Submission (#2414) Approved

Saga had gone on a journey to locate a fish in the dry deserts of Azha of all places. She wasn’t a kittom all too interested in fish originally but since her time with her friend Tetra they had grown on her. Tetra had been studying a fish that could be found in a few different regions but it was said the coloration and pattern varied a bit and one of the places she hadn’t documented yet was Azha. In this region it seemed the fish would travel down streams from the coast to the stormlands during the wet season and settle in lakes surrounded by grasslands or oases nestled in the sandy desert. Saga’s paws were sore from walking on the hot sand. While the pools were clear the bright sunlight reflected across the water’s surface making it hard to tell the fish from shadows of the lush plants that surrounded the oasis. She waited patiently at the water's edge, with her sketchbook handy if she would see one of the fish appear but her reflection made it difficult. What if they weren’t even in this spot? She would have to walk much farther then to find another and the warded caravan keeping her safe wouldn’t wait here forever either.

She could vaguely recall Tetra describing the best conditions to find the fish in, specifically when the moon was close if not full and the area was dark. “Moon Mirrors” she had called the fish, since they reflected moonlight so well. It was probably more accurate to say they reflected all light pretty well but during the day it was harder to spot. Halfway through the day Saga fell asleep, jolting awake only when one of her paws slipped into the water and got soaked. Begrudgingly she walked back towards camp to rest up before nightfall, her small paw caking with sand and dust as she stepped down on it.

Later that evening she arose, torches flickering around camp and the moon and stars clear over the oasis. During the day she could see the clouds gathering along the edge of the stormlands when the wind settled but as soon as it kicked up another dust storm the sight vanished. Now in the dark, any cloud cover was difficult to make out at a distance altogether but she could see the moon and stars just fine. Careful of her step she walked to the water’s edge, bringing a very small lantern with her that she set behind some grass to keep some of the light from obscuring the water’s surface.

Then she saw something jump, a dark colored fish probably a sandy gray brown mix had the lighting been better. One thing that was clear about it was she saw the moonlight reflecting off the top of it’s head. Her toes had dipped into the water’s edge in awe that it took her a moment to feel something tickling her toe beans. Gazing down she met a bit of an eerie sight. From the top the patterns in the fish scales varied from region to region but they were clear and distinctly reflective. In faerindell the shape atop the fishes heads resembled petals but in Azha they must have resembled eyes. The moonlight reflected off the ringed circular patterns on the fish’s heads and Saga stumbled back, watching the “eyes” seem to blink out of existence. It was a defense mechanism said to disorient predators trying to fish for them at any hour, but to a traveler not familiar with the fish at night it could be startling.

Saga dried off her paws, dipping a strand of tall grass into the water, watching the school of “eyes” seem to reappear to pick at the grass. Carefully she drew them out, using the lamp at times to get the silhouette of the fish a bit clearer. They had long smooth fins in Azha, unlike other regions where their long fins seemed to ripple or fray. There were a few other vaguely reflective patterns but for the most part it was just the mark on their heads that gave them their namesake as “Moon Mirrors” due to showing up best under moonlight. Regardless of region these fish usually had a dark coloration but here they were primarily deep red, brown, and coppery hues with their reflective scales shades of gold and silver. When Saga was content with her research she tossed a few crumbs out of her bag into the water for the fish and headed back to camp, excited by her own success. She couldn’t wait to return to Tetra and tell her and show her what she had found.