storm - a sky cotl au

chapter 12 - fox

The Hidden Forest.

Feels strange not to be in the Daylight Prairie anymore. It's so much darker, and damper. I heard that there was a curse placed here a while ago that makes it so it constantly rains.

I guess this area isn't affected, but eventually we'll run into rain. Light sapping, life threatening rain. Honestly, I'm not looking forward to that.

"Okay, so we need to go to the capital city. There's a market there that has the highest amount of merchants in all of Sky," Moon chirps.

I nod softly as the two of us walk over to Vale, who's thoughtfully surveying the land below. Considering that the three of us are pretty high up, it's probably a good idea.

"We seem to be safe for now...," Vale murmurs.

I question curiously, "Are you guys always this careful?"

"No," Moon laughs sheepishly.

Vale is more serious. "I...It's always better to be careful." He tries to smile, before he points down at a gate in the distance. "We should try to get there."

"Do you guys even know where we need to go?" I point out.

Moon shrugs, and Vale just murmurs, "We'll find it eventually. All roads lead to there, anyways." He walks over to the cliff, and a moment later, he's soaring through the sky. Moon lets out an excited call before hopping down to join him.

I walk over to the end of the ledge and take a deep breath before launching myself off it, spreading my cape and catching the wind. The three of us glide as skillfully as we can amongst the trees, before landing softly on the ground.

I look around. We're in a sunny patch of forest, with sunlight streaming in through gaps in the cloud canopy. The grass is a vivid green, and there's a path leading to a gate like the one we passed through earlier.

We make our way down the path. Moon expresses her interest in the strange blue fungi growing on a nearby tree, but Vale tells her not to go close.

He seems to be trying to be very careful amongst the trees. "Hey Vale, have you been here before?" I call out gently.

"Yeah," he mutters, "it's not great."

The three of us arrive at the gate. This one is a lot grander and larger than the one we went through last time, and there's intricate designs in the grates. Moon softly takes out a candle, swipes it over her light source and lights the diamond crystal next to the gate up. The power reveals a drawing on the grates, before they open.

Suddenly, there's a thunderclap.

Rain.

I feel it start to soak into my skin. Vale grabs my hand and pulls me into the shelter behind the gate. "Great, we're already in the rain zone."

Moon looks curiously at the courtyard we're in. There's a huge water pool in the middle that constantly accumulates water and drains it out, keeping the water level even. She hesitantly stretches a hand out for a moment, before wincing and pulling it back. "It feels like the light is being sucked out of me," she mentions nervously.

Vale sighs. "It's okay. As long as no one stays out in it for too long." He motions at the covered walkway that stretches alongside the pool, and the three of us walk through it. The strange blue fungi is growing on the cold stone walls as well.

We eventually reach another gate, and Moon quickly opens it for us. In front of us is a patch of rainy forest, with rain-drenched grass. Another gate lies not too far away.

"Okay, we need to be careful," Vale says softly.

"We don't want anyone to die."

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hi :)
This chapter is kind of descriptive. I'll try and insert more drama soon :D Sorry if this chapter really sucks!