Please note, I do not own any characters from Finding Nemo. Those all
belong to Disney and Pixar, and all those people. I am not benefiting from
this in any way, other than increasing my writing skills and having fun
doing so.
But I loved the story, loved the characters, and had an idea for a story of my own, so I hope you enjoy.
Also, this is my first posted story, so I'd really appreciate reviews!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The water-filtered sunlight played across the magnificent reefs as schools of brightly colored fish raced their way to their destinations. Around one particularly jagged section of coral, four young fish were engaged in a fast-paced game of tag. Their distinctive black and white stripes and the yellow patch saddled across their snouts marked them as Moorish Idols, and their tall statures and trailing dorsal fins identified them as youths.
The smallest, Pyram, was keeping an eye out for trouble as she gave a futile attempt to tag Shade, who was undoubtedly the quickest member of the quartet. Shade's name had been derived from the unusually wide black stripes that ran from his dorsal fin to his ventral fin; the thin stripes of white and light yellow flashed as he tauntingly eluded the smaller Idol.
Shade glanced back as Pyram broke off of his trail, obviously looking for someone who was easier to outswim. With a glance, Shade identified Pyram's new target as Jopas, who was at least a quarter larger than his pursuer, which allowed for a pretty humorous tableau; it wasn't a common sight to see a larger fish chased by one who was so much smaller.
Shade darted off to look for a new hiding spot before Pyram returned. He had turned down several possibilities before a distant voice shouted, "Gotcha!" Shade had barely enough time to race to the next coral formation before Jopas rounded the corner in front of him.
Shade flipped around and made for the first alcove he saw in hopes that Jopas would give up and go after someone else.
"You'll never make it, Shade!"
As Jopas steadily gained on the quick-moving Idol, Shade barreled into the alcove. This action was immediately followed by a double yelp as Jopas slowed to approach the grotto at a more reasonable pace.
Jopas's short wait soon paid off as Shade swam out, looking a little dazed and accompanied by the final, equally dazed member of the group.
Gill blinked and shook his head as he emerged. Jopas suppressed a laugh, and allowed his two friends a few seconds to recover their senses.
Immediately, Shade bolted around the formation, determined not to get tagged. Gill had been hidden in the grotto during the last tag, so he hadn't heard who was now "it", but he had a pretty good idea.
Gill's quick glance at Jopas confirmed his suspicions; the older Idol gave a slow, predatory grin that was very reminiscent of a hungry shark. Gill dove straight down as Jopas charged, forcing him to turn and pick up speed again. He managed to lead Jopas on a fairly decent chase around several coral formations before Pyram's voice cut through the water.
"Hey! Hey, Jopas! Gill!"
Jopas broke off the chase as both he and Gill wearily made their way back to where Pyram and Shade were floating, attention fixed upon something that was now out of sight.
"What's wrong?" Jopas asked.
"There's a diver over there." Shade answered.
Jopas snorted. "So what? There's always divers around here. It's like, some big thrill for them to come here. C'mon, let's get back to our game."
Jopas spun and slapped the nearby Shade with his fin before racing off. "Tag!"
"Hey! Not fair!" Despite his protests, Shade rose to the challenge and took off after Jopas.
Gill and Pyram stayed put, Gill to catch is breath before joining the game again, and Pyram to watch the diver.
"Gill, I don't like this."
Gill chuckled as he watched Jopas dodge Shade once again, using his own speed against him. "What, Jopas? Don't worry about it, Shade hasn't been tagged in ages. It's good for him."
Pyram sighed and rolled her eyes. Her friends all had their talents, and their weaknesses: Jopas was an incredible leader, but could be dangerously impulsive, and Shade was blindingly quick, but he needs a good dose of common sense. Pyram herself was somewhat of an authority figure, looking out for the others and keeping them safe, sometimes unreasonably so. And Gill? Gill was smart and creative, but sometimes he just missed the obvious details in favor of the obscure.
This was one of those times.
"The diver, Gill, not the game."
"Ah. The diver." Gill drifted around to study the diver again. He was considerably closer, but that wasn't a problem. Gill had never had a bad encounter with a diver, and he knew no one who had. "Jopas isn't worried about it, and neither am I. We've seen plenty of divers, and none have ever proven dangerous before. Come on, quit qorrying and get back in the game!"
