FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The sailing yacht slowed down until it was lazily drifting in the water near the shores of a tropical island. Its sails were folded down and rolled up by a cocker spaniel anthro standing on the deck. He had orange fur with white fur running from his muzzle down his chest to his groin. He wore a pair of blue swimming trunks. As the dog was tying down the sails, a female voice came from below deck.

"Doing okay, Strikie?"

"Ja. Just finished tying the sails." The spaniel called Striker answered to the nickname that his mate used for him. "Everything all right down there, Phoenix?" He called as he climbed down to the deck.

"Good. We're bringing up the diving gear." Came Phoenix's reply as she emerged from below into the sunlight. She was a Pomeranian anthro covered with red/orange fur. Her voluminous hair reached halfway down her back, just above her short but fluffy curled tail. She wore a deep purple bikini and carried a pair of air tanks by the straps. She placed them onto the deck with an audible thud.

"Is that everything?" Striker asked as he walked to her.

"Everything except the goggles and fins. The pups are bringing them up." Phoenix replied. As if on cue, two small voices came from inside the yacht.

"But I want to carry the goggles!" Cried the female voice.

"Nu-uh! You already got the fins!" Came the male reply. A moment later two young pups came out of the cabin, one male and one female. Anton and Firefly were the couple's children, though there was a bit of a stark difference in their appearances. Anton, the younger one, had the same base fur as her mother with the white markings of his father, his mother's ears and his father's tail. Firefly, who was two years order, had floppy ears and a short, furry tail with light brown fur with dark brown highlights that didn't resemble her parents. This was due to her being adopted by the couple.

"Now now, children." Striker chided his pups. "It's almost time for us to put on our gear, so just put them down so we can get you all ready."

Anton opened his mouth to retort, but the stern look he got from his father persuaded him otherwise. Striker and Phoenix began to put on their kids' diving. Phoenix helped Firefly, while Striker aided Anton. They got their fins on, then fitted dive watches on their wrists and finally putting the goggles on their heads. Firefly pawed at her goggles.

"Not yet, Firefly." Phoenix told her. "We only put on the goggles when we are about to dive in. Besides, we first need to make sure you two are all set."

"Okay, mom." Firefly said, pulling her paw away.

While the pups sat and fiddled with their gear, Striker and Phoenix put on their own scuba equipment. They too put on diving fins and goggles, but they also slung their arms under the straps of the air tanks. They made sure the straps were over their shoulders, then they buckled another strap around their waists. Finally, they tested the regulators. They had tested the tanks before, making sure they were pulled and properly pressurized. Now, they need to make sure they could breathe from them.

The couple's air tanks had a special attachment that allowed them to attach two regulators to each of their tanks: one for each of the adults, and the other for each of their pups. After a few brief tests, they were satisfied that they could breathe from them.

"Wonderlik." Striker said in his native Afrikaans. "We're almost set to go. Now, let's go through the rules. We all stay close together and do not stray off. If there is any trouble with your regulator, alert each other. If you need to surface, do not ascend too quickly or else you will get the bends. And make sure to make a 15 minute safety stop before you surface. Understood?"

"Yes, father." The two pups replied in near-perfect unison.

"Of course, love." Phoenix smiled in reply.

"Goed. Firefly, you will go with your mother. Anton, you're with me."

The pups got up and joined their respective parent. They all then waddled over to the edge of the yacht, where the water lapped against the side of the hull. They all stood on the edge, the tips of their fins peeking over it.

"Goggles on." Striker said, sliding his diving mask over his eyes. The rest of his family followed suit, though Phoenix had to help Firefly get some stray stands of hair out from under her mask.

"Regulators." Striker said next. He and Phoenix put their regulators into their mouths, then they each gave their pups their regulators. The young ones put them in their mouths before taking hold of their parents' paws. Striker then gave a countdown with his fingers, starting with three. Then two, then one.

At that signal, they all jumped off into the water feet first. The family send up a big splash of water into the air as they plunged in to the clear ocean below.

---

The family swam along the ocean floor, staying close to one another for safety and trailing bubbles from their regulators. Anton swam alongside Striker, his father keeping one arm around his son to support him and keep him from wandering off. Firefly rode on Phoenix's back, holding tightly to her mother's shoulders. The pups were watching with wide-eyed wonder at all the sights around them.

