[WP01] Shadowed Moon

[Absent-Minded Scientist]

The buck had been distracted lately, several new kin had joined his herd all at the same time when the other new members where still getting settled in. It had caused quite a bit of shuffling, and a few mishaps here and there. Now, the buck was finally free to go out and do what he wished, something he hadn't done in quite some time. Another thing he hadn't done was interact with other kin. He had stumbled upon Never Idle, a legendary he'd met before during the Flower Festival. Curious as to what the kin was creating, he'd asked if any help was needed. After being given a list of what the buck needed, and promptly being ignored, Shadowed Moon decided to head out and see what he could find.

Essential Items for Never Idle's Secret Project

A sturdy, weight-bearing branch, not too unwieldy but not too small
A good mouthful of long, sturdy grasses, for weaving
A turtleshell's worth of sticky red clay free of impurities or stones
A handful of bright red feathers
A large, round stone
A stout, fallen log
An enormous leaf at least as large as a lynx's skin, free of holes
A chunk of beeswax for sealing and waterproofing
A snack for Never Idle and his hard working familiars!

 

[Absent-Minded Scientist]

Mechanics: How To Quest

21. You locate a perfectly round, enormous boulder. It is exactly what Never Idle needs--but you're going to need help to uproot and move it. Help required. Success!

Walking through the trees, the buck finally stumbled upon one of the items from Never Idle's list, a large and round stone! Approaching it at a quick trot, Shadowed Moon nudged it with his head, seeing if it would move. When it did not, he braced himself and pushed with his side, yet again to no avail. The buck tracked around the rock, eyeing the ground. Eventually he tried to dig up around it before attempting to roll it with his front hoofs. When this to failed, he realized there was no way he could do it alone, he'd need help.  

[Ruriska]

"I'll help you," said a voice to his left.

A bright doe was suddenly at his side, her expression already impatient. She moved herself into a position without waiting for a reply and stared at him until he did the same.

"Don't talk to me, just work," was the only other thing she said, then there was only the grunts of hard work as they battled the boulder free.

A single nod of farewell was given once the job was done and then she was gone.

Absent-Minded Scientist

There you go. <3

 

[Absent-Minded Scientist]

Shadowed Moon jumped at the sudden voice, looking over and then smiling widely. "Thank you." He started, though she had already moved into place before he could say much more. The buck moved so he could push the boulder as well, and was shushed by the doe before he could say anything at all. After a few good shoves the rock broke free and they were able to roll it back to where Never Idle waited. Shadowed Moon turned to the doe, nodding a farewell in return as he was to out of breath to speak well. Looking back up to thank her again he noticed she was gone. "Well, guess I'll go find the next item." He said quietly to himself before chuckling and heading off.

Ruriska

Thank you!

Essential Items for Never Idle's Secret Project

A sturdy, weight-bearing branch, not too unwieldy but not too small
A good mouthful of long, sturdy grasses, for weaving
A turtleshell's worth of sticky red clay free of impurities or stones
A handful of bright red feathers
A large, round stone
A stout, fallen log
An enormous leaf at least as large as a lynx's skin, free of holes
A chunk of beeswax for sealing and waterproofing
A snack for Never Idle and his hard working familiars!

 

[Absent-Minded Scientist]

Mechanics: How To Quest

21. You locate a perfectly round, enormous boulder. It is exactly what Never Idle needs--but you're going to need help to uproot and move it. Help required. Success!

The buck stared at the large, round boulder which was practically identical to the one he'd just encountered. The chance of that was enough to make him sit and stare for a while. It was surprising, how many strangely round boulders could there be just lying around? He almost considered bringing it back, just because, but he was alone and this one looked equally hard to move. Besides, if Never Idle needed more then one boulder he'd have asked for them. Shadowed Moon sighed, and continued on, glancing at the boulder one more time before heading out to search for the next item he needed.

