The first thing Surgis ever felt was a roar. It was an unidentifiable feeling, a trembling all around her, surrounding her. And somehow, it was comforting. It was a constant, in and out, thrumming through her being with every sleeping moment. It was nice to rest to it.

But when she'd come to, it was gone. Where'd it go? Stretching upward, Surgis felt for it and only hit her head against the roof of something dark, with light filtering through multicolored pieces. It wasn't enough to see through, even if her eyes weren't so blurry. Where was the sound? All she could feel was the soft 'whump' of something in her chest, similar and yet so far away.

She stretched again, rolling in search for more. The next sound was a crack, and the first feeling was air, her nose pipping through her shell. She breathed in sharply in shock, then deeper, life flowing through her and strengthening her resolve. The rhythm was closer now, so close, louder at every push through the wall of her chrysalis.

By the time she got her neck out, the hole was big enough for her shoulders, which meant it was big enough for her. Sand surrounded her, half-buried her, and it clung to her sticky hand as she reached out from her amniotic egg. The sound. The sound was there, water lapping at her fingers, washing away the feeling of dryness that was weaving through her.

With a heave, she was free. Shaking legs carried her to the water, where she flopped into and sighed out in relief, awash with the joy of feeling every wave over her chest. It was amazing. The crashing of waves matched the beating of her heart, and she smiled and laughed into the open air, grinning for all the world to see.

It has to be true

He remained by the water as often as physically possible, not only for the sake of his new best friend, but also for his own anxiety. The water was comforting, gentle and kind to him, a home and a safety net, while also giving him a place for food and fun. Even now, he swam through the water, giggling as he dove down, grabbing some underwater plants in his mouth, wanting to give them to his friend as a gift. Did he know that they were? No. But the wiggly movements reminded him of Phelix's multiple tentacles, and that was enough for him.

Popping out of the water, he panted softly, coming up to the shore as he turned to search for his friend that was never far away, mostly because he would have a panic attack if they were. Phelix? He called out, mouth muffled by the plants, only to freeze when he saw the form of another, one that certainly wasn't his friend.

Instantly he whimpered and pinned his ears back, slowly taking a few steps back and inching into the water again. Other than those few steps, he stood froze, scared and shaking, unsure what to do, his anxiety spiking and his breath coming in frightened pants.

I'm counting on you
To be my wings and my eyes

@Phelix @Surgis

It has to be true

Despite being a creature of the water, Phelix found himself in a love-hate relationship with it. It was his home, of course! But at his small size he was prone to getting washed away unless he remained firmly anchored to something solid- which was sometimes hard to find in all the sandy silt. The deeper waters were typically less tumultuous, but Oswald couldn't follow him down there. Oswald's company had been a constant in Phelix's life practically since they hatched, so going somewhere alone was simply out of the question. Moreover, he got worried- his friend was so easily scared, after all.

Speaking of that-

Phelix scrambled over as fast as his eight legs could carry him, climbing up Oswald's leg and coming to rest at the crowd of his head, like a particularly strange hat. "It's okay! It's everything's fine!" He was saying before he even fully grasped what the problem was. But he did soon enough, following Oswald's gaze to where Surgis was laughing in the waves. "She seems nice! And she likes the water like we do! Maybe we can all be friends?"

Before poor Oswald had any chance to respond he was already calling out "Hello!" He'd wave a pair of tentacles in an attempt to get her attention. "I'm Phelix, and this is Oswald! He's shy but I'm not!" And then, more quietly to Oswald, "I think she's new. That looks like where I found you, doesn't it?" A tentacle would point at the opal chrysalis half-buried in the sand farther up the beach.

I'm counting on you
To be my wings and my eyes

@Surgis

Water streamed through Surgis's coat as she rose her head from the water, hearing Phelix's voice before seeing anything else. "Wuh?" She blinked hard, swiveling to find the source before landing on Oswald. ... who was that? Putting her fun on pause, Surgis stared wide-eyed at the two of them, hunched up on her back feet and letting her mane drift in the water.

Everything was fine? Why wouldn't it be? Wait, that thing ran up to the other thing... Two different... things? Like her?

There was a lot to take in. Glancing away to the water, then to the beach, then back to Phelix and Oswald, Surgis worked her mouth without any sound, unsure of how to form the words out of formless thoughts in her mind.

"I like water!" She called back a little lamely and after the fact. Why was that one cowering? The Oswald one. Which one was she? It took her another pause just to come up with an answer, this time barked out with a quick "Surgis!"

Wait. Back up. The waves lapped in her consciousness and filled the gap of words, but she managed to pull out the fact that they didn't know what a Surgis was either. Right. "I'm Surgis!" There, all clarified. Though, she did continue to stare owlishly at the pair, wading closer to the shore with uncertainty, like she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

@Oswald (sorry for the wait /)_(\ )

It has to be true

He felt the familiar feeling of tentacles wrapping around his leg, climbing up his body and resting atop his head, probably the only thing he didn't freak out about.

He fell silent, hunkering down slightly and letting Phelix take over. After all, he was so much better at talking than he was, and didn't constantly want to run and hide. He let out a soft, unsure whimper, but trusting his friend, he lifted his head slightly, still mostly crouched down in a submissive position in hopes of not causing any issues or making the stranger mad.

Water? He asked softly, his eyes lighting up just a little. Water and the ocean was like to him, and talking about that was the best way to get to his heart. Flicking his gaze up to Phelix, he nodded slightly, recognizing this place. Finally he glanced back at the stranger, taking a deep breath before taking a single step forward, trying his best to be friendly and welcoming, even if he was still shaking and hunched over.

I'm counting on you
To be my wings and my eyes

@Phelix @Surgis