Hattori could see why this place was called Mile-High Woods. The trees, though tangled and interwoven like an ancient tapestry, reached for the sky, branches extended as though hoping to grab the moon itself. Even this place was not immune to the strangeness of the world, blue dots shimmered as they barely hid behind leaves, bringing an unnatural light to a place that ought to be dark. Very few sprites settled at eye level, forcing Hattori to tip his head right back to take in the view as they clustered in the canopy.

He had assumed they weren't sentient, just another oddity roaming this world, but this behaviour seemed deliberate. As like there was a force guiding them, bringing them to everyone's attention.

"speech."

She couldn't quite say what had tempted her back to the place she had first met Gilgamesh. Maybe it was a desire to stare on the strange moon from a greater height, or maybe something in her thought he had been put underneath her as she fell for a reason, and that would be the best place to go and ask her God the reason. Sure she wasn't exactly a great climber, and lacked the necessary mutations to safely scale the trees, but it hadn't stopped her last time and it hadn't stopped her this time either.

The fireflies were getting annoying, like, really annoying. Here she was, trying to balance up on a branch that was twice her height in the air and they kept just buzzing into her face, like, You don't belong here! or some other judgemental rubbish that the girl simply wouldn't entertain. It was as she blew a raspberry to try and discourage a particularly annoying firefly that the scent of home came upon her. She hadn't been homesick like her siblings, not really. She loved the freedom their new lives gave them. She was, of course still saying her prayers like a good kid, but she wasn't trapped inside a stuffy shrine doing it.

She looked down, trying to make out the wolf she knew was somewhere down there. She doubted she would have caught his scent if he had been trying to sneak up "Hattori?" She questioned, sure it was him. She thought she had learned from last time but apparently she hadn't, leaning over too far she lost her balance and fell, this time with an Oof instead of a scream.

"speech".

I saw you change into a goddess
Holy, devine in your power

Hattori had not been expecting company, certainly not for it to come falling down from the canopy above. He stepped out of the way, ears flattening as he took in the sight of Modesty as she crumbled on the floor, all ungainly and awkward as yearlings tended to be. For a loner she seemed well enough, not too skinny or unkempt, but he doubted Toxicity would have it any other way. But what had she been doing up there? Admiring the night sky seemed to be a safe assumption, but he felt as though he ought to ask. In case she had noticed something he had not.

Or rather, he wondered if those of the Abraxas faith had a different take on all these strange happenings? Signs from their Fallen God? He imagined any religion could twist a narrative to suit their beliefs, or even claim that the sprites above were the souls of those who had passed.

He glanced up again, the blue reflections catching in his eyes. "Modesty. What were you doing?"

This time, there was no Gilgamesh to catch her, because she had snuck off on him along with the rest of her family. She was sure he would catch her up in no time, but she was glad he hadn't been here to see this happen... again. She pushed up onto her feet with an embarrassed grin, her face growing hot beneath her fur. She shook any debris from her coat, offering Hattori a broad, more confident smile, despite the way she had come crashing onto the scene. "The moon has been looking really weird, I wanted to get a closer look but the fireflies kept coming at my face. Its all too weird." She acted as if nothing had changed at all, after all, he was still her uncle right? "What are you doing so far from home?" She questioned in turn, shaking her head to dislodge a firefly that buzzed inside her ear.

"speech".

I saw you change into a goddess
Holy, devine in your power

The moon? Hattori nodded in understanding. Aside from its colour it felt larger than it ought to, never waxing or waning, as though frozen in place. Through the gaps in the branches his eyes caught sight of smeared lines above, like shooting stars frozen in place. Instead of settling back into the way things used to be, it seemed as though the world was doubling down, getting worse with each passing night. Was it a good idea for Modesty and her siblings to be wondering out alone? Hattori was not convinced, but it was not his place to say. Not any more.

"There was a dispute over a pack in the north." He told her, wondering how far word had travelled. "What has your mother said about this?" He gestured with a flick of his tail, to the big picture, not just this snow dusted woodland.

Ooo a pack in the North? She hadn't traveled that far yet, and her paws itched to go and check it out, despite the oppressive weirdness that was going on around here. When he asked what her mother said she looked to the sky again, an unfamiliar feeling of guilt making her chest feel heavy. "I... Really don't know. They've all been kinda sad since we left, so I haven't been hanging around much. It so nice out here, y'know? Despite all the weirdness. I like not being stuck in the shrine. But I think they're struggling a bit without an anchor." Her eyes narrowed for a moment, trying to detect some sort of pattern in the sky, something that might hint at a bigger purpose to the moon being strange, and the fireflies being weird, and the glowing mushrooms popping up everywhere. "I dunno what mother thinks, but I think this is bigger than us."

"speech".

I saw you change into a goddess
Holy, devine in your power

Modesty

You get the sense that something is wrong. You also find 3 crystals. Maybe these are worth keeping…