Light sparkled off the gentle water lapping against the sandy shore. Gnarled roots twisted from a tall tree with massive canopies stretched out over the large, flowing river, fines dangling from its branches while birds sang in the shadows. Almost a mile separated one side of the river from the other, waves cresting across it like an ocean, but it was noticeably flowing in one direction.  

                “After making it through the Grey Pass, we finally arrived on the shores of the Therician Archipelago!” Sand crunched beneath Tearna’s sandal as she stopped at the edge of the shore, smiling as she basked in the warmth rolling off the water, “I didn’t know quite what to expect from the archipelago. Part of me was expecting an island chain, but what I found was my other prediction!”

                Looking at a thicker root, she sat herself down as she pulled out her journal, “The archipelago is a geographical region created over what is theorized to be tens of thousands of years. Thanks to the erosion caused by the local river, a series of islands were created that almost rival the Southern Isles!” Writing a bit more, she smiled at the water, “As such, this is one of the few places in the world where the saltwater goes head-to-head with freshwater!”

                “This meeting of water has caused a massive boom in animal and plant diversity,” Tearna continued, stepping along the shore as she watched the water. “One can encounter both freshwater and saltwater species here, but there are spots where unique animals thrive that can survive on both types of water, and it didn’t take me long to find one of these evolutionary phenomena!”

                Water splattered the shore as a small frog pulled itself out of the water. Vibrant purple and green patterns crossed its back and paddle shaped tail, four large, black eyes blinking as it crawled onto a rock and inflated its chest. “The symphonious blaggat is an evolutionary offshoot of the common blaggat,” Tearna wrote as she knelt. “These blaggats have evolved to survive any type of water and can only be found in this vastly undiscovered wilderness!”

                “Symphonious blaggats can be most easily identified by their strange tune,” Tearna continued, her ear flicking as she stood and looked to the opposite shore as a gentle humming filtered through the air. “Many people have been tricked into thinking that there are other Krysheek wandering these isles when, in fact, it’s just these simple frogs! These melodies can be haunting, but also quite relaxing, and the colors of the frogs are artistic to say the least!”

                Tearna began to walk the other direction as she scanned the opposite shore, fighting her instincts as she tried to focus on her duties as vice-captain. Biting her lip, she suddenly looked over as she noticed a plant floating down the river, “While searching for a place to cross the river, I happened across a plant I couldn’t help but record.” Groaning, Tearna squatted and pulled out her journal, “Commonly found in the more freshwater areas of the archipelago is a plant called a lilybuoy!”

                The rather rotund, green plant bobbed from side to side as it floated, a collection of violet flowers shining on its top, “Lilybuoys are a floating plant that spends its life going wherever the currents take them! They start as small seedlings not too different from a lilypad, but end up swelling like balloons. By drifting on the waves, they attract hundreds of insects, allowing for easy pollination!”

                “Additionally, these plants are a bit similar to jellyfish, at least in appearance.” Beneath the waters, long tendrils dangled down like the ghostly tentacles of a man o’ war, “Their roots grow far longer than normal plants and are a bit spindly. By dangling their roots, they are able to absorb nutrients and even latch onto debris! It’s not the most effective system, but it works well enough for these odd plants!”

                Heavy stomps shook the terrain as the ghollon of the expedition plodded along. Tearna frowned with a slight hint of worry as she pushed through the undergrowth ahead of the convoy, “As we anticipated, the Archipelago is largely an uncharted land with villages few and far between. There were no paths for us to follow, so we had to make our own paths, but that wasn’t the hard part.” Stepping past a tree, she stopped on the shore and crossed her arms, “The hard part was traversing the water.”

                Waves rolled endlessly across the river as Tearna slowly looked it over. “Since we didn’t have any aquatic transportation, the prospect of getting across the river seemed difficult,” she continued, sitting atop a rock as the rest of the expedition took a break. “Building a makeshift raft was a possibility, but posed great risk. What I really wanted was a shorter gap between the islands that we could use our powers to bridge, and although it wasn’t exactly what I wanted, we eventually found something that would suffice!”

                Clinks echoed as the ghollons’ hooves pounded against a granite bridge. Wind moaned around them as they plodded across the makeshift bridge, their handlers moving carefully towards the first checkpoint. On the shore, Tearna bared her teeth, her hands shaking as her eyes continued to glow with power, “After wandering for several hours, we finally found a way across with a little help from our powers, a series of flat rocks!”

