Saiuk 2368

Anik 951

Intro: 

I'll be doing this as a batch writting submission, if that's a thing, im not suRE mercy on me

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Event prompt: Through the Maze
Word Palette: cowslips + sepia + weave + stalk + voiceless
Words total: 1,134


The marshland was sprawling.
Distant mountains felt no closer than they had since the congregation began their journey. They had each seen them, the dancing lights, soft and warm burning despite the cool fall breeze, they had each followed.  Yet it seemed this trail was endless.  The sky did not change, on the edge of sunset for what felt like an incorrect amount of time.

Had time even passed?  Had they even progressed?

The water they walked through only seemed to be affected by their steps, the glass like surface unmoving.  These were peaceful waters, gentle, simple, they gave so much life.  Perhaps this place was resting, enjoying it's remaining time of warmth and growth before the ice set in.  Kesuk's own home, his sand filled coast lines had no such rest.  Waves crashed unending, ignorant of the time of year, the sea was not kind enough to pause like the marsh did.

He froze then, shocked, when he realized that the marsh had awoken.  A thick fog rolling towards them.
His companions appeared anxious, some excited about the change, but he looked to two specifically for reassurance.  The looming form of his mother, Anik, a trail of light in all colors following her, the same light that once painted the sky and lead him back to her, appeared no weaker as the fog reached her.  Anik stood waiting for him before they continued into the mists.  But his sister, Saiuk, she did not face things so calmly, the string of light around her tightening in worry.  He weaved his way through the grasses to reach her, bumping his shoulder to hers to reassure, and they both moved a little brisker to catch up to Anik.
Other esk had already taken the plunge and followed the wisps into the fog, and so once together did they.

In moments, he was stepping back into clear air, the fog already gone.  But so was the marsh. And so was his family, as he looked around in surprise.
He was alone here, so he assumed.  But where was here?  Sheer rock, dark as the night sky jutted from the ground, the ground which was again sandy and familiar.  It appeared as if the rock was wall, a path directly in front of him with a single wisp at its end, and then 2 paths branching form it, similarly framed in stone.

Was this a test of some kind?  Did the lights want him to do something?
He had not been this form for long, but one thing he learned quickly was that very few of his questions would ever be answered by asking.
So he continued, walking to the end of the path and glancing between the 2 options.  He could see more branching from each.  A maze? How strange.  He pondered weather his family was navigating their own versions perhaps, or maybe this was a game and they were here too?  He liked to think he could complete this challenge first, if they were, it would make sense then fro the lights to call many of them together for this if it was indeed a game.
The light seemed to agree, glowing brighter and bursting into more flames, each flying away down a different path.

A voiceless answer, but an answer none the less.
He felt better then, and picked a path to take.  Trotting across the soft ground, unstressed by which turn to take and simply following his gut feeling.  The wisps continued to dance and disperse each time he caught up, this surely had to be a game then, and he felt his spirit warming as he raced after them faster and faster.

Kesuk eventually found himself running to the brightest wisp he'd seen yet, he cheered, slowing to a stop as he reached it.  Was this the goal?  Many paths lead to this light, so it must be?  The light didn't disperse, it remained.  He glanced around confused, what next?  The idea to poke the wisp was all that came to mind..hm...well, may as well try.  He raised a foot and did just that- and in a flash, he was in a totally different maze.

Not at the center, and not lined by rock this time, no the walls of this one were draping sheets of vine and ivy.  But upon closer inspection, they where not ivy of land but ivy of water, duckweed and pond plants, the ground a thick cover of moss.
A figure stalking around the corner, low to the ground, catches his attention.
He lights up with joy, Saiuk!
He calls to her, mentally, and she practically jumps to the clouds in surprise, whirling in a panic until she sees him.  Shes angry then, don't surprise her like that!
But he's paying it no mind, he must be here now to help her finish the maze.  He jumps around, calling for her to follow, this is easy, its fun, you just go until you find the end!
She regards him hesitantly, always the tired of the two, but slowly follows him...and steadily picks up her own pace.
The enchanted coil of light around her loosen as the wisps repeat their game at each paths branching, Kesuk is glad to see her relaxing, he likes to see her play rather than worry so much.  
In no time he has them both in a fill sprint, skipping and jumping around in play, the wisps even following them as if to join in this time.  And when they reach the center, he doesn't slow, leaping right into the bright light, and Saiuk falls into sync perfectly as she leaps with him.

