[fleurs]

username xx lil.
name xx Reginae
gender xx Female
prompt xx
1829 ▸ "AE 23." The computer croaked. "Lorvasalas will see you in precisely five minutes." Reginae kicked her feet in the air and flopped onto her back. Children shrieked and squealed outside with pleasure, the children who had not been abducted at the age of six and kept in a alternate universe mirror for the past ten years. Reginae pushed her hand into the small, plastic toy horse that was laying on her bed. She had been playing with it the night she was abducted, and it was her only connection to the outside world. Reginae traced her finger along the antique chinese designs on the horse, slowly moving her mouth to whisper. "Letting, KG 45, also known as Lorvasalas, in now." The computer beeped in a monotone voice. No, no. Reginae scrambled off her bed, clutching the horse tightly. "If anyone can hear me, help! Maccabee? Mom? Pops?" She whispered into the toy furiously. "Ruh-jean-uh." A man's voice slowly chimed. "You better be here." Reginae flung the horse into an open drawer and sofly closed it. She quickly brushed off her dress and sat on the bed, her heart pounding inside her chest. "I'm in here, Lorvasalas." She answered calmly.

1929 ▸ "Blue 42! Blue 42!" Maccabee called out as he braced himself. "Ten, hut!" He latched his fingers across the football and ran, twisting past the other players. 'If anyone can hear me, help! Maccabee? Mom? Pops?' A voice fluttered through Maccabee's head. That sounds like Reginae. He shook his head. No, it can't be. Reginae has been gone for over ten years. Maccabee gasped as he tripped over another player. The ball slowly flew through the air, hands reaching up from every direction to catch it. Maccabee lept up, his knee crackling with bursts of pain as he ran. 'I'm in here, Lorvasalas.' Reginae's voice said again. "Lorvasalas?" Maccabee whispered as the ball sailed towards him. "Selezer, the ball!" His team cried as Maccabee froze, ignoring everything that was going on around him. A large crunch rang through the field as Maccabee got thrown to the ground by another player. "Oww." Maccabee groaned, slamming his knee into his head as the pain grew. 'Maccabee, did you get hurt again?' Maccabee froze as a new voice entered his head. "Ahhhh!" He cried as people gathered around him.

[PARK]

username julian.
name birger
gender nonbinary, he/they
prompt

he's been skinning a brace of coneys, discarding the hollow hides, throwing guts to the ravens. there's blood under his nails. you sit beside him, knees drawn to your chest, small. watching each methodical tear of the knife as it drags down through bare pink—

stew tonight. dried fish tomorrow. the brown trout have been drying in salt for near two weeks. soon, you'll be roasting rabbit over a fire. it's mid morning, and the autumn chill has turned just shy of winter. you, little birger, rub your palms together, cupping them to your mouth and breathing warm puffs of air onto your aching fingers.

"put your mittens back on." terjelif says, his voice low and gruff. you nod and unfurl yourself to stand. you wiggle your toes in your boots to get the blood flowing before marching to the opposite side of the dying fire to retrieve your woolen mitts. they're well worn and a little oversized, but still do their job well enough. you pull them over your icicle fingers with your tongue poking out of the corner of your mouth like you're concentrating on a very important task.

terjelif is humming to himself meanwhile—some melancholy tune that you maybe recognize from some lifetime before this. or maybe from when you were a baby, nestled in your mother's arms. quietly, you shuffle back over to your spot beside him on the frigid rocky ground and sit, once again drawing your knees up under your chin. your hands prickle as though your nerves are jolting awake all at once. you silently resume your cooking lesson.

"do you believe in fate?" your elder shifts his weight and you do too, though out of surprise rather than discomfort. he, on the other hand, seems like the cold has gotten to him; his bottom must be frozen. you giggle into your mittens and he raises a brow at you.

pressing your hand to your mouth, you settle yourself. "what is fate? what does it mean?"

"your inescapable past, present and future." he tells you like it's that simple; like you'll understand. you furrow your brow and gaze thoughtfully at the glowing embers in the fire pit.

"inescapable... like a trap? a snare?" along the edge of the treeline surrounding the clearing, ravens flock to the discarded parts of the now cleaned out rabbits. one of them croaks loudly as terjelif hoists himself onto his feet. he grabs some more wood and throws it into the hot pit.

"fate is set like a snare, yes." he works the flames up again with careful breath, pausing to smile over his shoulder at you. "if you believe it, of course."

your stare, fixed on the back of terje's head, grows blurry and unfocused while you wrack your brain for answers. of course you've heard of fate; it's central to your culture, but you've never understood it. you were fated to birth a monster, you'd heard people tell your mother. your mother, who'd loved you until her end, with all of her heart. but why had fate forced you onto her? what wrongs did she commit to anger the gods enough that they'd burdened her with you?

no...

fate gifted me you. my love, my life. she had wrapped her arms around you, kissing your temple, pulling back to take your little face in her hands. to smile at you, to be absolutely sure that you saw her do it. to reach down and take your hands in hers—all four of your hands. and she had let her expression fall into one of seriousness. you are the most beautiful thing that has ever happened to me...

