Submission (#2426) Approved

    Sweeping my light paws over the golden rock formation, I could sense a faint connection between myself and the breeze that wafted through Zevija’s canyon. It seemed much like a guide as I travelled through. I kept my allowance close and my head low, feeling weary between these tall, dusty cliffs. The scenery was so different compared to the starlit lake in Silveil and its sketchy darkness, that I felt a pang of homesickness the further I ventured. I could feel my stomach churn as I continued to feel the sun rays beat down on me and it was not until I reached a low cliff overhang that I was relieved enough to stop in what little shade it provided.

    “Why must my name be so ironic?” I sigh as I smooth down the red patch of fur on my stubby tail.

    “And what is your name?” a small nin with glowing flecks of light shedding off its fur mews as they shuffle their wares in front of me on a small, dark rug.

    My hackles raise and I am pressed up against the opposite wall, several feet from where I was originally resting. “Where in the- how did you-!” I could not even utter a complete sentence as I felt my chest heaving for air. I was so taken aback by this nin’s sudden appearance, I could care less about the red dust covering my back and the kittom-sized silhouette I left pressed on the rock. Narrowing my eyes, I crane my head forward and taste the air before gingerly stepping forward. “Are you following me?”

    “Yes and.. No,” they reply, their voice squeaking with every word. “We were simply going the same way.” They are smirking and now I am uncertain how true to their word they are.

I gaze down at their items and I find myself fixated on a cloth sack that could not contain the glowing contents within. A prism of soft glowing light seeped through the seams and illuminated a small area around it.

“Your name?” the stranger presses, their tone even yet mystic.

“Pyre,” I reply without hesitation as I continue to view the item while grabbing hold of my coin pouch which dangled from a golden sash I fairly obtained through a bet that I won fairly.

    “What? Can’t take the heat?” the stranger giggles and I roll my eyes. “Well you can’t be from Ahza if this is bad for ya. `Nor Palu’au or even.. Faerindell. I have to guess you’re either from Weldwick, Ealei, or Silveil.”

    “What is this?” I wave at the small pouch with my paw, completely disregarding anything the stranger was talking about. My ears shift as I pick up on them clearing their throat and I knew this was awkward even for the stranger. 

“I see you are a nin of business. You’re not much for small talk, huh?” sighs the stranger as they shift uncomfortably before picking up the sack and holding it up for me. “This, Pyre, is for the ever elusive, jell turtle located deep in the gemstone mines. They’re black and have luminescent spots with a crystallizing shell and they love to eat the contents within this bag. You’ll like it down there because it’s cool and dark.”

“How much?” I ask while I greedily snatch the sack from the stranger’s paws after dropping my purse in front of him.

“I’ll.. just take half of what you have. Deal?”

“Deal! It was a pleasure doing business with you,” I replied without making eye contact. I snatched up my purse after the stranger sorted the difference and dove down the closest cave entrance I could find.

Sighing with relief, I soaked up the cool air and blinked as my sight adjusted to the soft lights illuminating the gemstone caves. Maneuvering around the various sizes of crystal was easy compared to the crowds in Silveil. The crystals could not be pushed and could not push back; something about how seemingly inanimate they were eased my senses.

I happened upon several species of creatures that I had already learned about through texts my mother supplied me with in my younger years. However, none matched the stranger’s description though I refused to give up my search. I did slip off the path a few times because of the thin film of water that covered certain passages. I once barely escaped injury when I nearly slid off towards a large pointed crystal but had missed getting impaled by a mere hair.

My heart rate rose as I wandered aimlessly through the gemstone caves and felt it necessary to sit and recount my thoughts to better understand the path I had taken and which ones I did not. I plop down beside a puddle of water and detach the sack from my sash and carefully open it up to finally view its glowing contents. My heart sinks and I heave a heavy sigh, tilting my head downward while thinking of the possibilities that the stranger could have been lying this entire time.

“Jelly beans..” I utter quietly, careful not to speak too loudly no matter how swayed I felt. “Glowing jelly beans.” I throw my paws upwards as I am consumed by frustration, the jelly beans flying all over as they ricochet off the crystals and stone cavern walls before tapping the cave floor as gravity takes over. “I was duped.”

I keep my head lowered with my paws square on the cool ground, unable to believe I could be so easily swayed by a mystical, magical seller who had to have been as normal as I was. Not even my pomu who peeled away from my shadow could comfort me enough to excuse my mistake. Though there was something about this sack… “They cursed it!” I throw the sack away from me but then watch as it stays afloat in the puddle I had settled beside.

I freeze when I hear a low volume, shifting sound like a rock scraping against a hard, uneven surface. It was quiet and sounded as though it were moving slowly. Swaying back and forth, my ears attempted to follow the sound and I looked, my shoulders the last part of my body to move and I lay, holding my breath. A creature, dark much like my own coat with spots illuminating as brightly as my eyes and horns, was there just inches away as it helped itself to a glowing jelly bean.

The jell turtle craned its neck and ever so slowly, picked up a jelly bean and consumed it after a few munches. I scrambled to my paws and found myself standing still as more and more jell turtles surfaced from the small pools around me to eat a glowing jelly bean. All I could see in the faint light of the cave was the glowing of luminescent spots but what was so jarring about these creatures were the varying amounts of crystals forming on their shells.

I was sure to grab the sack I had so carelessly tossed and wrung as much water from it as possible before picking up the last of the glowing jelly beans. The turtles, once realizing there were no more snacks for them, had sunk back into the shallow pools, leaving me on my own save for a smaller turtle who had yet to form the crystals on its shell like its older counterparts. Feeling companionship with this little creature, I held out a jelly bean between my paws to it and could hardly contain my glee. My ears swiveled forward, picking up all the munching sounds it made as it ate.

“All right,” I sigh, relieved that jell turtles exist. “I wanted to grab you to gamble away in Silveil but.. Not even I would take a live creature to give away like that.” Before heading out, I hand the turtle one last jelly bean and hand over the sack of a few jelly beans off to my pomu to store. Leaning down and nudging the turtle with my nose, and smile.

“I’ll come back later and visit, okay?”