Moonflower

Standing among the grasses, looking out at the wild night Errit saw an abundance of strange things. Most of the time, he could walk right up to the object of his attention but occasionally there would be an obstacle, like it was flying past him. streaks crossed the night sky, most of them held unique color spectrum and auras observable with the mask.

Gloomy was not a word to describe the humidity and pockets of special energies that flowed around the plains. Rolling ancient riverbed, covered in massive trees. The berries, nuts, fruits and animals were all over the place. He took it all in, feeling a strange enjoyment, something he didn't think he would be feeling after the Hell Loop.

'What is that?' a phrase repeated in his mind over and over throughout the night. He didn't think he was in danger, the Village was just out and over the ridge. Walking next to a creek side a few kilometers away he could see yet another strange animal. It was running.

'What a strange appearance, seems top heavy' The closer the animal got, the easier it was to see. A Beetle, was fleeing from a flying predator. The bird, which originally seemed disproportionately larger than what he could imagine keeping flight, rushed after the beetle's backside.

"OUT THE FUCKING WAY!" A voice on the back of the Beetle called out, noticing the lack of tail from a distance, he warned of the incoming danger. "HIDE!" Rushing past, there was a light shining from his satchel, it looked delicate. The translucent appearance made it look more ethereal than anything else he had seen yet. Errit dove to the ground.

The Mud was no fun, but it was better than becoming lunch or a mid-flight snack. Errit ran his fingers through the soil, it was fine and firm. A slash of light could be seen in the distance, a cry from the large bird showed it had succeeded in its goal, soaring into the sky and returning the way it had come, Errit hid down in the tall grasses and mud, disguised.

There was no hope if he was discovered, he couldn't fight something like that. It flew past, a flurry of wind came in its wake raking up the muck and covering Errit once more. About a hundred meters away he saw a feather. he picked it up and took it with him. The feather was enormous, there had to be some value in it. It was only another kilometer in the direction of the dead beetle that a riverbed was easily seen. A fading light came from a bag laying on the ground.

Adorned with blood, the satchel stood out among the grasses because of its contents. The glow was not difficult to see, but its light faded at a near visible rate. Errit came closer and saw an arm clutching the bag in the grass.

He took the ring and bracelet from the Arm, opened the pack and saw a flower, its exterior seemed fuzzy, translucent and radiated a blue energy. 'What's this? This is the pouch from earlier.' The remains were indistinct of the race, the fingers definitely didn't appear to be human. The flower was anything but ordinary, it wasn't fading, but pulsing. Errit picked it up.

The flower began to pulse on the night sky, it gave off a pleasant scent, it was almost too much to bare. Errit studied the plant, its aura was very strange. Like the mask, it seemed to give off a living aura but it had been cut. He wondered.

He found the riverside setting the flower gently into the waters, on contact, the surface of the river changed, a bright blue light shown. roots came from its base and burrowed into the muck on the shore. It gained a leaf.

"Weird. Fascinating, but weird." So many unusual things had happened to him over the last day, saving a flower's life was just one of them. The water of the river still glowed, and soon fish came close. So close, they came right up to the flower. It looked like they were just using it as an outhouse, but on closer inspection, they were fertilizing it, a blessing to the river.

The light was visible from kilometers away, it brightened the entire area, it drew attention from those in the Village, a few guards came up and saw the flower. One of them rushed up, and the others returned to get the Elder.

"What has happened. How did a Moonflower get down here?" He glanced over at Errit, holding the dead arm of a trespasser. "What happened? Who's arm is that?"

Errit tossed the arm to the ground, "I don't know what species it was, but he was running from a very large bird." He lifted the feather up, turning it in the air a bit and then something strange happened. A wing began blowing, not just a quick breeze, but a gust. it tore at the landscape. Errit scratched his head and set the feather by his side. "Sorry, I didn't know that would happen."

The Elder arrived, he saw the trench that had just been exposed filling with mud and water, the feather at Errit's side, the Moonflower pool that was forming at the riverside and then back at the guards who had brought him along. "You've done well, recovering the Moonflower is a great feat, but how did the Moonflower start growing here, so quickly and even created this Moonflower pool. Look, its even drifting into the river.

Bright blue drifted throughout the waters, illuminating the river downstream. The trail was very obvious. "No Moonflower can grow outside of the Caverns. If its not returned, it will perish when the sun rises." The Elder sounded alarmed, the fortunate part of the Flower taking root had gone overlooked.

Errit pointed at the mud, exposed a root. "its taken root. would you have me take it away after this? you say they can't grow outside of the Caverns, but it rooted."

"You do not know. The Suns will destroy it. We must hurry." The Elder grabbed several reeds from the riverbed, shred them quickly with his claws and strung a basket together. It was crude, but it would hold the mud. "Put it in here, then come with me."

Errit seemed confused, but followed directions. It was true that he wasn't famliiar, perhaps the Elder knew better he thought. Half an hour later they passed through a rock outcropping disguised as a blind hill trench, a set of stairs came to a tunnel. It was long, the tunnel was not only extensive, but wide. There were exposed roots in its roof.

Root shoots that at times could be as sharp as razors hung overhead. 'That beetle ran through here,' Errit thought. He had seen the scratched shell and the wounds on its rider.

He checked for blood and slivers of the shell along the way.

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AUTHOR - OOMTOWN