I'm Calling for You

The soft breeze was whispering though the forest that day in Warrenfall, with the arrival of the mild spring which had been given way by the winter, that had brought with it the snow and the ice, leaving on the ground a soft mowed grass, at the appearance. The truth was that under the various layers of ice underground no new grass had grown, consequenly the ground was still covered by the old grass that was now growing again, forming new leaves, in a complete renewal.
Warrenfall was a continent with a balanced climate and even if from the east to the west there could be some differences, in the internal area the wind was always soft and calm, nothing cmparable to the marine areas or the other two continents. The reoseans, as like the humanoids that were living in the continent seemed calm and the forest was emitting a beautiful light coming from the empty spaces between the trees, that probably were in turn illuminated by the reflection of the clear waters of the ponds that were present in the forest. It was common in Warrenfall to find small ponds, rivers and some waterfalls here and there, as like as different types of plants, of bushes full of berries in late spring or summer and animals of every specie.
That day some reoseans were around because of several reasons at first, but what they surely had in common was the fact that all of them had heard a sound, similar to a voice, coming from the deepest part of the forest. It was a deep, melancholic sound that seemed connected with the eaarth, the wind, the plants and the soul of the forest itself. An ancient sound that rang through the woods.
Anyway, that day Arpeggio, a blonde duveteux vayron, was walking through the trees when he heard the sound, that strange voice that seemed there just to call him. He had shook the tail and had started to follow the sound before realizing that he was almost lost into the woods. At a certain points the forest became thicker and he didn't recognize precisely where he was. That wasn't the biggest of his problems, because after some minutes he noticed he wasn't there alone.
In fact other vayrons were there with him and one of them was a strange colored one. Charlatan, a short runner, was a chimera boy and was trying to hide behind a bush, but with his amethyst and eggplant base coat, the light green socks and the brownish rosettes on the back it was almost impossible not to see him.
On the other side of the blonde male, Amina had been better at hiding. Probably because of her green lime color, darker on the tips of her body like on the muzzle, the legs and the equine tail, almost true black, she was waiting for something, or maybe for someone like her, attracted by the sound.
Lasts, but not less important, two friends were walking together when they noticed the presence of the other three. One of the two was an amethyst vayron with a dark mane, a white underbelly and white stripes on the neck, while the other one was a pecan samurai runner with a reptile tail.
The five vayrons looked at each other with curiosity at first, didn't know what to do mostly because of the different types of personality they had. Probably the kindest of the group were Amina, the fishscaled girl, and Souji, the pecan samurai with the sooty marking, while Arpeggio had maybe a bad reputation, called "the Warrenfall Phantom" because of his light color, the fluffy fur and the tabby marking, even if he probably didn't know it.
At the same time Morien, the amethyst runner with the dark mane wasn't properly the kindest vayron in the world, but neither a badass, because he just loved to keep calm, without beong teased by others. On the other side Charlatan was a greedy merchant and he was maybe there for profit, curious about the events, that could have helped him become more rich.
Nobody knows why they were there and at first nobody wants to admit they were there because they heard a voice. Well, be honests, if you go around sayong you're hearing a voice, someone could think you're schizophrenic! It's strange, nothing more, nothing less.
But they couldn't stay there just looking at each other without saying anything and after some minutes of silence Souji was almost speaking, breaking the ice, but the voice began to make itself heard again.
It was a calm voice that sounds like a half way between a lullaby and a singsong and in that moment was a bit muffled because of the distance and the woods that interfered with the sound, but it was a clean voice, not unscratched by other noise in the backgorund.
Immediately the group started to run, each on their own but at the same time all together as if they had been one creature. The paws on the ground were firm and strong until they reached a watery place in which the sound seemed amplified by the water itself and by the conformation of the trees around.
