For as long as I can remember, I have been within a few feet of the water's edge. From my birth in vast black caverns under the surface, to my childhood capers on the flat, narrow stretch of beach that lays facing the sky above, the sea has been my constant guardian, and my home.

Like all Scianta, I was born with both long, elegant legs and a powerful finned tail. Like all Scianta, I was born with a frilled, slightly stiff crest, and a line of bright, glowing spots. And, like all other Scianta, I immediately knew two things; how to swim, and that my pod was all the family I would ever want or need.
My family, that is, my non-extended one, was small but happy and healthy. My father, Ferhalin, was the leader of our pod, a strong powerful Scianta who knew every inch of the beach and every cave in the Irunsev, the massive underwater cavern which lay beneath the island. He was a proud male, with an impressive crown and fan, but his eyes were full of emotion, caring; He was regal, and loving. I've never heard a sore word on his behalf. My mother, Shairah, was an equally influential member of our clan, an elegant creature who I resemble greatly. She is driven, and intelligent, and she takes the lead where no others dare. I've never had a spot-on relationship with her as I had with my father in my younger years, but we cared deeply about one another and made our way as best we could when we lost Father in a rescue.
Most of my young life was a blur. Seeing the white sanded beaches for the first time, catching my first fish (it was actually an eel. An electric. Eel.), floating on my back with my father looking at the skies, those things are ingrained in my mind forever. But other than that; all the bumps and scratches, all the play dates and teary reuniuons, seem to meld and melt together. From the time I was born to the time I was four years of age, I have very few refined memories, though my people are born with a fairly mature mental capacity compared to humans.

~~~~~~~~~~

My first full memory, the first moment I can remember as being solid and clear as the day it happened, is likely my worst. I was almost five years of age, and it was a hot, sunny summer day; I didn't know of them at the time, but I would now say that it turned our beach into an invariable Kodak Moment; the beach was a shimmering band of bone-white sand on a sea that looked like smooth stained glass; the water was a bright, almost unnatural turquoise, deepening in shade within the Irunsev until it looked bottomless and black. The mangroves were growing thick and green with the heat, and a few of the newer varieties were beginning to bare bright flowers to the air, and plump ripe fruits to the bellies of adventurous young Scianta.
Most of the others; almost all of them, in fact, had decided against leaving the water that day, it was so hot. They stayed within the Irusev's cool depths and gorged on angler fish and deep-water crabs as I crept into the brilliant sunlight above. There were no clouds in the sky, and I remember extending my fan and darkening my colours until I was sucking all the light in for myself.
Along the beach I wandered, knowing not to expect the land to slope any higher than it was, despite the fact I was heading inland. The sunlight had bestowed energy on me, and as I neared the looming trees, I put on a burst of speed. I lept along the beach, sending sprays of dry sand behind me, and laughing in delight as I pounded along into the shade of the mangroves. Snakelike roots twisted atop one another, turning the ground from smooth sand to a mountain of knotted wood; a playground with new things to discover. I started by making myself small, small as could be, and sneaking between the dark crevices between the roots. Squirming between knots and bumps, I explored the tiny world that hid within. The heat caused steam to rise from the sand, ensnared beneath the roots, which were so tightly knotted as to make a solid wall above at times. Small, hidden tidepools left the black stone bare, flourishes of life awaiting the next tide. At one particularly large hole, covered by a giant dome of roots, I decided to rest, laying within the salty water and watching fish, almost as big as I was in that form, twirl and dance around me – I did not know it yet, but this would soon become my refuge. My original intent had been temporarily displaced, the fruit too far away to stave my increasing hunger; I would have to catch myself a snack. Swishing my tail, I decided to casually stalk a few minnows, watching them as they dodged the larger fish with a preylike desperation. My colouration shifted, transparent scales now showing the soft green of my kind's shallow-water camoflage as I slipped through the water. Snap. My jaws snapped shut around the middle of the largest of the fish, my small teeth piercing its scales as it thrashed and wriggled. It didn't take long for the paralytic in my saliva to start working, and before I had broken the surface the fish couldn't move, nor feel a thing. Swimming to a root that dipped into the water, I clambered my way upwards, dragging my prize into the air and making my meal. The heat had thickened now, and within the enclosure I almost felt like I was suffocating, so I made the decision to break out of the roots and continue along under the trees instead.
