Opal Excavations

Opal had never been so far from the dome for Atlantis in her life. She had emerged from the tunnel onto the island of Kela and just kept walking as far as her feet would take her. She had attempted a few burrows on the way, trying to recreate the snug den she had dug for herself back home but none had felt quite right. Along her journey the ground had been too wet, too dry, too hard or couldn't hold the shape at all. This new area was even worse, with grey dirt seemingly completely solid in places. It formed uneven, cracked paths alongside abandoned human buildings. They were much larger than the ones in Atlantis, filled with more glass and plastic than she had ever seen in her life and they stretched so far into the sky that her osteoderms stopped her from looking all the way up. The weather had been a novelty too, no scheduled rainstorms and cold winds were brand new to her and she lived for the spontaneity of it all. At her core, Opal was an explorer and this new island was full of places to explore at every turn.

One such place that caught her eye was a heavily planted patch surrounded by high iron fences. It was overgrown with grass but the various prickly plants within drew her curiosity enough that she followed the fence until she came across a broken gate that granted her access. The grass and dirt felt cool beneath her paws and her instinct was to dig, though she held herself in check for the moment. Scattered through the garden, some in rows and some haphazardly placed, there were stone blocks and statues. She had seen statues down in Atlantis made of similar stone, but the upright blocks full of human writing were unusual. The statues, though familiar in construction, were unfamiliar in subject, showing tall humans with wings instead of the familiar species of Ovis, Euoplos and Iggys. At the base of each of these stone structures she felt the earth soft and loamy, like it had been turned over sooner than the earth around it. Certainly not fresh, but Opal knew dirt, and she knew something was marked by the stones. She began to dig, her short powerful forelimbs turning up piles of earth behind her and her hind limbs kicked it away. Before she knew it, her front half was making decent progress into the dirt.

"Can I help you?" An annoyed voice asked behind her, making her jump. She reversed out of the hole, dirt still piled upon her snout, to see a Utahraptor perched on the stone above her. His white face and eyes gave him a frightening appearance but his expression was lax, more irritated than angry.

"Hello! I'm Opal!" she greeted cheerfully, hoping she could charm her way into a pleasant interaction, "I didn't know someone lived here, my apologies." She shook the dirt from her face and made an effort to kick some of the dirt back into the hole.

"It's... fine, I guess," the raptor said, "I'm just not used to people in my garden."

"Ooo, your garden? It's very beautiful, you've done a wonderful job, it's a lot nicer than a lot of places around here," Opal gushed and the raptor scratched the back of his head.

"Thank you, I didn't plant it but I do my best to take care of it," he said bashfully, "The name's Kaiwi, by the way."

"Kah-ee-vee," Opal sounded out, beaming when he nodded at her pronunciation, "it's a pleasure to meet you, Kaiwi, my name is Opal!"

"Yes, you've said," Kaiwi reminded her gently, "May I ask, why were you digging here?"

"Oh, I suppose, it's just what I do, I love to dig," Opal admitted, "I've always loved exploring in the dirt, digging burrows, whole networks under Atlantis even, and this place just seemed so enticing."

"Really? How so?" Kaiwi asked curiously, stepping down from the stone and looking into the hole.

"Are you serious? Look at it!" Opal exclaimed, gesturing with her club towards the stone markers, "These are practically screaming out that they're marking something buried here. Who knows what kind of treasure warrants such elegant displays with so much writing associated with them?"

"Can you read the writing?" Kaiwi asked, leaning into the stone and squinting at it.

"Some Atlanteans can, alas, I am not one of them," Opal answered sadly, "But I don't need to read to know this is important. If you don't mind, I'd like to keep digging and find out."

"Wait!" Kaiwi said sharply and her heart dropped, feeling the disappointment of losing her chance at treasure, "If we're talking about how important they look, shouldn't you try under one of the fanciest statues first?" Opal immediately perked up at the suggestion.

"Oh, how clever! Yes, I'll try that first, you're more than welcome to join me!"

"Eh, I'm more of an ideas guy," Kaiwi said, "But I'm happy to keep you company if you'd like?" Opal would like that very much, no one back home had ever shown such encouragement for her hobby before. It was always 'there is no treasure in Atlantis, Opal' and ' you're comprising the structural integrity of the court, Opal', not an ounce of encouragement. The thought of this new world feeding her curiosity had her galloping towards the nearest statue, she had no time to waste!