                Waves rolled around several large pillars sticking just above the water. Linking several of them together were a series of bridges infused with powers, one granite, and the others being a mixture of telekinetic and ground. Waiting for the last ghollon to step off her bridge, Tearna gasped and let go of her powers as stone splashed into the water, “Maintaining such large bridges was a massive effort, so much so that I nearly passed out.” Breathing a long sigh, she looked up tiredly as the expedition moved onto the second bridge, “However, my plan worked flawlessly, and we somehow managed to get to the first island with little issue!”

                Insects and birds sang through the thick jungle as the expedition made its way through the undergrowth. A couple of flames burst as some fire wielders eliminated the pesky insects buzzing around them, the ghollon swatting their tails while other explorers worked to clear the underbrush. “The vast majority of the islands were dominated by jungle, as expected,” Tearna wrote, pausing as she eyed the hanging vines. “Similar to what we encountered near Nuvar, the undergrowth was thick with vines and other violent plants, including some serrated fang vines, crimson lashers, and the rather unsettling toad keeper.”

                Twisting her mouth in disgust, she reluctantly squatted in front of the odd, bulbous plant, “I would be remiss in my duties if I didn’t write about the toadkeepers, though, I really didn’t want to. Toadkeepers are ugly plants. They are squat, fat, and massive like a bloated mushroom. They leak a type of drool from the small fold along their fronts, and they all around just look gross.”

                Sighing, she tapped the top of the plant. With a squelching groan, the plant peeled itself open, multiple blaggats leaping out from the safety they had been hiding in as Tearna frowned sourly, “What makes a toadkeeper special is the pocket inside of its bulbous top. This pocket produces a type of mucus to protect the toadkeeper from predators, but it does nothing to amphibians. These plants can often be found harboring dozens of small animals, and they have frequently been used by our own people to hide belongings.” Shaking her head, she stood and turned away as the toadkeeper closed back up, “Truly, I could never, in a million years, see myself hiding something in a toadkeeper.”

                Plants snapped under her foot as she carefully walked and read her map. Looking up for a moment, she rolled it up and stowed it away before beckoning over her shoulder, “Our goal in the archipelago was to simply document as much as we could. We had no towns to visit, so I chose an efficient route that would keep us from getting lost in the depths of the island chain. After all, one could spend weeks exploring the frontier, and we didn’t have that kind of time.”

                Tearna braced herself against a tree sitting atop a small hill, the orange explorer squinting at the wilderness, “Thankfully, encounters with creatures were resting around every corner, including the fascinating arrowfly!” Tearna looked over with a start as a large bug buzzed up to her. Buzzing one way, and then the other, it darted off, Tearna blinking in surprise before pulling out her journal, “Tracking the quick and nimble arrowfly was a challenge, but not one that I couldn’t surmount!”

                Moments later, Tearna slowly stood up, peering at the arrowfly as it rested atop a large leaf, “Arrowflies are a freshwater insect that are quite large, quite sharp, and are burgundy in color, but their key feature are their spiked tails. These insects are extremely skilled hunters and are known for preying on small rodents.” With a buzz, the arrowfly took off, leaving Tearna staring after it, “Arrowflies are a fascinating species, and it never ceases to amaze me all the colors they can possess!”

                Water once again whispered in front of the caravan as they stopped along a shoreline. Tearna frowned at the water, slowly nodded to herself as she eyed all the reeds and shrubs, “Crossing to the next island proved to be quite easy thanks to the shallow water. Since it was so late, we decided we would camp on the opposite shore, but as we pushed into the water, we encountered a creature I didn’t know about!”

                Water sloshed around Tearna’s legs as she waded through the shallows. A loud, rumbling call suddenly caused her to look off to their right, making her cock her head before letting out an excited laugh, “When I first heard the cry, I thought it was from a ghollon, but it actually turned out to be a distant relative called an aquallon!” Water surged in front of the large creature’s legs as it moved through the water nearby, several others moving alongside it in a large herd. Tilting its head back, it let out another loud, rumbling call, causing their own ghollon to return the call.

