[RQ] Splash and Echo

Noah left the two to their gathering and their conversation. His eyes scanned the undergrowth around them with quiet precision, half-shifted to be able to see further and sharper. The forest pressed close, branches twitching with the weight of unseen things. The Greatwood was home to many magical and normal creatures alike, and Noah was prepared for almost anything, but he prayed silently as he watched that no void touched creatures would step into his line of sight.  Behind him, he could hear the soft sound of water being gathered—both of his Halovian comrades carefully calm. He didn’t look. His focus remained outward, on the shifting shadows and half-breaths that lived between the trees. In the distance he heard a shuffling and snapping of branches. Every muscle in his body was ready, drawn tight as a string. He wouldn’t let anything near them. Celestial magic glistened at his fingertips, ready to draw, aim, and fire.  It drew closer, and Noah took a step towards where it was coming from and away from his counterparts. Lifting his hands every so slightly, Noah nearly shot his magic outright, when only an elephant beetle came into the clearing. It was large, as they all were, but very clearly young as it wasn’t as big as so many he had seen other times. Releasing a breath, Noah let his hands fall back to his sides. ”Are we almost full?” He asked over his shoulder, eyes not leaving the beetle as it ambled, unbothered, over the loamy soil and over smaller eyes. Elephant Beetle (common): A relatively unintelligent, giant black beetle that cannot fly. Males grow long tusks and both adult genders grow to around 4 foot. Though their brains are particularly small in proportion to their size, they are capable of carrying several times their own body weight and are commonly found around Fae villages where they labour in exchange food. These beetles can shift objects with their tusks and though slow, can be ridden or pull carts. Noah Olson lost in the shadow of an endless grace

style inso by odd and skylark