A whisper within a sigh

Sing to me, I am not doing well
Getting tired of my own words

Shadows deepened in the blue twilight. A blackbird sang its heart out in the distance, a gutwrenching eulogy to the setting sun that repeated throughout the forest as others picked up the hymn. As darkness grew, stars shimmered into sight above the treetops; but below, where night already had settled its cloak around slumbering giant and sprouting saplings, nestling next to moss-covered boulders and fallen logs, another kind of light gasped into being. 
With the snick of flint on steel, sparks illuminated a woman's pale face and hands. Finding the wick of a lantern a flame hissed into being. Not golden and warm, nor ruddy with soot and greasy oil; this fire glowed an eerie blue, and smelled sharply of the chemicals the wick had been treated with. 

Closing the lid the woman rose to her feet, pulling the dark hood down further over her head. With the sole exception for the pale hand that held the lantern she was robed in black from head to toe, and as she began to step away from the path into the deep forest, she walked as softly as she could. She had left her name behind for the night, left the warmth of home and hearth to roam with the spirits of the night. 

What was a will-o-wisp? What lives did they lead? What did it mean to guide the lost, to safe paths or out upon bogs and marshes where the ground began to sway and gave way beneath your feet? Ill omens, some said. Guides of the lost, others claimed. She would find out for herself tonight, bearing her own strange light, away from the beaten path, in search of the kin to one small flicker of hope she had come to love, so many years ago. In order to find what she sought, this time the woman would have to become lost herself.

Sing to me, cause I can't hear myself
through the loudness of my own hurts

base inspired by Odd <3

And I know I'm asking too much
And I know I'm taking control

The night was young, and Sohalia was wandering.

Despite her quest from Vi, still she searched for roses, because there would certainly be no harm in finding more than one. Today, she'd ended up directed from path to path through the forest, never quite ending up where she'd been headed, but finding that she didn't mind all that much. The solitude was somehow reassuring; with all the decisions she'd made recently, she found that she had a desire to spend some time reflecting.

Not that it had done much good. She'd come to the same conclusions that she had before, and if there was any unease in her mind that she was using a rare, invaluable rose for an individual over the greater good, then she studiously ignored it.

There was a flare in the corner of her eye, and she turned; a blue flame had appeared, looking for all the world like a will-o-wisp dancing through the trees. But it was strangely silent. Curious, Soh took a step towards it - and then it started to move. Intrigued - and cautious - she followed.

But a heart that's not worth breaking
Isn't worth much, not at all

Sohalia

Sing to me, I am not doing well
Getting tired of my own words

A few days had passed since the last rain and the ground was firm beneath the feet. In the dark it was difficult to notice any tracks, yet the softly bobbing light kept choosing rocky pathways, ducking and weaving along some unmarked obstacle course, tempting their curious follower to join in and see where it led. The lightbearer had noticed the quiet footfalls behind her early on; a giddy thrill of mischief kept her looking around now, for a glimpse of other lights or a destination worth guiding them along to.
Not that it was entirely necessary. Simply leading them along was funny enough, thrilling in a childish, simple sort of way she had almost forgotten how to enjoy. It became a game, nothing more; how long could she lead, and how far would they follow?

The further into the woods they ventured, the denser it became. Evergreens crowded around sprouting blueberry barrens, shading out the winding paths of a murmuring brook. The blueish light hovered tantalizing over a log that had fallen over the stream, then whisked across and began descending into a dell. There, overturned boulders and mossy crags piled high on either side of the brook as it picked up speed, altering the night-dark landscape into a scene of primeordial beauty, turning the imagination towards hidden watchers and startling shapes only half seen in the poor light. A scent of cool water and green, growing things blended with that of aged wood and moldering things, subtly undercut by some acrid tang lingering behind that was neither smoke not salt but something near to both in the way it stung the nose.

Sing to me, cause I can't hear myself
through the loudness of my own hurts

base inspired by Odd <3

And I know I'm asking too much
And I know I'm taking control

Sohalia followed, cursing herself a fool as she did. But this didn’t have the creepy cries of a will-o-wisp, and the girl had to admit that she was curious about it. Besides, if she got herself into trouble, she could always shift and fly away; her snowy owl form was made for nights like this, where she could take to feathered wing and soar.

But for now, she remained human and pressed ever onward, following the bobbing light as it trekked across hard ground. It never even occurred to the girl to check for footprints, and she ducked beneath branches and climbed over roots, all the while keeping the light in her view. No matter how quickly she tried to go, she found that her pace never really managed to change, and she never managed to get even a little bit closer. Still, she never grew further away, either. So was it leading her somewhere? And if so, where?

Soh reached a log that had fallen over a stream and crossed it carefully, shifting her eyes to make use of the tide jaguar’s night vision. The light bobbed on ahead, leading her into a dell and along a babbling brook, and Soh continued to follow, glancing around at the high, mossy rocks on either side and wondering if she was an idiot to keep following into more and more treacherous ground.

But a heart that's not worth breaking
Isn't worth much, not at all

Sohalia

Sing to me, I am not doing well
Getting tired of my own words

Gradually the incline planed out. When the rocky ravine opened up it was onto a sodden marshland where the trees grew small and twisted, some dead from standing too long in water while others clung stubbornly to life. Slow to sprout into the new season, the branches clawed at the dark sky while a pale fog crept around gnarled trunks.

