Hidden in the Depths

Chapter 31

Glowing green eyes track the movements of his tiny wards, keeping regular counts on all three of them as they move about. They were spreading out quite far, putting unusual distance between each other. Perhaps the unease his eldest hatchling had felt was caused by a quarrel between them all. It wasn't uncommon for hatchlings to start testing each other at a certain age, establishing a ranking usually determined by strength or size. Hopefully it won't take them long, he had been quite proud of how closely they had worked together. Up until this point they had never really shown any signs of the rivalry about to start.

Occasionally, his eyes would wander towards the strange structure three of his children had vanished into, not happy about the fact that neither him or his son could follow them inside for protection. The stone it was made from felt odd, far too smooth compared to everything else around them. It did have the same colour as the nest his new hatchlings have built for themselves, which he was very proud of. They were so young but already managed to build their first nest themselves, even if it was from that weird white stone.

He wasn't stupid, he knew that his newest hatchlings originated from this structure, or at least the giant one they tried to visit a while ago. So really, he shouldn't be too worried about them exploring their birthplace. But they were so small and fragile compared to every other creature roaming around... newborns should never be by themselves for long. Their claws haven't even grown in yet!

A frustrated cry pulled all his attention back to the hatchlings outside that he was supposed to be watching, specifically the youngest one of the clutch, that had split a little further from the group. He rumbled in answer immediately and moved over with a single flick of his tail, trying to see what could have distraught his hatchling. His son was watching closely over the other two, giving him the chance to fully focus on their smallest pod member.

~

Tubbo pulled and pulled on the crate half buried in the sand, but it refused to budge. With an annoyed and angry cry, he rammed the blade of his knife into the small opening of the lid, trying to pry it open instead. This was the fourth crate he had found with the launch-bay identification code on it, and the fourth one that he hadn't been able to open. This was absolute bullshit. Why was everything against him lately?!

The soft, familiar rumble behind him drew his attention away from the crate. Foolish settled in the sand just behind him, lying flat with his chin half buried as well, just to be somewhat on eye level with Tubbo. A small chunk of his annoyance faded as he gave the leviathan a little smile. "I'm alright. Sorry if I scared you." Foolish only rumbled louder, a clawed hand reaching out to just barely brush the tip of a finger over his head. The teen couldn't help but laugh. At least someone was still on his side. Shame it was the only person that couldn't talk.

But as he leaned up into the touch, an amazing idea popped into his head. "Actually, since you're here. Maybe you can help me open this." He demonstrated how he was trying to open the crate, pulling and prying with his knife. Foolish watched him curiously, making a little clicking sound as Tubbo lost his grip and cursed under his breath. Then, he slowly began tapping at the crate with a single claw, trying to figure out how to help. It wasn't doing too much at first, only scratching most of the paint off. The leviathan's eyes narrowed as he pressed his claw harder onto the surface, making it creak and bend, before finally giving way.

"That's enough! Thank you!" Foolish chirred as Tubbo tried to shove his claw away from the crate, lifting his hand so the human could get a better look at it. The hole that he created was large enough for Tubbo's arm to pass through without a problem, should there be anything valuable inside. Which might not be the case, as the crate was now flooded and any electronics unusable. Pressing his face as close as he could to the opening without damaging the glass, he tried making out what kind of materials were now in their possession.