Submission (#340) Approved

Even in the fading hues of pink moving through to deep purple, Spritz could see the kaleidoscope of colors from the flower fields of Faerindell. From afar, her blue eyes could see the dazzling petals reflecting the last few rays of the sun falling from the great tree at the capital. Despite only several months difference from her last visit, Spritz felt older somehow when looking over the green fields dotted in bright hues. The floral smell tickled her nose and she scrunched her face, finding a rock to sit on an outcropping and she rubbed it with a paw. “Ahhh.” She let out a soft sound, breathing calmly as the sweet floral air wafted around her.

It was a refreshing sensation, to be back here again.

Even from a small kittom, Faerindell was her favorite. She could see the grasslands far off of the farmers in one direction, and the dancing petals from the elder tree of Elenion. Her mouth watered at the thought of the cherry blossom flavored snacks she had at the last festival she attended. Somehow, it felt a near lifetime ago and she let out a wistful, nostalgic sigh. Though the pale pink trees nearby gave her comfort, an electric feeling in the air made her fur stand on edge. Her eyes swept along the rainbow flowers, their brilliant colors now fading to their nightly muted blanket.

Moving back from the outcropping slowly, Spritz found herself a tree with pink petals cascading down in the warm wind of the evening and she sat at its base, staring up at the pale twinkling of the stars coming to life. Twitching away a petal from her face, she made a comfortable spot for stargazing, feeling the weight of her travels bearing down on her. How long had it been now? Weeks? Months? The young elnin had lost track of time in all of her wanderings. It made her feel old, she didn’t like that one bit and grumbled under her breath.

Somewhere between the flowering fields below and the soft pink, ruffled tufts of petals above her a flash caught her eye and she stared at the spot in wonder, tilting her head. While she had grown accustomed to stars in her travels, there a quickness she had not seen. Shooting stars from far away were fleeting, small flashes of light from beyond. This was much closer, brighter to the point she could have sworn the entire soft green field laden in the foliage was fully visible. “What…?” Her tired voice gave way to a gasp and her head turned back to the sky. While the stars themselves lacked their typical shine, a myriad of invading colors fell across the sky like streamers falling from the heavens.

She jumped up on her haunches, energy pulsing through her as she edged closer to the overlook to the fields below. The pale streaks dazzled her eyes, falling delicately like petals down below to the fields of flowers. Within a group of daisies, she could see the aftermath flitting around like fireflies on the moorland before fading away. Life in the blink of an eye or the exhale of an excited gasp as Spritz felt one escape she saw the pink lights bounce off of a set of blue flowers before escaping into the darkness.

Summer evenings had a way of dazzling, particularly during Starfall when shooting stars would challenge the imagination of young kittoms while festivities played away below. Now in the dimness of their usual splendor, the shining theatrics of light storming across the clear, darkened skies. Spritz leaned closer, sniffing the air in the hopes of something new to connect to the falling lights. At the edge of the floral smell now kicked up by the fresh winds was a strange smell, something close to an autumn spice, or perhaps leftover ash from a summer campfire. Fleeting as the lights, it was replaced again by a sweet smell.

Below her small hill, the flowers swayed, dancing with the motes of light and she giggled, racing towards the stragglers and rolling along in the flowers. Her paws came close to catching one and as she pounced her newfound energy sprung her forward, but she stared back at an empty catch. “Where?” Now among the lights, she could feel the pull of their light as they drew close, much like standing too close to an open flame.

The excitement was palpable and she sat down in the field, tail nestled in a clear spot among the swaying flowers behind her. From far away the silhouette of the elder tree flickered as more lights fell around it, like rainbow lightning striking the ground far away, painting the sky the same as the faerie shrouds marking the way towards the capital city and beyond to the old woods. Delighted, Spritz's eyes turned back to the sky to watch the graceful dance of the falling lights.

But… what exactly were they?

Her ears twitched. That is the question, isn’t it? From her countless wanderings, she was unfortunately well versed with the beauty of things sinister. Sitting on the soft grass of the grassland, in the picturesque field of flowers, the young kittom’s eyes turned to the soft pastel lights as they fell by her side. The balls of light that bounced back from the earth swirled a moment around the flowers before fading into the soil below.

Despite her wariness, the colors spoke to her soul, reminding her of those hues back home. For all their flaws, her parents remained in her heard and the soft pastels falling more closely to ribbons reminded her of home, of her dad and her mom. Was that the yearning they reminded her of, to return back home? Somewhere inside a resounding “no” bleated out of the emptiness of her mind frozen in awe by the alluring sight.

Among the soft petals and below the pink trees, Spritz felt at home. Even back in her travels within the bog, the mountains, and far off near the desert edge there was a sense of home. Now, under the fading of the stars and the cascade of bright ribbons, she felt as close to herself as possible. Perhaps, a cynical voice in her mind rang out, reminding her of a certain Dragonkit, This is more or less Starfall for this year? A literal falling of stars?

She groaned thinking about the pun, but the words held meaning to her. With her bright blue eyes gazing up, she gasped in awe as a blue light arched overhead and fell down on top of her nose. “Ah!” She jumped, rolling back through some flowers and into a short pink tree, flopping into it like an ungraceful fish. Petals covered her body and she stared in a daze, seeing two distinct blue dots wriggle away from her. Something on her nose had felt both so cold and warm at the same time and her fur shuddered at the sensation.

Under her new umbrella, hidden by the forever cherry blossoms, Spritz watched as just as quickly as it rolled in, the light storm ceased with a single long-arched pale yellow light fading over the tall stalks of sunflowers at the edge of the grass field. Had it been an actual storm, she felt she would likely hear the last thunder subside. For now, the wind returned and she could hear the soft scraping of leaves together and the grass wiggling against each type of flower.

While her intent had been to yet again sleep under the stars, somehow they seemed all the more dim and even the colorful Faerindell all the darker. Rather, she grabbed her lantern and yanked the small tent out from her bag to put up below the tree. Faerindell felt like home, just like any other place she had visited. But something about the light, beautiful yet mysterious, was unnerving despite her best efforts to play it off as a good thing. Perhaps it was wariness, or the strange sensation still on her nose – or even if it was the allergies to the pollen released by the flowers nearby, she wanted a tent just to be sure.

In the time of Starfall, it was said that anything could happen. But in a time of falling stars, were the light storms a simple beauty, or a sign of something greater to come?