Specterdust was positively enthused. Her parents, although hard for them, allowed her to take her first step into adulthood. She understood their need to overprotect their tiny daughter, it was a big world and as more nouls ventured out into it, dangerous. No, not because their was more nouls, more because there were more dangers now. Dangers existed before, the ruins held crumbling buildings left by the Others, the barren was hot and harsh, the bog was a death trap of toxic sludge. Yet despite all that, Specterdust wasn’t daunted or scared. She was excited to be out into the world on her own for the first time.
So there she stood, on the edge of Homewood and the barrens. Her mother had made sure she had a water bag and some food just incase. She was given a good run down of dangers from her father, along with key info on the barrens. Both fussed over her while Specterdust was chomping at the bit to get going. Her twin sister, who was much larger, had already gone off to the Grandfather Tree and returned with her gift. She’d come back to share the news before heading out again, this time to develope her gift. Specterdust had stood there in her shadow feeling more like a baby sister than just the other half at this towering doe.
Shaking her head of the memory, Specterdust put on her game face and proceeded out into the barrens. She wasn’t sure how long it’d take to get to the tree but she had studied a map at least. The trek was certainly enlightening and jokes aside, the barrens was certainly harsh. The sun bore down on her back the whole way, it was hot but that’s just how it was here. Spectordust could only image what it would be like when the nouls pushed it back, spreading life through it. Her thoughts ceased as she caught her first sight of the towering white oak tree that her kind called Grandfather Tree. As she grew closer, she stared in awe at how large it was.
Specterdust climbed up to it’s plateau and briefly turned to look out at the way she had come. Truly breath taking, even if was called the barrens. Once she caught her breath, Specterdust turned back to the tree and smiled as she bounced up to its massive trunk.
“Hello Grandfather Tree!! It is I, Specterdust, here to receive my gift!” She called to the tree, standing proudly.
WC: 418
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2020 11:05 am
A still quiet passes over the plateau. Hushed silence that is almost deafening. Grandfather tree's roots seem to shift and reach out as Specterdust approaches.
Choose one of the following prompts for Specterdust's dream vision.
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?
Quote:
You are in blackbriar bog. Through the murk you spot a large, dark shape - completely still, but impossible to identify from this distance. It might be a tree or the bones of some massive beast that once walked the land. You can't be certain if it's helpful or harmful. What do you do?
The world seemed to still around her, if only for a moment, then began to fade out. A low hum reverberated in her ears as static ran down her back making the fur stand. She closed her eyes a moment when a wind suddenly hit and the world grew loud with it’s howling. Her mane flew every which way, smacking her in the face and clinging as the sky had opened up and poured down upon her. Specterdust fought to get her mane out of her face until she could see she was back in Homewood. The storm hurling through the trees wasn’t like anything her young mind could remember living through. Everywhere, plant life and bits of trees flew or came crashing down.
Specterdust felt her heart began to race as she tried to get her bearings. She was caught out in the storm and her first instinct was to run, run and hide. Tiny cries got her attention and she looked to see a couple young jack hops got caught out in the storm too. A loud crack made her look up in time to see a large branch come hurtling down from above. Swiftly, she raced to the jack hops shouting, “MOVE!” One glanced up and then raced away as she scruffed the other and kept running. A hollowed out stump presented itself among the ferns and she made both jack hops go inside.
“Stay here,” she practically had to shout at them over the roaring of the storm.
Standing up she looked around, fighting to see around her whipping mane, debris and the wind trying to throw dirt into her eyes. Young plants where being torn up at the roots, shoots had a better chance closer to the ground and larger plants were getting massacred by the wind. She wasn’t sure there was anything she could do for them until the wind settled. But she could grab them! Quickly, she began to snag up some of the young shoots that had been uprooted. Racing back to the hollowed trunk, she tucked them inside. The jack hops pulled them in further. This might work she thought. But after several trips, she realized it was too much for her on her own, she’d need help. Even hero’s couldn’t do it all on their own.
“Help!”
Her ears shot up. Did she hear a voice over the roaring of the wind?
“Helllllp!!”
She did! But where was it coming from. Her ears pivoted on her head as she tried to deduce from which direction it was coming from. After a moment, she raced towards where she thought it came from and found a trapped noul.
“I’m here!” Specterdust called.
“I tripped and this branch caught my leg!” the noul cried out. “Help me! Please!”
The branch was rather large. Specterdust felt panic rise in her throat as she wasn’t sure she was big enough to help this noul. What if she wasn’t the hero she wanted to be, was meant to be. She watched as panic flashed in the trapped noul’s eyes, panic that said maybe help didn’t come after all. Specterdust pressed her lips together and stamped her tiny hoof. No! Help did come.
“I’ve got this!” she shouted at the trapped noul. Glancing around, she spotted some vines and ripped them free. She wrapped them around one end of the branch and then around her shoulders while also holding the end of the vines in her mouth.
“Get ready,” she said around the vines in her mouth to the trapped noul. Specterdust then turned and began to pull against the vines, her hooves digging into the ground as she strained against the tree branch. I’ve got this, I can do this, I AM a hero! She kept chanting to herself. I am small, but I am mighty! I. Can. Do. This. The rain had turned the earth slick and she slipped but Specterdust regained her footing and dug her front hooves in more as she stepped forward. The branch began to give way to her struggle and slipped forwards. The trapped noul, no longer trapped, got up as quickly as they could.
“Thank you so much!” With a limp they darted off to safety.
Specterdust stood there panting covered in muck and with mane slicked wet. She was smiling though, because despite being small, she was able to help another noul out of a sticky situation. Then suddenly the world became still and quiet and she was warm and dry once more.
WC:755 Total: 1,173
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2020 4:42 pm
Grandfather tree's leaves settle and a soft green light swirls around Specterdust, cool to the touch and smelling sweetly of flowers.
Specterdust has been bestowed with the Botanic gift.
Her initial ability is Pollinate.
the user creates a small cloud of pollen, which quickly disperses into the air +1 botanic healing to an area
ll Grandfather Tree ll Vice Captain
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ll Grandfather Tree ll generated a random number between
1 and 100 ...
87!
