ORP with Steals Fire (Bring Back the Light Event)

[Ruriska]

With all the hard work they'd put in so far, progress seemed good and Illuminating was ever hopeful that Steals Fire had not only been telling the truth but truly had an answer to their problems. When it came time to follow the motes, she was eager and ready, ears perked, almost breathless.

Into the darkness they went, finding their way, following their guides and hoping, hoping, hoping. Illuminating felt as though she was being pulled along by the group, as if they all moved together with one mind. A herd that had been born from sheer need and the absence of night. It was almost intoxicating.

And then they arrived.

“This is it!”

Was it?

She had stayed relatively close to Air as they traveled and now she gave the Acha a confused glance. They’d come here to dig? Had the sun gotten tired and decided to just have a nap under the earth? Had the world swapped and the caves were suddenly bright? The thought made her giggle.

“I guess we’re digging,” she said, somewhat cheerfully, as she grabbed up one of the contraptions and got to work.

[HuniPi]

If it were possible for Sunny's eyes to glow in delight, they would have when Story acknowledged her. She felt tongue-tied and star-struck all at the same time, and he hadn't even done anything beyond introducing himself.

"Grlsdfp." Was what initially came out before she shook her head, clearing her thoughts and undoing the knots, "Ahem, sorry, something was in my throat. It might have been one of the motes," she laughed, "They're a lot more elusive than I thought they were gonna be."

And speaking of motes, it seemed enough were gathered that they were going to head elsewhere.

Aaaaa, I'm so sorry it took me this long to reply ;;

---------------

"That sounds extraordinary!" Heart was thoroughly enthralled. Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought the MotherFather would ever deign to visit her. "I would love to introduce you to my dear companion! Though I seem to have lost him in the crowd."

She tried searching through the sea of gathered kin, realizing that they were starting to move.

Chosen One is terrifying and I love him

---------------

Forward by Choice had not given up looking for Heart. Certainly they'd come to the gathering together and while he would have prefered they were able to keep a watch of each other, he trusted in her enough that he wasn't too worried for her.

Steals Fire began to lead the group deeper into the darkness and Forward saw no reason not to follow. Wordlessly he marched on, still trying to catch a glimpse of bright blue eyes or the glow of her markings whenever he could.

When they came to a stop, Forward waited patiently for an explanation on what was expected of them. He may not have understood immediately what the acha meant by the answer being at their very feet but it was an order. And Forward was good at following orders.

((first d10 is Sunny’s, second d10 is Heart’s, and the remaining 3 d10s are Forward’s))

[Tiarana]

We'll just pretend Murkcrow was here all along because his owner is depressed and he is unsociable enough to make it work. He just watched, and listened, and unenthusiastically herded motes towards the grove - it was hard to stay energetic in perpetual cold and darkness - until finally the kin who claimed the motes would solve the current problem declared that they had enough and lead the group away. Murkcrow obediently picked up one of the mote cages and followed as they went into still deeper darkness. Were they even still in the swamp?

It didn't matter, he guessed, as they reached the mysterious tree and the ring beneath. He took up the call to dig as everyone else did.

[Scaramouche Fandango]

"MOVE," Reaper said at the stick distribution pile, snarling and flashing her teeth in the darkness. She'd had just about as much of this as she could take, all this gadding about and storytelling and poetry. Now was the time for action, something she knew well.

She looked the sticks over, and took the two best. The second-best she took for herself; the first-best she took to her father and the Totoma he was converting or whatever. "This one is the best of the lot, Father. I made sure nobody else got it."

Reaper joins the party!"

Strange Creature hadn't been the most sociable; she'd been too nervous, too startled. But now that she'd been with Story and seen how the group's efforts had gone, she felt compelled, galvanized into action. She grabbed a stick and started digging, hoping to help uncover the sunstone below.

[Ruriska]

Two for one, was it? He’d take that deal.

Chosen One smiled warmly. “That would be lovely, I would be happy to meet him. Whenever you find him.” He said with a chuckle.

Then the time had come to move and at first he remained close to Heart and Home, even if their steps sometimes diverged, he always wound his way back to her through the crowd. He’d spent a lot of time already planting seeds and thoughts in her mind, he didn’t plan on wasting that yet.

They arrived at the digging spit and it was a battle to keep his true feeling off his face. His utter disgust as they broke into the earth in search of whatever solution that detestable Acha had for destroying the MotherFather’s will.

But his expression remained neutral, until Reaper muscled up to present the digging sticks. Then he smiled brightly, the look of a delighted father being brought a gift from his favoured daughter.

“Ah, thank you!” He said, cursing her diligence inwardly. He hadn’t planned on digging but now - “How thoughtful you are!” He turned his head to Heart and Home to get her attention and include her. “Heart and Home, this is my daughter, Reaper.”

He looked at the offered ‘best stick’ and in turn offered it to his new friend.

