The world had grown even darker these days, and Kiela wasn't quite sure what to make of it all. She feared for what the changing world might do to the health of her herd and how they would recover once this strangeness lifted… if it lifted at all. Perhaps this was their new normal, but she feared what these changes would mean for life as she knew it. Spring was due to be here by now, of that she was sure, and the world seemed no less bleak than the one she'd been enduring for so many months now. In the winter the cold seemed to cling tightly to the lands, the snow not yet showing signs of melting yet. The darkness seemed to have permeated each and every hour of the day, only the faintest hints of daylight visible at the edges of the horizon in the form of a faint, barely-there glow. Even the brightness of the moon and stars did little to ease her worries; they were no substitute for proper sunlight. Not that the north was usually abundant with sunshine but it played its part in keeping the world running as she knew it.

She heaved a sigh, low and thoughtful, as she continued her journey through the forest. At least here the darkness seemed more fitting, and the fog that hung close toward the ground, all but obscuring her visibility. She moved mostly by instinct, keeping her nose tipped low to the frozen dirt as she occasionally veered around massive redwood trees. She intended to stay away from these strange new growths as much as possible, though with the fog it seemed infinitely more difficult. The crystals grew often at the base of trees, now the size of small prey animals. At least their bright colors and luminosity made them easier to spot in the thick fog and darkness. The Jarvela woman let out a soft huff as she managed to dodge a cluster of pulsating mushrooms growing in the center of her path. They were nothing like anything she'd ever encountered before, growing here even through the ice and snow in the harsh north. It didn't make sense to her, but then again she didn't try to look into it too much. All she cared to do was let these oddities pass, though she worried it was an omen of a changing world. Things were certainly getting worse before they got better.

Though she wondered if things were much better off at home, it wouldn't deter her from staying here in the northern region of Boreas. Not only would the journey ultimately prove difficult with the limited daylight hours, but… the herds here needed her. If there was a time for her to stay here it was now. The herds might not fare well in these changing circumstances. It wasn't long now before calves would be born, at the end of spring, and if the world was so dark and foreboding, how would they manage to grow strong? That was, if they survived at all. Keeping an eye on the herd she'd chosen as her own had proved difficult thus far through the winter but she knew it would only become trickier as the seasons went on. The north already presented challenges of its own, but this, on top of it? It seemed difficult to comprehend the danger that might lay ahead of them.

She feared what it meant for their future overall. And for her future secondly. Without her herd thriving she wasn't quite sure what to do with herself. This was a lifestyle she'd dedicated to herself for so long. Kiela slowed as she neared another tree, this one larger and more easily discernible through the thick, clinging fog. These crystals were like nothing she'd ever seen before - they reminded her of ice, though she wouldn't get close enough to see if they were just as cold. Some seemed brighter than others, though they all glowed and pulsed like they were living, breathing creatures - and Kiela knew that in a way, they were, just different from the wolves that walked these lands. She was blissfully ignorant as to the sort of infections they caused, having been relatively isolated in the far north for so long now without contact from anyone in weeks, but they were strange enough anyway that she wasn't too eager to touch them. Kiela was worldy enough to know that things that were this far out of the ordinary never meant anything good. Strange, brightly covered plants often meant they were poisonous - she didn't doubt the same was true in this scenario.

They were intrinsically beautiful, at least in a way, just not enough for her to risk her safety by getting too close. Kiela could certainly see how some wolves of different temperaments might try to investigate more closely, even try to break the crystals off and take the objects with them. She herself wasn't the type to take anything; she liked leaving lands as she found them, making as low a mark as possible unless absolutely necessary. And these things… Kiela was sure, with the way they glowed, that they were their own entities in a way. The animism she'd been taught as a child was something she'd never forgotten. These crystals no doubt had a soul of their own and acting upon them in an unnecessary way would be vile. Perhaps if she viewed them with a measured curiosity that they would pay her the same respects. She didn't linger much longer before she pulled her attention away from the oversized crystal and started back on her path, continuing her trek through the forest. She'd been traveling awhile now and the thought of finding somewhere to rest of the night, hopefully untainted by mushrooms or crystals, was a top priority. Shaking off the bit of rest from her paws she picked up her pace, ever-alert as she started back through the redwood forest.

