ON THE HUNT FOR MOTES!
Kin Name: Ask The Leaves
Preference List: 11, 15, 13, 2, 17, 6, 4, 8, 10, 2 , 3 , 5 , 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 16, 18, 20, 21
RP:

It had taken a lot to get Ask The Leaves to leave her little tea stall and wander off to find other kin. A lot being the disappearance of the sun and eternal night. It was hard to make tea and enjoy the day when there was no day at all!

So she’d found the campfire where kin gathered and discovered that apparently the only way to help was to collect little motes. With this in mind, she quietly slunk away from the group, trying to remain unnoticed, her heart fluttering anxiously.

The first one was an easy catch. “E-excuse me,” she murmured, as she tried to grab it in her mouth. They touched, and she was changed.

She was... a tree?

And for the first time in her life, Ask The Leaves felt peace. She felt solid, rooted. An onlooker. Other kin could go passed without thinking about her or seeing her. She offered shade. A home for small creatures. Maybe in the spring she would bear fruit. Life was simple.

When the vision faded, Ask couldn’t help but long for that feeling once again.

She sought out the next mote, hoping to experience it once again.

But the next change was strange and unsettling. She was suddenly smaller, compact, her eyesight nearly gone. And yet she could see the heat rising off the world around her and the glowing motes were much clearer than before. It made it easier, in the wrinkly Zikwa body, to scoop up the next one.

She returned to herself, her familiar Kiokote body.

As she passed by a fire, her shadow caught her eye. It was moving, very differently from her. It slithered and thrashed, growing larger and larger, reaching, mouth open wide...

Terrified, Ask The Leaves fled.

ON THE HUNT FOR MOTES!
Kin Name: Cool Breeze
Preference List: Six, Three, Two, Nineteen, Four, Five, Eight, Seven, One, Nine, Twelve, Seventeen, Twenty, Ten, Eighteen, Fourteen, Eleven, Thirteen, Twenty One, Sixteen, Fifteen
RP: Cool Breeze has been taking the sun disappearing in stride. He's sure the Helpers will be able to make the sun return, and who doesn't like to chase glowing, floating lights?

The hunt for motes started off great with the successful catch of a very, very large mote.

The next thing he knew, his shadow was trying to catch them with him! It was jumping and flicking its tail in the motes' direction.

And then he felt extremely warm, and he felt himself glowing with radiating light. Every where he stepped the ground caught fire and his firey light made his living shadow disappear.

He brought his collected motes back to the Helpers.

ON THE HUNT FOR MOTES!
Kin Name: Sparkling Sunrise
Preference List: fifteen, ten, twenty, two, seven, twelve, nine, six, seventeen, fourteen, thirteen, three, one, five, four, twenty-one, eighteen, nineteen, sixteen, eight, eleven
RP:
Sparkling Sunrise had already been tempted to chase after the glowing lights when she followed them to the grove. When she heard that they were supposed to capture them, she wiggled with glee. How fun! The effects they put on attackers that the Helpers told them about were also very intriguing, and her little totoma brain was already hard at work trying to put the pieces together on what it all meant. The young totoma had heard of other creatures creating a disorienting effect with venoms and such, but nothing quite like this. In short, her interest continued to pique.

A deep breath brought Sparkling Sunrise down from prancing glee into more of a focused demeanor. She couldn't mess around if she actually wanted to catch these things and help bring the sun back to the Swamp if the motes were as dexterous as the Helpers described. Her two companions, Winterdown and Sunspot, clung to her, nervous about the dark. She didn't want to leave them behind, but she knew they might get lost in the dark of the forest if they helped with the chase. Sparkling Sunrise nuzzled them both and lead them over to a comfortable spot within the group of kin. "I'll be right back, don't you worry," she cooed. Her heart clenched a little as she stepped away. For the first time in a while, she was going on a little adventure by herself. Spotting a mote near the gathering, the young totoma trotted after it.

Her hooves thundered over the dark terrain as she chased the mote. The Helpers were right! These little things were fast! But, Sparkling Sunrise was determined to continue the chase. She wanted to help and she wanted to get a closer look at these things. She picked up speed and rushed after the fleeing light, her shards chiming off the brush and nearby trees as she zoomed past. Eventually, she got close enough to reach out and try to chomp down on the mote. It flitted and dodged out of her way, but not without her brushing her nose against it. As Sparkling Sunrise continued to chase, she realized her body felt very different.

Sparkling Sunrise felt her mind scramble a bit as she tried to keep pace on the fleeing mote and understand what was going on with her body. Her legs felt more...lithe? Gone were the trunk-like, powerful legs she'd been born with and now she had more dainty, dancer-like legs that carried her along. The sound of the hoofbeats was probably the most disorienting, having gone from thunderous impacts to more of a clacking against packed earth and rocks. Her body felt a little longer and...a tail brushed against her ankles as she ran? She tried to think, but she didn't want to stop and take an account of her person and lose the mote.

