Submission (#7691) Approved
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Thick mists hid the pathway towards the snarled tree at the top of the hill, deep in the forests at the edge of Bellmoril. The rotting leaves had given way to the frost of early winter, which lay slick against the darkened ground. The blackened branches of the tree reached far out from the mist as if reaching out towards any passerby.
Kalpasi felt at ease here.
He'd become sidetracked more easily, he found, as he was aging out of childhood fantasy. Or, perhaps, it had been the opposite. While his body had finally settled on a final, beautiful form, his mind had never settled on much of anything. Was it a hunger for more in his life? A search for meaning or connection? A wish to meet that generous witch once again? She was not likely to appear now that his pilgrimage had been much later in the year. Autumn had long since come and gone.
In the tightness of the mist, he stared at the grasping, gnarled branches of the ashen tree at its center. The ground was no less dark, and the tree no less foreboding. Yet, as the hollow echoes of his paws moved forward, a color of green flickered against his vision. It was almost as an assault in such a dark and dreary day, to see something so vibrant against a place he'd come to know as sacred.
"What is this?" He muttered as his tails wriggled, phasing out behind him in the mist as he worked with his paws against the dirt. Wrenching it free, the small object rolled against his fur with a lurch. Despite the freezing temperature, the object had a fleeting warmth. Kalpasi's natural melancholy forced his frown, yet a strange curiosity pushed him. Instead of rolling it away, he found himself rolling the object in his paws to examine it.
The pattern was a green tint, covered in small scales that shimmered even in the low light of the mist. It wobbled unevenly in his paws, threatening to fall over. At the back of his mind, he'd remembered some rumors from the latest tavern before he set out—small satchels left at doors and strange eggs popping up in other areas. He'd thought it to be some odd game they were playing, a scam or farce for travelers. Now he was face to face with the rumor in his paws. Yet, this was no doorway. No satchel. No home but a lonely tree.
Why is this here? He thought, turning to push his tails against the tree as he flipped his body around, staring at the egg as he slowly pulled it closer into his paws.
For such a long time he had been traveling. More often than not, as a loner. Not only for his appearance but his tired, apathetic emotion paired with his quick, lashing tongue. Very few didn't bore him. Didn't annoy him. Didn't remind him of all that had gone wrong in his life. This egg was nothing like that.
It had been alone. Trapped in the thickened mists swirling and the spindly branches of the tree above. "And in the place where it happened..." his caustic voice trailed off and his long tails wriggled around his body. A glint in his eye betrayed his apathetic nature. Unnaturally, he found himself pulling around it, grabbing a small handkerchief from his pack. Carefully he tied it in a neat bow, stuffing the egg underneath his legs as he sat.
Alone.
Trapped in the thickened mists swirling.
And the grasping branches from the tree above.
With the howl of the wind at his back.
Blood pumping through his body.
"What in all of Eyre am I doing?" He exasperated. Angrily, he pictured himself as a chicken. Or an obnoxious pigeon. Slowly, his paws fidgeted but he kept it close to his warm body, staring down the soothing, cool mist. Settled into his mind were the bits and bobs of information he'd remembered about eggs and birds. Eggs needed warmth and they needed to hatch.
Check. That's all it needs right?
Crackling under his paws he felt the breaking of the frost and he let out a foggy breath of a sigh. "No. It needs more." He grumbled, clutching it tightly in a paw as he turned. Usually, he'd stay all night to see if she would appear. Or at least he'd have a night to stay up and recollect his life. Admire his body.
Now his spectral tails wisped together with the mist as he three-pawed his way, holding the egg delicately in a paw as he squeezed into the narrow pathway. Branches scratched at his fur and he slapped his tails at them to get them away as he thought it all out.
As an egg, it needed a soft pillow. A warm, fiery hearth filled with wood. Care and constant attention. He stopped dead in his tracks. "Crap, am I a parent?" The mist parted from his body with the force of his groan. Already he'd done too much. It was unlike him and more like his brother. Bitterly, he chased the thought away with a glance down at his precious cargo.
"No, I'm not like him," confidence oozed from his mind, "I'll be better." It was a self-assurance as he held the egg tightly. Just like how he had been before, it was lost and needed attention. Needed to find its way. Now he had plans as he felt his warmth reflected in the egg. I'll make sure you hatch. He thought. You'll never have to be alone.
Rewards
Reward | Amount |
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Miju | 1 |
Elecite Coins | 8 |
Characters
ELN300: Kalpasi
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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 |
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kaethus's Bank
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