Submission (#4073) Approved

Silveil, a region time locked in eternal night. A place where the sun did not shine but that didn’t make it any less beautiful. Long dark shadows provided the perfect backdrop to the bioluminescent flora that grew throughout the deep forest. 

Dream-like was the term often used and that was perhaps the sole reason Nefertari loved this region more than most. That, and perhaps because she blended in so well with her surroundings that if it wasn’t for the white markings on her face, she would be easily missed. Unlike her best friend Aeong who, with her green butterfly-like pattern, stood out like a sore thumb. 

“We shouldn’t be out here,” Aeong’s voice carried a nervous tremor as she spoke. “You heard what the adults were saying back in Silveil city, right?” A drop of prismatic rain fell through the canopy above and she jumped aside. 

“It’s nonsense!” Nefertari chided. To prove her point she ran out into the open where the light storm danced above her. Prismatic streaks landed on her coat which seemed to make the starlit markings leam a little more brilliantly. The light touched her ears, her anima, and when she looked up at the star-filled sky, one such beam touched her nose. “See?” dancing around for a moment she rejoined her friend in a sheltered spot. “I’m fine, you’re fine.” Nothing was going to happen!

Still, Aeong was skeptical. 

“Izolde and Alioth are waiting by the Starlake.” Nefertari pleaded with her friend. “Come on, I know you’ll have fun with us.” 

Not wanting to give in so easily, Aeong pursed her lips in mock contemplation. The hesitation she felt was real and yet, despite her better judgment, she agreed. “Fine. But if things go sideways, you have to promise me we’ll hurry back to Silveil City.” 

“I promise. I promise… Can we go now?” Impatient, stubborn, and likely to get them both in trouble in some way, shape, or form; Nefertari led the way through the glowing mushrooms while avoiding the blinking fireflies that hovered in the air around them. 

Aeong followed behind closely, pausing only when a streak of light came too close to her face. 

When finally they arrived, the two stood in awe at the edge of the lake and were soon joined by their other friends. Purple kittoms, both similar to Nefertari, but different enough to not be mistaken for each other. 

Izolde had luminous golden anima and with her witch hat crown, she appeared all that more mysterious. Whereas Alioth was a mix of various shades of purple with subtle hints of blue. 

“Took you two long enough.” Alioth yawned in mock boredom as if he had been waiting for over an hour when in truth he had only just arrived a few minutes prior. 

“I know, I know,” Nefertari recognized his acting for what it was and dismissed him completely. She wasn’t about to throw Aeong under the wagon to make her feel guilty and instead shrugged her shoulders. “We’re here now though.” She walked over to Izolde, brushing her cheek against her friends’ in a friendly sort of hello. 

Not much for words, the yellow animated kittom simply smiled and laid down, tucking her paws beneath her as she observed the lake from their current perch. A sea of stars made from the mass of branches and starlight, cut through by a web of prismatic rain from the light storm taking place. 

A wondrous sight to behold for sure but Aeong still felt incredibly uneasy. 

While everyone else observed the Starlake and the elder tree. Aeong looked up at the clouds that created dark areas where she would have otherwise observed the constellations above. However, where the sunshine did not grace this region, light from the storm did. It felt wrong, unnatural even. But that might simply be because she had never experienced something like this before. 

Her eyes followed the trails down to the ground where they disappeared beside them, as if their own shadows had gobbled the light up. “Uh- um…” She stood suddenly, not quite sure what she was seeing and after it happened it again, Aeong spoke up. “Guys… did you- did you see- the light… it just-” her thoughts were fragmented and everyone looked in her direction confused. 

“See what?” Alioth sighed, feeling more than a little impatient by the green kittom’s rambling. 

“The light- when it touches- the shadows… they” Unlike the lake, or the mushrooms, or anything else living around them. When the light landed beside her again she then shouted. “THAT, did you see THAT.”

Izolde was surprisingly the first one to take notice. Her brows furrowed as she stood and walked over to Aeong with a curious expression. “It disappeared.” 

There, that was the word Aeong was trying to say. Either that or vanished, that would have worked too. “I overheard adults talking back in the City, they mentioned something about light storms and their pomu.” With her frantic mind, she couldn’t quite remember what they said exactly, but it was bad. 

“I don’t think we should stay out here.” Aeong looked around for a place to take shelter only to find herself on the receiving end of an exaggerated eye roll from Alioth. 

“It’s nothing,” he scoffed, but Nefertari, this time, was unconvinced. 

“Come on, let's move over to that mushroom, there’s enough space for us all to sit and still watch the storm.” While the prismatic rain didn’t hurt them she wasn’t so sure that it wasn’t having some effect on their pomu as Aeong pointed out. 

Best to be safe, especially since she had promised her friend that they would go back if things went sideways, so hopefully relocating, for now, would be an acceptable compromise.