Her confusion granted the mote a little bit of distance, unfortunately. The young...totoma?...caught a glance at her legs and discerned they were considerably more acha-like than her actual legs. "This must be what they were walking about!" she called, to no on in particular, as she tried to pick up speed once again. How strange! She whipped her head around to try and gather how it felt compared to her stocky horns and thick fluff. Moving as an acha was so breezy! No wonder they loved to dance so much! Sparkling Sunrise nearly got caught up completely by the wonders of this change before she realized the mote was getting further and further away. While this feeling was definitely something she wanted to explore, just like everything else, she couldn't let the others down! Setting her brow, Sparkling Sunrise ran with complete focus this time.

The longer it had been, the less the strange feeling weighed on the young totoma. Her legs felt stockier with every gallop and her false tail stopped brushing against her ankles. She was almost close enough to try again when the mote's spell had completely worn off. Her legs were beginning to tire with all the running and springing to keep up with the mote, so she hoped the little thing would be in her possession soon. Plus, she knew she must be quite far from the group now, and only hoped she could find her way back.

Sparkling Sunrise giggled as she darted around a tree after the mote. Thankfully, the terrain was eroded a bit around the other side, giving her a place to launch after the mote. She bent low and sprung, shrieking with glee as she pounced on the mote. Unfortunately, she may have overshot a bit. Her gleeful shriek warped into a yelp of surprise as she tumbled down on top of the mote instead of swiping it into her mouth. Shards clanged against each other as she scrambled to her feet and tried to find the mote before it got away. As she thrashed, the glow from the mote seemed to...grow. By the time Sparkling Sunrise was able to get to her feet, she gathered that the glow was on her!

With each blink, Sparkling Sunrise watched in surprise as the mote seemed to multiply and stick to her fur. It started with her underside and her legs, and very quickly covered her all the way up. Her eyes squinted against the glow right by them as she wiggled each of her legs to shake off the motes. When that didn't work, she hopped and jumped around, trying to free herself, or at least secure one in her mouth to bring back. The motes kept doubling and blanketing her in light. Eventually, she had to clamp her eyes shut against the brightness.

Hopping and jumping escalated to frantic bucking as Sparkling Sunrise's mind reeled. The shards surrounding her loudly rang together with her thrashing. The light was so bright that it was almost too much through her eyelids. Her aching limbs crashed back onto the dirt with a loud thump of each hoof as she stilled save for her heaving chest. A tiny part of her knew that this was probably just an illusion because of the mote, but she couldn't be sure. All of this was so different and there was still so much to be explored. Right now, though, Sparkling Sunrise was very tired and overwhelmed.

The light continued to persist, and the young totoma felt the tingling of them all over her body now. Her breath teetered almost into hyperventilation as she swiped at her face with her furry legs, hoping to at least clear that and gather her bearings a little. When that didn't work, she sat and tried to take some deep breaths. "This isn't real this isn't real this isn't real," she whispered to herself, trying to convince herself that that was indeed what was happening. The Helpers seemed to so confident about these motes. And, they were so helpful! She didn't want to think they would know that the motes would envelop someone and not tell them when they gathered.

Before her thoughts could spiral more, Sparkling Sunrise laid down and draped a leg on top of her snout and over her eyes. A few minutes of deep breaths cleared her mind, and she started to feel the tingling fade. Her heart was nearly done thundering in her ears when the lights around her eyes faded and the pitch darkness of the currently sunless Swamp returned. Shyly, she peeked open an eye and found that she was in the dark again with no motes in sight, much less clinging to her. Letting out a sigh of relief, Sparkling Sunrise took a few sniffs to try and gather her bearings.

When she turned to the direction of the gathering, she gasped. There it was! The mote she had been chasing all this time was floating and swirling around the trees a few yards away. Was it watching her? Sparkling Sunrise admired it for a few moments before remembering she needed to catch it. Even though her most recent exposure to the mote's effects was overwhelming and a little scary, she did rest her legs as a fringe benefit of the situation. Now, she was ready to run all over again. "Alright, come here, little thing," she called, trying to sound encouraging.

Soon enough, Sparkling Sunrise was trotting after the mote and clearing the distance between them. She thanked her lucky, though currently not visible, lucky stars that the little thing decided to float back towards the group instead of further and further away. She figured it made sense, given that the little lights lead them to the Helper's grove in the first place. A few moments later, Sparkling Sunrise finally got within reach of the mote again. She lined up a good jump and sprang in the air to catch the mote.

When the young totoma actually caught the light in her teeth this time, she yelped in surprise, but managed to keep her jaws shut. She could see a glimpse of the glow peeking through the gaps in her sealed lips as she tried to situate her mouth in a way that was comfortable for the walk back to the grove. That was when she felt the strange tingling that she was starting to associate with the motes radiate from her mouth. Once again, she clamped her eyes shut and tried to gather her bearings ahead of whatever hallucination the mote would inflict on her this time.

A few moments passed, and her whole body felt tingly again. She took a few steps forward, and discovered her legs felt different again. This time, they were even thinner than when she "was an acha." Her vision seemed...clearer in the dark? But, making out details was very challenging. Sparkling Sunrise leaned down deeply, trying to use the very faint light from the mote in her mouth to get a good look at her legs. She caught a glance of a thin tail at her hooves and then her legs. They were long and thin! They were nearly hairless! Her hooves were so tiny! Sparkling Sunrise was very familiar with this species of kin, given the recent Obelisk Nonsense in the caves.

