[76heart]

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76heart ● shana, she/her ● 1,455 words

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Like she always did after the harshest of storms that passed over her land by the sea, she went down to the rocky shores of the oceans, to pick up whatever debris she could, and rescue any creatures that had possibly found themselves stuck within it's stoney cove. It never took her long to arrive there either, she lived just above the path that lead from the shore up into the high cliffs above, and she knew the way so well, that all the little stones that normally would obstructed the path, were mere stepping stones, little rocks to grip, or avoid altogether. She could journey down the path with her eyes closed if she wanted, though it was never something she dared to try. While she knew the path better than she knew anything else, a single missed footfall or slip upon the slipper surface of a wet stone could send her plummeting to her death, and Shana had grown quite fond of her life, and valued it more than a tiny bit, and did not at all wish to lose it. Falling to her death in such a manner would be more than a little idiotic as well, and she certainly did not want to go down in the books of history as the idiot Kalon who fell to her death by walking down a steep, tricky path that should not be traversed by anyone who was not vastly experienced, with her eyes tightly shut and stubbornly refusing to open. That was just about the dumbest way to die that she could think of, and Shana had no plans to make that silly though ever come true. At best by doing that she'd injure herself somehow, and that was just as stupid a way to get hurt as it was dying.

Shaking her head to clear her mind of such trivial thoughts, she turned her focus back to making it down the step pathway littered with rocks of all shapes and sizes very much alive. There would be time to contemplate ridiculous ways she could possibly die at a later date; right now she had to focus on the task at hand, weaving through the stone she knew so well and making her way down onto the shore so she could perform her duty and clean up the rocky sands after a storm of tremendous winds, and likely just as tremendous damage. There was something about the sea, and the land surrounding it that had always called to her, always shouted for her to come it's way, something inexplicable that always drew her close, and though she dared not enter the waters in case they pulled her in and she was never seen again, she didn't want the waters and the life it housed and protected and kept alive to suffer because of a bad storm that blew all sorts of unpleasant things onto their beach.

When she finally reached the bottom of the path, and the rocky shore she had been itching step upon, she quickly began her self imposed task, picking her way through the seawater stones. Nothing seemed to be unusual, at least not at first; there was the typical collection of heavy driftwood, smoothed by years of the ocean's rough waves kiss, a few rocks that had broken upon the shore, and a general mass of an assortment of things that had washed up onto the earth, likely breaching the water and touching air for the first time. There were pieces of disgusting looking algae, pebbles that had each and every imperfection smoothed from their surface, pieces of sea glass scattered in places only she knew to look, and then of course, seaweed. Loads, and loads of seaweed- wait, did some of it just move? Oh gods, had some creature washed up on the shores alive? Was she going to be met with an animal she loved dearly dying from the air because it's gills needed the sea? Or some other gruesome sight? Or had she imagined it, her eyes simply playing little tricks? Yes, that had to be it. Nothing had ever washed up still living before, it was nothing, it would be fine. She had to check though, regardless of the horror she could be greeted with.
Along the way of walking toward it, she picked up a stick within her jaws, so she would not have to touch whatever it was with her bare paws, and catch some disease or never be able to rid herself of the smell, or something like that. Her steps were cautious and slow as she crept toward it, and when she finally did reach it and leaned over it to look down at whatever it was, before she had the chance to do something, an earsplitting screech reached her ears, and the thing leapt up from the drying green kelp, jumping up toward her. Shana let out a scream and leapt back, dropping the stick on the creature's tail accidentally as the cry left her lips. Oh god, what was that thing? What was it doing? Did it intend to eat her, or worse? Oh god, oh god. The thing pulled its tail free with ease, shaking itself off, and then leapt forward towards her again, seeming to grin happily as it tried to jump toward her, clearly not doing well outside the water. She tripped and fell as she tried to scramble backward, and it was then that whatever it was, managed to jump onto her, and she had to stifle another scream as she finally caught sight of what it was. It was small, no bigger than her paw, and appeared to be incredibly harmless. It wore a smile, and the seaweed-like appendages protruding from the back of it's form stuck to it's back, it's webbed paws looking painfully dry. Her heart fell. How had she wanted to scream at this poor darling? it needed water, and love, not such a sudden fright. "You need water, don't you?" Shana asked it softly, and it replied with a happy chirp. Carefully, Shana rose to her feet, scoping the creature up and holding it with a paw, making her way to the ocean's edge with her other three free legs. The creature leapt from her paw into the sea and she watched as it seemed to transform almost instantly, it's color rapidly returning, and it's kelp imitations coming up to wave with the sea, fanning out like her hair in a bath. That was where a beautiful friendship began.



