Muddy ground. No tree in sight. This part of the swamp was barren.
A large crane, so white it was almost glowing, landed silently in front of the kimeti, and dug a small hole with its delicate legs. Almost immediately, ethereal shades of gray and purple rose from that spot, as if there had always been a fire burning underneath the surface. As the smoke caught his attention, the graceful crane vanished never to be seen again.
Twirling in the air, the smoke made intricate patterns, and under his amazed eyes, a shape took form inside. A spherical shell in mid-air at first, with unmistakeable translucid wings to help the creature fly. Ever changing, but sharp silhouette donned with horns and mandibles that kept shifting. The wisps twirled around slowly, changing the psychedelic patterns on the ghostly insect. A glimmer for each of its round eyes appeared, similar to his own eyes.
Meanwhile, the beetle was far from static; its mandibles chattered, and in its flight, it made repetitive and simple patterns inside the tower of smoke, leaving eight-shaped tracks around. Sometimes, as its horns momentarily maintained their substance, it would look straight into the kimeti's eyes, curious.
It eventually left the suffocating smoke to land on the ground. It had decided at last of its final appearance, and it featured two huge mandibles that should have made it lose its balance, as well as a single horn similar to a branch on the top of its head. The insect was now more material than ghost-like, but its spherical eyes were still glowing almost unnaturally. As it began running away frantically on the ground with its 6 tiny legs, probably looking for some food to sustain itself, more gray smoke came out of its barely closed shell. The young male followed him cheerfully, confident, knowing it would lead him to a part of the swamp with water, plants, animals, and life.