                “Encountering these creatures was a curious experience,” Tearna wrote, watching their ghollon before looking over at the aquallon. “They appeared to communicate with our ghollon, and much to my disbelief, some understanding seemed to be established between them. It really does prove that they are evolutionary relatives.” Moving its head up and down, the aquallon continued moving towards the island the expedition had left behind while Tearna wrote furiously, “Aquallon bear some resemblance to a ghollon, but have shaggier fur, stouter bodies, larger horns, and a swampier coloring.” Tapping her chin, she continued to write, “It does make me wonder if they could be domesticated, but that is a challenge for someone else!”

                Night insects sang in the wilderness as fires burned atop numerous torches. “Woah, woah, woah! Easy there!” someone called out as Farin winced and slowly sat on a stool.

                “Are you sure you should be doing this?” someone else asked with concern as Theia sat down beside him.

                “I’m fine,” he said with a wave of his good hand as he smiled around at the gathered explorers. “I appreciate your concern, but I am better thanks to our talented medics and Theia’s relentless care.” Smiling at her briefly, he looked around proudly, “I know I’ve been out of communication, but I am tremendously proud of what you have all achieved.”

                “We just tried to follow what you display!”

                “Tearna helped a lot too!” Nearby, Tearna’s ears heated with embarrassment as she smiled, “We wouldn’t have gotten nearly as far without her.”

                “So I’ve heard,” Farin said with an approving nod. “I appreciate all you’ve done in your position, explorer, and I hope I haven’t caused you undue stress.”

                “It’s been fine,” she said, bowing her head. “Really, I’m just glad that you’re alright.”

                “Alright is certainly a term for this,” he snorted with amusement as he looked his arm over. Shaking his head, he nodded at her, “We are all grateful for your effort, Tearna. You stepped up into a role you weren’t supposed to have, but you did so with incredible grace, and I cannot possibly state my gratitude for it.” He suddenly grinned, “But, I know just how much your heart yearns for exploring, and I know that your new title has been holding that back.”

                “It’s been no trouble,” she said with a firm shake of her head. “Really! I’ve been doing my best to get around it!”

                “Be that as it may, I do not want you shouldering so much of the burden any longer.” Tearna looked at him in surprise as he nodded, “My wounds have healed enough for me to walk, with some assistance from Theia, so I can begin taking back over some of my duties.” He continued before she could speak up, “BUT, I will still need you. There’s a lot I can’t do, and I lot I shouldn’t do as I have learned.”

                Studying him thoughtfully, Tearna finally sighed with a hint of relief, “That will be quite fine with me, captain. It’ll be good to have you leading us once again.”

                “Then tomorrow will be a new dawn,” Farin chuckled as he raised a mug, the others around the campfire copying his gesture. “To the expedition and our courageous vice-captain!” As their cheers and laughter rang out, Tearna sipped from her mug thoughtfully. It seemed as if her time as the captain was winding down. How difficult would it be to go back to being an explorer?

                Hints of morning light beamed through the canopies as animals cried off deeper into the undergrowth. At the front of the caravan, Theia sliced through the undergrowth while Farin followed at her side with a map in his hand. Nearby, Tearna had clambered onto a small tree, peering at its bark before pulling out her journal, “With Farin back in charge, I was back to being an explorer, and it was a welcome return! I was able to once again wander off, allowing me to find creatures and plants I never would have found otherwise.”

                A small, green and orange caterpillar inched its way across a leaf as Tearna studied it with her relatively large eye, “I found many fascinating creatures such as the splittail orianfly, a common exotic fly species that is quite beautiful.” A spindly, brown insect marched up a tree trunk as Tearna stared up at it, “The wood garvil was another oddity, a small insect known for boring hollows into trees to lay eggs.” Dangling from a leaf were multiple caterpillar looking creatures, each with six long claws near their crimson heads, “Raijin caterpillars are a vicious insect known for eating small birds, but they become gorgeous moths with crimson wings, though I wasn’t able to find one.”

                Tearna hummed happily as she walked and wrote near the back of the caravan, “Getting the chance to explore again was a true treat. Every island seemed to have unique wonders, and the island hopping was quite fun!”  A small grin touched her face as she looked ahead, “Though, that entertainment might have purely been my own!”