The strangest thing happened today, I doubt anyone would believe me without seeing it themself- which they never will as I intent to keep it safe in a secret-, but I met a new creature today, one I have never before seen. I spent hours looking through books, digging through all I could find, but I found nothing. It has to be new, something undiscovered. I wonder if it'll let me be it's friend?

I have been coming to get to know it for days now, and it only seems too become friendlier and friendlier. It makes the most darling little sounds when it sees me as a hello, and it does little tricks in greeting from it's place in the sea. I know it wants me to go and join it, and swim beside it so it can show me it's world, but alas, I cannot. I never learned how to swim, the water's draw just seemed too intoxicating to resist, and I can't care for my new friend if I manage to drown.

It's been a couple weeks now, and I finally know what to call her. Yes, her. It is a her, and I have decided to call her kind the Sea Moon, because last night on the full moon, I observed her doing the strangest thing. She began to glow, and to dance in the light of the moon, seemingly more than just a little entranced by the beautiful sight. She was transfixed, like some deity was puppeteering her from the vast skies above, and the moment the moon was covered by the clouds, she stopped. She instantly returned to her normal self, and swam excitedly to me in a hello. I think she's grown a tiny bit.

I think I'm going to call her Shia.

I don't believe Sea Moons live entirely in the waters, per say, as I've seen her paw prints in the sand, but I personally have never seen her outside of the ocean's shallow water filled shore apart from the day I found her, and I don't dare take her out to see in case the creature needs the sea to survive.

[Divantae]

Username: Divantae
Kalon name: Reynard
Kalon gender: Male
Sea creature:
The third realm of the world Mondeau lies across two belts of constellations, aptly titled Sabonde and Glahiver, the most uninteresting batch of stars Reynard has ever seen. His eyes were unsteady as they attempted to analyze the midnight sky for those flurries of stars he took in as a stranger, but they eluded him like a bunch of girls. He was never great with the ladies as a lad.

Padding gently, he pressed his paws to the ocean currents and kept whipping his blue orbs about, scanning for those stupid stars. After a few minutes, he started floundering about on the waves, slashing them with his paws with frustration, which was met with a mouthful of the salty water he was accustomed and borne to. His temper was one of the three reasons he was outcast to the top of Mondeau, separate from the celebrated cities beneath the bubbling blue.

Number two, he swore, was only because he was a bit of a celebrity in the aquatic cities below. If he wasn't so famous, he would've gotten away with it, and hell, he's known of plenty who did!

Sighing, he pressed his paws to his temple as he readjusted onto the surface of the ocean. Like all of his kind, he could traverse the waters with ease. There was no land to frolic on, after all, so where the sea meets the air is essentially a wasteland, devoid of any life. But life under the sea is mostly radiant and vivid, with the deepest darkest pits being centers of crooks. He was taught to always avoid those. His life was mostly of the bright variety with dancers and fantastical sea beasts in carnivals.

Wailing, he collapsed onto his knees, his sobs only met with the occasional scream of frustration. He could be left here by his lonesome for eternity if he couldn't find his way back home, if he couldn't find those dratted stars. Through a blur Reynard lifted to the now misty magenta sky once more, pleading to those constellations desperately.

His prayers were answered, though not in the way he expected, when he spotted some object in the distance. It was a... ship? Perhaps they could take him back home! Most Kalons in Mondeau tended to stay in the water, but occasionally the rich and crummy ones would end up making boats to take joy rides in. Without thinking, he started sprinting towards them. Yes, it had to be a ship, it looked the right size and was cruising along the waves.

All of a sudden, the water around the supposed ship was upturned and he realized that was no ship as its slithering scaled body rose, along with its head which Reynard had mistaken for a boat in the night. Backing up frantically, he tripped over his own tail, which sent curses from his tongue and more cries. Embracing for the impact of being gulped up by this creature, he was shocked when it halted before him, nose to nose with him. He swore its head was so huge that its breaths could have moved him easily.

Its form was imprinted into his memory like a photo. It had long glowing spines, which were more like fur in how they were bundled together, but otherwise the whole body was of scales. He concluded it was like one of the many eels or snakes, but this creature could also easily change its morph into its environment, as some of the scales glinted uneasily, trying to match the colors of the sunrise. Those spines, though- he couldn't think of how it would feel to be pricked with one of them. Just one of them was the size of a whole Kalon.