There was a way across the bog. Not quite a trail, nor exactly a path, it was more like patches and clumps of solid ground interspersed between quicksand and mire, where the mossy ground squelched beneath the foot and occasionally threatened to swallow it entirely. The ligh bearer was able to find the way in the faint light of the lantern. The bobbing and weaving increased, growing more erratic – and it picked up the pace, threatening to leave the young woman behind if she did not keep up.

Sing to me, cause I can't hear myself
through the loudness of my own hurts

base inspired by Odd <3

And I know I'm asking too much
And I know I'm taking control

Down, down, down Soh went, following the rocky incline until it panned out into a marshland dotted with shrubs and gnarled little trees that looked like fingers reaching into the sky. With her night vision, Soh was able to see more, perhaps, than others might: a patch of land here, a clump of grass there, all connecting, in their way, to create a pathway of sorts. Soh would have to be careful here; one wrong step and she'd be up to her waist in mud and muck, and while she had every confidence in her ability to get herself free, so, too, did she wish to avoid such an ending to her evening.

But the light was moving faster now, and the Luminary hurried after it, doing her best to leap from dry patch to dry patch. She took a misstep and her right foot slipped into the bog; it emerged covered in mud, and Soh grimaced, sighing at her poor luck. But there wasn't time to stop and clean up, not when the light was moving ever onward, and so she scurried along, doing her best to keep up.

But a heart that's not worth breaking
Isn't worth much, not at all

Sohalia

Sing to me, I am not doing well
Getting tired of my own words

The marsh seemed to go on forever. But just as the ground grew wet enough that it became too dangerous to go on, something could be seen gleaming up ahead. As half-dead and dying trees stood back to form a clearing, the wind picked up. A tear opened up in the clouds and a brilliant band of stars cast a faint glow upon a small lake. In the center of the lake was an island, barely large enough for one person to stand, and upon that isle a single tree had grown. Its trunk was gnarled and twisted, black with lichen and age, and unlike the other trees in the area – this was in full bloom.

Petals of the softest pink drifted like snow upon the wind, filling the air with a sweet fragrance of spring. They seemed to glow in the dark – glowing like the strange greenish lantern that had come to a halt beneath the tree. A dark silhouette could be seen now, outlined between the light and the flowering tree; and for a moment it appeared to turn and look towards the woman who had followed so diligently. Then, quietly, it bowed from the waist – and as the light went out, the figure vanished in the dark.

Sing to me, cause I can't hear myself
through the loudness of my own hurts

base inspired by Odd <3

And I know I'm asking too much
And I know I'm taking control

Soh's curiosity drove her forward through the marsh that seemed never-ending; the ground became wetter and wetter as she went, picking her path more and more carefully to avoid getting any muddier than she already was. Just when she had decided that she couldn't go any further, Soh noticed something up ahead and paused, taking in the view. The clouds had parted briefly to reveal a faint glow - enough for her to see without having shifted her eyes. There was a small lake ahead, and at the center, a small island held a single, blooming tree. Its petals were a soft pink, dimmed by the night's faint, starry glow, but it was beautiful all the same.

Beneath the tree, Soh saw the light she'd been following come to a halt. With the appearance of the stars, Soh could see a faint silhouette that could be seen - a figure that turned to look at her. It bowed, and then the light winked out, the figure vanishing, leaving Soh completely bemused by the entire experience.

But a heart that's not worth breaking
Isn't worth much, not at all

Sohalia

Sing to me, I am not doing well
Getting tired of my own words

Hidden beneath the cloak, huddling in a hollow between gnarled roots, the veiled figure was struggling to hold her laughter back. Biting down on the butt of her thumb to contain the excitement, she snuck a quick peek at Sohalia. It was hard to see in the dark but the woman's posture spoke of bewilderment, questions practically steaming through the ears. It was incredibly satisfying. Possibly this was the most fun she'd had in years and she had a whole new appreciation for the pranks the wisps pulled on people. Certainly they could be sinister, even dangerous. This time she had led her 'victim' too a place of beauty and intrigue, though the bog certainly held very really danger should either of them go astray. But it had been fun. Thrilling, exciting, and sort of powerful in a surreptitious, understated kind of way. In hindsight she recognized the weight of it. What if she'd chosen a whole other destination once she realized that she'd acquired a tail? In the dark, through the woods, if she'd led the jaunt up along the cliffs or further into the marshes, if she'd left the woman to go astray... the ending could have been far different.

They were underestimated, the woman realized. Seemingly powerless, a nuisance at best and pests at worst, their voices were faint and their lights dim. Yet still people chose to follow them. Lured in by hope, by curiosity and confident that they could turn back anytime, time and time again they kept falling for the spell of the will o wisp, to various ends. She had forgotten, perhaps never even realized it before despite being bonded to one, and now that she understood, a new respect bloomed in her chest for the creatures. More than ever she longed to meet her friend again, to rediscover all over again the strange, mysterious existence that once had decided to follow her - unprompted, all of its own volition.

But first, she would make sure that another friend made it safely home. Waiting for Sohalia to finish exploring the site, Maea kept hidden and watched over her from the shadows until she left. Only then did she raise and push thee hood back from her head,  shaking long hair out of the collar before collecting the lantern. It was a long walk back to the Village, and she had much to think about before the night was through.

It had been very worthwhile, all in all, and she couldn't wait to tell Mort all that she had learned.

[FIN]

Sing to me, cause I can't hear myself
through the loudness of my own hurts

base inspired by Odd <3