67 - Platform Above Water

  Nexha woke up feeling a little frustrated after yesterday’s defeat. To make things worse, he was completely sick of eating raw fish once again. He yawned, stretched his arms, and swam straight to the old nest. His plan was to light a fire and prepare something different to eat, but when he arrived, something made him stop before igniting the flames.

  The small orange egg rested gently in the water, swaying with the light current. Nexha frowned, thinking. He wanted to cook, but what if the heat or smoke harmed the baby inside the egg? The thought unsettled him deeply.

  Sighing, he left the nest, a bit frustrated, his stomach growling with hunger and his mind restless. His craving for cooked food made him feel even more uncomfortable.

  — I guess I’ll have to do something I’ve been putting off... — he murmured to himself.

  He sat on the sandy bottom and began drawing with his finger, sketching lines as he thought out loud.

  — I need a platform above the surface… First, to store things in dry places. Second, to dry materials. And third… fire.

  His finger glided over the sand, forming the first drafts of the structure. He drew a base of scaffolding that would sit above the water, then sketched an elevated platform, considering accessibility.

  — A ramp would solve that for now… But moving up there is going to be tricky.

  He looked at his own tail resting on the sand and furrowed his brows.

  — How could I move better up there...? Hmm… what about a wheelchair...?

  He brought a hand to his chin, pondering the pros and cons of the idea.

  — It would be much easier than dragging myself around… Okay! Let’s get started!

  But before he could continue planning, his stomach growled again, demanding attention. He huffed, having no desire to eat fish, and grabbed a bottle of formula he had bought. He started drinking while refining his drawing, adjusting details.

  That’s when Lilay swam by, eyeing the bottle curiously.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  — Hey, can I have some? — he asked, approaching.

  Nexha, still resentful over losing the hunting competition the day before, considered refusing. But in the end, he sighed and shared.

  — Fine, but only if you help me build.

  Lilay grinned, took a sip from the bottle, and nodded.

  — Deal. What are we making?

  — We’re building a platform above the water. Zhaelor is out hunting today, so we have to do everything ourselves.

  Lilay shrugged.

  — Sounds fun.

  The first step was collecting moray-algae, which would be used as the main material since it resembled bamboo. Both of them swam through the moray-algae forest, carefully selecting the best ones and cutting them down.

  After that, Nexha also picked other types of algae to tie the structure together, wrapping them around his arm while Lilay, always impatient, almost tore some of them apart.

  — Lilay, be careful! We need them intact!

  — I’m trying, okay?! — Lilay grumbled but slowed down a bit.

  Once they had enough, they moved on to the second stage: securing the base of the structure into the sand. The main pillars needed to be buried deep enough to withstand the current. With large stones in their hands, the brothers hammered the pillars into the ground.

  — Hold that side steady, Nexha! It’s crooked!

  — It’s not crooked, you’re just not holding it right!

  — It is! Come look!

  Annoyed, Nexha let go of the post he was hammering and swam over to Lilay’s side. He examined the structure and…

  — Okay… it’s a little crooked.

  Lilay crossed his arms, looking victorious.

  — See?

  — Shut up and help me fix it.

  The two worked together to adjust the angle before continuing to hammer the stakes.

  The next step was raising the main pillars. They helped each other position them correctly, tying them with moray-algae to ensure stability. Then, they began installing the crossbeams.

  Nexha remembered a bridge-building game he used to play and decided to follow the same logic.

  — Triangles… — he murmured as he intertwined the rods.

  — What? — Lilay asked, confused.

  — Triangles are stronger. If we reinforce the sides like this, the structure will be more stable.

  — If you say so… — Lilay shrugged but followed Nexha’s plan.

  The two kept working, but as the structure became more complex, Lilay started struggling.

  — Nexha! This part isn’t fitting!

  The younger one sighed and swam over.

  — Let me see… You have to pull this part here and tie this algae properly before adding the support.

  Lilay made a face.

  — How do you know all this?

  — I just… do.

  They spent the entire day building, adjusting details, reinforcing ties, and repositioning pillars. Without Zhaelor’s help, the work took much longer than usual, and Nexha began to realize how much they relied on him for these tasks.

  By the time the sun started to set, the brothers paused to admire what they had built.

  The base of the platform was ready. Many parts were still missing, but the first big step had been completed.

  — Man… that took way longer than I expected. — Lilay sighed.

  — Yeah… but it’ll be worth it.

  Lilay crossed his arms, observing the structure.

  — I guess we’ll finish it tomorrow.

  Nexha nodded, feeling exhaustion settle into his body.

  — Yeah… Tomorrow.

  And with that, the two swam back home, ready to rest and prepare for another day of work.