Submission (#8045) Approved

I adjusted the story to fit the prompt better. It also increased past the bonus wordcount but I am unable to make that adjustment on my end.

Jay and Maggie travel to Strynhalde to investigaste why the coloured lights are falling differently this year.

Word count: 1,182
Region: Strynhald
AP is for: Jay (https://worldofeyre.com/character/ELN1982)
Other Kittom: Maggie (https://worldofeyre.com/character/ELN226)

It was a brisk, cold afternoon when Jay and Maggie arrived from to the small village in Strynhald from their caravan travels across the Erye regions. While the snow had stopped falling, the frost glittered in the air like a curtain of lace. They had come up to the areas of ice and snow because they had heard it was one of the best places to see the lights falling. It had been an unusual season this year as the showers seemed a lot lighter than before which was one of the inspirations behind finding a better place to observe. Jay was convinced there was something odd going on and wanted to investigate while Maggie was there mostly just to keep him out of trouble.

Trouble seemed to follow them anyways... Already Maggie's ear was twitching.

They walked into the village where preparations for the night’s festivities were already underway. A small stage had been erected under frost-draped trees and was decorated with garlands of blues and whites. A navy blue kittom was running around the corner holding a bushel of glistening white flowers while another was following them carrying a pile of cloths. Not wanting to get in the way of anything, Jay and Maggie decided to step inside the inn to freshen up after the long journey and grab a small bite to eat.

"Ya here to see the lights?" The innkeeper brought them a plate of food to share and some fresh water. Jay thanked them with a nod and a smile as Maggie spoke up beside him.

"Yeah, we noticed the showers are not very strong where we live and was wondering if it was the same elsewhere. Jay here thinks it might be on a cycle like the moon, ebbing and flowing like the tide... things like that." The green-blue kittom took a chunk of bread from the place, noticing with delight that it was still warm. "Do you happen to know the best place to watch the lights falling around here?"

Thinking for a moment the innkeeper gestured to the hustle and bustle outside. "Well, I would suggest the viewing platform they are getting ready but I presume ya might want something a little more quiet if you are doing a more scientific observation." At Jay's nod they continued. "There is a small forest to the north of the village. Don't go into it, especially at night, but the pathway that leads to it also leads to the small hilly area to the northeast. There is a small outlook which has a very nice view. We..." The innkeeper gestured with their head again at the commotion outside illustrating that it was a common place "often go up there to see the sunset or moon rise, not that there will be much of a moon rise tonight considering we are almost at a New Moon."

Jay finally spoke, "That is why we picked these next few nights to observe the skies. We are hoping the lack of moon will help with seeing the coloured lights a bit better." He patted his satchel that looked lumpy on his hip, obviously filled with papers, books, and even had a hand-held telescope strapped securely to the side. "We appreciate the advice, it is very helpful."

With a nod and a smile the Innkeeper shuffled away to help out the next people who had just walked into the door, leaving the two kittoms to their late lunch.

It was even later when the pair was slowly making their way along the well-worn path, piles of snow along the sides helping protect the kittoms from the biting air. Not that it felt unwelcome, both kittoms had bundled up warmly and were actually feeling a little too warm in all the layers even with the leisurely pace. The crystalline air made their breath cloudy and with a chuckle Jay pretended to be like his dragon-friend, blowing a warm fog into the air. "Can you imagine being able to do that anywhere you wanted?"

"I'd much prefer to be able to breathe fire, it seems a lot more usef-" Maggie stopped in her tracks and her response died on her lips as she spotted something. "Lights! But so early? I thought we'd have another hour at least before it started." She started walking, this time a little quicker, and reset her bag-strap on her shoulder which had started slipping. "Come on, if it started early it would be terrible if it ended up before we got up the hill."

Both kittoms picked up the pace and by the time they reached the bench that overlooked the village their breathing was coming much heavier and Jay was ready to rip off his downy coat because he felt so warm. He took a few deep breaths, watching the fog curl up into the frigid air before placing down the items he had been carrying. Already the lights were falling around them, but it was obvious they were not as frequent and as dense as it had been in the past. "Do you see that?" He pointed to Maggie's shadow where the beam of light, instead of splashing against the snow in a small sparkle, had vanished into the shadow as if swallowed by it. "That is unusual. I wonder if it is happening to all shadows or just ours?" The pale kittom took out his note book and started making observations, looking to see if different areas produced different results.

Maggie was taking out a small travel easel and setting up her paints. She was determined to get some useful sketches that would help add more clarification to Jay's observations. Her pencil moved quickly, setting the scene of snow filled valleys and the ice-covered forest to the west of them. Making some close-up sketches of spots Jay had pointed out, she made sure to illustrate the different ways the lights streaked across the sky and splashed, or well didn't splash against the ground. It was a little eerie to see how the lights would just sink into the shadows instead of their usual sparkle but she faithfully recorded every moment she could catch.

Their fears were affirmed when the light shower ended almost as quickly as it began. The pair waited a little longer until the slither of the moon rose up into the air, bathing the snow in an ethereal glitter, but it looked like the light showers were done for the night. "I hope they will return tomorrow, it was a little unusual to see how different shadows reacted to the falling lights and I wonder if there is someone who may have seen the showers act like this before." Jay looked down towards the village with a thoughtful gaze. "Maybe there is someone older we can talk to tomorrow..."

"Sounds like a plan!" Maggie started packing away her art supplies and got ready for the trek back. "As it is, I'm pooped from all the travel and now the hike out here. I'm ready for a warm blanket and maybe some hot cocoa."