looking over at their friend. “Did you see that?! I knew those two had feelings for each other!” Their voice came out in an excited burst that made their friend flinch in a way that made Sequoia wince and quiet their volume. “Sorry” They whispered as their ears lowered with an apologetic smile.

“It’s fine” Hop, a brown-furred nicheling with quills, replied as he felt embarrassment at the fact he reacted so strongly to the raise in volume. “I’ve never been good at telling when others have crushes on each other so I guess it was a surprise to me” He said with a nervous grin as he reached a paw up to idly itch at his mane before putting it back down. “Not everyone can, I mean those two obviously didn’t” Hop snickered at his friend’s comment as it was a bit funny in hindsight.

“Would you ever have a mate?” Sequoia’s question caused Hop to choke on air making him cough for a bit, which heavily concerned Sequoia, before even preparing himself to answer. “I mean, maybe?” He answered honestly before considering the question more. “I’d like to but no one’s caught my eye as of yet” Hop admitted a bit bashful as he knew many nichelings would’ve at least tried to date someone by now. “That’s fine, it’s not for everyone” Sequoia said making Hop have a small smile before he considered something else.

“Why do you ask?” Hop asked as he tried to puzzle together a reason himself. “Honestly I’m just curious” Sequoia answered honestly as they just wanted to know, they liked to know whatever they could about the nichelings close to them from the big things to the tiny tidbits. “What about you? Would you ever want a mate?” Hop turned the question around tempararily stunning Sequoia for a few moments before considering it themself.

“I’ve tried to have mates here and there, but nothing really solid, there were no neck accessories traded or anything, no one ever felt like ‘the one’ you know?” Sequoia admitted with a contemplative look on their face as they looked off into the distance. “I’m sure you’ll find the one some sunrise, and if you don’t then the pack loves you even if it’s not in the same way as a mate would” Hop spoke after taking some time to figure out the best way to phrase his thoughts, it seemed to work as Sequoia’s face lit up in a smile again when they looked over at Hop. “You’re right, mate or not the pack will always have my back” Sequoia agreed letting the two settle into a comfortable silence.

[CosmicChaos21]

A moon had passed and Clam closed her eyes as she drifted across the surface of the water, looking at the clouds that drifted by in the sky while floating on her back. She occasionally kicked her hind legs to move across the shimmering surface causing ripples to form across the calm waters. Her calm was forgotten as she heard Trout mutter to herself.

“How do you relax like this?” She muttered as she once again tried to glance into the water below from her position floating on her back, she had agreed to this because Clam had said it was the easiest way for her to calm her mind. Trout decided that this was no way to relax, at least in her mind. Seeing her struggle, Clam used her legs and tail to drift in Trout’s direction.

“You can’t keep thinking about what’s under the water, and besides that’s why we’re near the shallows” Clam said as she drifted by Trout, looking at her unnerved expression. “The most dangerous thing that comes by the shallows are leeches and I haven’t seen any” She continued while reaching a paw out to gently place on Trout’s shoulder making the other nicheling relax a little bit at the contact.

“…Do you trust me?” Clam asked, having an idea of how to soothe the other nicheling’s fears. “Yeah?” Trout said confused as she felt that the answer was obvious. Clam then reached one of her paws around Trout’s shoulders and rested her paw on her other shoulder causing the two to be pulled close enough that Trout’s face was almost pressed against Clam’s, making Trout more flustered than she’d like to admit.

“This way I’m right next to you to make sure that nothing dangerous can get you” Clam explained as she just let the two of them float idly along the water surface, though her scaly skin felt warm despite the cool water. Trout didn’t say anything but just nodded as she didn’t trust her voice at the moment. It was enough for Clam as she gently kicked her legs to push the two across the water before letting them idle again.

After some time Trout felt a sense of security and drowsiness and ended up slowly drifting off, and in her sleepy state she rested her head against Clam’s shoulder making Clam fight the urge to flinch from shock before relaxing and glancing at her with a soft smile before going back to keeping her senses sharp.

Reed darted through a stone archway with Shark right behind her, the two swimming as fast as they could through their own obstacle course made from the natural formations under the waves.

Reed flicked her tail to try and hit Shark in the snout but he knew better this time and dodged it before using it to his advantage as he pushed himself to swim faster and try to get ahead of her. Reed was stunned for a moment but quickly regained her senses and kicked faster to catch up to him, leaving the two neck and neck as they tried to get ahead.

Both of them noticed the ‘finish line’, a large rock that sat on the sandy sea floor, at the same time and glanced at each other before putting all their strength into swimming as fast as they could. A large cloud of sand was kicked up behind them from the force of their tails beating against the water as they tunnel-visioned on the goal, neither of them wanting to lose to the other.

Once they passed the goal the two swiftly swam to the surface so they could speak. “I won!” Reed said causing Shark to narrow his eyes at her statement. “No you didn’t, I obviously won considering my snout crossed the rock first” Shark argued as he was sure he had been the winner. “I went by the rock way faster than you did there’s no way you won” Reed said as her snout scrunched at the idea of being the loser while Shark scoffed. “It was a tie at best” He said with a huff making Reed scowl. “Alright than we do a rematch so I can prove that you’re just a sore loser” Reed challenged making Shark consider it before catching the sun out of the corner of his eye.

“Not right now” He said making Reed smirk. “Why? Scared to accept your fate as a loser?” She asked in a sing-song tone which made Shark scowl at her before shaking his head. “No, the sun is setting and you know how Clam can be if we’re not back by sunset” Shark’s words caused Reed to glance over and notice the sun’s descent. “I suppose, well we’ll do a rematch later than where I’ll prove I’m the best” Reed said making Shark stare for a few moments before having an idea that made him grin.

“Race you there!” He said before suddenly darting towards the pack’s home causing Reed to splutter before recovering and yelling. “And you call me a cheater!” Before speeding to catch up to the other nicheling who just found it amusing.

=

Shark emerged from the water first but before he could cheer his victory he noticed Clam, who was looking at him with a startled expression, and Trout with the latter being asleep. He couldn’t stop a small snicker from bubbling out as he saw the scene causing Clam’s face to sour in embarrassment at the other nicheling’s laughter.

When Reed emerged she prepared to throw a snarky comment at Shark but was stopped by him putting a paw on her mouth causing her to scoff and shove his paw away. “What was that fo-” Shark put his paw on her mouth again before pointing over to Clam and Trout causing her to gape in shock before an insufferably smug smile appeared on her face.

“Just give her a shell at this point” Reed said making Clam’s eyes shoot open before glancing at Trout to make sure she was still sleeping. Trout let out a small snore but showed no signs of waking making Clam sigh in relief before turning her gaze back to the two teasing nichelings were quietly snickering at Clam’s embarrassment.

“Just go race or something” Clam grumbled trying to made sure the two heard her while also not waking Trout. Reed pretended to contemplate it making Clam’s stare turn into more of a glare as she looked right at the offending nicheling. Shark just grinned as he watched the whole interaction, finding the whole thing entertaining.

“We’ll watch for threats, enjoy a nap with your practically-mate” Shark said with a grin that Clam would argue is completely insufferable. “Fine” Clam relented and looked at the sky. She relaxed and slowly started to drift off to the sound of quiet talking and snickers.