A sharp, sulfurous stench clung to the air, heavy and rotten, like eggs left to rot in the sun for weeks. She tugged her hood tighter around her curls as she stepped deeper into the park. The usual hum of traffic and late-night city life seemed distant here, muffled by trees and an eerie stillness.
She’d heard the rumors. Everyone had. Weird eggs showing up in parks, clustered like nests. Empty, cracked, unexplained. Officials said to leave them alone, but no one ever said why.
Howick's boots whispered over the grass as she slipped through the shadows. That’s when she saw them—a loose clutch of pale, cracked eggs nestled in the grass. Their shells gleamed faintly under the lamplight, slick and unnatural.
“Yeah… no way that’s normal,” she muttered.
A sound sliced through the quiet.
A low, guttural cluck. Wet and raspy. Wrong.
Howick’s eyes snapped to the tree line. Something huge shifted in the dark. Scraping. Dragging. And then… glowing red eyes blinked into view.
The thing that emerged defied logic. It walked on long, stilt-like legs ending in curved, talon-like claws that rooted into the grass like anchors. Oily black feathers cloaked its body, trailing along the ground. Its proportions were all wrong, twisted and mangled, more nightmare than bird.
It locked eyes with her.
“Okay,” Howick whispered, flexing her hands into ready fists. “Definitely not a regular chicken.”
The creature let out a shriek—a garbled, bone-deep cluck-scream—and lunged.
Howick dodged left, narrowly avoiding the swipe of razor talons. The smell of sulfur thickened as the creature circled back, dragging its cloak of feathers behind it. It lunged again. She ducked, rolled, boots skimming over the damp grass. Her heart pounded, but her stance stayed steady.
She wasn’t going to overpower this thing. And clearly, it wasn’t here for a chat.
The eggs. It was protecting the eggs.
Or… something worse.
Another shriek, and the creature charged. Howick sidestepped again, grabbing a heavy branch from the ground as she moved. She didn’t waste time—one hard swing connected with the eggs, crushing the fragile shells underfoot.
The creature froze mid-lunge.
For a heartbeat, the air grew still. Then, with a final, earsplitting wail, the monstrous bird’s body shuddered—and burst into a plume of foul, sulfurous smoke. The scent curled around her like ash, burning in her lungs, and when it cleared…
The eggs were smashed. The grass was torn. The creature was gone.
Howick coughed once, waving the smoke away as she straightened.
“Nightmare poultry,” she muttered, brushing feathers from her sleeve. “That’s going on the weirdest thing I’ve seen list.”
She cast one last look at the crushed nest, the empty clearing, and exhaled.
“Definitely going to need a shower after this.”
And with that, she turned and slipped back into the shadows of the city.
Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2025 9:34 pm
(S) When the fire Works
Quote:
When the Fire Works (14) : Innovation is expected in Destiny City, so seasonal commodities are always expected to sell well. This year, the hot new summer item includes some chemically enhanced logs: carefully modified with environmental and health-safe chemicals, these logs are guaranteed to burn bright, burn long, and burn beautifully. It’s not just a pretty flame: each individual log has several rings that will light up like a sparkler when the flame hits. Larger logs will even pop off small, colorful fireworks for several hours while they burn. Though the lightshow is beautiful, it’s also calm. The logs have a pleasant, earthy smell, and unlike the sounds of normal fireworks, these simply sound like a crackling fire. There’s something curiously nostalgic about these fires; they are able to elicit a sort of childlike whimsy, if only you let them. If not, it’s still pretty.
Destiny City could be loud.
Even at night, the hum of traffic, the neon buzz of signs, the occasional siren cutting through the quiet—it all added up to a constant, low roar of life. Most of the time, Howick didn’t mind it. The noise made the city feel alive, connected, like the whole place was one big, breathing thing.
But tonight? She wanted quiet.
That was how she found herself slipping through one of the smaller parks near the riverfront, drawn in by the faint, colorful glow of a campfire burning at the far end of the green.
It wasn’t just any fire.
Bright, shimmering rings danced along the logs, glowing like sparklers without the harsh crackle of real fireworks. Soft greens and blues pulsed around the edges, while deeper reds and golds flared toward the center. Occasionally, tiny bursts of color popped from the logs, rising like gentle, glowing fireflies before fading into the night.
The air smelled faintly of cedar and something almost… sweet. Earthy. Comforting.
Howick slowed her steps, hands tucked into her jacket pockets, watching the fire quietly from the edge of the path. The company that made these had been all over the news lately—some new eco-friendly, chemically-enhanced logs guaranteed to burn clean, long, and beautiful.
“Guess they weren’t kidding,” she muttered softly.
A couple sat near the fire, bundled under a blanket, whispering to each other with the quiet, easy fondness that made Howick smile faintly to herself. Further off, a family toasted marshmallows, the kids laughing softly as their marshmallows caught fire and their parents scrambled to help.
