[DragonSnake]

Current weather:
Greenleaf- season does not effect rolls yet.

Clans Responded To:
lacke's the haven

Writer Info:
Hi guys! I'm Sneek. If you have questions about explore or just want to chat, you can always PM me here
This will be my last post until explore returns from hiatus.

A gentle reminder that explore is in beta!
New features will be added and things may change, rolls are
still experimental.

the haven

✧ Last Post ✧ Last Response
✧ Fasting? Yes, 2 more posts

Vale’s hesitant pawsteps approached the boundary of the now extinct creek, a place where light streamed in horizontal ribbons separating the shadow of the treeline from the cracked mud and pebbles. Winding river of empty soil- It almost seemed as though the nearby flora hadn’t quite realized there was new land for the taking yet. Perhaps it too was unsure of what should and shouldn’t be. He raised his tail as Rascal approached from behind, blue eyes scanning the bushes ahead of them with skepticism. “See anything?”
“No. Not yet.” Vale allowed himself to make use of his other senses. Lowering his head to the ground, he took in the earthy aroma of clay-heavy soil. In a damp patch here and there, animal tracks. Riftfrog. Quillchicken, maybe. Then-
“Look,” Rascal chirped with a hint of fear, pointing out what Vale simultaneously saw. Cat tracks. Big cat tracks.
Vale stiffened, the shadows at the edge of the glade suddenly seeming more menacing. He crouched closer, ears twitching warily as he warned Rascal to stay back. “Strange… but no scent,” he murmured, his nose twitching and finding nothing. These were fresh- the mud around them had not yet dried- and yet there lingered not a trace of the acrid burning smell of a cindercat.
“What do you mean, no scent? Are there ghost cats walking around that we need to be scared of now?” Racal quipped, using humor to disguise the quiver in his voice.
“Maybe,” Vale shrugged. “Either way, they’re gone now. Let’s follow the quillchicken for now. But keep your head on a swivel.”
As the two felines continued on, something behind them in the underbrush moved.

~~~~

Solace traveled in considerate silence, observing the world around them. Many small insects scuttled around below the carpet of leaves and needles, subjects of a minute kingdom of rot and decay. On the wind, she caught a familiar scent. Vale and Rascal had come this way not too long ago, no doubt looking for prey. The knowledge made Solace feel- safer, to some degree. The earth was not likely to suddenly drop away beneath her.
Solace chose to travel away from them, toward a small pond where she knew aquatic plants thrived. If she were lucky, she might find some fathomleaf sheltered in the shade. She heard the gentle plap-plap-fizz of a rift frog vanishing into the ether as she pushed past the dense stand of cattails at the bank of the pond, no doubt startled by her arrival. However, she was equally startled by the visage she saw lapping at the edge of the water.
A translucent cat-thing writhed and twisted, bent over the pond with its spectral tongue phasing through the surface of the water, hardly disturbing it at all. The figure shifted from within as though its core was in turmoil, yet the external layer of mist that formed the skin was calm, frozen. A thousand possibilities of shape, color, form and size all battled bitterly to take hold, warping the world around the figure yet seeming ever so contained- a seed of terrible violence and possibility, in a ghostly blue shell.
Solace stood still, paralyzed with shock. Never had she seen such a thing before- though the mysteries of the beyond could only hope to be understood by a truly arrogant cat.
The thing lifted its head, and as it looked at her with hollow eyes, she saw the frantic energy within pause, shift and change, until Solace stared at a mirror image of herself- but only for a second. It made no move, only inclining its head, as though- confused. Curious. Its mouth moved but made no sound, and Solace found herself compelled by a force beyond herself to ask-
“Do I know you?”
The creature’s head split into two, two feline faces nodding and shaking in turn, confirming yet denying. Then, it suddenly vanished.
Shaken, Solace stood frozen in wonderment for a while, before approaching the place where the thing had stood. Imprinted in the place of each enormous yet petite paw was a twisting curl of ghoststem, beginning to bloom.
After Solace had collected it, she swore she could feel a presence following her home. But she saw nothing.

✧ Explore Summary + A/N
Hi!! I hope you enjoy what I wrote for you-
I might have taken things a bit far, but I really
wanted to get a feel for the worldbuilding,
and characterize a 4th wall break into something
that makes sense in universe:) I had a lot of fun
and i look forward to reading what you have to say next!
Side note, but Rascal is really cute and I like him.

You gained +2 FP and +5 FF for posting!

✧Hunting Patrol:
Rascal and Vale ended up coming across a nest of quillchickens, which they were successfully able to flush. Although a few escaped, they still came home with a sizeable meal. +8 FP

✧Herb Patrol:
A bit shaken from their encounter, Solace was still able to
collect a useful amount of herbs. She can't shake the feeling that the specter was trying to tell her something, though...
+1 fathomleaf (dock), +1 ghoststem (witch hazel),+1 shiverfern (meadow saffron)

✧What's this? It looks like you've found an item!
+1 Common MYO - link back to this post for proof when using your item.

credit for "DragonSnake's explore replies" header, all other images created by myself

[dimi.]

[Sorry to bump this thread while it's still on hiatus!]

All fireflies from responses have been documented. If I missed a post, please dm me!