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Nimphy
I.
Day 1 (part 2) - The Shifting Expanse. Awareness 49/250
I woke up sweating. It hurt to breathe.
I had a dream that I was caught in Core’s firestorm, fighting off harpies. I kept trying to use my Lightning magic, but it kept sparking and fizzling out before it could connect. Without it, I was just barely avoiding getting slashed into ribbons of grey Skydancer. Throwing caution to the wind, I beat my wings as hard as I could and flew upwards, up and up and … why couldn’t I reach the clouds?!
I wanted so desperately to get out of the firestorm. The clouds – I knew the clouds. I felt close to Stormcatcher there. I didn’t fear the lightning. I had
control there. But – I just – I couldn’t
reach –
And then I had woken up.
Judging by the blinding sun that hurt my eyes when I lowered my stiff wings, it was about midday. My wings were uncomfortably hot from being in the sun for so long, and I hurriedly checked the egg that was resting against my side. It was still relatively cool to the touch. Good. I didn’t know if it would be bad for the egg to heat up, but it wasn’t worth testing.
I slowly stood up, wincing as my overworked muscles scolded me for all of my flying around the day and night before. The gash that the harpy left me with hurt too, but it had scabbed over. As long as I didn't move that shoulder too much, I should be fine. Probably.
Gingerly picking up the egg, I stretched my wings a few times before flying up to the top of the stone pillar, perching at the top to survey my surroundings.
I could see the Tempest Spire off in the distance, and it seemed like I was closer to the Lightning Farm than the Carrion Canyon, where my lair was. I glanced up, able to see lightning in the sky despite it being relatively clear, and fought the urge to fly into it. While I would feel safe, it probably wouldn’t be good for the egg. Even though the hatchling would be of the Lightning Flight, and a magic-oriented Skydancer like me, it wouldn’t be a Storm Dancer. At least I knew it was going to be a Skydancer like its parents – that sure made eating easier –
OF COURSE. Food. Ugh. I groaned, finally feeling the emptiness of my stomach. While I had never had a chance to be rotated onto gathering or hunting duty in the clan, I knew the basics. Trying to fight right now would be a bad idea – the last thing I needed was to cause a commotion and risk running to a harpy or any other Beastclan,
and I was carrying an egg.
Do Pearlcatchers feel like this all the time?
Regardless, I needed to try and find some supplies. Taking off again, I angled myself back towards the Carrion Canyon, though away from my lair. I thought I should get to the Highland Scrub, just in case I needed to leave the region.
On the way there, I managed to scavenge a bit. I found some scraps of fabric that I used to gently wrap the egg, some branches, some skulls (ugh, creepy), someone’s broken glasses, more bones, a blue ribbon (made me feel like a winner), some Tattered Parchment that was too beat up to read, a Lightning Runestone, and some Forgotten Poet’s Tools. I could only carry so much in the tied-together scraps of fabric, so I opted to just take the Runestone and the scraps of half-finished poetry.
Afterwards, I managed to forage for a good amount of plants. I wouldn’t be able to do this much longer since the Shifting Expanse isn’t exactly the Viridian Labyrinth, but I should have enough food to feed myself for a couple of days. And food for the hatchling, if the egg hatches soon. I usually preferred insects, but I didn’t want to carry a bunch of them around in a cloth – what if I smashed them on accident? Ick.
By the time I was done, the sun was setting and I had reached the edge of the Canyon, though quite a distance away from my lair. I looked down and scanned the walls. There were
always abandoned dens, caves, and lairs, so – aha!
I saw a small hole in the side of the canyon and flew down towards it. I poked my head in carefully, reaching out my empty hand and summoning some electricity to provide some light. There was nothing in the small cavern except some weeds and branches. It looked like it might be a good starting point for a new clan who wanted to expand into the rock, but it was small enough for me to feel safe, even though it did seem to extend kind of far back on one side. I couldn’t see into the dark, but I sent a small bolt of electricity into the darkness and waited … nothing. That was a good sign, right?
Satisfied, I carefully curled up facing the entrance, the dark passageway to my side, and tucked the egg and my small bundle of scavenged things and plants against my side. I folded my wings around me, not feeling very secure, though this was better than sleeping on the sand. I had woken up at midday, so I had only been awake for about half a day, but I was still tired. With a yawn, I shut my eyes and tried to get some rest. I could get a fresh start tomorrow, and hopefully it wouldn’t be as hectic as today – yesterday – last night – whenever-it-was was.