It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t wild. But it was…
Nice.
For once, no nightmare creatures lurking in the shadows. No sulfur-smelling monsters. No high-stakes patrols or frantic transformations. Just the warmth of the fire, the slow, colorful crackle of light, and that strange, nostalgic feeling curling in her chest.
She drifted toward an empty bench near the fire and sank onto it, resting her chin in her hand. The flickering glow painted soft highlights across her skin, catching faintly in the silvery edges of her hourglass pendant where it peeked out from beneath her jacket.
“Could almost forget the world’s a mess,” she whispered.
And for a little while, she let herself.
The fire popped, sending a tiny burst of blue and gold spiraling upward. Somewhere behind her, someone laughed softly. The smell of roasted marshmallows drifted on the breeze.
Starfish Scares (13) : Starfish live in the sea. They do not live in freshwater rivers, lakes, or reservoirs with no connection to the ocean. Starfish are also not social creatures. And yet, here they are–in hoards. They can be found near any water source–and far from it. These starfish seem to be a unique species that are eager to travel and don’t seem quite bound to water, though they will seek it out. The starfish will latch onto just about anything they can to hitch a ride, even though they’re fast. They secrete an itchy, oozy slime after they’ve latched onto something, and though it seems as though they can absorb nutrients from any living creature, these starfish have an odd penchant for blood. You might as well have a colorful leech stuck to you as soon as you think one of these things crawling your way. Their bites are sharp and will leave the nearby skin itchy and painful. They are a bit difficult to remove but they can be killed; as soon as they have perished, they will rapidly dry out and crumble. However, it’s far more likely that they’ll escape before you can get your hands on them. Be vigilant; these things are pests–and smart enough to cling to people and vehicles alike if it means getting to where they want to go.
The night had started peacefully enough.
Howick was walking along the edge of Destiny City’s west reservoir, just following the quiet curve of the water. It was one of the few places in the city that didn’t constantly buzz. She liked coming out here sometimes—no alarms, no monsters, no crumbling rooftops. Just wind, water, and maybe the occasional frog.
But peace never lasted long.
She heard the slap before she saw it. A wet, sticky sound. Then another. Then—movement. Dozens of small, dark shapes dragging themselves over the concrete edge of the reservoir, pulling themselves up from the water like little sea horrors.
And then she saw one clearly.
“Is that... a starfish?” she whispered, frozen in place.
It didn’t look like the kind you’d see in a tidepool. This one was vibrant red-orange, oversized, and fast—too fast. It squirmed forward, latched onto a bird feather stuck in the mud, then launched itself at her like a suction-cup frisbee.
“What the—!”
It slapped against her thigh and bit her.
She screamed and staggered back, hand flying to the thing clinging to her leg. The skin beneath it burned and itched all at once. The slime was thick, greenish, and hot against her skin.
“Absolutely not,” she snapped, grabbing a stick from the side of the path and jabbing it under the starfish's edge. It wriggled violently, resisting, sucker limbs holding tight. It took three tries—and a lot of cursing—but she finally pried it loose and flung it to the ground.
It didn’t die. It just scuttled away, leaving a trail of mucus behind like some nightmare Roomba.
Then she realized it wasn’t alone.
Half a dozen more were coming from the water, their little arms wriggling with grotesque coordination. One latched onto a trash can. Another started climbing a nearby bike.
And one was racing right toward her again.
With no weapon and no time to think, Howick did the only thing she could. She punted it like a soccer ball. It flew with a squelch, slammed into a tree, and fell still. Dry. Crumbling.
“…Huh.” She blinked. “Okay. Violence does work.”
She stomped the next one under her boot before it could reach her, then another. They were fast, but not invincible—if she could keep them from attaching, she could take them down.
Two more leapt, and she ducked, smacking one midair with her forearm. It landed wrong, shriveled, and turned to dust.
After several minutes of frantic dodging, stomping, and grunting through the pain of itchy bite marks, the rest scattered. Some disappeared into the grass. A few latched onto a passing garbage truck and vanished over the hill.
She stood in the street, sweating, covered in slime, and breathless.
“Seriously. What’s next?” she muttered, swiping at her arm. “Flying jellyfish? Killer plankton?”
She winced, rubbed her leg where the bite still throbbed.
The Meteor Shower (3) : It wouldn't be a star festival without a meteor shower! Right on time, a beautiful array of shooting stars graces the night sky. This time of year is unnaturally clear and it's incredibly easy to see the stars. Most meteor fragments appear to be little white or yellow lights streaming across the sky, but if you watch closely enough you may find that some of them seem to be a whole rainbow of colors. The scientists have reported that it's just different components burning up as they enter the atmosphere, but there's something undeniably magical about it.
