[Quillington]

Yᴏᴜʀ ᴋᴀʟᴏɴ ᴄᴏᴍᴇs ᴛᴏ ᴀ ғᴏʀᴋ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴏᴀᴅ.
❝ The path out of town forks two ways. What sort of places do they seem to lead to?
Which does your hero take, and why?"❞

[NightFlame22]

So we return to our sweet little baker.

Cinna followed the path, a meandering road that was made naturally by years of travel. It was a rather cloudy day, as many of them in this suffering land had been lately, and she was worried that it would rain. There was no sign of shelter nearby save for a line of trees up ahead, and so she moved quickly, her lazy pace increased to a trot as she tried to reach what was presumably a forest before the heavens broke loose.

As she reached the edge of the forest, she noticed a split in the road. One way went along the outside, keeping the grassy plains in view as it threaded around the perimeter. It was much wider and packed-down, obviously well-traveled in comparison to other. The alternate choice was a thin, scraggly path that cut straight through into the heart of the trees, gradually getting darker and darker as the foliage grew thicker. It was the quicker route, for sure, but none could know the dangers that lie ahead. The other, lighter path was clearly the safer way, but who knew just how big the forest was? It could be days before she went around the whole thing. Cinna looked from left to right and left again, unable to decide which way she preferred.

A crash of thunder overhead finalized her decision. She scampered down the thinner path, into the cover of the trees. The dense leaf cover acted as a sort of umbrella, preventing most of the rain from falling on her. She sighed a little, happy to be protected from the storm, and ventured deeper into the woods. The thin path became a spongy moss that sprang back with each pawstep, and the birds called through the trees. It was altogether more pleasant than it originally seemed, and Cinna would have relaxed if it wasn’t for one thing that kept nagging at her.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched.

(335 words)

[cocogerber13]

Prompt Two



the castle looks promising...

[eltonn]

Yᴏᴜʀ ᴋᴀʟᴏɴ ᴄᴏᴍᴇs ᴛᴏ ᴀ ғᴏʀᴋ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴏᴀᴅ.



Mike argues that in stories, the dark path is always where the hero goes, and they run into horrible trouble. Adelaide says that's exactly why they should go down the dark path- wouldn't the crystal be in the most dangerous place?

Gale watches this entire thing while eating a bag of popcorn. Oh, and she totally stole one of the street gremlins.

[Izuku]

they went to the cave in the end

[satyn]

prompt 02 - Yᴏᴜʀ ᴋᴀʟᴏɴ ᴄᴏᴍᴇs ᴛᴏ ᴀ ғᴏʀᴋ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴏᴀᴅ.

- using my team dakota the peppy paladin, pompeii the moody mage, and estrella the matter-of-fact medic in anthro form
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
"And so, our three heroes embarked on their journey to save Kalokairi..."

"Shut up, Dakota," Pompeii barked, his ears flattening. "What? I thought the commentary was befitting of our quest," the pastel pink-haired kalon joked.

"I think he means to stop being annoying," Estrella piped up, swinging her first aid kit along.

"So you think that I'm annoying? Wow, I'm hurt," Dakota replied, pouting. "I never said I did. I'm simply telling you Pompeii's thoughts," Estrella stated, unwavering.

Pompeii gripped his mage staff, resisting the temptation to use a spell that would make Dakota stop talking... for a long enough time to have some peace and quiet. Luckily for Dakota, she had already closed her mouth - for the time being.

The three traversed the windy, overgrown path. The village became smaller and smaller in the distance with every step, and the further they went, the more spooky it felt.

After what felt like forever, Pompeii's voice interrupted the silence. "What's that?"
"It's a signpost," Estrella said, squinting at it. "There are two different directions."

As the three approached closer to the signpost, they could see the writing in detail. The sign facing the left had words that were crossed out. The sign facing the right mentioned a forest.

"We should probably go right," Pompeii said. "Why? We aren't going left just because the words are crossed out?" Dakota asked, frowning.
Pompeii narrowed his eyes. "Obviously! If the words are crossed out, it means that nothing is there."

"To be fair, there's light at the end of the path to the left," Estrella said, motioning a finger. "To the right, there is only a pitch black forest."
"Yeah. If you ask me, the forest looks pretty creepy and dangerous," Dakota added.

"At the same time, aren't you not supposed to follow the light at the end of the tunnel? Pompeii asked, unimpressed.
Dakota paused and thought. "I'm honestly not sure."