"birger."

his voice snaps you back to the here and now. you blink the last remnants of that memory from your eyes. and you swallow around a lump in your throat.

"was my mother fated to die?" you bark out, voice cracking, eyes welling up with tears. and you begin to weep, pressing the heels of your palms to your eyes.

terjelif stops what he's doing, stops turning the spit over the now roaring fire, puts down the rabbit in his free hand. he stands there, tall, imposing, face blank, and this only makes your sobs come out harder. it hurts in the pit of your stomach. it hits and squeezes your chest, it constricts your throat. you can't stop.

suddenly he's in front of you and he kneels. tentatively, awkwardly, he places his hands on your shoulders like he's worried about shattering you. you lean forward and tilt your head so that your face is buried in his chest, but your hands, your damned hands hang limply at your sides.

until he brings you in, wraps you in his broad arms and you throw your arms around him, and he rocks you, gently back and forth, back and forth. and he lets you cry, and he doesn't say anything, and you cry.

it's only when your sobs have slowed into sniffles and whimpers and you shudder more from cold than from sadness that terjelif speaks, his voice low and soft. "you were a blessing to your mother."

terjelif didn't know your mother. but he knows you. and he doesn't let go of you, and you don't let go of him. the smell of roast rabbit wafts its way over to you. soon you'll help him prepare the vegetables and the stock for the stew. but right now it doesn't matter.

"do you understand, birger? a blessing."

leaning away now, you wipe the tears and snot from your face with your wrist. he moves back too, holding you at arms length. not entirely like mother used to look you in the eye with a gentle smile and loving eyes, but like a brother might. like somebody who knows the pain of loss and who won't dance around it. maybe you were meant to find him.

you still don't understand fate. but what if mother guided you and terjelif together?

that holds more meaning to you than fate ever could.

[Broccoli_Bento]

.

username: Broccoli_Bento
name: Alurra
gender: female
prompt:

Alurra is a fairy child.
Fairy children are children who got lost within the Derumuku woods, and is said that they never age beyond the age of twelve, as long as they live deep within the woods beyond it's center where the great fountain lies.


How she got lost...

Alurra was running away from monsters that invaded her village when she hid within the forest.
They had chased her for two miles by the time she reached the Derumuku woods, and she continued to go deeper into the forest before climbing a tree to hide.
She watched the monsters search for her before giving up and turning back to the village in flames.
Just when she thought it was safe enough to climb down she slipped and fell, or more like she was pushed, but by what?

She awoke without any memories, not even her name, which is common for children lost in the Derumuku woods.
When she awoke she was greeted by fairy children who were nursing her back to health and told her of their people and how she was found.

It took her three months to be fully adjusted to her new life.
She received the name Alurra by visiting the great fountain within the forest by looking within the waters.
The name just came to her, and is how most fairy children receive their new names.

She wished for many days to remember who she was, but never did for the next eight years.
She never aged and never really mentally matured other than becomeing wiser.
Though she loved the fairy villages and their people, she was one of the rare few that wished to leave the forest, which was more dangerous than entering the Derumuku woods.
If a fairy child were to get lost within the woods they would turn into a monster, some being completely unrecognizable.
The forest was also filled with monsters, making it a difficult feat if you didn't get lost.
The last hard part of leaving would be that she would grow up and would never be able to live in the fairy village again, as it is only for fairy children.

It would have been her nineteenth birthday since she came to the woods at the age of eleven, but since she doesn't age she was celebrating her eighth year within the forest, and spent it just like the rest.
She felt more desperate to leave than ever, even though she loves her friends, but knew had to see the world and experience it all, but she hadn't the ability to fight off beasts, so she trained in secret for the next few years until she felt ready to leave.

It was finally the day, after four years she was ready to leave.
She had already fought off monsters to protect the fairy children at various times, and taught other how to fight as well.
She knew that they could take care of each other, and that she was strong enough to survive the dangerous parts of the forest.

When she announced her departure it shocked the entire village.
They never imagined that she would leave, especially since she helped them through so much, but there was one that understood Alurra's pain.
Her friend Garden hope this day wouldn't come, but he knew that she needed to leave, that it was the best for her.
Garden was the first to wish her farewell and much luck with her journey, and eventually one by one did they all do the same.
It was a touching moment that would last forever in her heart.
Just as she began walking away she stopped for a moment and turned to the fairy children and promised to them that she would come back one day to tell them of all her adventures even though she would be much older than them, and that deep down she will always be one of them, a fairy child.

