Her whole life, this young birdie lived by a large, deep lake.
Unlike others of her kind, she early found it fun to swim and dive and just to spend as much water under the surface as possible. Soon she became good at it, able to stay down for minutes on a single breath of air and she discovered many beautiful places across the bottom.

Still there was one certain place - a certain challenge - she had always dreamed to reach and fulfill, yet she had never dared to and always gave up only feet away.
It was a natural arc of stone just in the very deepest place of the lake, about 100 feet below the glistening surface.

Today it looks like the birdie has finally overcame her fears. With a massive breath sweeling in her chest and with closed eyes she plunged herself under the surface, diving almost straight down with forceful kicks and strokes.
The waterpresssure increases rapidly, hurting in her ears and forcing her to equalize, yet she doesn't give up. Her sharp eyes eventually spot the markant arc of stone and she only doubles her efforts, flying through the water as if it were her natural environment.

"M..mwrblbl!" The sound of bubbles echoes through the water as a first puff of air escape her beak, causing her to clench her eyes and suppress the urge to exhale more. [i]--I will make it!...--[i], she tells herself as she focuses on the dark, kelp-overgrown floor and the large rocks she approaches more and more.
Her feathered chest begins to throb and burn on the inside, telling her that it is time to return to the much needed air. Yet she refuses to obey to her instincts and continues to push herself through the water.

--s..so close..--, rushes through her mind as she is only seven or eight feet away. Her chest spasms forcefully, causing her body to arch instinctively while bubbles rise from her nostrils towards the surface. She knows her cheeks must be faintly blue by now but the brave birdie just uses her movement to push herself even further and deeper.
Small fish swim by and she can see crabs and other animals crawling along the floor, just doing their buisness and not caring about this foreign creature who struggles hard just to exist down here.

Eventually she could touch the smooth rock but instead kicks her legs another, forceful time, pulling her body through this portal-shaped formation.
Her whole body trembles now and she can feel how her chest spasms forcefully, screaming for air. Instinctively she clamps her beak as her blueish cheeks bulge hard, yet her mind can only think a single thing: --I made it! I made it!..--

"B..brblub.. glublbl.."
Her exhausted body sadly leaves her no time to savor the joyful moment. Despite her clamped beak, burst after burst of bubbles escape her lungs as her chest heaves rythmically now.
Determined she clenches her eyes again and forcefully begins to kick for the surface. --Air...--
Her mind begin to feel dizzy and her strokes slow down, yet she doesn't give up. She knows she has to make it to the the life-giving surface - and she will!

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This was quickly sketched a few weeks ago but the story writing now was a good break from my learning sessions (it's exam-weeks) xP
Please enjoy ^_^