[WiltedLovers]

Mark5

[76heart]

dsjsfkjlsklj this kalon is GORGEOUS

username: 76heart
kalon name: zaria
gender: female, she/her
word count: 2,851
the shine reminds me of the moon scythe in armello and i love it
the story is also heavily inspired by the arcana game

xxx"Be careful young children, all who go here, there a ghosts around, monsters, beasts you never want to face. They will take you if you let them, so watch out, take care, before it's too late." What was this? The kit paused, tilting their head, their gaze landing on the source of the voice, the source of the one waving their paws theatrically through the air, a hint of dark wildness just barely slipping into their tone. Monsters? Dangers? Near the camp? "There's monsters about, creatures abound that will get you before you can shout. If you wish to enter this forest, I beg you tread carefully my dear, for its dangerous to even be near." The Kalon continued, catching the kit's eye and beckoning them over with a toothy smile. Hesitantly, the kit came forward, and sat before the larger figure, who's presence, who's shadow, seemed to extend over them more than what was normal.
xxx"So you want to hear a story little one?" She let out a laugh, her eyes flashing with something the small kit couldn't distinguish. The kit gave a cautious nod.
xxx"Well then darling, a story you shall have." Her gaze darkened, and the corners of her lips curled upwards into
an unsettling grin.
xxx"But first," She paused, the air seemed to hold with her, a thickness creeping over the two, wrapping it's long claws around them and holding them in place. "an acorn." The kit blinked, confused, and her smile quickly vanished, turning into a frown. The kit started to inch back in surprise, but her voice cut through the thickness, and held them in place. "An acorn," She repeated darkly; pressing, holding out a paw, her voice firm, and eyes slightly enlarged with anger, before it all vanished in a flash, and her expression sweetened, the grin returning. "for my troubles, of course." She added softly, her smile going a little too sweet. Carefully, the kit placed an acorn in her paw, it's golden sheen shimmering for a moment as it passed through the light. She accepted it with a widened grin, and placed it behind her.
xxx"Now then, shall we begin?" Zaria's grin was almost dangerously wide.

xxxThe castle's hall was cold, made of frigid stone that chilled the pads of her paws. There was no one but her. She was alone. Alone in a hall bathed in twilight, that somehow felt suffocating. How had she gotten here exactly, and where was here? She glanced around, but there was nothing. Only darkness, and the pieces of moonlight that were lucky enough to creep they tendrils in. There had been something, a presence, a sense of magic that had pulled her from her slumber, and lead her here, to this silent hall. Now she couldn't catch it's trace. She had been brought here, to the palace, to serve the queen because of her magical abilities. What sort of sorceress was she if she couldn't follow a simple thread of magic? Perhaps it had merely been a dream, and she had just thought she had felt a trace of-
xxxClick. Clack. Click. Clack. Click- She whipped around, her eyes widening at the sound, searching the darkness. What was that? Her gaze landed on two white forms at the end of the corridor, their pelts seeming to possess an eerie glow as the moonlight cascaded down their shimmering, long fur. She breathed a sigh of relief. It was only the dogs, the two that used to belong to the king, before he had been murdered. Slowly, she approached the two. Their necks were long and elegant, swan-like, and their fur had the faintest of waves, which she noticed for the first time as she grew closer. She noticed too, that their intricate collars, crafted by the finest hands, where a gem was encrusted within, seemed to shine and glow with something, much like their soft pelts. How had she missed that before? They sat close to one another, so close that their forms seemed to blend together, until they stood in unison, and she stopped. The queen's handmaiden had warned her they had not been trained to be friendly, and if she had upset them, she did not want to anger them more with sudden, jerking moves. They were larger than her too, with sharp, glimmering teeth. Being anything but careful would be extremely unwise. She watched, staying frozen, as they came to her sides, rubbing against her, their tails brushing her own while they edged her forward, flashing her darkened looks when she stayed put. Swallowing, she stepped forward with them, and followed them as they pulled themselves from her side, and went in front of her to show her the way to wherever they were taking her. Once again, they looked as if they could be just one being as they rejoined at the other's side.

