ORP with Steals Fire (Bring Back the Light Event)

[Lutz]

Hang The Moon kept her head lowered for a few more moments, but as the other doe continued to apologize she realized that she wasn't in any trouble and she certainly didn't want her to feel that way, either. She lifted her head, her ears turning forward a bit to try to appear a bit more relaxed and friendly, and she took the subject change happily.

"Oh, I think I will," she said, her voice was soft but less meek as it had been before. "I do want to help." She wasn't exactly sure how helpful she'd be. She'd try her best, though, and hopefully could contribute a small percentage to the cause.

"The soup does smell good," Hang The Moon said with a little smile once more. "I think it would be rather rude for that very nice doe to have brought it all the way over here and for no one to try it." She was sure some of it was being eaten but most of the kin seemed to be chatting, and if she did want to help then it would be best to get some food in her belly before venturing off into the dark to collect motes.

"I'll try it with you if you want."

[LOLLI qAq]

I Know Who I Am scoffed and flicked their bangs out of their eyes as one seriously gorgeous buck made his way over. "I know, right?" Everyone around them seemed to be in either deep conversation about the nature of the darkness or making small talk. Neither was particularly their thing. "Kind of over it, you know? But at least with a group like this we can figure out something to do."

They meant for that to come out a little sexy, they thought it was sexy, but who could say in this light.

"Have you tried to get any of those mote ... things? I did and it was crazy."

[Lutz]

The comment from the other kin had a suggestive tone to it, but Make It Work simply gave a little huff of amusement. Although he was certainly over all the chatter and fretful vibes that seemed to be saturating the area, he wasn't that relaxed that he was looking for a distraction in the dark. The light did need to come back, as he'd mentioned to Steals Fire. His coat would be simply ruined without the warmth and whatever else the sun gave off that make it so luxurious and shiny.

"I did," he said with a nod, a little grimace crossing his features. "They weren't kidding about the hallucinations. But I've done my part for now so I've certainly earned a break. If you brought some back I'd say you have earned one as well." Though he wasn't looking to crawl off into the dark, Make It Work would surely enjoy any time spent with this like-minded Zikwa.

"If the rest of the kin here go off and pull their weight we'll have the sun back by tomorrow's dawn." Hopefully.

[Appeal]

Fisheye looked at Brother Shark, and then up at the darkness above. There was no light there. Was it day? Some of the stars were missing but some remained. It was very erratic like that.

Based off the information Fisheye had so far from catching the motes of light, she didn't have a lot to go on. She didn't like making speculations but these weren't entirely untested. Based off the trials she'd taken so far to catch some of the motes of lights, she did feel that effects of the light did feel magical in some way. While they did create a light that helped to guide them through the darkness, it wasn't the same as fireflies or other luminesce of the night.

But what were they? Where did they come from? Those were not answers she had. If she had to guess? Well...

"Given the disappearance of the sun, as well as the stars, I can't help but connect the disappearance of those with the appearance of these motes of lights. Given that we have begun to collect them in an attempt to bring back the light, I would speculate that the motes of light gathering across the swamp are pieces of the very source itself. I'm still unsure how they've come to be here though, or why."

Fisheye paused, contemplating her words next.

"The motes of light seem to have a magical effect on us when we touch them though... which I don't doubt after experiencing it as well as discussing it with you and others but what I don't know is why. Why is it here? Why does it have this effect? Is it... dangerous? Could the effects be permanent? Should we be more careful? There are so many variables but I don't feel like I have enough information to make an accurate guess. What about you?"

She asked Brother Shark, welcoming his ideas. Maybe she could find more answers through shared stories.

In case you'd like to respond with a story of Brother Shark's own.

[Prolixity]

Consume heard a familiar trilling, and so when Merry nudged his side and nuzzled under his chin he didn't startle or snap, instead bumping his snout against hers, friendly and pleased. "Merry," he crooned. "Have you been here long? It's been quite an experience so far, I gotta say."

[Beejoux]

Shark listened intently as Fisheye ran through her story, or perhaps it was more a theory. There was sound logic behind it, and as she concluded, asking his opinion, the buck nodded. "It's all very strange. There's a connection for sure, that makes the most sense, but the rest?" He shrugged, grumbling an unsatisfied note. They had lots of questions with very little in the way of answers.