The mote turned her into a zikwa?! Or, was it just making her think she was a zikwa? Sparkling Sunrise took a few steps in a circle, trying to get a good feel of her body. Her torso felt shorter, and getting used to the long tail again was an adventure. How did other kin not trip over these things! She was even more impressed by the long, luxuriously tailed kin she'd seen before now. Sparkling Sunrise realized she got distracted by these new sensations, yet again, and suppressed a giggle before turning back the way she meant to go.

Each step was emphasized by a little leg wiggle as Sparkling Sunrise tried to get more of a feel of this "zikwa form" on her way back. The occasional brush of her legs together was shocking at first. Her thick, fluffy fur was now a little peach fuzz! Her skin was much looser! This form was probably the stranger of the two she'd experienced on this chase, but this time it was more fun than confusing. Though, holding the mote in her mouth definitely made her brain the fuzziest it had been all night.

Eventually, Sparkling Sunrise could see the fires and gathered lights in the grove where the other kin gathered. She hopped with excitement and picked up speed. Her two companions sprinted to meet her as she trotted into the kin collected together. "Do I look like a zikwa? Do I look like a zikwa?" she called, her words muffled as she tried to talk around the mote in her teeth.

[Words: 1968]

ON THE HUNT FOR MOTES!
Kin Name: Grim Tales
Preference List:10, 12, 1, 2, 3, 9, 12, 4, 8, 11, 17, 19
RP: Here be the post

Well, him tagging along was better than nothing. "Perhaps you could hold the lantern for me? I honestly don't know how they expect someone to do this as a solo act." She was sure there were plenty that had done it just fine without help, she however didn't want the hassle of trying to figure out or remember where she'd set the contraption. She also wasn't creative enough to make something to hang it from, at least not right now in this darkness. One darted by her and she was in quick pursuit, however, as soon as she had it she felt as if she herself were made of living fire. As if she alone could burn the darkness away with the light within her. It faded quickly and she placed it in the lantern and gave Echoed Chorus a strange look. "You didn't see anything weird happen did you?" Was it all in her head? She hoped so. Man these things were odd.

Dashing after another yielded her shadow becoming sentient. It seemed to come up from the ground, it's blackness contrast against the inky dark around them. Perhaps it would help her catch some motes, but it did not and soon, it too faded back into its rightful place. The final attempt yielded a quite unique response. She felt strong, as if she was a boulder of a kin. Looking down her legs had grown thicker and her chest wider. Was she a Totoma? She felt invincible as she began to make her way back to the buck and her lantern. The imagination faded away as she grew nearer and she placed the final one in the Lantern. "Well.... I have to say that's not an experience I'd ever hope to have to do again."

ON THE HUNT FOR MOTES!
Kin Name: Sparkling Sunrise
Preference List: fifteen, ten, twenty, two, seven, twelve, nine, six, seventeen, fourteen, thirteen, three, one, five, four, twenty-one, eighteen, nineteen, sixteen, eight, eleven
RP:
Sparkling Sunrise was in definite need of some rest after her first adventure catching the motes. After she spit the mote out into the little cage the Helpers had to hold them, she got a better look at her "zikwa form." She listened to the perspective of others around her, and concluded it was only a hallucination. Disappointing, but good to know. That would definitely be helpful the next time she went out on the chase, especially if something scary happened again.

The young totoma snuggled up with Sunspot and Winterdown for a bit and shared a snack with them. She watched kin dart off after motes and others come back with successful captures. They came back looking bamboozled, probably like she did, and that was a little comforting that she wasn't alone. Rumors spread around about the different experiences kin had while catching and she tried to keep the accounts in her memory to consider later. After some sips of water, she was ready to bound back into the dark after the floating lights.

A lone mote flitted a ways from the gathering site, but seemed close enough she could catch it. Sparkling Sunrise quickly nuzzled her pets before assuring them that she'd be back once more. Bounding after the mote, she giggled when it flitted and dodged away from her and further into the trees. Her trot quickly turned into a canter as she tried catching up with the light. A few of her swipes were in vain as it zipped away, but she was not deterred. Finally, one of her lunges at the light made a connection. But, no success, other than the tingling feeling returning to her body.

When Sparkling Sunrise landed after the first lunge, the sound of her hooves was louder than she expected. And, her perspective didn't change as much as she thought it would. Was she taller? It was hard to tell in the darkness. She galloped and her hooves sounded...bigger. Her eyeline on the height that the motes stayed at was about even now. She had to be huge! There wasn't another reason she could think of for these changes. How strange!

The young totoma didn't want to lose the chase, though, so she laughed happily at the sound of her even more thunderous hoofbeats as she went. Somehow, it wasn't any easier to catch the mote. "I guess it really is just a hallucination," she said to herself with a discerning tone. This was helpful information! Her mind turned, trying to retain all this information. While she thought, she nearly missed the tingling fading from her body. It didn't take long, but her perspective shrunk as the effect wore off, and her regular running resumed.

