Hunting was becoming more of a challenge this winter, not just from the obvious but from the strange changes particular to this year's winter. The moon was bright and full all the time, never fading. The increase in light was affecting the movements of nocturnal creatures and everything seemed on edge for prey and predator alike. All the same, Mæva had managed to score a kill. She had a young turkey at her paws, a thankfully normal bird with no glowing. A whisper caught her attention and she looked up but could see nothing. The only thing there were the strange blue fireflies hovering about the thicket. She listened for awhile longer but was given nothing but the breeze and a question of her sanity.

Gloom was downright miserable. She was a nervous wreck at the best of times and right now she was absolutely beside herself. She missed the sun, she missed the stars not doing that. She missed it when the mushrooms and every single hard surface in sight didn't glow! Most of all she missed it when the voices weren't around. Gloom skittered around the packlands trying to find a damn moment of peace. It was driving her up the wall and worse she couldn't help but feel like she was losing her mind. Somewhere, deep within her the desire to figure this out was overriding her deep fear of others.

Finally, Gloom could not take it anymore and she left that morning... Or was it night? Time was impossible for her to keep straight anymore and was determined to make sure she wasn't completely going insane. Not that she was trotting out of her den head held high or anything but she was zooming along, pressed closed to the ground in search of anyone who could confirm she wasn't just hearing things. Preferably a sibling but it seemed that her luck was not good. Instead, she saw a woman she didn't know... And Gloom stopped, just... Watching. Suddenly her brain seemed to stall.

"Speech"

Image by Madandcat

Mæva went about meticulously preparing her kill. She removed the tail feathers from the turkey and set a thick stick over them so that they wouldn't blow away. Every so often she would pause when she heard a voice but she couldn't quite make out what it was saying and she was starting to wonder if it was all in her head. She ripped her way into the turkey to start her meal when she heard someone approach. Mæva looked up to see a girl she didn't know but who was clearly a packmate. "Oh, hello there. Are you hungry? I don't mind sharing." Her left ear twitched as the voice began again, and she couldn't help but notice that the fireflies were drawing in closer.

Gloom was going to cry, there was basically no way she wasn't. The woman was a nervous wreck at the best of times and right now she was practically pushed over the edge. She was going to cry. She swallowed the lump in her throat. And fought the overwhelming desire to flee the moment the other woman's eyes landed on her. She shook her head as she was offered food, flinching slightly as another voice whispered past her ear. And... Yep! Gloom's eyes started to water and she struggled to find her voice, when she did it was soft and wavering.

"Please tell me you hear them too." She practically begged. "Please tell me you've been hearing the voices too."

"Speech"

Image by Madandcat

Mæva cocked her head to the side as she looked at the girl who was clearly upset and seemed terrified. Her own fur started to stand on end as she looked around, finding only momentary relief as she didn't see a bear or something standing near by. She looked back to the girl who asked if she heard the voices to. Mæva's jaw dropped. "Wait… wait, you're telling me that the voice isn't you?" She swallowed sharply. She'd been hearing what sounded like voices for the past half hour and had at first assumed it was the wind and as they became more distinct and the girl appeared she just assumed it was Gloom who'd been talking to herself.

Mæva stood carefully and glanced about again, moving closer to the girl and looking about wildly. as the voice started to hum. "This isn't funny. Show yourself!" She still clung to the hope that the voice was from a mischievous pack mate. She'd heard there were some ornery boys in Abaven. Maybe this was a joke by one of them.

Mæva

As you yell out, a lump forms in your throat. No amount of swallowing gets rid of it. Eventually you feel the urge to clear your throat. Instead, you cough up a hairball. The long strands of faintly glowing fur don't match your coat, but you're no worse for wear.

Maybe you shouldn't have done that...

Mæva's voice caught just as she started to utter the word 'yourself'. She choked, feeling something stuck in her throat she wretched as a glowing hairball spilled out onto the ground. She gasped. The fur did not match her coat and at first she assumed it was from the rabbit except the rabbit she'd killed and had been eating wasn't glowing. That was part of the reason she'd caught it, assuming it was safe to eat. She took a few steps back before speaking to Gloom in hushed tones. "I think it's some sort of spirit. We should go." She wasn't sure she believed in all that for sure but at the moment she was afraid and lacking an explanation. More than anything she just wanted to get back to her nice warm den.

Firefly Shoppe- Mæva

A firefly draws your attention nearby to reveal a cloaked figure with a small wooden table in front of him. On the table lay three items, with their prices beside them. "Choose wisely, and only choose one," the figure says. "If you can afford it, that is." Perhaps he accepts cŕ̷̕y̵̍͊stals and mushrö̸́̀ō̴̉ms... or perhaps its worth bargaining for something greater...


Inventory:

• Cursed Litter Pass- 2 /
  This looks like it might cause something really weird to happen. The label says, “do not use if you are breastfeeding, pregnant, or plan to become pregnant,” but you can’t read… it’s probably dangerous, or really cool.
  
• Firefly’s Favor- 1 /
  A firefly in a bottle. Might come in handy if you let him go at just the right time.A firefly in a bottle. Might come in handy if you let him go at just the right time.
  
• Xtra shrink Potion- 2 /
  It comes in an extra tiny bottle. There’s barely even one drop!
  

No sooner than she had spoke of a spirit than a spirit appeared. A shadowy figure dressed in a torn cloak appeared. She shrieked and stumbled back in surprise as she stared at the two large, glowing orbs that she took for the spirits eyes. She couldn't help but note the shifting, glowing lights that seemed to make up its body. Were those fireflies?

The spirit beckoned her forward to a table full of items. She looked them over for a moment but found herself drawn to the firefly in a bottle. Could this give her some answers to what had been happening lately? "I think I'll take the "Firefly's Favor". Are you perhaps… are you a spirit of the fireflies?"

The feeling that washed over Gloom was a mixture of relief and deepening dread. She wasn't losing her mind. The first issue was dealt with but now well... Now they had bigger fish to fry. The woman asked if it hadn't been Gloom and she slowly shook her head, eyes growing wider. The other young woman approached her and despite her usual aversion to strangers Gloom couldn't help but want to seek comfort from the only other wolf around, at least as far as she could see, stepping in even closer, not quite touching but all it would take was a little lean in to close the gap between the two.

Gloom's ears pulled back and she cowered slightly as the other woman started to shout, and her eyes grew somehow even wider in alarm as she started to cough, a whine escaping Gloom's constricted throat. She nodded as it was suggested they get the heck out of there and Gloom could not agree more, she wanted out and the hell away from the voices and whatever the heck it was that had made the other woman cough up that disconcerting hairball. Her gaze seemed to zero in on one of the glowing lights as it flickered past her nose and she felt herself freeze, another voice whispering in her ear and the woman cowered.

"Speech"

Image by Madandcat

Gloom

The whisper you hear morphs as you cower, changing in tone and timbre until it is no longer a voice at all but a loud, continuous buzzing in your ear. No, not in your ear. .. it's inside your head.

Maybe you shouldn't have done that...

Firefly Shoppe- Mæva

Something that sounded like a laugh sounded from behind the hood of the looming figure. The wolf chose one of his items and he pushed it her way with the wave of his hand. "You could say that... though I am so much more than that," was all he responded before disappearing into the darkness, taking the rest of his wares with him.


You gain:

• Firefly's Favor- A firefly in a bottle. Might come in handy if you let him go at just the right time.
  

You lose:

• Currency (x1)- Used in Firefly's Shoppe, and perhaps elsewhere...