Misaligned

1: Parting From Home.

A small group of loons stood in a cluster, nervously whispering among themselves every now and then. They were a ragtag collection that, on looking at them, didn't really make sense. Usually, such a party would have at least one leader, someone motivated towards the cause. Yet, not one looked around the thick tree trunks with a spark in their eyes. Ears were low as postures were tense for the most part. The main difference that divided them was that some were more apathetic than others. A few chocolates hovered nearby, as if they weren't sure how they got there or even what was going on. Their shift in mood wasn't enough to disturb the other three from fueling each other's anxiousness, though. They kept looking around as if they were going to get caught, like loonlings after the cookie jar.

There was no way they had been followed. Snow littered the ground, meaning the vast majority of the Home World was down at the Hearth Hall to the far south. The collection of six had to go out of their way to trek up to the Fourth Wall and they'd exercised great care as they did so. With the crunch of snow underpaw, it wasn't that difficult to hear someone coming. Even if they were perused by someone in flight, the overwhelming silence of the snowscape would enable at least one of them to hear the stray wing beat. Having been so alert on their way over resulted in the gradual increase in nerves among them. All it took was the snap of a twig for one of them to go springing into the air and whirling around, looking for a pursuer.

Yet, what they were doing wasn't wrong. Loons crossed in and out of the Fourth Wall all the time of their free will. In part, it was the fact that they didn't want to explain themselves that kept them so nervous. The last thing they wanted, was a typical protagonist to show up and lead them on with suffocating optimism and stamina. They weren't totally sure they wanted to be doing what they were doing, but they knew they didn't want to be disturbed (or worse - be joined by young loons). So, despite the hesitation, the six of them eventually did head for the portal and warily step through.

2: Forested Area

The other side of the portal was always the same. A great swath of oval-shaped clearing ringed by dark colored pines. Magma and Waffle took a few steps ahead of the others upon arriving. While they weren't familiar with the place, they likely had the most experience in Loonia, having gone on the great adventure to find new land years ago. Others like Winter and One, a couple of the chocolates, had attended an event near the clearing, but seen little need to visit the other world. They made no effort to pass the two males as they took a few steps ahead, stretching out their necks with ears perked to check the area for danger. If anything, they were relieved that someone knew at least a little more than they did.

As usual, the area was quiet. It was significantly less snowy than the other side of the Fourth Wall, with bundles of iced over snow only huddling beneath the shade of the needles. The air was still chilly enough that the loons exhaled clouds of fog, but they all could boast a coat of fur at this point in time. Besides the small extra bit of cold Winter, One, Kiddo, and Storm would suffer from their dripping markings, they wouldn't be hampered much by the temperature. As such, the two leading the group elected to avoid crossing through the clearing. Instead, they turned alone the edge, keeping below the brim of the pines where they would be sheltered from passing eyes. The clearing was sometimes the site of events, so there was still risk of being spotting by someone overly friendly. Once they were further out, they'd relax more, but not yet.

Regretfully, the group began to realize, none of them excelled at being trackers. Magma was outright too anxious to lower his head to try to pick up a scent trail, so it was left to the others to try and figure things out. But it had been a long time. If she had left a trail, it'd be all but gone now. They eyed each other nervously, knowing they'd have to give it their best guess. 

3: Cold Area

Trying to puzzle out which was the right way to go was daunting and, if faced with too much more reluctance, there was risk that the group would turn back the way they'd come and go home. Kiddo was the one to make the choice, stepping ahead momentarily to wander off among the pines. After a few paces, he looked over his should to ensure one of the more experienced didn't want to pass him by. Waffle and Magma seemed relieved that they weren't the sole decision makers. Instead of overriding the chocolate's path, they started to follow after him. With that done, the remainder of the group picked up the pace to catch up with those leading the pack. Whether it was the right way or not, they were off.

As they walked and time slipped by, the covering of the canopy overhead started to thin. Pines were joined by the naked branches of other trees and their scant pompoms of remaining leaves from the fall season. The shriveled brown foliage rattled amongst each other, forcing the travelers to constantly check for a creature in the boughs. Of course, there was nothing there. The further they continued on, they noticed, the more the snow around them began to pile up. It was nothing compared to the great drifts currently taking up residence in the Home World, but the icy crust still covered their paws. With it, icicles began to form on the branches, which were becoming more deciduous, less coniferous. As they continued to check for intruders above, they found themselves asking each other if the points of ice were as large as they were previously. Initially, the answer was 'of course', but as they marched on, they became less sure. The ice seemed to be encroaching on them, gaining inches after they took little more than ten steps. Then, Winter hit her head on a low-hanging shard while looking elsewhere.

