Submission (#6374) Approved
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Prompt
Submitted
12 December 2023, 09:13:59 PST (6 months ago)
Processed
13 December 2023, 14:09:21 PST (6 months ago) by tatter
Comments
Regional Fauna Prompt- Strynhalde- Fu and Loki discover a group of Rime beetles
+1ap Strynhalde
+1ap Strynhalde
Content
Regional Fauna Prompt- December 2023
“We’re here,” Fu spoke matter of factly, turning and pointing with her paw towards a gulley not yards away.
“And where is here?” Stammered Loki, his eyes squinting as the snowstorm raged. The sight of the narrow crevice seemed to all at once irritate and provoke his curiosity, his guide had not steered him wrong before after all. “Do you want your beetles or not?” Queried Fu. This was enough for him. He nodded sagely as they soldiered forth into the relative calm of the icy ravine.
Inside the tall walls where the wind whistled and the frozen roots poked forth, Tiny noses took in the sharp, clear scented air as both pairs of wide eyes searched as they soon found what they were looking for.
All at once, the disturbance brought forth their quarry as a pair of beady eyes peered out from a crevice. First one long leg, then another, carrying the icy carapace of a rime beetle. What little chitin this icy beetle carried was covered in bumps and nodules which encouraged ice to cluster on the beetle’s back; this grew into a jewel like carapace which shields and protects the beetle from the harsh conditions in which it calls home.
The strong legs pushed and heaved, carrying the mass of ice which swayed with it’s weight. The beetle’s encumbrance provided both security and hardship, but also allowed the creature to acclimate to the cold. The pair of kittoms watched the beetle closely as Loki’s pomu quietly passed him his notepad from his shadow and he began to scribble notes.
The beetle moved with it’s slow, lumbering pace across the wall of the crevasse, eyeing the visitors to it’s domain and cracking open it’s frosted wing case. The sound was that of a frozen pond in miniature as it knocked together the two halves in a clattering request for personal space, striding purposefully along a narrow crevice. From the sides of the casing Loki spied the delicate lace of the insect’s wings, inlaid with thick veins which sparkled lightly in the soft afternoon light filtering into the small canyon.
Further observations saw the beetle wander and meet with others of it’s kind as they wandered, grazing on lichens which protruded from the outgrown tree roots. This was the beetles' home, giants among most insects. Loki saw one such beetle which was as long as his foreleg which regarded him with a particular temperament. Wing cases clicked furiously together with a frozen rattle as the beetle pressed forwards, knocking others out of it’s way. The somewhat moody fellow’s shell was especially beautiful however, shining with a cerulean lustre. “A jewel fit for a royal” mumbled Loki.
This however seemed to prove that the beetles were sensetive to noise. Upon hearing the sound, the large beetles spread their wings wide revealing their mottled black thoraxes. Their azure wings beat furiously with uncharacteristic vigour, lifting the hulking beetles into the air as they floated on the breeze which filtered through the icy crevasse. The sight was something to behold as the ice encrusted goliaths seemed barely able to lift their weight at first, but they soared ably into the winter air.
Loki scribbled his notes furiously as the winged creatures bumbled off and into the dark of the crevasse, while Fu’s lidded eyes followed them lazily. She simply thought of how Loki would learn the ways of the wild better if she kept quiet and let him observe. It was how she learned after all.
All but one beetle had fled. The sound of clicking continued as the kittoms’ eyes fell upon the largest of the beetles continued it’s feast.
It seemed easy to see how this creature’s bravado allowed it to surpass the others in size. A little braver, more stubborn, but also perhaps luckier than others of it’s kind. The beetle tore off one final piece of the lichen with it’s sharp mandibles before taking one final look at these intruders upon it’s territory. Finally it spread it’s wings and took off into the depths of the frozen crevasse, leaving the two kittoms awestruck.
“Happy?” Grinned Fu, subtly, She was clearly impressed with her tracking skill, but Loki was too enraptured. The studious nin continued to write, having quite forgotten about the cold. Their encounter with these creatures had touched both in their own way and the two returned to the town in great spirits.
Rewards
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Characters
MYO-ELN711: ᛚᛟᚲᛁ
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MYO-ELN712: Fu
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| AP (Strynhalde) (Currencies) | 1 |
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SylSyl12's Bank
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