Golden Emperor Fish

The swishing got louder and louder, soon reaching a point where Tinka could also hear it. She was also slightly excited, wondering what it was, so she stood beside Minos in silence, waiting for him to strike.

With so much concentration, Minos had entered a strange state, with all his senses except hearing completely shut off. A black and white world was slowly built in his mind, the large fish at the edge of this world.

With the fish's speed however, it got closer and closer, Minos's steady hands waiting for it to enter his range.

Tinka held her breath at the side, standing completely still. She was afraid of making noise and scaring it off, so she became as stiff as a statue.

Suddenly Minos's eyes shot back open, his hands propelling into the ocean at breakneck speed.

The large fish didn't see this coming at all, completely caught off guard by Minos's tight grip.

It had no plans of giving in to Minos so easily, so it swayed its large body with all its force, nearly flinging Minos out of the boat.

Fortunately he had been prepared for a fight, and his feet were firmly secured onto the boat.

"Quick, sit down and hold on tight." Minos shouted out towards Tinka.

Tinka took Minos's words seriously, sitting down and hugging the boat with all her strength. Almost the same moment she secured herself, the entire boat started flying as the large fish pulled it.

The two began soaring across the open seas, the fish acting as their propeller. Tinka held on with her dear life, feeling nauseated by the erratic movements of the fish.

The fish continued through the sea with all its strength, but no matter how much it struggled, it failed to escape Minos's grip.

Eventually the fish was completely exhausted, the boat slowing down as its stamina ran dry.

Soon enough, the boat came to a complete stand-still, the fish completely drained. Pulling it up out of the water, Minos finally got a look at it.

He couldn't help but be amazed, this fish was the most amazing fish he had ever seen. Its scales were completely golden, but most interesting were the scales on its head that formed what looked like a crown.

It was like it was the king of all fish, made of gold with a crown to boot. Minos called out to Tinka, wanting her to have a look at it as well.

Unfortunately, Tinka was currently busy expelling all the sweet berries she had eaten earlier, emptying the contents of her stomach.

Giving her a moment, she eventually pulled her head back from the sea, taking a deep breath in to stabilize herself.

"Feeling better?" Minos asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Anyways, what were you calling me about." Tinka said, as she rubbed the drool away from her mouth.

"Come look at this fish, it's amazing!" Minos said.

"Woah, what the heck is that thing, it's like the king of all fish!" Tinka couldn't help but say in wonder, walking closer to the fish.

"That's what I was thinking."

"I don't think the tribe has ever caught anything like it!"

"Good, then I'll be able to show off." Minos said with a laugh.

"You're still thinking about that?" Tinka asked with a giggle.

"Of course. Now let's go home before this thing goes bad!" Minos said, beginning to row again with all his force.

…

It seemed the luck of the two of them finally went up, because only after a little bit more rowing, Minos managed to use his perfect memory to spot an area he remembered.

After looking around a little more and fully remembering his location, Minos redirected the boat towards the coast.

The rest of the journey was uneventful, and soon enough the beach came into view. Tinka jumped up in excitement as she pointed towards the coast.

"Look, there it is! We're home!" She said as she danced around.

"Seems the tribe has been waiting for us." Minos said, noticing the small people with his superior vision.

"Really! Hey everyone, we're back!" Tinka shouted, as she waved her hands high in the air to signal them.

…

Meanwhile, on the beach, Ronkus and Meninka had been standing in the same spot since Tinka disappeared, the tribe standing with them in solidarity.

Occasionally a few tribe members would get food or use the bathroom, but otherwise they had been waiting since day one.

After waiting for an entire day, some people started to lose hope, but seeing that Ronkus and Meninka had no plans of leaving, they stood still.

"If they don't come in one more hour, let's just disperse." Ronkus suddenly said.

"What are you saying patriarch, we have to wait until they come back!" A tribe member said with determination.

"I appreciate your attitudes, but life must go on. We've already wasted a day like this, and we can't waste another." Ronkus said, standing firm.

"Ronkus is right. Thank you all for your support, but our child shouldn't be your burden." Meninka added.

Some tribe members wanted to argue, but with a stern look from Ronkus, they decided to not say anything.

An hour quickly passed under the somber mood, but no miracles seemed to happen. Ronkus's face went dark, and Meninka held him tightly.

"Time's up, let's go…" Ronkus said, his voice low.

"Wait, patriarch, I think I see something!" A tribe member suddenly shouted.

"No need to lie, let's just go." Ronkus said, having heard someone say this before.

"No wait, he's right, I see it too!" Another person said.

"Their right honey, I do see something!" Meninka said excitedly, causing Ronkus to swerve his head back in the direction of the ocean.

Like everyone had said, a small dot had appeared over the horizon, becoming bigger and bigger with each passing moment.

"Hey everyone, we're back!" A voice suddenly echoed from the sea, everyone immediately recognizing it as Tinka.

"It's Tinka, they're back!" Meninka said with excitement.

Ronkus didn't say anything, but the smile that had formed on his face betrayed his true feelings.

With Tinka and Minos's reappearance, the word quickly spread to the rest of the tribe. Those who had been away doing other work quickly gathered, the entire coast becoming crowded.

With some more rowing from Minos, the two finally reached land. Before they could even secure the boat, the entire crowd gathered around them, tossing them up in excitement and joy.

"Welcome home you two!"

"To be honest, I thought you guys died."

"Watch what you say bastard! Ignore him, we always had hope for you two!"

"Never do anything like that ever again." Ronkus said, as he hugged Tinka tightly.

"Next time you do something so foolish, you better hope you die, because even if you survive, I'll definitely kill you." Meninka said menacingly, much more stern than Ronkus.

"I'm sorry, mom, dad, I'll never do something that stupid ever again, unless it's for Minos." Tinka said, only whispering the last part under her breath.

Naturally Ronkus and Meninka still heard her, but they laughed, deciding now wasn't the time to worry about things like that.

"Boy, to survive a storm like that, and bring my daughter back in one piece, thank you." Ronkus said, as he patted Minos heavily on the shoulder.

"No need to thank me, if anything, it was Tinka that kept me sane." Minos said with a laugh.

"Also, hasn't everyone forgotten why I went to sea in the first place? Look what I caught." Minos said, lugging the large golden fish out of the boat.

"Oh my heavens, what is that thing! It's like it's made of pure gold!"

"Amazing, that's definitely the greatest fish I've ever seen."

"I guess it's true that fortune will always come after misfortune!"

"Wait a second, let me have a look at that thing." Ronkus said more solemnly, much to Minos's confusion.

"It really is! A Golden Emperor Fish!" Ronkus said with a massive laugh, confusing the entire tribe over why he was so excited.

As magnificent as the fish was, it was just a fish to everyone, but Ronkus seemed to see something more in it.

"You guys wouldn't know, but this is no ordinary fish! It's a Golden Emperor Fish, the king of all fish! Our tribe has a legend that whoever catches it will be blessed with a lifetime of fortune." Ronkus said with excitement.