Returned to my regular size, I clambered over the roots at a much greater speed than I had underneath, my long legs keeping my high above most of the knots that had hastled my smaller body. The fruit trees weren't far off now, and so I made the descision to make one more change; my quadruped state was not capable of climbing trees, and so I shifted into my upright form. My limbs became shapely, my arms shorted, my muzzle shifted and flattened until I was entirely similar to a human in configuration; an antho, they call it on land. My crown and fins has mostly receeded, and I had bright purple hair… it was the first time I had taken this form, and it felt strange. But I continued on, making my way through the forest until I found them. A group of tall, thick trees, their branches drooping with the weight of fresh, plump fruits. It didn't take me long to find one that stood on enough of a slant that I could scale it, and I gorged on fruit as the sun beat down. The day was perfect. After I had eaten my fill, I clambered down the tree, wandering back the way I had come, deciding to return to the small oasis in the roots as I grew weary.
I was blissfully unaware of the events of the day, and for years to come I wouldn't be able comprehend them anyways. While I was lounging half out of the water with my fish, a small group of young males had swum out to sea; a forbidden trek, the sort of thing only done by foolish boys and arrogant teens. Outside of courting season, outside the Irusev was strictly off-limits with good reason… our deep-sea home was the source of an electromagnetic fault, making it entirely impossible for sharks to enter or hunt in it. That being besides the point, they had swum out into the middling of the ocean, and were horsing around when one of them received a small cut. Ignoring the wound, they continued to act out their "daring" games, sending one male farther and farther out into the water. He was the fastest swimmer the pod had ever seen, they say. His tail was unusually long, and his fins were proportionately large, even for a youngster… the boys had no reason to fear for him, or so they thought. It wasn't long before the small trickle of blood from one of the other boys had alerted a Great White shark to their presence. Scianta and sharks are largely well matched against one another; Sharks eat small Scianta, and Scianta eat small sharks… however, a youngster far from the safety of the Irusev just doesn't stand a chance. His buddies abandoning him upon sight of the beast, the male was left swimming for his life, trying to lose the tyrant beast as its jaws closed on only fin, shredding the vast majority of his back and tale fins to ribbons.
Inshore, the male's friends had retreated to the elders, begging their help and the help of the adults. Ferhilin, my father and the leader of the pod, gathered his hunting group, and went out to rescue the youngster. From here, the details become fragmented; no one in the clan had a very clear grasp on what had occurred when it happened, so I never got the full story. They tell me, though, that father had seen the male, near death but still struggling for escape, and had gone ahead, mauling the face of the shark as it chomped away at the boy's fins. Attention turned, the great white then attempted to grab my father… a more experienced swimmer than the youth, he managed to avoid the attack. Then, he swam off, with the monster in tow… the hunters brought home the injured boy and awaited his return, tending the wounds of the youngster. As the day grew longer, they sent out a few scouts to look for him, and by the time I had awoken from my nap, the boy had been left on the convex side of the island, exiled.

~~~~~~~~~~

Without my father, my mother had little time to herself. Caring for the pod, organising the large hunts, and patrolling the waters was too much pressure on her… Shailah became little more than an exhausted shell of her past self and left me to largely fend for myself. It was late in her life to start courting again, and she spent every courting season attempting to attract someone… but father had been her one true love, and so instead she truly just spent that time pretending she was alright despite what had happened to our family.
Despite not having my father –or mother, for that matter –anymore, I managed to grow strong and healthy. I had befriended the exiled boy, Kehrin –my fathers "murderer" by the clan's standard –as he took it upon himself to aid in my food gathering and education, as well as joining in my exploration for new places to hide from the nosiest members of the pod. Before we knew it, we were both young adults, and I was ready to swim.

~~~~~~~~~~

The night came up more quickly than I expected, the pitch-dark of the Irusev marked with the glows of various deep water fish. I was hunting, casually, when I saw the first arcs of rainbow lumipads slicing through the water, circling the massive underwater pit. A few flickers of red were nearby, and a followed the other females, more of us coming together. The already paired Scianta watched from the sidelines as us youngsters began a tradition that had gone on since before the song-histories were sung. I swam, displaying my colours brightly, around the perimiter of the cave, sweeping back into the knot of females at its center as another girl separated to do the same.. Anxious young males glowed red, occasionally darting near prematurely and quickly finding themselves thrust away with a tail or limb. Then, suddenly, the female group dispersed, our whirling dance ending and our bodies darting around the confines of the caves, attracting groups of males behind us as we went. We then swam, as hard and fast as we could, to the opening of our cave, past the crescent horns of our island, and into the open sea, springing up into the air, diving deep, changing sizes… anything to lose the weaker suitors.