xxxThey took her to the stairs where they were usually sent to guard, the ones that lead to the king's old room. The one that had been engulfed by an impossible fire, taking him with the flames. Did they want her to go there? She flinched as their growls at her hesitation reached her ears. She swallowed. It seemed like they did. They relaxed again when she obeyed, returning to a state of sweetness that could fool anyone who had never seen their more vicious side. She could feel the neglected steps creaking and wain beneath her as she stepped, though no sound of it reached her ears. That... wasn't right. She began to feel uneasy, something she now realized she should have felt from there very moment she left her room. There was something very off, something very wrong, and she felt stupid for only now starting to see it. It felt like eyes were pouring into her back, pressing, pushing, bearing down on her, while something spider-like crawled down her spine and she tried to arch away from it as far as she could, as far as nature would allow. It was like the feeling of a panic, but all focused on the middle of her back. She quickly hurried up the steps after the two borzoi dogs, eager to get away from the feeling that was starting to scare her. She shivered as soon as her feet touched the smooth stone of the next floor.
xxxThis hall was like the other one, but so frigid she feared her whiskers would turn to ice, and it smelled of ash. The air was thick and stagnant. It felt like death. She didn't want to be here, she didn't want to be here at all. Before she could make her escape however, she became aware of a presence, and a sound that had been present for longer than she had perceived it. It was a voice, a faint, ghostly whisper, but there was no one but her, and the two dogs in the hall. Besides them, it was completely desolate, devoid of all life, down to even the smallest motes of dust that hung drifted through the air, slowed down by it's unsettling thickness. She knew there was something else there though, someone. She knew, with every fiber of her being, that they were not alone. She turned slowly, surveying the empty hall, until something colder than she had ever thought possible, brushed against her tail, and she froze, her entire form tingling with rising fear. Then she heard it clearly. She heard the voice.

xxxA snicker sounded in her head, while at the same time, reverberating tauntingly around the room. "Ahh, my, my, my, what have my pets brought for me today?" The voice was smooth, too smooth, like running one's fingers through the softest silk, and she didn't like what it had said.
xxxShe stiffened, and grimaced when she felt something, a finger, reach out to trace the shape of her jawline, dragging tantalizingly slowly across the soft fur, until it reached her neck, and she felt an arm gracefully sling around her shoulders. She couldn't see anything, but she knew it was there. A freezing breath tickled her ear, and she tried to wrench herself free as she shivered, but she couldn't move. It held her firmly in place. She heard it laugh again, the sound echoing off the abandoned walls.
xxx"It's been awhile since they've brought me something, someone who looks so positively delicious. What a tasty morsel you must be." The voice whispered, closely into her ear. She yanked her head away from the cold breath, the invisible whisper, and tried not to appear afraid. Delicious? Tasty? Morsel? Did this think intend to eat her? She had to get away, she had to run.
xxx"Who are you?" She asked, nearly shouting the words. She hated that some of her fear seeped through. She could hear her heart hammering, feel it's pound, and she had a feeling the voice's owner could too. It felt like it grinned against her fur. "What do you want with me?" She asked, this time, softer, and more frightened.
xxx"Oh, nervous are we? Scared? I like you." She felt the invisible pressure slide slowly from around her shoulders, her neck, and she shivered at the lack of the ghostly touch. She wasn't sure if she was relieved to have it gone, or scared that she now had no idea where it was. She shrank back, trying to back away, but her paws seemed to be glued in place.
xxx"My pets, why do you never bring me more like her? She's delightful." The voice asked, turning it's attentions toward the dogs. They let out a whine in response, and she felt the voice begin to sling it's long arm around her shoulder's again, seemingly ready to say something again, until a new, familiar voice rang out, and cut through the air. The hand was sharply pulled back, and the dogs let out a growl.
xxx"Hello? Is anyone there? I heard some voices!" It was the queen's most trusted servant and friend. She let out a sigh of relief.
xxx"Coming! It's only me, I thought I heard something." She shouted, beginning to walk as quickly as she could towards the stairs. Just before she stepped down the first step to the stair though, she caught a glimpse of something before it quickly faded away. It was the body that belonged to the voice, and the single piece she had clearly caught of it was all she needed to know to figure out who it was. She recognized the eye markings, and the horns from the paintings scattered through the castle's halls. There was no one it could be but the king.

