[imgleft]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/image ... t_kinu.gif[/imgleft] Sleep hadn't come easy since the night the Obelisk had first appeared to him. In fact he couldn't remember a night since when he had fully rested without waking abruptly every half hour or so simply for fear that he would fall into another such nightmare. As he kneeled and subsequently rested himself beneath a young mangrove he gave a weary sigh. He was so terribly exhausted. The ordeal with the Obelisk had left him with a feeling of extreme unease, nothing about it seemed natural or positive and he had a sinking feeling that they had unleashed a power far beyond any of their ability to ken. With his soft, golden, gaze cast out towards the firefly lit swamp he contemplated the days events with a sort of detached objectiveness though no matter how he looked at it, objectively, realistically, completely out there crazy impossibly, he couldn't make heads or tails of the meaning behind it or what it could possibly portend. All he knew was that he was afraid of it. Somewhere on a deep, primal, level he knew that there was something dangerous about it and that they would do well to tread carefully. In his heart he fought a battle of whether he wanted to continue on this road, to discover the other mysteries now cast by this monster of a stone. Yet where he desired to flee the other half of himself desperately yearned for understanding, for enlightenment. In the end it was the Kin he had met that swayed his decision to stay. If he could be useful at all he desired deeply to help. Should the Obelisk prove to be dangerous they would need all the help they could get and he had no intention of abandoning everyone now. His eyes felt heavy then, a sort of calm slowly stealing across his body as his eyelids became too much of a struggle for him to keep open. His instinct was to fight it, to stay awake and he shook his head roughly to try and keep himself from drifting off though his efforts were ultimately in vain. As he struggled to open his eyes he leaned in defeat against the mangrove and finally gave over to the dreaming world, his chest rising and falling peacefully as sleep took hold.If you stepped on one of the etched stones - The next night you have a happy dream that brings back a memory you have forgotten, that will stay with you after you wake. Feel free to write a solo in a new thread or in your journal regarding this; if you hit 500 words, you can claim +1 RP point for it!
He was standing in a sea of black, no noises to disturb him, no swamp to distract his gaze as he frantically turned his head this way and that in an attempt to gain his bearings. His heart beat quickly within his chest as fear stole over him. No, not another nightmare. His gaze was worried, afraid, and his body remained as rigid as stone for fear that one wrong move would send him falling. There was no sky, no sky fleas, no moon, nothing. Nothing but an obsidian void. Wait.. what was that? A soft light somewhere in the distance found him, faint at first yet steadily growing in strength and size. A sky flea? It floated closer now until it perched upon the tip of his nose. A firefly. His gaze crossed to try and take it in while his mouth curved into a soft, delighted smile. Hello friend. The little firefly fluttered its wings before lifting off and his golden eyes followed after. It swayed back and forth before him, urging him to follow and he found himself doing just that with not a single hesitation to hold him back. As he took his first step a plethora of green grass erupted beneath his hoof. Stopping abruptly he looked down and marveled at its beauty. Tiny, ghostly, white and grey flowers bloomed upon the verdant shoots and he felt his heart jump in pleasant surprise. Another step yielded the same results, and another, and another, until he was springing after the firefly in wild, elated, abandon. His heart soared and the smile upon his face was one of pure bliss. The grass began to spread and the deeper into the inky darkness he followed the more nature began to overtake the once void space. The outlines of trees, water, shrubs, rocks, fields and even the moon suddenly zig-zagged into shape before his wondering eyes and he paused for a moment to take it all in as colors began to fill the etchings. Suddenly thousands of sky fleas winked into existence filling the heavens with their golden light and accompanying the beautiful moon above. And yet they began to get closer, leaping from the heavens the sky fleas turned into thousands upon thousands of fireflies, where they had departed from the sky little white diamond pin-points of light remained to form the stars. As the fireflies encircled him he felt himself pushed further onward into the now fully formed swamp. He had never seen it so beautiful as it was now and he remembered why he loved it so dearly. His home.
The fireflies led him deeper and deeper into the swamp until the trees became so thick he could no longer see the moon. He would normally have been worried and yet a peace stole over his heart as the luminous crowd of fireflies huddled all around him, shielding him against the cold and the loneliness. They led him through the silver waters where the surface bore a faint mist which rolled gently into deeper territories and to a place he had long ago forgotten. It was the place he had been born. Rolling Mist stopped, his gaze locked upon the exact spot where he had joined this plane of existence. How had he forgotten this? Here, in the deepest and darkest part of the swamp there lay a rise in the water and as he stepped onto it a verdant green exploded beneath his hooves yet again, coating the mud in beautiful moss, tender shoots, and once more a dazzling array of ghostly pale flowers. He found himself standing in its center trying to understand how he could have forgotten. One simply couldn't forget a spot so memorable, especially if they were born within its keep, and yet he had. He had forgotten the splendor here, the almost mystical beauty hidden away from the world. The trees surrounding were very old yet wonderfully tall and proud as they reached for the heavens. The sound of the leaves rustling in the evening breeze was almost musical, the noise sending soothing waves across his very soul the more he listened. Even here in the still, lovely, darkness, as he turned his face upwards, silver light spilled down through a large hole in the canopy, bathing the patch of land in a fine, moth-dust sheen of glistening moon glow. He sighed softly with his face to the resplendent night sky, the fireflies adorning every branch of every tree like twinkling leaves. This was where he had come to be. In this magical place filled with fireflies. At first he wasn't sure why he was here, in his minds eye he remembered seeing this place as a youth and being just as awe struck by its subtle radiance. Realization found him then and his eyes opened swiftly. He had long feared the darkness. The night had always terrified him on some level. Though he especially feared being alone. They had always chased at his heels these fears and he felt the overwhelming presence of them ever ready to consume him. Perhaps it was part of feeling so disconnected from every day normalcy and separated from his fellow Kimeti by his inability to speak. He couldn't be certain. Yet here, in this soft, velvety darkness with the swamp outlined in silver and the golden glow of the fireflies shining all around he felt stronger, more sure, and most importantly unafraid. This was the message. This was the point. Even in the darkest night there would always be a light waiting to lead him on. He simply had to trust and be strong, face his fears, and the light would guide him somewhere beautiful beyond the darkness. As he lay among the flowers with the soft moss cushioning his body he smiled. "I will be strong. I will not run. Lead me onward and I shall face what lies in the darkness."
He suddenly awoke and sat upright. The sound of the voice, HIS voice, having startled him awake. The euphoria of his dream lingered upon his body as tears of joy welled within his kind eyes. Emotion overcame him. He had spoken. It was only in a dream and yet it was the first time he had ever spoken even in his dreams. Hearing his own voice shocked him. The sound of it so foreign while also being remarkably familiar. Leaning back against the mangrove once more he couldn't keep the smile from his face as the tears rolled down his cheeks. For once, in what felt like forever, he couldn't wait to fall asleep again. Closing his eyes he sighed softly, pretending he could hear it, and eagerly drifted off into the dreaming world once more. The stars twinkled faintly above as a firefly drifted down from the tree that sheltered him and landed upon his nose. It fluttered its wings once, twice, and was gone, borne away by the evening breeze. Like a messenger in the night.
[/align]