In the corner of her eye, Sparkling Sunrise saw a static mote amongst a few trees a few yards away. it was much bigger than the one she was going after, which might be more helpful to the Helpers. After a few moments of deliberation, she quickly dashed in the direction of the bigger mote. She hoped its stillness meant she could catch it by surprise, if that was even possible with these things. A few bounding strides had her in jumping distance, and she took her chance.

The mote was almost too big for her to clamp her jaws around, and the light shining from between her teeth was a very strange effect. But, she had it! Even stranger still, the tingling didn't return to her at all. Was this mote broken? It didn't flit away from her and it didn't do anything to her. A thread of concern wormed its way into Sparkling Sunrise's mind. Hopefully this one was okay. She didn't want to bring a bad one or something. Only one way to find out though! Happily, and humming a joyful tune, Sparkling Sunrise returned with the mote.

She was overjoyed when the Helpers still accepted the large mote she caught. Gently, she placed it in the cage with the others and nodded to the Helper looking over it. That was fun! Sparkling Sunrise still felt the adrenaline of the chase, and wanted to go back out. A quick drink of water was her only stop before she was trotting after another mote. This one was close by, and she hoped that it would be an easier catch than the first so she could bed down for a bit. Soon enough, she was leaping through the air to catch it.

Her teeth clamping around the mote was met with the familiar tingling once again. Her hooves hit the ground and felt different. Sparkling Sunrise paused, mote flitting in between her teeth, to take an account of what her body felt like now. A longer mane flopped against her longer neck, and her legs felt strong and ready to run for miles. A thick tail rested against her hind. She was a kiokote this time! How exciting! This would make the long journey back much easier, she thought. Or, at least her mind would feel that way.

The run back was incredible. She understood the appeal of kiokote races even more now that she had a chance to run like one. They were so fast! A little giggle escaped her maw as she considered what she probably looked like. A regular totoma running with a kiokote's determination, glow spreading from her mouth that was held at a strange angle to keep the mote inside. What a sight. It was a little harder for her to revel in this form compared to the others. All the running around was starting to weigh on her. Sparkling Sunrise quickly turned back to the grove to turn in the mote and take a nap.

[Words: 957]

ON THE HUNT FOR MOTES!
Kin Name: Serpent of Paradise
Preference List: 8, 9, 1
RP:[rolled in orp]

Merry hadn't yet realized that her son had lingered back to share concerns or doubts with others, not had she yet realiZed that Consume had made his way to the clearing as well. She had a a goal in mind, a will and a want to fix this, and she would waste no time worrying over what to her seemed like trivial things. Either this would work or it would not. Either these kin were here to help, or they were not. Either way, they couldn't afford to do nothing. If this didn't work, they would pivot.

The Motherfather would guide them should they need it. Of that she was sure.

So she made a snap at one of the motes, missed it, then set off at a run the chase the thing on a winding path through the clearing and surrounding trees. It was fast, determined to avoid capture, but Merry was faster.

However, once she caught it, it felt like the dark world had tilted, just a bit, on its axis. Mote held tight in her jaws...beak? The doe...former doe, looked down at her paws a little befuddled. She was fairly certain her feet hadn't been feet before, but they definitely were now. She wiggled her tails, humming in amusement around the mote in her mouth. Then she was prancing back towards the clearing and the helps to deliver the mote she'd caught to the lantern.

Strange things happened in the swamp, the Motherfather worked in mysterious ways. Perhaps this was just one more example of that. She didn't mind being an eaglehound.

--

The next mote was easier, and through at some point during the chase she became aware that she was, in fact, no longer an eaglehound, the mote she caught in careful jaws was much larger than the first

Did this mean something? She didn't know, and she didn't question it as she spit the thing into the lantern with the others. Instead, she turned on a hoof and raced off towards another

--

Oh, this is different.

The thought slipped through her mind as she stood, almost literally rooted to the earth, a new mote captured in careful teeth.

Everything felt like it was moving slowly, and when she looked down, where her legs had been, she found instead thin trunks with roots buried deep into the coop ground.

The doe hummed thoughtfully, unsure for long moments what to do. If she called for help the mote would fly away, if she didn't? Hmm.

While she was thinking, as time passed, she noticed a little belatedly that her hoof was tapping as she mulled it over. With a start she bounced up, prancing with relief in a giddy little circle before heading back to contribute one more mote to the hoard.

3: Your kin imagines they have become a type of familiar!
10: You capture an exceptionally large mote with no consequences.
5: Your kin imagines they are made up of one of the four elements!

Spoiler

1: Your kin imagines they are very, very tiny!
2: Your kin imagines they are huge!
3: Your kin imagines they have become a type of familiar!
4: Your kin imagines they are a tree and cannot move!
5: Your kin imagines they are made up of one of the four elements!
6: Your kin imagines their shadow has taken on its own life!
7: Your kin imagines they are a different species of kin!
8: Your kin imagines they are in a different climate (plain, mountains, desert, caves)!
9: Your kin imagines they are completely covered in motes!
10: You capture an exceptionally large mote with no consequences.

