Submission (#2103) Approved

Autumn sighed as she looked at the floating anima crystal next to her. It seemed to be that time of year again, where the Pomus entered their annual hibernation state. She had been so busy with her current assignment that she hadn’t even gotten time to make her lantern, the thought completely slipped her mind. Her pomu was a quiet one and doesn’t like to leave her shadow much, if at all. The glow from her warm-toned anima crystal comforted her as she carefully navigated the deep forests of Silveil’s Overwilds. She always liked doing work in Silveil. Something about the atmosphere and the local fauna and flora had always appealed to her, even as a little kittom, but it was rare for her to get assignments in this small section of Eyre. Autumn appreciated every single assignment that sent her here. 

The place Autumn was walking through was along the river, a part of the dark forest. Although it felt somewhat eerie, she paid it no mind as her path ahead was clearly illuminated not only by the stars that glimmered gracefully above but also by the fireflies that fluttered along the woods. Glancing at the river to her left, the starlight along with the local bioluminescent life gave the river a purple hue. As the river current ran through, the microscopic creatures that lived within the waters turned into a bright blue when disrupted, providing further light to the small Elnin. The aspen trees loomed above her, seemingly packed densely, yet only breaking open occasionally to reveal the eternal night sky that is the hallmark of Silveil. 

As she moved swiftly through the forest, following the trail of a Great Spirit that is creating a new path within the dark forest, Autumn couldn’t help but admire the resilience of the local flora. Being able to grow and thrive in the absence of light, to the point of producing their own light, as the mushrooms by her feet illuminating the foliage around her. Skirting along the edge of the river, the forest opened up as the river slowly stilled to quiet movements. She was still awestruck by the view as the trees were no longer thin aspen trees, but instead ancient, gnarled, behemoth-like trees that weaved through along the river, as if to form pathways to cross. A large luminous plant could be seen across the river, it’s reflection almost still in the darkened river, as the lack of movement no longer disrupted the bioluminescent life residing in the river. Mossy rocks jutted the shoreline, when such rocks were lacking just a few moments prior while fireflies danced amongst the plants. Most importantly, the natural illumination of the large clearing she’s present in now, came from the galaxy of stars swirling high in the sky. They were of colors that the noble nin didn’t even know the night sky could create as shades of purple, indigo, and blue overlapped against one another and with the inky black sky. Tiny stars were prolific in their twinkling as a vast galaxy belt is seen present high up in the sky, cutting through the other stars as it seemed to create some sort of celestial road in the sky. The view was breathtaking and awe inspiring as she couldn’t help but admire the view. 

“It really never gets old huh.” She mumbled to herself as she pushed her bangs to the side for a better view. 

Her incredibly fluffy tail tucked behind her small body as she couldn’t help but sigh. The nin never had a knack for stargazing, but in Silveil, she doesn’t need to have talent to admire the view above. 

Her Pomu’s crystal bumped into her, acting as a sort of reminder to her that she should get back going and she sighed. Her small piece of heaven was spoiled. Reminding herself that she wasn’t paid to stargaze, but instead to map out new paths in the Overwilds, Autumn pushed on. Her bushy tail swishing behind as the elnin leaped forward in pursuit of the Great Spirit trail, the clearing slowly closed behind her.

As she continued on her way through the forest, the thickets of trees slowly began to thin out. It was a gradual shift, from trees so densely packed to the point where the sky wasn’t visible, and she needed to rely on the local fauna and flora for illumination or rely on her witchlight to cast a light in order for her to traverse the foliage properly. To where they were thinned out enough for her to see her destination ahead, the beach by Silveil’s lake. The cartographer breathed a sigh of relief as she scanned the shoreline for identifying marks. Taking a couple more steps forward led her to see one of the local ferries that take visitors to and from Silveil City. After having a good grasp of her surroundings, The elnin rummaged through her bags to pull out a map of Silveil Overwilds, a fresh sheet of parchment, her portable table, and a pen. Shifting into her gijinka form for finer motor movements, she set everything up and began to work, recreating the path she had taken from when she strayed off one of Silveil’s main paths to create another safe route. This time, creating a shorter route to reach the lakeside. 

Her witchlight illuminated her workspace in the dark as her anima crystal companion floated by her side patiently. She mustn't be hasty as her work will have a direct impact on having a new road be built once she hands her map revision off to her guild. Her hand wasn’t shaky in the slightest as they guided the pen on the parchment, ink smoothly flowing out. Checking her compass occasionally to make sure there weren't any orientation errors, she finished off her revisions done on the new sheet of parchment by adding a compass rose, and a scale at the bottom to indicate how much space was traversed in one singular map grid. 

With her main task finished, the Elnin mused if she should go to Silveil city to have some fun. Despite her longing to visit the city, she oftentimes didn’t have enough time after each assignment to properly enjoy the local towns and cities. Autumn shook her head, she probably shouldn’t risk it. If anything, she should head into the city to work on creating a lantern for her anima crystal, part of the tradition held every year after all. Personally, Autumn wasn’t a huge fan of the tradition, reminiscing her time as a kittom, where she eagerly participated in such festivities. Now as an adult, she had her own place to manage and worry about and no longer could afford to care about smaller traditions like lantern making.

A small internal conflict was fought internally, as her more responsible side won. Shifting back into her feral form, she packed up all of her supplies and material, carefully stowing away her final product in one of her bags. Autumn sighed, elegantly walking to the ferryman.

“I’d like a passage to Silveil city please,” she asked curtly, seemingly aloof to the ferryman when she was simply lost in her thoughts. Autumn certainly wanted to have fun, and fun is waiting to be had at the most notorious city in all of Eyre.