[Trade] They Put A Baby Turtle In The Gulag

The waterways of Atlantis were just as choked with plant life as the rest of the dome. Thick walls of river grass blocked everything but water, obscuring whatever lay ahead. Tortie had been treading water for a while now, too anxious to poke her head through and see what waited on the other side. Making it down into the dome had been the easy part, shockingly, just sliding down along the smooth metal ramp into the grass and fleeing into the river when she got the chance to break free from the bushes. The leaves were enormous in the dome, she had tried to push her way through but had simply bounced back when she charged at them, barely making the foliage shake. The islands were already a big place for a small Atopo, and this new underwater island had only added to the confusion. Still, the call of treasure and adventure was great, so she steeled her little heart and snuck in when a large mixed pack were making their way down the tunnel. They hadn't even noticed her at first, and then had dismissed her as a small ocean turtle that had wandered too far from the beach. Her shell was good for many things, but this was the first time it had been such peak camouflage.

The river was confusing at first, but Tortie had resolved to follow the current upstream and was making decent progress along it. The river never seemed to change its flow, an alien consistency that set her nerves on edge. She knew she had experienced little of the world in her short life, but she knew something was wrong about this water. While she was debating whether or not to jump out, she heard a loud screeching sound and felt a wave of water pushing her from behind. Instinct drove her forward to escape whatever had landed in the water behind her and she paddled her feet furiously to pick up speed. When she emerged from the river grass, she had to backpedal to avoid driving her nose into a solid metal wall. She paddled in place and looked up, seeing gaps in the metal forming a grate, letting the water flow through. She swam up to the surface and tried to squeeze through the gaps but her shell caught on either side and prevented the rest of her body from squirming too. Looking back, she could see that what had landed behind her was another metal wall, built the same way and blocking the way back. With nowhere else to turn, she turned her face to the surface of the water.

The surface was distorted by the movement of the current but Tortie could see figures looming over her, peering into the water. She hurried to the metal wall and tugged at it with her webbed feet, not achieving any kind of grip and not having enough strength to even make it budge. She flattened herself to the riverbed and looked upwards at the shadowy figures above the water. They weren't moving at all, just looking between her and each other and staying completely still. That was fine for now, Tortie reassured herself, she could hold her breath for a very long time and they had to get bored eventually. She was already getting bored, so it shouldn't be long until they get bored too. 

The figures refused to move, and it seemed like hours had passed before Tortie's lungs gave up and she was forced to the surface. She stuck her head above water and saw a brief glimpse of enormous four legged titans.

“Stop! You have-” The words became muffled as she ducked back under again and retreated into the denser patches of grass. She couldn't see them any more, but they shouldn't be able to see her either. She sifted through the grass and tried to find another way out but her flippers only met the sides of the rivers. She was considering the densely packed dirt along the sides when she felt something swoop through the water behind her that made her hide in the grass again. Though she was ill-adapted to digging she could try and tunnel her way out, it would be better than remaining here and letting those figures catch her. As her webbed paws splatted ineffectually against the dirt she felt something close around her. She fought as hard as she could but the net tightened and she was pulled out of the water to come eye-to-eye with a scowling Iguanodon.

"You have trespassed onto the land of the Queen of Atlantis, you are being apprehended for your crimes," he said sternly, like he had tried to give this spiel before and had been interrupted by something. Tortie blinked at him, not quite grasping the concept of trespassing or being apprehended. The Iggy gave up waiting for a reply and jerked his head at someone standing behind her, the Iguianodon holding the net she had been caught in. Tortie felt herself moved and looking down through the netting of her trap she could see the grass passing by as she was carried high above it. The Iggy that carried her shielded her from much of the heavy plants in the jungle, using his massive size to simply push through leaves that dwarfed her tiny body. She could barely see anything past the trees but with a sudden blast of light from above they broke out into a wide clearing where she couldn't even see the edges. She wanted to ask what kind of place this was but fear made her words stick in her throat. She wasn't sure where this Iggy was bringing her but the stern tone of his companion wasn't exactly filling her with optimism. As she was brought into the dark again, a tall building with narrow hallways, she felt a flash of annoyance that she hadn't had the chance to kick up a fuss while she was still free. The sound of a gate swinging open brought her to the present and without warning she was tipped out of the net into a puddle of cold water.

"This will work, yes?" the carrier asked, "This is enough water?" Tortie stared at him, water still dripping down her face and into her eyes. She looked down to the floor, she was sitting in about three inches of water, just shallow enough to stand in, but the water was freezing. 

"It's cold," she said quietly, so quiet she wasn't even sure if he could hear her. He looked surprised for a moment before leaning down to her level.

"Are you small or are you a hatchling?" he asked seriously.

"Um, I'm Tortie!" she responded shyly, not quite sure what he was asking. The Iggy made a face like he was having an upset tummy and Tortie shuffled back into her puddle prison.

"I- I'll find something to keep you warm," the Iggy stumbled over his words before turning on his heel and walking away. He closed the barred gate behind him and Tortie squinted at it. She decided to try her luck once more and padded her way over to the door. This time, her shell didn't stop her and she squeezed through the bars, emerging into the hallway with a 'pop' as her shell was tugged free from the wooden poles. She sat for a moment on the stone floor, stunned that her plan had worked so easily. She looked up and down the hallways and saw no sign of movement, not even in the other cells. She took her chance on the left hand path, taking off in the fastest run she could manage and disappearing into the dark with only the 'plap, plap, plap!' of her feet indicating where she had gone.