They both are sent into a tumbling heap as they're brought somewhere new now.  Their energies are laughing however, unbothered by the crash.
Another light is flashing and they're looking up to see Anik arrive, presumably also having reached the end of her own maze.  She tilts her head at them, slight amusement heard in the odd effect of chimes which always comes with her.
The siblings get up and shake themselves out, much harder to do for Saiuk as her form is a rather tangled on to begin with, but now that they look around they are not in another maze.  Some of the esk which they first traveled with are here, others also arriving, but some are completely new as well.  This place is bright, lights and wisps of all kinds light the shadows, rich red leaves cover the ground, all around is an enchanting buzz.  They've reached some kind of meeting place, its alight with activity.

Kesuk jumps around excitedly, unsure what t go to first, but sets his eyes on a large pillar of ice first, glowing shapes carved into it, and esk bustling around it happily.

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Event prompt: Treats
Word Palette: well + weed + wish  + whimsical + wicked
Words total: 542


Kesuk marvels at the ice pillar.  Trapped inside are a number of pumpkins, frozen and perfectly preserved, and yet the flames within each still burns.  Color reflects and bounces so wonderfully within the ice from each pumpkin, a collection of grins is carved into each, how wonders how they got to be frozen like this at all.  But the other esk around him are not focused on the ice itself, rather what lies at it's base.
Each esk that walks forward bows their head, a silent wish given to the shrine like monolith, and they are heard.
A flame at the center glowing, looking identical to the wisps of the maze, but this one does not dance, instead it leaves a small item.  The esk excitedly, sometimes solemnly, take their gift and step back to let the next forward.

Kesuk eagerly waits in line for his turn to try, unsure what kind of thing he could wish for, or be given.
And finally when it is his, he hesitates.
Bowing and thinking of his wish...but all he can come up with is wishing he knew what to wish for, a rather lame offer for the magic listening.
Still, the wisp glows and something is there just for him.  A small bit of bark, he levitates it to see it, and finds a carving.
It has a single squiggle carved into it.

The rune is unfamiliar, and he glances to the esk that are around him for help- and balks as each starts laughing if they do recognize it, whimsical sounds that feel so wicked when he doesn't understand the cause...
Whats so funny?? what does it mean??  One esk takes pity on his confusion, explaining the symbol is confusion, or question, known as a question mark specifically, the spirit powering the shrine is confused by his wish.  Hes embarrassed then, to not know the symbol or realize that perhaps he should have prepared better for his turn.

But what was he supposed to ask for?  All these esk seem to have some possession in mind, but even his previous life never had need for objects.
The esk around him encourage him to go again, and the shrines flame does not indicate objection when he bows again.
He wishes then, for anything he may have had in his previous life, he doesn't know what the spirit recognizes as a gift, so he invites it to pick anything, challenges it to think of something if it is meant to be so simple.

The light glows, and an object appears, Kesuk looks with genuine shock as it is branches in the shape of antlers.  It fills him with incredible warmth to see such things, he did dearly love his antlers in his past life- But as he goes to accept them, they change, bursting into blooms of leaves and weeds, until they've regrown to be not antlers, but a simple crown of red leaves.
Of course there would be a catch for challenging the spirit, but he supposes this is fair, and a crown is still quite comfortable for him as he places it on his head and puffs up proudly.  This is quite nice, he decides, as he turns and departs the shrine.