Croaking, the creature propped open its mouth to reveal hooked and serrated fangs, but also an interesting specimen. Sitting strapped to its tongue was a pale Kalon fitted with gold, white, and red armor. With one swift movement the stranger unstrapped himself and stood on the edge of the monster's jaw.

"May I help you?" he offered charmingly.

"Uhhh what? Who are you? What is that?" Reynard questioned with confusion, while backing away slightly from the serpent, still uneasy of it.

"Someone you probably should not have seen," he sighed, defeated, "What gave it away? Don't you all ride in these things' mouths?"

"No? I've never seen anything like that!" he sized it up again. "Really, who are you?" Reynard pressed on.

"The name's Greed. I was sent here on a mission, but I fear I cannot do it. Where is everyone?" Greed looked about, as if searching for someone or something.

"Everyone is underwater, same as always," he explained, eyeing Greed with suspicion. Who was he anyways, why was he here? It was obvious he wasn't from here.

"Oh! Right, right. So, uh, can I go there?"

"Sure, but only if you take me with you," he grinned. Now they were getting somewhere.

"Okay. Er- is there any snorkeling or scuba device of some sort?"

"A what now?"

"You know, like to breathe underwater with."

"Just breathe underwater, like everyone else," Reynard simply put.

"O-okay," he uneasily shifted on the serpent's mouth, then sank his head into the water.

"See?" Reynard flaunted, "You'll be fine." The stranger looked absolutely baffled as to why he could suddenly do an everyday task, but Reynard just pushed it off and thought nothing of it so long as he's giving him a ride to where he needs to go. Maybe this Kalon had brain damage, but that's his problem.

Apparently, Greed was gifted the serpent from where he came from (the location of which he carefully omitted), when it was just the size of a seashell. For a while he was floating on a raft on the ocean, until the serpent began growing rapidly. Greed told him that he could keep the creature if he helped him. He accepted without hesitation.

Climbing into the serpent's mouth with Greed, they dived deep into the water to a sunken city filled with blaring light. Many Kalons swam up towards the serpent with confusion, which he could see from the translucent, clear insides.

"Say hello to your new king," Reynard thought eagerly. "The prince is back in town."

The third reason he was outcast was because of his unwavering ambition. With the help of this creature, who he coined Pandemonium, no one could dare threaten or pick on him any longer. No one could steal the kingly position from him, not his brothers, nor his elderly mother. His, all his, no matter his status as the youngest. It was time for a change in management after his father's untimely demise, that's what he would have wanted. He must uphold that wish.

[lunaire]

Username: lunaire

Kalon name: jakob

Kalon gender: male

This kalon discovered a new sea creature! How did they discover it, what does it look like, and what enviornment does it come from? ;; wip ovo

[spirittai1]

username: spirittai1
kalon name:
kalon gender:
this kalon discovered a new sea creature! how did they discover it, what does it look like, and what environment does it come from? ;;

mark !!

[OriGalaxii]

Username:
Kalon name: Weydn
Kalon gender: Nonbinary (He/Him or They/Them)
This kalon discovered a new sea creature! How did they discover it, what does it look like, and what enviornment does it come from? ;; Mark with a fully aquatic bird like thingy-

[Wolfycat101]

Username:
Kalon name:
Kalon gender:
This kalon discovered a new sea creature! How did they discover it, what does it look like, and what environment does it come from? ;; (Deep sea somethin')

M a r k

[SilhouetteStation]

Username: SilhouetteStation
Kalon name: Leonie
Kalon gender: Female
This kalon discovered a new sea creature! How did they discover it, what does it look like, and what enviornment does it come from? ;;

November 9th
My bags are packed. Journals handed out. I think everyone else is asleep. Well, they should be. We went to bed hours ago, but I haven't been able to sleep, I'm way too excited. Tomorrow we begin our twenty day adventure to the Great Barrier Reef, to study some of the coral bleaching and check in on some of the wildlife. I know I'm not the most experienced marine biologist on the team, so I'm honored to have been chosen for this mission. I hope I can really prove myself to everyone. In saying that, I'd probably do a better job being well rested, so I'd better try again to get some sleep.

November 10th
Today was the most wonderful blur of activity. We made the remainder of the journey to the Reef, and got to see our boat for the first time. She's a real beauty, and really spacious inside. Getting all of our equipment on board was a bit stressful; no one wants to be the person who breaks something important. We've docked just outside of the Reef, out in deeper water. Part of our mission is to see how far the bleaching has gotten, and how much the sun has affected the coral located in deeper waters. The sky was a bit overcast, so we've got our fingers crossed for fine weather tomorrow.