"I wonder if maybe they're little pieces of the sun," he added after a thoughtful moment. "It could be made up of light and magic, who really knows." His long tail flicked with obvious nervous agitation, but he kept his voice level. "Like maybe something shattered the sun, but what?"

Still more questions, still no solid answers. He sighed, laying his head on top of hers, between her horns "Do you think all the babes are alright?" Not just theirs, but his and Fear's, the others in the tribe. It was so dark.

[Beejoux]

The doe wasted very little time in replacing whatever scents clung to him from their time apart with her own once again. Nuzzling, and huddling close until all she could smell on him was herself. It was absolutely laying claim, but it was also affection, a reconnection. When she was satisfied she let out a content breath and just leaned against his side, her tail looped loos around his ankle.

"Long enough to catch pieces of the light, to hear a few stories." The light had been snuffed while he'd been away, and she'd been worried about seeing him again. Now that he was back she felt more...settled.

"Clash is here somewhere. He's very unsettled." She glanced around, but she couldn't see him.

[Beejoux]

They'd gotten sidetracked from their efforts to catch motes, another kin, Born didn't know who, had mentioned a need for stories, that sharing tales would help in some way. The zikwa had stood quietly, trying to think something up, but it was hard, they didn't know what the motes looked like, or the sun. They didn't know enough about what was going on to even begin to come up with some sort of explanation, and failing at such was making them anxious.

And then Death's deep voice had sounded beside their ear, and Born had shivered, head turning to better listen. The kimeti was a buck of few words, and that never bothered Born. When he spoke, he spoke with measured care. But this? This was unexpected, and Born was silent as they listened, the familiar base of the buck's gravely tone soothing frazzled nerves.

Haven offered up a very soft whine, but he too settled, leaning solidly against Death's side.

It was a story of violence and and strife, and the forging of peace. The words washed over Born like a soothing balm, and they lay their head against the kimeti's strong neck, feeling the timbre over his voice as well.

When he'd finished Born was quiet for a long moment, then they lifted their head, nuzzling under his chin. Murmuring a soft 'thank you'. "How did the motes like it?"

If any gathered, that'd make them easier to catch, right?

[Prolixity]

Consume leaned against Merry as her fur rubbed against his, smiling crocodile-wide. He wasn't at all bothered by being claimed; rather the opposite, really. His tail curled around hers as hers settled down. "I caught a few bits of light myself," he replied. "Those hallucinations really are something, aren't they?"

"I ran into him. He was talking to a few pessimists over in that general direction," Consume indicated where he'd last seen Clash, pointing with his nose. "They were floating some weird conspiracy theories, but I think he's too smart to buy into that sort of thing."

[Ruriska]

He offered a soft rueful chuckle at her joke. If only his presence was enough to truly brighten the day. With enough sacrifice surely it would.

But her next question afterwards came as a surprise and he was forced to give a shake of his head. He would not lie to a potential follower. “Not in the sense that you mean or how I imagine the ascended kin have met her. But I feel as though she spoke to me in my dreams, long ago, to give me my name and my purpose, and I have always carried that with me. I feel her in the world around us, in every action, in every story, in every breath. I feel a connection to her greater than normal.”

The MotherFather was not a kin that would simply appear to him and have a chat. She was so much more than that. She was his purpose. Everything he did, he did for Her.

[Appeal]

Fisheye nodded to Brother Shark. It was true that they had very little answers, and so many questions. They were working to bring back the light but would it work? What caused it? How long would it take? She sighed a little as she felt his head lay on hers.

"I heard someone saying that they shattered the sun with a stone," she said in a tone that implied she didn't believe it.

The topic of the children brought her thoughts to something more important: The tribe. She left with Brother Shark knowing a fate of eternal darkness could be catastrophic but she still didn't like leaving like that. The tribe was more than capable of taking care of themselves but it was so dark. It changed all the dynamics. She swallowed hard thinking of the chaos It's All About the Bass was causing. She could already hear her child exclaiming how hard it was to catch bass without neither dawn or dusk, which he said was the most popular time to find them.

"I'm sure everything --everyone-- is fine," she said. They had to be. There was no way she would get through the darkness without hope.

[Baneful]

When the Helpers are pleased enough with the number of gathered motes and everyone has gathered up their lantern cages, the group follow a glowing trail of the glimmering things out into the dark swamp. In their wake the glowing nudibranches follow along as though the motes might lead them to a food source. The lanterns lead them, blazing brighter when they are going the correct way, dimmer when they stray.