Gill's relaxed demeanor and reassuring smile convinced Pyram to end her watchful vigil over the approaching diver, and with a flick of her tail, she rejoined the game, Gill close behind.
But I loved the story, loved the characters, and had an idea for a story of my own, so I hope you enjoy.
Also, this is my first posted story, so I'd really appreciate reviews!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The water-filtered sunlight played across the magnificent reefs as schools of brightly colored fish raced their way to their destinations. Around one particularly jagged section of coral, four young fish were engaged in a fast-paced game of tag. Their distinctive black and white stripes and the yellow patch saddled across their snouts marked them as Moorish Idols, and their tall statures and trailing dorsal fins identified them as youths.
The smallest, Pyram, was keeping an eye out for trouble as she gave a futile attempt to tag Shade, who was undoubtedly the quickest member of the quartet. Shade's name had been derived from the unusually wide black stripes that ran from his dorsal fin to his ventral fin; the thin stripes of white and light yellow flashed as he tauntingly eluded the smaller Idol.
Shade glanced back as Pyram broke off of his trail, obviously looking for someone who was easier to outswim. With a glance, Shade identified Pyram's new target as Jopas, who was at least a quarter larger than his pursuer, which allowed for a pretty humorous tableau; it wasn't a common sight to see a larger fish chased by one who was so much smaller.
Shade darted off to look for a new hiding spot before Pyram returned. He had turned down several possibilities before a distant voice shouted, "Gotcha!" Shade had barely enough time to race to the next coral formation before Jopas rounded the corner in front of him.
Shade flipped around and made for the first alcove he saw in hopes that Jopas would give up and go after someone else.
"You'll never make it, Shade!"
As Jopas steadily gained on the quick-moving Idol, Shade barreled into the alcove. This action was immediately followed by a double yelp as Jopas slowed to approach the grotto at a more reasonable pace.
Jopas's short wait soon paid off as Shade swam out, looking a little dazed and accompanied by the final, equally dazed member of the group.
Gill blinked and shook his head as he emerged. Jopas suppressed a laugh, and allowed his two friends a few seconds to recover their senses.
Immediately, Shade bolted around the formation, determined not to get tagged. Gill had been hidden in the grotto during the last tag, so he hadn't heard who was now "it", but he had a pretty good idea.
Gill's quick glance at Jopas confirmed his suspicions; the older Idol gave a slow, predatory grin that was very reminiscent of a hungry shark. Gill dove straight down as Jopas charged, forcing him to turn and pick up speed again. He managed to lead Jopas on a fairly decent chase around several coral formations before Pyram's voice cut through the water.
"Hey! Hey, Jopas! Gill!"
Jopas broke off the chase as both he and Gill wearily made their way back to where Pyram and Shade were floating, attention fixed upon something that was now out of sight.
"What's wrong?" Jopas asked.
"There's a diver over there." Shade answered.
Jopas snorted. "So what? There's always divers around here. It's like, some big thrill for them to come here. C'mon, let's get back to our game."
Jopas spun and slapped the nearby Shade with his fin before racing off. "Tag!"
"Hey! Not fair!" Despite his protests, Shade rose to the challenge and took off after Jopas.
Gill and Pyram stayed put, Gill to catch is breath before joining the game again, and Pyram to watch the diver.
"Gill, I don't like this."
Gill chuckled as he watched Jopas dodge Shade once again, using his own speed against him. "What, Jopas? Don't worry about it, Shade hasn't been tagged in ages. It's good for him."
Pyram sighed and rolled her eyes. Her friends all had their talents, and their weaknesses: Jopas was an incredible leader, but could be dangerously impulsive, and Shade was blindingly quick, but he needs a good dose of common sense. Pyram herself was somewhat of an authority figure, looking out for the others and keeping them safe, sometimes unreasonably so. And Gill? Gill was smart and creative, but sometimes he just missed the obvious details in favor of the obscure.
This was one of those times.
"The diver, Gill, not the game."
"Ah. The diver." Gill drifted around to study the diver again. He was considerably closer, but that wasn't a problem. Gill had never had a bad encounter with a diver, and he knew no one who had. "Jopas isn't worried about it, and neither am I. We've seen plenty of divers, and none have ever proven dangerous before. Come on, quit qorrying and get back in the game!"
Gill's relaxed demeanor and reassuring smile convinced Pyram to end her watchful vigil over the approaching diver, and with a flick of her tail, she rejoined the game, Gill close behind.