November 11th
The day dawned bright and clear, just as we'd hoped. Watching the sunrise from the ship was breathtaking, and seemed to give everyone good energy for the day. Around midday a handful of us donned our diving gear, and tipped back into the sea. Some of them had been here before, but it was my first time seeing the Reef in person. It's like nothing you can imagine. Seeing all the fish, the coral, the crabs; everything you could imagine. Better than imagining. The wildlife seem quite comfortable with us, as they'll be used to many visitors swimming among them. But I have to say, this view was bittersweet. I'd seen how the Reef used to look, and seeing the faded, bleak parts of the coral really makes you stop and think. This is a natural wonder we've neglected over the years, and this is the result of that. I hope we'll be able to make a difference somehow.

November 12th
Another gorgeous sunrise, another glorious day. The gentle of the rocking of the boat has been helping me sleep. We're all sure to be wobbly once we're back on land. Today is another day of exploration, this time to check on certain areas of coral to see if the bleaching has affected them more than the last time they were checked. We will also be seeing if different species are affected in different ways, and what those variables are. The fish are having fun following us around.

November 14th
After a lot of pictures and extensive notes, we've moved further back, away from the shallower parts of the Reef. There is a steep rock ledge - an underwater cliff, you could call it - that has coral growing down it's surface. We are checking these ones now, to see how much they have been affected by the sun. The obvious hypothesis is that the further down they grow, the safer they will be. It's a bit daunting being in open water, but we can still see the sand at the bottom of the sea. I couldn't say in metres, but from top of the cliff, it's probably a four-storey house drop. It is beautiful, though. I told the others it reminded me of Finding Nemo, which they found funny. Some of the coral down here has weird bits of slime on the ends, which was odd. None of us have seen that before, so we're going to investigate more.

November 15th
I saw something odd today. Just as we were about to go back up to the boat. Some small creature, maybe the size of an otter, disappearing into a crack in the cliff side. I only caught a glimpse, so I can't be sure. I don't want to say anything in case I embarrass myself, so I haven't said anything to anyone. I did try to sketch out what I thought I saw. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out tomorrow.


x

November 18th
I didn't see anything like this creature for a few days, and thought maybe I'd imagined it. But again I saw a glimpse of it, darting off, and disappearing into the rock. This time I followed it, and found a crack. It didn't seem like anything could live in there, but to my surprise, there was slime around the outside. The same that had been on the coral. When we went up for lunch, I plucked up the courage to tell the team about my find. I showed them my sketches, and some of them seemed a bit skeptical. But once we were back in the water and I showed them the crack, they looked like they believed me more. We took a sample of the slime and tried to test it best we could back on the boat. It's quite thick, but it's most noticable feature is how slick and slippery it is. Whatever that creature is, it's no wonder it could slip into the rock.

November 20th
Well, I was right about one thing; this thing was certainly slippery. It's like it knows we're waiting for it to make an appearance. There's a running joke on board, about what we'd name this thing if it was real. So far the most popular name is 'water weasel'.

November 21st
It happened. We saw it. We can't believe it. I can't believe it. Since the time I'd told them, the team had been spreading out along the cliff face, and lo and behold more cracks had been discovered with the same strange, translucent slime. The slime itself had been studied more, and seems very similar to the kind of self-produced 'slime' creatures have to protect themselves from the sun. But nevermind that now. We saw the creature. Two of them, actually. It seemed a younger one, a baby or adolescent, had wandered out of hiding and was watching from the coral. Upon discovery an older one appeared from within the rock, most likely one of its parents, and hurried it back inside. This has opened up so many questions. What are they? Where did they come from? Are they a new discovery? How many of them are there? So many questions, and basically no answers. They do say we know more about space than the ocean, so it's completely probable that a new species could have been hiding under our noses. At the very least, after today, I like to think they have good family values.

November 22nd
We've been so caught up in excitement we almost forgot to have dinner last night, and then stayed up until 1am trying to figure out what we could have found. Nothing exactly matches, but the joke of 'water weasel' is continuing. Some say it looked like a cross between an otter and an axolotl (otterlotl has also been thrown around). There were more sightings of them today. We're hoping they'll realize we're no threat, and curiosity will bring them closer.