The way is winding and in the absolute darkness, the swamp feels unrecognisable and somehow more silent than it ever is. There is something disturbing about the heavy dark that has settled over them all, and the further they go, the harder it seems to be to even remember what a sunny day looked or felt like. Had it ever been sunny? Had it ever been warm? The concept of summer’s oppressive heat feels distant in a world where even the moon’s light seems to be sapped away to nothing at all.

But the motes guide them through the darkness, hovering around them all, seemingly drawn to the bright markings of their guides and the lanterns they carry in their teeth. The creator buck enlists his tenacious companion to pull a rudimentary wooden wagon along behind him.

It feels like hours they walk for, deeper and deeper into the swamp, the way dangerous and prone to trips and slips without any light to guide the way, but their pool of light feels safe, their companions feel safe, the herd feels safe.



Steals Fire does not seem phased at all, skipping ahead of the others, smiling and laughing to himself as he goes. It certainly seemed that he was not kidding when he said he was looking forward to this day for a long time. It all appears to be a big adventure to the glowing Acha, who is off in a world of his own.

“They won’t keep it from us.” He says to the nearest kin, as if they would know what he was talking about at all.

Eventually, the group finds an end to the trail of motes, led to a place that none of them recognise, dominated by the silhouette of an enormous tree. In front of the tree is a circle of light, akin to a fairy circle of mushrooms. It appears to be blazing up from something beneath the earth.

Steals Fire pauses to stare at it, before grinning hugely. “This is it!” he calls, and his voice rings out across the silent glade.

“Below our feet is the answer to this crisis.”

“We dig.”

The creator buck steps forward. “I know we are not all as sturdy as one another. But I have brought an answer. These sticks have strong flat material tied firmly to them; you’ll be able to use them to move the earth away more quickly. You hold them in your teeth.”

If they were somewhere else, he might have described them as rudimentary shovels.

As it is, everyone is expected to dig, the earth is easily moved but every time they remove it, they uncover more and more of an unbearably bright and very large rock which is strangely warm to the touch.

OOC

Roll 1d10 as many times as you like to see how much you dig, if you roll a 4 or a 7, your kin finds themselves covered with glowing dust from the newly uncovered rock and finds some of their markings temporarily glowing in the darkness!

[Dizzy_Kat]

She'd long lost track of the kin she'd been speaking to as groups dispersed to collect the motes or talk with the other strange kin who appeared to lead this show. Prime still wasn't convinced that this wasn't all a fabricated stunt and as such she was choosing to enjoy it as much as she could. The other option was really not fun to think about.

This was quickly becoming a very elaborate plot though if it was. The... shape? buried beneath them was massive. What in the swamp were these kin up to? She bristled, weighing curiosity versus the desire to let the other gathered kin to the hard work for her. At the Creator Buck's insinuation that some kin might not be up to the task of digging she stamped her hoof. She was perfectly capable of digging! She just didn't want to! She didn't need... whatever that thing was that he was offering them.

With a snort and a small hop she slammed her hooves into the glowing dirt beneath her and began to dig. She didn't have to do it all, just enough to prove that she could.

[Astoria]

Dig? Why couldn't they just use their hooves? Though sure, this would work. Getting to it Shrine started to dig.


Once Pleasant Dreams and Veil of Death both took up one of the sticks and began digging where designated.


"I can take that now if you don't mind. Thank you for helping me." She was rather pleased with the overall result and wondered if that soup was as good as everyone seemed to make it out to be. Though her attention was stolen by one of the kins talking again. "Hey, should we dig some? See what happens?" Picking up a stick she set her lantern not too far from her side and began to get to work.

Digging? How could that help them get the light back? Giving a shrug he decided to join the cause and began to help move the earth.

[Lutz]

After making sure all the motes made it into the lantern, Echo was happy to follow Steals Fire into the woods alongside his new friend. The lantern they had was bright enough for both of them to see by and the light from the other motes floating around certainly helped. The cheerful buck began to be less peppy as he walked, though, the darkness seeming to gain weight as they traveled further and further from their safe little clearing.

But soon they reached their destination and the call to dig came. Echo looked down at his slim hooves, unsure how much help he'd be, but the strange devices the Creator buck had brought seemed to be just what the group needed.

"Yeah!" Echo said, mimicking Grim as he picked up a shovel with his mouth. He dug into the glowing earth by the light of the lantern, hopeful that whatever it was wasn't too far down.