She walked out of sight, leaving many to worry about her and others in tears.
In their hearts they knew that no matter where life took her it would be a grand adventure, and they awaited for her return.

As she walked through the woods she heard a twig snap.
She swung her head in the direction of an open clearing where an old stump stood.
Curious, she walked up to the stump and looked around, but nothing was there.
Just as she turned around to leave there was a monster, a monster that was previously a fairy child.
Alurra readied herself for combat, but the beast smiled at her and spoke, telling her that he merely just wanted to play, that he just wanted to finish their game of tag.
Alurra was confused until she suddenly remembered for the first time, when she fell from the tree, and that she was actually pushed off the branch, by him.
The beast moved over and sat on the stump and told her that if she could catch him that he would give her a gift, but Alurra knew that if she indulged this beast in a game she would be in danger. So she ran away as fast as she could, being stopped by him at every corner.

Finally she stopped running and offered him a new reward if she played with him.
The reward she suggested was that he let her leave the forest, and still being a child at heart he agreed since he was getting a playmate, but he changed the game up to her having to catch him five times, but if he got her three times he wins.

He started by running off into the dark woods, a place that looked like a maze, quite possibly a place that she may get lost in, but she had no other option.
She searched for him, keeping her guard up.
Suddenly he had burst out of the bushes and slashed her upper left arm with his claws.
Alurra immediately swung her wooden sword at him, but he evaded and ran away.
Now she knew that this "game" was dangerous, that if he got her twice more... she didn't want to think about it, she needed to stay calm and focus on hitting him before he can get her.
Then to her right she hurried and swung her sword, landing it heavily on his head.
He shrieked and ran away angrily.

Each time she managed to hit him he got angrier and more difficult.
Alurra felt her injury sting, but when she looked at it, there was purple-ish black smoke coming from it.
This was bad, now she understands why he wants to get her, to turn her into a beast just like him, so if she got enough injuries from his claws she would become a monster too.

She readied herself again, and after hitting him a fourth time he changed his routine, this time he jumped through the air at full speed and hit her right shoulder before running away.
This was it, one more hit for either of them to win, she had to finish this once and for all or she was done for.
She only had one shot, so she braced herself, clutching onto her wooden sword.
From behind her he leapt through the air again, but Allura turned swiftly, landing her final blow atop his head and shouted "I win!".

He looked at her angrily before it turned into and evil smile, then to laughter.
He wished her well and thanked her for playing, before hiding back in the shadows.
He then told her that he hoped they'd play again in the future.

Alurra was exhausted, but had to hurry before she slowly turned into a beast.
After a while she saw light and raced as fast as she ever could, and burst out of the forest landing on her stomach to see beautiful blue skies.
She got up and walked further away from the forest and watched as the dark smoke evaporated from her wounds.

She was free, and in a brand new world full of excitement and plenty of dangers.
This was merely the beginning of her childhood adventures, as much more challenging things would have yet to come her way.

[shawty-cs]

this is now closed for judging! @ Broccoli_Bento you’re entry was posted after the due date but i will include your entry.

[Broccoli_Bento]

Oh golly, I'm so sorry about that.
Thank you for including it.

I sometimes get confused on end date closing times.

Good luck everyone!♡

[AboveAspen]

Hey everyone!

At the request of cozyfiles, 76heart and myself have agreed to step in and help judge the few readopts that remain unjudged! We would like to thank everyone for being patient with us as we get around to reading your entries ((: Keep your eyes peeled as we start to release the winner posts on these last few readopts! I will be throwing together the readopt form for this Kalon, as well as the others once they have all been judged. Once it has been posted, the winners will be PM'd and added to the refs. For now, please be patient. Thank you guys!

After reading through several beautiful entries, I would like to congratulate

!! SilhouetteStation !!

Your entry really stuck with me as I read through the other entries. I think your world building was beautifully done, as well as the character development you created. I felt like I could really get a good visualization of Elias' environment as she slowly discovered her purpose and left me wanting more to read more on how she would live out her life as the new sprite <33

I'd like to thank everyone for participating in this readopt - I had a lot of fun reading over everyone's different ideas. It was interesting to see how everyone had a contrasting idea from the last ((:

[Broccoli_Bento]

Big congrats!♡

[PARK]

congrats!! totally jealous but your story was really good, you deserve this baby!

[SilhouetteStation]

yo WHAT how did I not see this before asdfghjkl but !! thank you so much !! I'm so happy to add this little leggy bab to my fantasy au,, but holy guac there were some fantastic entries wow !! I loved reading through them and I hope y'all keep those concepts bc I would love to see them be used again and see them around hh,, but again thank you !! this sprite childe will be very loved ;w; <3