Kelpbone Steps
Bran
“A tall, lean harbor boy as tall as an adult human, wearing patched boots and a coil of rope over one shoulder, with a bright, daring grin.”
Bran is a lanky rope-runner who stands as tall as a doorway, with salt-stiff hair and quick hands always busy with knots and coils. He lives for the thrill of a proper challenge and can't resist proving that something tricky can be done if he tries hard enough.
4 stories feature Bran
Where you've met them
The Vanishing Water Path
At Kelpbone Steps, the tide drops away farther than anyone expected and leaves a narrow, slippery path around a line of sea stacks that is normally underwater. The only way to reach a stranded tide pool shelter is before the water surges back and cuts the path in two.
The Hungry Tide Pools
At Kelpbone Steps, a school of hungry shoreline fish surges into the lower pools earlier than usual and starts stripping away the seaweed beds that shelter crabs, shells, and eggs. The problem is immediate: if the pools are emptied too quickly, many small sea creatures will lose the places they need to hide.
The Wind-Tangled Harbor
At Kelpbone Steps, the wind shifts hard against the harbor and turns every loose sail, hanging net, and drying line into a flapping tangle that blocks the steps and startles the smaller animals nearby. Something has to be done soon, because each gust makes the tangle bigger and more dangerous for anyone trying to pass.
The Broken Coastal Path
At Kelpbone Steps, a cliff-side path used for carrying seaweed and salt starts to crumble after a night of rough waves. The only safe way for people to reach the lower cove is now cut off, so someone has to find a new route before the tide turns again.