Unnamed

Gentle waves lap the docks. A wink of silver flirts through the air as a fish leaps from beneath the waves. The afternoon sun spreads its gradual warmth through the drifting island. PLACEHOLDER blinks its eyes open and stretches after a luxurious afternoon nap. What a glorious day. All the chores are finished, the sky is clear, and it’s the perfect time for fishing. This slow, lazy Undertide doesn’t know much about where xe came from, but it figures that perhaps its family could have been fisher dragons. It’s quite adept at fishing, always filling xyr baskets to the brim for market the next morning. Xyr fishing flag dances joyously in the soft breeze. The fabric is silver-gray with a yellow fringe. It features an image of a massive net filled with dumping squid being lifted into a small boat. Xe hauls the flag to full mast, just in case xe gets any visitors. The flag goes up to let other dragons know it’s out fishing. It heads out from a bayside cavern nestled in a tiny cove into deeper, bluer waters. It can tell today will bring a bountiful catch. Xe has a sense for these kinds of things.

PLACEHOLDER doesn’t mind much that xe doesn’t know its parents. The island community takes care of it, and it in turn takes care of the community. Xe is always happy to trade fish for friendship. The other dragons are very fond of it, always making sure it has everything it needs. This is island life: everyone looks out for one another. There’s no competition or unfriendliness. Only mutuality and shared affection. This isn’t to say the island floats along without conflict, but generally speaking, the dragons are good to each other. PLACEHOLDER is no exception to this rule. It often takes special time to teach its fishing tips and tricks to hatchlings. The youngsters love their fishing lessons. PLACEHOLDER is especially kind to those who don’t have any parents. It thinks of this as paying forward the kindness others have shown to it. There’s often a small crowd of little orphans following it around town as it goes about xyr chores for the day. This makes the older dragons chuckle. Once, the hatchlings began playing keepaway with a pufferfish that PLACEHOLDER was hoping one of them would eat. Instead, they inflated it like a beachball and began bouncing it off their snouts. It landed right in an elder’s garden, startling her off her perch. She got up and chased the group all the way around the island and back again. The hatchlings laughed the entire way while PLACEHOLDER tried desperately to apologize. It often finds itself at the center of silly and ridiculous situations.

This silvery Undertide’s goal is to catch the biggest fish the island has ever seen. The current record is held by one of the older dragons, but PLACEHOLDER hopes to someday set a record of xyr own. Every morning, xe wakes up before all the other fisher dragons and heads out to sea. Xe scours the waters for large, dark, slow-moving shadows. A few moons ago, it saw an enormous Sunfish– larger than any other it could remember. It readied its net, slipped into the water, and began to sneak up on its target. Right when it was about to strike, a shark darted forth and caught the fish in its jaws. PLACEHOLDER could’ve sworn the creature was laughing at xem as it streaked by. Better luck next time.

PLACEHOLDER makes its own fishing nets. It learned how to weave them together from bits of old rope from one of the clan’s elders. She taught it never to throw old scraps of anything away because these items can be used to make something anew. Furthermore, she cautioned, anything thrown into the sea comes back to haunt the dragon who put it there. PLACEHOLDER has always heeded her warning, using its creativity to reuse everything it possibly can. This helps to keep the waters surrounding the floating island pristine, which benefits everyone. The island’s beauty sustains the dragons, and the dragons in turn look after the island. This culture of mutuality serves them well as they seek to lead simple, wholesome lives. PLACEHOLDER takes time to ensure that it’s never catching too many fish or taking away resources from nearby island creatures. Xe knows the importance of maintaining balance on xyr island home. Such is the beauty of island life.

Sometimes, PLACEHOLDER goes out fishing late at night to see the stars. This is its favorite time to be out on the water. It will flip over on its back and gaze up at the glimmering night sky, making wishes every time it sees a comet. I wish for everyone on the island to be happy. I wish for a good life. I wish to catch the biggest fish on the whole island. It likes to make up stories about the constellations up above, weaving in some of the island’s local legends as xe waits for a bite. Xe talks to the stars, pretending that they’re listening to xyr every word. The stars are its secret-keepers. It tells them everything– even the silly stuff. There’s nothing that PLACEHOLDER would not whisper to the night sky, drifting out in the open ocean, counting the hours until dawn. This is true bliss. Unending peace. PLACEHOLDER wishes moments like this could last a lifetime.
by ScorpiosHeart