#sky cotl ancestor

[black-suns-rim]

Prom queen

Animation test. This is the first completed animation I made in procreate dreams (using procreate to draw and CapCut for the effects/text).

These two goobers are just on my brain all the time

[catofaurora]

I reimagined @onionowt s OC Malýr as an ancestor for this!

Skytober prompt by @coatl-cuddles

[katherine-waiting]

Can’t think of anything to draw, so…

Here we go again,😮‍💨some sky memes

[coatl-cuddles]

I have many thoughts about Alef's success in the trials cause like??????

When did he figure out he was the one the prophecy was talking about?

How many kids died before him?

Did he WANT to do the trials? Or did he just have no one else who would take him in since he was an orphan?

Did he get a long with the prophecy guide?

I'm on my hands and knees begging for tgc to focus a good portion of his episodes time around this, because idk if yall have done trials recently but to do all 4 in a row without falling/dying once is DIFFICULT.

I really hope we find out he succeeded by figuring out skips or tricks. I think it would be a good nod to the player base, and explain why the others failed before him. It wasn't about skill, it was about approach. I think that'd be cool.

Anyways NO MORE YAPPING have some drawpile doodles ft. Some prophecy kids who absolutely died before Alef succeeded. Ones that are from memories wink wink nudge nudge

ItsTheShatteringKids

IThinkTheShatteringKidsWereActualKidsAndNotJustManifestationsOfLightCreatures

Or at least thats what I head canon anyways

Anyways yeah those kids are totally dead

[deltabyss]

Nothing special, just my sky kid Delta hissing at lil jellyfish x3c

[squoobest]

i should be writing my paper rn

[pluto-hweat-halcyon-skytober]

Day 2: Ancestor

skytober prompt from @coatl-cuddles !

[that-howling-sky-kid]

Just a small reminder that Passage Guide is the ONLY guide shown removing his mask in the promo art.

[leisurelylazy]

❄️🌠

Banner commission of someone's two sky kids :3c

[g004]

[kedamo-nogetoffthetable]

Psst, Sky CoTL fans. What's a rare pair you ship that no-one else seems to share?

[black-suns-rim]

Long forgotten love

Word count: 2,936

Teenage Olali and Veluboga are hanging out while the topic of family comes up. Olali tries to recall what his parents were like, but he can't remember.

Smoke from the small campfire rose elegantly as the wood started to catch fire. Olali blew onto the glowing kindle to speed up the process. Once the fire was steady, he sat back on a small padded mat. His hair had been tied back by Veluboga, who was playing around with it earlier that day.

“I’m still sad that Kizuna didn’t want to join us. We don’t see much of her or Alef these days. But, I guess that means there’s more snacks for us.” Vel said as she skewered some marshmallows onto a stick.

“I’m not surprised; Alef is busy with his princely studies, as usual, and Kizuna? She probably doesn’t want to come since I’m here.” Olali watched as she placed her marshmallows over a flame.

“But Kiz has joined before when I’ve invited you to things.”

“That’s because you forgot to mention I was coming. She purposely avoids me, Vel. I’m not a fucking idiot. I know she fucking hates me.”

Veluboga sighed, “I wish she didn’t hate you. Then we all could spend time together. I love spending time with both of you, and it just makes me sad when I can’t hang out with both of you at the same time. If she didn’t hate you, we all could go do so many fun things together.”

“She’s never gonna stop hating me though. So all of us hanging out will never happen.” Olali laid on his back and put his arms under his head as he gazed up at the stars, “Doesn’t bother me though. I much rather hang out with only you anyway.”

Veluboga pulled her golden marshmallows away from the fire and began to eat them off from the stick. Her head turned towards the sounds of laughter that came from the large tent that belonged to the elemental prophets, “They seem happy.” She chuckled, “I don’t think I’ve heard them laugh before.”

“They laugh all the time, just not during the two weeks they are holding the trials. They are all professional during trial training… and maybe stressed too. Actually, yeah, that might be the reason they don’t laugh as often during that time.”

She scooted right next to him and held out her roasting over his face, “you want one?” She gestured to the marshmallows on the stick.

“No.”

“Aw..” she ate the rest of them off of the stick, “You know, having the prophets as your family, that’s really cool. You probably know so many things about them no one else does.”

“I guess. They aren’t any different from other people.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. They’re just like anyone else in the village, but they just have an honorable title that separates them from others.”