The loons paused to look around at the great columns of ice that had formed around them. Icicles hung close enough to the ground to form thick stalagmites, making an ominous ice cave that was underneath the open sky. It'd happened so fast that they couldn't help but wonder if the forest was moving around them. But that wasn't the only thought that was bothering them. Out loud, Storm mumbled that they wished they'd paid more attention to the other explorers' recounting of this adventure. Wasn't it supposed to be getting hot right about now?

4: Watery Area

Despite being fairly certain that they'd taken a wrong turn, the group continued on. Kiddo had offered up the idea that maybe they'd still end up in the right place while Waffle mentioned they might be able to tell where they were once the area cleared up. Both suggestions combined were enough to soothe Magma enough to step up and take the lead again, even though some of the group members had begun to worry that he'd break down into a ball of nerves. The fact that things weren't going perfectly well was clearly taking a toll on him.

After walking for a while more, the ice seemed to give up and start to recede to everyone's relief, as the pillars of frozen water had begun to get claustrophobic for even the more apathetic. With it, the snow faded away, too. At first, it clung underneath shadows and in partially hidden ditches, but then it vanished completely. Strangely, the trees reacted the more distance they put between themselves and the frozen area. Green began to freckle the sky overhead and the foliage grew more dense. Even the grass under their feet seemed to gain color, swaying in the slight breeze in a more lively manner. Weeping willows started to crop up, adding their drooping branches to the gradually more vibrant scenery. With them, they brought their namesake, pouring small drops of water onto the loons below them every now and then.

The three chocolates that had taken up the rear, Storm, One, and Winter, found themselves crying out as they tumbled into a hidden pond in unison. The long grass as well as the leaf litter had concealed the liquid and, as they popped their heads above the surface, they found themselves blotched with fallen leaves and other plants. Magma had turned, alerted by the sound. In doing so, one of his extended paws plunged into an oversized puddle. It was only the shock of the liquid the kept him from skidding in due to the slippery ground. Thankfully, the air around them had warmed, so the water wasn't shockingly cold. Yet, the group still paused to share baffled glances, unsure how they were going to navigate the swamp that was apparently playing hide-and-seek with them.

5: Populated Area

Scarcely a second after the now-soggy chocolates had clambered from the pond and shaken the majority of the moisture from their fur, a giant toad sprung out of seemingly nowhere and landed squarely on Waffle's face. Fairly, the sudden appearance (and inability to see what was going on, as the animal had covered his eyes) caused him to rear up and squeal in alarm. Temporarily forgetting about the situation, he sprinted off to seemingly nowhere, extra arms reaching up to claw at his face. It didn't last long. Kiddo and Magma both tried to warn him, but weren't able to stop his panicked stampede before he toppled face-first into a large, but shallow pool of water.

As if it had arrived at its intended destination, the toad flopped off the loons face before he could sit back up. With the splash Waffle had cast over the previously still water, though, came at least a dozen more hidden amphibians. They croaked, as if annoyed at being disturbed, and started to hop away to calmer waters. As they began to leave, they themselves splashed into other puddles and tiny ponds, from which would come another angry wave of toads. The loons still standing watched in bafflement as a domino effect formed, with an increasing number toads trying to leave seeming to bring yet more toads into existence. The croaking and shuffling of them all quickly grew overwhelming as their numbers multiplied.

Slowly and cradling his nose, Waffle raised his head from the water. In doing so, he allowed one of the creatures to use his head as a convenient step-stool. He squeaked and, quickly as he could, clambered from the water. In doing so, a hind paw landed in a previously undisturbed cluster of toads. They squished under his paw, which didn't harm them, but made the grey loon shriek in alarm. With that, he spun away from the group and charged off, green and brown creatures springing up in his wake. The rest of the group stayed still for a moment, but, after recovering from the initial shock, started to chase after him. All five called after him that the toads would do him no harm, but Waffle didn't seem reassured, as his charge didn't halt until the croaking was far in the distance.