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Event prompt: Carving Lanterns
Word Palette: nine + wistful + barren + finch + fog
Words total: 558


Saiuk watches as her brother heads off to visit the ice pillar, but a creeping sensation is rooting her to the spot before she can follow.  
While for the most part, the area is full of of color and life, there is one side that is thick with fog.  And she finds herself nervously looking to it, feeling as though she is watched.
The constantly present strand of stress that wraps her is tightening as her own fear increases.  Despite all instinct saying to stay away, she creeps towards the fog instead.  Flinching at every sound and creak of a tree above, she realizes only after she's gone a decent distance that the fog has concealed the way out too.  Her panic increases as she regrets following the feeling in here at all.

Then she sees it, in the thick cloak of dark and gloom, two glowing points, eyes, watching her.  More, more and more fade into view and she finds herself quite surrounded. 
She can almost hear it, the growling and snapping of jaws, how familiar this is to her nightmares, of the predators that haunted her old life.  She whirls and attempts to run away, but then there's a steak of movement and bird song as a finch bursts from the foliage, and she's stumbling back, bumping into something else and jumping more.
The fog is disturbed by her movement, and so is what she crashed into as it smashes to the ground, flares of light bursting from it and fading into the night just as quickly.

She stares with wide eyes as the fog fades enough to see what it is, and is confused by the sight of a smashed pumpkin.
Glancing around, the eyes are still watching her, but now she sees they are all pumpkins as well, pumpkins with faces and smirks and light at their heart.  She counts nine of the rude thing's, and feels quite upset that they appear so happy to have scared her.

She wonders if the wisps would be upset if she was to smash more of the pumpkins, if only to get some small revenge.  And in answer wisps are appearing around her, leading to a faceless pumpkin.
She follows, if only to see if they intend to apologize for their tricks.
Instead, they burn a new image into the pumpkin, carving it before her, an image of a bounding deer.
she looks wistful then...ah, another trick, they mock her by showing her the past she sees...
But that is not the goal, and the lights quickly amend the mistake by forming the image without the pumpkin at all.  Saiuk steps back in surprise as a small fawn of flame is before her now.  It twirls and jumps, as if a real creature and not enchanted light at all.

It runs away, and she clumsily races after it, unsure where it leads her, once more into the fog.  Then, just as easily as she entered, she is free of it.  The fawn standing at the place she started, the place still bustling with esk just as she left it, it lead her back.  Before she can do anything more, the fawn fades away, it's goal completed.  She glances to the fog again, and sees the glowing eyes are still there, but this time, they feel less scary.  


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Event prompt: A Mysterious Game
Word Palette: crown + secrets + tangle + time + game
Words total: 706

While Kesuk and Saiuk wander off, Anik is left to her devices.  Not something anyone's wise leaving her too.
The hum of corruption remains deeply set in her, even with the peace brought by rediscovering both her lost children, and even now there are voices and songs she hears which others claim not too.  A tangle of sounds, highlighted by the gentle tune of the windchimes that haunt her.
Shes long since learned not to bother others with it, but here a particularly fresh song is on the wind.

It could be a real song, with so much activity its possible, she muses it's softness while following it.  The lights are not guiding her now, they let her pass and remain in their places, not chasing not leading, simply waiting.

Red leaves and high growing brambles spread through the forest here, yet she notices not all the shapes of shadows are that of trees and stumps.
Strange shapes, strange materials, finely painted but damaged colors are here, creations from a world she was never part of, and only ever saw in passing once long ago.
She stops to marvel at the form of a hooved creature, posed in a gallop, overtaken by plant life.  It was certainly never alive, but as she looks she finds more are here, in a ring, with a ground and a roof, large trunks of what does not look like tree through their center.

She is given only a short time to observe the strange thing, interrupted by one by one wisps appearing, floating softly around the structure.  They remain still as they did before, trusting she will understand their whispers.  She looks around more, and sees that the wisps did not come alone, small esk, bright eyed and nervous have gathered, lead here by the lights as well.  They look on with equal parts wonder and fear at the creatures frozen in time and faded color.