“Oh, I never thought about it like that… they just always seem so, uh… I don’t know, different from other people?” She chuckled, “I don’t know how else to put it into words.” Veluboga put some more marshmallows on her stick. Another burst of laughter came from the tent along with some playful shouting. A small smile was on Olali’s face as he listened in to what the prophets were talking about.

“You know… I’ve always wondered what your parents were like? You’ve never mentioned them before.” She found a small flame in the fire and hovered her marshmallows over it. The small smile on his face disappeared.

“There’s not much to say about them…”

“Oh, why?”

“I… I don’t remember them. Well, I do, but I only have small fragments and images of memories about them.” He sat up and stared into the fire as he leaned forward to wrap his arms around his legs.

“Oh… what do you remember?”

“Mh…” he thought, “they would cough often. My papa would cough the most… Fuck, uh, oh, I do remember that we lived in a small hut that was carved out from the ground. I think we lived in some kind of forest or swamp area. That’s all I can remember right now.”

“You’re right, that’s not much. Did they at least love you though?”

“I guess. I don’t fucking remember.” He huffed as he started to lean from side to side, “I just remember my aunt most of the time.”

“Your aunt? I didn’t know you have other family.”

“Had. She’s dead.”

“Oh- I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. She was a bitch.”

“Oh…” Vel didn’t know how to respond to that. She pulled her marshmallows away from the fire, just to realize she accidentally caught them on fire, “Oh no! My mellows!” She blew the fire that was on them out frantically, “Aw… my mellows are burnt now.”

Without saying a word, Olali reached over and grabbed her stick out from her hands and ate the burnt marshmallows off from the stick.

“Hey! I thought you didn’t want any.”

“I only like burnt ones. They taste better.”

She giggled, “I don’t think they taste good burnt, but I'm glad you like them like that, otherwise my mellows would’ve been a waste.”

She put a few more on her stick, “Want me to make your more burnt ones?”

“No.”

“Aw, okay. More for me!” she hovered her marshmallows over a flame and began to hum an upbeat tune.

Olali suddenly felt warm, too warm. He untied the binding that was around his forearms and unraveled the linen cloth. He took off his outer shirt, folding it neatly and placed it right next to him. He rolled up the long linen binding and placed it on top of his outer shirt. The cold air on his arms felt relieving. He couldn’t help but rub his fingers back and forth on his skin where the cloth had imprinted onto him from how tightly it had been wrapped. Veluboga glanced over at him. She realized he always rubbed his forearms after taking off the linen cloth.

“Is there a reason you always wrap your arms and legs?” She had always wondered, and thought now would be a good time to ask.

“I don’t like it when cloth rubs against my skin.”

She thought for a few seconds, “Oh right, cause you are sensitive to certain things. I remember.”

Once the cloth imprints on his arms disappeared, he started to rock again. Tonight, he wasn’t as talkative or energetic with Vel. He didn't feel in the mood to talk much and he was tired from all the things he had done earlier that day. Since Vel asked about his parents, he started to think about them, trying to remember what he could about them. But nothing more about them was coming to his mind, which began to frustrate him.

Once Vel had her share of marshmallows, she laid down on her mat and yawned, “I think I might just fall asleep here. The fire is so nice.”

He looked over to her and then laid down as well, “Me too.” He rolled to his side to try and get comfortable. He closed his eyes and listened to the fire wood snap and crackle as it burned, and as he focused on the sound of the fire, his mind became void of any and all thought.

𓆩✧𓆪

𓆩✧𓆪

𓆩✧𓆪

“He's not going to speak any time soon, so why do you keep trying?” Ladizuve glanced over to Uzasi as he was gutting a fish.

“Do you have such little faith? He will speak, I know it.”

“He's almost five and he's never said a word!” He sighed, “I don't know how you can have such faith considering everything that's been happening. To us, to him.” Ladizuve pulled the bones out from the fish and chopped it up into cubes.

“My faith in our Great Mother will never waver based on what's been happening to us. Such is life, love; all of this is a part of the cycle.” Uzasi turned her attention back to Olali, who was on the floor painting on some stone slabs.

“Olali, my son, say imma. E-mah.” She tried to get his attention, but he was focused on painting. She let out a gentle sigh and tried again.