ON THE HUNT FOR MOTES!
Kin Name: Never Known
Preference List: 1, 11, 10, 20, 2, 3, 17, 4, 8, 14, 9, 13, 19, 12, 18, 15, 6, 7, 21, 5, 16
RP: [5, 3, 10]

Never Known had always considered himself as a decent hunter - fast but quiet, steps sure as he traveled the swamp. He had been led on many a merry chase by both his spectral cheetah and prey alike, and so watching others attempt to catch the motes looked like it would be a relatively familiar task. Perhaps it'd be a run or two, but it was good exercise, and Never Known had never been fearful of the dark. He could collect a few motes and be done with it.

Never Known was very, very wrong.

His first mote had led him on at a rapid pace, far faster than what he was used to, bobbing and weaving in a way that the buck could barely keep up. He raced into a clearing after it, chest heaving and then suddenly he felt as if he was made of air itself. The very breath from his being had composed his body, and he was floating across the ground with nothing to hold him down. For a second all he felt was intense panic, as if he would float up into the sky, never to be seen again. But then, just as soon as it came, the feeling left him, and he found himself still with all his hooves on the ground and the mote floating gently nearby, as if nothing had happened at all.

Never squinted suspiciously at the glowing being, but it did nothing but merrily drift as if nothing happened at all. Yet when he stepped forward, it drifted further away, until finally, Never was chasing it once more.

This time, he felt his change happen mid-chase, his body shifting into something sleek and more compact. When he finally looked around him during his run, he realized he was much smaller than he had been before, the trees and shadows that much bigger and darker. His front hooves had become paws, and his tail had elongated into something sleeker. He wasn't quite sure what he was for certain - a cheetah perhaps, or an owlcat? Maybe an ermine - that would've been nice, if it wasn't for the terrifying thought that he was fated to stay that way. He stopped, and then shook his head, dispelling the thought. Just like the last time, it had to be a trick, and soon enough he was back to his original shape, no worse for the wear.

The mote, perhaps having had its fun, was once again floating merrily but now with another, larger companion. Never eyed it as he shifted closer slowly, but neither of the motes seemed like they were about to move. When he was close enough to gently nudge them, and they went the direction he pushed, he finally accepted that he had seemed to catch two for the lantern. With a sigh of relief, Never headed back with his quarry in tow, and a headache beginning to build.

He wanted a nap, after this.

ON THE HUNT FOR MOTES!
Kin Name: Illuminating
Preference List: 11, 15, 13, 2, 17, 6, 4, 8, 10, 2 , 3 , 5 , 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 16, 18, 20, 21
RP:

PART ONE

“I-I’m going for it,” she announced again, this time stuttering and stumbling.

A few hurried steps and she attempted to get her mouth around the first mote.

ROLLED:
5: Your kin imagines they are made up of one of the four elements!
3: Your kin imagines they have become a type of familiar!
9: Your kin imagines they are completely covered in motes!

And the world shifted.

Very suddenly her perception of the world changed. She was burning but not dying, consumed in flames that came from her core. Wild and free, hungry. She wanted to touch everything, try everything. She wanted to ravage the world as a mighty wall of flames and also to remain contained, warming cold bodies in the dark night. She was a miniature sun, casting light, giving warmth. It felt good, it felt right. It - it... was over.

Illuminating was left cold and bereft.

She stood quietly for a moment, the mote still caught in her mouth.

Before it could escape, she returned to the camp and deposited it in the cage. Then returned to Air to give her warning. “Be careful, there are some... strange effects. For a moment there I thought I was made out of fire.” She shook her head ruefully. “We need to be prepared for anything.”

PART TWO

Illuminating watched curiously as Air tangled with her first two motes. She too was experiencing the strange effects and it was odd to see the Acha looking perfectly normal while knowing that in her mind something completely different was happening.

“A totoma and the mountains? Oh my!”

When the next mote floated by, Illuminating was almost excited for her own experience. She jumped forward, snatched up the mote and -

She was low to the ground, round, many eyed, she saw everything, over and over. She stretched her legs, all eight of them. There was no thought but hunger, predator, waiting to strike. She wanted to weave a trap that everyone would fall into, so that she could feast, suck them dry and -

Illuminating shuddered, casting the spider from her mind.

She quickly raced to the next mote, just to get rid of the feeling and was awarded instantly. Motes suddenly appeared everywhere, coating her body, clinging to her. “Air,” she called, too scared to move lest she scare them off. “There’s so many motes! Quickly! We can catch them all together!”

The motes were all over her, crowding her in light, covering her eyes.

She tried to snatch at a group to clear them but they disappeared at her touch and after she blinked twice, they were suddenly gone. As if they’d never been.

“Oh....” Confused, she turned in a circle. “Oh, I was imagining it...”

She sighed. What a shame.

ON THE HUNT FOR MOTES!
Kin Name: Illuminating
Preference List: 11, 15, 13, 2, 17, 6, 4, 8, 10, 2 , 3 , 5 , 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 16, 18, 20, 21
RP:

After a rest and the passage of time that might have counted for night in this dayless world, Illuminating set out to capture more motes. This time she was alone, slipping slowly through the shadows, weary, missing the sun’s touch. If it remained this way, maybe she should have simply stayed in the caves, where she had friends and family and comforting tunnels she had known from her youth.

But she eventually shook those thoughts away. They were pointless here. All she could do now was keep hunting the motes and hope it was enough.

