Muncheez for Chrysariel

When the hunger is on me, there's only one thing I can do.

[p]EAT! EAT! EAT!

[p]I regret this impulsive need. Truly, I do. The hunger of a shark is a terrible thing, consuming all of his brain, leaving him a deadly cluster of killer instincts and the animal drive to attack anything in sight until the hunger is sated.

[p]My only reliable companion, the one who eagerly feeds on my scraps, is Chomper. He never tires of our endless swims and he never fears my voracious appetite.

[p]Have you tasted Biggie Biggie? About the only thing worse-tasting is remoras. Yuck!

[p]Yes, I am an appetite on the prowl.

[p]Unlike my many cousins, though, I am not merely a swimming stomach.

[p]Sometimes I will find a school of fish or squid or even a trail of turtles. If I'm very fortunate, I might even come upon a dead whale. My stomach will bulge with contentment, leaving space for my curious mind to rise to the surface like a lovely iridescent bubble.

[p]Nothing pleases me more than to talk to other denizens of the reef. They have swum the waters of Subeta, from the frozen shoals around Arctic Frost to the tropical swells that surround Omen Islands. I always delight in the stories they tell. Though my friendships are short-lived and my friends are wise to keep a hundred feet between us, I am lavish in my praise of a good tale that can transport me to another place and time.

[p]Such as the abandoned ship sunk all the way back during the dread Pirate Wars. They say the skeletons of her crew still guard a grimy treasure of gold coins long ago turned bronze by the whims of the ocean. One particular manchu, his teeth leering in a grin, clutches the standard of the ship that has long faded to the same gray as the murky water in which he floats. There is a table in the captain's cabin still set for twelve, mismatched silver goblets glued to the table by grime. It may be there was poison on the rim of each cup. Nobody will ever know.

[p]Another favorite of mine are the underground caverns between the waters of Shadowglen and Darkside. It's said they pulse with a rainbow variety of lights that change based on Maleria's mood. (Green, black and red favor most heavily - never is yellow or pink seen.)

[p]There is the mist-shrouded inlay near Riverside, bordering a forest filled with wild citizens who still live off the land and are never seen in the streets of Centropolis. It is said that wandering sailors who drink from the waters there fall into a sleep that lasts a hundred years.

[p]By far my favorite story is the tale of the vanishing island with its lighthouse of ghostly fire that comes and goes only in the deepest fog. They say a lady awaits her love there, one of rare beauty with powers mightier than even Shinwa. She could free herself if only she would give up that love that keeps her bound, but she never will. Her need to love and be loved is as strong and inevitable as the tides.

[p]My own haunt is the waters around Shengui Guo, for there are no better hunting grounds than the reefs around the coast. I have tried striking out into more varied waters, only to find myself so desperate for a meal that I will strike out at any living creature in sight. This has led to a few quite regrettable occurrences...and it is also how I got my name.

[p]What better name for a creature that has the munchies, even on those rare days when my belly is full?

[p]Story by [user=Pureflower]