Submission (#7015) Approved
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Submitted
31 March 2024, 07:39:23 PDT (7 months ago)
Processed
6 April 2024, 11:20:30 PDT (7 months ago) by Mocha-Miel
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Monthly Prompt!
Fu goes home to Strynhalde to a spring festival and meets up with Shinzo!
Word count: 1983 words
6EC Prompt Rewards
1EC Description of interaction with Pomu Lantern
2EC Second Elnin Present
9EC total
1 Strynhalde AP
Please and thank you!
Fu goes home to Strynhalde to a spring festival and meets up with Shinzo!
Word count: 1983 words
6EC Prompt Rewards
1EC Description of interaction with Pomu Lantern
2EC Second Elnin Present
9EC total
1 Strynhalde AP
Please and thank you!
Content
M-075 - Scavenger Hunt Strategising
Fu Visits Home
Ever longing for the coldness of Home, Fu had been thinking for some time that it was time to visit home. She had grown a lot since she had begun to travel with Loki through Ahza, learned a lot about herself and faced new odds, but Stryhnalde’s Icy embrace called to her.
She had decided to celebrate the spring festival which happened every year in a town close to the border, just past the toothy maw of the mountain pass. After taking her temporary leave of her close friend, she joined up with a caravan and watched with reprieve as the hot desert sun gave way to blissful cold.
Golden sand blended into seamless white as rocky crags loomed above the white kittom, a single snowflake falling upon her tiny snout and melting into her fur as she shuttered her eyes contentedly.
As the blue of her eyes crept from beneath her eyelids, she beheld the snowy white path with Strynhalde Spruce which dotted the boundaries. the silence of the snowy pass broken occasionally by the calls of eagles above and the mountainside’s comforting breath.
She took a deep sigh as the coldness enveloped her, ears twitching as she rested her paws upon the carriage’s open window and stared through the swirling mists and shifting snowflakes which fell lazily from a gray haze above.
She was almost home.
Behind her, her pomu lantern swayed to and fro against the string which bound it to her leg. The white paper lantern was wreathed in ribbons of blue and patterned with snowflakes to reflect her love of the cold and seemed to pulse rhythmically as the temperatures touched the textures of crystal anima in which her tiny companion slumbered.
She was sure her pomu would have enjoyed being in the cold with her once more but bringing her friend home for a little while was the best she could manage right now.
“Just a little longer” Fu whispered, motioning her head towards her lantern and nuzzling it with uncharacteristic affection. Alas she had no companion right now to keep up her nonchalance around, leading her to purr softly as she gazed at the growing shadow of the town steeple.
The town of Iceweald was home to a smallish population of nin, perhaps a little greater than the hamlet she called home herself and the nin strolled purposely through the snow. Strynhalde Elnin were a hardy bunch, thick in fur and strong in heart. It was where she felt in good company and the first touch of snow against her paw pads brought warmth to her heart.
After securing her lodgings at the inn, the youngster stowed her pack and donned her adventuring gear before heading to the town square. Her adventures had led to her feeling a great sense of growth and strength and she carried her head high above sturdy shoulders towards the village square.
Her ears perked as she meandered among the crowd in the snowy square, in which thick snow blanketed the gray stone through which the colours of decorations peeked, half buried but not half hearted.
The Iceweald mayor spoke loudly as he addressed the crowd of gathering nin;
“Dearest children one and all! Welcome to Iceweald! Elnin young in body and some in heart! I thank you for journeying to our fair town to celebrate the breath of spring which breathes new life into glorious Strynhalde! For we who dwell in the cold carry warmth in our hearts which brings new beginnings to our surroundings!”
The crowd jostled and mumbled as heads raised high, turning to take in the mayor’s address.
“The signs of spring are upon us once again! The return of the birds and the blossoming of snowflowers, the quieting of raging storms and the gift of new life in the herds of snowdeer are things that we must not take for granted! For beneath the snows lie the keys to our continued prosperity! And for that we give thanks!
It is thus my pleasure to open this year’s Strynhalde Scavenger spectacular! For around the town we have frosted orbs decorated by our beloved artisans! Each orb recovered will bring you closer to the prize! The nin who brings back the most orbs will win the honour of being the bringer of springtime! With this lovely medallion!”
The mayor gestured to a nearby plinth, on which sat a silver medallion. It sparkled with a luster of carefully carved stars and snowflakes and Fu could not help but want it.
As she continued to listen to the instructions of the boisterous mayor however, she felt a familiar presence as a paw was placed on her shoulder most gingerly.
“We got to stop meeting like this, little snowflake.” It was Shinzo, whom she had met previously in Ahza. He spoke with indifference but acknowledgement and Fu could feel the thick fur which had grown in around his paw since the last meeting.
Fu nodded and smiled a little to her elder nin as she replied; “Shinzo. I see you’re here for the festival too.” Her voice carried a tone of both respect and rivalry, she had come to both love the way that Shinzo had helped her in Ahza, but also a desire to rise to his expectations.
Her blue eyes watched him carefully as he removed his paw and took a couple of paces forwards, his long tail swishing between snowflakes in the frigid air.
Shinzo thought for a moment, turning away to regard the mayor who still spoke fervently about his pride in his town, but together with Fu they had almost tuned him out by this point. “How’s your little green friend? Did he not feel like joining the festivities? Or is it a little.. fresh for him out here?” He teased with a sense of both and to test the wit of his little white acquaintance.
