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"Please keep all paws, arms, legs... well you get the point, inside the boat at all times" the director of the glass-bottomed boat tour announced. "This is a safety precaution, as we never know what's hiding under the surface.... unless we have a glass-bottomed boat of course."
The director's joke fell short of the 10 pets gathered for the final boat ride of the night. Shana, an excitable cybunny was not paying attention. She was too busy looking for koi or peophins to heed the director's warning. Sitting next to her, Steven, a careful ixi was beginning to get nervous. He didn't share his sister's love of the ocean, and the thought of being able to see exactly what he was floating above was a terrifying prospect.
As the boat pulled away from the dock, Steven's worry increased. He decided that instead of looking through the boat, he would instead lay back and look at the sky. Unfortunately though, this prevented him from keeping a close eye on his sister..... |
Author: cotop
Date: Dec 11th
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...Shana was ecstatic at the moment, her eyes wide with wonder, and laughter bubbling from her mouth. She moved with frenetic energy, her padded paws lightly tapping on the glass bottom boat as she moved from one side of the boat to the other, sticking her face as far out as she could go. The cool night wind blew her ears back, and the red Cybunny giggled, ducking back into the boat to focus her attention on the bottom of the boat.
The view seemed to never end. Even in the setting sun, the pristine lake seemed as clear as glass. Shana could see houses dotting the lake floor, and she sighed dreamily. She wished she could join them below.
The siblings hailed from the plains of Meridell, where verdant fields stretched as far as the eye could see, miles and miles of green in either direction. It was idyllic, picturesque, and unfortunately, completely boring, in Shana's opinion.
What she didn't know was that from below, there was something watching the boat, that would give her some much sought after excitement very soon...
| Author: lrisa
Date: Dec 11th |
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Shana was almost spellbound as she watched the scattered plants and occasional dwellings appearing further and further below the boat, as the boat moved further from the shore. Then she saw a light blue swirl far below. The moving color grew in size and brightened as it rose from the darker depths. Shana nudged Steven and pointed, but he kept his eyes on the eventide sky, even as she recognized, and whispered, "Ooh, a Peophin!"
She was happy, and then amazed, as the Peophin kept rising and circling, coming up right beneath her (and Steven)! The Peophin slowed, and then gently broke the surface. Shana's amazement continued as the Peophin nosed over the side of the boat and dropped two small potion bottles beside Shana and Steven. "These are morphing potions for you, Shana and Steven" the light blue water horse whispered. He looked to be sure that others on the boat were being entertained by several frolicing red, blue, and green Maraquan Aishas near the front of the boat. "My name is Eedray, and I'm inviting you to experience the water on your own." He moved a little closer, and both Shana and Steven leaned in as well. "There is something I need to show you - in Maraqua."
Shana grabbed one of the potions and was about to gulp it, but Steven held her arm. "Wait, in Maraqua? You want us to jump in Kiko Lake and somehow get to Maraqua?!?"
Eedray grinned and nodded. "Yes, trust me. I'll prove it to you." A little unsure, Steven considered, and looked at the potion containers carefully - and then agreed, allowing Shana to take it, and joining her as well. They quickly morphed into a Maraquan Cybunny and a Maraquan Ixi. Shana looked at Steven and giggled, then Eedray helped them get over the railing and into the water. They moved slowly and unsurely at first, but were soon zooming under the water. "Okay now, follow me! We need to hurry." Eedray led them down deep, towards a large clump of greenery. Underwater bushes, it looked like.
| Author: chuckie001
Date: Dec 12th |
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Steven seemed to struggle with his newfound fins; but Shana, after a quick adjustment, caught on quickly and was soon zooming through the water like she had been there all her life. Something about this just seemed right to her, like she belonged here.
As the three of them dove deeper into the lake, Shana swam swift and graceful circles around her awkwardly paddling brother. Eedray shot her a stern glance.
"This is serious. We don't have time to waste on playing around," he said, as they reached the clump of plants they had been approaching. Eedray moved aside the clump to reveal a tunnel. Though the sunlight from above barely lit the first few yards of it, Shana found she could see further down the tunnel rather clearly. "Come on, follow me." Eedray swam into the tunnel, leading the way.
As Steven looked after their mysterious guide, he seemed uncertain, and for the first time in their adventure, so did Shana. While this adventure had been fun at first, the siblings weren't sure how much trust they could really put in this stranger. They looked at each other, each one almost daring each other to be brave and go first. Ultimately Shana broke the silence between them. "Come on, then. He said we don't have much time." Her voice was serious and confident, but as she followed Eedray down the tunnel with her brother in tow, she took a last glance at the sunlight above her. The thought of being actually cut off from the surface world was almost enough to shake her determination. Almost. But something told her this was where she was meant to go.
| Author: neofreak628
Date: Dec 13th |
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Shana gulped and swam into the deep and long pit of darkness. It had seemed forever until she saw a small light. At first tiny but the deeper she went the once faded light to see what looked like a trident.
"Woah. Is that what I think it is?" Shana said. Eedray looked at her and nodded. "This is the trident of Maraqua and there is a prophesy." Eedray pointed to a plaque and Shana read it out loud.
"Whoever shall hold this mighty trident will be the right.." Shana stopped at the end. It looked like a piece was missing. "Why did you bring me here?" Shana said. Eedray looked stunned as if he was hearing something. "You must grab the trident quickly before the kraken." Before Eedray could finish a long slimy tentacle shot out from the darkness to grab him...
| Author: chic_madness
Date: Dec 14th |
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What began as a single, powerful tentacle writhing from the tunnel turned into five more tentacles reaching out from the darkness and latching themselves to exterior face of the seacliff. The Kraken maneuvered itself through the small cave’s opening and pulled itself out in all its grotesque glory. Eedray squirmed underneath the powerful grip of the tentacle, shouting for help from Shana and Steven.
The Kraken’s two sickly yellow eyes darted to the two siblings, petrified near the trident. As the Kraken roared and its tentacles flailed towards them, Shana grabbed the trident and wrapped her flipper around her brother and dashed from the tentacle swinging at them.
The Kraken softened its grip on Eedray as it redirected its attention to pursuing the siblings. As Eedray wrestled with the tentacle, he exclaimed to the two, “The Kraken’s weak point is its beak! Use the trident!”
Shana and Steven swam towards the open seabed with the behemoth lugging on behind them. With no where to hide, Shana realized that her and her brother had only one choice. Between deep gulps with their new gills, Shana handed Steven the trident and told him, “As I distract the beast, you launch this trident toward its beak! Now, go!”
At that moment, Shana slowed her pace and pushed her brother onward on the sea floor; she was to serve as bait. The Kraken narrowed in on the Cybunny, and as it reared its ugly mouth, Steven threw the trident from behind her with a strength unbeknownst to him. The trident struck the Kraken’s beak square on, and it retracted away from Sasha with a cackling roar. It scurried off like a deflated balloon, a streamlined figure fleeing off into the unknown horizon of the sea.
Eedray swam up to the two siblings who were now in an embrace. Eedray stammered, “T-the prophecy… Whoever shall hold this mighty trident will be the rightful bridge between the Neopets of the sea and those of the land. And this is why I knew I must seek two pets from above the water to rid the Kraken…"
They were all roughed up, but with a sense of relief they laughed together. Eedray continued, “And as it turns out… it wasn’t a single Neopet to bridge, but both of you- the bond of siblings can persevere even in the face of adversity. Now, let’s get you two back to the surface."
The End
| Author: miraday
Date: Dec 15th |