In fact in that small open space in which the sun rays were falling from the above, there was a water basin, larger than a pond, but smaller than a lake. It seemed a fairytale-like scenario with the sunlight that was illuminating the surface of the water and the small waterfall on the background, that was now again alive after the winter period in which it was frozen, hadn't a large water flow, but it was enough to fill the natural basin. On one of the sides of the basin, a heap of rocks rose above it and on them a vayron was looking at the waterfall, standing, surrounded by butterflies and other flying insects, as well as from small birds. His jade green base coat was darker on the flanks, creating a tabby marking that continued on the back legs where he showed a fishscaled marking as like as in other parts of his body. The lower underbelly was lighter, in a color similar to the water itself as if that creature was created from it. He had a sort of "divine" aura, or maybe a more "distant" one and his yellow eyes made him even more strange and singular. In a mix with a sea serpent and a creature bonded with nature, he was still looking at the waterfall when the voice came again, louder and cleaner.
The group of five at first didn't understand where it came from, but looking better they realized it was him that was producing that sound. That green vayron wasn't properly singing, that sound couldn't be considered a song, but he was probably...praying. In a mixture of music and ancient words, the jade runner was communicating maybe with nature, maybe with someone else, leaving the others, wordless.
Probably even because around him were growing some plants and the animals seemed in peace while hearing his voice too as if he had the power to made them feel better. It was a bit strange even for reoseans. That was an unique show not common to see and at first the five runners didn't know what to think about that singular situation or about that strange vayron that seemed more a mythical creature that a real living vayron.
Amina looked around, noticing the shyness of Arpeggio, not too much distant, that was feeling the situation. In truth he was a bit coward and he really preferred to run away, rather than fight, so Amina smiled, walking slowly in his direction. At first Arpeggio wasn't very convinced by her behave, but then he realized she was there to invite him to reach the jade runner. He didn't want to go by himself, he was timid, but with another reosean he was sure they could have do it together.
On the other side, Charlatan was more greedy and not interested in anything else probably, but almost as if the jade vayron could have read his mind, around him were growing expensive plants that the chimera could have resold on the market and that occasion seemed to much good to be wasted. Thus, like the other two, he started to walk in the jade vayron's direction, attracted by him (or his precious plants) like a moth from the light.
Not too much distant from them, Souji was self confident and unconscious enough to start to walk without an apprent reason. He was just curious and to protect Warrenfall was his job. He was a samurai and his duty was to protect the continent from dangers, it didn't matter of which type. With him, Morien didn't want to be left behind and he walked next to the samurai's side like a pup with his mom, due to his young age. He was a bit worried, but that sound was so peaceful and calm that it was impossible to resist.
Even the animals around him began to gather around him as like as the plants, as if the jade runner, whose lost name was Veles Velja Noc, was communicating with them in an ancient sublanguage. It was a non-verbal communication that plagued the subconscious of those who listened to it in a peaceful way. The vayrons seemed naturally attracted by him and they could jus hope he wasn't dangerous.
In nature some plants or even some animals can modify their appearance and their shape to attract the preys, killing them when they are close enough to be reached. Thus the question was: was he a sort of evil spirit? A forgotten ghost that was there just to hunt his diner that could have put in danger every, single vayron there? Or maybe was he a god?
The group could have been in danger, but also surrounded by a singular creature that at a first glance was clearly a vayron, but was he special or just a vayron with different powers than theirs? Probably that creature had a special power capable to attack not only the senses of the other reoseans and creatures, but also their subconscious.
It seemed not important in those circumstances, because the vayrons seemed too much attracted by that singsong, sometimes similar to a lullaby, they seemed forget about their bodies, their minds, their very existence. Veles had leveraged their desires for peace and avarice, making them move without a reason, without a logic, so much that they were half immersed in the water of the basin without realizing it.
Would they have drowned? Was that a dangerous situation or maybe just a strange magical ritual?
Disposed on five corners involuntarily forming a pentacle, the five runners were still looking at him. Who knows what they were thinking, probably only they knew it.
Arpeggio and Amina seemed in peace with themselves, Souji and Charlatan were smiling mischievously with no apparent reason and Morien seemed confused and maybe a bit worried. He probably was the youngest in the group, so he didn't know what was happening and neither had met something similar in his life, before.