xxxWhen morning came, she found herself sleepless, and sipping tea with the queen, unable to shake off the events of the night, of the king's ghostly touch. After some time of silence and trivial small talk, she finally spoke up about what she had been meaning to ask, a question that had been itching at her the moment she realized it was the king. She asked her what he was like, and the older Kalon paused, before nodding with a smile and waving someone over to refill their teas.
xxxHer movements were languid and sure, portraying a feel of confidence, of certainty that she knew this so well, until she stoppe, and a look of confusion was displayed on her face. "I.." She paused, her brows knitting together in thought, her eyes seeming to search something that wasn't there, while her thoughts searched and scanned for the information she was looking for, trying to grasp at it as it skirted away, just outside the tips of her reach. She was silent for a long while, trying to find the answer. "I, I can't quite seem to remember." When she final spoke, she still sounded distant and far off, her eyes still clouded and not quite there. She shook her head, and turned back to the kit with a tired smile that seemed too old for her years, the focus back in her gaze. "Forgive me, I'm sure it will come back to me soon. Why don't you try asking some of the servants?"
xxxAs soon as the tea was over, she did just that, and all of them had a similar response. None of them could remember what he was like, and now, she had a sinking feeling that no one could. It was like their memories of him had gone with his life in the blaze. She didn't like this at all, not a single bit. There was something very wrong. She bid the servants goodbye, and made a move to open the door, but when she touched it with her snout to push it open, it crumbled into nothing but ash and dust, and she felt herself fall into nothingness.

xxxAll around her was a blackness, darkness cocooning her as she fell into the nothing. She could hear whispers, rivers of whispers, but she couldn't listen. She fell forward suddenly, onto the chilled, and very hard ground, a cloud of dust rising as she heavily hit the floor.
xxxShe felt vaguely like she might be dreaming, but she knew this was real. Her head was spinning along with her mind, and the chill surrounding her only barely registered in her senses. She was in the king's hall again, but how? She had just been with the servants, asking them questions about the king. She had opened the door that was supposed to lead back out to the hall, but instead she had ended up here. There was no light, nothing to guide her through the blackness but the shine on her tail, which shone like a scythe hit by invisible rays of moon. She didn't like this at all, and she felt the feeling collecting in her back again, making her want to do nothing but run. There was something thick, some sort of energy that swallowed the light, and she wanted to be as far from it as possible. It was somehow even more wrong than before. She heard a laugh, and then the king's silken voice echoed in her ears.
xxx"To be able to see something, but not able to touch, ah, the sweetest kind of torture." She could see him now, in all of his glory. He no longer looked like a kalon. His form was human like, but still with the stance of something that walked on four limbs, and where his lower half was meant to have skin and bone and fur, there was nothing but solid shadows. His face was that of a deer's, but his markings and horns, as she had seen before, were the same as his before.
xxx"What do you want with me?" She asked, now more frightened than she would have liked to admit.
xxx"Do you think they'll be glad to see me when I return?" He asked, grinning, head tilted to the side.
xxx"But you, you died! You were killed, you can't come back!"
xxx"Can't I?" His dark eyes flashed, and the corners of his mouth turned upward into a maddening grin after letting out a soft cackle.
xxx"That was only a minor setback. I made a deal you see, to come back. All I need is a body, and I think I finally found the one I wish to take." Horror and dread began to fill her form, screaming through all of her and over taking her mind, all other thoughts. She had to get away, to run now, to flee from that horrible grin.
xxx"I do hope no one will miss you when you're gone." He whispered, his clawed hand drifting along the back of her throat.
xxxZaria tried to loose a scream, but nothing came out. Her vision flickered. Everything was spotty. The last thing she saw before her vision faded to darkness, was her body toppling to the floor, raising another round of dust, and turning slowly into dust that joined the cloud her body had disturbed. The dust then transformed into the king, his maddening grin plastered on his features as an even wider smile. He was back, and it was time to make his greatest entrance yet, at long last, and once again become the monster they had forgotten they feared.