Schools of sparkling fish swam in tight formation nearby, scattering as the canines swam close to them. A jellyfish pushed itself through the water with its tentacles lazily trailing behind it. Forests of seaweed swayed back and forth in the current of the ocean. Fish swam between their leaves to shelter themselves from any potential predators that might be lurking around. Crabs crawled along the ocean floor and occasionally stopping to eat something with their pinchers. Small clownfish darted between swaying sea anemones.

Anton and Firefly were absolutely enchanted by everything they were seeing. They looked left and right every time something fascinating caught their eyes. Phoenix swam down to the ocean floor when she noticed a cluster of clams sitting with their shells open. But the moment the Pomeranian approached, the clams felt the disturbance in the water and shut themselves tight. Phoenix noticed one clam hadn't shut and took a small, sharp stone from the bottom before swimming towards it. Before the clam can shut itself, Phoenix wedged the stone in to keep it. It paid off: inside the clam was a partially formed pearl. While not perfect, it glistened in the light. Phoenix showed it to Firefly, who pointed eagerly at it.

Anton noticed a crab, who was a brighter shade of red and larger than some of its counterparts. He swam closer and began to reach for it. The crab, seeing the looming giant before it, turned to Anton with its big pinchers ready. Anton kept reaching towards it even as the crab made threatening gestures with its pinchers. When Anton's paw got too close, the crab immediately tried to pinch one of the pup's fingers. But before it could do that, Striker quickly grabbed his son's paw and pulled it away. Anton looked at his father with an "Awww, dad" look in his eyes, but Striker sternly shook his head at him. The crab took this opportunity to quickly scurry away.

The family kept swimming along and looking at the sights around them. It was Firefly who first spotted it: something glittering brightly against the side of a coral-covered ridge. She eagerly pointed this out for her mother. Phoenix spotted it and swam towards it. As they approached they saw it: the large mouth of a cave going into the ridge. The glittering was coming from something lodged in the rock by the entrance. Phoenix swam to it and examined it: it was a geode, and a good example of one too. Firefly reached out for it, and Phoenix swam closer to let her daughter touch while she checked the cave.

The cave went on for a good distance, lit up by rays of sunlight peering through cracks in the ceiling. It was relatively clear of coral and only a few clusters of anemones and seaweed were clinging to the rock. And it was also wide enough to swim through without snagging their air hoses or tanks on the edges. Phoenix looked behind her just in time to see Striker and Anton swimming towards them. She gestured at the cave entrance for him. The spaniel swam up to her to take a closer look.

Striker examined the cave while Anton looked in awe at the big hole in the ocean floor. Like Phoenix, he could see that the passage was broad enough for them to swim through and without much obstructions. Striker looked at the wife and the two of them gestured back and forth with their paws.

"Shall we go in?" Phoenix gestured to her mate.

"We might be able to." Striker gestured back. "But not too far. And keep the pups close."

"Got it." Phoenix gave an a-okay signal.

Taking tighter hold of the pups, Striker and Phoenix headed into the cave. They swam slowly for safety while navigating the tunnel. The further they went, the more the cave sloped downwards. The light got less and less bright, and at one point Striker considered turning them back. But at that point they saw the tunnel growing brighter again. Striker and Phoenix conferred quickly about what action to take. They decided to push on towards that light.

As they swam closer to the light source, it became more refracted and colourful. The tunnel also started to widen again. The family swam forward until they saw beams of light shining through the surface of the water. It was far too deep to be sea level, so they all swam to the surface. Once they broke into the open air and wiped their goggles they all had a good look around.

What they saw surprise and amazed them.

They were inside a large, cavernous interior covered with crystals of various shapes and sizes. Some were a bright purple colour, others shades of blue and some had green, yellow or red. Beams of light shone through the crystals, redirected from an unknown source to illuminate the entire cavern in a variety of bright colours.

Striker took off his regulator and took a breath of air.

"It's clean." He said with a thumbs up.

The rest of the family took out their regulators.

"Jislaaik!" Exclaimed Anton.

"Wow, Mother! What is this place?" Firefly asked while her head swivelled around rapidly.

"This has got to be some kind of crystal cavern, isn't it Strikie?" Phoenix said, also looking around in wonder.