Ladizuve seasoned the diced fish before putting them onto a hot pan. He took off the hot baked flatbed from the other pan he had and placed it on a plate that had a stack of freshly cooked flatbread. Taking some dough from a bowl, he flattened it and then placed it in the same hot pan. Then he moved his attention to a pot that had seasoned mashed beans and rice, and stirred it.

“Why don't you take a break? He's too focused on his little art. Come, dinner is almost ready.” Ladizuve held up one of the freshly cooked flatbread pieces, trying to convince Uzasi to stop for now. She looked at him and then the bread that was in his hand.

“Alright… but I will not stop trying to get him to say imma or aba. Those must be his first words.” She slowly got up from the floor in discomfort as she used the aid of her staff. The small and hard crystal growths on her legs made it hard for her to move, let alone walk for prolonged periods of time. She slowly made her way to Ladizuve and grabbed the flatbread from him. She watched as he stirred around the fish that was frying up in the pan. She sat down at their small table and nibbled on the bread. She kept her eye on Olali.

“How's your shoulders and neck doing?” Uzasi asked in concern as she noticed his stiff movement.

“They're fine. Manageable.”

“Love, you should take some of the medicine.”

“I'm fine. That medicine is for you-”

“Did I make it sound like it was a suggestion?” She cut him off, “please, take some of it. My legs will only get worse, as will your neck and back, but don't be dumb. I don't need you to be tough, I need you to be able to do these things for me as I'm not able to… not as I once used to.”

Ladizuve looked at her and she was looking back at him with a tender but tired gaze. She had stress and worry stricken on her brows but she gave a weak smile.

“Alright. But you need it more than I do-”

“Just take some.”

He nodded. He grabbed the bottle that was hanging from her waist. Opening the lid, he let only a drop of the strong medicine touch his tongue. He put the lid back onto the bottle and handed it to Uzasi. Ladizuve finished up cooking the chopped fish along with the other things he'd been cooking on the stove. He set everything out, ready to be served.

“Olali, come here. Food's done.” Ladizuve tried to get his attention, but he was still painting away.

“Olali!” His voice grew stern.

Olali looked over to his father.

“Come over here, child. Food.” He gestured to the plates he had set out. Olali stared at his father for a couple of seconds before getting up and walking over to the table.

“Ah, hands. Those need to be washed.” Uzasi pointed out Olali's hands covered in paint.

Ladizuve picked Olali up and took him to the sink. He started to pout and squirm while in his father's grasp. Ladizuve helped wash Olali's hands while he started to throw a fit.

“I know bud, but your hands must be cleaned.” Ladizuve dried off Olali's hands once all the paint was washed off. He put Olali down and Olali ran over to Uzasi with tears in his eyes.

“Oh baby, it's alright.” She picked him up and sat him on her lap as she reassured him.

“He always throws a fit when I wash his hands, but never when you do it.” Ladizuve sat at the table with them.

“He just likes his hands being washed a certain way. You're just too rough and fast with him.” Uzasi reached over the table to grab a couple of pieces of the flatbread, handing them to Olali.

Ladizuve sighed, “He needs to eat more than just bread.” He filled his plate with a bit of everything he cooked.

“You know he won't eat most food.” She filled her plate with the mashed beans and fried fish.

“...I know.”

Olali's eyes followed whoever was talking as he ate the bread. Back and forth. Suddenly, Uzasi began coughing. She gently placed Olali down as she struggled to grab her medicine bottle. Ladizuve quickly got up from his seat and helped her. Once she was able to take some of the medicine, her coughing slowly stopped. Ladizuve got her some water and she slowly drank it while catching her breath.

Olali carefully watched as they started talking again. He still had the bread in his hands. Uzasi looked down at Olali and held open her arms. He climbed up onto her lap.

“We need to find a cure for this… for his sake, Uzasi. He cannot be without us.” Ladizuve held her hand as tears began to swell in his eyes, “He shouldn’t see us in such pain all the time.”

“You know there is no cure, only treatments. We've gone over this before.”

“I'm not ready to accept our fate. I will keep looking. For his sake.”

She gave a soft but tired smile as tears began to fill her eyes as well, “You never give up… always so determined.”

All three of them finished up their dinner; Uzasi took Olali to bathe him while Ladizuve cleaned up the kitchen and the living space. When he got to the paint and the stone slabs left on the floor by Olali, he stopped and stared at what his son had been painting. He picked up the slab but sat on the floor.