                 Water lapped against a sandy beach as Farin stared at the island across the long stretch. After a moment, he finally turned and wandered down the beach, Tearna snickering to herself as she followed, “It was unbelievably satisfying to see him have the same issues that I did, mostly because it meant it wasn’t a ‘me’ issue. That being said, we eventually found ways to hop to each island, and I very quickly found myself in need of a new journal!”

                Wide leaves rustled in the canopies as small birds darted back and forth, filling the sky with their songs as Tearna watched with a smile. On another island, Tearna walked slowly, not exactly enjoying the squishiness of the bulbous growths they were walking on. On yet a different island, a puff of yellow spores shot up as someone poked a bulbous plant, quickly sending them sprawling backwards from the acrid stench. Wrinkling her nose, Tearna hurried towards the front of the caravan as she looked all around the rather disgusting grove they had wandered into.

                “The plants on every island were surprisingly diverse. Some of the groves were colorful while others were… disgusting.” Tapping her pen against her nose as she sat on a rock, she looked over in surprise as a small creature alighted beside her, “One of my more amusing interactions happened when a new creature came to me to be catalogued.” Letting out a laugh, she began writing as the small creature absently beat its wings, “As I was waiting for Farin to figure out our next destination, a small caratel happened to alight right beside me to bask in the star’s warmth!”

                “Caratels are a unique lizard known for their bright crimson color and large wings,” she continued as the lizard closed its eyes, clearly feeling safe in her shadow. “This species is capable of flight, but not powered flight. With a slight push, they can jump very high and then glide on their large wings! Though not an aquatic species, I saw quite a number of them, so I can only assume that their unique method of transport makes them quite adept at island hopping!” Smiling, she pushed herself up and walked back over to the caravan.

                “After traveling about seven islands deep into the archipelago, we turned back north,” Tearna continued atop a fallen log in the water. She looked up as the ghollon waded towards the next island, waves lapping at partially sunken trees, “Our next goal was to reach the Glass Lakes! Along the way, we would stop at one of the only villages in the archipelago to restock on supplies, and since we would be retreading on familiar ground, I had time to think about many things.”

                On the next island, Kai grumbled to himself as he drained the water from his boots. Scowling at the small crab as it fell out, he looked over with a start as Tearna suddenly sat beside him, “Oh, Tearna! I… Uhh, didn’t expect… What’s up?”

                “Hey,” she said simply, frowning at the sand. Silence hung over them, Kai watching her nervously as she massaged her hands. Finally, she sighed, “I’m… here to apologize. I lost my temper in the Grey Pass and… a lot of stuff got in my head that shouldn’t have.” She frowned at him regretfully, “You were just trying to make sure I was doing ok and I took it the wrong way.”

                “I appreciate the apology, but it’s alright,” he said, a hint of a smile touching his face as he seemed to relax. “I knew you were under a lot of pressure. I figured I would give you space and let things calm down.” He tilted his head a little, “Are you actually feeling better now though?”

                “Quite.” She looked towards the head of the caravan, “Having the captain back has let me go back to my exploration, and that’s really helped me calm down.”

                “I’m glad to hear it,” Kai said with a brighter smile. “It’s never good for anyone to go long without their passion.”

                “I suppose it really is,” she echoed, looking down at her hands with a small frown. “Look, I just… I just wanted to make sure that we were still friends. If you want nothing to do with me then-“

                “Stop that.” She blinked as he rolled his eyes, “If you go through a friendship without ever getting mad, then was it really a friendship to begin with?” He shrugged and continued, “We had a small spat, but it wasn’t anything that can’t be mended. I’m perfectly fine with going back to how things were!”

                Staring at him in stunned silence, Tearna finally beamed, “Thanks, Kai! Hopefully I can keep from getting that far into my own head again.”

                “Even if you do, I’ll understand.” Shaking his boot again, he slipped it back on and stood as he frowned at the crab scurrying away, “Do you want to record that, by the way? That thing somehow got into my boot…”

                “I’m surprised we haven’t had more instances of that,” she snickered. “That’s just a flowercrab. They like burrowing into sand, so you probably picked it up in the sandbar.”

                “That’s about when I started feeling poking,” he chuckled. Shaking his head, he looked over at the caravan before holding a hand down to her, “Ready to get a move on, explorer?”

                Looking at his hand briefly, she smiled at him and let him pull her up onto her feet, “Gladly, my friend!”