“Heart and Home, would you like this one? I can grab another one. Though I must admit, my back isn’t quite suited for this sort of activity. I might let all the young bloods go first before I do.” He eyed the digging spot thoughtfully. “Seems quite crowded over there anyway.”

He is trying very hard to convert her lol.

immediately gives away the stick i am sorry lol

[Scaramouche Fandango]

Reaper was at her most polite when meeting kin her father esteemed. This was why she was always nice to her mother and could... well, bite her tongue around his... Companions. There were no Totoma in the tribe- yet- and so she was happy to be as obsequious as possible.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, miss. My father must think very highly of you; it seems like you're a doe worth knowing." Reaper smiled warmly- for her- which was more like a small twitch at the corners of her mouth. "I'd be honored to work alongside you, if you feel like digging. If not, I'm a strong girl- I can dig for you too, if you'd like."

She turned to her father, bowing her head. "Rest up, Father; I'll dig for both of us! Save your strength for what's to come." She threw her whole self into it to see how much earth she could move at once. All of her hard work training for combat would surely pay off here. She would dig twice as hard and show everybody just how strong she was! And by everybody, she meant her father. And his new friend. And her cousin, who was floating around here somewhere. And everybody else; they would see how hard the members of the Pure could work.

Reaper's putting on her GOOD manners, just for you

[peanutbutter]

Breaking smiled brightly at the doe's suggestion, happy to have moved forward and to have gained a companion to navigate the dark with. Even if it was just for a little bit of time, it was nice to have someone by her side to chatter with.

"Let's go then! Although maybe a bit slower, so I don't run into anyone else," She replied, starting to move towards the soup while also making sure to actually dodge other kin this time. She didn't want to recreate the entire incident that started all this with - oh. Hm. Breaking needed to introduce herself actually.

"I'm Breaking Free by the way, what's your name? You can just call me Breaking." She tossed the question to the doe as she approached the soup, careful to take her fair share of a serving of it. It was a rather good soup, all things considered - rich and savory, just the way Breaking liked it, with enough meat that it didn't feel thin.

It also had, for a moment, the jarring reminder of back when she was small, and curled into her dad's side. His voice rich as he spun a story for her, just as he did whenever she couldn't sleep, explaining whatever of the swamp's mysteries that had caught her attention that day. The thought of it warmed her for a moment, but soon she was distracted from it by the group beginning to move away from the clearing.

"Oh, I suppose it's time to leave. I guess we got to the soup just in time then!"

TRIED TO GET TO A GOOD SPOT TO JOIN IN THE DIGGING

[HuniPi]

Heart was definitely keeping her eyes peeled for any signs of her totoma companion as they traveled while also maintaining some proximity to Chosen One. Whatever distance was between them, it was one that granted the kimeti buck the option of venturing off with someone else while also allowing an easy time of finding her.

She was rather surprised that their latest endeavor was to dig and was a little hesitant about it. It wasn't that she was a stranger to physical labor and she doesn't shy away from such tasks. It's just that she recalled how Chosen wasn't particularly pleased about Steals Fire's course of action and she didn't want to make it seem like she was purposely going against his ideals.

Even if she wanted to do some digging. Her problem was solved when Chosen One's daughter joined them and Heart visibly brightened. "Oh, thank you Reaper! It's very much appreciated." She accepted the proffered stick from the other doe before turning to Chosen, "If your back is giving you trouble, I don't see a problem in you taking an overseer's position. That way no one could say you weren't an active participant."

When Reaper threw herself into the task, Heart didn't want to get left behind. It was less out of a competitive desire and more being inspired by the enthusiasm and effort. She wasn't squeamish about getting dirty and tried to match Reaper's energy. "Your technique is very good!" she remarked to the other doe.

Heart's already starting to put Chosen One's comfort to the forefront of her mind, oh no

<3 Heart hopes she'll prove herself worthy!

[Tiarana]

"Digging is what badgers do best," Earthclaw rumbled dismissively as he (and the furry little hellion that trailed after him) pushed past Steals Fire and set to work. The dirt was growing warm and bright, but that was not enough to deter a totoma whose thick plating protected his eyes or a badger driven by spite. An observer might notice that Earthclaw's plates were starting to glow, the stripe on his head most of all, and even Snapper's claws picked up a little luminescence, but neither of the pair were the type to appreciate The Aesthetic...

[Ruriska]

“Thank you both,” he said gratefully, stepping aside to allow space for everyone. It galled him to see Reaper partaking in this ridiculous sun restoration process but it was unavoidable and her enthusiasm was good business. Nobody would be able to point at him or his family and say they hadn’t tried their best, that they weren’t open to other points of view.

As he watched his daughter work, his heart swelled with pride. Not all of his guardians were quite so talented. The fact that he could trust her at a large gathering, to not only to protect him but also to impress other kin, had him thinking that perhaps it was time he raised her rank. Made her his Lead Guardian. She was certainly proving herself today.

