HAWKS PALACE

[doublefried]

The process of entering the palace is... smooth. Painless.


You are falling, but it's not scary at the speed you're going. You drop through the pre-dawn sky like a feather, light and easy on a breeze, descending towards a bright and multicolored island in a sea of dark trees.

When you land, you are somewhere new.

Comments

[doublefried]

It'd be pretty easy to lose the path.

But for the moment it's just soft earth and thick woods, and every so often a little sparkling ember will flitter through the trees like a startled bird.

[survivaltricks]

[blinks at the embers, holding his hand out to catch one, because that's a wise idea. certainly it won't burn!!]

[doublefried]

The closer you get, the more they skitter away, sort of playfully, like they want you to chase them.

[survivaltricks]

[. . . a soft, amused huff. but he does trot after one, playing along for a little bit while he's here!]

[doublefried]

To their credit, they don't seem to be leading him to his DOOM or anything. They aren't will-o'-wisps.

If he gets close enough one of them kind of looks like this but made out of fire??

[survivaltricks]

[THAT'S. . . SO CUTE??]

Hello? Can you hear me?

[trying to speak to the embers!]

[doublefried]

Hi! Hihi hi hi hi

hey! hi

hi!!

PEEP PEEP PEEP

[survivaltricks]

[holding out! both his hands!! so the bird embers can land in his palms if they want to]

You're very vocal. . . where are you going?

[doublefried]

Chase! Chase!

[survivaltricks]

Chase?

Are we playing tag?

[doublefried]

Chasechasechase!

They flit around a bit.

[survivaltricks]

[they are definitely playing tag]

[trotting after a few of them as he speaks]

Well, while we're playing tag, can you give me any advice on where to look for a guy with big wings? They're usually not on fire.

I think.

[doublefried]

Wings?

Bird?

Are you hunting him?

[survivaltricks]

Nooooo? I don't hunt.

I just want to find him to make sure he's okay.

[doublefried]

... Chase?

[survivaltricks]

[. . . these cute embers don't know shit from fuck. the fire bird was right. but they're cute so they're forgiven]

I don't think it's the same thing. . . it's more that he's lost, and we're all worried about him. We want to make him un-lost.

[doublefried]

Bird?

Big bird...

There's no bird with red wings in this forest.

A peep lands on his head. It's warm but not burning.

[survivaltricks]

[lifting a hand to try and pet the peep on his head]

That's what the bird on fire said. . . I believed them, but I wanted to see for myself.

[. . .]

Do you want to come help me find the one with red wings?

[doublefried]

We can hunt him!

We can chase him!

[survivaltricks]

[yaaaay TRAVEL COMPANIONS]

All right. Then I suppose we should head back to the amusement park.

[doublefried]

You get a bunch of affirmative peeps!

[survivaltricks]

[well then! with his brief adventure in the forest concluded, Akira makes his way back to the amusement park ticket booth]

[hashtag worth it]

[doublefried]

The bird on top of the booth can't make a face at your new friends but you can SENSE the face he is making.

Are you satisfied with your journey through the woods?

[survivaltricks]

Yeah, actually.

[HE MEANS THAT]

I met some cute new friends. It's nice in there.

[doublefried]

It is my home.

And theirs, I suppose.