The painting didn't look as if a four-year-old had been at work with it, but rather an artist of more than 6 years of experience. He sat there, amazed, at the family portrait Olali had created. Uzasi could be heard laughing from the bathing room. Sounded like to Ladizuve Olali was being silly while in the bathtub. His attention went back to the painting. How come he's never noticed his son's talent before? Ladizuve stood up with the slab in his hands and walked over to the bathing room.

He stood at the archway, leaning against it to see what the commotion was all about. Uzasi was sitting on a stone stool, laughing while trying to hand Olali the scrubbing sponge, “Take it, you silly child!”

Olali was standing in the bathtub, dancing in the water. He turned his back to his mother and shook his bare bottom at her. She playfully threw the sponge at his back, “Wash!”

Ladizuve chuckled at the sight, “You know he has to perform his bath dance before washing.” He teased her as he came into the room. Olali grabbed the sponge his mother threw at him and sat in the water. He had a big toothy smile on his face. She took a small bucket and poured water over Olali's head. He let out an ear piercing squeal.

Ladizuve showed Uzasi the painting, “I didn't know he had such talent. Since when was he an artist?”

Uzasi took the stone slab into her hands and studied that painting, “Wow… he was so quick with making this.” She looked up to Ladizuve, “he's been improving so quickly these past couple of months while you've been working so hard.”

“I see. We should find a professional and have him study under them. It would be good for him.” Ladizuve took the painting back.

“We should.” Uzasi raised Olali's arm, taking the sponge and washing his under arm. Olali squealed again, recoiling from her touch. It tickled him. Ladizuve left her to clean Olali. He went to a shelf that was in their room and placed the painted slab on it. He then went back to cleaning. Once their small home, and Olali, were clean, Ladizuve and Uzasi settled down for sleep. Ladizuve helped Uzasi change into her night clothes since she was too weak to do it herself. He helped her onto their bed and she got comfortable.

“Where did Olali go?” Ladizuve glanced around the room.

“He probably went to get his stuffy. Could you get him-?”

“Yes, you rest.” Ladizuve walked out of their room and searched for Olali. He was pulling out one of his stuffed animals from his small toy bin.

“Come on bud, it's time for bed.”

Olali looked at his father and then pulled out another one of his stuffed animals, holding both in either hand. He ran up to his father and held up one of the stuffed animals.

“Is this one for me or imma?” Ladizuve took the stuffed animal. Olali pointed at him.

“For your aba?”

Olali nodded.

“How sweet of you. Come on now, imma is already in bed.”

Olali ran to their room with his other stuffed animal in his hand. Ladizuve followed behind. Olali jumped into the bed and hugged Uzasi. Ladizuve laid right next to the both of them, sandwiching Olali when he put his arms over Uzasi.

“I still find it strange how he finds comfort in being smothered like this.” Ladizuve got comfortable.

“It helps him sleep better, so I'm not complaining. Besides, I think it's really nice considering how he doesn't like to be hugged most of the time.”

“True. It is nice.”

“Good night my baby.” She gave a gentle kiss on Olali's forehead, “good night love.”

“Good night.”

𓆩✧𓆪

[may-y00]

Skytober Day 2 - Ancestor

Prompt by @coatl-cuddles

Ft. Pointing candlemaker in Aviary village

<- Previous Next ->

Such a cutie patootie always greeting us when we pass by

[proteas-leaf]

HEYY I DECIDED TO PARTICIPATE TO SKYTOBER 2024!!

I took advantage of my new markers and I think it didn't come out that bad. Tumblr ruined it tho-

Soo it's Day 1: Flight!

And I drew a scene of my Sky story, Fly Until You See The Light(cute thingy that I'll do for the whole Skytober when possible). In short, y'all: the main characters are just flying on a manta in the Prairie. Well, some bad stuff will happen in some seconds, but let's just leave them enjoy their nice time before a chaos <3

[the-tomcat-disposable]

Where The Rivers Are Poisoned

Summary: Tayo and Nah'ri moth-sit.

CW: eye injury

This is Tayo (any pronouns), Nah'ri (she/they), Ares (he/they), and the moth (they/them)

The dark dragon reared its head and its eye flashed red as it focused on the kid. The poor thing only had 3 stars on its back, and attempted to scurry for shelter under something— a ribcage! It reeked of darkness and decay, but it could work. As the moth attempted to wade through the thick, dark water as fast as possible, the beast roared as it swooped down on its meal. Only, they found themselves alive by some miracle.

