[TWWM] Those Connected by Fate

Location: India (Early Autumn)


Silence seemed to press inward on Kaito. He sat in the sand near a koi pond in his little zen garden. A strange spirit with bright markings and bright eyes had appeared to him and joyfully told him that he could stay. How though? What was going on? Moonlight shone on them, Kaito, his dark hair unbrushed, his clothing rumpled from weeks of sleeplessness, and the strange creature, small enough to sit on his cupped hands, floating gleefully before him.
"Stay, Stay. You can stay!" it sung, its tiny voice tinkling in his mind as if he dreamt of bells.
"But..."
Before he could say anything, a brilliant blue light poured from the creature, washing down and outwards, filling the entire garden in a sea of light. It looked like a dreamscape, the light grew brighter, tendrils of white and gold burst from the spirit, reaching towards Kaito, wrapping him in brightness and light. He gasped, but did not try to resist. He was too tired and too dumbfounded to even react, as the streams of light pulsed and pulled, shaping him. The light grew brighter and more intense, and as it seemed to erupt into a intensity that could not even be seen nor felt, Kaito felt his human self, his body and his soul, split away, parting from him, and disperse. His consciousness was pulled downward, inward, towards the sand and water. He smelled the warm sand, and felt a soft breeze gently whisper through his hair. The tendrils faded and dropped him gently onto the sand. It felt like when you hold your breath for a really long time and then, when you're about to pass out, you exhale and it feels intense and relaxing all at once. And he felt his weight press down into the sand softly...in four places.

Eyes wide, he turned to look, paws? Lifting a soft white paw, he examined it, following it up with his eyes to a long back, and more legs, and a tail. Dark black it pooled on the sand behind him. He turned back to the spirit, questions in his thoughts. "Wh...what...what happened?"

The little creature spun and twirled, dancing around him in the air. "You stay! You stay!" it chanted excitedly, swooping in to hug his neck. Kaito stepped back, suprised by the creature's intensity. He chuckled a bit, feeling quite light, as if all his worries and fears had faded away with his human form. "What do you mean I stay?" He reached up and gently plucked the tiny esk from his neck and held it at arms length, eyeing it curiously.
"You are esk now! You can stay here! Don't have to go, nope!" it wriggled free and danced through the air again, alighting gently on a branch that seemed to rise out of Kaito's face directly.
"Is that a...branch?" he said, trying to see it. He bent to look at his reflection in the pool. There was indeed branches, sprouting from his brow and sweeping backwards, a soft loop of sakura boughs, complete with a smattering of petals that drifted towards the water as he moved.
"I have a tree on my head." he said, dryly.
The little esk giggled and danced into sight again. "Yep! Tree head! You look good!"
Kaito squinted, a grin warming his heart. "Well, thank you, but what am I?" He examined himself further while Flynn explained.
"Oh! Silly me, I forgot to talk more." the little esk giggled hard, landing to dance across the sand before leaping into the air again. He didn't seem to ever stop moving.
"My name is Flynn! I'm an esk! And now...You're an esk too!" he nodded his head, the little plant bobbing up and down. Kaito peered at himself in the water, his body was mostly white, with soft grey spots, and his neck and tail were jet black. The branches seemed to sprout directly from his head. He looked like something out of a old folk tale. He looked like shadows and moonlight, and trees and nature. The wind tousled his mane and he was amazed at how light and soft it was for as dense as it looked.
"An...esk?" Kaito said, the word seemed strange.
"Yep! A nature spirit, a ghost, a spooky-doo!" Flynn giggled again, "Or a ... not-spooky doo... cause you look nice, not scary... like some esks" his eyes grew wide for a moment before shivvering nervously and spinning off again.
"Spooky...doo..." Kaito said, chuckling. "You're a funny little guy, Flynn you said?"
"Yep! Flynn from the future" he said ominously.
"I...don't know what that means." Kaito shook his head, trying to make sense of it all. He felt calm, and relaxed. Pain and fear were nowhere to be found, and even his thoughts of Cosette were calm and hopeful. It was almost as if he could sense that she was alright, out there, waiting for him...