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| Coral ecosystem beneath the raft. Coral grows upon the raft branches, just as on our own Earth coral can grow upon various surfaces, even a sunken ship. Fish hide amid the poisonous coral, protecting themselves from predators such as the seaswallower. Fleshborers, which can eat into a Sharer body and devour one in minutes, also hide in the coral and seasilk. Merwen and other Sharers watch the coral and its inhabitance for signs of illness, parasites, or overpopulation. Fleshborers especially become overpopulated just in time for the migration of seaswallowers. Some seaswallowers succumb to fleshborers, but they clear out most of them, leaving the raft clear of predators for several months. |