A shriek, pop, and a crackle sounded behind them as they honked for someone to help them. Their call was answered by the honking of another kid tumbling out of the air with seemingly no cape. They landed in front of them with a splat and stood up to immediately offer a candle to light. Once the moth had done so, they noticed their outfit looked like a magician's... a flamboyant one.

Did megabird send them a circus performer to help?

The second thing they noticed is that this stranger's wings were tied around their waist instead of resting on their shoulders. How odd, but they didn't have time to question it before another kid landed next to them, lighting their candle and honking for them to accept their white ones. This kid had strange wings that were more like a scarf and green pants that matched the thick fog of the wasteland. They also seemed to be wearing heavy shoes and lacked a mask. Their expression seemed unfriendly, but they had offered them friendship.

"Thanks to you, I lost 5 winged lights! Ugh, whatever, I'll find them eventually," they spoke with a harsh tone and a thick accent as they slammed down a square brazier and lit it, "anyways, name's Nah'ri, that's my friend Tayo."

Tayo waved and honked, and without warning, both the moth and Tayo had been grabbed by their hands and lifted off the ground. They flew fairly high up and the moth now saw how many of those dark dragons were stalking the area for light. They honked with terror and, as they began their descent, the moth looked down at their landing spot. A bonfire! It seemed out of place in this green hell, but it was a light source away from the blue spotlights of the dark dragons.

Upon landing gently next to the spirit, the moth pulled out their candle to burn away the darkness that they were encased in, only to be tugged away. "Don't do that yet, you're not ready," Nah'ri warned. Her tone seemed to signify that this spirit was genuinely torturous to relive, so they obliged. They sat by the bonfire as they watched their new "friend" prop an unconscious Tayo up against the stone wall.

"Does he usually... faint out of nowhere?"

"Yeah. If he moves too fast, he faints," Nah'ri spoke plainly as she let out a loud honk to knock over the crabs and set a few in the bonfire, "I'm not sure why."

"Oh. Well I guess I'll—" the moth began to stand up and walk away on their own before Nah'ri put a firm hand on their shoulder suddenly. She said nothing and glanced around as if embarrassed.

"Don't. Not yet," she glanced back at their still unconscious friend, then sighed as they looked back to the new kid, "kid, what's your name?"

"Uh- Everest."

"Well, Everest, you should wait for Tayo to wake up, he loves to make new friends. He— we'll— help you to the temple," she explained, seemingly forced, then coughed and walked back to the bonfire to sit closer to Tayo than she was before and crossed her arms, "it's too dangerous for a new kid. I'm just... looking out for you."

Tayo woke with a soft honk, and Nah'ri's eyes lit up with joy. Her entire demeanor changed to a much more softer one when she was with Tayo, it seemed. They were trying their best to fight back the endearing smile that crept onto their face as they climbed the bonfire to toss down a crab to share with her— and Everest, they supposed.

Nah'ri handed them a crab leg, which they nearly declined before their stomach roared. They ate it and half of another crab in minutes, leaving Tayo overjoyed to find such a wild flame like herself. Though the moth couldn't see Tayo's expression behind her mask, they assumed from the look in their eyes that they were grinning with joy.

Everest fell backwards into the sand and flailed their arms at the subsequent dust cloud settling on top of them and huffed as Nah'ri scoffed and bickered about their manners to Tayo, who brushed her off with a honk and paced slowly towards the moth. He looked over his shoulders to his friend with a honk.

"Everest," Nah'ri spoke with a huff as they slouched against the wall with their arms crossed and stared over them, "just tell me when you two are done." Tayo honked a few times. "Yeah, sure. Of course we will."

Tayo kneeled down besides Everest as they sat up, supporting themselves with a hand and accepting Tayo's white candles. They were slightly taken aback by Tayo's voice, which they titled their head at.

"What? Did I not sound how you expected?" the sound of Tayo's grin faltered, and quickly returned as they spoke in a deeper voice, "I can change it, if you'd like!"

The moth honked as they sat upright and crossed their legs, glancing at Nah'ri grinning while drawing in the sand with a crab legs, then staring up at Tayo with bright yellow eyes, "you can do that?! How?"

