Khet Fish Dream

From T4WCWiki

The Khet Fish Dream is an old legend passed down through each generation of the Tabinus. It tells the "creation" story of how the Tabinus came to exist.

The Legend

"When the land was young, and the moon was high, the Khet fish would pause to look at the sparkling lights shining from atop the mountain. It shone to them like a dazzling rainbow, dancing on the surface of the water.

On one particular night, nearing Nupital; many male Khet were fighting for the affection of a particular female Khet. Each of them attempted to swoon her off her tail fins by impressive gifts, or by demonstrations of strength, speed, or hunting skills. A fortnight before she had to choose a mate, a small Khet decided to take his chances and propose his own desire for her. The only problem he had was that he was small... he was not strong, nor fast, and he was not a very good hunter. Worst of all, there was very little on the sea floor he could offer her that would surpass the quality of the gifts others endowed her with.

On that night, he looked up to the sky, watching the dazzling lights of the mountain. They gave him an idea; and the next morning, he rushed out to propose his affection of her. The other Khet told him it was a terrible idea, while others ridiculed him. The female, however, took great interest in his offer on the condition that he returned before the eve of Nupital.

That afternoon, he swam up to the shore with his closest friends. They tried to convince him to change his mind, but he would not have it. He would not step down from the challenge he presented, he would be a champion! He took his first step out of the water and on to the shore, moving forward with determination before passing out on the beach. The change of atmosphere and lack of water had robbed him of his oxygen. As the blackness closed in on him, he thought himself a fool.

The Transformation

Much to his surprise however, the blackness receded some time later. He awoke on the beach, feeling a cold chill on his tail. He then discovered that he did not have his normal tail anymore! Instead, he had two little stubs sticking out where his fins should have been. It was easier to breath as well. His thoughts did not last long - a great bird had spotted him, and was swooping in to grab him. Using his hind stubs, he dug them into the wet sand and raced for the trees. In his struggles, he had not noticed his front fins shifting into stubs as he fought through the loose dry sand farther up. Pressing forward on all fours, he escaped the bird by diving into the underbrush of the woods. Surely, the Khet speculated, these changes must be caused by the source of the mountain's magical lights.

As the Khet traveled on, he came to the foot of the mountain. Its summit loomed so high above him, and there was no certain path to the top. The then Khet tried to climb over his first boulder. On his first jump, he landed on the side of it, and fell off. On his second jump, he jumped a little higher than before, but it was still not enough. On his third jump, his front stubs managed to grasp a crevice on the surface of the rock. As he struggled to work with the hand hold, he felt his stubs splitting on the ends. They became hands, and with them, he was able to maneuver over the boulder much easier.

By evening, the Khet reached a nook in the mountain's wall. He had not gone too far up the mountain yet, and the nook provided shelter from the bird, as well as any other nasty creature that could threaten him. In there, he rested up for the next day.