Chapters/Prologue

## Chronology

### Followed by:

Chapter 2

*"It's been a pleasure to lead you all. And it's an honour to serve The Tide tonight. Long live The Tide!"*
—Thresher to The Family *What Lurks Beneath*, page 7
**Chapter 1**, or the **prologue**, is the first chapter in the *What Lurks Beneath* comic. In it, the four main characters debut, and we get our first glimpse of the life in The Family and the cult's traditions.

## Detailed Plot Summary

*Below contains an in-depth summary of the chapter. If you're looking for a shorter summary, please click here!*

The members of The Family gather on the beach as the sun sets. Thresher and Sturgeon sit together in Thresher's cave, with a calico cat sleeping just outside. Thresher asks Sturgeon if it were time, and she says that it was. He states that he was ready, and calls for Trout and Hake to join them in the cave.
Thresher tells the three that his reign ends that night, but that he's confident he'll be leaving The Tide in capable paws. He says that if it were up to him, Sturgeon would be his heir, but that he knows whoever is chosen will be worthy and lead The Family to greatness. He asks her if she would help the next leader, if not herself, and she says that she would. Thresher decides that they should head out now.
Thresher moves through the crowd, a soft smile on his face. He pauses at the water's edge, allowing Krill to slice his shoulder with a broken shark tooth. He turns back towards the crowd, announcing that it has been a pleasure to lead all of them, and that he feels honoured to serve The Tide tonight. He wades into the water, beginning the chant of "Long live The Tide".
The Family continues to chant as Thresher swims further into the ocean, staining the water with his blood. Sharks begin to circle around him, and he is eventually killed by one of them and dragged below the surface of the water. Trout, Sturgeon and Hake look on with shock, Hake closing his eyes to not watch.
After momentary hesitation, Sturgeon joins in on the chants with narrowed eyes.
## Characters

### Major Characters

All major characters that appear in the **prologue**, listed in order of appearance.

* Sturgeon
* Thresher
* Trout
* Hake

### Minor Characters

All minor characters that appear in the **prologue**, listed in order of appearance.

* Gull
* Fangtooth
* Skua
* Mollymawk
* Krill
* Wahoo
* Veta
* Kelp
* Sponge
* Coral
* Wader
* Tuna
* Dune
* Morray
* Web
* *See more...*

## Noteable Events

* Thresher gives himself to the sea and is killed by the sharks, ending his reign over The Family.

## Trivia

### Interesting Facts

* The **prologue** was created before any of the main characters' designs were finalized. Sturgeon had more intricate stripes and markings, and also a lighter gray underbelly; Hake had lighter stripes and lacked his white markings; Trout had two white toes on her left foreleg, a white hind leg and paler markings; and Thresher's had lighter markings on his nose and tail and his fur was more similar to that of Sturgeon's.

### Errors

* Before Sturgeon's design was finalized, she had dark gray ear tips. These markings were forgotten multiple times and were inconsistent in sizing.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Revealed in the **prologue**, page 1
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Revealed in the **prologue**, page 2
3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 Revealed in the **prologue**, page 5
4. ↑ Revealed in the **prologue**, page 9
5. ↑ Revealed in the **prologue**, page 3
6. ↑ Revealed in the **prologue**, page 7
7. ↑ Revealed in the **prologue**, page 10