Tayo stood up and dug their staff into the ground and spun around it, "I used to preform in the Valley after I had gotten my cool outfit." Nah'ri glanced up at them, as if they were tempted to correct them, then looked back down at their drawing. Tayo hummed and walked over to Nah'ri, careful to step around the lines in the sand, and tapped her chin as she examined them. She made a few more marks and nodded.

"Ah, I forgot that," Nah'ri murmured, nodding and standing up, "right, you're ready?"

Tayo nodded and pressed his mask against her face with a laugh as he caught Everest squinting at them. Nah'ri hoisted their friend onto their shoulders and Tayo rested their head atop Nah'ri's after adjusting their hat.

Nah'ri slid over to Everest and held out a hand, which they took and all three of them were far up in the air in a few flaps of their wings. Tayo hummed a familiar tune, one that Everest had heard when the first stepped into this vast world. Occasionally, Nah'ri surveyed their surroundings and landed on a ledge to allow their wings some rest.

On one ledge, Tayo had removed their hat and handed it to Everest, watching them run in circles as they jumped to catch a butterfly in their hat. This annoyed Nah'ri just slightly, who scolded Tayo for causing a distraction. They bickered back and forth until Everest had caught it and sighed with relief, just for them to yelp and nearly fall into the dark water below when it flew away upon lifting the hat.

"Had enough fun, Everest?" Nah'ri pouted. The moth in question stood back up with a jump and ran back towards the pair. Nah'ri kneeled down and Everest carefully placed the hat back atop Tayo's head where it belonged. Tayo let out an amused huff as they adjusted it.

"Sorry, it kept getting away!" Everest apologized once Nah'ri stood back up and offered their hand.

"It's fine, you're a moth. I don't expect anything differently."

They took Nah'ri's hand and were pulled up into the air again, flying effortlessly over one of the dark dragons that terrified them to their core. They'd looked back warily at the monsters as they flew through a passageway, briefly hearing a distant roar as they landed for Nah'ri to take a brief break.

"Someone got hurt, we need to go—" before Everest finished their sentence, Tayo loudly interrupted to ruffle their hair.

"Don't worry about 'em! I know them, I met them some time ago. They told me to buzz off when me and Nah'ri recollected the winged light that got scattered around," Tayo shrugged. Nah'ri chuckled and muttered in response, "hm, seems like them alright."

Everest scratched their head as they were essentially dragged along on foot up a sandy hill, "huh? They don't want help? Why?"

Tayo began to speak, but she was cut off by her friend, "no clue, but they've never really seemed to like people. Anyways, Ares should be nearby, we should check on him."

As they approached a spear and shield halfway buried in the dune, they heard the jungle of a bell. Nah'ri inhaled sharply as she came to a halt a few feet away.

"Wait, you and that freak back there have hi—" Tayo began to question, but fell off her back onto the sand with an 'umf', and Everest giggled as they let go of Nah'ri and ran to Tayo to pull him back onto his feet. "Yea, that was Phobos, they don't like anyone."

Tayo thanked Everest for the help and groaned as he and Nah'ri approached the shield together, Everest trailing not far behind. "Megabird, is everyone in the Wasteland cranky and weird? Sheesh!" Tayo scoffed. The bell rang as another person stood up from behind the shield, keeping their hands on it, and moving their head to face the noise.

Everest caught up with them and panted. When they looked up, they tilted their head at the stranger, who honked in response to Tayo's words. Tayo began to explain their situation to them as the currently grey figure honked and glanced held out a candle towards no one in specific. Their was a silent few seconds before Nah'ri nudged Everest in the direction of the candle.

"That's for you. He can't see you," Nah'ri explained, "as in, he's blind." Everest nodded in understanding, holding their candle to his and honking in awe as his outfit came into view. He was dressed head to toe in black, with a blindfold, antlers, and fluffy ears.

"This is Ares, they don't really like talking to people," Ares honked and faced Nah'ri, "no, we didn't bring a table or tea. Sorry."

Everest circled them curiously and reached for his blindfold, "well, maybe they'd see better if they took this off!" Both Nah'ri and Tayo reached for Everest to stop them with a worried look on their faces.

"Everest— wait!" they shouted simultaneously.

Ares tilted his head towards and swiftly lifted their hands to their face as they felt their blindfold being loosened and then fall off. One hand pulled down his hat to cover his eyes as he lowered to sit against the earth.

