THE AURORA RIVER You follow Atlas out of the forest and out into a large clearing. For as far to your right and left as you can see, a river scretches from one end of the land to another. Small hills and lush meadows surround the river, and many fruit bushes grow in large quantities on the sides. You bend down by the river, and you can see your reflection in the crisp water. Atlas walks over to the bank also, peering in at his reflection. "This is the Aurora River." he tells you. Only half listening, you nod. You can see your face being rippled by the running water. Then, a shadow appears on the top of the water. You cast your eyes onto the spot, your senses alert. Atlas casts an eye warily on the spot. SPLASH. You find yourself suddenly drenched with water, and you see an equine staring at you from the river. She gazes at you with blue eyes, and you blink back. She lets a playful whinny, and creates a splash as she resurfaces, sending a tidal wave upon you once more. You find yourself in the water... You swim around cluelessly, reaching the surface quickly. You take a deep breath, and look around. The equine again rises in the water, and starts to swim circles around you. She whinnies again, and nuzzles you with her muzzle. She splashes back down, and you notice a shining mermaid's tail before she disappears under the water again. She leaps out, right over your head... And you now see that she is half equine, half mermaid! How strange. Then, two more heads bob out of the water. They rise, and you expect to see shoulders, but instead, you see that they have long necks. Is this the residence of the loch ness monster? You think to yourself, and drift slowly backwards... The two new arrivals resurface, and you feel something swimming underneath you... And the next thing you know, you're sitting on top of a long necked, green, and scaly creature. After swimming around a while, it makes a sudden movement and sends you hurling through the air. You're caught by the other sea creature, who isn't quite as scaly, but certainly quite slipperly. It pans its tail under you, and then throws you up into the air again. You close your eyes... CRASH. You've landed headfirst into the bushes along the bank. You rub your head, and glance indignately at the river, looking for the two creatures that had just tossed you around like a volleyball. You have a few scratches. The seahorse that you had saw first swims up to the bank, and starts to whinny apologetically. You sigh, and make your way to Atlas, fumping down on the floor next to him. "Are they always this rough?" you groan. "They're... Playful." Atlas replies, offering you an apple. Then, the water starts to bubble again... Name Lerra Nessie River Gender Female Unknown Female Species Seahorse Nessie Merla Origination The Nameless Forest