xxx"So my darling, did you enjoy my story?" The kit looked at her with horrified, wide eyes, but nodded, fearing what she'd do if they did not. "Splendid small one. Now, run along, go catch up with your friend, I wouldn't want to keep you." Her falsely sweet tone had returned again, and she didn't need to them twice to leave. The kit quickly turned, and left as fast as they could.
xxxWhen the kit turned back after walking some distance away, wishing to take once last daring look at Zaria, they noticed the older kalon holding the acorn again, seemingly holding it out to some boney and pointed shadow with a white torso in an offering, her eyes glued to it's startling face, a wicked expression claiming her lips.

*instert the drawing i was planning to do here of zaria puppeteering the ghost king with a sinister smile and wild eyed expression while ghosty boi pulls the dogs' strings*

[deerbroken]

username: neongraveyard
kalon name: Mateo
gender: cis male (he/him)
spooky story:
The fire crackles warmly in the center of the campgrounds, the kalons present all holding sticks with marshmallows near the burning heat. All of the cabins surrounding them have darkened windows, and any camper who isn’t outside is asleep by now. Only the bravest of the campers come out at night to tell scary stories, and tonight the crowd is thinner than usual. Arturo creeps up to the circle of chairs, settling into one the worn vinyl seats as everyone finishes their s’mores and draws closer to the light.

“Alright kids,” one of the counselors begins, a nervous smile on their face as they look around at the young kits. “Who would like to go first?”

“I’ll go first,” a confident voice speaks up, and the owner of the voice is none other than Mateo, the counselor who always seems to have something scary up his sleeve. The kits all perk their ears eagerly, Arturo included, and the other counselor shakes their head, waving their paw at the eager kalon as he grabs a flashlight from his pocket and shines it on his face.

“Go ahead then,” they say, clearly not thrilled with the older counselor being the first to go again. He tells the best stories and scares all the kits before anyone else can get a spooky tale in. All the kids seem to have them outnumbered in terms of who wants to hear his story, though. A vote would do no good here, and they're not one to disappoint.

“What’s the matter, you worried that you’re not gonna be able to sleep tonight?” The counselor grumbles irritably, shielding their face as they look away from Mateo. The kits giggle in unison. “Alright everyone, get settled in. This one’s a true story.” He grins wide, showing off his fangs. They glint in the light of the fire and the flashlight.

“Now, when I was a little younger, I used to go out pretty late. My parents had a curfew, but I never followed it. I’d be out until 1 am, 2 am, 3 am, sometimes I wouldn’t get home until the sun came up. I would sneak in through the windows and go to bed before they noticed anything. I had a little brother to worry about, but he usually didn’t wake up, and when he did it was pretty easy to bribe him to keep quiet.

“I went out a lot. Usually with friends. I was the driver on the night this story happened. It was drizzling, and even though it was a Friday night, everybody was pretty tired. We weren’t really looking for a huge party, but all three of us went anyways. When I pulled up to the house, the lights were on and the music was shaking the whole house. My friends were whining about how it was gonna suck, so I had to reassure them. I said to them, ‘Let’s just go in and see what happens. tonight is supposed to be fun, right?’ So we all got out and joined the festivities.