"A geode cave, I think." Striker guessed. "This is probably due to volcanic activity from long ago. The island chain here were once part of a large volcano, so these crystals are a leftover from that time."

"Look. There's a bit of dry land." Phoenix pointed to one side of the cave, where the cavern floor rises up above the water to form a small patch of land against one of the walls.

Striker looked at his pups. "Do you want to collect some geodes, kids?"

"Yes, please!" Both pups answered in unison, eyes wide with eager and their tails wagging eagerly despite still being submerged.

"Very well. Just keep close to me and your mother, you two. And be careful where you step. I don't want you to cut your feet open on these sharp crystals." Striker led his family towards the dry spot.

The floor sloped gently, so it wasn't hard to get a foothold on its surface once it broke the surface. Striker and Phoenix climbed out first to get a feel for the rock under them, then they helped Anton and Firefly up. They then helped remove the kids flippers and goggles and put them down in a neat pile a good few feet from the water. Anton and Firefly barely had their feet free of their flippers when they immediately went to the closest geodes to take a closer look.

"Wow, its so pretty!" Firefly said as she examined a chunk of blue crystal that stuck out of the ground.

Anton went over to a big green geode with white edges and black spots. He took hold of it and pulled on it. Despite he efforts, the crystal refused to budge. The pup tried again, holding tightly with both his little paws. Anton tugged and pulled, but the crystal refused to budge. Anton tried one more tug, but his feet slipped on the moist ground and he fell. He landed on his butt, giving a yelp that echoed in the cage.

Nearby, Firefly laughed at her brother. Anton, his pride more injured than he was, stood up and went looking for another crystal. One that is perhaps smaller and easier to break free. Firefly moved over to another shiny crystal, loving the colours it gave off in the light.

Striker and Phoenix kept their eyes on their pups while they removed their fins, goggles and finally the straps. As they did, Phoenix had a thought and spoke to her husband in a tone that the pups would not be able to hear.

"I have to be honest, Strikie. I'm not used to this kind of diving." She said, a bit of a blush under her fur cheeks.

"Neither am I, Phoenix." Striker replied with a smile. "But we're only doing for this for the sake of the children. Once we are alone again, it will be different."

Striker winked at her. Phoenix giggled and winked back. Once they were free of their diving gear, they each went to one of the pups. Phoenix joined with Firefly, who was squatting by the cave wall.

"What are you looking at, honey?" Phoenix asked as she knelt by her daughter.

"Look at these, mother! Look!" Firefly pointed eagerly, her short tail wagging furiously. Phoenix looked. Imbedded in the cavern wall was a cluster of smaller geode crystals. Most of them were a hue of blue mixed with white and black, though a few of them were other colours like purple and red.

"They're very pretty aren't they, Firefly?"

"Oh yes, Mother!" Firefly nodded her head happily. "Can I take some? Please?" The pup asked Phoenix with big wide eyes.

"Of course, dear." Phoenix said with a laugh. Those puppy eyes always got to her. She reached out with one paw and took hold of one of the jutting crystals. She tried to wiggle it around, but the crystal was solidly stuck. She then concentrated and begin to use her powers. The Pomeranian had the ability to create fire in her paws, the result of laboratory experiments conducted on her during her youth. While she could easily create balls of fire to either make light or toss at enemies, in this instance she simply heated the tips of her fingers. Phoenix then used them as a makeshift cutting tool, melting the crystals free from the cavern wall.

Whisps of steam rose from the moist rock where Phoenix touched, making a soft sizzling noise in the process. Firefly watched with anticipation and making sure to keep her distance like she had been taught to whenever mother is using, as the pup would put it, her magic powers. Phoenix melts the rock until she is able to pry free a small piece of crystal. While she continues to cut on another geode, she holds the loose piece in her other paw until its cool enough.

"First one, Firefly." Phoenix said as she held out the geode.

Firefly immediately grabbed the shiny crystal and looked it over.

"It's so pretty, mother!" The pup said excitedly.

"Yes, it is." Phoenix smiled. "Oop, here's another one!" She gave another geode that she had pried free to Firefly. Firefly immediately set both it and the first geode down neatly on the cavern floor. The more geodes Phoenix, the bigger the pile grew with Firefly neatly arranging them according to colour.

