KeilinAlyr

(Word Count: 330) Nestled in a warm pile of sleeping furs and blankets, Orris gazed up at the clear night sky, the stars twinkling back at him. With miasma season fast approaching, he and the other members of the traveling caravan had been busy all day stockpiling supplies and food for the ponies as well as themselves, and he was genuinely exhausted down to his toebeans. But for once, Orris couldn't quite sleep. His plans for the past year hadn't quite aligned. He'd meant to be practicing alchemical or herbalism formulas with his new master, not traveling the entire world with the Shepherd's Crook. Still, the work was honest, and the sights spectacular. Like this skyscape. No city lights for miles, just open skies and unmarred horizons. And so SO many stars... ...Orris didn't realize he had fallen asleep. Maybe he should have realized something was amiss as he drifted through an ocean of starlight, his eyes overwhelmed with glittering light and dazzling beauty, a whole cosmic

(Word Count: 1275) Much as she had enjoyed her visit to Faerindell during her extended Starfall holiday, Poema soon found herself feeling a strange itch. Not from the pollen from so many flowers blooming absolutely everywhere, but the pearl-marked blue Kittom was an ocean child. She'd been found from the sea. As best she could tell she'd been born at sea. Poema needed to see water again. Ever since she had been very small, barely old enough to remember her Pomu first crawling from her shadow as her nursery group stargazed from the night shores of Palu'au, Poema always wanted to see the deeper, brighter skies she'd heard about of Silveil. Could the stars really be so much better there than anywhere else? So, riding across the twilight veil from Faerindell, eternally night-shrouded Silveil became their next travel stop. But what her aquatic spirit needed most, Poema desperately wanted to rest her sight upon the lake of Silveil. That great expanse of water, cradling the region's

(Word Count: 1001) The barest promise of spring lingered in the chill winds that buffeted the shores of Ealei. Not that the season ever truly mattered; the strong gales coming off the open ocean were always cold, always tinged with mist and salt from crashing waves and sea spray. While it was still too early to see Pomu emerge from their crystal hibernation, what truly excited everyone was the coming end of miasma season. No more huddling in the creche during long nights, whispering of the corruption and what terrible things happened to those caught outside the protection of the town wards and the ambient magic of the local Nobles. Poema mused to herself as her kite soared ever higher into the great blue sky. Late night Kittom stories could tumble and spin, egged on by other Kittoms, into some truly twisted imaginings. She knew she was perhaps a little guilty for some of them. The cheerful chime of nautical bells signaled the arrival of a small watercraft toward the local harbor.

(Word Count: 506) "Dear Journal, Today a flower druid all the way from Faerindell came to visit us during class time. The miasma is lifting so travel is safer again. Here's where I would like to go and visit..." Gracing lovely pink sakura blooms and the eternal touch of spring, to call Faerindell the stuff of fairy tales might be something of an understatement. While capturing the imaginations of Kittoms and adult Elnin alike comes naturally to the region, only some places within Faerindell go out of their way to wholeheartedly embrace that delightful charm. One of those towns is the whimsically named Sugarshire. One of the older Elnin settlements in the fabled region, Sugarshire was officially recognized as a distinguished historical district, and the residents have pulled all the stops to delight visitors who wander through their beloved town. From walkway and building brickwork textures resembling crisp baked gingerbread and precisely piped frosting, to carefully selected

(Word Count: 1118) Having spent the better part of her afternoon trialing and testing a mess of ropes, wires, pulleys, and other improvised contraptions, Boo felt herself finally ready to spring her plan, and a season's worth of simmering grudge over so many pumpkins, into action. She carried far more than seeds to the corner plot of the community garden, and Boo felt a few curious stares in her direction. Paying everyone no mind, Boo grew a small tree sapling instantly to maturity, setting it to a careful bend to harness the end of a crude rope snare. Nothing lethal, nothing serious, Boo reminded herself as she sprinkled a scattering of candy corn inside the circle of rope and mesh netting, anchoring a small bell to the entire assembly. Just enough to send a message. "Boo... what exactly are you doing? You're not trapping Treats, are you?" Shooting a silent glare at her plot neighbor to mind their own business, Boo marched herself some distance from the garden, snapping open a