While the five seemed in trance, Veles was looking at them and at the water and after some minutes the clean water basin began to shine with its own light, a green-light blue light that was even more solid, as we can say it. The water started to grow vertically, forming a large shape that gradually formed another vayron, at first more similar to water itself, transparent and clean, then even more solin in shape and in color. His teal color coat was accompanied by a white underbelly and some dark lines on his back, recreating a brushed marking that started from his neck, until the brush tail. The long mane, similar to that of a kelpie of the fairytales, was teal and carribean light blue, and that color continued on his muzzle, as if it was present on his legs, under the white and on the tail. The grey eyes stopped on the five reoseans that seemed almost blocked and then the puller moved them on Veles.
Hantu Air, another vayron with a forgotten name and existence was looking at him with kindness. He perfectly knew Veles wasn't there to hurt the runners, he was a nature guardian capable to attract every creature around from miles, the judge for those who breake the rules of nature and its laws. A shy guardian and musician with a terrible power capable to attract and maybe control what was around him with the power of low frequencies, those that are imperceptible to the ear not only human, but sometimes also animal that affected the subconscious, permitting him to control every fiber of the body of his preys and also some elements in nature as like as plants and other living organisms. It was terrible if used with unconsciousness, he could also have pushed someone to commit suicide if he wanted, but at the same time in a guardian's paws it could have helped him to drive away those who wanted to damage the surrounding nature.
"Your work is finished, my friend. Let's go" whispered Hantu. He was a guardian of water, himself was water, so he could understand him.
Veles smiled, looking at the five runners with kindness and comprehension, then at the teal puller.
"My work has just begun" he replied kindly.
It wasn't clear how or why, but Arpeggio woke up alone in the forest without knowing if that experience was a dream or not. He was sleeping on the grass, smiling like a child in a candystore when he realized he was probably dreaming. That dream was so real he can't believe that! Surely it was an explanation.
In another part of the forest Amina opened the eyes, realizing she was maybe dreaming or maybe not. Also for her the dream was so vivid that it was unbeliavable to think that it could have been just her immagination.
When Charlatan woke up, he was disappointed to realize he had lost the opportunity to steal those rare plants! He wanted them so bad as a greedy merchant that he wanted to come back to find them!
Together, Souji and Morien looked at each other to be sure they were now awaken and they seemed more interested into returning to their training, rather than other. Souji giggled when Morien said he had done a very strange dream about a spirit of nature.
Even if all five woke up in different places in the forest and each of them had a different personality and different reasons to return home, to their duties or to searching for the jade runner to steal from him the plants, some words rumbled in their heads in the lower part of their subconscious.
"Protect the balance. Always"
They were guardians or merchants, they were good or badass, they were males and females, so in every, single, thing, they were different and apparently perfectly balance. As can be seen in some asian cultures of another world, good cannot exist without evil, light cannot exist without darkness and also they balanced their own world with other reoseans and creatures.
Luckily the creature that they had met wasn't dangerous and the voice in their head had stopped. Some of them were probably still dazed, but they could stand up and walk, even if probably some of them could have heard or seen things that didn't exist. For this reason maybe some of them could have tought it was just a dream, but they could have tried to find one another to discuss about the events or maybe simpli ignored the words and what happened, apparently just in their minds.
It wasn't clear if they were chosen by Veles, by Hantu or by the nature itself, but surely their bodies and tails were still a bit humid and into them was left a small reed in each, a symbol of gratitude by the naiad of the river. We can't surely say if the runners would have followed those words, only time would have say it, but surely they couldn't forget that adventure.

***

I didn't know what to do for the 30CP of the Reos raffle, so I've decided to create this small story for my new approved bab Veles, featuring other vayrons <3 Thank you so much to Mudtalon7, owner of Amina, Yearofdragon owner of Charlatan and TheDeltaWerewolf, owner of Arpeggio ^^ I really hope you like the small story I've done with all your vays and mine <3

Awakening the Spark"

♦ Draw your Reosean discovering their spark for the first time. Did they accidentally sneeze out a puff of fire? Break an expensive vase while musing about pottery? Or perhaps they properly studied to awaken their spark? The interpretation is up to you! (for Veles only)

 

LITERATURE:

◘ 100 words = 1 CP / 2712 words = 27CP

BACKGROUNDS:

◘ Corresponding land = 1CP (except for Amina)

ADDED CHARACTERS:

◘ Another member's reosean = 2CP

OTHER BONUSES:

◘ Personal art = 1CP (Veles only)

EVENTS:

Awakening the Spark = 2CP (Veles only)

TOTAL = 30CP for Charlatan and Arpeggio / 29CP for Amina / 33CP for Veles Velja Noc  / 31CP for Souji and Morien