They are just as eager to know the secrets of this object as she is.  And she understands what the wisps may want.
She begins to scrape away the plants, willing them to free the structure, untangling the brambles.  The gathered esk look on, much too small to help.  It does not take long for the full shape to become clearer, to see how the parts connect, but what is it Anik still wonders?  It appears a ring, a large circle of dancing creatures, posed in play and dance but clearly not moving, despite being given a stage to do so.

The lights who hung patiently are moving again, taking over in her confusion, and seeming to enter the object.  Suddenly it bursts to life.  The song Anik heard before roaring in impressive energy, light edging the roof and floor, displaying the creatures, and then more surprising they themselves are moving.  Not fully, they are turning, all at once they circle, it is slow, and they gentle rise and fall as they go, but it is enough.  The gathered esk are all bouncing around Anik and cheering.
Yet soon as the celebration starts, it ends, the great thing slowing to a stop again and going dark.

The small esk all stop too, sadly looking at the game which ended too early for them.
Well that won't do.
Anik is unsure how this creation worked, but the lights powered it, if only for a minute, and she happens to have a lot of her own light.  Willing her aurora to encircle the structure, and herself pushing on one, hoping to make it move again.
Slowly but surely, it starts to turn, and her element is accepted by the old wood, it's lights now all the colors of the northern sky, and it's song interlaced with that of chimes.
The esk jump about, and leap to get on at the whole thing spins, climbing up the hooved creatures as if riding them in a race.  Anik stands back and watches them have their fun, focusing on keeping it powered, if only for a few minutes, that should be enough she decides.
She may be a confused spirit, a little lost, but these moments root her back to whats real.  She thanks the lights for this silently.


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Event prompt: Haunted Spaces
Word Palette: dilapidated + web + seeds + rain + tawdry
Words total: 773


Kesuk finds Saiuk but not Anik, and they both realize that their mother has wandered off as well, but not returned.
Prepared to face the night much more bravely after her visit to the fog, Saiuk takes the lead now and Kesuk's quick to follow.  While he had lived his life long and well fulfilled, she has been a spirit for much longer, and it is not so hard for her to sense the energy of their mothers lost soul.  Cutting through crowds of esk, they see a path leading to part of the forest which holds distant song and light, familiar light.

They make their way through the trees and brambles, coming upon the scene of a large glowing structure, spinning while esk play and light parades through the whole thing.  Anik stands seeming to be controlling it and they are left unsure how she manged to do such a thing, but find it grand none the less.  Trotting to her side, she turns to greet them.  The structure gently slows and her sky lights are returned to her from it.  The esk who played on it are still laughing and goofing around as they climb off it, thanking Anik for the game.  But there is something else here, further into the forest, Kesuk is first to notice the new trail of wisps waiting for them.

The smaller esk, eager for another game, race each other to chase the lights, and Anik is first to follow them, followed by the remaining.  There are more structures hidden in the plants here, but they are not as colored or interesting.  A large dilapidated frame stands, a gateway, welcoming them to something new, and they all accept the invite.
But here there is less light, there are webs of dust and decay strung about, as they enter what is not a root of tree tops but something more sealed.

The darkness inside is unnatural, never have the 3 encountered a cave so clean shaped, nor so devoid of light.  The small esk who previously ran in with cheer and fun have now grouped up in a fearful huddle, reconsidering.
A pair of glowing eyes blinks at them, only for a moment, but this is enough to cause scrambling and screaming as they hide behind Anik.
It is not Anik that faces it however, but Saiuk, who knows the tricks of these spirits now, that strides forward unafraid.
Who may this spirit be, and what may they wish to share?

