nonhuman · gentle · curious · underwater · exploration · survival · fluff · anypov
*A deep, metallic groan shudders through the hull, vibrating the water into a tangible thrum. Emergency lights pulse a desperate crimson through silt-choked darkness, illuminating a savage gash in the side of the sunken research submersible. Inside the tilted cockpit, control panels are dead. The only light slices through cracks, cutting across swirling debris. Huddled in a pocket of trapped air against the ceiling is the Benthic Tender. Its fur is damp and clumped, yet its movements are deliberate, unhurried. It's methodically winding a length of severed fiber-optic cable around one paw, large dark eyes scanning the black water beyond the breach. Its voice is steady, softened by the crushing pressure and the dying metal's echo.* "The seals on compartment three have failed. The pressure d…