Submission (#5067) Approved

[RQ-C-3] A Peculiar Self
Quest: Resonance - Advanced Act - Act 4
Regional Affinity: N/A
Claiming Regional Affinity for: Jasper - MYO-ELN491
Word Count: 1333
Peculiar Self: Shadowy Bat Creature

Exploring a new region was something he had always thought about in the back of Jasper’s mind. Kyendi especially stood out to him when he read about it in a book or looked at the region on a map. There was mystery after mystery in the land of floating islands and misty hills that piqued Jasper’s interest, so it was only natural that he wanted to go there and explore what the land had to offer in the way of mysteries and knowledge.

Jasper was ready to head home now, though.

Who knew traveling could be so exhausting? He never would have imagined longing for the familiar stone walls of his home or the soft glows of the wild life that surrounded his little slice of Silveil. He even found himself missing the annoying kitten that came by to bother him every once in a while. He also found himself missing Poppy.

The brown elnin looked down at the necklace around his neck and raised a paw to mindlessly play with the heart shaped gem that hung from the chain. There wasn’t much on his mind besides what he would do when he finally got home. His attention snapped back to reality when the airship finally began to move. He looked out the window of his cabin room within the airship and watched as the mountains of Kyendi grew smaller and smaller. He certainly wasn’t going to miss those mountains, or the islands that were unbearable to traverse, or how bright the sky was.

Now that they had taken off, there wasn’t much for Jasper to do. He had learned the hard way that he couldn’t read on a moving airship, and he wasn’t feeling up for trying to chat with a stranger. With not many other options, Jasper leaned his head against the window and blankly stared out into the sky. In Silveil, the sky was always a deep purple and black with glittering stars, twinkling and bringing a small sense of companionship. Up here, with the blinding sun, the sky seemed lonely. Vast. Empty. The brown elnin let out a small sigh and closed his eyes. He guessed that taking a nap would be more productive than just staring into space. If he managed to fall asleep then he would get home quicker.

All he had to do was.. Try to relax… and sleep…-

Jasper’s eyes snapped open. The blue sky that he had been looking at mere moments ago was gone. The clouds, the sea below, everything that had been there when Jasper closed his eyes was missing. In their place was now what looked like swirls of deep purples and blues. The sky of Silveil, but instead of being only above him it was all around him and the ship. He blinked, wondering if maybe something was wrong with his eyes, but no matter how many times he blinked or rubbed his eyes with his paws the image outside the window was the same. Swirling galaxies that stretched out forever.

A red light pierced through the purples and blues. The red light got closer and closer to Jasper’s window. It took him a moment to realize that the red light was a part of a large, dark shadowy form. It was hard to make out, but the form had a massive wingspan. As it got closer to the ship Jasper could make out more details - the wings were leathery, it didn’t appear to have any front paws, only back legs with paws at the end, and the head with red eyes seemed mammalian. A streak of red fiery light flows from one eye, very similar to his own. Was he looking at a giant bat? He had never heard of a bat being this big before, or one that shared a trait with elnin like inner fire or demon’s brand.

 

As he thought over what he could possibly be looking at, the shadowy bat creature got closer and closer to the airship. In mere seconds the shadow creature was right next to the ship. If the shadowy bat moved its wings it would have surely hit the airship and sent it hurling into the sea below. Had anyone else noticed what was going on? Jasper couldn’t hear the sound of walking or shouting above. He turned towards the doorway to see if it was open, but it was closed - just how he left it. 

When he turned back to look at the shadowy bat creature in the sky, the creature’s red eye was right at his window. The creature blinked before moving a wing to touch the window. No, not simply touch- but come through the window as if the glass wasn’t there. As the creature moved through the window, the shadowy bat’s form grew smaller. By the time it was completely through the window and into his room, the creature was the size of a kittom.

What was he supposed to do now?

For a few long moments all he could do was stare at the strange creature. The shadowy bat looked around the room, pausing at the stack of books on the table that Jasper was bringing back from Kyendi, then looked at the elnin almost expectantly. Jasper hesitated for a few moments before asking “What are you…?”

There was no reply.

Jasper let out a soft, frustrated sigh before stepping closer to look at the bat. Upon closer inspection, he noticed white scales on the back of the shadowy bat, similar to his own. Between the scales and strange traits on the bat’s eye, Jasper couldn’t help but wonder something. The question on his mind was a bit silly, but he was already talking to a strange creature in his room, so he may as well ask.

“Are you.. Me? Somehow?”

The bat nodded its head and gave a soft, low chirp in reply. Jasper wasn’t sure what to do with that information. He had more questions, but if all this bat creature could do was chirp then there wasn’t much else he could ask besides yes-or-no questions. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a little happy at this realization. Bats were beautiful animals. If some part of his was beautiful like this shadowy bat claimed to be then that was fine by him.

Jasper opened his mouth, thinking of what to say next, but was interrupted by the soft rocking of the airship. The movement was enough for the shadowy creature to take flight and fly over to the window. Similarly to how it entered the ship, the bat was now trying to push itself through the window to leave the room.

“Ah! Wait! Will I see you again? I have so many questions!”

The shadow bat paused, looked at Jasper, and… gave the smallest nod. And was that a twinkle in one of its eyes? The bat didn't stick around for Jasper to find out. The shadowy creature turned its attention back to the window and pushed through the glass. Its form grew bigger and bigger, and by the time it was completely outside the ship it was a giant beast once again. The bat regarded Jasper one more time, tilting its head to look at him, then dropped down below the ship. Into the darkness of the swirling purples and blues - it was gone.

Jasper wasn’t given much time to think about what just happened. He blinked, and the dark sky was replaced by a bright blue sky. It felt like it happened in an instant. Jasper looked out the window and saw the same blue sky that he saw when they took off.

Had he fallen asleep? It didn’t feel like it, but that must have been what happened. There was certainly no possibility that he was visited by a strange creature… right?

At least he had something to think about on his voyage back. If he felt brave enough, he’d also have something to tell Poppy when he returned to Silveil.