“You’re both doing great,” he called. As they dug, the glowing rock was being revealed and it was having some odd effects. “The rock seems to make you glow if you dig too close to it. Be careful.”

ohohohoho all as planned

[subducting]

Dark Moon Rising was uneasy as ever, but she knew that they needed the light back. The swamp needed it. It didn’t matter the cost- even as she had the thought, doubts nagged at her. Why had the light been taken? What if the Motherfather was angry at the swamp??

She pushed the thoughts down and seized the stick, scraping away at the dirt with unusual passion. The usually composed leader of the Children of the Night was throwing her whole body into the gestures, as if she could solve the entire crisis on her own.

[Lutz]

Breaking's smile and continued kindness helped Hang The Moon realize that she didn't need to be worried around the other doe and some of her anxiety melted away. It really didn't take much to get the kiokote to warm up to you so long as you were kind.

"Yes, a bit slower," she agreed with a tiny laugh, following Breaking over to the soup. This time no one else was bumped into, making it a success for everyone involved. When she realized they'd never exchanged names, Hang The Moon had to laugh again.

"Breaking it is," she agreed, a shy smile on her muzzle. "I'm Hang The Moon. I suppose we were a little too caught up in the prospect of soup to introduce ourselves before." The soup itself was delicious and the warmth helped Hang The Moon feel as though the sun were shining down on her rather than this endless darkness enveloping her. It didn't hurt to have a new friend by her side. The dark wasn't as scary with someone there to help walk through it.

Just as they were finishing their bowls the call to march came. Hang The Moon looked worried for a moment - go out into the dark forest? - but the realization that Breaking would be there as well as all the other gathered kin and they'd be bringing the motes they gathered help to calm her suddenly racing heart.

"I suppose we did," she agreed, sticking close to Breaking as they followed the group into the woods. It seemed like they walked for hours but in that time Hang The Moon spoke quietly with Breaking about what was going on, about their families, about anything that came to mind, really. And finally they seemed to reach the place where Steals Fire was looking for...and now they had to dig.

She grabbed one of the makeshift shovels and began to scrape away the dirt, digging with the other kin that were gathered. She hit a pocket of something shiny and the dust flew up into the air, covering her fur. Coughing softly, she set down the shovel to shake the dust from herself. Unfortunately it clung to her and in the light from the motes, her golden markings seemed to glow.

"Oh dear," she murmured, looking back at herself, then to Breaking. "Be careful. There's...shiny dust down there."

[Scaramouche Fandango]

"Yours, too! You're quite strong, aren't you?" Reaper was full of niceties- which, speaking of, that wayward cousin of hers. Could she see him from here? She rose on her hind legs briefly to survey the scene- just to see quickly that everything was secure, that no harm would come up on her father as she dug. It was certainly something to see, kin half-illuminated, faces thrown into sharp shadowed relief. Satisfied that all was well, she bent back down to the stone. More digging. How close were they to excavating this thing? How big was this rock?

[Baneful]

With the rock finally uncovered from beneath the earth, it is laid bare beneath the stars, dwarfing even the brightest of them, rivalling the moon herself. The glow is incredible and looking directly at it too long leaves a bright afterimage on the eyes, making it difficult to work very long at seeking out the cracks in its surface and looking for ways to break it.

Spending too long by the rock seems troubling, the light seems to enter through the gathered kin’s eyes – even for those kin WITHOUT eyes – and crawl inside their head. Sighted or unsighted kin alike find themselves transported to vivid and truly incredible hallucinations, the likes of which they have never seen before, so real they are impossible to tell from where they were before.

But when they return to their senses, they struggle to recall what they saw, the images muddy, the memory fleeting. But they do remember the vast strangeness of it all, of worlds beyond the scope of anything they’d ever known. It feels on the tip of their tongue, just out of reach. If only they could remember the /details/.

[Lutz]

Make It Work didn't care much for manual labor like this, but as the stone was slowly unearthed and its brilliance lit up the forest around them, he felt as though he was experiencing something that transcended the physical realm. It was so bright it hurt and he had to look away although he'd been transfixed, his mind blank with memories of something...

"It's beautiful," he murmured to no one in particular, simply content to bask in the light coming off the stone. This was well worth the digging and the trek through the swamp.









Hang The Moon was similarly transfixed, a dreamlike memory of something floating in her mind for a few minutes, leaving her speechless and motionless. When she came back from the odd vision she shook her head, her heart full of promise and hope despite not remembering what she'd been thinking about moments ago.

"Will this bring back the light?' she asked the general space around her, eyes bright with the light from the stone. How was it going to help if it was down here in the dirt?









Echo had stopped digging and was staring at the shining stone with an open mouth, the vision he had rendering him silent and immobile for quite some time. Finally, when he came out of it, he was laughing and smiling, his whole body vibrating with energy from...something.

"Wow!" he said with a hoot, finally giving in to the desire to move. He bounced in place for a moment before spinning in a tight circle. He had energy and he wanted to get some of it out of his system without trampling anyone nearby. "It's so bright! How is it like that? Is there one big mote inside? Is the sun inside? How did it get into the ground?"