Submission (#6723) Approved

“Woah~...”

River looked around, and Ahi was right next to him. Everything was vibrant, the plant life around them was lush but frosted, ice blue flowers wrapped themselves around white trees, hanging vines dangled across the path and the air was cool and buzzing. Hundreds of butterflies were fluttering all around them, their wings glittering in the lights.

The two elnin were standing right in the middle of a sanctuary in Iorumund. It opened its gates every time miasma season started and the more delicate wildlife of Strynhalde flocked to the sanctuary everytime, since it was built around a natural mana well. Once miasma season was over, the critters returned to their natural habitat.

“This is beautiful”, Ahi whispered and observed the butterflies.

“Indeed. Here, let me grab the guide and look these fellas up, since I’m actually not quite sure about them myself. I’m sure there is a better explanation there.” River got a hold of the foldable handout they got when they entered the conservatory. It had pictures and text printed on them.

“Sounds good! Here, let’s take a seat…” They walked over to a bench next to a patch of white flowers, and while Ahi kept looking at the butterflies, River started to read out loud. 

“The sanctuary prides itself in housing a large variety of local wildlife. One of our more spectacular specimens is the Frostwing. This butterfly is extraordinary as it is fully dependent on the eternal winter of Strynhalde. The wings of the Frostwing display a magnificent mechanism. The Frostwings’ wings are translucent and resemble delicate ice panels, while the edges of its wings mimic common frost patterns and tiny snowflakes that run along the wingtips, which leave behind a trail of shimmering powder snow as it flutters gracefully through the frigid air. The wings are also decorated with small ice crystals all over that glimmer at every movement and sparkle at the faintest light source. These butterflies need to be handled extremely carefully in order to not break their wings.

With a natural antifreeze in its body, the butterfly can endure extreme cold weather without being affected by the chill and the small body of the butterfly is fluffy as well, with fur that looks like it is made of frost itself and it provides extra insulation to withstand the cold.
The Frostwing easily survives Strynhaldes harsh conditions and its wings would essentially melt in any other climate, thus making the Frostwing unique to the winter region of Eyre. Only the brutal blizzards during miasma season pose a deadly threat to this delicate creature. Outside the sanctuary, the Frostwing often waits out miasma season in hollow trees or large caves, where the swarms stay close together.

As flowers can be rare, these creatures tend to feed on the indigenous trees. The butterfly usually lands on the silver-barked frost trees and using its long, straw-like mouth, called a proboscis, it gently taps into the trees’ sap. The flexible straw can navigate through the tiniest crevices of the frozen tree bark without harming it. The sap, usually sweet and high in sugar, flows through the butterflys’ tiny straw, providing the Frostwing with the energy it needs to keep moving. As it feeds, the colors on its wings seem to intensify, as if the frosty sap is adding a glow to the already captivating crystals.”

“Look!” Ahi suddenly said. “Over there! I think they are feeding on the trees, just like you said.” The blue elnin pointed to a group of butterflies, all swarming around a tree and the wintery colors of them seemed to pulsate as the butterflies were feeding on the sap.

“Yeah, wow! … Oh, it says here that we can get a little bowl of sugar water at the front desk and we can actually feed the butterflies ourselves. Let’s go and do that!”  

“Alright!”