Every time Miros ventured to Grandfather Tree he’d been accompanied by his mother. Her watchful, loving gaze tracking every step as they climbed the plateau, waiting patiently while Miros bowed to the tree and hoped he’d be granted a gift this time. And every time Miros had been denied. What had he done wrong? All his attempts spread across years. Was he not training diligently enough? Did Grandfather Tree find something wrong with him, deep inside where Miros couldn’t fix it? Was he inherently unworthy of helping this world?
He worried constantly about the latter. He’d heard rumors of the black horns - noulicorns that scorned Vykeli and the tree, cursed with dark horns so everyone would know they denied their purpose. At least Grandfather Tree had never done that to him. His horn was as pale and bright as the moon.
He’d tried so many ways to please his mother and the tree. He’d trained every day under her guidance, he’d learned all he could about Vykeli, how to tend to her plants and animals, how to keep the water clean, how to make a poultice and grind herbs to heal those that took ill or injury. He was more studious than most of the nouls he’d ever met.
So why wouldn’t grandfather tree choose him?
What was he doing wrong!
Miros thrust himself to his feet and whirled around to face the tree, a tiny sliver of white on the horizon. The sprout at his hooves seemed more alive and important than that great whie oak, so far away. So cruel to him.
No. Miros ducked his head and averted his gaze, nausea roiling in his stomach and making his throat tight. He should never have thought that. Grandfather tree was not cruel. Miros just didn’t understand. It was older and wiser than any noulicorn on his planet. Above all else Miros’ mother had been certain to teach him proper respect for grandfather tree.
His mother.
Miros stood alone at the edge of the barrens, heat cascading down his dark flanks and drying the hot sweat to his skin. There was stillness and silence.
His mother wasn’t here.
He had never gone to Grandfather Tree without her. It was the only thing…
The only thing that might be different.
Miros ducked his muzzle to the tiny sprout and tickled it’s new leaves. “I’ll be back soon.”
He stared back up at the tree, towering over them all from it’s lofty perch.
Miros ran.
---
He reached the tree with heaving flanks, sweat pouring through his fur in rivulets, turning him nearly black. His tongue was dry, his lungs screaming sharp pain. He should not have run through the heat, but he’d felt something… a pull. A call. Like the tree had tossed a rope around his neck and was dragging him forward. He’d never felt like this approaching the tree before, this golden glitz of belonging.
Miros collapsed at its roots, panting hard. It was disrespectful, he knew. He wanted to get back to his feet and kneel properly, but his muscles ached, his hooves burned, he trembled at the slightest attempt.
“I’m here,” he rasped. “I’m so sorry, but I’m here.”
{ rolling dice for prompts }
Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2020 3:25 pm
Though no breeze passes through, Grandfather Tree's leaves rustle as Miros approaches.
Choose one of the following prompts for Miros's dream vision.
Quote:
You have been travelling the barrens for days without sign of food or water. You are on your last legs when you finally spot something green in the distance. Is it a mirage? Or is it real? Do you risk going further to chase the green or do you take the safe route and return home?
Quote:
While travelling the Barrens you come across the skull of a massive animal. You don’t have the magic to resurrect it here but dragging it back to Homewood on your own would be exhausting or nearly impossible. What do you do?
Quote:
A storm whips through Homewood, tearing new plants up by their roots and forcing the animals to huddle together for shelter. The cold bites and the rain pelts down hard, but there are many things in the forest to protect. What do you do?
ll Flourish ll Captain
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Bugghnrahk
Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2020 6:23 pm
Strength returned to his limbs in a flood of cool water. Miros’ head swam. He snapped his eyes open, struggling to his feet, to find himself no longer nestled between the roots of Grandfather Tree. All around him was endless cracked earth, dead and dry.
The barrens.
He’d been denied again. He’d been wrong.
“Mother…” Miros lowered his head, legs shaking. “I’ve made a mistake.”
She didn’t need to know about this one, at least, and he wouldn’t tell her. He ventured into the barrens often enough that coming home covered in dust and dirt wasn’t unusual. She wouldn’t ask questions, and if she did…
Miros schooled his face into a smile, eyes crinkled and glittering. He still the nervous twitching of his tail and settled his breathing to normal, comfortable rates. He could lie to her just fine. She’d taught him how.
But first he had to get home.
He dropped the facade and let his disappointment creep out and blanket all his features, head hung low, trudging through the desert, ears drooped. There was no one around to watch him be miserable so he’d let himself indulge.
He’d try again. He’d figure out exactly what he was doing wrong and he’d find a way to fix this. Maybe that sprout was the key to it all, not his mother. Fawn had made it sprout, but if he watched it, tended to it, helped it grow… maybe he’d prove himself as worthy as she was. He could still be useful to Homewood and to Vykeli.
The thought renewed his spirits. He lifted his head, pushed himself to a trot, and continued onward.
… straight into the massive skull of some long dead beast.
Miros stumbled backward, caught himself quickly, and landed neatly on his hooves. The skull was larger than anything he’d ever seen before. A foal could have curled up and slept inside it. The bone had yellowed in the beating sun, cracks and imperfections marred the juts of the eye sockets. Miros tiptoed in for a closer inspection.
The teeth appeared to be herbivorous, all flat and square for grinding. Even if it hadn’t been, his mother had told him all of Vykeli’s life was sacred. Miros should be strong enough and quick enough to avoid predators without having to condemn them to extinction.
This would be even greater than a sprout. Was there any way to return it to Homewood?
He could leave it here and find a party to bring back with him. Or seek out Wanderlust. Wanderlust was kind and had powerful vivification magic. They’d be able to fix this poor creature.
But what if someone else found it, while Miros returned? Nouls searched the barrens all the time for signs of life long past.
Miros had found this, and Miros needed to do a great deed to prove himself to Grandfather Tree. He couldn’t leave the skull.
Miros circled the skull and lowered his head until his horn slipped neatly under the cranial ridge. He shoved. The skull pushed down on his horn and pain spiked through him, but he didn’t stop. He couldn’t. He dug his hooves into the hard ground and forced himself forward. The skull jerked forward an inch.
Miros shut his eyes and steeled himself. It would be hard, it would take ages, but he could do this.
He would prove to his mother that he was worthy.
Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2020 7:12 pm
Grandfather tree's roots settle and a soft red light swirls around Miros, warm to the touch and smelly faintly of comfort.
Miros has been bestowed with the Vivfy gift.
His initial ability is Detect Life.
the user enters a state of meditation, the vision in their mind's eye turns dark and illuminates living things, allowing the user to detect nearby signs of animal life +10% chance of a successful discovery roll
ll Flourish ll Captain
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ll Flourish ll generated a random number between
1 and 100 ...
98!
