There was once a lone tropical island surrounded by nothing but the churning waves of the ocean. It was 50 feet in diameter, and bore nothing but hot sand and two large palm trees whose leaves bristled in the salty air. Sitting between these trees, nestled into the soft beach, was an egg. It stood six feet tall bore the brunt of months of salt water and more constantly buffeting it. The colorful spots along the shell were pretty faded, but the constitution remained firm, keeping its contents safe from the weather. Not a soul came across this egg, in its time alone on the island, the mother involved having long-since departed. It was on an unremarkable cloudless day when this island saw some action.

The egg was hatching!

It was a lengthy process, taking several hours, but then in a burst of weakened egg shell the entire carapace burst apart, obliterate. The hatchling stumbled out and squinted against the bright sun, the heat feeling excellent on her nascent scales and body. The first step this creature took sank into the softness of the small land she was upon, the sharp talon-like claw a microcosm of the much larger footprint left behind all those months ago. This creature, known to the world as Plessie, peered down between her own foot and the imprint, curious. The first real emotion she felt coursed through her being then and there, a strong pulse of determination. She knew in her soul that she would grow to be such size, and her current driving instinct – hunger – would be slaked all the more easily by then. But that didn’t stop this Plessie from letting out a very squeaky roar out over the ocean, sharp white teeth bared, claws flexing into sand, paws with sharp-tipped digits gesticulating.

Kiwani the Plessie was born, and she was prepared to rule the waters that surrounded her.

As she took to the waters for the first time in her life, wide, almost-webbed claws propelling her swiftly, tail steering her of its own accord, excitement flowed through her consciousness. The ocean was teeming with life, and Kiwani found no urge or need to hold her breath when traversing under the waves. Her first meal was secured within an hour of hatching, a school of unassuming fish that stood no chance against the several-foot-tall infant. There was gnashing of teeth, swinging of head, failed escape of aquatic life, and Kiwani filled her belly to the brim. She was set for more despite feeling full, when a looming shadow blotted out the quavering light of the sun above. It was some creature utterly dwarfing her in size, making massive currents that nearly shoved her to the bottom of the ocean. The gigantic thing loomed and eyed her from below, and the young one’s instincts screamed flee! She motored her way back to the island, the monster above too bulky to turn and give chase, or just dismissing her as not worth it. Kiwani exploded on to the isle and panted, on all fours, heart racing. Perhaps the ocean wasn’t completely in her dominion just yet.

Months followed as Kiwani – that word being the first and only thing she could utter, and therefore what she called herself – lived on that lonesome island. No concept of family crossed her mind, thoughts always centered around surviving, exploring, wondering if there was more to the world than water. Each adventure took her further, and her ever-growing body took her to new lengths across the ocean. In a month she was double her hatch size, and every day saw additional spurts of growth. Her scales graduated away from the pure pink she’d started with, red invading and darkening her look. The cream-colored underside, conversely, remained fixed. Stripes along her back were unknown to the dino who lacked eyes on the back of her head, tinged an even deeper shade of red. Light orange fins protruded from her head and tail, Kiwani liking to chase the latter in all directions for play. The brightness in those sky blue eyes were forever-hidden by the permanent scowl traced around them, her default expression one of calculation and intimidation. Six long months shaped this Plessie with Kiwani maturing day by day, her standing growing to match the trees that oversaw her egg. Kiwani knew that it was time to leave the island for good, and take on whatever might await her in the deep waters beyond.

Nothing challenged her. Kiwani wasn’t used to being the one most fled from, instead of the other way around! Her appetite had increased due to her size, and anything living or not was fair game as far as she was concerned. The many fauna of the ocean continued fueling her endeavors to find more islands like the only one she ever knew. Months later still, Kiwani encountered intelligent life for the first time. Those sailing the seas first fled from her, but Kiwani’s curiosity at their sounds and floating devices prevented her from just eating them on the spot. She would swim side by side these sea-faring vessels for days or weeks at a time, her still-maturing mind adapting to language. It wasn’t long before she could speak more than just her name, and she learned quite a lot.

Thanks to those kindnesses, ocean travelers above the water got nothing but gratitude from Kiwani, who adjusted her mission in life to not just hunt, but protect, those above… unless she was very hungry. More than one creature lost at sea owed Kiwani their lives after she found and ferried them to safety. One such creature even reminded her of herself! They were comparatively smaller, standing up to her knees at best, and bore boots over what she assumed were talons as sharp as hers. This small, green dinosaur showed off his long tongue and taught her all about his species. Yoshi, they were called, and they predominantly hailed from a lovely island that he was trying to get to, before his boat sank and he thought himself fish food. Kiwani took this information to heart, nodding serenely, with a growling stomach shrouded under the water. The yoshi, perched on Plessie’s head, guided her towards the island, where he was sure a Plessie would be a welcome guest!

