[Guest]

prompt five: w. valley & shiloh auber

it's not what you remember; the pine scent & sun shining, dazing through the trees. moreover, the trees' roots have torn themselves from the ground, across the high tops of the forest that the sky used to seep through. it's cold. not so much like winter, but it doesn't feel like summer either, something that isn't so pleasant. you need to watch your step, as backlash from the overgrowth has broke up the ground & the dirt & the plants growing among it. you bite your tongue. " what happened ? "

shiloh jumped on a fallen trunk, holding his cape in his jaw as to avoid ripping it on the thorns that gripped the forest. it was impossible, he thought, to somehow ever get through here. everything came to a dead end at some point or another. he lay down against his paws, comfortable was an overstatement, but he was beginning to regret the journey he'd taken with valley. maybe they should just turn back; through the mountains . . . the caves . . . meadows that were nearly long as forever . . . he sighed, beginning to mourn.

his ears suddenly folded back while he heard water, & the creaking of wood in the near distance. was it raining ? sure enough, it was. but the forest had been so blocked off that is was nearly impossible for the rain to even get though. in fact, it was storming. the trees all slightly swayed, but shiloh had his eye on one that reached out of the mess of twisted branches, mocking everything below it. it was much more affected by the storm than anything else, & it's leaves violently kept falling out. it was almost calming to watch, shiloh never thought he'd miss the storms in kalokairi, but it seemed like they were something he hadn't seen for a long while after all the attacks had began. his eyes began to fall, he'd been loosing sleep, & he fell asleep in the middle of the storm.

valley, awake & in a part of the forest that the storm hadn't moved over to, had been picking fresh fruits from a tree he'd spent the last while attempting to get up on. he & shiloh had decided to split up & look for different ways out of the mess of a forest. valley, more lucky, had found a place where most trees had fallen already, where the bramble had come down with them. it was quite peaceful, not in the way shiloh had found the tree shaking in the storm peaceful, rather a place that didn't resemble the rest of kalokairi's currently gloomy atmosphere. it was like the good old times.

although, the storm had been coming stronger, nearer, that tree shiloh had been watching began to threaten falling down.


& it did.

both kalons jolted up in surprise, valley falling off his tree & shiloh slipping off his trunk onto the dusty ground. the tree parted shiloh's & valley's respective places they had scavenged out. it opened the sky to the forest, a mist & fog covered all around, & the rain came down heavy as ever. panic ensued like the several lighting bolts coming down from the clouds. shiloh scrambled to the trunk, yelling valley's name. valley, a bit more calm, ( though he would be lying if he said he wasn't still incredibly anxious ) yelled back to give shiloh a sign he was there. " let's try & go around the trunk & meet up ! " valley kept hope in his jaws, " i can't ! everything's blocked off, even behind me, i can't go around ! "

valley was never a leader, but he somehow felt the need to come & protect shiloh while the storm became stronger & stronger, as it became harder to hear each other. should valley go back to a nearby village, or try & find any other kalons in the forest who were also making the journey ? he didn't want to leave shiloh alone, the storm was getting too heavy & dangerous to be alone. he'd rather finish their journey how it began, " no regrets, no going back ! " strangers shaking hands in the strangest way of finding friendship in one day.

his paws scratched up against the bark, a small, dim, light shone through was looked like small branches. there was hope. heaving himself up the newly fallen trunk, he immediately sunk his teeth into the slight branches, that bent under his teeth. painful as it was, valley kept his grip, remembering a small pocket knife he had brought along. " ah, so you do have use don't you ? " valley mumbled through clenched teeth. he let the blade cut through the branches, which left a path from valley's side to shiloh's. shiloh, who was in complete still shock. valley jumped down & grabbed shiloh's cape, pulling him through the path he'd just cut through the top of the tree while another tree fell down behind them.

the two jumped through & began to regain their breath, smiling at each other in the downpour. but they continued on; they would get through the storm, the forest, & they would save kalokairi.

[CSMintCat]

Prompt #5 with Cody.
(187 words.)

To say that Cody was not thrilled to go in the forest was an understatement. With the not-so-pleasant occurances that occur on the daily in the forest that he works in, it was safe to say that Cody absolutely did not want to pass through the forest to get to his next destination on his journey. He stood lingering at the edge of the forest for a long time, mulling over if he should just abandon the quest altogether until he decided that it was a cowardly thing to do and that the darkness that was quickly setting in would only make things worse. With a resigned sigh, Cody tugged on the straps of his trusty backpack and began the trek through the woods.