Words: 1,000

Firefly Shoppe - Kiela

You have been infected with strain 2 of the Ooze.

Your attention blurs and refocuses. IT feels as if you are in a dream as you find yourself alone in the mist. Fireflies gather and light the way to a table with a figure waiting behind it. On the table lay three items, with their prices beside them. "Choose w̶̢̧͉̥̻̟͈͙̽̉̆̿̈͒͋̓̇̍͌̇̎͠͝ì̵̢̝̄͐́͆̓̚ṣ̶̛͙̟͎̤̞̤͎̹̙̭̪͔̓̐̾̂͆̄͆͌̈̈́̏̚͜͝͠ȩ̴͔̱̗̜̾̉̀̓̀͆͛̊̂̍̕̚̚̚ͅl̵̢̦̲̼̠̖̜̺̮̜̺͋̈́y̴̧̨̧̪̗̥̘͇̾͑͗͜͠, and only choose o̷͕̭̊̃̌̊̏̀ņ̸̼͚͉͔̒͐̊e̵̮̯͛̔̀̑͜," the figure says, looming over the table as his eyes seem to peer into your soul. Are they... moving? "If you can afford it, that is. Beware, however, for there are many d̷̡̯͉̎̊̈́͐͠á̴̬̪̣̝̞̅̀̈́̄ṉ̸̢̠̤̹̥̙̜͋͆̚g̷̛͍̹̣̬̙͖̝̘̃̈e̷͓͕̖͓̝̤̿͐͐͜͠ŗ̵̤͚͔̟̹̳̽̒͝ş̸̛͓͔̩̥̦͛̊̈̾̐̒̓ ̴̺͔̃̇̆ahead." He does not seem like he's in the negotiating mood...


I̵̜̖͎͓͒̑̕n̸͓̗̘̫͉̗̻͐̔̿̊͆̋͝v̵̦̹̠͉̖̼̮̎̌͆ȩ̸͕̦͔̳̩̈́͜n̶͍̝̙̯̣̹̫̩͋t̶̟͈̟̲̜̙̣̋̿̓̆̅͊͝͝ŏ̶̼͊r̶̖͎̙͔̥͎͙͈̊̍͝͠y̴̧͔̭͒͆̉̕͝:

• Mushroom Based Acid- 1 /
  A small vial with a convenient handle that almost makes it seem throwable. Upon the label is a skull and crossbones symbol beside a shattered shield.
  
• Firefly Fone- 1 /
  It’s actually just a bunch of fireflies in the shape of a phone. Use it in any thread (and post in Maintenance) to summon the Firefly Shoppe to your location.
  
• Equalizer- 3 /
  A small bag in which you can see two sickeningly green cookies, on the bag is a small tag with instructions: “Afore the eve of war, when the outcome is yet to be drawn eat one biscuit and leave the other for your opponent and all battlefields shall be made equal.”
  

She continued on, forging her own path as she traversed the forest. Kiela noticed a second too late that she'd suddenly stepped on one of those crystals- it'd been cleverly disguised by a snow drift, and she hadn't seen it until she'd stepped down on it and felt the sharp rock slice her pawpad. The injury was minor, she could tell by a quick look at it, but she saw the small trail of blood pooling around her paw in the stark white snow. It'd heal up fine on his own and wouldn't slow her down any, so she continued along... only stopping when her vision began to fade. Had she bled that much? Surely not. But she felt herself growing faint as mist filled her vision and a strange figure appeared before her, offering up goods on some sort of table. She was hardly the type to care much for material items but the vial with the handle seemed... intriguing. Even if she didn't take it with her, perhaps she could hide it somewhere for later if she decided to recover it. "I'll take... that," she gestured with her injured paw toward the mushroom-based acid. Her mind was hazy; she wasn't even sure if she was dreaming or not. If she was, what could all this mean?

Firefly Shoppe- Kiela

The wolf made her selection and the hooded figure gently pushed the vial across the table toward her. "Very well then," he said before disappearing completely, leaving the item she'd purchased behind.


You gain:

• m̴͑̋û̸́s̵̀͒h̸̏̒r̶̍͒o̷̢͊o̷͊̀ṁ̴̃ Based Acid--  A small vial with a convenient handle that almost makes it seem throwable. Upon the label is a skull and crossbones symbol beside a shattered shield.
  

You lose:

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