Featuring Wisp

June Minievent Prompt 1 
By: Penpause47
— One-shot —

    Akila carefully stepped across the line, the border between biomes. Behind her, the familiar scent of the prairie grasses and rolling hills greeted the first phase of dawn. Far back, towards the end of the hillside landscape, lay a great stretch of mountains, their glistening white-tipped peaks catching the sun’s weak light as it rose from its slumber behind them. The sun, like a dying lamp’s candle re-lit, painted the gray-toned sky with its brilliant colors of pink, red, and orange. The clouds themselves had taken on a pink sort of tint, floating ever so slowly along the sky. If you look close enough, you could see them moving, their destination forever a mystery.

    In front of her, however… well, that was a different story. Beyond the hills, the ground levelled out to a strange sort of flat. Not completely flat, but not covered in hills and slopes, either. Across this line, where the dry grasses transformed into lush green undergrowth, stretched the vast adventure of the woodlands. The trunks that supported the trees, old and weathered, were endless. The dense canopy above them blotted out the sun’s nourishing light, casting a dark, eerie shadow upon the forest floor. 

    These were two different biomes; the forest, and the plains. Akila herself was a plains biome esk, meaning her boundary, a prairie, could be found in an area that could be classified as a plains environment. Leaving her biome meant she would no longer be accompanied by her nature features, flowering spurge (or euphorbia corollata, if you go by practical terms). She would also lose her elemental, a cluster of clouds and gentle touches of rain that rested on her shoulders (she called it her “gentle shower”). Of course, she shouldn’t feel attached to mere manifestations, but she felt somehow connected to them nonetheless. 

    In crossing this line, she was leaving the plains biome behind, her home, and entering the forest biome. It’s just a little exploring,” she reminded herself. I can’t be frightened of the great unknown, can I?

    The shadows of the forest caressed her, acknowledging her entry into their domain. Akila was also greeted by the chirps and twitters of the birds native to the area, as well as the barks of squirrels, rodents, and other animals. So this is summer.

    Yes, it is summer. If Akila had to guess, she’d say it was the warmest season out of the entire cycle. Sure, spring had it’s cozy days, but summer had a much higher tendency to be quite hot. During these months, Akila could easily find children splashing through the cool waters, or other humans taking a walk in the woods. I wonder if I’ll run into any here, Akila thought. I guess it’s not unlikely.

    As she trekked through the forest, she became aware of the different chirps and chitters of the birds that inhabited this unique woodland area. Akila always thought birds were a beautiful thing; they were smart, beautiful, and each sound they made was their very own. Like a name. 

    There was one in particular she liked: the new world warbler. She was astonished by their interesting color scheme, which featured a combination of bright yellows, blacks, and whites or grays; you could even spot one with a bit of orange or brown. They reminded her of finches, the yellow ones, anyway. 

    Akila felt a strange feeling of both self consciousness and embarrassment when one of the small little birds landed on her shoulder. It fixed her with its beady little black eyes and examined her face. Akila fought the urge to laugh, fearing that she would startle the little creature. She dared not move, either, for she was savoring the little time she had before the warbler decided to move along. 

    Akila wondered if the bird was affected by her elemental. She was then painfully reminded of its absence, upon a glance past her bare shoulders. The bird followed her gaze, cocking its head in curiosity. It turned back to her and chirped indignantly. Akila gazed back, basking in the warmth of its attention.

    And, as quickly as it had come, it was gone. The new world warbler prepared for flight, spread its wings, and lifted off, all in a mere instant. Akila was sad to see it go, but she was grateful that she had had the chance to witness its beauty, the beauty of nature. Akila liked to remind herself that even the smallest things mattered, no matter how insignificant. 

    Akila lifted her head to the sky to watch as the new world warbler flew past. Through the leaves, she caught a glimpse of its bright yellow coloration. I think that was a migratory bird, she realized. They’re migrating during this time of year, aren’t they?

    Nevertheless, even though life required sacrifices, the gift it can give in return is worth it. With so many secrets to unravel, Akila wanted to make it her mission to complete her quest of life.