It's said that sailors and Scianta first met during one such night, and I wouldn't be surprised. Most females have to swim at least four miles out into the ocean to rid themselves of half of the males following, that measurement not including the leaps and dives done. As it were, I was somewhat sought-after (I was famous for preferring the island to the water and was expected to be an easy catch), and after the first two miles the males had already lost their chance on the others, so they had no choice but to persevere as I swam almost twenty miles straight out into the sea. I was sure that I was the cleverest female out there, swimming along as record speeds with tricks that Kehrin had taught me, and so I decided –just for fun– to make a leap. Swimming deep, I thrust myself upwards at an angle, the water pressure and my tail forcing me up, up, up, and I broke surface, in the dazzling display that humans revered.
Unfortunately, I didn't think to look before I leapt, and as I thought my display was going off without a hitch, I found myself prematurely introduced to the lifeboat-rigging of a luxury cruise liner. Struggling violently, I simply wrapped myself even tighter into the meshing, left to watch as the males, stupid, self-centered idiots, as they turned around and swam home, leaving me to die.

Scianta Physiology

From the hundreds of generations before them, the Scianta have retained a good deal of their shape-changing abilities; their propensity for quick wits, resourcefulness, and the ability to change in size and slightly in shape have made them a topmost predator within their lands. The following section will give you some much needed insight on how Scianta are built and the thought process behind their design, from their muzzles to their tails.

Skeletal details
The Skull:
Scianta skulls are long and slender, and are often commented upon as being "equine" or "gazelle-like", on a superficial glance. Further investigation provides a better perspective on the build of these sea-dragons. Starting from their nose, one can see that their nasal passages are almost non-existent, two narrow tubes in the bone that are only used in infancy, becoming covered by scales shortly after birth. These tubes are proper airways, and it is believed that they are used to regulate pressure in adults while swimming in deep water. The cheekbones and eye ridges are sleek but defined, with a large eye socket, which is angled to be slightly forward facing. The forehead is a smooth incline from the muzzle, but bulges slightly forwards before the slightly domed top of the skull. For females, there is a wedge-shaped ridge of cartilage, with it's point facing their foreheads; this is where their "crowning" fin grows from; it acts as a stabiliser so that the crown holds its shape even out of the water. In males, there are a number of horn-like spikes which support the crown, made of a material quite similar to keratin; these spikes are used in aggression towards other males, as well as to ward off large predators such as sharks. The lower jaw is narrow and shows similarities to a crocodile or alligator in how the hinges are built, giving Scianta a brilliant biting capacity; unusually enough, their teeth are more canine- or feline-esque, aligning neatly and easily covered by the lips. At the back of the mouth, slightly upwards behind the final molars, are two small bone orbs used to shield glands which produce a quick-working neural paralytic. These orbs are connected to the saliva glands; it is believed that they are covered in bone to prevent the scales or barbs of prey animals from puncturing the glands.

The Spine:
Scianta spines have an unusual quality of flexibility; similar to pinnipeds, their spines have a special articulation to them, which allows their body to twist and weave through the water without strain. The cervical vertebra are long and relatively narrow, causing the elegant arch of the neck which gives Scianta such a regal look. They are comparatively fragile, protected primarily by heavy musculature which gives the Scianta their bite; Thoracic vertebra are the least flexible set of vertibra, being the most stable and thick. This section of the spine controls the nervous system for most of the bodily functions and because of that is the most protected. The ribs are connected here, and, like on the skull, there is a ridge of superficially attatched cartilage which acts as the "root" of the major back fin; The Lumbar vertibra are the most flexible of the spine, capable of twisting one hundred and eighty degrees without complaint. This is where the flexibility of Scianta comes from, as well as their ability to change speed and direction quite suddenly. Just before the lumbar section of the spine begins the backfin detatches, continuing as a short strip for just a few more inches past the attatchment. The pelvic vertibra are most essential as the attatchment of the tail to the spine. They share a good deal of the tail's strength and flexibility, as this section actually ends a fair amount after the hips and is used to propel the body through the water on occasion.

Tail:
For the most part, the superficial structure of a Scianta's tail is similar to the build of any other reptile; one could easily refer to a Water Monitor to see how they are built; long, tapering and powerful. Like with the rest of their bodies, the Scianta tail has unusual traits which make it unique, and many times more powerful than your common animal; at the end of their tail there is a long, blade-like bone which is covered in scales and has a fin attatched to the top of it. This acts as a rudder and as the primary driving force of a Scianta as high speeds. The bones of a Scianta's tail interlock in such a manner that they the tail its self is semi-prehensile, and can be contorted into just about any shape relative to the body.