Essential Items for Never Idle's Secret Project

A sturdy, weight-bearing branch, not too unwieldy but not too small
A good mouthful of long, sturdy grasses, for weaving
A turtleshell's worth of sticky red clay free of impurities or stones
A handful of bright red feathers
A large, round stone
A stout, fallen log
An enormous leaf at least as large as a lynx's skin, free of holes
A chunk of beeswax for sealing and waterproofing
A snack for Never Idle and his hard working familiars!

 

[Absent-Minded Scientist]

Mechanics: How To Quest

5. You secure a mouthful of long grass stems ideal for weaving. Success!

As the buck shuffled through the swamp, his feet brushed across a particularly lush section of grass. Pausing, he slid his hoof through it again. The grass was not only long, but very sturdy as well. Smiling, the buck knelt down, eyeing the patch of grass. Studying it carefully he shifted his head, tilting it to the side before taking a mouthful and gently removing it from the ground. Looking down at the stalks hanging from his mouth he nodded to himself, quite proud, before quickly trotting back to Never Idle. After giving the distracted legendary the stems, Shadowed Moon happily went back into the swamp to find another item he had been asked for.

Essential Items for Never Idle's Secret Project

A sturdy, weight-bearing branch, not too unwieldy but not too small
A good mouthful of long, sturdy grasses, for weaving
A turtleshell's worth of sticky red clay free of impurities or stones
A handful of bright red feathers
A large, round stone
A stout, fallen log
An enormous leaf at least as large as a lynx's skin, free of holes
A chunk of beeswax for sealing and waterproofing
A snack for Never Idle and his hard working familiars!

 

[Absent-Minded Scientist]

Mechanics: How To Quest

13. You hear the sound of wings startled up when you enter this clearing, but there is no bird to be seen--only a strange shift in the light, as though a thin cloud had passed over the sun although the sky is clear.

As the buck continues on his quest, looking for a glimpse of another item, he hears the sound of wings. Once again surprised, he looks around quickly, hoping to catch of glimpse of whatever bird made that noise. After all, he did need some red feathers. Sadly however, all he was greeted with was a slight shifting of the light as whatever it was flew past the sun before he could get a good look at it. No feathers were left behind either. He sighted lightly, only a bit disappointed before continuing through the swamp.

Essential Items for Never Idle's Secret Project

A sturdy, weight-bearing branch, not too unwieldy but not too small
A good mouthful of long, sturdy grasses, for weaving
A turtleshell's worth of sticky red clay free of impurities or stones
A handful of bright red feathers
A large, round stone
A stout, fallen log
An enormous leaf at least as large as a lynx's skin, free of holes
A chunk of beeswax for sealing and waterproofing
A snack for Never Idle and his hard working familiars!

 

[Absent-Minded Scientist]

Mechanics: How To Quest

26. Your nosy poking around has disturbed an angry old mare, who chases you off her land. You escape without incident.

Trotting around with his face to the sky, Shadowed Moon ended up tripping over an older mare, who responds as one generally would when stepped upon. She berates him for not looking where he's going, and demands an apology. One he gladly gives, albeit rather awkwardly due to the situation. The doe glares at him and orders him off her land, almost daring him to deny her request. Shadowed Moon leaves, managing to at least maintain some dignity. He heads in another direction, making sure to keep an eye on where his feet are falling.

Essential Items for Never Idle's Secret Project

A sturdy, weight-bearing branch, not too unwieldy but not too small
A good mouthful of long, sturdy grasses, for weaving
A turtleshell's worth of sticky red clay free of impurities or stones
A handful of bright red feathers
A large, round stone
A stout, fallen log
An enormous leaf at least as large as a lynx's skin, free of holes
A chunk of beeswax for sealing and waterproofing
A snack for Never Idle and his hard working familiars!

 

[Absent-Minded Scientist]

Mechanics: How To Quest

11. Oh no! Your digging has unearthed an incredibly angry stoat! Best to scram--and spend the rest of the day nursing your gnawed-on ankles. Try again tomorrow.