Estrella spoke up again - unusually for her, as she was often quiet (but I suppose you need a voice of reason in a world of dummies). "If you believe that we should go right, Pompeii, then we will. But whatever happens rests on your shoulders."

Pompeii huffed and swished his tail. "Fine."
"Alright. Then we'll go right," Dakota concurred.

And so, they went to the forest (where Pompeii was bitten by numerous bugs and poked in the eye with a stray branch).

[Cosmonaut]

PROMPT 2
Yᴏᴜʀ ᴋᴀʟᴏɴ ᴄᴏᴍᴇs ᴛᴏ ᴀ ғᴏʀᴋ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴏᴀᴅ.

Minnow looked up from his map in disbelief. The split in the road before him was definitely not something he had been expecting. The path he'd been travelling on had clearly been depicted as a straight shot to the area he'd headed towards, with no sign of a fork in the road at any point. But, clearly in front of him was a split of the road into two smaller paths, with no clear differentiation of where they could possibly lead.

Of course, as any kalon would be in such a situation, Minnow felt stuck. He had no one with him to help decide, and he could only take a guess as to where he should go. After sitting down next to the crossroads staring intently at his map, attempting to notice any slight change in direction of his correct path to no avail, he couldn't help but feel utterly lost. It was not until he noticed a bird flying overhead that he realised that he did have a chance at continuing along the correct trail. Since it is unknown where the incorrect path could end up, there was a good chance it could very well be a more rural, minor area whereas he was headed in the direction of a town. Assuming this is true, it was far more likely for someone to be travelling to or from the town rather than the unknown, possibly rural area. In addition, not only could he use the direction they were travelling in, but it wasn't a bad idea to ask for directions, either. His plan may have been smart, but estimated chances were by far no guarantee of an accurate result.

So, he waited. It's odd how waiting can make something seem to take ages longer than the usual. It wasn't for what seemed like hours to Minnow until the first sign of another traveler, making his way along the path. Well, at least, it was a sign of another. The incoming sound of a horse's frantic, running steps pulled his attention away from the rock he'd been examining. Looking up, a horse bolted past him coming from one of the split paths. The oddest part? There was no one riding it. Puzzled by this, Minnow only shrugged it off and continued along the road, taking the path the horse had come from.

[392]

[Murdoc Niccals]

Yᴏᴜʀ ᴋᴀʟᴏɴ ᴄᴏᴍᴇs ᴛᴏ ᴀ ғᴏʀᴋ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴏᴀᴅ.
❝ The path out of town forks two ways. What sort of places do they seem to lead to?
Which does your hero take, and why?"❞

Corneria's eyes flicked from left to right, her tail swishing fitfully as she studied both. The land was not her cup of tea, full of cloying shadow and dead trees. And to top it off, the little scholarly Kalon she met before seemed to have run off without her. Just perfect! But Corneria wouldn't be so easily beaten by abandonment and forked roads.

Road on the right seemed a bit swampy. Every time a breeze came from that direction, she could smell rotten eggs and stale farts, or what she could assume was that. The left seemed to be recently scorched, as the trees seemed a bit darker than the rest. Fires or swamp monsters?

Corneria rather didn't want leeches in her boots, so the fire hazard won out, unfortunately. She took a few steps towards the left path, sparing a glance back at the swamp. In a brighter land, maybe she would have taken it, but the darkness only made her all the more wary. At least with the burnt trees, she could see a fire or something coming in the dim, smoky moonlight.

[Guest]

Yᴏᴜʀ ᴋᴀʟᴏɴ ᴄᴏᴍᴇs ᴛᴏ ᴀ ғᴏʀᴋ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴏᴀᴅ.
scratched out signs in the woods can only lead to good luck, right?

[kamelgirl]

username :: kamelgirl
kalons used :: aisake
prompt #1 :: ᴡʀɪᴛᴇ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴋᴀʟᴏɴ(s) ᴘʀᴇᴘᴀʀɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴇᴍʙᴀʀᴋ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ǫᴜᴇsᴛ. (1009/150)
prompt #2 :: Yᴏᴜʀ ᴋᴀʟᴏɴ ᴄᴏᴍᴇs ᴛᴏ ᴀ ғᴏʀᴋ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴏᴀᴅ. (980/150)
story ::

Aisake ducked beneath an overhanging branch, grimacing as his hand brushed through the eleventh spiderweb that day. "See, this is why I hate the woods in summer," he groused. "There's so many bugs!"

