fuzzysherbet

1175 words Making sure to stay mindful of the ceiling above, Sparrow swoops down on the training dummy with outstretched claws and her shovel trailing behind her in her tail’s grasp. The avian folk latches onto the worn burlap with one foot, but her aim with her second foot is off by just enough to completely throw off her balance, and she lurches right over the dummy’s head. With a surprised yelp, Sparrow scrambles to right herself with frantic wingbeats; managing to land on her feet against the odds, she gives the dummy a frustrated thump with her shovel. At least this gives her a chance to practise getting a hit in at all when her depth perception screws her over… Her winged ears prick as she hears someone clear their throat to her right, and Sparrow jerks her head around to see who’s there, only for her pelt to immediately bristle with irritation when she realises it’s perhaps one of the last folks she’d want to walk in on her fumbling her combat practise; Levian. “....You saw

TW: Low self worth/esteem, mild aggression, brief mention of blood consumption 1404 words Suncrest staggers through the campsite, gritting his teeth through the pounding in his head and the hunger that constantly gnaws away at him; as well as what feels like the beginning of an all too familiar ache in his bones that had better not be what he thinks it is. The already quite large folk knows that with the Moontouched blight, unnatural growth tends to follow the neon eyes, and he’s really not looking forward to entering that phase of his illness. Fuck, hasn’t he spent enough time struggling through his various growing pains already? They really had to start up again now of all times? Damn blight took its sweet time turning up in the first place, but the gigantism had to be pretty much right on schedule?. The leonine folk makes it to his and Sparrow’s tent, and with his barbed tail tips trembling, Suncrest begins fumbling with its entrance flaps. After the night he’s had, he just needs

TW: Implied death mention 696 words Fantasia lays in the sun behind their tent, their orange fins angled to catch as much of the sun’s rays as possible. It’s rare for there to be a spot as warm and dry as this at this time of year, and even rarer to have the free time to be able to take advantage of it with everything going on right now; the striped folk fully intends to make the most of it. Especially after how their run in with Frozen Hubris had gone… extra warmth is very appreciated after all that cold. They shift their shoulder slightly, taking a bit of extra pressure off the recently injured area. Open wounds gave way for dark scars a few days ago now, but the long gashes still ache. Another reason Fantasia has free time right now, and another reason they’re doing everything in their power to spend it alone. It wouldn’t be unusual for Archie to be hanging out with them on a day like this; or at least, what they assume is her hanging out with them, except under the guise of

Juniper kneels on the ground, her knees vaguely cushioned by the sparse grass that breaks up the otherwise bare earth, as she finishes setting up her tent. As the sun dips further below the horizon lined with trees, the area slowly grows darker; thankfully, the growing gloom is pierced by Wisp’s flickering blue flame. The Litwick watches her trainer intently as she works, making sure to keep a safe distance from the very flammable shelter; although the pale haired woman has reason to believe this safe distance is being at least partially enforced by the Mightyena lying between herself and the little candle. Haughtily, Jackal pretends to ignore Wisp in favour of also looking up at her trainer, but Juniper knows full well that her first partner is far from the small ghost’s biggest fan; especially since the Litwick had met Juniper in the first place by means of trying to hunt her down for her lifeforce in the dead of a harsh winter. The young trainer is willing to forgive and forget

734 words Helianthus treads lightly across the brightly coloured stones, the tentacles adorning his shoulders curling as the thick cloud of steam enshrouds him. It quickly clings to their fur, and the thick, golden brown mane along their neck is weighed down by the moisture. The clouded Niravar’s paws ache from being on duty all day, and he relishes the idea of being able to wind down in the Nokohii Springs… and more importantly, he relishes the idea of being able to do so by himself. The magical lanterns light up the area with a soft glow, even though the sun’s light made way for the darkness of night quite some time ago. Helianthus is used to lighting like this, and it sets his mind at ease; it almost reminds them of candlelight, except far stronger. The pretty stones beneath their paws grow warmer and warmer as he gets closer to the steaming waters, until they’re almost too hot to touch; but not quite. Much to their relief, there’s nobody else here right now; one perk of being

884 words Jasper steps off of the narrow bridge onto solid ground, her pelt damp with the fog that clings to her, and bristling as the bridge sways precariously behind her. Whose idea was it to explore Urus of all places in the dead of the night? Her thin, tufted tail flicks with irritation as she remembers she only has herself to blame for that; it was her own curiosity that had gotten the best of her. Still, the brown Niravar has delved too deep into the lush forest in pursuit of the odd tracks she’d found to be able to justify turning back now. And so, she presses on, barely able to keep to the mixed tracks she’s been following so closely this whole time in the darkness. Somehow, Jasper manages not to lose them; she’d like to think it’s a testament to her skill as a hunter, but ultimately, she knows it would be pure arrogance if she were to genuinely believe that. The bearded Niravar is fully aware that it’s nothing but dumb luck keeping her on course. More and more trees seem to

712 words Jasper absent-mindedly wanders away from the main festivities, towards the dense, foggy forest; although she remains mindful of where she treads. The mountainous terrain of Urus is unsteady at best, and actively precarious at worst. One wrong step, and the striped Niravar could be sent tumbling off of an unmarked cliff; most of the more dangerous edges closer to where the carnival is being held are blocked off by ropes, but she knows better than to expect this to remain the case as she strays further from the crowds. As the sounds of celebration fade into the distance, a light catches her eye from beyond the treeline. Jasper whips her head around to try and spot its source, but whatever had just been piercing through the fog and the gloom had seemingly disappeared the second the hunter had noticed it. Her feathered ears flick nervously. That’s… odd, to say the least. Was her mind playing tricks on her? Or is something really out there? Even so, the bearded Niravar is