Since all of the strange night time occurrences began he started spending longer stretches in Ashen's lands, trying to keep a lookout for anything dangerous that the mists and fireflies might have brought. He asked Void and Rava to stay in the den after dark, at least until he got back home to them, and was seriously considering asking Venom if the two of them could move into one of the dens within the pack's lands until all of this blew over even though so far the mists and fireflies didn't seem to be harmful in any way. He just couldn't shake the unease he felt over it after the experience he had in that run down house that was seemingly haunted.

He walked through the pale trees of the forest, passing by the pack's main gathering spots just to make sure everything was settled before he headed to his den. He was about to pass by the azumaya where he had watched Ikigai's lovely concert when he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to see his niece there. His ears perked with surprise and he gave her a smile, stopping his patrol to walk over to her. "Hello, Ikigai. You're out awfully late," he commented. Admittedly it had never been easier to be out at night with the ever present full moon and the bright fireflies dancing through the air to give plenty of light to see by, but that didn't mean he liked her being out here alone.

Plague Abraxas-Destruction

Ever since her encounter with the boar, Ikigai's mind had opened up to the possibilities of the world. She had been searching for the boar or similar things about it since then. And tonight, she'd found them. It had to be at night, of course. Fireflies didn't come out during the day. The girl who was normally in bed with the moon and up with the sun was now seated out in the dark by herself. Ah, but she wasn't by herself, and even less more so when Plague appeared.

"Uncle," she greeted him with a dip of her crown. "Come, watch this." The pale princess had her Koto set out before her, the long, stringed instrument just waiting to be played. Lifting her delicate paws, the girl plucked the strings, only a bar or two of music, but all around them the bright, glowing lights appeared, seeming to illuminate to the beat of the music that she played. Ikigai gave a low, soft laugh and looked to her uncle to gauge his reaction.

"X"

Plague smiled softly as Ikigai beckoned him over to where she was sitting and he dutifully stepped into the pavilion, walking over to her side and looking at the instrument she had in front of her. It was one of the ones she had played at her concert and he looked at her curiously as she went to play a few notes. His emerald gaze went from watching her talented toes to quickly glancing up at the glowing world around them, blinking in surprise as everything suddenly began to glow brighter, pulsing in time to her music as if it was all responding to her playing. He watched in awe through the duration of the few bars of music she played. It was really the first time since all of this began that he actually found something beautiful in these mysterious events and it made him wonder if perhaps he was jumping to conclusions with it all. "Wow," he said with a soft chuckle, grinning as he looked back down at his niece. Settling back on his haunches beside her, he asked, "Would you mind playing a bit more? I enjoy your music and it seems like whatever this is does as well."

Plague Abraxas-Destruction

Another soft laugh pulled from the young fae as her uncle reacted to the sudden bright lights around them. He asked her to play a bit more and Iki grinned. "Of course." The girl's digits plucked at the strings and the fireflies surged, dancing to the beat of the music. Ikigai played faster and the shimmering lights flitted about faster and faster as well. It was difficult to take her eyes off of them, their cerulean light reflecting in the girl's mercuric gaze. Faster and faster she played. More and more of the lights accumulated beneath the azumaya, glowing brighter and brighter as though the sun shone blue around them.

The beauty of the lights had gone from delicate dancing to haphazard, fervent vibrating and buzzing. Their movement was chaotic and uncomfortable to watch, but Ikigai was a wolf possessed. She couldn't make her paws stop moving. Unable to even close her eyes against the brightness, the light was bringing spots before her eyes. Panic rose in her, but she couldn't stop. Then, just as she felt that she might scream, one of the strings snapped, lashing back and slicing one of the girl's pads. Ikigai cried out, bringing her paws to her chest and finally closing her eyes against the onslaught of light.

"X"

Plague settled in to watch the lights as Ikigai began to play, a little smile lingering on his lips as he watched them. He was always so amazed at his niece's talents and how effortlessly she played. The fireflies glowed and danced in time with the music and made a dazzling light show. As she started to play faster so did they and steadily it turned from a slow, steady blinking and glow to a fast flash of lights. He squinted at the lights and eventually looked down at Ikigai, his smile fading and his expression growing more concerned. She seemed to just stare directly into these bright lights that he was having to squint to look at and her plucking was just exponentially getting faster as if she wasn't in control of the music any more.

"Um... Ikigai, I think maybe-" he said as he began to wrap a paw around her shoulders to try and pull her away from the instrument, but before he could one of the strings snapped and cut her paw, making his ears fall back at the sound of her cry. Whatever beauty he might have found in the moment was swept away by worry and concern, wrapping his foreleg around her and pulling her into him while she cradled her paw against her chest. Now that the music was gone the fireflies began to fade, but there was some that still lingered for a bit longer, dancing around the instrument that had made them go crazy before they eventually dispersed as well.

Once the blinding blue light faded he sighed softly and losened his protective hold around her, looking down at her with worried emerald eyes. "Are you alright?" he asked, gently taking her paw and turning it over to check it. "Come, lets get you home. I can help you fix your broken string tomorrow if you'd like." He didn't know much about instruments, but he was quite handy and good at crafting so he had a feeling he could at least be a help. He gave her a gentle smile and helped her to her feet before leading her back home, keeping her close until they got there. He already hadn't felt good about the fireflies and the ominous feeling they brought, but this solidified that in his mind.

Plague Abraxas-Destruction

Blood welled from the girl's paw pad and she watched the blood drop onto her Koto. Uncle Plague was there with her, promising to fix her string tomorrow. For now, he wanted to get her back to the palace and she wouldn't argue. Though the fireflies hadn't been angry with her, there was now fear in Ikigai when it came to them. She wouldn't be straying outside at night again. The experience with the boar had been one thing, but this... this was entirely different.

Sticking close to her uncle, Ikigai let him lead her back towards the palace and away from the azumaya. "What do you think they want?" She was mostly speaking out loud. If he didn't answer, she wouldn't have been upset about it. The little princess's mind was going a mile a minute, trying to figure out the mystery of the blue glow.

"X"

Plague

You think you see a will-o-wisp in the far distance. You also find 3 mushrooms. Maybe these are worth keeping…

Ikigai

You think you see a will-o-wisp in the far distance. You also find 4 crystals. Maybe these are worth keeping…