Evening fell quicker than Álarr anticipated. It was like one moment the sun was there and the next it was gone, leaving him wondering how he miscalculated so poorly. He steeled himself and pushed on through the Soulless Forest. He'd found some Alder bark as well as Willow and now it was time for him to work his way back. The forest was chilly and dark, a strange heaviness falling over the landscape. He moved along a path that seemed dark blue under the strange glow of the moon. His attention was immediately grabbed by a cluster of yellow green lights glowing near the base of a tree and as he approached he realized it was a strange clump of plants. No wait, little mushrooms? Álarr stared in surprise. He didn't know of any fungi that could survive growing in the winter. What on earth were they doing here?

This place definitely made Spirit feel uneasy. He'd set out on a few day journey away from home - once a skittish boy who would've been scared to leave Abaven, now he was… well, still very skittish but often more comfortable on his own. He trusted his sense of direction more now and knew he wouldn't get so lost he couldn't make it back home, and being alone often helped ease some of his anxieties. Often being the key word. Tonight was a different sort of night compared to what he was used to though. The nighttime seemed darker, despite the moon seeming larger than usual.

He didn't notice the luminescent mushrooms, at least not at first. He saw the silhouette of someone up ahead before he noticed anything else unusual - though he had seen a few bright fireflies flitting about not far back. He didn't pay much mind to them. He cleared his throat as he got closer, noting the stranger's horns at the last second. Strange… he'd never seen anything like that before. And then his attention zeroed in on the glowing things at the base of the tree. If not for his curiosity he probably would've backed away, but suddenly he was feeling not only curious but a bit frightened as well being alone out here. Maybe his mind was just playing tricks on him? "H-hello," Spirit cleared his throat and spoke up. "S-sorry if I'm interrupting…"

Álarr crouched down to get a better look at the strange mushrooms with their glowing green caps. They were pretty but something about their glow was unnerving. Álarr looked up as he heard someone approach. He turned his head to see a young black and white wolf. The stranger seemed quite shy, stuttering as he spoke. "It's alright, you're not interrupting. I was merely trying to figure out what these are." He lifted his paw and pointed at the glowing mushrooms. "I confess I'm not familiar with this variety and I'm surprised to seeing them grow here in winter." He had his suspicions that the mushrooms were dangerous, based on the brightness of their glow and the strange neon hue. To him it seemed to scream danger but it was hard to say for sure.

As he drew a bit closer, he could definitely make out the glowing mushroom near the horned stranger. It was definitely one of the stranger things he'd seen, and apparently Alarr was equally as bewildered by it. He tilted his head as he admitted he wasn't interrupting anything. "T-they look like mushrooms, b-but..." he trailed off for a moment as he searched for his tongue. "I-I'd be surprised to see mushrooms here right now. A-and I've never seen any mushroom glow like that." Nor any plant he'd ever seen. Being wary of them was a good idea but he couldn't deny he was curious nonetheless. At least looking wouldn't hurt - or so he hoped.

Álarr glanced curious at the healer as the young man's words faded out. He stuttered out that he was surprised to see the mushrooms in winter and glowing on top of that. Álarr nodded. "I was wondering that myself. It's far to cold to see them growing like this but then I am not an expert in fungi. I have heard of them glowing. A wandering maned wolf told me of a cavern in the west full of them." Could the mushrooms be spreading? It seemed like quite a ways for them to travel and then there was still the matter of it being winter. It was cold and dry for the most part, so how was it they were managing to grow so well here. "Well, I think it best to keep moving. I don't trust an herb glowing like that. Seems like a warning."

Álarr

A nearby lizard licks some glowing dust out of his eye. You also find 1 crystal. Maybe these are worth keeping…