Riddle Contest Day 8: Kani Cove!

Hey Jammers! I hope you're ready for another exciting day of stories and riddles. Particularly for today, just one story and one riddle, of course! =^_^=

I'm looking at the comments you're sending in– I'm really happy to see that many of you are having as much fun with this contest as I am! I don't think I've ever had a contest on this blog that has been this fun and this successful. 

We're on Day 8 right now, so with the exception of today, we only have three lands left to cover! It's crazy, right? :')

I had said that this contest would end on April 22nd, but that was a pretty haphazard estimate. Even though the last riddle would be published on that date, it now seems more realistic for the official end of the contest to be April 23rd, just to give people extra time to answer any riddles they might have missed. What do you think?

As usual, here are the rules for those who are new to this contest:

Every day of the contest will focus on one land in Jamaa. There will be a riddle about one animal from that land's Journey Book, and it will be your job to guess which one it is!

Whoever answers the most riddles correctly will win a FREE CUSTOM MASTERPIECE! 

Answer every riddle to give you a better chance, even if you're not sure of the answer. Even if you haven't answered the previous riddles yet, you can answer them any time up until the end of the contest on April 23rd.

- Link to Riddle #1

- Link to Riddle #2
- Link to Riddle #3
- Link to Riddle #4
- Link to Riddle #5

- Link to Riddle #6
- Link to Riddle #7

We will continue our adventure through the land beneath the waves. Get ready to look for treasure in Kani Cove! Or Crab Cove, if you speak Japanese...

(If you'd like to skip the short story and get straight to the riddle, it's at the bottom in big bold letters.)

You enter Kani Cove through the small dark cavern at the highest point of the Deep Blue. After exiting the deep water, the Sun– the real Sun –greets you with full force! It's a change so dramatic that even underwater, shaded by countless thick reeds, you need to shield your eyes for a minute.

After your eyes adjust to the well-lit water, you almost gasp at what you see: a sunken pirate ship!

You immediately swim over to explore. Swirling in a curious circle around the corroded mast, your suspicions are confirmed. The skull and crossbones symbol is incredibly faded, but closer inspection reveals that yes, this is indeed a pirate ship.

...And boy, do you get incredibly excited when you see the old treasure chest half-buried in the sand!

Instantly, you dart over to the chest and try to wedge it open, but your joy turns to disappointment as you realize that sadly, it's locked.

You begin to wonder if there might be a key hidden somewhere...

Searching around the perimeter of the ship's body proves to be tedious. The more you swim through the thick hanging reeds, the more small hidden places of the ship present themselves as possibilities. It's just overwhelming how much there is to search!

Your eye is drawn to the small phantom insignia on the back of the ship. Swimming over to examine it further, your mind begins to desperately wonder if the image marks a hidden compartment where the key might be hidden. You imagine four hidden bolts holding a small plank of wood. They only need to be unscrewed or broken in order to reach the hidden compartment. Maybe the compartment not only contains the key, but also a captain's log complete with a treasure map to ANOTHER treasure sealed in a bottle! You get more and more excited with each possibility...

...until you realize that the back of the boat is completely flat, with no protruding bolts or planks or anything at all to signify a compartment. There's just no chance of it. 

"Darn..." you think to yourself in defeat. You sadly drift down to touch the sandy ground of the cove. A few shrimp walk by with their many legs, ecstatically searching through the sand for treasures that might be hidden. 

You stare at the old wooden chest as it catches the watery light of day. "I wonder what kind of treasure is in there," you think to yourself, "Anyway, I bet it's just full of Gems or Diamonds... either way, they wouldn't be much of a treasure. I don't have much use for them..." You try to console yourself with this assumption. Maybe you were better off not spending hours upon hours searching for a key because the treasure might not be as grand as you'd hoped.

What would be a cool treasure?

You ponder that question. Truthfully, you don't know for sure.

You lean back against the worn wooden hull of the ship, wondering how much time you've spent here. The sun has since moved away from its resting place on the old chest, now preferring to scatter itself across the thick blanket of reeds that cloak much of the sandy floor. The layer of gold-lit green stretches from the skull-and-crossbones flag all the way into distant invisibility, like underwater moors. 

"Maybe Kani Cove is the treasure..." you think to yourself with a smile. A few snails slowly make their way across the shadowed treasure chest, leaving light trails behind them.

Suddenly, you catch a flash of movement from within the nearest reeds. A thought occurs to you that you had not yet asked any local creatures where the key might be hidden. You begin to swim over toward the edge of the thick carpet of reeds. "One more try, no more..."

The reeds seem to wriggle as you get closer– and then abruptly still themselves. 

"Uh... hi," you begin awkwardly, clearing your throat.

The reeds waved slightly as the creature answers. "Hi,"

"Do you know where the key to that treasure chest might be?"

The creature sighs. "Newcomers are always asking me and my friends where that key might be, and I always have to be honest and say that I truly have no clue. Sorry to disappoint you."

"Oh no, it's totally fine. I was just a little curious if you knew, is all. I'm just happy to be here!" you reply with a smile.

The reeds shake with happy laughter. "I like your attitude. Typically, newcomers leave right after they hear the truth and don't come back! It's nice that you're one of the few who can appreciate the beauty of this place," 

"Thank you!" you say, "might I ask what kind of creature you are?" 

The creature hesitates before answering. "Hmm... you know, I could just leave these reeds and show you, but I think it would be more fun to see you guess!"

You stare at the reeds and try to guess, but nothing comes up. There are just so many creatures that could be hiding behind those reeds! 

"Might I have a hint?" you ask.

The reeds ripple with a comical sigh, "Alright, fine, but one hint is all you get...:

"I can hold my breath longer than you!"

HINT: Look in your Journey Book!

*Comment your AJ username, your answer to the riddle, and what you would like me to draw for you as a Masterpiece if you win!*

Our exploration of Jamaa's oceans has concluded, so tomorrow we will be back on land in a very different place: the diverse savannas of APPONDALE! I just can't wait! :D

Good luck with this riddle!

~DoomyPanda