Firestorm CH1 Wildflower Fields by keenBTF

Aurea bounded around the massive plains, thrilled to see not only all of the flowers, but all of the new esks! She loved meeting new esks, and this had the potential for so many new friends. She stopped suddenly and shoved her face into a particularly lush patch of yellow flowers, sniffing deeply to inhale their glorious scent. She beamed at the esks around her, willing them to experience the joy she felt. She glanced back at her rump, forehead creasing slightly at the absence of her caper bush, but she was used to it being gone as she enjoyed leaving her biome often enough. Shrugging off the slight unease, she resumed skipping across the fields. She and Tarax, the tiny esk that she had transformed, along with Auriga and Oregano, all had come to the Gathering together. Being on an outing with her favorite esks was always at the top of her list of best-things-to-do-EVER.

She tried to look up at the small dandelion esk that sat on her head, but of course she could not see her. She instead looked around her at her other two friends, the one that transformed her, and one that she transformed. It was a wonderful Gathering, she decided.

"Oh, look!" she called to the others. She had spied a large herd of buffalo meandering across the plains. "Can we go and see them?" she asked, bouncing in place. Oregano looked at Auriga and they both shrugged. "Why not?"

Aurea laughed and raced toward the herd. The closest animals looked up at them, a little warily. Aurea slowed down at Oregano's bidding and approached slowly. Well, slowly for Aurea, which was still too fast for the buffaloes' liking. The nearest buffalo tried to back away from the fast-approaching creature, but bumped into others of its kind. This started a chain reaction, and soon the entire herd was galloping away from them, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.

Aurea stared after them, watching the last of them disappear. The dust took a long time to settle, and when it finally did, she looked sheepishly at the others. "Oops..."

She moved off to look around some more. She never thought to let someone else lead the group, she just wanted to see everything there was to see of the Great Plains.

She stopped again and looked over the fields at a relatively small group of esks crowded around a smallish gray one. She leaned down and whispered to Oregano, "Hey, do you think that is Vetru? I cannot see them very well, what with all the esks surrounding them." Oregano looked up at her. "You do know that you have the advantage of height over me, right? I can see less than you can." He looked over at the group again. "We can go and find out though," he added.

Aurea nodded enthusiastically and bounced over the tall grasses and flowers once again. Auriga followed her and Oregano, and the small Raxxy clung to the fur on her head as they went. They approached the group and Aurea could now see that it was indeed Vetru in the middle of the crowd. She excitedly nudged Auriga and said, "We should go and talk to them! We probably won't get the chance again after the Gathering is over." Auriga nodded and all four friends looked at each other. They nervously got behind some other esks who appeared to be waiting in line to talk with the Wanderer. Aurea admired the glowing horn the famous esk sported, and silently wished for one of her own. She wondered what Vetru did with their horn, what enchantment it might have.

When it was finally their turn to speak with the smallish gray esk, they stepped forward. Oregano spoke first.

"It is an honor to meet you, Vetru," he said with a respectful nod of his head. Auriga added her sentiment to his, saying, "Yes, a great honor!" Tarax squeaked in agreement and Aurea nodded as well.

Vetru looked at them each in turn.

"You four seem to have come far, but maybe not as far as others. Where are you from?" Oregano told the Wanderer where they came from, describing the area briefly. Vetru nodded.

They turned and looked directly at Aurea then, who was again studying the esk's glowing horn. "What are you looking at?" they asked, but not unkindly.

Aurea was undaunted and said, "Your horn. It is beautiful. What do you do with it? I would love a horn myself."

Vetru's face clouded. Their voice turned sharp and snapping. "Do not presume to wish for that which you do not understand, young esk." A darkening in the skies brought many eyes upward, and then a shrinking back from many esks as electricity crackled in the newly formed storm clouds.

Aurea returned her gaze thoughtfully to Vetru's face. "You are unhappy with your powers," she said matter-of-factly. Auriga shushed her. "Mind your manners, Aurea!"

Aurea did not turn her gaze from the Wanderer though. Vetru returned her look, the clouds dissipating as quickly as they had come.

They did not reply to Aurea's statement, but instead said, "What do you do with your esk life?"

Aurea tilted her head, and caught unawares, the small dandelion esk finally toppled off of her head. Oregano caught her and then clambered up onto Aurea's back, Raxxy moving to sit in front of him.

Aurea would have smiled if she could at the Wanderer's question. "Everyone deserves to be loved, but few think to love themselves. I try to show them that it is important to do so." She was proud of her chosen calling and it showed.

Vetru snorted. "You do not do a very good job. Here, I will help you."

The esk reached out and touched Aurea's shoulder, and a flash of light blinded them all for a moment. Once it was gone, Aurea tilted her head again, this time in confusion. "You are not very polite," she said, stung by Vetru's words.

Auriga shushed her again. "Aurea, look!" She led her to a nearby stream and Aurea looked into it. She stared at her own reflection for a while, stunned to see her own glowing, sparkling horn. Her's was more of a pinkish purple, rather than the greenish blue of the Wanderer's horn. She could now feel the enchantment radiating through her at the thought of the horn. She spun around to thank Vetru, but the gray esk was gone. She looked into the distance to see the lightning-fast esk galloping away. She watched the flowers bend their heads at the Wanderer's passing, as if bowing respectfully.

Thank you, she thought silently.

--

https://www.deviantart.com/keenbtf/art/TWWM-Firestorm-CH-1-Wildflower-Fields-754026831

Base Score: 11 GP (Writing: 1116 words)
+10 GP (Event Bonus) (biome + quest)
+6 GP (Storyteller Bonus: 6 GP * 1)
Total GP per submission: 27