Submission (#2465) Approved

Submitted

13 July 2021, 13:52:45 PDT (3 years ago)

Processed

19 July 2021, 20:04:42 PDT (3 years ago) by night-class

Comments

AP: Enmir
Word count: 954
Elnin AP is for: Gwynceirw - https://worldofeyre.com/character/ELN1777
Other elnin: Aisling - https://worldofeyre.com/character/ELN706

note: Croggas are basically crocodiles

Content

Sitting on a broken log, Gwyn hunched over his food, eyeing his surroundings. The vines draped down from the high branches, swaying in the slight breeze, these he inspected for unfamiliar birds, just in case there was something dangerous. The weedy grasses surrounding them, he checked for critters in the off-chance one would sneak into camp and steal their dinner. His job was to protect the caravan and the dark elnin took his job very seriously. They had not lost a kittom yet and he was not about to start now. Gwynceirw grumbled a little to himself as he eyed the batch of sleeping kittoms they were ferrying from Elenion to Salva. They were completely unaware of the potential dangers of Shaedmoor which they had been skirting for the past few nights. Mostly from the insects, straying off the path into quicksand, or wandering into marsh rivers which he made sure didn't happen, but also from unexpected larger beasts like the croggas. While it had been quite a few trips along this passage way since he had seen a crogga, he was still ever vigilant.

His train of thought was interrupted by his traveling partner who flumped down beside him, letting her foot-paws stretch out before her, leaning back on a convenient trunk. "Two more days and we should be in Salva ahead of schedule. Then it is back to Bellmoril for another pick-up, I got a message bird earlier this afternoon." Aisling reached into her pouch, pulling out some small wrapped crystals. "Turns out, if we had switched through Il'durahn instead of the Willowglen Fields we could have picked them up early but since this apprenticeship is over to Sulapei in Kyendi we can just swing around to pick them up then." She carefully unwrapped the crystal sweet and popped it in her mouth, eyebrows raising in surprise as the sharp flavor hit her senses. "Shards! They wern't kidding when they said these were intense." Aisling offered the small bag of wrapped sweets to Gwyn, "Remember that seller we met up with just after the Kava checkpoint? This is what I picked up from them, said it was a lemon sour crystal." She gave him a wry smile, "I think they will be completely in your wheelhouse."

"Because I'm 'Mister Grumpy-face'?" Gwyn replied sarcastically, but still reaching for the crystalline sweet. While he didn't worry about what the kids thought about him, it was easier to get them to behave if they thought he'd be happy to leave them on the side of the road if he had to, he did not always appreciate the ribbing he got from Aisling. They were about as opposite as they could be, the brighter coloured nin as loud and talkative as her coat, while his darker features and muted tones let him stay in the shadows where he preferred. Born in Silveil, he matched the land of his origin, even more now that the glowing shards of mana fractals grew from his body. While they didn't hurt him, they did add to his menacing aura which he used to his advantage. He never told the children how it happened but Aisling had spun enough stories to last a lifetime, each more elaborate than the last time. The latest one, a story about a lightning-spitting dragon, had the kittoms in wide-eyed awe of him for the majority of the trip which had helped tremendously with the dangers of skirting the Shaedmoor. While there might not be a lightning-spitting beastie waiting for them in the dank marshes, if they strayed from the carefully marked path they could quickly get sucked under the swampy streams or quagmires that surrounded them.

Raising a paw holding the unwrapped sour crystal, Gwynceirw made a grimace, "As your employee I guess I should do as you request." He popped the sweet into his mouth and made the mistake of biting down. The sharp, sour taste flooded his mouth and almost made his lips pucker. Gwyn managed to refrain from coughing in reaction but Aisling caught the change of expression and started laughing.

When she caught her breath, the brighter elnin wiped the tears from her eyes and nudged his arm, "Told you, right in your wheelhouse." She popped another in her mouth and sucked on it with merriment in her eyes, the glow of the campfire playing on her fur in the darkness.

"Not for me I'm afraid, I've never been one to like super sour things." He glanced over towards Aisling who was happily enjoying her third in quick succession and shook his head in disbelief. Turning his gaze back out to the darkened marsh surrounding them illuminated by campfire and glow-bugs that drifted lazily in the hazy air Gwyn added, "I'm not sure how you can eat so many at once."

A laughing snort came from his side as Aisling stood up to take her spot on the other side of the campsite, "What can I say, I like sour things!" She looked pointedly at Gwyn as she laid out her blanket and wrap before flopping down, before facing out towards the pathway they had been traveling down, the brightly-coloured caravan framing her silhouette from his vantage point. "Good night Gwyn, even if you are a grumpy-face."

The darkened elnin let the shadows wrap around him as he took up his post of keeping the caravan safe. "Night Aisling," he murmured under his breath, not worried if she could hear him or not. Around him the glow-bugs flickered light stars amongst the vines and mosses that hung from the tree branches. Of all the places he traveled back and forth through, Enmir was one of his favorites at night.