(Word Count: 421) Night King's Woods. A faint hint of twilight painted the gloom in eerie shades of violet, deepening the silhouettes of the trees. The underbrush rustled as small creatures scurried for cover. The woods were never a peaceful place, but this moment especially felt unsettled. "Nineteen!" A shout rang out across the seemingly empty wood. Crows squawked in alarm, abandoning their treetop perches. Leaves and branches crunched and snapped as frantic footsteps crashed through the wood, a gray-hued creature chancing a moment's glance over its shoulder in the midst of its panic flight. A blunt weapon slammed across its head, followed by darkness and silence. "Twenty!" Boo sauntered up to her quarry, a thoroughly dazed and defeated Rainy Bunnytreat, as the speckled, lop-eared menace despawned from the combat instance. Balanced across her shoulder was a comically large wooden mallet, more for proving a point than for practical combat usage. Now for one more spawn this

(Word Count: 522) (supposed to be a G-001 but got caught up in the harvest rather than the tending) On tender steps Princess Miralisa traversed the golden pathways of the palace gardens, under the silver-leafed, pristinely manicured archways, toward the marble benches where she had been promised a meeting. Neither the lilt of birdsong, nor the babble of the grand fountain could ease the loneliness in her heart. Seven years she had waited. Seven years each morning, her beloved sent whispered messages of romance on the wind. Seven years until this morning, a promise to meet her here. What was another hour more? The princess waited from sun-up til sun-down, when even the petals of the sleeping jasmine flowers all unfurled to the spilling of moonlight. Still, her lover did not show. A familiar sensation pinged at the back of her mind, a summons from the public gardens. Boo threw her head back and whined, almost throwing her book in frustration were it not for the risk of losing

(Word Count: 600) "Orris. Hey, Orris. You ever think about where you wanna go for a trip? You ever see the ocean? There's so many good beaches out there. There's Palu'au. And Ealei. Ealei is nice this time of year." Glancing up from his book, Orris fixed a long-suffering gaze at his traveling companion. The caravan they were riding rattled along the twisting road. Still, no, he'd never seen the beach, and he'd certainly never been as far as Ealei. He often did wonder about it. Foxglove continued to chatter about goodness only knew what, and Orris flipped through his field guide, pausing on watercolor depictions of local Ealei flora. Gazing off into the distance, he let his mind wander... The boat Orris was riding glided through the open water like silk. A gust of cold wind blasted across the deck, billowing the bright scarlet sails for a sudden gain of speed. Orris shook his mane tuft out of his eyes, grinning all the while. Far and away he imagined sailing a much more pleasant

(Word Count: 2455) Orris woke surrounded by scarlet poppies. With an uneasy yawn, he stretched out stiff azure paws, trying to figure out how long he'd been asleep. A nagging feeling at the back of his mind suggested it must have been quite some time. He didn't want to dwell on it. As he stumbled to his feet, little puffs of pollen danced around Orris's paws, followed by a fog of groggy heaviness threatening to lure him right back into whatever Rip Van Winkle nonsense he had just managed to pull himself out of. Nope. None of that. Orris sneezed, scowling at the bed of dreaded little sleep flowers. He half-tiptoed, half-scampered in his awkward efforts to find safer ground, waiting until he was fully certain the pollen had settled before attempting a new, more cautious approach. Under the gentle glow of the forest's giant bioluminescent mushroom flora, and his violet eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness of wild Silveil, Orris was able to give the flowers a better investigation

(Word Count: 313) Working too hard this harvest time? Breaking your back picking the last of this season's crops before the miasma rolls in? Do you need a vacation? It's time to get away from it all! Come to beautiful, pristine Ealei! Come explore the tranquil shores of this giant island paradise. The ocean runs clear and deep, with plenty of snorkeling and diving adventures to be had among the coral reefs and mangrove forests. Discover a whole new world of exotic aquatic life hiding in these giant root habitats. Breathe in the cool salt breezes as waves crash among the boulders. Rest from your swimming excursion on a sun-warmed slab rock, surrounded by gorgeous oceanic bliss, or gaze at the sparkling waters from a comfortable distance on the deck of an hourly ferry tour. Best of all, unlike Palu'au, Ealei boasts no sandy beaches to ruin your trip. Sand won't be in your fur, in your bags, or in your carpet months after you've returned home. It's coarse, it's irritating, and no