Deep Domain

In this domain you will find a world unlike any other you have seen. Fish and maneaters, tricksters and fraudulent usurpers frequent these waters. Beware and heed this warning: these sharks are not your friends.

We follow Dogfish shark around on this day. It’s a day where he will face many fears and shed many tears. He misses his shiver. On a good day he used to hunt in a shiver of a thousand other dogfish. Today, however, he is completely alone.

Alone except for Catshark. How did dogfish end up friends with a nocturnal bottom-feeder? While Cat isn’t the best swimmer, she is the best support system and the most loyal comrade in an ever growing dark and frightening domain.

If we are following Dogfish on his day, we cannot forget his nemesis, the petrifying Tiger shark. He haunts our Dogfish through night terrors and daytime dread. Along with his Bull shark minions, Tiger tends to make his presence quite known in these waters.

It isn’t the best start to his day. He misses his morning meal and wounds his fin on the way over, but Dogfish is determined to make the most of it. Today is his protocol. Sharks don’t normally do protocols, unless they request a very specific line of work when they come of age, and Dogfish requested to be a domain guard.

“You just had to choose the one line of work that is claimed by Tiger and his minions?” Dogfish fondly remembers his closest friend quizzing his carefully-considered decision. Cat understood most things about him, but this is one concept she couldn’t understand. She didn't roam the shallow waters.

“Cat, I’ve explained this to you,” Dogfish starts. “I can’t sleep knowing there are no good sharks patrolling shallow waters. If the only guards aren’t even looking out for their own shiver, there is no way they’re going to look out for anyone else’s.” Tiger and his guards were known for sacrificing their own to appease other creatures in the domain. They couldn't protect sharks. So we need someone who will.

Dogfish would have felt hopeless in this goal if he hadn’t had his Leopard sharks. Leopards were his go-to sharks for missions of assistance, or of destruction. He spent the most time with them and they witnessed the same atrocities.

He often revisited the memory of the great Cow shark supporting his goal. Cow was known for being wise beyond his years. For a 7-year-old shark he had the mentality of one that has been around for decades.

“In my years in this domain, no one has taken this initiative before. Whale shark is far too lazy. Silky shark is far too into looks. Gollum shark is the most anti-social being I have come across, which may have qualified him if he wasn’t obsequiously dull,” at this point Leopards were holding in laughter and Dogfish swam around Cow with the utmost admiration. He not only had support, he had the support of the one shark from whom support meant the most coming from.

At protocol, Cat, Leopards, Cow, Whale and Silky amongst many others watched as Dogfish was about to be named by the Great White. Even Gollum was lurking in the nearby caves, listening in. But Dogfish knew it wouldn’t be this easy. Like clockwork, Tiger and Bulls storm into the pleasant waters to start a riot.

He gave one look at his Leopards, and as if they read his mind they stormed into their defensive formation. Leopards looked Bulls in their ugly faces and some hoped this would escalate, while others looked on in horror and the lives that could potentially be lost in the next few minutes.

A face stood out to him in the crowd. Dogfish locked eyes with Cat. She had an indifferent look on her face and he was confused. Was she in support of him? Did she lose her faith in him?

He watched her swim, slowly, closer to him. When she was right in front of him, he watched her lips curl into the neatest smile. He knew what was coming.

“Let’s do this Dog.”

“Right behind you Cat.”

The fight began. In a matter of seconds the waters were clouded with blood. Bull blood mixed with Leopard blood and Dogfish blood mixed with Tiger blood. Cat was many things, but her fighting skills were top notch. Who could possibly know how she escaped the brawl without a scratch on her, but Cow kept his eye on her as she stealthily made her way to Great White, whispering something to him.

Like a deafening siren, Great White roared magnificently and put an end to what he declared “this pathetic squirm.”

“Shark protocol states that a dispute is rendered pointless if?” Great White is asking this question to and only to Tiger, who refused to look Great White in the eye. He wasn’t about to give him the answer he wanted.

“A second shark chooses the same line of work,” Cat volunteered. Dogfish was stunned. Sure, a bottom-feeder could be a guard but he couldn’t believe his friend had been planning this the whole time. He swam up to her, eyes ablaze with gratitude.

“So let it be declared that our two newest domain guards, Dogfish Shark and Cat Shark, will begin patrolling their waters tomorrow night. They will choose their own guards,” Leopards eyes glinted with excitement, “and they are not to be harmed by another shark. Am I clear?” This time, Tiger and Bulls did have to respond, as was proper protocol if they wanted to keep their position as guards.

A joint “yes sir” echoed throughout the chasm and Dogfish was absolutely elated. Shortly thereafter he went to find Tiger and his Bull minions, but he knew they were gone and most likely wouldn’t return.

Maybe one day they would reconcile. For now, it was Dogfish and Cat guarding their waters from the next big creatures to cause any trouble.

For now, it was Dogfish and Cat against the world.