Cody was initially very on edge as he entered the forest, eyes darting every which way. This fact was intensified by the shadows that seemed to grab at him, caused by the sun setting. However, he steeled himself, reminding himself of the fact that he had dealt with stuff like this -and even worse than this!- at his job and soldiered onot.

[found.]

{479 words}
Ignore my last two posts, please! I didn't realize we were just getting into the forest.

username;; ❤ Rosette ❤
kalons being used;;
Ryean
Adeline

The forest loomed in the distance, massive pines stretching up towards the clouds, which devoured their tops. Their leafy boughs stretches out and intertwined with each other, creating a thick, foliage-ridden canopy.

Ryean didn't feel very comfortable heading into such a place, but then again, the nervousness he felt never really mattered to Adeline, now did it? No, he was always written off as being an anxious person all around. Was this true?
He drew his coat tighter around himself and quickened his pace; he had fallen several feet behind Adeline while immersed in his thoughts. Ryean reasoned that Adeline seemed far too pensive to talk to. She initiated no conversation, neither did he.
The rest of the journey consisted of muffled coughs and silence.

Finally, the two arrived at the lip of the forest. It was beautiful in a rugged sort of way, lush with all sorts of trees and bracken and ferns. Moss and dead leaves littered the path ahead of them, like a carpet. Faint birdsong could be heard.

The trail itself was winding and seemed scarcely used. Ryean didn't like it. He cast a longing glance back towards the town and gave an audible whimper. Adeline, who was similarly surveying the forest, turned to Ryean and furrowed her brow.
"What's the matter?" she inquired, her gaze sharp and penetrating. Ryean squirmed under her stare.

"Ah," he started, fiddling with his jacket, his hair. "It just doesn't seem the safest option, is all." Ryean looked at the forest once more, noting its dimness. After a long moment of quiet, he relented. "I'm frightened."
Adeline considered his admission, feeling a sudden surge of pity.

"Don't you worry," Adeline said, sighing. "Ignore those fears in your head. We've a kingdom to save, and a mission to accomplish. Don't you thirst for adventure?" Ryean shook his head fearfully in reply.

Adeline laughed, giving a playful roll of her eyes, allowing some of her personality to emerge. "That's sad. Well, Ryean, I don't know what to tell you." Her gaze softened, and she offered him a kindhearted punch to the shoulder. They sat in silence for a moment, with Adeline growing flustered, and Ryean considering what she'd said. "I suppose I can try to brave through it," he said, squinting at the trail. "I can try," he repeated.

And try he did. The trail was bumpy and rough, the forest grew thicker and more dark with every passing moment they walked, but Ryean could find beauty in the small things. A couple of wildflowers to the right. A monarch butterfly flittering to the left.

Adeline was astoundingly relaxed in this environment, traversing the woods with ease. Ryean clung to her side and allowed her confidence to breeze over him. It proved to be infectious.
"It's not so bad," he said, after a while. Adeline acknowledged his comment with a smile.

[Placebo]

Prompt 5
Arnav || T.C. Salem||
Amosis ||

"Alright, stop, stop. Hold up a second." Salem looked behind his shoulder just in time to see Arnav drop to one knee after calling out.

Salem's eyes widened as he dropped his pack where he stood and quickly supported the dark blue teen with one arm. He loosely gripped Arnav's scruff with his paw, and used the other to push back Arnav's sweat-dampened hair as the blue kalon sunk down further to catch his breath. Salem briefly registered Amosis scrambling to Arnav's other side, and Salem felt his chest constrict as Arnav turned his face into the dark, velveteen fur of Salem's arm. A vulnerable, instinctive move, borne from Arnav's involuntary fatigue from fighting his first battle with those energy-sucking demons.

Salem still had to stamp down the anger threatening to rise up from what transpired yesterday in the inn. He knew from the start what he and his party were getting into, but never could've anticipated how ill-prepared Amosis and Arnav were to the threats. Salem gritted his teeth as he silently berated himself for leaving Arnav alone, even if only to rest himself. That definitely wouldn't happen again.

