[DoA Inktober 2023] Written submissions: [DoA Inktober 2023] Zombie

Sharlok's not the type to get easily spooked. At least he thinks so. (He's wrong, but let's not talk about that.) But today, he was up especially late and then suddenly realised: squid hunting season starts tomorrow! He decided that he must tell Imussiara about this, and see if she wants to go hunting with him tomorrow. So, swishing his purple-tipped black tail, he swam down to her nest.

Imussiara is an Abyssal, and her nest entrance was tucked underneath a rock ledge at the very edge between Skimmer territories and Abyssal territories. As with all Abyssals she is built long and thin, like an eel or perhaps a sea snake, so her nest entrance is... Quite small. Sharlok has been here enough to not panic when he initially got stuck on a few rocks, but he still had to squeeze past all of that to get in. After a few tries, he dislodged himself from the last piece of rock- why does Imussiara have to have rocks positioned at the very front of her already tiny entrance? (She says it’s a door, apparently.)

In hindsight, that probably was a sign that she was sleeping.

But present-time Sharlok was just glad he got through, so without any more hesitation he waited briefly for his eyesight to adjust to the dark of her cave dwelling, only dimly lit by glowing anemone and gems, then went to check each individual cavern in her caves. He knew that she wouldn’t mind, but as he poked his head in each of her caverns in turn, he saw no sign of her. Many, many different and exciting things, mind you, like how did he not know she had a stash of seaweed snacks in her caves?

Still no white-and-red body of a certain Abyssal though.

So he searched some more, and as he got to the last cavern he abruptly realised how late it was and considered the fact that she may have been sleeping after all. Whatever, he might as well check. Sharlok then swam slowly into the last cavern, which he assumed to be her sleeping spot judging by the soft mosses and seagrasses that covered the doorway, and ran straight into one of Imussiara’s red fins.

Reflexively he turned to avoid the collision, and came snout-to-snout to her open but unseeing eyes.

Sharlok’s eyes widened and a few bubbles escaped his mouth. Logically, he knew that Imussiara was probably fast asleep, but her eyes were open and she was definitely swimming circles around her sleeping cave. After checking to make sure she couldn’t hurt herself, Sharlok decided to abandon the mission and probably go to sleep himself. He can tell her it’s hunting season tomorrow, anyway.

(“I was sleep-swimming, wasn’t I?” Imussiara asked first thing the next morning as Sharlok found her outside her cave.)