Doodle Champion Island Journeys!

2. (Past of the Island)

A long time ago...

There was a land isolated from others, surrounded by sea. It was a peaceful, harmonious, and hospitable place. Inhabitants were various creatures living in a ruler-less community. Yes, no authority, no rules, just do what's right for each other. It was just normal to see mixed families on any part of the island. If anything, it was like true paradise.

There was a long, long beach with smooth golden sand that kept getting carried away and back by the cyan blue waves. The same could happen to anyone who let themselves dip into that tropical beauty, their soul would be so carried away like in a romantic movie scene. There was a thick groove forest farther on shore full of not-so-tall but lively trees.

And who could guess that right north of the beach was a volcanic area? There wasn't a volcano, but a geographic rift had leaked lava onto the surface, flowing in streams and pools. The land there turned black and hard as stone, but it got the benefit of being truly warm and comfy for a destressing vacation. There were some all-knowing, somewhat shy karasus willing to help you enjoy the best there.

Further north was a hill covered with a thick bamboo forest. Every breeze that flew by made a melody. Every bird that built its nest there gladly joined the orchestra. Every flow of water down the creek spun the waterwheel rhythmically 'tap', 'tap', 'tap'. The inaris there were known for their graceful appearance and creativity.

At the northernmost dock was a mountain range tipped in snow but had a series of hot springs on the side. The higher you climbed the more dangerous cliffs and slopes you faced, and there was a chain of caves too, the kind of cave that made you feel as if getting lost in a maze.

A few minutes walk west to the beach were the rocky dunes. Layers of flat rocks were carved into a fin-like structure by the force of the sea. The land went slowly up until the rocks became soil. For that natural advantage, the land was the main producer of the island's living, hence the super strong, helpful, and hardworking creatures, especially the ushis.

North to the place was a quite separate smaller island attached to the land only by a long wooden bridge. You could imagine it as a giant earth donut, seeing how seawater surrounded it and a lake right in the middle. This was where the kappas dominated - naughty, fun-loving amphibian boys that might freak you out at first sight but later reduced to just...annoying.

And then there's a boathouse village at the northwest. The water there was also shallow, much like at the beach, but the shore was muddy and hard instead of having soft sand.

So, there you go, the nameless paradise lost in the ocean!

Well, not exactly lost anymore since the first creatures drifted off there. They introduced the aboriginals to outside civilization, and the island began to have guests.

Don't take it wrong, as if the creatures on the island didn't enjoy having visitors. Quite the opposite, they loved seeing new faces around. Things changed rapidly. A port was built south and northwest, where the shore was clear and widely-opened. Business bloomed and the island had its first city in the Southwest named Scaly, after the rocky fin-like structure.

Then it started.

Supposedly... It was on the beach. It was normal for locals to have a run throughout the length of the beach here and then, but a tourist insisted on making it more serious, making it a race.

"It'd be fun!" They promised. "With a little competitiveness, you'll have tons of visitors wanting to try it out right here, and whoever wins gets to be famous and honored for this whole island to know, maybe the whole world! Isn't that great?"

Well, after a while, the coastal people were convinced and held an obstacle marathon. Sure enough, for the first race that took place, there were just about one hundred participants. The next race in the following was even more crowded, and so on. Though, some winners were disappointed, seeing how the game they got wasn't as close as they imagined it should've been. Not the whole island knew them.