The Dark Crystal-Along the Silver Sea

Introduction - A Petal on the Wind

UrAzshar was lighting the lanterns around the Bay of Seacliff a remote and little known village of the Sifan Gelflings as was his task, and that he promised UrSan, he would do.
The lanterns led the fishermen home and allowed ships to see the way (not that many of them visited them way out here) and were part of the legend of the Travellers lanterns.
The red headed UrRu paused in his work for a moment looking out to sea as he saw a storm was coming.
"So another storm rides the night," he said softly to himself "I wonder what this one will bring?"
UrAzshar was an UrRu or 'Mystic' as he was more colloquiality known by the Gelflings of their world, Thra.
He had been part of a highly advanced race once, called 'UrSkek' but fate and been in the wrong place at the wrong time had left him separated into two linked beings, whom, unfortunately, it seemed a majority of their other sides seemed to be falling into darkness as time marched on, UrAzshar's own counterpart seemed untouched and if anything was saddened by it, but even he could see that there appeared to be nothing he could do about it or for them.
UrAzshar himself was an odd-looking creature with a long neck, four long arms with big hands and a mane of long red hair, basically, as he often said ' a big lizard', his brothers were starting to go white, but not Az and although he had spirals like the rest of them on his face and body and was considered wise and 'Mystical' he didn't really consider himself that wise either!
He was the youngest of his brothers, a fact that often came up. Also, his brothers seemed to be falling into a dream apart from Az and his equally as young friend and fellow Mystic, UrIon.
They and their two Skeksis Counterparts, an Avian- Reptilian race (they were both 'big lizards' as Az put it) who currently were considered the rulers of Thra, which was what the world was called had come here to the remote village of Seacliff many Trine ago now looking for a place to winter and had been asked to stay instead, as the Gelfling still saw the Skeksis (the race that SkekDurn, Az's counterpart, was called) as the rulers of Thra, but things were changing and not for the better, Az knew this, as did Durn, the damage done to the Great Crystal, The Heart of Thra, was spreading.
"The storm comes," Az said " and with it, it brings Change" to himself as he lit the final lantern, his long red mane blowing in the rising breeze.
UrAzshar had always been unusual amongst his kin, with his red hair, which had often been described as like fire, Az's hair ( not to mention Durn's as well) was a rich deep red with obvious golden highlights, they were both starting to get a little white in it but it was still obviously red, they also both had blue-violet eyes and golden brown skin, and orange-red and purple markings, fading with time but still there, still visible (although most of Az's were covered), Az figured that he and Durn were probably around 850 or so now, not counting their years as an UrSkek who were basically immortal, he and his friend Taelion hadn't even been fully grown when they had gotten separated! By the Great Crystal so long ago! They weren't old, but they were no longer the two youths they had been.
"There," UrAzshar said, "I will light the lanterns for you UrSan and I will keep them lit...and add to your legend" he looked out over the darkened ocean, choppy and dark, wondering if UrSan heard him, UrSan was one of the UrRu, but she was in her own words ' a swimmer of the seas' probably half-wild now, she had left the UrRu Valley long ago, and she was probably more of a creature of the oceans of Thra now than she was UrRu.
"Guide well UrSan, and maybe we shall meet one day again," Az said softly, closing his eyes and listening to the song of Thra, he and Durn used that song to power their magic, they had never lost the ability to hear it.

He tasted salt on his tongue and suddenly became aware of something floating on the wind, he looked up and thought it odd, a single, pink petal, glowing with magic was floating on the wind, he looked around as far as he knew the trees were gaining their winter coverage (or lack thereof) and the sea daisies native to this region had long since died, but this wasn't a Sea Daisy petal.

He reached up and took it and felt the magic in it, recognising it for Gelfling Magic, something that although Durn and he could do similar, they had never managed to use.
"Why have you drifted so far from home," Az said quietly to the leaf, deciding to take it to his apprentice Chiena, a Half Drenchen, half Vapran Gelfling girl he had met and befriended and had taken on as his apprentice, she was a Songteller and she would know what it was.
He turned to go when he heard something like a creature moan in pain out to sea, he turned around and looked out over the darkened ocean, and wondered if the Leviathan a creature made of living rock that lived off the coast of Seacliff had awakened, but he sensed that it was still sleeping, no there was something else out there, out to sea a Darkened Creature perhaps.
"What was that?" he said softly and turned away wondering if it had indeed been his imagination and turned and headed back to where he and their Gelfling friends lived side by side.