[imgleft]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/image ... uncert.png[/imgleft]Your kin has a strange dream of visiting the calm summer sea, the sky painted in sunset… and the foam dotted with a rainbow of colors. On closer inspection, it is a massive school of incredibly round fish, which bounce in and out of the water with reckless abandon.
When they awaken from this dream back into the familiar swamp, they feel a bit different… And they find that they can now hold their breath for much longer than they used to be able to, letting them explore the water with relative ease! What will your kin do with this strange new trait? Hunt down fish, or maybe swim through the deepest parts of the swamp to hunt for interesting things?
This effect will remain for the rest of the day. Once they go back to sleep, however, they will return to their normal self.
There And Back Again had been visiting the strange kin with tail like sea creatures. They had told him of other kin they had seen that resembled fish. That night, as he slept, he'd had vivid dreams of sea and strange round fish. The dream was not unpleasant, with the cool breeze that he could almost feel and the brilliant streaks of color across the sky from the sunset overhead. It was quite peaceful and the buck woke up refreshed, but.. feeling different. He could not quite explain it, but he knew he had changed. Rising up, he walked to the water's edge of the stream he'd slept near and peered down at his reflection. Nothing seemed outwardly different that he could tell. Not thinking much more on it, he drank some of the water and grazed on the sweet grass nearby to sate his appetite.
Wandering about in an aimless ramble, he soon found himself near the beaches. He'd been here before to visit with some of the kin that lived nearby. Water splashed upon his hooves as he found himself drawn to the surf. He'd swam in the sea once or twice before during those visits, but what he felt now was a deep longing, as if the sea itself called to him. He let himself give in to the lull and waded out farther and farther. The water creeped up to his knees, his shoulders, and finally over his head. Over his head! He panicked, kicking to get back to the surface. Taking a deep breath, he pushed for--wait. Breath? He could... he could breathe under the water. How? Should he even wonder? Would trying to decipher the mystery make it disappear? This was a unique opportunity for the explorer, after all.
He dove down further under the water, fascinated by the sight of colorful fish and plants he had never seen before. This world beneath the waves was incredible. The buck chased after a few fish, not to eat, though. He wanted a better look at them, at their colorful scales and patterns. He followed the fish down toward the bottom and near a cave. Did he dare? After a moment of thought, he considered he'd at least have a look at the entrance. It wasn't every day he was able to explore a cave underwater. He hovered at the gaping maw of the cavern, peering into the dark. Could it hold an aggressive creature or possibly some sort of treasure? Only one way to find out, but it was almost too dark to see inside and his eyes were not meant for underwater viewing. Also, he had to take into consideration that his current state might be only temporary and it was best not to be this far down if it suddenly ceased.
Life was nothing without chance. He swam into the cavern entrance and looked about in the dimly lit area. There wasn't much of note, other than a few pretty shells of a kind he'd never seen on the beaches before. He knew of a few kin that might appreciate them for their collections, and so he scooped up as many as he could in his mouth before heading to the surface. Unused to swimming this much, he had found himself tired and wanted nothing more than to sleep. Carrying the shells back to the surface, he noticed the sun was setting. He headed for shore and took a deep breath of air, finding it slightly strange after breathing water. He headed to one of his many dens, selecting the one closest to the shoreline, exhausted from his adventure below the waves. After depositing the shells carefully in his cache of trinkets and treasures, he ambled over to the pile of pine needles, leaves, and moss, collapsing down to sleep.
That night, he dreamt of the shore again, but this felt different somehow. The same round fish hopped in and out of the water, but the movements were strange. Backwards? The next morning, he awoke and knew, as he had the previous morning, that he had changed. After a bite to eat of berries and a sip of water from a nearby pool, There And Back Again regarded his reflection in the smooth surface of the water. He didn't see any outward changes again, so took a chance at plunging his head under water. It took mere seconds to realize he no longer had the ability to breathe water. He jerked his head back, coughing and wheezing, before sitting down. He was a bit disappointed that the chance to explore where he'd never been able to before had only been temporary, but he had had the chance, and that was worth the story he would tell when giving the underwater shells out. More than worth the story.
(804 words)
