without a shadow of a doubt

Melita

Eating fire is your ambition
to swallow the flame down

Most likely Sohalia would’ve been able to fly herself over to the Oerwoud, on wings rather than skyboats, but Melita was a determined, if not terrifying pilot, and she was all the more content to show off the Firecracker as it graced the skies. And then plunged downward into a more horrifying aspect of landing, before somehow gently corresponding into the leaf litter of the Undergrove.

Patting the skyboat as she disembarked, she hummed lightly. “Heh, I’m getting better,” confident and self-assured, even when she shouldn’t be, the Honeybee immediately began unloading her companions. “Fun trip, huh?” She grinned over at Sohalia, presuming agreement rather than terror. Then, onto more important matters. “Do you know what a treeflit looks like?”

to be lit up from within, vein by vein
to be the sun

Sohalia

 
The flight to the Oerwoud was terrifying. Although, to be fair, it would have been much more so if Sohalia couldn't have just shifted and flown herself. By the time they landed, her clothes askew and her hair mussed, she'd begun to wish she had done just that. Ever the polite passenger, Soh just disembarked (shakily) and regarded her friend with a nonplussed sort of amusement. "So fun," she lied. On her shoulder, Tarak chortled with amusement. He'd spent the trip in the air, once it was clear that it was going to be a harrowing voyage on deck. In comparison to his bonded, the little griffin looked absolutely pristine.

Smoothing her hair out of her face, Soh dug in her pack for a journal and flipped open to a page on the Oerwoud. While she'd never seen a treeflit herself, she had read about them, and upon finding the passage in her copious notes, she tapped the page. "Colorful, legless, winged lizards," she said. "We should listen for harmonized songs. Also, we might have luck luring them out if we offer shiny objects."
 

Melita

Eating fire is your ambition
to swallow the flame down

Suspicious of the answer but taking it at face value just because, she waited for the details and description while loading her bag over her shoulder. Colorful. Legless. Winged lizards. Sounded cute, honestly. “Awww, they sing?” She mused; briefly recalling her mother’s love of song and her own complete inability to give any harmonious notes.

Shiny objects she did have though, and she hastened through some little piles of rocks she’d found amongst the fold. Some had a pale-ish tone, but the more gilded sets from the Rainbow Road would fit the bill. She opened up her palm, showing them off to the Luminary. “Should we just set them out and wait?” Like bait?

to be lit up from within, vein by vein
to be the sun

Sohalia

 
"That's what the books say, anyway." Sohalia had done her fair share of research before accompanying her friend out to the Oerwoud. After all, Melita often bested her in various ways, so it was important to the Luminary to be able to contribute something to their growing relationship.

The young woman looked at the stones held in Mel's hand and smiled approvingly. These were perfectly shiny and appealing, and she thought they might just be enough to lure the treeflits from the surrounding forest. "Oooo, those look great!" she said. "I guess we can set them out. The books weren't clear on how to catch one, but they said they liked shiny objects, so...?" She trailed off with a shrug. On her shoulder, Tarak eyed the sparklies, and Soh mentally tugged on their bond so that he didn't go off and steal one for himself.
 

Melita

Eating fire is your ambition
to swallow the flame down

Melita certainly wouldn’t best anyone on relevant, important details – the poor impulse control and lack of attention span didn’t aid in these endeavors – unless there was something nefarious she could plan and conduct. That was neither here nor there in the long run, for there were treeflits to catch.

While she knelt amidst the leaf litter and planted the shiny stones out in the open, as if on display, she shrugged. “Maybe one of my companions could grab ‘em? Or you could with your talons! Or if you have another shift or something.” She grinned; mildly Cheshire, but shrugging thereafter, clearly unbothered by this wild and chaotic strategy. “We should use the plants and brush as cover. Then we can hum.” Maybe these little creatures would find all of it far too enticing to withstand.

to be lit up from within, vein by vein
to be the sun

Sohalia

 
Soh knelt to help arrange the shiny stones in the grass, admiring the way they sparkled. Tarak, upset by the sudden shifting of his bonded's weight, hopped down onto the forest floor to bat at one particularly golden rock with a front foot, squawking quietly, his tail lashing excitedly from side to side. "Tarak, stop that," Soh said, swatting halfheartedly at the little griffin, who reluctantly withdrew to the nearby bushes to pout.

"I could try. I might be faster as a tide jaguar, though," Soh said to Melita, humming thoughtfully to herself as she considered. At least in the Oerwoud, the colorful pelt of her jaguar form wouldn't stand out. Her snowy owl shift, on the other hand, might be too easy to spot in the dark canopy. "Or Tarak could help, too. He might be a better hunter than me," she added with a sheepish grin.
 

Melita

Eating fire is your ambition
to swallow the flame down

“Oooh, that’d be cool,” Melita offered as her form of approval, and presuming they’d had a modest plan set in place, she arranged the rocks further, and then mired her way into the brush. Comfortable in the loam, soil, thorns, and leaves, as she’d done this on many occasions, she began to lightly hum. An old tune of her mother’s, for the demigod had no musical invention of her own, it strung loosely in her throat; meant to be much more of a lullaby and soothing overture than anything more.