But she learns quickly that this is not like before, there is no pumpkin grinning at her when she gets to the place the eyes appeared.  Kesuk bumps her in reassurance when he notices her courage failing her, hes equally sure there is something hidden here, and hes sure they can all discover it together.
But even this hope is extinguished as Anik becomes alarmed, both her aurora and antlers fading away, no longer casting a gentle glow as they walk.  The esk are all plunged into true darkness by it, now even the entrance is no where to be found, and they stumble and bump into each other in confusion.  Seeds of fear have been planted in each of them, and none are immune to the feeling.

They have all been truly tricked, will they be trapped here now, will the spirits of this place simply choose to keep theirs?  Is this how they came to be here as well??  Why have they taken Aniks power, and where have the wisps gone?

A single light returns, showing that they stand in a single large room.
There are others at the edge of the room, surrounding them on all sides, and the esk jump in surprise or fear at the new crowd and they react equally as spooked.
Infact, they are almost a mirror match to the groups actions.
It is actually not a crowd at all one esk points out, but mirrors, this whole room is mirrors!  There is a sigh of relief between them all, Saiuk and Kesuk sharing an embarrassed look at being so scared, and Anik simply miffed that the spirits of this place took her lights to pull this off.
Still the mirrors are strange, and Kesuk is first to start playing in them as they distort and stretch his reflections shape.  Slowly but surely, the darkness in this place is receding as fun is restored to it as well.

They leave the house of mirrors eventually, Anik's powers returned to her once they do, and the little family is left feeling like they have seen enough spooks for the night.

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Event prompt: Conclusion
Word Palette: breeze + mosaic + cowslips + picayune + parse
Words total: 551


A mix of games and surprises the night has been a fast burned one, dawn arrives gently giving them their short time of goodbyes to the spirits.
The wisps and lights celebrate, as esk all around are taken home, Anik leading Kesuk and Saiuk back to the place they arrived, striding into the waiting fogs with a sense of satisfaction.

They are indeed brought back.  The marsh land once again spans in front of the 3 as they leave the fog.  But this time, it no longer appears endless and still, the mountains are within reach again, the forests on the horizons have returned, the water is again moving with the will of the moon and wind.  No longer does the place feel asleep, and no longer do the floating lights decorate it.

It is a little melancholy to see it change back, but the night is not totally spent yet.  

A last single waning wisp waits, hovered over a collection of 3 soft lights, wrapped by a thin leaf like material.  They each study them, attracted to different ones.  Kesuk recognizes the blues of the ocean, the pattern of waves and seafoam on one.  Saiuk marvels at the intricate patterns of vines and lilies on the one she has chosen.  And Anik feels the ice and clouds of hers are too pretty to describe properly.
They glow so gently, but it is not any of the magical wisps that sit inside them, but rather true flames.

They reflect on the night.
And in their reflection, they each hope to have another night of mystery and fun.  It is a bittersweet thing to be brought back together in this form, there is so much of the world they were never aware of before, and now they have all the time in the world to learn and experience it, all the time they want to be together again.  They wish to stay at peace, and hope that this isn't out of the question to be given.
Kesuk panics suddenly as a large breeze sweeps through them and steals the objects away.  He tries to chase them as theyre lifted into the air, glancing to see Anik is racing after him too.
But the wind is faster than them, carrying the lanterns higher and higher, and Kesuk is frustrated to be unable to reach them.  While they can do many things in this life, flying has never been one he grasped like other esk seem to have, and thou Anik moves unnaturally, she is similarly unable to follow.  Both slowing to a stop in defeat.
Saiuk calls them, telling them to turn around and look.  Reluctantly, they do, giving up on the pretty painted objects.

And a mosaic of floating lights across the sky greats them.
Hundreds of lanterns, just like their own, all different colors, laced with flowers and elements are drifting over them.  Their own 3 join the mass of money, and they watch them all float away to who knows where.  It becomes impossible to parse which is their own as they become mere dots on the edge of the clouds.
They watch until the sun breaks the mountains, and in that flare of light, the lanterns are no more, gone, as well as the night and magic it held.