He grinned down at Hika, shoving down any thoughts of cliffs and heights and falling. All that mattered was Hika, and this moment. His white-coated friend deserved happiness, and this entire venture was to give Hika a wonderful experience and a chance to relax.

With a wing over Hika, he grinned down at the smaller wolf “Let's go then!” he said, leading Hika over the sandbar. He didn’t believe Hika had ever been this far South before, and wanted to show the other boy the wonders of this more mild tempered land.

After exciting the Bifrost, they hit the maple trees that surrounded the grove. It was starting to get late, and the full moon was peeking out from beneath the setting sun. Mortis yawned, fighting off a bout of tiredness as he tried to navigate them through the woods. “I’m sure it was just a straight direction from the Bifrost” he admittedly sheepishly to Hika. It was getting dark now, and chances were they would have to forgo the picnic dinner in the groove and hunker down under a maple tree instead.


"Speech"

x

Mortis all but shook off the previous breakdown, his fear was shoved to the side. He pulled through the crippling thoughts, and the two of them made it out the other side whole. Hikaru was happy to follow alongside his friend, Mort was the heir to the Armada. One day he would be his alpha, his leader, and The young koi would follow him to the ends of the earth if he asked it of him.

Hikaru had come through these lands with Mortis not so long ago, they’d stayed in the Hallows for a while. The cold intolerant koi was eager for the warmth of the southern lands, as Mortis no doubt already knew. By the time the two of them crossed into Auster proper the evening was turning to night. The moon rose above the horizon, and Hika was put on edge because of its ominous appearance tonight. Usually he loved the moonlight but there was something about it tonight that had him on edge.

The young man didn’t even realize Mortis was lost until he spoke up sheepishly. Hikaru bumped his shoulder affectionately. "We can find it tomorrow, I don’t mind where we camp.” Hika grinned softly, feeling a little flush at his cheeks even if they were just friends, Hika couldn’t truly deny his deep true feelings for the winged heir.

"Hikaru"

Mortis peered through the trees again. The moon heavy above them cast plenty of light, but everything looked different beneath it. Was it his imagination, or was a light rolling blue mist sweeping beneath the trees? There was an odd glow to everything, and Mortis knew he had lost his way.

Pulling Hika close beneath his wing again, he nodded. “Alright then, let's see if we can find somewhere to hole up” he agreed. Even in the milder Auster lands Mortis had a feeling it was going to be a chill night. And the silly boy hadn’t bothered to bring much in the way of bedding, assuming his wings and their body warmth would keep them snug.


"Speech"

x

They’d been through here a few times before but Hikaru didn’t really recognize anything in front of them. Not that he felt lost by any means. He’d long ago learned how to navigate through the position of the stars. As he looked up into the night sky though even the stars seemed to work against the boy. He tried to ignore it as he leaned into Mort and a strong feathered wing pulled him tighter. Mortis felt the tension too, and he acted to protect him if only subconsciously.

Mortis might have packed light, but Haiku’s pack was a blanket. At least it was a much thicker fur than any overnight bag needed to be. They could sleep on his thick fur, and use whatever Mortis brought for extra warmth. Hika wasn’t worried, Mort was like a heater all of his own. He had been since the day that they met.

"What about that tree up ahead?” He asked softly, gesturing to the massive oak tree that was only barely visible in the mists. Surrounded by maple trees the oak was a huge hundreds of year old trunk. There was a hollow at the base that the both of them could fit within comfortably. The forests seemed far from welcoming, but at the same time seemed to funnel them to the ancient tree.

"Hikaru"

As Mortis considered how he was going to be keeping Hika warm and comfortable on the strange, cold night, the other wolf was finding them a place to sleep. “Looks good” Mortis agreed, frowning at the rising mist. Shivering, both from cold and a feeling he couldn’t quite place. “Come on,” he said as he picked up the pace. “Let's get ourselves tucked in, this nights going to be a cold one”

Ensuring Hika was close to him, he hurried them towards the tree trunk. Before they reached it, a shadow seemed to flitter past them on their right, but when Mortis turned his head, there was nothing there.

"Speech"

x

He wasn’t sure but as the pair of them walked it felt like the mists were growing thicker and the blues of the evening were becoming more intense with every step. The tree seemed like the perfect place for the two of them to rest, but the tension in the air only grew with the blue fog. Hikaru was grateful that he had Mortis at his side. Already the temperatures had dropped, and Hika was startled to see fireflies within the woods. Unlike any lightning bugs he had ever seen these were flashing bright blue, and unaffected by the cold weather.

As the fog rolled in it brought with it strange shadows. Like a creature was passing just out of the corner of their eyes, but when the young man looked there was nothing to behold. Hika leaned harder into Mort’s warm shoulder. From the chill and the chill of the weird events happening around them.

There was relief when they finally reached the tree, though it provided no relief from the night’s tension it was much more welcoming than the rest of the mysterious forest.

"Hikaru"

HIKARU

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

MORTIS

You feel an unmistakable sense of dread. You also find 1 mushroom. Maybe these are worth keeping…