Encouraging Sohalia to do the same with a light wave of her hand, and trying not to laugh, she persisted and continued – tilting her head to catch any other faint movements or motions. Sila did much the same, but from above and in the canopies, while Fangorn stilled entirely by the Honeybee’s knee.

to be lit up from within, vein by vein
to be the sun

Sohalia

 
With a plan determined, Soh followed Melita into the brush, Tarak on her heels. There, she crouched and watched the arranged stones in the grass, joining in as Mel started to hum. If the Luminary was surprised by the song selection, she didn't show it, but in truth, she might have expected some bawdy sailor's shanty from the Honeybee. As it was, the tune was soothing, a sound at odds with the chaos of Melita's personality.

At first, nothing happened. The women hummed, harmonizing pleasantly into the gloom of the woods. Tarak curled up nearby, perfectly happy to snag a nap while they waited. And so it went as the minute ticked by. As the forest became used to their presence, it came to life around them. Birds called overhead; a rabbit hopped across the opening where they'd set their trap. But so far, no tree flits.
 

Melita

Eating fire is your ambition
to swallow the flame down

Not one for the greatest amount of patience, Melita huffed as nothing but a rabbit came into view. But not wanting Sila to bombard the rodent and have her own meal, while likely deterring a treeflit, she made a singular command through the bond that had the dragon landing on a bough nearby instead.

It would be minutes still after, between humming and her growing irritation, that something else began to flicker through the underbrush, along sweeping paths, brush, and nettles. She caught the slight angle of rainbow feathers, and had to stop herself from gasping – instead, she pointed it out silently to Sohalia, so that perhaps they had a chance when it got just a bit closer.

And then it started to mimic and sing their song back.

to be lit up from within, vein by vein
to be the sun

Sohalia

 
Tarak was similarly inclined to give chase to the rabbit, and Sohalia sent her own warning down the bond to still the griffin, who promptly grumbled under his breath and curled into a pouting ball beneath Sila's tree. For a while, they stayed that way - Soh perfectly content to wait, humming along with each new tune.

And then there was movement.

Following Mel's gesture, Soh's gaze fell on the rainbow feathers and she rapidly shifted, falling into a slinking crouch once in jaguar form. Her tail flicked behind her as she tried to pinpoint the exact location of the treeflit, and her ears pricked as it started to sing back. That, she hadn't been anticipating. Still and silent, she waited amongst the bushes, either for Mel's signal or for the treeflit's appearance - whichever came first.
 

Melita

Eating fire is your ambition
to swallow the flame down

Later, Melita might actually feel sorry for the little thing – but at the moment, the hunt was on. She persisted in humming, offering the tune wholeheartedly and without regret, as the treeflit seemed to venture closer and closer, enticed by both the menagerie of gilded stones and the prospects of song. It continued to pulse and vibe in return, hovering over the golden edges of the rocks.

Quietly, the Honeybee prepared the makeshift cage she’d brought – sifting it out of her bag as slowly and stealthily as she could. Sohalia shifting made the situation all the more ready, and needing to be swift, she supposed, before the creature could sense something else was afoot. Then she nodded, granting and giving the signal for the Attuned to pounce.

to be lit up from within, vein by vein
to be the sun

Sohalia

 
Sohalia, shifted and ready to try her luck at catching the treeflit, waited for Melita's signal. When it came, she slunk around in the brush, trying to get behind the treeflit. Perhaps, if she missed, it would then flee directly into Melita's waiting cage. She tried to ignore the feeling in her belly that was suspiciously like guilt. After all, hopefully Mel would let the little creature go after she'd done... whatever it was that needed doing.

Maybe Soh should have asked more questions.

In any case, it was too late to back out now, and she stalked through the brush until she was positioned just so. Then, with a bunching of muscles and a pulse of excitement for her first real hunt, she pounced, aiming to trap the treeflit as gently as she could between her two front paws, trying to pin it to the ground.
 

Melita

Eating fire is your ambition
to swallow the flame down

Melita probably should’ve asked questions too, really, but that was sometimes the name of the game with god quests. Her presumption was that the treeflit would aid in upgrading her staff…somehow, but the allusion was likely in its abilities or being absorbed into the notions. She wasn’t going to worry about the schematics though, not when it was being pounced upon, gingerly and gently. “Good work,” she whispered, even as the thing began to squeal and screech instead of hum, and she could feel that age-old guilt suddenly rushing to the surface.

Fangorn grumbled something, but she ignored it, prying the squirming treeflit out of the jaguar’s clutches and placing it within the cage. “Woof,” she uttered, placing all kinds of leaves and sticks within in hopes it would feel at home in there. “Thanks for helping. I’ll get it back safely,” and then who knew what…she only added with a light grimace.

[FIN]

to be lit up from within, vein by vein
to be the sun