November 23rd
Officially one week until our expedition is over. One week to figure out what these guys are. We've all been making more sketches of them, and comparing notes to make definite assumptions. A small group of us stay around the cliff, watching and waiting, while another group carry out their testing on the coral. We've seen a few more of them darting around, and we're certain they do live in the rock. The main speculation is that the inside must be hollow somewhere, whether they dug it out or chanced upon it remains unsure.

November 24th
It seems the younger ones are the curious ones. We had an adolescent approach us up on one of the coral beds, and watched us for a few minutes before coming closer. It seemed eager to play with our equipment, and we were more than happy to let it. This was our first time seeing one up close. Their skin is an odd grey-pink, and it has a shine about it, like a film of slime is always present on its body. It's front legs are smaller, and each foot has three toes; the back legs are bigger, stronger, and have four toes on each foot. The base of the tail is thick, and tapers out towards the end, where it has a delicate fin much like an eel has. It stayed with us for a little while before returning home. There was such a buzz at dinner tonight. We're hoping it will return tomorrow.


x

November 25th
Our little friend returned today, this time with parental supervision. It came to us with no hesitation, ready to cause more mischief with our equipment, but this time we noticed an adult had followed. It hung back, watching us cautiously, until daring to venture forward. Like the adolescent, it soon seemed to realize that we were no threat. I was right in saying that the adults were about the size of an otter. And I was also right in saying that this was a new species. We've never seen anything like them. To think we came here to study coral bleaching and discovered these wonderful creatures is something close to a miracle. We all feel blessed to have been the ones to experience this, but one of the highlights for me is being praised by the more experienced members of the team for spotting them in the first place.

November 26th
Our little friends came back again. They seem to be expecting us now. We actually followed them down the rock face, and saw them coming in and out of the cracks. The slime definitely helps with this. There were five of them today, two adolescents and three adults. We suspect there are more. We've taken a lot of photos, and some of the better artists of the group have made more detailed sketches.

November 27th
There were ten today. Ten marvelous previously undiscovered creatures, that we've stumbled upon by pure luck. They seem to be studying us as much as we're studying them. We caught a glimpse of two babies peering out of the rock crack, but were pushed back in by an adult. They seem very protective of their young.

November 28th
We spent all day with them today, just as we have every other day. We've been taking it in turns, splitting off into groups and rotating between studying them and completing the tasks we came here to do originally. It's amazing how this discovery has brought all of us together.

November 29th
Our second to last day at the Great Barrier Reef. One of the last days, for now, to spend with these lovely little creatures. Their curiosity is undeniable, and we've loved being able to befriend them. They seem to have put trust in us as well, letting a couple of babies play around with us for a short while. Very cute, but they seem to be a bit slimier than the rest. Our studies on coral bleaching have concluded. All of our focus is now on studying these animals. They're all we talk about. We still have fun debates over dinner of what to name them.


x

November 30th
Today was officially our last day in this paradise. Knowing we would be returning to land this evening, we all got up early to be able to spend more time in the ocean. We also know this will be our last chance for awhile to have some peace. News interviews and conferences have already been set up for us to attend once we get back. Many people are excited to learn about these creatures, just as we have been. It was a bittersweet moment seeing them again, knowing it was a goodbye for now. But boy, did we also discover something new and extraordinary today. It seems these animals like to rub up against the coral around their home, presumably to scratch themselves, but it's what they leave behind that intrigues us. We believed that the coral further down was healthier because the sun couldn't reach it. We now believe - a wonderfully probably theory - that the slime that these creatures leave behind could be helping to protect the coral. If this population could be left to thrive, and if we could somehow recreate this substance, there's every chance this could be a new natural way to protect the Reef. It's a very exciting prospect. Something else exciting was coming up with a real, proper name. Knowing the scientific name would come later, we were tasked with creating a general name of which to refer to them. It was hard, not knowing which genus they actually belong to, so we've come up with a few.

The most likely will be slimus ottarus - or ottarus, for short. But to our team, they'll always be our wonderful little water weasels.

It almost seems strange, thinking that we will be back on land soon. The boat is nearing the dock. We are already planning to come back soon. I know that this discovery is going to change all of our lives, but we're ready.

I'm ready.

[legend speaker]

Username: legend speaker
Kalon name: echo
Kalon gender: male
This kalon discovered a new sea creature! How did they discover it, what does it look like, and what enviornment does it come from? ;; wip!!

[redhorizon]

Res with the name Willa Hope c;

[bakuraas.]

Username:
Kalon name:
Kalon gender:
This kalon discovered a new sea creature! How did they discover it, what does it look like, and what enviornment does it come from? ;;

res