Then we arrived at his destination, a coral reef, and my awe and wonder increased tenfold. Sawtooth first took us around in a long sweeping arc that showed off the remarkable extent of the formation. It was an underwater forest, painted as if by an eager foal in a veritable rainbow of colors. At first, I thought a silvery cloud to be one more feature of the landscape, but then it turned and moved towards us, and suddenly scores of tiny fish enveloped us in a breathtaking swirl, coursing around and over Sawtooth and I as we swam down towards the reef.
When they were gone, we were down in the midst of the coral, amongst all manner of formations in different shapes, sizes, and colors. Some ridged spheres resembled glowing brains, while others possessed spindly protrusions like carrot-colored arms. One ruby-red lump looked soft and inviting to the touch, but when I reached for it, Sawtooth abruptly pulled me away, swimming back.
Life teemed throughout all of the coral forest. Tiny fish competed with one another to put the colors of their home to shame, banded and striped with neon hues. Eels and crabs and other stranger creatures lurked in the many holes and shadows, scuttling away as our shadow passed by. I had my mask and my air, but the sight truly took my breath away.
Then Sawtooth, reached around to hoof me over something. I looked down to see that it was a trident, and understood his purpose immediately.
I motioned for him to bring me closer to one of the dark openings…
I caught sight of one of the nearby fish, and gulped, steeling my nerves…
I waited and watched, choosing my time wisely...
I threw it down, unwilling to disturb the beauty around me...