Everest clutched his blindfold in their hands and froze, looking at their friends apologetically. "Sorry! Sorry, I'll—" Everest began to hand the blindfold back to Ares, who turned towards Everest and blindly flailed one hand around and snatched it back.

"Now, what the Eden did you think you were doing?!" Nah'ri scolded. She placed her hands on her hips and stomped towards Everest with genuine anger. Tayo followed behind her and pulled her backwards by her cape just as they lifted their hand to flick Everest's mask. Nah'ri's anger turned to shock as she yelped and hissed a curse at her friend.

"Relax, they're just a kid, alright? They're new to the world," Tayo rested a hand on their shoulder as they softened, "remember how the moths used to—and still do—ask really intrusive questions about my condition?"

Nah'ri inhaled calmly, "yeah... it wasn't none of their business, but they were just asking and making assumptions because they haven't seen it before." Tayo nodded with a grin beneath their mask as Nah'ri looked back towards Everest, now much kinder, "look, kid, I'm... I'm s—"

As Nah'ri choked on their words, Ares honked in despair. The group looked over instinctively to find that their witch hat had been stolen from their hands by a passing breeze. As they began reach to grab it, Everest flapped their wings and glided towards it. They caught it not far away and skipped on back, looking towards Nah'ri. She smiled approvingly! They handed Ares their hat and looked up at them as they placed it back on their head.

Nah'ri tried her best to restrain a giggle as Everest gasped at the sight. As they adjusted it to ensure it wouldn't take off again and felt their blindfold for which side was to face outwards, the moth saw why they covered their face; they had a huge scar across their eyes and hollow eye sockets with perfectly rounded dark stone orbs inside of them.

They honked loudly and ran over to Tayo, pointing back at Ares who tied their blindfold back on and tilted their head towards Everest's commotion. Ares honked a few times and Nah'ri reassured them that this wouldn't become a huge deal.

"Tayo, his eyes are dark stones! He has a super weird scar! How did that happen?!"

Tayo let out an anxious chuckle and rubbed the back of their neck, "well, it's not really my place to explain. You can ask him."

"Bad idea, he doesn't like to talk about it," Nah'ri spoke, and Ares shot up with a scared honk, "and I told him that this wouldn't happen."

Ares hid behind the shield again with an anxious honk, and Tayo chuckled, gesturing Everest towards him. "C'mon, Nah'ri, our buddy here could use a few friends! They could end up as close as us."

Nah'ri murmured something about Eden that Everest didn't catch as they kneeled in front of Ares and laid out seven white candles in front of them. Ares had sat with his face against their knees and a bright blue hue emanated from it. They moved their hands over the offerings and considered for a while before accepting them.

Everest glanced back towards Tayo, who was still talking with their... partner? It was hard to tell what those two had but Everest suspected that there was something deeper than friendship between them. Tayo gasped and turned Nah'ri's face towards the other two. Nah'ri seemed surprised.

"Well, would you look at that," Nah'ri teased, "Ares wants to talk?"

"Shut up," Ares hissed weakly, then stood up, flicking their ears, "let's get moving."

"What about your eyes?" Everest asked, following Ares as they walked in the direction of the broken temple. Nah'ri had walked ahead with Tayo on their back. Tayo offered Ares a boost as he climbed up onto their back and Nah'ri offered Everest her hand.

"I don't like to talk about it..." Nah'ri took off once Everest grabbed on and Ares held onto Tayo tight. They looked straight ahead with a pout as Everest looked towards them curiously.

"That's okay."

...

The journey was quiet, with occasional humming as the reached the temple. Tayo had been the one holding the most conversation, asking Everest of their interests and such. They had learned that Everest enjoyed tea and cinnamon rolls from the Aviary Village cafe. Tayo preferred crab and soup. They offered to perform in the Village Theater, confident that they still could put on a good performance despite their condition, but Everest insisted that they would prefer not to watch the lead role faint on-stage. Ares laughed at that, to which Tayo responded with threatening to drop him.

Nah'ri and Everest's feet touched the ground and Nah'ri held out a candle to the dark stone diamond in the center of the platform. after a few moments, the gate began opening and the one- two- no, three dark dragons emerged. Everest's grip on Nah'ri's hand tightened as their vision began to blur as the dragons closed in on the four of them. The last thing they remember seeing was an equally terrified expression on Ares's face as they were pulled into the temple.

...