Illuminating spied a cluster, floating like fireflies nearby.

By now she was well aware of the effects and that they were quite varied. She readied herself as she gave a little spurt of speed to snatch up the first mote. She squeezed her eyes shut, anticipating a change. Perhaps she’d become a flaming ball of fire again or she’d turn into a bat! The possibilities were endless.

When nothing immediate seemed amiss, she slowly opened her eyes.

Only to see her shadow staring back at her. When she tilted her head, it tilted the other way just to spite her. “He-ll-o,” she mumbled around the mote, trying to not let it escape. Her shadow self threw back its head and seemed to be laughing.

Well, alright then.

It didn't seem... dangerous.

So she simply turned away.

It followed for a time but she steadfastly returned to the camp without giving it attention and deposited the mote and by the time she turned back for another, the shadow was gone. Or at least it was back to being just a shadow. Not that it was easy to see when the world was all made of shadows.

She found the next mote under a berry bush and as she fished it out, all of a sudden clusters of motes seemed to surround her. “Oh!” She cried, letting go of the original. “T-there’s motes everywhere! Is anyone around?” Oh dear! If only she’d brought a friend, maybe they could have gathered way more than normal.

Illuminating did her best to frantically capture as many as she could, as they surrounded her in a blanket of light.

Her heart soared.

Such a boon!

Only for them to all disappear between one moment and the next.

Illuminating blinked in slow surprise. Her mouth and hooves entirely empty of all motes. The original long gone. She’d been bamboozled.

Disappointed, the Zikwa sought more to redeem herself.

Another mote, dancing in the breeze. She chased it down, clamped her mouth around it and -

BIIIIIIIG.

Illuminating towered above the trees. It took all her will-power not to gasp and let go of her prize, as she wobbled, dizzy by the sudden height. Too terrified to move, she squeezed her eyes shut and sang a little song in her mind, one from her foalhood. Self-soothing, Illuminating did her best to forget the feeling of being enormous. She would much rather be made of fire or have her shadow come alive for the rest of the day.

Eventually the moment passed and she could step forward without worrying she would be crushing some small creature beneath her hooves.

Then she remembered the insects were a thing.

Oh dear.

There was no escaping being enormous in some way or the other.

With a shake of her head, she returned with the mote and settled down to take a quick rest.

ON THE HUNT FOR MOTES!
Kin Name: Prime Evil
Preference List: 15, 8, 10, 4, 20
RP:
At one point during her conversations in the clearing Prime Evil's mind had drifted away. Playing speculation had become somewhat boring and she watched the motes dance and kin chase with curiosity. Steals Fire had mentioned that they might have strange effects and given the oddness with how kin behaved after catching them... she believed that much of their story was truth at least. To her luck, a particularly slow one floated past her head and it took just a step for her to quickly snatch it out of the air.

She couldn't go far though. The small acha (when had she become an acha? Hadn't she always been...) pressed close to the leg of the enormous kin beside her. That was her person and as their familiar she couldn't leave their side without permission of course. She'd have to wait. The mote fluttered in her mouth but she couldn't describe what it felt like... it wasn't wings or legs or anything very solid feeling... just movement, so much movement trapped behind her teeth.

Prime Evil shook herself... and felt the heavy thud of her tail against something. Oh.. the kin beside her... that she'd been leaning on. Embarrassed, Prime Evil, back in her own body, trotted off to quickly deposit the mote into the shining cage.

Spoiler

1: Your kin imagines they are very, very tiny!
3: Your kin imagines they have become a type of familiar!
7: Your kin imagines they are a different species of kin!

ON THE HUNT FOR MOTES!
Kin Name: Ritual Destruction
Preference List: 9, 10, 12, 20, 2, 1, 19, 4, 8, 18, 7, 5, 13, 21, 3, 6, 14, 16, 15, 17, 11
RP:
Ritual Destruction just knew he was to blame for the lack of sun. For the loss of light. He was so conflicted in his day to day life. He liked to destroy things. Methodically, purposely, but he took it seriously. He liked to destroy himself methodically, purposely. He took it seriously. But the light? He had never planned to destroy the light, that hadn't been the goal of his actions the night before it vanished.

So when he heard he could possibly help bring it back by chasing down motes? He was willing to do whatever it took to fix his mistakes. So when he found motes he went after them chasing until he managed to catch one...and then realized he was big! Bigger than the trees! He laughed hard as he took long strides now covering so much ground. This was so strange! Yet maybe now he could catch more in this size!

He managed to get another and he blinked as he found himself fluttering in the air and he wondered what was going on. He passed by some water and he saw a moth and nothing else and realized he was the moth trying to move through the sky. He wasn't fond of this.

While struggling with the flying thing he found himself crashing into a rather large mote and he was himself again, and he had the mote caught. That had been the weirdest experience ever. Still he'd managed to catch some, that would help bring back the light, right? ...right!?

ON THE HUNT FOR MOTES!
Kin Name: Brother Shark
Preference List: 8, 9, 1
RP:[rolled in orp]


"Yes, I agree." And frankly, what choice did they really have? It was as good a starting point as any, and at least these kin seemed knowledgeable about what was going on. If it didn't work...