                Tearna shielded her eyes as she briefly looked at the sky through the gap in the canopies. Frowning in thought, she continued walking alongside both Kai and Bren as she pulled her journal out, “After a few days of having Farin back, everything was back to normal. Repairing our trio was a massive weight off my mind, allowing me to think about our next destination and what I would need to catalogue.” Sniffing as she paused, she glanced back up at the sky, “And the smell of smoke told me we were close to the only sign of civilization in the archipelago, the village of Warletta!”

                Fire crackled atop a few posts along the spiked wall surrounding the small village. Tears were growing right alongside it, but had been sheered back, keeping the jungle away while a few guards patrolled the perimeter. Dirt squished beneath her sandaled feet as Tearna moved under the shadow of the front gate, “Warletta was an expeditionary settlement established about forty years ago, so it’s fairly young, and that meant it was built in a style I wasn’t familiar with.”

                Crimson light rolled across her face as they made their way down the simple dirt road, “All of the roads were entirely dirt, and were lined with torches and small plants that didn’t appear to have been planted intentionally. As a whole, the village came across as ‘in development,’ which made a lot of sense. Despite its relatively young age, there were a surprising number of buildings, and since night hadn’t yet fallen, I had a chance to explore!”

                Waving to the other expedition members, Tearna followed Kai and Bren as they wandered off into the streets. “Most of the buildings were made of raw timber, most likely harvested from the nearby jungle, so they had a noticeably dark and rustic appearance,” she wrote, pausing to look up at one of the buildings. “Their shape was also quite different in that they had tall peaks and rooftops made of planks. That said, the shops were still cozy, if a bit musty.”

                Enticing glows emanated from the windows of a larger shop as Tearna wandered inside. Peering around at the tables and wares hiding in the dim atmosphere, she picked up a small plate to study its make, “Since the area is so underdeveloped, the villagers rarely get supplies, so they’ve learned how to make everything they need on their own. Should they ever get access to steady supplies, I would be very curious to see just what the rest of the world thinks of their artisanry!”

                A soft sigh escaped her as she leaned back in a small chair. Gentle chatter filtered around the trio as they reclined around a table in front of a small café, small plates of fruit and fish resting in front of them. Breathing deep, Tearna looked out across the street, “Compared to the other villages, Warletta was quiet. There were hardly any people out, and the only source of sound was the nearby jungle. As weird as it is, the village felt… cozy. Warletta deserves praise for being able to make such a sanctuary, and I hope to get the chance to return in the future to see just how far they’ve come!”

                Blaggats croaked from the shrouded waters the next morning as the expedition waded through murky water. “The next day, we set out early to continue our journey,” Tearna wrote, keeping her hands over her head as she eyed the water carefully. “The journey to the next island was wetter than I would have liked. A marsh was in our way, so we had no choice but to wade through the greenish water and do our best to avoid sinkholes.” Tearna gasped as she stumbled, but quickly caught herself, breathing a sigh of relief as she scowled at the water, “I nearly went into the water multiple times, but thankfully, never had any accidents!” Taking another step, she let out an eep as her foot failed to find purchase and she plunged straight into the marsh.

                A little later, Tearna fumed on the shore of the next island, wringing out her cloak as several expedition members did their best to dry out her journals, “I was relived to get out of the marsh, but it was fascinating to look back at it from land. Most of the marsh was cavern-like thanks to the submerged trees, their branches intertwining to create a thick ceiling. It was the only instance of this growth that we saw, and I would love to go back and explore the murky waters more thoroughly.”

                Wringing out her cloak, she suddenly paused as she noticed an odd creature striding along behind them, “Before we left, we encountered an odd bird that I believe was a stiltbird.” Long, yellow legs steadily waded through the water soundlessly, the rather tall bird peering into the water as it searched for food. “Stiltbirds are a type of freshwater bird that can be encountered near lakes and marshes,” she continued. “They are nearly as tall as us, but nearly seventy percent of that height is leg!”

                “With their tall legs, they can stride through shallow water, allowing them to search for insects and fish!” Writing down notes on her soggy journal, she scratched her head, “Its appearance was a bit amusing. To me, it looked like an orb with legs. I would have liked to have gotten a better look at its coloring, but it was a bit too far away for me to properly make out.”

