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The crystal azure water felt cool and refreshing under the spring sun, and the current ebbed a lively jig. Whenever he dipped beneath the surface, he saw sunbeams dancing like light through facetted gems. He had plenty of room, as the river offered quite a depth for him here. Swimming here felt like a good dream under a light sleep, where he couldn't tell if he actually slept or day-dreamed. The cool water caressed and teased his skin, much unlike the warm and stagnant pools that his brothers always swam in. Blech! They have no taste! Do they even know they could get here from there so easily? He had been told this part of the river was dangerous, but then, he always lived dangerously. The current flowed strongly here, but he had no fear. What could he fear? The strong flow of the Hamgyong had worn these rocks slippery smooth, and as he brushed against them he realized it felt nice. Yes, this part of the Hamgyong River had such a strong current, but even swimming against it he'd have no trouble making it back home. Wait wait... what's that? He turned this way and that, hoping to discover the source. He heard what sounded like a giant splash, as if something big had just jumped into the water. The river's current masked the ripples from the event, rendering him unable to determine where it came from. Feeling a little nervous, he decided to turn around and swim back upstream. He loved the cool, azure waters, but something didn't feel right! There it was again! Where is it coming from? Fear gripped his heart and squeezed, and the rapid pumping didn't help to ease his nerves. He swam and swam and swam against the current as hard as he could! That one -- that last big splash -- had hit much closer to home than the last one had. His initial curiosity had left him, and now he mustered up all the adrenaline he could spare to get out of there! He didn't hear the next splash. It was too close and too quick, and suddenly he felt himself hoisted up out of the water looking down at his precious Hamgyong River. He felt the sting of the tines on whatever had struck him, stuck him, and wretched him from the water. His strength failing, he realized too little too late why his brothers forbade him from swimming here. Ogres. With big, spiky clubs. As the sunlight began to blind him and the air choke him, the last things he heard before passing into oblivion scarred his short-lived pride: "Grrnok catch fish!" "Good Grrnok! Taanr catch next one!" He sighed. I knew... to avoid... the bait on the hook... Who the heck... fishes... with a /club/, anyway? Mornelithe Falconsbane Kiyamvir Ma'ar The Blood Mage | |