The changes that were suddenly unleashed upon the world didn't go unnoticed to Sota, and while part of him had hoped they might simply fade away, it became increasingly clear that things were only getting stranger. The long nights, the ever-present moon, and the strange patterns the stars made across the sky were just one small part of the weirdness - weirder still were the glowing crystals and mushrooms that were sprouting up everywhere he went. He shied away from the outer wall of the castle, noting a brightly-glowing cluster of rocks there that he was keen to avoid. Something about the was unnerving and no matter how hard he tried to rationalize what was going on, he couldn't seem to shake some level of anxiety about it all. Perhaps ignoring it wasn't the right way to go about it, though. Did this have anything to do with the massive beasts that had appeared last winter? He hadn't seen any sign of them since the pack had hunted one down. He liked to think that they'd taken it as a warning and fled, but perhaps they'd left of their own accord... though he worried now if they'd simply known something far worse than a group of hunters might be in their future. Sota shivered at the thought, making another wide arc around a tree. At the base of the tree was a tight cluster of brightly-glowing mushrooms. In the dim light - he was hard to tell what time of day it was lately, Sota had begun to realize, since the sun never seemed to fully rise anymore - it was hard to make much out about them, but he was content for now to pause and examine them, trying to see what he could discover from sight alone.

The unending night was beginning to wear on him, the meagre sunrises that never gained much traction. He struggled to keep track of time, and changing patrol shifts were beginning to waver in consistency as the pack fought to keep their sense of each passing day. His frustration mounted with each sleepless night he was forced to endure, the never waning moon casting its pale rays through the tattered curtains of his window and onto the smooth stone floors. So when he was relieved by the next member of the daily (nightly?) patrol, the freedom of having the rest of his day to himself was.. not particularly enjoyable. Lumbering through the castle grounds, the cosmic titan seemed to glimmer eerily. The bluish rays of the moon caught the lighter hues of his pelage, and they rolled like the waves of the sea with each ripple of his muscles beneath his pelt. For a moment he considered returning to his room on the third floor of the castle to rest, but it would only fuck up his sleep schedule further. It was only when he stumbled upon the petite form of a wolf with rathe intricate markings that he paused. Following the tip of the wolf's dark muzzle, his attention fell upon a cluster of glowing mushrooms. Their light waxed and waned in a relatively steady rhythm, drawing him closer unconsciously. With a small scowl as he approached, he said "Careful, boy. No telling what those things'll do to you." in a low, rumbling voice. It was only when he had drawn nearly abreast of the other wolf that the scent finally wafted up into his nostrils. Ah, fuck. This was most certainly a grown adult, despite his diminutive stature. Insulting packmates was certainly in character for him, though he wasn't certain he should be making enemies so soon. Best to do some damage control. "Er... I thought you were a child, my mistake." he grunted, glancing over and down at the other wolf. A short pause, his brilliant gaze trained on the fungi growing in a tight cluster at the base of the tree in the courtyard. If he were a more spiritual man, he might have called them magical. Instead, he continued to frown at them. "What do you think is making them crop up like this? The moon?" he questioned softly without looking over, entranced by the gentle ebb and flow of the bioluminescence. ""

No matter where Sota went he always felt at least slightly out of place; he didn't let these feelings weigh too heavily on him, but the strange occurrences that were plaguing Auster seemed to make him feel that much more alienated. He'd always been the adaptable sort though and he wasn't one to complain, hardly ever, so he faced this new chapter with as much optimism as he could manage. At his core he was still a realistic wolf, so he wouldn't make assumptions about the seemingly never-ending night and the strange assortment of colors that suddenly appeared. It wasn't any pattern he was familiar with and he wouldn't be quick to draw conclusions about it until he knew for certain what was happening. The presence of another spooked him slightly, not for lack of warning but simply due to the unease that had wedged itself deep in his bones. He couldn't fault him for assuming he was a child as it was something he was used to. He broke the awkwardness with a dismissive laugh and shake of his head. He was glad to have some company out tonight, no matter what. "Ah, it's no worry. Common misconception," Sota admitted with another quiet chuckle. If he made a habit to be offended over mistakes like that he would've been made a bitter man long before now, but he shook it off easily, content to focus on his surroundings. "Maybe. They do seem related, somehow…" He'd noticed the way plants seemed to reflect the moon's eerie glow, and with its constant presence in the sky it didn't seem implausible. "Have you ever seen anything like this? I can't say I've ever paid much attention to mushrooms, but…" He trailed off, distracted as he watched one of the nearby ones ebb and glow like it was somehow breathing. His paw itched to touch it, to see what it might do.

