Compass

Compass Rose

 

It is said that this nimbei was born, not of flesh and blood, but from the energy of an exploding star in the dead of night. Whether true or not, he has always had a particularly strong affinity to night and mystical elements. Known only as Compass, this peculiar creature takes great joy in leading travelers – particularly those lost in the woods – to different destinations. He innately can sense whether someone is good of heart or if they are someone with bad intentions; good people are ones he will lead to safety, but bad people would be wiser not to follow the lead of stardust in the dark…

 

• mischievous
• intelligent
• playful
• reserved
• problem-solving
• tempestuous
• collects shiny rocks and watches
• best friends with Rhunes

 

Some believe that Compass is the progenitor of all nimbei - that he was the first, birthed from the cosmos themselves. But who really knows for sure?

[ thank you micah! ]

 

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[ NIMBEIS ]

[ closed species belonging to rhunes - do not use without her permission ]

 

[ They are lizard-like demons with saurian-like, rough tongues. They can be found in many different habitats. Every Nimbei can see very poorly in the dark; but on the other hand they can smell very well! The body of the most Nimbeis is smooth and velvety to the touch, along with a super-fluffy tail. But... since most Nimbeis are wild creatures, nobody can really tell. Some of them also have a body made of fur. Some say that they have seen some Nimbeis with special tails; like one made of cotton-candy, fog, leaves, galaxies, et cetera. Many people who have a freshly adopted Nimbei need to look first at what their tail is made of!

Every Nimbei has their own, unique appearance. Not a single one looks like another. If two Nimbeis have a hatchling together, it looks like a mixture of both parents. If only one part of the parents a Nimbei, they may produce a hatchling with a very new appearance. Depending on how they look, you can say some are rarer than other ones. Some very specific characteristics appear more often, and some are only a myth. So some say, there would be Nimbeis with wings. But is that true? Who knows! The frequency of Nimbeis is as follows: common - uncommon - rare -mystic. Maybe there will also be some very new and unknown Nimbeis discovered? ]

 

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An Eastward Wind Blows

1/4

 

She’d been traveling alone for a long time.

And truth be told, he found it quite confusing. In this area, high in the mountains where man feared to tread, in the dead of winter when the cold was biting and the air hurt to breathe, lone males were rare. This, however, was a female by her lonesome, and not a very old one at that.

It was dark and, like all nimbei, Compass could not truly see her; he could follow her movements amidst the trees, warm and inviting, though. His paws were soundless on the branches, the canopy blocking out the light of the moon.

In these woods, no predator dared stray. Nimbei came in big and small; they came in fierce and gentle; they came in predator and they came in prey. Natural predators feared and gave them a wide berth; long gone were the wolves who called this area home. It was his dominion alone, and for that, she was safe. These were woods that would not die here in the winter; the trees were as vibrant as they were in the spring and in the fall.

Humans knew these woods as haunted. It was not just the treacherous path that kept them from roaming close, though that was also a reason. No, it was the spirits of the dead, they claimed. They really meant him, though.

He did not take kindly to humans venturing into his woods. Why, then, was this one here?

For all he could address, she looked to be a pup – a mere child by human standards, alone and wandering in the dark. He’d been watching her for half a day as she roamed, with no guardian or parent in sight. He was assessing her, for surely there was a reason why she was left alone. But… near as he could tell, there wasn’t one. She was just very, very lost.

He crept forward when she came to a stop at a group of rocks. The female settled and then made a strangled sound that reminded him of injuries. His ears flattened, anxious, and he leaned downward. She was leaking, too. Bleeding? His intuition was uncannily good; she didn’t seem to be a threat to him, or his woods. Had someone or something attacked her?

Hesitantly, he whispered – though none but she would hear, for a Nimbei’s voice is not out loud but instead heart-to-heart – to her –

Are you lost?

She looked up, alarmed, and then started looking around for him, but she would not be able to find him. Not in the darkness that loomed above. He could see from this proximity, though, that the fluids were from her eyes, and through his limited human interaction, he knew this to be tears. Sadness. She was upset about something, then, and the navy-furred nimbei’s curiosity was piqued.

The girl answered with a shaky voice, “Y-yes.” She sounded as young as she looked, confirming it: she was a child, and a very young one at that.

Where are mommy and daddy?

“G-gone. Mama’s gone.” She brought her hands up to her face and sobbed. Compass sat up, ears quirking to the side in curiosity. The human sniffled and whispered, “Where…?”

Follow the stars.

“Stars?”

The explanation came to her quickly enough, in the form of a scattered glimmering trail of stars and dust dancing in the air like light particles. She stood up and looked unsure, the colorful light leading eastward – away from where she’d come from.

“Is it safe?” she asked, taking a step forward. As the trail continued forward, it seemed to change colors – from glimmering silver-white to purple, to navy, and then to turquoise, before going back again. Her head tilted upward and she thought she saw a flash of yellow in the trees. Imagination…?

The stars will lead you to where it is. Follow them, little human.

She still looked like she wasn’t confident, but slowly, the little human stepped into the path of stardust and started forward. Compass crawled forward along the branches, following behind her at a suitable pace. It was a shorter jaunt than her walking circles in the woods, but there were reasons for that as well. Just as he could summon the stars to his aid, he could bend these woods to them as well – and this was his home.

Five minutes passed, and then ten, and then she saw them: fire lights in the distance. The little human ran forward, in the process dropping the object that she carried in the leaves and the dirt, and she reached the edge of the forest. A village! It was a walk, far enough for the trees to be safe, but it was a village!

“Thank you! Thank you!”

She did not turn back. The little girl ran forward, the trail of star dust continuing until the furthest outcropping of the trees, but she needed it no longer. The villagers would find her and keep her safe. Compass watched her go and then, curiously, leapt from the branches into the roots and underbrush.

Where she’d stood was a small stuffed dog, tattered and torn, but obviously well-loved.

He nudged it with one paw and then, after a moment, picked it up in his maw. His tail of flowing stardust danced around him and carried him back into the darkness of the trees, the token of her appreciation taken with him to cherish long after time had forgotten her name.

Good luck, little human.

 

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Head West Until You Find the Sea

2/4