[center][img] https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/654438713455149084/873479307715051540/image.png[/img][sub][color=goldenrod]Interaction[/color] |  Currently None
[color=goldenrod]Location[/color]  | Atlantic Ocean 
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The first thing he heard, was an unnatural and sudden humming that ended just as soon as it began. Rushing water echoed through his ears, bubbles popping rapidly. Though…it all sounded muffled, and it felt difficult to breathe. His heart raced, his head felt thunders of pain. Instinctively, the fingers of each hand clawed as they grabbed hold of the diving suit’s helmet. With a Tiger Shark’s strength at his arms, he peeled the helmet on his head in two. Shaking his head, his hair splayed about freely in the surrounding water.

Able to breathe more freely, the young lionfish opened his eyes. That was when he understood why his senses were in overdrive. Wildly flailing tentacles flew around him in panic at the sensation rapidly filling the water. Alongside the ink and blood, came the familiar sinking of The Rot. Ja blinked and immediately his body propelled after the floating body of the squid. 

He was too late…

Arms cradled the squid’s mantle, what was left of it, seeing as the majority of it was gone. His senses indicated that it was burned into oblivion. He was so young…only a little older than Ja himself. Too young to die; long before the circle of life determined, as the squid hadn’t mated yet. It was one of only two that survived its mother’s litter of eggs. 

Ja wanted to reassure the boy…that its mother’s death wasn’t for nothing. That he wasn’t a failure, yet, all he could do was look into it’s eye as it slowly stopped moving voluntarily. Ja felt each of the creature’s three hearts stop beating as he felt the Rot take the body. 

Kilamanjaro looked up from the squid’s corpse down to the team in the water with him. Daphne was green, Zach with a squid picture, then Aleen’a and Kassy floating nearby. W-what just happened? What went wrong? His eyes trailed further, finding the subtle glow of the submarine’s cannon peek between it all. He felt his eyes sting, but no tears could be seen. His heart felt heavy, but he did not sink. His lungs ached, but he could not cry out. 

Instead, he just let the squid’s corse go to float away for the birds to come consume it later. All that was left was for Ja to pull his knees to his chest to try and find some form of comfort for himself. The Red’s waves of mourning washed through him. The young squid— It was just trying to help Ja…to save him from the suit that choked the oxygen from him moments ago…He didn’t have to die for it…