Salem glanced around the forest, and felt the fur on his ruff bristle as he rubbed comforting circles into Arnav's temples. He tuned out Arnav's and Amosis' low murmurs in an attempt to concentrate on the woodland around them. Or at least, what little there was of it.

Just like the last time the trio entered the forest (and left not long after), it was still eerily silent, and Salem heard each breath he and his party took like wind whipping through the trees. Of which there was none. The forest, damp and washed out in the early morning light, was quiet. Too quiet.

Salem only hoped that they were well enough prepared for their next encounter. {308}

[amaoretto]

archibald met up with gatsby at the end of the town and towards the forest. archibald is on edge waiting for anything to happen,
while gatsby is very calm as the forest is his happy place.

[beautea]

prompt five
kalon used: althea, peregrine, & james

The reactions are, well, varied.

[Deeply sorry about the edit; I accidentally edited this post instead while trying to post the day six prompt. Everything is the same but regardless, I understand if I am disqualified. Again, deepest apologies!

[Carnations]

Prompt 5
Feat. Avvi and Etoile

"At least this is better than that swampy area!" -Avvi
"Avvi, there's a swarm of bees behind us... how are you not concerned at all?!" Etoile

[Cheeb]

xxxxxA ɴᴇᴡ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ! Tʜᴇ Fᴏʀᴇsᴛ ᴜɴʟᴏᴄᴋs!

xxxxxfeaturing desiree, flynn, and elle

xxxxxthe party had just restocked after finding the wind crystal. desiree was still lost as to how they managed to find it, but she was happy that they had. in the past few weeks, her whole life had turned upside down: she'd gone from being a sorcerer's lowly apprentice and part-time employee at a shop full of strange knick-knacks to being a hero of sorts. (and, the strangest thing of all was that her part consisted of herself, a demonic weasel she kept as a pet, a grave-digger stranger, and her former boss.)
xxxxxthis was only just the beginning of the journey.
xxxxx"i know we've been out in the forest before," said flynn. the party was standing at the edge of the woods, on the outskirts of town. "however... that was nothing. this time, we're not going to be coming back."
xxxxxdesiree's eyes widened. "we're going to die out there?!"
xxxxx"no, no," said flynn, with a laugh. "we're not coming back to town, that's all. we're headed towards the lavalands. but, first, we've got to get past the woods."
xxxxxthe purple kalon let out a sigh of relief, while the munchkin-sized one was worried. elle decided to speak up. "the lavalands? isn't that dangerous? plus, it's ridiculously hot. isn't there another way --"
xxxxxflynn chuckled. "elle, you really don't want to do this, huh." elle nodded vigorously. "well, here's something reassuring for you: the woods are hard to navigate, and i'm sure we'll get lost a lot. we won't be at the lavalands anytime soon; i'm sure of it." flynn laughed at their own words, while elle and desiree seemed less pleased.
xxxxx"if it's going to take so long, shouldn't we start going?" asked desiree.
xxxxxflynn nodded. "come on," they said, "let's start moving!"

