[Birdland]

Birdie walked to the stern of the Elven ship, took a deep breath, and dove into the water. She immediately felt the curved dorsal fin of a dolphin grow from her back, relieved to know that her earlier transformation had not been a fluke.

(O.C.C. - Get it? "fin"? "fluke"??? Oh, I just kill myself, sometimes.)

She looked around in the water, and as she had hoped, found the green Mer-Man. He was swooping back and forth in front of the Elven ship, riding the bow waves and apparently enjoying himself immensely. Birdie swam over and joined him. "Bow riding" was fun! She was carried along by the force of the ships foward progress, with no effort on her part at all. But she was here for business, not pleasure.

"Greetings, Mer-Man!" keened Birdie. "I hoped I might find you here again. What news do you have for us?"

The Mer-Man pulled away from the bow, and swimming a few yards away, struck a dramatic pose.

"I fear I have bad news...the young halfling has been captured by the Blue Wizards!"

"We knew that already."

"You did? Ahh, the elves mind-reading abilities, I see. Well then...the warrior Mithadan has seemed to cast his lot with your enemies!"

We knew that already, too."

Ahhhh, but did you know that secretly he may actually..."

"Yes. Or we suspected as much."

"Well, apparently you have little need of my help after all", the Mer-Man pouted, and prepared to swim away.

"No! Wait! Please!" shouted Birdie, she swam in front of the green and silver creature. "Please, tell me: has Ulmo agreed to help us?"

"My master Ulmo thinks you are all doing splendidly, and has every faith that you will succeed against your foe, though you may sustain some losses. However...", he assured, as he saw Birdie's tail slump with disappointment. "He is willing to send you a most effective ally. Behold!"

Suddenly, the water around Birdie was churning with long, thin, white creatures - some up to six feet long - writhing and whipping frantically whereever she turned. "Eeeeuuuwwwww! Worms!" squealed Birdie. She felt as if she had been dropped in a pot of boiling spaghetti.

"Not worms, really," corrected the Mer-Man. Teredo navalis, genus: mollusk, species: clam. commonly called, though "Teredo worms" or "ship worms".

"Ship worms!" cried Birdie, "Why they'll..."

"Precisely!" said the Mer-Man. "A few hundred of our squiming friends here will riddle the hull of the Blue Ship with holes like Bree cheese. And they are particularly fond of ebony wood."

"Thank you, Ulmo! Thank you, Mer-Man!" Birdie stroked her dolphin body appreciatively along the side of the Mer-Man.

"Enough of that!" blustered the Mer-Man. Suddenly, they heard a splash. "Ahhhh, I see another of your friends has joined us." The Mer-Man eyed the form of Pio, swimming towards the Blue Ship, with an appreciative gleam. "It is the charming Elf Maiden again, I see. What a pity she has no tail."

"Thank you again! I must catch up with Pio. Come on, you worm-clam things!" Birdie swam off, followed by the writhing school of ship-eaters.

"Good luck to you" called out the Mer-Man. Then to himself he said, "And I sincerely mean that. For if the Blue Wizards succeed in dominating the Elf-Folk, how long will it be before they turn their attention towards my own people, as well?"

[ June 19, 2002: Message edited by: Birdland ]