                Insects buzzed as Tearna moved through the undergrowth, swatting one away before peering ahead. “This island sucks,” Bren moaned, continuing to swat away bugs. Smacking one to her left, then right, she finally smacked one on her arm before growling, “These things are everywhere! Why can’t we go back to some place like the Karasi where they don’t exist?!”

                “We won’t have to deal with them much longer,” Tearna said with a shake of her head. “Once we’re to the next island, they should go away.”

                “I’m still going to complain as long as they stick around,” she muttered in response. Her ears suddenly flicked as she noticed what Tearna was marching towards, “Is that a stream?”

                “It seems to be!” Tearna said happily, jogging into the small clearing. Water whispered in her ears as she knelt beside the shallow and thin stream. “There must be a spring on the nearby hill,” she commented, looking up to her left to see where it began as Bren knelt beside her. Scratching her chin, she looked into the water, “Let’s see…”

                “Is that worth cataloguing?” Bren suddenly asked as she pointed at the opposite shore, drawing Tearna’s curious gaze.

                Blinking once, Tearna barked a laugh, “That most certainly is!” Bren beamed proudly as Tearna grinned at her, “See, there is hope for you as an explorer!” Laughing with amusement, she pulled out her journal and focused on the small creature hopping along, “After stumbling across a small stream near the heart of an island, we discovered a rare fish, a tideskipper!”

                The small fish pushed itself along with little hops on its two fins while its large eyes stared out at the world. “Tideskippers are mostly found near coastal areas, but can be found near rivers so long as there is suitable muck. Tideskippers can be identified by their sandy color and brown splotched skin, and they have a spikey fin on their heads like a mohawk!” Tearna paused to look at it again, “Using their fins, they can hop around on land for about ten minutes, but eventually return to the water to breathe. However, in a moist environment, they can last as long as thirty minutes, an odd trait that lead many to speculate about their potential as a land based species!”

                Finishing her notes, she watched the tideskipper hop into the water and swim away. Beside her, Bren was watching as well, but suddenly glanced over her shoulder. “So,” she began as she looked at Tearna. “Did you end up patching things up fully with Kai?”

                “Yes, everything is back to normal,” she said with a tired sigh. “I still need to make it up to him, but we’re back on speaking terms, and he doesn’t seem to hold what I did against me.”

                “He cares too much about you to do anything like that,” Bren said with a shake of her head. Frowning in thought, she shut one eye, “So… Have you given any more thought to… you know?” Blinking, Tearna looked at Bren blankly, slowly tilting her head as Bren raised her eyebrows a few times. Finally, Bren frowned at her flatly, “Are you going to ask him out?”

                “WHAT?!” Tearna exclaimed, her shout echoing through the jungle and sending birds flying off in panic. Back near the camp quite a distance away, many of the explorers looked up in confusion over the sudden departure of the birds, Kai and Farin both looking up before shrugging and continuing to pack. “What do you mean?” Tearna asked with embarrassed panic. “I-I consider him a friend, yeah, b-but I don’t know if he would-“

                “Tearna, he’s had his eye on you for at least a month and a half, you dolt,” Bren huffed, Tearna’s ears heating with embarrassment. “And I know you’ve been eyeing him as well! What’s the point of this relentless circling?! If it was me, I would have acted on it already just to clear the air!”

                “I… Umm…” Tearna trailed off as she studied the ground. Her and Kai? Was that really a possibility? He was nice enough and seemed extremely supportive, not to mention they had some common interests. Did she actually want to… Shivering, she shook her head roughly, “Even if there could be something, I’m not acting on it yet.”

                “Why not?” Bren asked in confusion as they both stood. “It’s clear you both like each other! Why not just make it official?”

                “Because the expedition has to come first,” Tearna said adamantly, Bren crossing her arms with a thoughtful frown. “If I’m distracted with trying to start a relationship, if it’s even possible, I won’t be able to focus on what I’m here for.” She looked off with a sad frown, “So many people are counting on me, Bren. I need to stay focused on my duties, otherwise how are we ever supposed to fully recover from the Crisis? Until my duties are over… I can’t act on any feelings I might have.”

                Bren tilted her head back in thought. After a moment, she finally nodded, “I may not fully agree with it, but I see where you’re coming from.” She smiled at Tearna and held up her hands submissively, “I won’t push any more, but you had best expect that when we get back to Orden, I will absolutely be wing-sheeking for you.”