The petite male shrugged off the accidental misspeak, content to move on to the real meat of the situation. The strange fungi. Lowering his heavy skull towards the ground, the titan carefully scented the tightly clustered mushrooms in hopes of gathering some kind of extra clue. As his whiskers brushed the edge of a glowing cap, he swore he saw the mushroom twitch. A tingling sensation travelled up his whiskers, one he typically associated with coming too close to a fire. The very end of his nose felt suddenly dry, as though the moisture from the cool evening air had been suddenly wicked away by warmth. Snorting softly at the odd sensation, he pulled his head away quite suddenly and curled his lip. "I've seen glowing mushrooms before," he grunted, glancing over at the other male. "These ones are.. not right. With the moon and the stars acting like this, I would find it more difficult to believe they are not connected. Have you noticed the crystals that have started to sprout all over the castle walls? I can't look at them too long, they give me a headache." he added with a frown. Careful paws circled around the cluster of mushrooms, wary of potential burns from the unexpected heat they gave off. Pressing the length of one sharp tush against the bark of the tree, he worked the gleaming enamel against the trunk until some of the bark crumbled away. Scooping the debitage up in one massive paw, the giant male gently overturned the bark onto the caps of the mushrooms. If they had warmed his face up that quickly, and sucked the moisture from his nose, maybe they would burn away the bark too. "I swear these things just about burned my nose off a second ago," he offered the brief explanation with a small frown as he circled back to stand beside the small male and wait for something to happen. "Oh, uh, my name is Deion.." he added awkwardly, floundering in the face of social interaction. Manners and niceties weren't his strong suit. ""

Woah… had it really moved? Sota flinched slightly as he watched the mushroom twitch, as if retreating away from Deion's touch. "Uhh…" Was he seeing things? He felt like the air had suddenly deflated from his lungs. Perhaps he was just overtired; that seemed far more comforting than any alternative. "I've seen some odd mushrooms but none that react the way these do," he admitted. He'd never seen glowing ones either though Deion had it seemed these were even more different. He nodded slowly to his question about the crystals. "I've seen them, but I've been careful not to get too close. All of this is too strange for me. I'm not sure what to make of it." He let out a quiet sigh as be watched Deion lower some bark onto the mushrooms to see how they'd react. "I'm Sota," he added with a small smile. He was glad the other male came to stand beside him, content to keep his distance from the strange mushroom growths

Sota

You watch as your companion tests the way the mushroom reacts but a strange feeling comes over you, a shiver running up your spine. Something about this reminds you of a dream you can't remember. Probably better you didn't get any closer.

JOHNNY BROUGHT A ROCKET TO A KNIFE FIGHT, HE GOT SICK OF PEOPLE THINKING HE'S A GOOD GUY It felt a bit more reassuring to know that someone else was just as confused about the state of their little corner of the world. The shards of bark tumbled onto the caps of the mushrooms, slick with condensation from the cool winter air. Even here, the nights had not been warm this winter since the sun rarely rose past the horizon for the past few weeks. He squinted at the mess of tiny splinters that were now scattered across the tops of the gently growing cluster, cautiously dropping his head lower to see if they reacted. Half of them had skittered onto the grass below, dusted with a faint residue that caught the moonlight just so. Perhaps they were also glowing, so faint that it could be mistaken for catching the pale rays cast upon them, but he wasn't interested in getting too much closer to figure it out himself. He dropped his rump heavily onto the ground, opting to digest any of the new occurrences as they came up. Tipping his head slightly towards the small male at his side, he tilted his auds towards him to better catch the soft timbre of his words. Sota was his name. It suited him, in an odd way. Perhaps the simplicity of the syllables contrasted his intricate markings, or it was a short name for a short fellow. One of those two, or something like them. "I can only assume that once the sky gets itself sorted out, things will go back to normal. My kin folk might have called for a sacrifice by now, but I'm hardly interested in hunting down an unwitting victim at this point." he snorted derisively, a quirk of the corner of his dark maw betraying his amusement as he winked conspiratorially at Sota. Humour was a tenuous strand that he was grasping at desperately in the hopes that it would get him through to the end of this strange season with most of his faculties intact. ""

Deion

As you gently push the wood chips into the cluster of fungi you swear you feel it pull away from you. Jolting away suddenly with sadly no sign of smoke.

Maybe you shouldn't have done that...

As the wood chips settled onto the cluster of fungi, they seemed to stir. Auds perked, seeking the familiar sizzle of tinder catching fire, or the telltale wisps of smoke. Instead, the sudden shifting of their stalks seemed to slide the remaining bark down onto the ground. He dropped his head lower to the ground once more, and as he loomed over the gently glowing group of mushrooms, he got the distinct impression that they flinched away from his approach. "I really have never seen anything quite like this, I don't believe we should be spending too much more time near them." he grumbled quietly, glancing over his shoulder to fix his brilliant gaze upon the small male at his side. Something about this truly didn't sit right with him, and now that he'd witnessed the little fungi reacting to the presence of the looming titan before them, he was only more certain that there was something distinctly unnatural about them. "If I die soon, it will be because these little bastards just cursed me." he added as he straightened back up. Taking a few short strides backwards, he swung his head over to fix it upon Sota. "Care to indulge me in walking for a little while? Getting away from those little mushrooms may be a wise decision.." he admitted with a rueful smile, dark lips curling around the shape of the pale tushes that pushed up from his lower jaw. Brightly hued banner swept across his heels a few times, a subtle expression of the growing anxiety that lurked at the back of his mind as he turned over the new discoveries of the winter season. ""

Deion - It Continues...

Huh? It doesn't seem like anything happened... Well, maybe that's for the best...