Strange things had been happening as of late. He had been a little further south but had ended up near the Eastern edge.
No matter where he went, the fireflies followed. They didn't seem to be doing any harm, and neither were the plants and animals. He had been bold enough to chase down and kill a glowing rabbit, even going as far as consuming it. After all, what did he have to lose? But after eating, nothing bad seemed to happen. It didn't taste much different compared to normal, non-glowing prey. So it seemed these weird creatures of the night were alright. Save for the cougar that had ambushed him the other day. He was still very sore from that. His cuts and bites were scabbing over. The bruises still healing, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. He knew the very basics of healing himself, at least. Nothing spectacular. He walked quietly up the cliff, the flowers around him glowing an array of blues and purples and greens. Oranges and yellows sprinkled in. It looked surreal. Calming. He didn't feel wary or the sense of foreboding that others might feel. But then again, he had eaten a rabbit that was glowing, so maybe he wasn't deterred from a whole lot to begin with. He had spent a lot of time alone since his brother left a few years back...perhaps that had a lot to do with it, too.

As he neared the top of the cliffs, he saw more fireflies dancing about. And it seemed like as soon as they saw him, they were eager to join him and dance around him. He couldn't help but be awed by them, whether they were true fireflies or not, their presence brought a sense of peace to his life. Maybe they were a special kind of winter firefly...cousins to the normal variant he saw in other parts of Boreas. He walked among them, using their light as a guide while he was also careful not to accidentally go walking off the cliff. Though truth be told, it almost appeared as if the fireflies were keeping him from doing just that. Making a sort of path for him to walk, steering him clear and away from the sudden drop that lied at the end. Huh, fancy that...

So far, he had nothing but positive experiences with the strange and mysterious phenomena going on. Not including the cougar with the glowing, green eyes of course. But other than that, he wasn't about to complain. He found a nice, comfortable spot in what seemed to be the center of the top of the cliff, and there he chose to sit and simply watch the ocean beyond. The glow of the moon spilled over the water, its reflection dancing on the surface. The stars above seemingly streaked and blurred across the sky, which he thought was the strangest thing of all. He couldn't see the constellations he was used to seeing, which would make navigating more difficult for those who depended on the stars to guide them, but he used his keen sense of smell and expertise in hunting and tracking more than anything. Plus, he knew most of the lands in Boreas like the back of his paw. And with his Osprey companion, he didn't have any trouble navigating the world.

He turned his attention back to the fireflies as they circled him, bobbing gently up and down and all around as if they were performing some sort of weird protective ritual around him. He wondered if these were the same ones he had encountered up North, or if they were related at all. Maybe they caught word of the cougar that had attacked him. But then the more he thought about it, the more he thought he probably seemed crazy to think that. They were bugs, so he thought. But who knows, maybe these little creatures were just as intelligent as his own kind.

He was curious though. He reached out with his nose to touch one, and the tiny blue creature welcomed him as it landed neatly on his nose. He couldn't really clearly see a body. All he saw was a blue glowing sphere on his muzzle, but he could somehow tell that it seemed to mimic the same curiosity for him. that he had for it. Maybe these things weren't bad to begin with. Maybe they were just assumed as something bad and ominous because it was something new and unknown. Wasn't that how most discoveries started out though?

He gently blew on the little "firefly", watching it dance away briefly before coming back to land on him. He chuckled softly as he enjoyed his time on this still night. With nothing but the company of the fireflies around him and the sound of the waves below. As he watched the strange stars above, he paid little mind to the fireflies as they began to draw closer until they dotted his pelt. Slowly, he turned his head to look at the little creatures that had chosen him as their perch. They weren't in any particular form on him, but they dotted his body here and there. They lined down his back, sat on his tail, his head, his legs...they were gentle much as he was when...well, when the beast in his head wasn't in motion.

He sighed with content, feeling like he was safe and could relax for once. Though he knew once he left the area, he'd go right back into survival mode. Watching his back for predators to fight with over food since it was winter, and he was none too keen about it. But he'd been doing it for the better part of his life, so what was a little longer? Or however long it took before he finally found somewhere he felt at peace. He wished Ty had stuck around...but he was tired of holding onto the memory of his brother and the abandonment that he was constantly given...

WC: 1,004

"SPEAK"

art by Risketch

Cloudburst

The air feels somehow thicker than before. You also find 2 crystals. Maybe these are worth keeping…

Kali had ventured much further east than she normally did, this time wandering just to wander. Perhaps it wasn’t such a good idea, all things considered. The environment was ripe for some sort of terror to befall her but it wasn’t as if she was alone. Yui, her akita companion, trailed along with her, ever her shadow at all times. She’d scaled the falls before venturing over to a cliff, the loud sound of waves crashing against rock and the cold spray of water dotting her pale pelt. In the distance, a pale form took shape. It was in the form of a wolf, a male larger than her (though that wasn’t hard to be) and cloaked in shadows from the middles of his legs down in an ever darkening gradient, as well as a stripe covering his ears and going down to the tip of his tail. As she neared, she began to be able to make out his eyes, one a similar silver to her own, while the other was a bright gold. He looked so serene that she almost hated to make a noise, but it was better than startling him. She let out a gentle chuff of greeting, staying a respectable distance away with a friendly smile on her lips.

"Speech"