[Spiritualism V] Uncertainties

If it wasn’t for the thick, grey clouds choking the sky, the view above would be beautiful.

The expedition group had set up camp for the night, securing the tents carefully with heavy stones to avoid them blowing away in the winds. Teles was moving around checking on everyone, assuring the traveling party was okay. They had managed to start a fire with a draken’s technique and wood they had gathered before climbing the mountain. With the amount of time they had been climbing, some in the group had managed to estimate they were halfway up the mountain. But the journey had been long and difficult. Everyone was exhausted and cold and ready for sleep tonight. Avezi and Boo joined the rest of their party for dinner next to the fire then returned to their tent for the night.

Still, even as Avezi lay under her blanket, she found her mind still active.

The unnatural blizzard that plagued the Island, the spirits themselves being affected by the snows. Even as they had trekked up the mountain, she had seen an occasional fae spirit and it looked as if it was nearly frozen.

The monster that Teles claimed to have seen visions of. Avezi had questioned her further about the specifics. She had told Avezi her memory was hazy. It was large, with thick claws and many mouths. Avezi had tried to research it while preparing for the Expedition, but hadn’t found anything. Was it a new monster they had never seen before? It had to have something to do with these blizzards. It couldn’t just be a coincidence that a monster appeared at the same time as these unnatural storms.

And there was the statue she and Boo had discovered. 

It still bothered her. It seemed so familiar, as if she had just read it somewhere, or seen it somewhere. Yet the name escaped her. It was a little maddening to be so close to remembering and…

Placing her paws on her face, she groaned before rolling onto her side and crawling out of her bed carefully. With quiet steps in an attempt to not wake her traveling companion, she slipped out of the tent.

The winds still whipped across the mountain landscape, but the snowing had slowed to a light fall. Avezi pulled her hood up over her face and trudged out. The watch looked at her curiously and she waved them off. She told the nyulop she’d be back soon and just needed to take a walk. Tucking her arms into her poncho, Avezi waded out away from the camp.

She didn’t go far, only further up the mountain where she could retrace her footsteps to the camp below. To assure she wouldn’t get lost, she moved some of the visible stones to make a marker for herself. Sighing, she walked closer to the mountain’s edge.

A fog, the fault of the blizzard, obscured the further peaks and the ground below. Peaking out from the low clouds was the rugged mountain range stretching on for miles. Faintly, she could make out the pines dotting the rocky terrain, and snow capped the peaks themselves. Had it been clear, she would surely be able to see for miles. Maybe even the villages themselves.

If it weren’t for the circumstances, she’d be thrilled to climb Windsong Mountain.

Despite the danger, she was excited to see the Greater Snowbirds walking the drifts. And the day before, she had managed to spot a Wraithel. Or rather, Boo had spotted it, and she had seen it later. Unfortunately, the excitement was undercut both in part of the fact that Boo had managed to nearly put themselves in harm’s way again, and the fact that the Wraithels shouldn’t be on Windsong Mountain. It was another thing that made this whole situation unnatural. Whatever the reason the birds normally avoided this peak, it was being disrupted.

She turned her knife in her paws mindlessly, mind wandering to her magical studies. Whatever this beast was, and even climbing the mountain itself, it would benefit her to practice the next tier. Infusing charm into objects; something that would bolster her use of weapons and tools. Maybe-

Something was behind her, watching her.

Avezi turned, gripping her knife in her paw, only to relax when she saw it was an ice Fae spirit. The Fae looked at her curiously, then approached her with silent steps.

“Needed to think”, she muttered to the spirit, in answer to the question she could almost hear. The Fae seemed to accept this and stood next to her, gazing out at the barely visible landscape below. In a way, its presence was soothing.

That calm spell was broken by the crunch of snow further behind her.

Whipping around in the direction of the sound, Avezi stilled, listening closely as she kept her paw steady on her blade. Another crunch. It was too light to be a Greater Snowbird, but with her lack of knowledge of the monster that prowled this mountain, she kept herself on high alert. It could be a baby…

The crunches were growing closer. Squinting through the hazy landscape, Avezi prepared for whether she should attack, or talk.

A green silhouette stepped through the fog, trudging through the knee high snow as small yellow lights floated behind them.

Circles.

Avezi’s grip relaxed as she stared at her traveling companion making his way through the snow up to her.

“Boo, why are you awake and why are you out here?” She couldn’t help the touch of exasperation in her tone. If they weren’t careful, they could have easily gotten turned around, and at night when visibility was already low?

The Earth draken’s ears perked up when he saw Avezi, and his pace quickened. “Avezi! There you are!” They stopped in front of her, an anxious look on their face. “I woke up and you were gone. I asked the watch if they’d seen you and he said you’d gone this way.” Boo scratched the back of his head. “I was worried.”

Her ears drooped. “Sorry… I didn’t mean to worry you.” Sighing, she looked back at the dark landscape. “I just needed to think.”

Boo paced forward, standing next to her. The Fae spirit had run off already. “I understand,” Boo said. For a long moment, the two of them stood quietly. The winds whistled across the frozen mountainscape, picking up snowflakes and tossing them in the air.

“Avezi?” Boo’s voice broke the quiet, and she looked at him.

The Earth draken played with the string on their poncho. “Do… you think we’ll manage to kill the monster?” His voice was soft, unsure.

Boo…

Even though they got themselves into a lot of trouble, in part due to their poor luck, and in part due to their impulsivity, their heart was kind. She knew they worried for the villages below, and worried that Teles’ visions would come true. He wanted to keep the Island safe. They all did.

Despite that, she hoped that Boo wouldn’t have to face a battle. She worried for their safety.

“... I think we will,” she finally answered. “Everyone here is brave, even if not everyone is skilled.” She rubbed a paw on her knife again, then paused. “Why don’t we practice?”

Boo perked up, looking at her with curiosity. She walked a short distance away to the slope, sticking her paws in the snow. Quickly, Avezi packed the snow between her paws, forming two abstract shapes. She compressed them firmly to assure they held their shape. Then, she stepped back next to Boo, pointing at the two shapes.

“Practice hitting those from here,” she instructed. “You have your knife right?”

Boo looked sheepish and patted his sides, muttering, “No…” She wasn’t surprised. Luckily if she remembered what she had read correctly…

Closing her eyes, she concentrated, imagining the form of a simple knife. She imagined the weight of it in her paws, the sharpness of the blade. A soft pink light emanated from her paws, morphing, solidifying. The threads weaved together to form the shape of a simple knife. Opening her eyes, Avezi looked at the knife in her paws. It glowed with a pink hue so it would be visible in the snow. It worked.

Boo stared, mouth agape and eyes sparkling. “Woah- Avezi! That’s so cool!”

She handed the knife to him. “I’m not sure if it’s stable, but it should be sufficient.” It was her first time making one after all. “Try throwing it and hitting those targets.”

Boo nodded eagerly, quickly lining up and taking aim. His first shot went wildly off course, but he rushed over to recover his knife. In a few seconds, they had lined back up and were taking aim again.

Avezi watched him for a moment as he enthusiastically tried again. Pulling her knife out, she lined herself up with the second snow target.

The practice would be good. If he knew how to defend himself, then maybe he’d be okay.

With steady aim, she threw the knife.