The Hidden Mountain Pass

You wake up on the shores of a beach. The sands stretched endlessly in both directions. Behind you was the mountains through which you had been travelling, before you, the sea. Mostly you had no idea how you'd come to be here. Squinting your eyes against the bright sun, you could see an island not that far away, which what looked like coloured dots. Apparently the dots had noticed you for they disappeared into the water.

A few moments later, for the creatures were quite swift, they strange things had made their way across and were now struggling to pull themselves up onto the sand. Some were better designed for this than others.

The first was a light coloured female. "Hello. We saw you from our sunning island, thought you might be stranded here. My name is Gentle Snow, and this is my Squall, Turbulent Seas." You realize that a 'squall' meant the group of these creatures. You explain that though you did not know how you got here, you did indeed come from the mountains behind you. They chatter excitedly in their own language. It was an odd sounding thing, but probably would sound very different under water.

"I am Ripling Sea." A second female introduces herself. "We cannot climb up into the mountains, nor visit the nearby desert, as you might have guessed. We're very curious as to what it is like up there. What kinds of creatures exist there? Are there more like you?"

You speak a bit about your adventures and the things you've seen. You explain that humans were not of this Realm, that the Realm Keeper has allowed you permission to travel here. Then you ask about them, about the things under the sea.

The pink and white male responds. "I am Forbidden Reef. We are known as the Okea'Tygre. Some have said that we look like cats fused with various aquatic creatures such as dolphins or fish. But we know not of these strange creatures, we have always just been what we are. The ocean is our home, and where we find plentiful fish to feed ourselves, our families, and even enough for the other Squalls."

There were more of them?

"Oh yes," responds the pink female. "We are friends with them. They have laid claim to nearby islands....oh, forgive me for my rudeness," she giggles, "I forgot to tell you my name. It is Bright Coral."

You look at the remaining two creatures. The female stirs, "I am Flaming Kelp. I am not as friendly as the others so do not expect me to divulge any more secrets than have already been spoken."

Now there just remained the one male. He grinned brightly, "But I *am* friendly," he proclaimed. "My name is Sunswept Currents...I have an idea, would you like to visit the Squall of the Ocean Depths? I could bring you there, it isn't far. And don't worry, I promise not to let you drown. One only makes that mistake once, you know." He'd already made that mistake? You hoped he was only pulling your leg.

You found that it was hard to decided if you should go with the Okea'Tygre, or return to the mountain pass through a crevice in the mountain face. Both were tempting options.

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