Only when Yoshi’s Island was in view did Kiwani give a flick of her head, extend her jaws wide under the shocked, terrified yoshi, and swallow him down without hesitation. She never revealed how tantalizing the yoshi smelled, and her taste buds finally confirmed what she suspected. And now she had an entire island of food, based on what the yoshi told her! Licking her lips, Kiwani swam onward, to find herself some place to rest near a massive island positively brimming with food. In the weeks that followed, a reputation of a large Plessie, one considerably sharper than most, was plaguing yoshi tribes who lived near water. Kiwani’s reputation as the Beach Snatcher spread like wildfire across the island, and something had to be done!

Kiwani was shocked when, on sighting a fresh batch of yoshies one day, were actively opposing her simple act of eating them up. That wasn’t what prey were supposed to do! But they were armed with sharp sticks and volleys of eggs that certainly perturbed, but did not threaten, the large Plessie. After making a quick meal out of three of them, a loud authoritative voice cut across the feeding frenzy and brought everyone to a standstill, Kiwani included: Another yoshi, larger than those attacking, made his way up to Kiwani and stared up, showing no threats. He spoke calmly and was able to calm the wild Plessie, at least to the point of him not getting gobbled up on the spot. (Her belly being stuffed with multiple squirming yoshies also helped to placate her.) Negotiations were held, and for the first time in her life Kiwani had to bargain instead of just taking what she wanted.

Kiwani couldn’t get enough to eat of those scrumptious yoshies. This was something she wouldn’t budge on: Even if she would leave to explore more of the ocean, she would always return to what she considered more of a permanent home now. The wise chief yoshi accepted this reality, and did what he could to limit Kiwani’s predation. She wasn’t to make landfall beyond the sands of the beaches. Some local tribes may have to relocate more inland, but she was not to go chasing after them. Further, she would not lay a claw on any hatchling. (This was something Kiwani had no issues with – hatchlings were hardly a mouthful as it was.) The yoshies of the island would exercise caution on these beaches, knowing that, just like with the beast-filled jungles and lakes, they explored at their own peril.

Lastly, the chief yoshi demanded, Kiwani would protect the island, to the best of her ability, should any threats encroach. Kiwani was hesitant to agree to all these terms, given how easily she could rampage and take what she wanted without obligation… but she didn’t like having to fight so hard for her meals. The last demand was particularly egregious, as Kiwani saw herself as a friend to all who sailed the ocean waters, given past experience. The chief understood, and did his best to differentiate simple travelers from those actively seeking to invade Yoshi’s Island for any number of nefarious purposes. “Trust your instincts on this one,” he guided, and Kiwani reluctantly agreed. The surviving yoshi warriors aside laid down their weaponry, and the truce was struck. Better to have a large ferocious creature who only ate a small fraction of the population, instead of taking all she wanted whenever she wanted! The chief yoshi saved many lives that day, even if there were unfortunate concessions to be had in this world of voracious dinosaurs.

The sharp-toothed Plessie still got enough yoshi food to sate her cravings, but she largely fed on the aquatic life surrounding the island and beyond. True to her word, she also kept watch for anything odd out at sea, either to help those lost, or repel those who were evil. Months passed, Kiwani now towering over 15 feet tall, and clearly well-fed given how wide her stance had become. She wasn’t sure if a Plessie ever stopped growing, but was excited to see just how big she could get. One sunny evening she caught herself full-on in the reflection of calm waters, which jogged one of her earliest memories. That looming monster silhouetted by the sun above it. It was another Plessie, she realized then. Larger and fiercer than she was even now, though the memory was hazy and could be misremembering. She shivered on instinct, but also let her thoughts be drawn in by the memory. And oddly enough… she felt that one day she would encounter that other Plessie again.

It would be nice to find any other Plessie. Perhaps one day she would encounter that one again. Perhaps not. Her gaze turned to the horizon beyond, all blue with waves cresting. Her eyes narrowed, that initial thought post-hatching roaring out again. Determination. In one swift motion the Plessie dove forward and jetted her way out into the open sea, wide splashes in her wake. It’d been some time since she’d gone for an all-night swim, lit only by the stars above, but the fire in Kiwani’s heart was blazing, and nothing was going to stand in her way.