                “What?” Tearna asked in abject confusion as Bren winked. She scratched her head as the smaller shasheek strode away, leaving her staring after her desperately, “Wait, Bren! What’s wing-sheeking?!”

                The next day, a small frown rested on Tearna’s face as she walked along the shore of what would be their last island. Trying to get what Bren had said out of her mind, she sighed heavily before looking out, “After about a week of wandering, Thericia was back in sight. All that stood between us and our return was a long stretch of water, and finding a way across was proving difficult. Eventually, we would end up finding a path, but not before a rather interesting encounter.”

                Blinking with a start, Tearna gasped and hurried off towards the shore. “Tearna?” Kai called after her, groaning as he hurried to keep her from getting hurt. Wading into the water, Tearna smiled and pulled out her journal as slender, scaled bodies continued to roll in the water, “Much to my explicit joy, just before we left, we stumbled across one of the archipelago’s many wonders! Like the sky rooks of Falador and the whitemanes of Garadar, the regidons are another mythical creature!”

                Small, black spines cut through the water as the long reptiles continued to spin around and around, their narrow, crowned heads sometimes surfacing, “Regidons are one of the most regal reptiles in the world! These amazing, aquatic creatures are roughly the size of a ghollon, but are almost three times as long and spend most of their lives swimming in the warm water of the south!”

                Light glimmered across green scales as one of the creatures surfaced briefly, “In terms of appearance, the regidons can be identified by their green scales, black spines, and golden horns at the ends of their viper-like heads! They have long necks, long tails, and much shorter bodies with webbed claws. Since they are mostly aquatic, they aren’t skilled at navigating dry land, but they have been frequently sighted basking on rocks!”                

                Smiling happily, she lowered her journal and simply watched the animals swim, “With their sighting, there were only a few legends that I hadn’t gotten the chance to see. While I wanted to record more about them… I ended up just watching and admiring their grace.”

                Tearna continued to smile happily at the swimming creature, clutching her journal against her chest as she sighed. A hand on her shoulder made her freeze, “I take it this is something you wanted to see?” Slowly, she looked to her left, Kai smiling out at the water, “I have no idea what those things are. They kinda look like… oh, what was it… A garalisk?” He looked over at her and winced, “Am I close?”

                Tearna stared at him quietly, Bren’s words echoing in her head as her heartrate increased. Snapping out of it, she looked back out, beyond thankful no one could see her ears heating, “Y-yeah, sorta! These are similar, but not actually related. These are regidons.”

                “Ahh. Well, at least I remembered what they looked like.” He rested his hands on his hips, “I’m glad you got the chance to see them. It’s always easy to tell when you’ve found something you wanted to see.”

                “It is?”

                “Of course,” he said as he looked at her. “Whenever you find a creature you wanted to find, you get this giddy smile, and your eyes start shining.” Looking at her a moment longer, he suddenly blinked and looked out at the water with embarrassment, “Which is to say I just like seeing you happy, of course! I mean, who wouldn’t want to see their friends happy?!” Laughing awkwardly, he cleared his throat and nodded, “Yep, just glad that you’re glad…”

                Tearna stared at him, wondering just what he had wanted to really say. Finally, she smiled softly and looked back out, “Yeah, I’m glad that I got to see them… and I’m even more glad I got to see them alongside my friend.” Glancing at her, Kai smiled a bit more tentatively before looking back out, a warm breeze filtering around the pair as they watched the large lizards.

                “We found many treasures during our time in the archipelago,” Tearna wrote sometime later. “We discovered numerous creatures and catalogued much of the wilderness, and knowing just what we had done made the explorer in my heart feel fulfilled. But… I also started to discover something else, something I hadn’t expected to find, and, as I would learn, that feeling would truly become one of my greatest treasures!”

                Wind blew around her as she stepped onto an empty, soggy field, looking up at the dreary sky before peering at the horizon, “Our time in the archipelago was fun, but we once again had a new journey ahead of us! Thericia was square in our crosshairs, except this time we were venturing to a landscape that was, thankfully, just a bit more explored! Our next stop was none other than the famed Glass Lakes!” Far off ahead of them on the same, flat field was a massive, glittering lake, light shining across its almost completely still surface…