First Page

Katherine_The_Jewel is not a Blurtle, or a Turdle, or a Turtmid. And she's definitely not a Turtum. Kat is a Shoyru, with a spike on her head and flight in her heart. But she doesn't resent the shell that fate settled on her back in place of the wings that her cousins have. In fact, she rather treasures her shell. You see, it turns out that a shell can be very useful when you're rather into reading.

Kat started reading when she was just a toddler, or should we say a paddler. When she was young, she wasn't as comfortable in her skin as she is now. She dreamed of joining her Shoyru friends in the sky, watched enviously as they tested the strength of their tiny wings. As time went by, her friends grew more adept and more confident. They soared and dipped; they pulled toward the sun and then folded their wings to dive back to the ground. Meanwhile, Kat learned how to glide through the water, cutting through it like a knife. She too pulled hungrily toward the sun, but whenever she broke the surface into the sparkling sunlight, she remembered that she could go no farther. Then, she would dive down, down into the depths, her lungs straining against her held breath. She didn't belong underwater fully. Not like the Koi and some of the other Maraquans. But neither did she belong to the land and the sky like the other Shoyru. And so she began to read.

Kat read to escape the confinement of the environment she lived in, but to which she didn't fully belong. She let her imagination take her into the air, and higher, into space itself. She visited Kreludor and Virtupets Station through books. She read stories about the heat of the magma pools in Moltara, and the chill of the mist in the Haunted Woods. And as she read, she learned. She learned about the world, and she learned about different types of people, and most importantly, she learned about herself. She saw themes from her books reflected in her life. The dreams of the protagonists were her dreams; their fears were her fears. The stories were broader than stories. They held lessons and insights, and gradually Kat grew to love herself for what she was. She was able to see her traits as positive things and to accept herself as a whole.

With her new-found confidence, Kat decided to take charge of her life. No longer would she wallow in self-doubt. She took her favorite book and tucked it firmly under her arm. Waving her powerful tail, she propelled herself to the shore and peeked out of the water. After all she was a Shoyru. She breathed air and she had arms and legs. What was holding her back? Cautiously, she pulled herself out of the water. Her fins, strengthened from having always to fight the resistance of water, were more than strong enough to hold her up, although she had a bit of a waddle. 

Mentally exhausted from her endeavor, she made her way to a nearby palm. This was enough for one day. Tomorrow, she would venture farther inland and discover for herself all the things she had read about so often in her books. But for today, this was enough. She leaned her back against the palm, and then.. !

Kat's shell slipped against the smooth bark of the palm, and she was deposited unceremoniously at the foot of the tree. She blinked a few times, looking up into the leafy fronds. Actually, this was quite comfortable. The curve of her shell against the palm really was the perfect position for relaxing. Serendipity. Sighing in contentment, she reached over to her book and opened it to the first chapter.