Submission (#7843) Approved

Mavis hadn’t meant to wander so far tonight. The forests of Silvei always pulled at her in, something about the hush between the trees, the way the lights pulsed slow and gentle like a heartbeat. She padded along a winding path where the moss clung thick to the roots and every step gave a soft squish. Firefly like spores floated in the air, and above, the faint outline of Starlake shimmered like a second sky.

Her paws were damp, but she didn’t mind.

She paused near a cluster of mushrooms, their caps glowing faintly pink, and knelt to brush a paw against one. A sudden flicker in the corner of her eye made her glance up.

There, by the base of a fern. Something had glowed, then gone still.

Curious, Mavis stepped closer and knelt down. “What was that?”

A tiny frog sat nestled in a curl of wet moss, no bigger than a teacup. Its skin was smooth and dappled, a dreamy sort of blue that glowed faintly with every breath. Each pulse of light seemed to follow the beat of the forest. Its eyes, milky violet and far too wise, stared right at her.

Mavis blinked, then slowly lowered herself until her chin nearly touched the ground. “Well… aren’t you pretty.”

The frog didn’t move, just blinked at her, unbothered. A quiet chirr escaped its throat, soft as falling petals.

“I’ve never seen you before,” she whispered. “Are you lost too, or do you just live here?”

It hopped once, just a little bounce closer to her paw, and left a faint trail of glowing footprints behind. Mavis let out a laugh, small and quiet. “Okay. That’s new.”

She reached out slowly, just enough for the frog to tap its toes against her claws. It chirped again, content.

“I’m calling you Flicker,” Mavis said, settling down beside it. “I think we’re gonna be friends.”

For a while, she just sat there, legs tucked beneath her, watching as Flicker blinked slow and steady, casting little ripples of light into the dark. The forest around them hummed, and Silveil, as always, kept its secrets gently hidden beneath the glow.