by TeraNosaerys » Thu Jan 23, 2025 7:39 am
Username + ID: TeraNosaerys 1001103
Squippy name: Hoshizame (approximately, "Star Shark")
Story: (Okay after editing I cut ~100 words and still ended up at 672, I'm sorry it's so long ;-;)
When Hoshizame was a squipling, he frolicked in the tropical island waters where he was born. With his assorted cousins, he reveled in the warm sunshine and explored the craggy reefs like any excitable youngster: poking his nose into nooks and crannies to find out what lived inside, shooting away squealing when perturbed residents would protest this playful invasion with snapping jaws or furious claws. Sometimes distant shadows from beyond the water would fall onto the powdery sand below and they would pounce on them, sending sand into the water around them and creating a new game of hide-and-seek. But one day the shadows were far more immediate, and Hoshizame and his cousins hid beneath rocky shelves and leafy fronds to watch these newcomers arrive.
Strange were these creatures to the squiplings; broad and flat, they sailed through the water with slow, luxurious waves of their powerful wings. Unlike squips, they had no helpful paws, and Hoshizame could see small fish fluttering around them that rubbed and nibbled at the great gliders' skin much like the squiplings would groom each other. He and his family came out of their hiding places as the beasts showed no threat. They found a new game as they emerged: these creatures stirred the water around them with their wings, and the squiplings began to race or tumble through the currents with excitement, their fear forgotten. But during their play, Hoshizame noticed something about one of the larger beasts and its friendly fish. There was something glinting at the edge of one wings, something clearly out of place against the beast's skin. The little fish circled it in an agitated swirl, zipping close to pick at it with their mouths and then retreating in frustration. With a look at his little squippy paws, Hoshizame approached slowly. The little fish whipped back and forth between him and the great creature at first, as if to protect their friend, and he giggled and held out his paws for them to examine. As the little ones studied him and his hands, the larger beast adjusted its course and sailed closer.
As the creature sailed past him, Hoshizame had the distinct feeling of being watched. This was no mere fish sailing idly through the water chasing food on the currents; no, this was something more like him and his family, something thinking and feeling. It was a strange sensation, something like the moments he looked out into the darker, deeper waters beyond the island and knew there was more to see out there. He held up his paws carefully, spinning slowly to keep them within the great beast's sight, and saw it understand. It slowed and angled its sailing to cast its broad wing beneath the squipling. The silver caught on the edge of it resembled a hooked tooth or barb of coral, but as Hoshizame reached for it he found it smooth to the touch and realized why the little fish had so struggled to remove the strange thing. With the grip of his paws, however, he was able to wiggle the hook free, a soft, pleased vibration travelling through the water around them all. The great beast sailed into massive loops with its fish and Hoshizame joined them for a few delighted swirls.
When they parted, he found his family staring at him in awe and they clustered around him with questions. Each of them sobered, however, when he presented the shiny silver hook he'd removed from the creature. It meant something that the young ones did not yet know, and yet its significance was unmistakable.
Today, Hoshizame keeps the hook on a string tied around his paw. He knows its intended purpose and who created it, but he also knows that it is a valuable tool for releasing tangled creatures or defending himself and those he cares for. And always, he remembers the Great Ray who he brought gentle delight to with a simple act of kindness and seeks to spread that delight wherever he goes.
