chasing lights

“...but, you see, there’s really all manner of things that could create a light in the mists like this. I’m not exactly sure what they hope to get out of this wild goose chase.” Nasrin padded at the head of the line, eyes gleaming in the gloom, finding stable ground with an expert touch.

“Like what?” Evangeline murmured, following his footsteps as closely as she could. Sometimes a step went awry, sinking into the marsh and soaking her curly fur with dirty, foul-smelling water.

“Marsh gas, foxfire, stray magical flares…” he listed off idly, with an irritated flick of his burgundy tail. “If we find anything at all, it’s probably just going to be some mushrooms on an old dead trunk.”

“Could be a lantern or someone with radiance.” Amihan spoke up from behind the other two. The blue and white toa scowled at the marshy earth. He missed the trees of his home, they were easier to traverse than this marsh and its illusions of stability. “They’re probably looking for some sort of closure, to know for sure if what they’re seeing is something dangerous. Or they enjoy sending strangers to their potential deaths, who knows.” he snorted and flattened his ears at the thought.

“This is Terendum. Who knows how they get their entertainment in a place like this.” Nasrin flicked his tail and leaped ahead, vanishing into the mist with a few skillful bounds.

“Nasrin!” Evangeline squacked, splashing heavily after him to try and keep up. “Don’t be like that…” she pinned her ears at him. “I’m sure they’re just worried. I mean, this place is pretty dangerous… It doesn’t hurt to go and check and make sure there isn’t anything really wrong.”

“Shh.” Nasrin’s tail flicked against her nose, then he lifted a paw to point into the distance. For a moment, all that Evangeline saw was the bog, the mist, and a few wiry trees in the distance. And then a shimmering patch of blue light moved from one tree to the next, before vanishing deeper into the mist.

The lights caught Amihan’s eye, and he immediately pressed himself low to the swampy earth and slithered up beside Nasrin, ears pricked and eyes bright. “Well, that’s no foxfire.” he mused aloud. “Should we follow it? I can’t smell anything.” he glanced back at the other two, waiting for Nasa’s guidance. Suddenly this was much more exciting, he hadn’t actually expected to find anything at all.

“We might as well. Do you want to go back to those people empty-handed?” There was a glint in Nasrin’s eyes now- the thrill of the chase. And almost immediately he was in a hunter’s stalk, eyes forward, a low purr in his throat.

“I don’t know…” Evangeline kneaded the ground nervously. “...I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” She could hardly smell anything at all in this bog, but there was something… They approached, and the light passed in front of them again. Closer, this time. And she could almost make out a shape, nearly drowned out by the light playing across the fog…

Amihan pressed lower to the ground, his chest flush with the wet earth, and bore his teeth. A pale blue gleam seemed to fill the air around him and a shape in the mist. As he crawled across the earth and stained his fur with the fetid water and earth, he tried to track the shape. Closer, moving like a ketucari. But what if it was one of those ‘Miregast’s he’d heard about? Or Halicaecus? His feathers stood on end at that thought.

Usually Amihan didn’t regret spending time with the thief and his fluffy companion. Usually. But Amihan also didn’t usually have to wonder if he’d be able to return to his pack and his mate at the end of an outing. And so this time, he was having regrets.

Nasrin watched the light float by. It shimmered over the ground, pacing, doubling back on itself… He crept closer. And closer. He dropped lower to the ground, wriggling his hindquarters to get in the best position for a lunge… and sprung, bounding into the air like the snap of a spring under pressure. He didn’t reach his target. There was a blur of motion, light flashing in his eyes, and then he was pinned to the ground, water sloshing around his frill. A large paw kept his front leg pinned, another pressing his other front leg into his chest, and as a result, his back into the bog.

“So, is this how you normally greet strangers?” Now, right in front of them, with not as much fog to obscure the shape… it was quite clear what their quarry was. A massive ketucari, even taller at the shoulder than Evangeline herself, was staring dispassionately at Nasrin. A glimmer of radiance was dusted through his pale and curly ash-brown coat- glowing in a ghostly pale blue that stained the fog around them.

There was only a moment between Nasa leaping into the air and him getting slammed on his back. Amihan flinched at the wet squelch of Nasrin getting pressed into the marsh by a ketucari that made even Evangeline look small. He took a cautious breath, and inched towards the pair, ears pricked. He stayed out of arm’s reach of the stranger, though he was certain that wouldn’t even begin to protect him if he decided to get aggressive. “Pardon me, I’m sorry my friend was so rash. Could you let him up, please? We can talk about this?”

The stranger sighed, maybe a bit more drawn-out and dramatic than necessary. “...Fine, fine.”

Nasrin was actually able to breathe again as the paw was removed from his chest, and twisted to fight his way back up to his feet almost as soon as the pressure was released. He took a couple steps back, tail lashing… only to get smooshed into the bog again by Evangeline rather deliberately placed a paw on his shoulders.

“We’re sorry for troubling you, sir.” Evangeline bowed her head. “You see, the townspeople were seeing lights in the fog and asked us to investigate… and my friend here can be a little… reckless.” Nasrin may have tried to protest. It was hard to tell because Evangeline pressed him a little further into the bog.

“I wasn’t aware that my radiance would be causing so much… distress.” the toa seemed faintly amused, sitting back on his haunches and watching the trio. “If it makes you-- or them-- feel any better, however… I won’t be here much longer.”

“May we ask what you were doing here? To perhaps put that townsfolk at ease?” Amihan didn’t expect a straight answer. Those were notoriously difficult to get out of strangers. But he hoped the stranger would at least give them something.

“Mmm… I’d say, right now, these bogs aren’t exactly where you want to be. Things aren’t staying where they should. That’s why I’m here.” the toa shrugged noncommittally. “Once that’s taken care of, frankly, I don’t want to spend one more minute in this swamp than I have to. I’m sure you feel the same.”

“We’re no strangers to danger.” Nasrin managed to extract his face from the bog. “Perhaps we could assist you in… whatever it is you’re trying to take care of?”

“I appreciate the offer, I really do, but… I think I have it well in hand. I have some help already, and he’s quite the professional.” the stranger purred. “Too many cooks spoil the soup, as they say.”

That was a straighter answer than he’d expected, and frankly, one he couldn’t be happier to receive. “Perfectly understood. We’ll just be on our way then. Won’t we, guys?” he lashed his tail once and took a few careful pawsteps away from the stranger. “The townsfolk will want to know that their mysterious lights are just a ketucari stalking the mire, after all.”

Evangeline took a side glance at Amihan, then nodded. There was a strange smell in the air, though she was having trouble pinpointing it through all the scents of the bog. And this stranger was watching them with that same faintly amused look… “You’re right. Let’s go.” she gently removed her paw from Nasrin’s back. He shot her a dirty look, but got to his feet and padded after them.

Shiranui watched the trio go and sighed, shaking his head. Well, all the more reason to wrap this up fast before the torches and pitchforks came. Nosy townsfolk weren’t something he needed right now. Or, really, ever. He turned, and lept into the gloom, vanishing back into a shimmering patch of light.