He pushed that thought aside for now and dipped his head to bump his nose to the side of Fisheye's head. "Let's go catch some motes." He flashed her a toothy grin before hurrying off to follow a soft light that'd just drifted past them.

Catching the things wasn't easy. Chasing them down was difficult, they'd dart away at the last moment and sharp teeth would close around nothing but air. After a few missed chances he switched tactics, slowed his pursuit to a creep, sprang at the dancing light when it was close enough.

This worked, and he grunted in satisfaction, turning to head back, but paused, distracted by movement around his feet. With the light caught in his maw his legs were illuminated, Shadow din against the ground. It shivered around them, long tail flicking, then stepped away from him entirely to run off among the long shadows of the trees.

Brother Shark blinked after it, baffled. He looked down at his hooves again, then back into the trees. It frolicked between them, weaving in and out of thick trunks. Then it was back, like nothing had happened at all. He blinked again, shook his head as if to clear it. When it didn't move again he headed for the lantern.

--

He ran into Fisheye again after dropping off the mote and paused briefly. "Oh yes, I noticed. My shadow ran off without me." The buck chuckled, then stiffened, glowing eyes tracking a note that was during dangerously close. He waited...and snapped.

He grinned at her with the thing caught in his jaws, but it faded quickly as more and more of the things drifted towards him.

They landed on him, lighting him up like a tree during winter market. He looked to Fisheye, to see if she was seeing what he saw.

--

They flickered and vanished and Neither Shark shook himself, spitting the mote into the lantern. "This is very bizarre."

He brushed along her side, heading back towards the tree line, towards more lights.

This time, when he managed to capture over, the forest shrank around him, the kin that had surrounded him scampered around his hooves, small as ants. Brother Shark froze, fearful of accidently stepping on anyone, least this not all simply be in his head.

Thankfully it didn't linger. He was himself again after a few moments. When he rid himself of the mote he waited beside the lantern for Fisheye.

6: Your kin imagines their shadow has taken on its own life!
9: Your kin imagines they are completely covered in motes!
2: Your kin imagines they are huge!

Spoiler

1: Your kin imagines they are very, very tiny!
2: Your kin imagines they are huge!
3: Your kin imagines they have become a type of familiar!
4: Your kin imagines they are a tree and cannot move!
5: Your kin imagines they are made up of one of the four elements!
6: Your kin imagines their shadow has taken on its own life!
7: Your kin imagines they are a different species of kin!
8: Your kin imagines they are in a different climate (plain, mountains, desert, caves)!
9: Your kin imagines they are completely covered in motes!
10: You capture an exceptionally large mote with no consequences.

ON THE HUNT FOR MOTES!
Kin Name: Speed Racer
Preference List: 15, 8, 10, 4, 20
RP:
If anything, it had become easier for the young zikwa to see. After spending his entire life underground where the only light came from the kin around you, even the brightness of the moon and stars at night blurred his awareness of the world around him. Not that any of that had slowed him down. There were too many new things to discover up on the surface and even after nearly a year aboveground he was still finding new experiences every day.

So when the lights went out, he wasn't afraid. In fact, if anything he was confused. "The sun and the moon disappear every day? Why is this a problem?"

...

The motes had been fun to chase down though. Glowing brightly they were some of the easiest things for him to see and he had already snapped at a couple as he followed them to the clearing. It was almost like traveling through the obelisks. At one point even, he had no idea how, he had 'seen' his own shadow chasing him through the swamp. That had been a fun race (he still wasn't sure which one of them won... but it was fun none the less!). The time's he'd become trees were less entertaining. He hated sitting still and really, he couldn't imagine anything stiller than a tree. Even rocks moved more when they dropped or rolled along the caverns, or vibrated with the singing of kin.

Spoiler

4: Your kin imagines they are a tree and cannot move!
6: Your kin imagines their shadow has taken on its own life!

ON THE HUNT FOR MOTES!
Kin Name: Fisheye
Preference List: 8, 4, 6, 20, 3, 5, 1, 2, 13, 9, 17
RP: ORP

Fisheye was pleased that Brother Shark agreed, not only because she felt secure with a companion who stood on the same side as her. She returned the nose bump to Brother Shark gently as their noses touched, following up by nodding her head to his suggestion. "Yes, let us see how this story pans out."

She followed him, allowing him to lead her into the direction of the motes. She was more worried about losing Brother Shark in the darkness than she was catching the motes so she put a lot of her focus on that. The motes were hard to catch, and gave quite the chase but eventually she did manage to catch one.

She had been warned about what may happen but as she imagined herself suddenly in the desert she felt very stressed by it. Her grandmother may have been from the desert but she wasn't about that life. She had settled by the ocean for a reason, and while it was hard, it brought her life meaning and joy. Feeling the heat and the dryness of the desert caused her heart to beat faster and panic wanted to set in but she ran all of the reasons and logic that proved her hallucination just that.

"Brother Shark?" She asked as the hallucination began to end. "Be careful, they weren't exaggerating about what happens within close contact with them."

She caught sight of him, trotting up beside him. "You got one as well." She congratulated him, heading for the lantern with him.

