Dino and Scout watched as the indent in the floor filled with water, the sound of rushing liquid echoing through the ancient temple. Dino's eyes flicked to the journal in her claw, the scrawled notes barely making sense. The symbols on the walls and the strange carvings they had seen earlier were nothing she had ever encountered before, even with all her studies. “This language isn’t documented anywhere,” Dino muttered, flipping through the worn pages, her brow furrowed. She looked up, just in time to see a pinkish blob swept along with the current of water that was now streaming down the hall. The creature tried to leap out of the water but was caught by the flow, spiraling backward in a blur of pink and tan. With a determined flick of its tail, the creature propelled itself out of the water and onto all fours. Its gills flared, and the webbed appendages curved gracefully upward. Dino and Scout watched in awe as the creature shook itself off, revealing a striking appearance. Its body was primarily pink, with a tan underbelly and tan spots dotting its back. Across its face, a tan mask-like marking surrounded its mouth and eyes, and nestled between two top gills on the right side of its head was a delicate water lily. Then, the creature opened its eyes, and both Dino and Scout froze. Her light blue eyes were stunning, though what truly caught their attention was the shape of her pupils—X’s, like they had been carefully painted on. She had a wavy tail with a swirl at the end, which flicked in the air as she examined them. Standing taller than Scout, the creature flashed a toothy smile, revealing a gap between her top teeth. "Who are you two outsiders?" she asked, her voice calm but carrying a note of curiosity. The gap in her teeth gave her words a slight lisp, though it only added to her charm. Dino, feeling slightly caught off guard, ducked her head respectfully. "We’re explorers, ma’am. This is Scout, and I’m Dino." The creature tilted her head, then bowed in return, her water lily swaying slightly with the movement. “Hmm. Well, do you wish to raid our temple?” Scout, eyes wide as he took in the creature standing before them, shook his head quickly. “We don’t want to cause any problems. We just want to know what’s down here.” His voice was careful, but there was an edge of curiosity that couldn’t be hidden. The creature grinned, her gap-toothed smile widening. “Great! I’m Lillie, Temple Waterworks Engineer!” She gestured to herself proudly, the tan splotches on her skin glistening with droplets of water. “I’m an Axolotl. My kingdom isn’t far from the waterfall. I can bring you there—just follow me.” Dino’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Axolotls? I thought they went extinct!” she said, her tone full of intrigue. Lillie giggled softly, her light blue eyes twinkling with amusement. “Well, as you can see, I’m quite alive and well!” She then turned, her tail swishing as she dove back into the flowing water without another word. Dino, still processing the surprise, lowered herself for Scout to hop back into the pouch. Once he was settled, she took off after Lillie, running along the stone sidewalk that bordered the waterway. The temple walls passed in a blur as they hurried to keep up with the Axolotl.