The Leaves (4) : With the changing seasons, there are piles of leaves all around Destiny City. It’s a difficult job to try and keep up with them all, and sometimes the allure of these leaf piles is impossible to ignore. Who doesn’t want to relive the childish joys of their youth? And no one’s around to see, right? So why not jump into a pile of leaves? Oh–because, when you do, you jump through one pile and come out of another somewhere else across the city. The leaves all seem ordinary, but there’s a few odd seconds between when you jump into the leaves and when you jump out; it feels like falling, tumbling, somersaulting through the air. It’s not scary, just odd. You see walls of leaves–brown and orange and yellow and red–and they crunch magnificently. Overall, it doesn’t seem menacing, just a bit of trickster fun. If you try to jump in a pile of leaves again, you might wind up somewhere else entirely–or right back where you started.
The streets of Destiny City were a mosaic of autumn colors, glowing in the late afternoon light. Leaves, brittle and fragrant with the scent of damp earth, were piled high along sidewalks, spilling over park benches, and drifting lazily down the avenues. Howick walked carefully, her boots crunching over scattered foliage, and she couldn’t stop herself from glancing at the piles as they beckoned in ways that were both nostalgic and strange.
She knew she shouldn’t. There were other things to do—responsibilities, patrols, or at least the semblance of them. And yet, the allure of those rustling mounds tugged at her chest. Memories from her youth whispered insistently, urging her forward: afternoons of reckless laughter, the smell of wet leaves after rain, the satisfying thump of landing in a soft pile, and the brief, electric thrill of tossing them into the air and letting them rain back down. No one was around. No one would see. Perhaps a little childish indulgence wouldn’t hurt.
With a quiet exhale and a shake of her head at her own impulses, Howick stepped back, bent her knees, and sprinted toward the nearest heap. She launched herself forward with a small cheer, and the pile swallowed her completely. The crunch of leaves was deafening, echoing against invisible walls of color that seemed to close in around her.
For a moment, she felt weightless, as though she were suspended in the air. Time itself seemed to stretch and bend. Leaves whipped past her in a chaotic blur of brown, orange, yellow, and red, tumbling, twisting, and somersaulting in all directions. The sensation was exhilarating, disorienting, and entirely unlike anything else she had experienced in Destiny City—or anywhere, for that matter.
When the world finally settled beneath her, she found herself standing atop a new pile, the city stretched differently around her, familiar streets looking slightly askew. Leaves shifted in the wind, whispering against her uniform, and the soft crunch beneath her boots was oddly comforting. She laughed softly, brushing bits of foliage from her hair. “Well… that was different,” she murmured, scanning the streets for any hint of where she might have arrived.
The temptation of the next pile shimmered in her mind. Each jump could take her anywhere—or even back to the same spot. She could see park corners in miniature universes, alleyways bathed in orange light, or quiet courtyards tucked between buildings, and each one called to her with equal promise of adventure. With a small shrug and a grin tugging at her lips, she approached the next mound of leaves, ready to launch herself once more.
It wasn’t dangerous—not really—but the unpredictability of the piles made her pulse quicken. The city seemed alive in this moment, playful and mischievous, as if it had secret games just for her. Each leap promised a thrill, a tumble, and the joy of utter freedom. Howick felt the spark of a grin widen; for a moment, she could leave worries behind entirely and simply float through a cascade of leaves, carried along by the winds of chance and childhood whimsy.
She crouched, then ran, then jumped—and the leaves rose to meet her, wild, chaotic, and beautiful.
The Creature in the Well (3) : While Destiny City has a modern water system, it’s not uncommon to see decorative wells around the city. Often in parks or around gardens, they grant a peaceful, countryside flair to the otherwise busy metropolis. Most days, they blend into the background. Not today. Maybe you heard a powerful, fierce splash, like something smacking violently against the water, or maybe it was the unnerving croak that echoed from deep below, but something has clearly gotten trapped in the well. Sometimes, there’s the distinct sound of something clawing, scratching, climbing–desperate to get out. The noise its making is deep enough to vibrate through the ground. If you go to investigate, you’ll see nothing but a pair of golden, snakelike eyes staring back up at you. Whatever it is, its body is completely submerged under the water, but just looking into its eyes is enough to petrify someone. There’s something hypnotic about it, something that seems like it’s drawing you into the well. And why shouldn’t you climb in? What’s stopping you? Danger is forgotten; the creature in the well has made a target of you. Hopefully you have someone to pull you out of the trance–or, maybe if you’re strong enough, you can do it yourself. If you lose the battle with the creature, you will fall unconscious just as you hit the water in the well; you will feel the sensation of something coiling around you, crushing you, and then–blackness. You will wake up in a hospital with a day lost and no memory of what happened in the well, or how you were pulled out. You only have bumps and bruises, and when you close your eyes you’re haunted by the chilling golden eyes in the well. If you return to it, you’ll find nothing but a strange, croaking echo.
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