Meanwhile, Anton was again trying to wrest a big geode free from a rock. And again, he wasn't having much luck. Working hard to suppress a smile, Striker walked up to his son and knelt beside him.

"Need a little help, seun?"

"Yeah..." Anton replied, his little ears folded back despondently.

"Then let your father show you how it is done." He stood up and went to examine the crystals. While all of the geodes were indeed a sight to behold, Striker could see that a lot of them would need heavy tools to even have a hope of being freed from the stone. But a closer examination revealed a few geodes that were partially eroded by running water. The spaniel reached out and felt with his fingers. Wiggling a geode, he could feel it wasn't secure in the rock.

"Now look at this, Anton." Striker gestured for his son to come over, who immediately did so. "You see this geode? The water has eroded it so you can feel it is loose. Now you just wiggle it like this..." The spaniel did so, the geode moving more and more until there is a soft crack noise. Striker holds up the geode for Anton to see. "And there you go."

"Wow!" Anton looked at the geode, a shiny orb of yellow and red. Striker looked around and found another crystal that was looser than the others.

"Son, come and see if you can get this one free."

Anton wasted no time and immediately grabbed the crystal. With all his puppy strength he wiggled the geode around until it broke free of the wall. Anton nearly feel over, but his father was there to catch him and keep him on his feet.

"Careful, Anton!" Striker chided him.

"Sorry dad! But I got it!" Anton said, his tail wagging as he held up the geode, a greenish stone, up for his father to see.

"Good work, seun." Striker petted Anton's head fur, the pup feeling proud. "Now let's gather a few more geodes, shall we?"

The pup eagerly nodded, joining his father in breaking off geodes from the rock. Between the father/son and mother/daughter teams, the pile of shiny geodes grew until it was a nice glittering heap. The family gathered around the pile, Striker and Phoenix watching Anton and Firefly playing with the geodes. They sorted and swapped geodes until each pup has his or her own collection.

Striker checked the time and saw they had been gone from the boat long enough. He checked with Phoenix, and she too agreed that it was time to head back up.

"Okay, kids!" Phoenix called out. "We got to head back to the yacht."

"Awwww." Both the pups went. "Can't we stay a bit longer?" Firefly asked with big, wide puppy eyes.

"Nee." Striker shook his head, ignoring the long faces. "Gather up your geodes and put on your scuba gear."

Reluctantly, Anton and Firefly agreed. The couple gave each pup a bag to put in their geodes. Once done, they all went to put on their diving equipment. Again Striker and Phoenix helped Anton and Firefly put on their gear as well as tie the bags of geodes securely to their wrists. Once they were all set and a few precautionary tests were taken, Striker led them all back into the water. They dove through the cavern, leaving behind the cenote and all the geodes behind.

---

Later on the yacht, the sun was setting as the ship headed back to the port of the island resort where the Vorster family had booked in. Striker was at the wheel, guiding the yacht through the water, while Phoenix was busy folding up their swimsuits after letting them dry out in the sun. Both canines were wearing casual shirts and shorts. Phoenix approached her husband.

"How much further, Strikie?"

"Not far now. We should reach the resort within half-an-hour. How are the pups?"

"Last time I looked, they were still playing with the geodes. I'll go check on them as I put our swimsuits away."

"Goed." Striker nodded in satisfaction.

Phoenix descended the steps down into the yacht's cabin. Down below she expected to find Anton and Firefly playing with the geodes as they had been doing ever since they returned to the boat. Instead, she found both the pups sleeping on the floor. Both of them were curled up, the bags containing each pups' geodes clutched in their arms. Phoenix smiled, set down the swimsuit and went over to pick up the kids with their bags. She tucked each of them into a bunk and put a blanket over their them and their geode bags.

A short time later she emerged from the cabin. The sun was disappearing over the horizon, but their island destination was now fully in view and not far off. The Pomeranian walked towards her mate.

"How are the kids?"

"Sound asleep." Phoenix told him how she found them and tucked them in.

"Wonderful." Striker said with a smile. "I'm glad we took them on the dive."

"Me too." Phoenix walked behind Striker, wrapped her arms around his chest and rested her head on his shoulders.

They said nothing further, watching the sun set and the lights coming on at the resort, helping Striker guide the yacht home after a good day out.

FIN