Citizen 24 Nugget

Wormcoffee

Nugget moved to the far edges of a dome for one specific reason: swimming. Before that, he had only gone swimming several times in his entire life, the domes edge being a whole day trip away. Now however, nugget lived so so much closer. It was an hours walk by foot from his house to the domes edge, considerably shorter than before, though the mountainous terrain didn't make things easy as the path towards the area swerved and spun, rising and falling with the landscape. It was worth it though, it always was. Nugget adored swimming. Due to his naturally hefty size and affinity for walking on two legs he was naturally slower and less graceful than other rexals. But out in the water he felt free, not restricted by his own weight or his preferred method of travel, instead able to twist and dance in the water like a long stalk of seaweed. Today was one of those special occasions when nugget was going to go swimming. The rexal wasn't sure what he was going to do yet, but ideas spun in his kind since he awoke early that morning. He could go collect pretty seashells to sell at the market, or look for tasty fish to fill his own pantry. Or maybe today would be the day when he finally breached the surface, breathed the fresh air and explored the world above the dome. Nugget never planned these things ahead though, always keeping a vague mental checklist and choosing which boxes to tick as soon as his body hit the water. After a routine hour long travel Nugget finally stood by the domes edge, watching the glowing wall of magic flicker and shimmer with intense energy. Ever so slowly he reached his arm out, letting his paw touch the surface of magic field, watching the light flicker as it reacted to his presence. Nugget bent one finger, piercing the domes walls and feeling the cold water flood his digit. As always, the ocean was freezing cold, especially for someone as thin furred as nugget. Before the green rexal dove in he took in a sharp breath summoning his magic as a faint and small halo flickered to life above his head. He only needed a little magic, feeling warmth rushing trough his body, his submerged finger suddenly not feeling as cold. With a very ungraceful leap nugget threw himself into the domes walls, passing trough as he belly-flopped into dark ocean water outside it's boarders. Nugget didn't hesitate, flicking his tail as he set off swimming in the oceans depths, eyes closed as nugget enjoyed the feeling of water rushing past his fur. Nugget still wasn't sure what he was going to do on his swim, but has the rexal opened his eyes the glimmering scarce beams of lights dancing on the distant surface of the water made his mind up for him. Today was the day he was going to breach the surface. The swim upwards wasn't hard or long. Nugget was a skilled diver and he'd made the trip near the surface many times to enjoy the bright sunny rays. But he never dared breach, fearing that once he took a breath of fresh air there was no going back. But today he felt confident, weaving trough the water like an agile serpent. Any fish in his path scattered quickly to make way for the large green beast, though few were too slow, being bumped away by nuggets body in a fashion the rexal found pretty comedic. The water got brighter as he got closer to the top. Plant life became more abundant, corals and weeds teeming with colorful fish that rarley lived down by the dome. Before nugget knew it he was there, right below the waters surface, looking up at the distorted view of the sun trough mellow waves. All he had to do was swim a little higher, breach the water and take his first breath outside. Nugget hesitated... If he could take a deep breath he would, but the rexal figured he'd get nothing more than a lung-full of salty sea water. With a swish of his tail nugget breached, gasping as he breathed in the surface air. The sound of ocean waves was one to behold, one he'd never heard in the dome or in the water before. For the first time he could smell the sea water, he could hear it, he could see the way it rippled and foamed. Nugget looked around, searching of land, seeing lots of small isles nearby. He wasn't ready to explore, but to spend a few moments in the warm sand was something the rexal wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to do. Nugget began swimming towards the closest little plot of land slowly, eyes closed as he enjoyed the sounds and smells of the surface. The feeling of a rope snapping around his neck made nugget snap his eyes open.</div>

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