Submission (#7975) Approved

Mavis had found herself a perfect little spot on the edge of one of Silveil’s quieter forests. The towering mushrooms that dotted this part of the region stretched high like umbrellas in the darkness, their caps glowing in soft hues of pink and violet. She had chosen a particularly broad one, cushioned with moss and just tilted enough to cradle her body like a hammock. The air was cool and fragrant with the earthy scent of glowing petals and the faint musk of moonlight dampened leaves.

Her pomu had curled up beside her, a warm, puffball of quiet dreams pressed to her ribs. They were round, soft, and a fluffy black ball of fur, like a giant soot ball. His ears flicked when they dreamed, and they let out tiny squeaky breaths as they dozed.

The endless night of Silveil stretched overhead, stars scattered like spilled sugar, and all around her the forest hummed with life. The entire region existed in a state of permanent twilight, its skies never touched by sunlight. Silveil glowed with hues of blue, purple, and soft silver, and the flora echoed this brightness,  bioluminescent vines hung from tree limbs,and  mushrooms lit the forest floor like lanterns. Every surface seemed painted with subtle luster, from the bark of twisted trees to the mist that clung low to the ground.

Crickets clicked somewhere in the thickets. Farther off, the low wind whistle chime of luminous vines swinging in the breeze could be heard. Mavis had let herself drift, lulled by the hush and the gentle flicker of glowflies floating past.

But then, a crack split the sky.

Thunder.

Her eyes shot open. The sound had torn across the stillness like a blade. Her pomu jolted awake with a squeak, fluff bristled and ears pressed flat. Mavis sat up just in time to see a fork of prismatic lightning streak across the starscape above, leaving a trail of color in its wake. For a moment, everything stilled, as if the forest itself held its breath.

Then another boom rolled through the air, deeper this time, vibrating through her chest.

"Oh," she breathed, wide eyed. "Something’s happening."

She scooped up her pomu, holding them close as she scrambled down from the mushroom and ran for cover beneath a cluster of glowing canopy ferns. The flora around her pulsed softly, vines lighting up in response to the electricity that now danced through the sky. The usual stillness of Silveil had shifted, charged with some quiet thrill.

And then the rain came.

But it wasn’t rain. Not like Mavis had ever seen before.

The droplets fell slowly, almost too slowly, like suspended glass. Each one gleamed with the full spectrum of color, catching the light as they descended. When they landed on the ground, they didn’t soak or splash. They burst. Burst into tiny motes of floating light, as though the droplets themselves had fractured and taken to the air as soft stars.

Mavis reached her hand out from under the fern, palm open.

One of the strange drops landed against her skin and shattered with a soft tinkling sound. The lights hovered there for a moment before drifting away. Her pomu chirped, confused but curious, as another fell on his head and exploded in tiny flecks of turquoise and gold.

Mavis laughed.

"You see this? This is incredible!"

She stepped out from under the fern. More drops hit her shoulders and hair, each one bursting like a little firework and leaving behind a glow that lingered faintly on her fur.

The storm wasn’t loud anymore. The thunder had passed, leaving only a gentle music in its wake, a soft melodic hum that seemed to come from the air itself. The rainbow droplets continued to fall, and now the whole forest responded in kind. The flora lit up brighter. The trees sparkled like distant constellations. The mushrooms around her glowed with a warm lavender hue.

She twirled once, then again, her pomu bouncing happily behind her. More droplets landed, bursting against their forms like gentle glitter. It felt like dancing in light. Like swimming through starlight.

They moved together through the glowing glade, laughing and stumbling, feet kicking up glowing spores and shattered droplets that hovered around them. Her pomu rolled through a puddle of hovering lights, creating ripples of color that spread outward like waves on a pond. When they looked up at her, his eyes were full of wonder.

They danced until the forest itself seemed to dance with them. Until even the stars above felt closer.

Silveil was beautiful in this way. Always night, but never dark. The trees, tall and strange, curled with luminous vines. Flowers opened even now, blooming in reaction to the radiant air. Petals that glowed with hints of blue and blush pink, edges outlined with light like the hem of a dream. The stars above flickered in bursts of silver and pale green, their reflections mirrored on every wet surface below.

Her fur shone, scattered with colors, and her pomu, no longer bothered by the surprise of the storm, chirped and twirled in the air, leaving a trail of bright residue behind them.

She let herself fall gently onto the moss again, laughing as another few motes burst against her.

As the lights continued to fall, soft and gentle, Mavis looked toward her pomu with a fond smile. They blinked up at her, glowing just slightly from all the motes clinging to his fluff.

She sighed, stretching out beside them.

"That was really fun, wasn’t it?"

Her pomu let out a pleased chirp, curling beside her once more as the light storm faded gently into the twilight mist of Silveil.