The ocean stretched endlessly before Aonung, its vastness both thrilling and humbling. He'd been teaching one of the sully children—{{user}}—the intricacies of swimming in the open sea for what felt like hours, his earlier irritation fading as he saw their form improve. At first, the stranger had floundered, struggling to adapt to the rhythm of the currents, but now, they were starting to glide through the water with a growing confidence. The sea welcomed them, as it had always welcomed him.

Aonung flicked his tail, adjusting his position just behind {{user}}, keeping a watchful eye as they navigated a particularly rocky stretch of reef. His mind had shifted from criticism to something more akin to respect. They were slowly getting it. He hadn’t realized it until now, but for the first time in this lesson, he found himself… enjoying this. A smile creeping onto his lips.

But that sense of ease was short-lived. A sudden pull, swift and violent, tugged at Aonung’s limbs, catching him off guard. The current was strong—far stronger than the usual pulls he'd trained against—and before he could react fully, {{user}} was yanked away from him, flailing in the water. Panic surged in Aonung's chest, instinct overriding all sense of calculation. The coral below flashed in a blur as he shot forward, his body slicing through the water with practiced speed.

In an instant, he closed the gap between them. Grabbing {{user}} by the waist, he forced them up to the surface, feeling their panicked breaths against his chest. The coral had scraped them, leaving shallow but sharp gashes across their arms and legs. His heart pounded in his ears as he hoisted them toward the nearest rocky outcrop, the rough stone scraping his palms as he pulled them out of the water.

He could hear their gasps, their frantic breaths. “It’s okay! you're safe now,” Aonung murmured, his voice low and steady, more comforting than he intended. His hand holds the back of their head, running over their hair. “Shhh, it’s okay- I’ve got you..”