“I was right, of course. We had a great time! It was the end of our high school’s football season, and the whole school had turned up. We played party games and cracked jokes until the sky had gone completely black. The rain had picked up, but none of us cared. We were having too much fun. We partied for hours; when the night had died down, it was already 3 in the morning. We all thanked the host for having us over, took a few extra snacks with us for the trip, and crammed ourselves into my little car. I had a green Toyota truck. The front was pretty small and I didn’t want to get pulled over for having people in the back, and especially not this late. If the cops called my parents, whew, I’d be grounded for the rest of my life! I couldn’t have that. I dropped off my friend Lars first, since he lived pretty close to the house we were at. Once he snuck around the back of the house and disappeared it was just me and Alpha. He lived a little further out, sort of near the woods. The rain was pelting the windshield and the edges of the forest taunted us. I’ve been in those woods a thousand times, but on that night, something didn’t seem right. We both felt it, but neither of us said anything. When I got to the turn on Alpha’s street, I hit the breaks too hard and we slid. Thankfully I didn’t run into anything, but I was freaked out. Alpha had grabbed onto me at this point, and we were both paralyzed for a second, staring at the forest ahead of us and the blinding headlights of my car.

“I drove a lot more slowly up to his house. He got out quietly and walked in right through the front door. I never knew if his parents didn’t care or if they were just heavy sleepers, but I had to give the guy props. I’d never have the guts to do that. My dad would probably sit in the armchair in the living room and catch me red-handed if I ever tried. Sometimes I wonder if he did sit there all night hoping to catch me coming in. But I never had to worry about that, since I didn't take any chances with the front door.

“Finally it was just me and the open road. I was eager to get home, and I sped a little through the mountain roads. The rain had started to let up, but the impending darkness that was surrounding me didn’t help. I felt on edge, and everywhere I looked I thought I saw something. A shadow here, a figure there, everywhere I looked there was a monster lurking right on the edge of the woods. I swear I said a prayer when I got out of them. It was so good to have an open view of the world in front of me, even if most of it was fences and empty fields with houses far in the distance. I would take that any day over the crowded forest roads. It took me a while to get back into town, but when I hit the four-laned street that went through all of Coldfield, I sighed in relief. That relief died off pretty quickly, though.

“Behind me, I noticed a car. It had been following me for a while, so I turned off onto a different street. At first, I thought it was nothing. But then they made the same turn. I made another right turn onto a more unconventional street, one that nobody really used. I saw their headlights as they turned too. I was a little shaken, but I figured they might live over this way. I drove down the street as far as it would go, and I took a left. The street didn’t go anywhere, really. It was a big circle of different pathways that all lead back out to the main road. The car was far behind me, so I made a couple of fast turns, and then when I thought I had lost them, I turned my car off and parked in front of a random house.

“The silence in that moment was deafening. My ears were ringing, and the only thing that broke the sound was my shaking breath. A street light flickered in the distance behind me, and I had to lean back far in my seat, trying to catch my breath and still my shaking hands.

“Just then, I saw a light coming down the street. I slid down in my seat and lowered my head, holding my breath as the lights flashed by me. As I shifted to get a look over my dashboard, my heart stopped.

“It was the car.”

The kits all gasp loudly, and even the other counselor seems to be completely engrossed in the story. Mateo looks around the crowd, one of his paws up for emphasis. The fire has died down quite a bit during his story, and the campground is quiet aside from the chirp of the crickets and the soft crackle of the embers in the fire pit.

There's a short moment of silence before one of the kits speaks up, their eyes wide with fear and wonder.

“What did you do, Mateo?”

He grins as he leans forwards. “I waited. I laid down in the front seat, and I decided I would stay until I thought it was safe, and then drive home. I figured I would wait just in case, but as I began to relax I saw lights coming down the street again. The same car. It came down that street three more times that night, and I had to stay in the seat, not moving a muscle. I checked my phone to see what time it was. 4:30. I had been there for nearly an hour. I sat up and put the keys back in the ignition. Just then, as I was about to turn them, I noticed a car driving past the main road- the car again. They were waiting for me to show myself. I pushed the hair from my face and gave a deep sigh. There was something too suspicious about all of this. When the car passed by again, I tried to get a really good look at it. It was super old; probably a remake or a car that had been tuned up a lot. It looked like it was from the 1950’s, and it had wood paneling on the sides.