“As for the festival, I thought about it. Was passing through” He continued as he flexed a paw, “But why don’t you and I make this more interesting and see which of us can gather more orbs? I’ve come to see a little -how can I say this- competence in you, little one. Let’s see how sharp your senses are on your home turf, hm?” Smiled Shinzo with a barbed complexion.
Fu twitched an ear as her mouth curled into a smile, her eyes blinking slowly closed before returning her gaze to her elder. “May the better nin win” she smirked with a swish of her own tail.
The two Elnin stared into the blueness of each other’s eyes before going their separate ways. While tuning out most of what they mayor had said upon their reunion, they had a degree of familiarity with the rules and set out to seek the orbs.
The two elnin moved among many others who prowled between the trees of the nearby forest. Frozen trunks stood tall with reaching boughs encased in patches of fresh ice, playing host to scores of nin who chattered loudly across the bustling wood.
A normal hunt this was not and most of the wildlife had long been spooked, but Fu in her heart longed to prove herself to Shinzo and her eyes scanned for the twinkle of frozen orbs as she prowled. “There’s got to be a clue” she murmured.
It was about then that she recalled some of the mayor’s words. Her reunion with Shinzo had shaken her usual focus and she had missed a great deal, but she remembered the following;
‘Beneath the boughs and through the weald,
Through thickened ice and fallen snow,
Bordering the frozen field,
Where beetles nest does the journey flow’
“Rimebeetles” she thought to herself. “There must be an orb near the nest. Need to thank Loki when I get back.” Her thoughts turned as she raced between the trees, catching the eye of the stalking Shinzo who watched with a seasoned eye.
The forest soon gave way to open fields and there Fu beheld the typical crags in which Rimebeetles nest. Her ears could hear the chattering of their icy wing cases within the rocks, but more so she could see the white sparkle of a lustrous orb which twinkled prominently against the gray Strynhalde sky.
Stepping forwards, the beetles took flight and scattered as she placed her paws upon the carved orb and smiled to herself. Placing it in her pack, Fu could still feel Shinzo’s eyes upon her, but a surveying glance did not betray his blue striped form which hid him expertly against the blue ice crusted backdrop.
Pushing the thought of being judged by her elder acquaintance to the back of her mind, the wheels of Fu’s mind turned furiously as she tried to remember more of the clues in the Mayor’s speech.
‘As you behold the white expanse,
Reflect upon how you find your way,
For where one might be called to dance,
In the residence of fae.’
The only place Fu could think of in the Iceweald area that fit that description would be a frozen creek where rumors of Fae had been spoken about in hushed tones, but it had generally not been encouraged to visit the area. At least not by kittoms, but Fu had grown sure of herself.
She took off through the forest as the chatter of the other nin grew softer through the trees before arriving at a frozen creek. The trees seemed to part slightly as fresh snowflakes fell upon the frosted surface of the ice. And within a crack, another twinkle.
Taking her second orb however, the sound of a great horn rang through the forest to signal the end of the hunt. Fu sighed to herself. “Two isn’t going to cut it.” She said sadly to herself
She began her return to town to turn in her orbs. On the way she reunited with Shinzo once more who eyed her with cold indifference. “So how many did you manage to snag, Snowflake?” Shinzo asked with a glint.
“Don’t think I couldn’t tell you were watching, Shinzo. You saw both of the orbs
I got. How about you?” Fu asked, also curious as she had been less able to observe his movements.
Shinzo reached into his bag and produced two orbs. It had been a tie between the two rivals, leading them to eye one another with a mutual respect. “Not bad kid, not bad.” Shinzo laughed. “I’m impressed you managed to keep up. A few more seasons behind you and you might get somewhere yet.” He chuckled and shuttered his eyes, tossing the orbs towards Fu.
“I don’t need trinkets anyway. Take these and go get something nice to show your little green pal back in the desert why don’t you.” Shinzo spoke with a change in his tone and with the hint of a smile he turned on his paws and vanished into the trees.
Fu stared at the orbs once more and then into the space her elder once occupied before nodding silently and taking them. Four orbs would certainly give her a good chance of winning after all.
Sadly however it was not to be. As Fu returned to the village square, the winner had already been crowned with six orbs and the mayor cheered jubilantly as a colorful kittom frolicked, bedecked in a silver sparkling medallion. It was a lesson in the fact that it wasn’t the winning that was important, it was the taking part.
Quite honestly if she was going to win, Fu wanted to win on her own steam and without the help of others anyway. Earning Shinzo’s respect was prize enough and she watched with a slight smile, her thoughts turning back to her close friend in Ahza.
She had no doubt Loki was getting into adventures of his own.
Rewards
| Reward | Amount |
|---|---|
| Elecite Coins | 9 |
Characters
ELN433: Shinzo
| Reward | Amount |
|---|
MYO-ELN712: Fu
| Reward | Amount |
|---|---|
| AP (Strynhalde) (Currencies) | 1 |
Add-Ons
These items have been removed from the submitter's inventory and will be refunded if the request is rejected or consumed if it is approved.
| Item | Source | Notes | Quantity |
|---|
SylSyl12's Bank
| Currency | Quantity |
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