Mistic Pets

Welcome to Issue 58
Created by The Mistic Pets Team

Character Spotlight: Barra
Written By gemajgall

Barra was hatched a normal gurahdi chick among the cliffs of Metropolis Quarry. However, from an early age he was different from his peers. While the skies and forests interested the other gurahdia, Barra found the rivers and streams to be fascinating. He'd wade in the shallows while the others took to the skies.

His parents immediately found a place for him to develop his interests; they apprenticed him to the hunters and gatherers of their clan. And so, as an adolescent, Barra learned how to gather the ripest nuts and rarest berries, set traps for careless creatures, and, most importantly, fish with nets, hooks, and spears. It wasn't long before he could sense the ebb and flow of the rivers, compensate for light refraction, and catch some of the biggest hauls his clan had seen.

Barra seemed set to live a comfortable life, living off of his catches and supporting his family through them. However, things dramatically changed for him during the next wet season. Thunderheads rolled off the mountains; the rivers swelled suddenly. Caught by a sudden undertow, Barra was swept under and downstream. He struggled, but his water-heavy feathers held him back. His comrades raced along the bank, desperately trying to pull him to safety. But his claws slid from theirs in the raging torrent.

Struggling frantically for air, Barra lost track of the time as he was swept all the way out to sea. Exhaustion claimed him at last, and he sank beneath the salty waves. Fortune was on his side as the Great Braenon, the goddess Pandoria, saw his plight and blessed him with her magic. His feathers turned blue, resisting the water. His talons became fins, and gills opened along his neck. Barra had joined those of the ocean.

It wasn't easy at first, especially as Barra realized it would be virtually impossible to contact his friends and family again. His body now needed the water, and Metropolis Quarry was not suited for oceanic Misticpets. However, the community at Sango Reef welcomed him in. During those times before Monty, Sango Reef thrived on sub-surface commerce.

Barra was used to working hard for his place and found it difficult to accept the charity he was so generously shown. So he put his talents to use, hauling fish for Daniel-san and for Misticpals. He earned his keep, setting up a new life for himself. And his reputation grew. Many exotic Misticpal collectors sought him out to complete their collections. Barra was careful though; he made sure that every sea creature had a caring home.

Soon it became apparent that Barra was simply too good at his job. The creatures at fishing center began to diminish. Sightings of octopuses became rare, and tasty fish vanished entirely. Demand exceeded supply; simply put, the fishing center was overfished.

SPNHM noticed this and took immediate action, meeting with Barra several times to discuss the problem and all possible solutions. It would be a lie to say that his ego wasn't bruised a bit. Barra took pride in his fishing capabilities. However, he couldn't deny the points SPNHM made and didn't want to harm the ecosystem of the reef.

He agreed to their suggestions, limiting the amount of time, the number of legendaries, and the tools used at the fishing center. Large nets were banned outright, and a time limit was set in place to allow the center to repopulate. Over the following seasons, with some careful attention and Pandoria's blessing, the center did recover. New species even began calling it home.

However, Barra had learned his lesson. There's two sides to fishing, and he knows to respect them both. You can still find him there, minding the fishing center at the edge of Sango Reef. If there's no crowd, he'll even give a lesson or two, should you ask. But mind the lesson well so that our aquatic ecosystems can continue to thrive.

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