"After I felt like I hadn’t seen the car in a while, I turned on my car and got back on the main road, but I had my eye on the rear-view mirror the entire time. I didn’t see any cars following me, but I felt on edge. I finally turned down my street, shut off my lights, and parked quietly in front of my house. It was a little harder than usual for me to be quiet, on account of my body still shaking uncontrollably. I had never been so scared in my entire life. I was just glad it was over.

“I got in through my window and changed into my pajamas. As I pulled the cover off of my bed, I heard a car coming up the street. It was probably one of my neighbors or something, but I had to be sure. I looked out through the window, my head barely peeking above it. And you know what I saw?”

Silence.

“The old car again. I couldn’t breathe. I watched it go down the street. As I watched, it passed under a street light, and I caught a glimpse of the driver; he looked like a corpse. His skin was wrinkled and his wrist was so thin you could see the bone. The car jolts to a stop, and I see the driver shift the car into park. He turns his head to look at me. The next thing I see...”

The silence is deafening as he looks around the fire pit and pauses.

“IS THE FACE OF A DEAD MAN!”

All the kids scream. They stare at Mateo, eyes wide, some of them shaking with fear. A few of them won't be sleeping tonight, that's for sure.

"I rubbed my eyes, and the car was suddenly gone. I've heard people say they've seen the same thing... Our town is haunted, I'm sure of it."

“But that’s just a scary story, Mr. Mateo….” Arturo speaks up.

“Is it?”

The wind blows through the trees, and for just a moment, a faint sound resembling that of a car motor bellows in the distance.

“Mateo, I think you shouldn’t tell scary stories anymore.” He laughs as the other counselor shakes their head, and then shoos the young campers off to their cabins. “No more campfire tales for tonight. Go to sleep, little ones. It’s just a story.”

As the kits pack up their things and head back inside, Mateo’s fellow counselor looks him in the eye, fear hidden behind their tired expression.

“That is just a story, isn’t it?”

Mateo just laughs.

[2057 / unlimited]

extra art piece:
[ft. my kit arturo and box's kalon cetus!]

[Thani]

username: Thank
kalon name: Whisper
gender: Female
spooky story: (no word limit)
extra art piece: (optional)

[sobble]

oo

[Blumoonwolf]

Ooh they’re so pretty!! Marking to watch, mayb enter;0

[doge fruit]

snop

[geto]

username:
kalon name:
gender:
spooky story: (no word limit)
extra art piece: (optional)

mork

[black water]

username: •ιnιgo•
kalon name: alexander
gender: male
spooky story:

there was once a boy who had a lovely home. it wasn't large, but it wasn't small. it was a nice size. he had a nice comfy bed, with nice loving parents. and he thought he was safe. but nobody really is ever safe.

the boy was on his phone quite a lot. he took his phone everywhere. he went to sleep with it beside him, he took it into the bathroom when he showered, he took it to restaurants with him, you know. he'd usually say where he was on his social media as well. he didn't think that there were any problems with that.

boy was he wrong.

one night around twelve AM, he heard some loud noises coming from the kitchen. and just that gave him chills. he knew that nobody could possibly be there. the door was locked, and he would've heard that open.

the boy took a deep breath as he slowly creeped into the kitchen. he turned on his phone flashlight and shined it around in the kitchen. the kitchen looked like a mess. and he knew that none of his family members did it. they were all asleep.

the boy flicked on the light and scanned the room. he found a note that read,

"maybe you should stop spending so much time on your phone
you'll regret it eventually
we know who you are.
- m & d"

and that freaked him out. big time. he quickly grabbed some tape, putting it on his laptop camera and his phone cameras. he turned his location off and ran to his mother and father's room. he curled up on their floor beside their bed, wrapped up in a blanket.

what he didn't know, was that his mother and father were the culprits. they knew they shouldn't be scaring their child like that, but he didn't listen any other way. they would let him know the next morning what they had done.

[kolyakun]

Mark!!