Talking to oneself might be the first sign of insanity, but then again, according to the Nyssan townsfolk, Aisake had never been too far from that point anyway. Besides, at this point, the lack of any kind of social interaction whatsoever was driving him over the brink; he'd take what he could get, thank you.

It had been roughly three hours since Aisake had first stepped onto Kalokairi, for the first time in ten years. He'd lived here as a kit, back when his mother was there and his father still smiled. It had changed greatly since then; even to a child, it had been clear that Kalokairi had been bursting with life and vivacity. Now, the blue sky was obscured by a smoky layer of darkness, and the gloom had seeped into the very roots of the woods he was walking through.

To his right, the bushes rustled threateningly. Aisake chanced a quick glance in that direction, but saw nothing. One hand unconsciously grasped the hilt of his sword.

Unless the creature decided to attack, there was nothing he could do. For the moment, Aisake focused on holding his head up high and keeping his breathing steady and even. The notebook said demons can sense fear, he recalled. If I panic, it'll only make whatever it is likelier to attack me. Not that this train of thought was particularly conducive to remaining calm.

With the ease of years of practice, Aisake slipped on a carefree smile, feeling his spirits rise and his stride grow more confident. The bushes rustled again. This time, when Aisake looked over, he spotted a forked tail moving away into the brush. Aisake's fingers tightened their grip on his sword.

Up ahead, the path split in two. Aisake's tail flicked in faint irritation as he consulted his notebook. The traveller hasd sketched a hasty map of the entire island, complete with the main trails and roads. Unfortunately, whatever trail he was currently had evidently been deemed unimportant.

"And now I've got no clue where I am," he sighed. A bird- probably the first he'd seen since arriving on this island- cocked its head as he spoke. Aisake directed the rest of his remarks to it, for lack of a better audience. "One of these paths will, hopefully, go back to the town... I think. They're basically impossible to tell apart." He surveyed the offending paths in question with a frown.

The right path was enveloped in shadows cast by the looming trees of the forest. When Aisake squinted, he could see tiny black animals skittering across the trail. The left path, on the other hand, left the forest to trek across an open, sunny meadow (or as sunny as anything in Kalokairi was).

"Let's see," Aisake muttered. "The obvious trap, or the less obvious maybe-trap hiding behind the facade of something that's actually not horrifying?" The bird, instead of civilly offering its informed opinion, twittered in alarm and flitted away.

Aisake took the hint. As he whipped around, sword drawn, he was greeted with the sight of a monstrous black cloud, shaped vaguely like a horribly deformed bull, barrelling up the trail the kalon had walked minutes before. Aisake sheathed his sword and fled, because there was really no shame in running like a coward when you were drastically outclassed.

As he plunged down the shadowed path, deeper into the forest, the vines trailing along the ground shifted to trip him up. Small black creatures swooped down on him from overhead, and Aisake had lost count of how many spiderwebs he ran right through. And during it all, the black bull remained doggedly at his heels.

So basically, the most messed-up game of Temple Run he'd ever played.

At last, the trees parted, and Aisake stumbled out onto an open green. The small clearing was edged on all sides by more forest, though it was cut in half through the middle by a clear stream.

Aisake ran towards it, renewed hope giving him strength; running water couldn't be crossed by ghosts, so maybe it would work on demons as well. If nothing else, as least he'd actually be able to maneuver while being trampled to death by an angry demon cow.

The demon was only inches behind him when Aisake dropped off the stream's bank into the water. Accepting his fate, the kalon squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the end. When nothing happened, he looked up in confusion. The bull was standing at the top of the bank swinging its head around in confusion. It can't see me, Aisake realized. As unobtrusively as he could, he eased himself towards the opposite bank. The bull, thwarted by the running water, failed to notice its prey even as the kalon climbed out of the stream and continued down the path.

Sopping wet, Aisake grinned to himself, jubilant after his escape from the demon. His elation was so great, however, that it completely prevented him from seeing the swarm of tiny creatures until he was right in the midst of them.

Aisake stared at them. The creatures- furry little black animals with very familiar forked tails- stared back. "Um," Aisake squinted. "I come in peace?"

From the way the horde of furry things bared their (too long) teeth and sharp claws, they didn't think that was likely.

...

An hour later, a very bruised and bloodied Aisake stumbled into a slightly mangy-looking township. The streets were rough and full of trash, most of the buildings looked run-down or left to rot, and the entire place had the general atmosphere of exhausted, perpetual filthiness.

It was also the most beautiful beautiful thing Aisake had ever seen, he thought as he collapsed into his rented bed.