---

She carefully stalked the next mote, intent on not taking a trip to the desert again. Of course, as she caught the next one she found herself quickly falling. No. She wasn't falling. She was shrinking! This wasn't what she had in mind when she wanted to sneak up on it. The world was getting bigger and bigger as she soon became the size of the mote itself. She seemed to become one with the mote momentarily before everything bounced back into shape and she stood there with the mote, looking absolutely dazed.

"That was dizzying," she admitted, looking at Brother Shark. They must have had completely different looks on their face because she laughed lightly.

---

It felt like it was getting easier to find the motes, or to catch them. It was no surprise though, the more you honed your skill at something the more competent at it that you became. She followed one of the motes and then quietly pounced on it. Upon capturing it, she found herself floating. Bobbing, if you will. She felt like the ocean waves were carrying her through the sky as she floated along as a fatfish. She prayed that this one would end soon, although it was still not the worst of the hallucinations that she'd had so far today. Eventually she found herself falling back into herself, and she confidently carried the mote to the lantern. She was all too pleased to be done with this for now as she dropped off the mote and looked at Brother Shark.

"I would pass on doing that again," she said firmly but there was a hint of a joke. Of course she'd do it again, she'd do it a thousand times more if it meant protecting everyone. "I hope yours were better."

8: Your kin imagines they are in a different climate (plain, mountains, desert, caves)!
1: Your kin imagines they are very, very tiny!
3: Your kin imagines they have become a type of familiar!

Spoiler

1: Your kin imagines they are very, very tiny!
2: Your kin imagines they are huge!
3: Your kin imagines they have become a type of familiar!
4: Your kin imagines they are a tree and cannot move!
5: Your kin imagines they are made up of one of the four elements!
6: Your kin imagines their shadow has taken on its own life!
7: Your kin imagines they are a different species of kin!
8: Your kin imagines they are in a different climate (plain, mountains, desert, caves)!
9: Your kin imagines they are completely covered in motes!
10: You capture an exceptionally large mote with no consequences.

ON THE HUNT FOR MOTES!
Kin Name: Chasing Your Starlight
Preference List: ten, twenty, nineteen, two, eight, twelve, one, four, nine, seven
RP:

The dazzling mote was dancing tantalisingly close. Chase sprang forwards lightly and landed neatly, teeth closing carefully on the point of light. She turned proudly and was faced with a kin made of pure shadow staring back at her. She panicked and staggered backwards, but the kin did the same, mirroring her. She paused, and stretched her neck out to the shadowy acha. The acha did the same. She tilted her head and it tilted it’s the other way.

“What the-“ she mumbled around the mote she was holding. Suddenly another flitted past her nose- then another, and another! They whirled around her, blocking her vision. She staggered backwards in fright as the bright, darting lights covered her vision and she squealed in fright.

Suddenly the motes began to slide off of her, and she lifted her leg. It rippled and was… see through?? She gasped, but all that came out was a bubbling noise, as she realised she was somehow made of… water??? Chase took a few experimental steps, and when she didn’t immediately collapse into a puddle, she grew more confident, trotting proudly along with her mote before breaking into an exuberant canter, splashing water every which way on her way to deposit her spoils.

ON THE HUNT FOR MOTES!
Kin Name: Eye of Newt
Preference List: ten, twenty, nineteen, two, eight, twelve, one, four, nine, seven
RP:

The catlike hunter was stalking her prey, hooves skimming the dirt silently- almost- as she closed in on the flickering creature. She crouched, pounced, and—-

Eye of Newt was rooted to the spot. She tried to scream for help but no-one came. Only Trouble showed up, and she was no help, simply rubbing up and down Newt’s bark. She could feel the owlcat’s fur between the grooves and ridges on her trunk.

It was agonisingly boring. She could almost feel the second of time dripping by, feel the swamp breathing under her… she forgot what it felt like to have hooves and horns. Newt was sure years must have passed before she could finally wrench one hoof from the ground and move onwards. She was finally able to move, but then she was faced with…

Her own shadow had turned against her?? “Did YOU turn me into a tree?” She spat indignantly. She had always thought her shadow had her back! She pounced furiously, but it simply melted to nothing under her hooves. She shook herself all over and frowned.

Motes are good for a weird time, she noted in her head, checking her limbs for branches.

ON THE HUNT FOR MOTES!
Kin Name: Capable
Preference List: ten, twenty, nineteen, two, eight, twelve, one, four, nine, seven
RP: Capable set her sights on the fizzing light and chased it happily, crashing eagerly through the undergrowth. She managed to snag it gently in her mouth and beamed, heading to share it with the kin gathering them.

She was feeling quite pleased with herself, but whilst taking a breather she felt even more pleased when another more fluttered over to her. She was surprised when another joined it, and baffled when a whole load of them settled on her. She tried desperately to hold still, trying to communicate to the glimmering things that she wanted to be their friend too, but she couldn’t help letting her tail wag, and the thumping scattered the little lights.

Her wagging tail dropped slightly, but whisked back into motion when she realised she was floating slightly. Capable leapt to her feet and ended up in the air, light and hollow. How thrilling! She bounded around delightedly until she was brought firmly back to earth by bouncing straight into a tree.