Pacapiller Prompts

Alone With the Tree of Souls

Iris's cheer and laughter died down slowly, her newfound friends branching off to either go home or help clean up the leftover wrappers and garbage from the party. She gave a passing glance over the once lively atmosphere, now calmed by the murmur and giggles of the few who remained. A smile spread over her face, warmed as her thoughts trailed to how much fun the night had been. Lost in her own thought, she's brought back from a sudden flicker of movement rushing down a trail that leads to the forest. Iris had heard of the legends surrounding the Tree of Souls, spirits using the night when the light is the brightest to mingle with the living. After a deep inhale and slow exhale, she follows the figure down the path. "I really hope no ones pulling a trick on me..." she thought to herself, gulping nervously. The paca's left to clean up exchanged knowing glances between themselves as they watched her sneak off down the path, amusement glittering in their eyes as they returned to their tasks.

The path seemed a tad bit eerily overgrown, each small rustle earned a nervous glance as she followed the figure, not noticing that they had seemingly vanished in thin air when she approached. Her gaze drifting back only hoping that they're only just ahead, her head lowered and her tindrals shivering. After some time of walking and braving the dark, blue light slowly began to filter in as she neared the Tree of Souls. The fear in her belly faded, swelling with enough affection to bring happy tears to her eyes as she bounded forward, leaping out into a clearing with an ancient tree in the center. A crystal shone brightly amongst the branches, with a few scattered growing from the ground along the base of its large viney roots snaking along the ground. The glow and hum of the crystals producing the illusion of glittery clouds drifting around the tree, the scenery surreel and magnificent.  

She wasn't able to take the scene in for long, the figure having reformed from the mist back in front of her. Its shape unknown and blurred as its white opaque body shines a soft blue, almost as bright as the nearby crystals. It's feet not touching the ground, but hovering above as it stared at her casting a soft glow on the ground. "I had fun... today." It had spoke softly, its mouth unmoving. Iris initially had been terrified, but the lull of the Tree of Souls crystal shine easing her mind. "I um.. I had fun too.." Iris had responded shyly, this had been her first experience talking to a spirit. Her gaze shifted back to the tree, bubbles of light rolling down and fluttered along. Occasionally, a few orbs would begin to chase one another, dancing and twirling  along the branches. "Souls." It spoke once, looking above at the balls of light, its expression almost soft.. at least what expression she could see. 

She had sat down now, closing her eyes as she bathed herself in the crystals light. Little did she know, the spirit had approached her. It hesitated for a moment, before gently resting its hand on her nose, booping her. Iris blinked her eyes open, feeling a light fuzzy sensation on her nose. For her, it was too soft for her to tell if she had really been touched or not as the glittery figure began to float. "Come."  as it turned and began to hover and rise along the trunk. It was then she had finally noticed she herself was now emitting a gentle glow, one much softer then the Soul's as her body began to hover as well. Her legs wiggled helplessly for a moment as she adjusted and steadied herself. "W-wait for me!" she exclaimed, outstretching and wiggling more before her body began to finally go the direction she wanted, racing to catch up with her new Soul friend. "Where are we going?" Iris asked curiously, but being met with silence as they flew up the trees swirled stock-like trunk, way up high into the branches. Breaking through to the top, the soul spun around and outstretched its hands. "Look."

Her eyes widened before her, the spirit had gifted her a wonderful sight indeed. From above, she could see beyond the trees, past the villages and off into the horizons. Fireflies sprinkled the frosts, thriving with nocturnal fauna skittering through the brush. "Oh my gosh..." Irish breathed. "Everything looks so amazing from this height." From here, she could even see how far the glow from the Tree of Souls reached, amazed by its radius. The canopy of the tree bare from the winter cold, leaves long since spread off and into the wind. "I wish I could fly like this all the time, it must be lovely to see this every day." Iris spoke on, the Soul only staring on into the moonlight. "Lonely, till November." "oh.. I'm sorry." Iris replied sincerely, feeling embarrassed to have spoken so carelessly without considering the Soul's feelings. "S'okay. Celebration makes... Happy." They had remained there for a moment, before she had known it the moon shown high up in the sky.

Amongst the grown underneath the trees growth, she had blinked and could of sworn she had seen something. If only for a passing moment, she thought she had spotted other pacapiller spirits playing below its branches. Some were children, racing under the large roots that rose high above the ground before rooting back into the ground. Adults watching the children play, scattered about and chatting amongst one another. At least, that's what she thought she saw because as soon as she spotted the scene unfold below her, she was back on the ground. Her eyes spotted a a faded blue crystal in front of her nose, head popping up as she scanned the clearing. The crystals had stopped glowing, the whimsical atmosphere gone replaced with a gentle hum from the energy that remained inside the crystals.

She had begun to question..

"Was.. was all of that just a dream?.." the question hung in the air, perhaps never to be answered as a yawned passed her maw. "That really was beautiful though, but i've gotta go home." rising to her feet, she stretched for a moment before going back down the path she had gone. As she passed through, the forest had seemed way less spooky for her. Perhaps the dream had even helped her with her fear of the dark and what lurks within the trees! passing through the entrance and beginning her way back home, she had looked behind her only to see the path had vanished once more. The brush so overgrown as if the path had never existed to start with. She was too tired now to question it, as she made it back to her home safe and sound. Cuddling back up under her covers, her dreams wavered back to the magical moment she had 'dreamt' of under the light of the Tree of Souls.