6: Arid Area

In his panic, Waffle ran so far ahead of the others that the surrounding area went though another change before they could catch up to him. The pines completely vanished, as did the willows. Was was left were thin, scrawny trees that reached up the the sky. Their canopies were golden-orange and provided little shade, as they started to avoid each other. Most vegetation became scarce, with just the few trees and tall, yellow grass. The abundance of water they'd stumbled through left no trace. Instead, there were clumps of coarse, brown rock piled up a occasionally. It wasn't until one sprayed out a jet of hot, hissing steam, scaring the group half to death, that they realized they were geysers. The scalding spray they emitted likely had a lot to do with the increase in heat around them, which made running harder.

Thankfully, Waffle's fight-or-flight did eventually wear off. The others were able to trot up to him as he stood still, head lowered while he tried to catch his breath. Once they were all together again, those who were the least worn out such as Magma and Storm tried to figure out where they now stood. Despite the landscape around them consisting of wide, rolling fields for the most part, nothing looked familiar. They were fairly certain they'd missed an important landmark. On top of that, there was the though that surely her scent would have started to get stronger at some point. Yet, they were just as lost as when they had started.

One interrupted their worrying, complaining about the heat. A couple of the other chocolates agreed that it was unpleasant, so Magma did his best to nudge Waffle onward again. Although he was tired, the regular loon would be able to walk for a while still. Night hadn't fallen yet, so it'd serve them best to keep going for as long as the sun allowed. Trying to keep to the sparse shade, they hoped that the uncomfortably hot biome would be replaced as quickly as some of the previous ones they'd walked through had been.

7: Ending
Regretfully, things stayed fairly the same from the dry fields onward. The group's pace became a weary trudge and the occasional loon would wonder out loud if they should turn back before they got too off track. Before a majority vote was made, they managed to come across something that broke up the monotony of the yellow-brown area. One hill took it upon itself to rise high above the others. The top was flat and, though it towered far over their heads, they could see it had a crown of the most trees they'd seen since entering the area. There was likely an oasis on top to support such vegetation and taking a break there didn't sound like an awful idea. Although the sun hadn't set, it was working its way down the horizon. Magma mumbled to no one in particular that they wouldn't really be wasting that much time if they stopped now.

There was a slope that led to the top that looked almost loon-made. It was carved out of the rock and wasn't difficult to climb nor too steep or choppy. Granted, it was still an uphill climb, making the tired loons huff and pant before they reached the stories-high crest of the hill. Once they arrived, though, they were rewarded with a burst of green. Sure enough, a bubbling lake rested peacefully in the center of the butte. Initially, it was crowded by many colorful birds, but once the creatures spotted the loons, they quickly took to the sky with a variety of unfamiliar calls. Exhausted from climbing the slope, most of the group wobbled over to the nearest patch of thick shade and collapsed. As soon as they stopped, huge white flowers akin to those on lily pads tumbled from the boughs above and landed in a circle around each one of them. This odd behavior made them nervously glance up, waiting for something undesirable to happen, but the quiet only carried on. Still unnerved, Storm voiced that maybe they should leave as soon as possible. Considering they had been one of the more calm loons throughout the journey, some of the others agreed out of worry that they were on to something.

Meanwhile, Kiddo had gotten up and wandered to the edge of the pond. The others watched him carefully dip his paws into the water. Despite the bubbles on its surface, it didn't burn him. So, he continued to creep forwards and towards the center. From the shade, One, Winter, and Magma made a great effort to see what he was doing without getting up with little success. They had to wait a few more moments before he raised the shape of an egg from the center of the pool.

"Oh no" Magma gasped, abruptly distraught. An egg meant they had something to care for besides themselves. They couldn't very well just leave it there, though.

"Do we take it home?" Winter asked

"What about Void?" One quickly followed up

"I guess...we'll have to try again later." Magma lowered his head in defeat. Several groups of loons had gone looking for Voidkiss after she'd gone missing some months ago. She was likely fine, but the fact that no one had found any trace of her was somewhat concerning. The group had hoped to be the ones to discover her location, but now it seemed that they'd be heading back home empty-handed. Well...for the most part.