Legs:
Unlike most reptiles, which have their legs parallel to their bodies, Scianta carry themselves in a fully upright stance, with their limbs underneath their bodies, in a position commonly attributed to mammals. Scianta's legs look too long and thin to support them, and their digitigrade paws look petite and useless while they're on land. They have been likened to Gazzelles in this matter as well, as their land-bound gait is more of a light prance or delicate gallop than predator's prowl or lunge. Their feet are built quite like paws, with non-retractible claws and a recessed thumb near their "elbow"; their fingers are capable of folding over to make a very weak grasping fist, as well as spreading out to "comb" or separate tangles of seaweed or to sift through sand. There are "pectoral" fins connecting at either wrist of the forepaws, which are used to "tread" in one place under water, but otherwise become completely useless and rather cumbersome.

And the rest:
For the most part, the unmentioned bone structures are largely similar to what they would be in a common quadruped mammal. The position of the ribs, shoulder blades and pelvic bones are quite similar to a horse, once the unusual length of the body is taken into concideration. In the event that I've missed something absolutely vital and you don't mind reading several more paragraphs just on bones, please Neomail me for further information.

Organs:
Before we begin, I would like to point out that I do not intend to drown you with details that could be found of any animal. Thankfully, Scianta organs are largely uninteresting. I will only be pointing out two specialized organs for this section.

Paralytic Glands:
These small glands are protected by small bone orbs, and are set just behind the molars. They create and store a clear, watery substance which acts as a neural paralytic when it gets into the bloodstream of small animals. This is constantly released from the salivary glands, however when the lower jaw snaps shut quickly as it would around prey, the glands are "excited" and will release stronger doses of the drug.

Lungs:
Instead of the small, sac-type lungs of terranian animals, Scianta have a highly specialised respitory surface. The lung cases are highly elastic, taking up most of the rib space when filled, save for a small dent in either which centers the heart. Within these cases there is a highly complex network of slightly damp strings, all of which dissolve oxygen into a miniature circulatory system which leads to a "storage tank" lobe on either lung. In this lobe, the oxygen is compressed to take up less space, and can be stored until the body needs it. Another specialized function of the lungs would be their capability to force all excess gasses out of the body in one short exhalation, used most frequently when the stresses of deep-water pressure cause unexpected carbon-dioxide build-up from a panic reaction.

Skin:
Now, I know what you're thinking: The skin is an organ! And it is. But, the Scianta's skin is pretty different and is separated into a few subheadings, so, for neatness's sake, I'll be giving it its own heading.

Flesh:
Scianta have the ability to use magic to change their body size and shape as nessicary, however their colour-changing abilities are one-hundred percent natural. You see, Scianta have a soft, smooth layer of flesh covered with millions of microscopic muscles, which can relax and contract at will. These tiny muscles control small "window" like pores which contain melanin, the natural pigment which gives animals coloring. This means that as the tiny muscles relax, more pigment can be seen, and as they contract, less can be seen. Scianta base flesh colour differs from individual to individual. Most Scianta select the colour that they are in when in a neutral state.

Lumi-pads:
Likely the most striking feature of a Scianta, especially at night, would be the lumi-pads, or bioluminescent markings on their bodies. The brilliant glow of these spots is caused by the catalyst of the pigment Luciferin becoming oxidised by the enzyme luciferase; in a reaction called "Chemoluminesecence" (That is, the luminescence caused by the chemical catylist). These specialized pads are found down either side of the body from muzzle to rump – a single row starting either side of the muzzle- and along the fins in small clusters. They are used in almost every motion of Scianta life and society, from luring prey or warning fellows, to attracting members of the opposite gender. They change vibrance and colour in relation to the skin.

Fins:
Scianta fins are silky to the touch, and a little stiff. In the water, they hold their shape increadibly well, no matter the depth or speed that the owner is swimming at. Out of the water they become sensitive and somewhat "tacky" to touch, holding their shape but wilting and stiffening if the humidity is too low. The crest, back and tail fins all can have lumi-pads, typically having a few of various size on the back and tail, with one or two tips of the crest having the ability to luminesce during certain colour changes.

Scales:
I have already touched on "flesh" so it may be a surprise to see "scales" on this list, however Scianta do have scales; They are round, entirely translucent and quite smooth while overlapping. Scianta scales act as a "pane of glass" over their soft, sensitive flesh; protecting the intricate musculature and blood vessles which allow them to phase between colours.