Velukaelo. Cross sat on a red sand beach, sweeping his sensors across the black water before him. Water so deep he wasn't certain he could reach the bottom without augmentation. So thick with sulfur and magnesium and heavy metals that he couldn't comprehend how anything could survive here. Red sand and stone, rich in iron and magnesium, trembled under his weight from the subtle tremors the rocked the area. And yet not only did this area have a thriving ecosystem, but it was home to Velukaelo's ketucari! A subspecies, certainly. But ketucari nonetheless. Giants dwelled in the deep here. Down below the black waves, his sensors picked up the twisting form of a Leviathan. A pod of a creature unfamiliar to him, at his two-o'clock. Beside him, Staccato rested in the red sand and shaped the damp-but-not-wet parts into a spire and wall. Why build instead of dig, Cross wasn't quite certain. Perhaps testing the strength of the waves? Staccato's analysis systems weren't as strong as his or Epitaph's. Epitaph. Cross smiled at the thought of his partner and glanced to his other side, where his partner sat. "I think we shouldn't go much deeper than eight-thousand meters. The crater is thirteen-thousand at its deepest known point. The entrance to Paschara is at four-thousand. We should be well within our capabilities down there, though I worry about Staccato if we can't find the entrance quickly." While he and Epitaph were rated for extreme dives, Staccato was not in fact meant for the ocean floor. -- Epitaph made an acknowledging grunt at his partner's words, every sense focused on the surroundings. Analyzing. Visibility: low. Weather: calm, but atmospheric pressure suggested that a storm could be arriving within four to six Velukaelo hours. The heavy metals in the water would risk corrosion on a poorly sealed mechanical frame, but neither his current form nor Cross's body would be affected. Staccato, maybe, but Cross had done good work with him. As long as they were careful. "Mm." He grunted an agreement. "Visibility will be poor down there. I recommend relying on infrared." Closing his eyes for a moment. "... There's something coming..." A chattering filled the air, something between a dolphin squeak and a cat that had just spotted a mouse. Not far from them, a creature breached the surface, arcing over the water. Feline, but not--? -- "I was thinking the same." Cross nodded. The pod at his 2-o'clock approached faster, a sound in the air--and something breached the surface. Feline, with a powerful tail. Four legs, two tucked against its side, two more gripping against the tail. Two more leaped after it, smaller with fluffier coats. Their limbs shifted, swayed, tails twisted to try to keep their balance. All three mark with orange pelts. As they dove back under, two more erupted from their wake. Staccato looked up from his sand castle to blink. His voice sounding remarkably natural as he spoke; "The local bestiary calls them Luta. Common names include 'mercats', 'ottercats', and 'catseals'." Luta... Cross flipped through his memory banks. "They could be friendly. Do we have any food for them?" -- "Luta, huh? This planet has such interesting wildlife." Epitaph watched the... ottercats leap between the waves. They looked very much like they were enjoying themselves-- what sort of creature must they be to eke out an existence in a place full of monsters and giants? Despite their catlike charm, they had to be quite dangerous in the water to feed themselves. And their glowing whiskers-- were those an anglerfish-esque adaptation to the low visibility in the water? "I know we brought some food with us, but I'm unsure what they eat. Presumably, largely marine life. Staccato, does the bestiary have any information on their diet?" -- Staccato remained quiet for a moment, ears twitching in a very clear attempt to get better signal to whatever databanks he was using. Cross scanned his own, and focused his sensors on the creatures as the leader erupted from the waters again, arcing out of the black waves with a twirl. They reminded him of the dolphins on earth... "Primarily fish-adjacent and aquatic-mammal-adjacent creatures. They're obligate carnivores." Staccato announced. "They'll gather in pods much like Earth's dolphins and hunt larger prey, as well." Cross sat back to ruffle Staccato's shoulder. "You did good, thank you. Meat, primarily fish. ...I still have some some of the chicken from lunch? Should we go try to make friends?" -- "...I think I'd like that." Epitaph smiled. "They're quite beautiful. ...I've heard that the inhabitants of this world are quite adept at taming creatures like this. I wonder if they'd be willing to share some of their techniques with us?" He bumped Cross's shoulder with his own. Carefully, he stepped into the water, flicking his wings and tail for stability. The luta pod froze, several heads surfaced, and they erupted into a cacophony of warning shrieks. -- "Easy, easy." Cross called yo the lutas. Behind him, Staccato grabbed their supply bag and pulled out some jerky. "We're friendly." He stepped into the water himself, dark waves lapping at the synthetic fur covering him. He lowered his frill, tucked his wings. Listened to their sounds. And chirped, soft and soothing. Staccato scampered over, and tossed a few jerky bits to about halfway between them and the otter cats. -- As the lutas realized they weren't pursuing, the screeching slowed. A few swam closer and sniffed at the bits of jerky bobbing on the water. One piece vanished into an ottercat maw, and another wave of chattering rang out. Curious, this time. Epitaph laughed, and threw a piece of chicken out into the water. A luta breached to snatch it out of the air and chatter at him for more. "...I think we've made some friends." he laughed. "Do you think they'll let us pet them?"