Submission (#7982) Approved
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Words: 1236
[Edited it; I hope it's alright now? Sorry for the confusion, I really thought the rain lingered/floated on the ground for a few moments ^^;]
Content
Waves of golden sand stretched endlessly into the horizon, like a frozen ocean, glinting in the setting sun. The air shimmered with heat that refused to die, even as shadows grew long across the dunes. Somewhere distant, a pack of wild desert birds called out; sharp, echoing cries that bounced between crumbling bones of ancient beasts half-buried in the sands.
They had passed one such skeleton earlier that afternoon - an enormous ribcage arched from the sand like a broken cage. Driftwood had leapt from one vertebra to the next, shouting things like, “Look! It’s a sky whale! I’m claiming this land in the name of the pirates!” while Red tried to determine if it was going to collapse under him.
It did, eventually.
And Driftwood came down in a cloud of dust and pride.
But now the desert had gone still, unlike Driftwood, whose spirit was still high.
They camped near one of Ahzas smaller oases, with a ring of palm trees surrounding a shallow, sparkling pool fed by underground springs. It shimmered faintly in the dark like the stars had fallen in and forgotten how to get out. Lush vines draped from stone ledges, and the scent of mint and dry earth hung in the air.
Driftwood was roasting desert nuts on a stick over a small fire, tail wagging lazily behind him. “So,” he said between nibbles, “how mad do you think Jirai was when we said we were leaving town before breakfast?”
Red laid with his chin on a folded blanket, his gaze fixed upward, embers gently floating into his field of vision. He didn’t answer right away. “I think,” he said slowly, “he threatened to tell Harun.”
Driftwood winced. “Oof. Yeah. Okay. I’ll write an apology letter.”
“And I’ll do the grammar correction.”
The kittoms fell into comfortable silence, both their Pomus purring asleep next to them and the only sounds being the crackle of the fire every once in a while and the occasional splash from something small moving in the oasis. Above them, stars began to slowly show across the sky.
Then the first streak of light appeared.
It came like a whisper, a single band of pale violet, like someone had brushed a finger across the stars. It slid silently down the sky and disappeared into the dunes without a sound.
Driftwood froze mid-chew. “Did you see that?”
Reds ears perked slightly, but he didn’t move. “Yeah.”
Another streak. Then two more. One pink, one soft blue, both vanishing into the ground like paint on sand.
“Oh,” Driftwood breathed. “It’s a light storm.”
Red sat up, fur catching the light from the fire and the faint glow of the strange motes beginning to gather near their shadows. Small flickering embers - like stardust - danced close to the ground around them, but never quite touched their silhouettes.
Driftwood stood, eyes wide as the desert started to glow with color. The motes were pale green now, drifting softly between blades of tall grass, collecting on rocks, glowing in the water of the oasis.
“I forgot how quiet it is when this happens,” Red said, almost to himself.
Driftwood twirled in place. “They’re softer this year. Remember before? When it was like - boom, flash, light beam to the face?”
“I remember you tried to eat one,” Red said dryly.
“It looked like candy!”
“Did it now?”
“Yeah! I thought I was ascending! Although in the end I settled on eating flowers instead.”
They both laughed and woke their Pomus.
From the heights of a nearby dune came a new voice. “Oh, now this is a party.”
Driftwood turned, eyes lighting up. “Nico!”
The black-furred elnin with golden eyes and glowing tail slid down the dune in one graceful arc, a trail of glowing motes following his tail like fireflies. He landed in a small cloud of dust, tossing something shiny at Driftwood.
“Brought snacks. Dried mango from Devara.” He grinned. “Also, Mary came along.”
“Reluctantly,” came a quiet voice from behind him.
A smaller, dark elnin with piercing pink eyes emerged from the shadows, more cautiously, ears flicking with every strange light that fell to the ground.
“Are you guys out here all alone?”
Nico leaned over and kissed the side of Marys head. “No need to worry, we’re here now with them. They could take care of themselves for a bit.”
Mary huffed but said nothing else, settling next to Red with a low grumble, watching over the kittoms. This wasn’t how he planned to spend the night, but Harun and Nico insisted they would go look for the pair.
The four sat together, sharing snacks and watching the sky spill open in slow waves of rainbow streaks. The light storm above was more beautiful than any of them remembered - not harsh, but soft and strange. Like the stars were melting, dripping light onto Eyre.
Driftwood bend down as parts of it sunk into his shadow. “Why do you think it does that?” he asked. “The shadows, I mean.”
Red stared thoughtfully. “Like it’s being absorbed. Hidden. Or maybe they’re… feeding something?”
“Feeding what?” Mary muttered. “Our inevitable doom?”
“Or,” Nico offered, “maybe it’s just shy. Light being bashful. We are pretty handsome.”
Driftwood giggled, then looked up again, eyes wide. “Do you think this is the spirits stirring again? Like in Enmir? What if they’re all waking up? What if this storm is a sign?”
Mary groaned. “Or it's just the weather.”
“No no - what if it’s, like, a bridge between worlds?” Driftwood stood up suddenly. “What if there are tiny light spirits, and they ride the beams down, and they’re choosing who to possess, and they pick based on snack quality-”
“Aaaand now you’ve lost the thread,” Red huffed, trying not to laugh at the absurdity.
Driftwood flopped back down beside him. “Fine. But if I wake up glowing tomorrow and hear ancient whispers, I get to name my spirit.”
Nico smirked. “What would you call it?”
“Captain Shimmer.”
Mary laughed quietly and bit his lip, while his eyes darted to Nico, who met his gaze, just as amused. “Shimmer, huh?”, Mary tried to hide a smile. “Are you sure?”
“I’m keeping it,” Driftwood declared, and Nico had to turn away and hide his grin.
If only they knew, what a certain dire elnin would have to say about that.
[...]
Later, long after their laughter had faded into quiet, the light storm still lingered. The sky rippled with color like paint on water, and the dunes caught the light in soft, shifting hues.
Red was lying close now, not quite touching Driftwood, but their paws brushed occasionally. Nico was curled half-asleep next to Mary, his head resting on Marys back, while Mary was silently watching the fire.
Driftwood spoke quietly. “I like this.”
Red glanced sideways. “What?”
“This. Being here. You. The storm. The quiet. Even Mary.”
“Gee, thanks,” Mary muttered, making a grimace towards them and shook his head gently. These kittoms…
Driftwood smiled up at the sky. “It feels like somethings changing. Not bad. Just… big.”
Red didn’t answer at first. Then, softly, he said, “Yeah. I feel it too.”
The wind shifted. A breeze moved through the oasis, rustling the palms, stirring the fire. Around them, the motes danced a little brighter for just a moment - then faded.
The storm would pass, as all things do.
Rewards
Reward | Amount |
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Elecite Coins | 8 |
Characters
ELN974: ⟡ Bloody Mary
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ELN1215: Driftwood
Reward | Amount |
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AP (Ahza) (Currencies) | 1 |
ELN1365: Red
Reward | Amount |
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MYO-ELN148: ✄ Harun
Reward | Amount |
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ELN2908: ☼ Nico
Reward | Amount |
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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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Llew's Bank
Currency | Quantity |
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