xxxxx---

xxxxxthe dark sky seemed to disappear behind the treetops. a canopy of leaves rested above the kalons' heads, obscuring the darkness that swirled above the land. bushes rustled here and there, and woodland creatures darted past occasionally. there was something peaceful about it. while it was possible that monsters were lurking about in the depths of the forest, it was quiet, aside from rustling, the songs of the birds, and, of course, the party's chatter.
xxxxx"it's so beautiful here," said desiree, a dreamy tone in her voice. bailey, the weasel that she'd bonded with during a certain incident at the tavern, was perched on her shoulder. desiree was taking in the fresh air and staring at the trees that grew so much taller than the trio of kalons. she seemed to love the atmosphere.
xxxxxelle, however, wasn't at ease with the woods. "beautiful? it's impossibly terrifying." she wobbled along -- partially due to her gigantic backpack, but partially due to fear. "we need to keep a guard up. if something attacks us, you two go at it. i'll patch you up afterwords."
xxxxxflynn yawned. "you worry too much, lil' bud." the dark-pelted kalon wasn't enchanted with the woods the way that desiree was, but they seemed to be enjoy the views to some degree.
xxxxxsuddenly, the party was taken by surprise.
xxxxxa gigantic, deer-like creature skipped out in front of them. it appeared that it didn't see them, but it definitely scared the three kalons. it didn't look like an ordinary deer, either: eight glowing eyes trailed down the sides of its head, and it seemed to have an... extra mouth tucked into its throat. it was over twice as tall as flynn was, and they were taller than average for a kalon. nevertheless, it didn't go after the party.
xxxxxeven though they were fine, elle was thoroughly shaken. "was... was that...?" she stuttered. her massive backpack was starting to fall off, and she looked paralyzed with fear.
xxxxxflynn chuckled. "i've seen a few of those fellows run through the graveyard before. they're harmless -- unless you're a plant, or, for the second mouth, a bunny or a chipmunk." desiree instinctively put her hand on bailey. she didn't want him to get eaten by some massive creature.
xxxxx"if that's a 'basic' creature," said elle, her voice wavering, "then what's the worst you've seen? what's the worst thing in these woods?"
xxxxx"well," said flynn. "i don't really know. rumor has it that there are monsters longer than the trees are tall. they lurk in the shadows, and they wait for the right moment... but, it could just be fantasy. like i said, i'm not completely sure. all i know is that it would be unwise for us to move around at night."
xxxxxelle's face turned pale. "let's make camp right now!"
xxxxxdesiree giggled. "isn't it a bit early for that, elle? besides, i thought you said you preferred the woods to the lavalands."
xxxxx"i do. stop teasing me."
xxxxxflynn cleared their throat. "you know, maybe we should make camp. it's been a long day." elle nodded in agreement, and started to take out the sleeping bags, flint to start the fire, and the other materials they'd need to set up for the night. the party's first day in the forest was drawing to a close, and they all knew it was going to be a long and perhaps dangerous voyage through the trees.

xxxxx(863 words ♥)

[King Andre]

City lights and the noise of other people died as they started down the path to the massive forest. They all bore scars from the start of the journey and walked cautiously on the overgrown path, which eventually became soil or ground instead of cobblestone. This was different from the small patches of woods between towns, this was an expansive sea of trees, dark and teeming with secrets and nature. Abel carried a torch while Anthony stood by him, reading the map carefully with the fires light. Dubious sounds could be heard in the distance, which soon became deep growls and snarls as the small party advanced further into the land of trees. At his side, Donn clenched the handle of his great-sword, while Abel paused, body relaxed, yet tensed, in-case he had to spring at any moment. While Anthony clutched his wand, an esoteric energy forming at its tip.

Yet the snarling stopped, and was heard no more, even as they remained there, paused and ready...nothing. As if it was only a warning.

and so they continued.

[cervidae]

Prompt 5
(entire party)

after the wind stone was to be retrieved, (and beleth to be saved from the keeper, in which he was groaning for the entire trip) the trio made their way to the end of town, where of course they were greeted almost ceremonially by an oddly decorated path. random odds were strewn about, and one could easily mistake the rays of light as eyes glowing from a distance. Their adventure in town had ended, but a new one had just begun

Floor 1 - clearing
they approached a clearing hesitantly, no idea of where they were. there were three options, left, right, or continuing straight.
to the left, cold air blew softly, hinting towards a cave. there wasn't a sign of life however. no birds to be heard, no squirrels darting from tree to tree. nothing.
to the right, there was a slight allure, the smell of fresh food, it drew them in entirely. for the first time in what seemed to be hours, they noticed a sign. it was a warning, the paint cracked before they could see what exactly they were warning against.
ahead of them, the forest continued. it was everlasting, twisting and spiraling, it gave the three a headache.

Which way?
[Left]
Right
Forward

Floor 2 - cave entrance
nodding in agreement, they continued to the left. a bit on edge by the sudden change in atmosphere. they came across what was expected. the mouth of a gaping cave, stalagmites creeping ominously. but the rushing of water alluding to it sporting some kind of life.
going back was the most appropriate option, they felt, but they soon took notice of two others.
a path continued, and the water seemed to die out
or, they could enter the mouth of the cave, facing whatever was in front of them with their current skill set

Go back
Follow the path
[Enter the cave]

Floor 3 - Cave
they knew it was a bad idea, not to test their abilities, but all of that was negated when beleth came tearing through, whooping in delight, as his cries echoed. obviously he did not learn his lesson. they charged further despite their best interest, and came to discover a jaw-dropping scene.
a stream rushed through, underground. fresh water lapping at the shore.
oddly enough, the flat was dry, dry and cool..

the cave seemed to stop at the closing, so surely they could set up camp here without grief