Seeing what appears to be a promising location the buck begins to shift around leaves and the like, hoping to discover something useful. Thinking he's caught a glimpse of something he begins digging down into the moldy leaves in between the roots of a tree. Suddenly, a rather angry stoat dives out from the leaves, attempting to latch on to his face. Shadowed Moon dives backwards, managing to dodge the stoat. Deciding it's best to leave the area he attempts to untangle his feet only to find the rather agile stoat knawing on his ankles. Yelping in pain he jumps up and runs off, kicking his hoof in the air and sending the angry rodent flying into another leaf pile. It screeches at him as he runs, and he doesn't stop until he no longer hears the creature. Sighing, Shadowed Moon lays on the ground, gently nursing his bitten ankle. He'll have to take this up tomorrow, it looks like it's beginning to swell.

Essential Items for Never Idle's Secret Project

A sturdy, weight-bearing branch, not too unwieldy but not too small
A good mouthful of long, sturdy grasses, for weaving
A turtleshell's worth of sticky red clay free of impurities or stones
A handful of bright red feathers
A large, round stone
A stout, fallen log
An enormous leaf at least as large as a lynx's skin, free of holes
A chunk of beeswax for sealing and waterproofing
A snack for Never Idle and his hard working familiars!

 

[Absent-Minded Scientist]

Mechanics: How To Quest

23. Long, winding ribbons of paper birch bark litter the ground, carefully peeled down by some unknown kin or animal. They weren't anything he asked for, but they sure are pretty...

Upon waking up the next morning, Shadowed Moon was glad to see his swollen ankle had returned to normal. Standing up slowly and testing his hoof he caught a glimpse of a tree near him, stripped of bark. Strangely enough, the bark was simple laying in ribbons on the ground nearby. While Never Idle hadn't asked for anything like that, he figured he'd bring some over anyway when he returned to check on what Never Idle still needed. The buck carefully picked up the strips and carried them back to where the legendary worked, before getting an updated list and heading out.

Essential Items for Never Idle's Secret Project

A sturdy, weight-bearing branch, not too unwieldy but not too small
A good mouthful of long, sturdy grasses, for weaving
A turtleshell's worth of sticky red clay free of impurities or stones
A handful of bright red feathers
A large, round stone
A stout, fallen log
An enormous leaf at least as large as a lynx's skin, free of holes
A chunk of beeswax for sealing and waterproofing
A snack for Never Idle and his hard working familiars!

 

[Absent-Minded Scientist]

Mechanics: How To Quest

28. Some of the trees in the Swamp produce leaves as large as an animal hide. You find one now, but climbing up the roots and standing on your hindlegs to procure the perfect specimen is exhausting, and you're out of energy for the day. Try again tomorrow. Success!

Walking through the trees, the buck found himself staring at the sky, basking in the warm glow of the sunlight. The leaves crunched under his feet as he amble through, glancing around now and then to see if he caught a glimpse of something useful. Noticing the sun suddenly leave his fur, the glanced up, seeing a huge and perfect leaf. Just what Never Idle needed! However, the leaf was extremely high, and Shadowed Moon had to place his hind hoofs on the root, and his front hoofs on the trunk in order to reach it. Stretching his neck up and lightly grabbing the end of the leaf he slowly removed it from the trunk, his hoof slipping as he moved back from the tree. He managed to catch himself and avoid breaking the leaf, but the fall caused him to land mostly on the ankle that had taken the stoat bite the previous day. Grunting from the pain, he limped back to Never Idle slowly, wanting to avoid aggravating his foot more then needed. Giving the legendary the leaf, he moved out of the way and settled down near a tree, licking his tender ankle before settling down for a nice nap.

Essential Items for Never Idle's Secret Project

A sturdy, weight-bearing branch, not too unwieldy but not too small
A good mouthful of long, sturdy grasses, for weaving
A turtleshell's worth of sticky red clay free of impurities or stones
A handful of bright red feathers
A large, round stone
A stout, fallen log
An enormous leaf at least as large as a lynx's skin, free of holes
A chunk of beeswax for sealing and waterproofing
A snack for Never Idle and his hard working familiars!