They had woken up a while later, and it was dark. They must have been out for a long time. They blinked their eyes open and held out a candle. So, this must be the Wasteland Elder's temple. It took them a moment to understand what happened before they fainted, and they looked around frantically to find their friends. They were relieved to find Tayo and Nah'ri just to the right of the elder's altar in the center.

They'd curled up together against the stone, illuminated by lit candles, and Tayo had set her mask and glasses on top of the stone behind them and Nah'ri's red horns were beside them. Huh, those were a headband. It was a cute sight, to see how close they were. Tayo was holding onto Nah'ri as though she was going to slip away from her, and Nah'ri looked completely relaxed.

As the moth considered trying on Tayo's mask, a yawn and the sound of water being shaken in a jar alerted them. They turned to spot Ares sitting on the sand not far away. They slid over and Ares's ear flicked. They tucked their blindfold into the waistband of their dress and stared forward.

"Everest?" they questioned as said moth sat besides them. They hummed a yes in response and pointed to the jar.

"What's that?"

"You're going to need to be a little more specific," Ares spoke as he yawned again, "my jar, I'm assuming?"

Everest hummed a yes and looked up at their now hollow eye sockets. It was a lot more unnerving in the dark, so they pulled their candle from their chest and set it in front of them in the earth. That did not make it less unsettling.

Ares tipped the jar and his two dark stone eyes fell out into his palm. Everest watched him as he pushed them into the sockets and shifted slightly. "This jar has clean water inside it to wash my eyes."

Everest nodded, "ah, I see."

"I don't," Ares grinned. There was an awkward silence and their smile dropped, "not funny? Sorry."

"No, it's fine," Everest reassured, then shifted to face him and sat with their legs crossed, "can I ask you questions?"

Ares thought for a few seconds, then yawned and laid against the sand, "sure. Can't promise I'll answer them, though." They stared at the ceiling and blinked uncomfortably, though that just seemed to be how they adjusted their prosthetic eyes.

Everest looked over towards the other two, still sound asleep though now in a more comfortable position against the floor, "what's their deal? Are they... you know, together or what."

Ares shrugged, "not sure. It's not my business."

Everest pouted at their answer and sighed, removing their mask and rubbing their eyes. They set their mask besides them. "Well, sure, okay," Everest began, "but you've never at least gotten suspicious? They're spooning right now."

Ares thought while they fidgeted with the sleeves of their dress, "like I said, not my business. Whatever they have is for them to sort out." Their tone was tinged with slight annoyance. They should drop the topic. Maybe they'll ask them themselves when they're awake.

"Alright," Everest sighed, "you're very reserved. Why?"

"After that stunt earlier, I'm not too keen to speak to you," Ares hissed and turned their back to the moth. Everest pouted, "I apologized!"

"I couldn't hear it!" they hissed loudly as they shot up and turned, jabbing the moth's chest with an accusatory finger and enraged expression that startled Everest. They retracted their hand and breathed slowly upon realizing their outburst, but his scowl remained on his face, "don't go around taking people's blindfolds off, they might need it."

"Okay, sorry," Everest muttered as Ares huffed and turned back over with their back to them. It was only then when they noticed the amount of stars marking their cape.

"How'd you get so many winged lights?" the moth questioned, and Ares groaned, pulling his hat down over his face and cape further over themselves.

"Eden. Now let me sleep."

Everest slowly reached for their cape to feel the stars on their cape, but he stood up and grabbed his jar and walked closer to the altar and laid down against the floor near a row of candles. He removed his hat and placed it beneath his head. He had gotten comfortable when he heard footsteps approach him and stop in front of him, and sighed.

"What?" they whispered, and heard Everest sit next to them, but they said nothing for a while.

"I know you're still there."

"Did it hurt?" Everest whispered inquisitively and suddenly, "losing your eyes, I mean."

He didn't respond. They felt a warm hand near their face and swatted it away. Everest backed away and stood up to set their mask on the stone of the altar before laying on their back next to Ares. Their breathing slowed to a steady pace as they began to snore lightly, but Everest still had many more questions to ask!

What was Eden? They suspected that that's where the light called them to, but would find out eventually. What's after this temple? Would it be safe, like the previous realms? Why were Nah'ri and Tayo not afraid of the dark dragons? How did Ares lose his eyes, and, upon observation, another question arose...

Why does Ares sleep with his eyes open? That's weird.

[flocktothelight]

Today’s fit