Gembond Celebration - Unusual Gem

Sigurd had been traveling for weeks, unsure of his destination, just following his instinct. There was no planned route, there was no predetermined place he wanted to be. He just knew he had to be somewhere, at some point in time. His travels had begun in Aldlight, that was when he began to consider his options. The Gembond Celebration was approaching quickly, and even though he did not really have anyone specific in mind he wanted to give a gem too, he still wanted that special something for his eventual special someone.It was rather strange, but Sigurd was known for following his gut more than anything else. If he had the feeling something was off or danger was approaching, he was correct every time, and he was prepared. He didn’t know why, his grandma told him that was a thing that ran in the family. She said his parents were the same, though he never met them, he was glad he had something that connected them to him. While traveling through the mountains and forests south of Aldlight, he stumbled over a Woolyne, hanging upside down from a tree. They seemed to be a bit of an oddball. While Sigurd was cutting them loose from the tree they were dangling from, they told him they used to travel with a group, how they had been traveling for days when they suddenly noticed they were behaving differently. They seemed agitated, never slept well and always seemed restless. It was funny watching them bump into one another, getting on eachothers nerves and stepping onto each other's hooves.
They kept rambling, telling Sigurd the Wooly they traveled with had weird habits, they shoved them into a river once, had them tumble into a berrybush, all the way through they were cackling, it didn’t seem to bother them at all. As he kept detangling and cutting the rope, the Wooly hanging from it kept talking, there was almost no end to it. When the rope snapped and they plummeted to the ground with a loud thud, they just looked up to Sigurd, introducing themselves with “Hi! I’m Valkha by the way! Nice to meet you!”

Sigurd was a little taken aback, the fall was somewhat high, he looked them over, making sure they were not injured, but Valkha seemed as chipper as the moment he had stumbled over them and was still talking! It seemed they never even needed to breathe!

“I’m very sorry to interrupt you, but are you quite alright? That fall must have hurt, are you injured?” Sigured offered them a hand and they gladly took it, rapidly pulling themselves onto their hooves.

“Nope! I’m A-OK! Never been better! Never been worse actually either now that I think about it! I am a bit hungry though, are you hungry? I bet you’re hungry! I’ve seen some berries down that way! Follow me!” And with that she scampered off and vanished into the underbrush of the forest.

Confused, Sigurd stood there for a moment, trying to process what just happened, before he heard a shriek, snatching his gear, he ran after them as fast as he could, finding them kneeling on the forest floor shortly after, giggling to themselves, watching a dragonfly circling around them. He sighed, dusting himself off, walking up next to them. ”Valkha, you said was your name? How long have you been here?”

Valkha pondered for a moment, watching the dragonfly fly off into the distance. “A day, maybe two. Possible five. Not sure~ Was too busy counting the mushrooms!”

“The…mushrooms?” Sigurd looked around, he hadn’t seen mushrooms in a while, specially none in this specific area.

“Yes! They came by every now and then, visited, talked to me and then ran off into the forest again~ talkative little things, told me a lot about the area! Also told me where to find the berries I mentioned! Not that I could reach them from up there anyways, but it’s still good knowing about their location! I need to thank the mushrooms when they come back!” Valkha flopped onto their back, shuffling head first under a bush, picking berries from the branches, throwing some at Sigurd hitting him in the face. “Want some?”

"Ehrm… thank you? You said you've been up there for days???" He picked up some of the berries, looking them over and making sure they were safe to eat before nibbling on them.

"Yep! Twas one of the hunting traps my travel companions had put up to make sure we don't go hungry - I think they never noticed me getting stuck? Cause I saw them pack and leave, they were chatting so loud they didn't even hear me yell their names~ I hope they know that there's a Lycore den in the direction they headed in. I tried to warn them but they didn't seem to hear~" Valkha gathered a bunch of berries, scrambling to their hooves, offering Sigurd some of them. 

He  took a few of them, looking Valkha over from head to hoof. "That is terrible… I'm sorry they just left you here…" He offered them a band. "I didn't get to introduce myself…My name is Sigurd~ Pleased to meet you Valkha~"

Valkha grabbed his hand, shaking it rapidly and grinning from ear to ear. "Nice to meet you Sigurd! My name is Valkha! But you know that don't you? And don't worry about it, it happens all the time~"

Sigurds ears twitched, he had a slight suspicion why, but he didn't want to pry. "Thank you, for the berries. Say Valkha, do you have anywhere you plan on going?"

"Nope! I go wherever the wind takes me and the plants stop me for chitchat~" They munched on the berries they picked, watching Sigurd curiously.

"Well, would you maybe like to join me then? I'm going southwest - following the storms towards the Su-Bahn desert~ I could use a travel companion~ Only if you'd like to of course~" He gave them a soft smile, watching their ears perk up.

"Really!? You'd want me to join you? Me? Lil ol Valkha?" They watched him nod before jumping to their hooves, skipping and prancing around. "Oh I'd love to join you Siggy! You don't mind if I call you Siggy right? Can I call you Siggy?"

He laughed and nodded. "Of course you can, It's the first time someone has given me a nickname actually~"

Valkha stared at them in disbelief. "Really!? Then I'll make sure to give you lots and lots more! Maybe the mushrooms have some fitting names for you as well, though they can be rather biased. You didn't step on any on your way here right? They tend to be a little judgemental!" 

He hesitated a moment, pondering if he had stepped on any mushrooms on his trip through the forest, but he could have sworn he hadn't seen any in miles, so he shook his head.

Valkha jumped in excitement, "Perfect! And as luck might have it -" They stuck their head deep into the bush they had come from, pulling out a long staff, standing proudly in front of Sigurd with branches and leaves all over their head. "- the wind is heading southwest! Onward!!" They stomped deeper into the forest, leaving Sigurd standing there for a moment, before peeking out from behind a tree. "You coming Siggy??"

Sigurd chuckled to himself, readjusting his gear that hung over his shoulder before following Valkhas steps. "On my way~" 

And thus they traveled together, through the forest, the hills and the flatlands, along the shore and towards the land bridge leading to Su-Bahn. On the way, Valkha shared stories of their many, even though slightly strange yet fascinating adventures, met many traveling Wooly and even a few Fae doing their duty for the Gembond Celebration. All being a little weirded out by Valkhas rather extroverted attitude, some even advising Sigurd to be mindful of them, but he didn't care much for their opinion. He could care less about what others think, he had his fair share of questionable companions on his many trips, and to be fair, Valkha was more on the harmless side, which said a lot about his prior travel groups. All things considered, the time they spent together was rather enjoyable! At least for him, he couldn't be sure about Valkha. But they did stuck around, that had to count for something right? 

It was time to set up camp for the night, so they decided to rest at the shore right before the landbridge, a little east from Solaris. After preparing the tent for them to sleep in and a campfire to keep them warm in the night, Sigurd pulled a fishing rod from his bag, looking over to Valkha. “Hey, what would you say about some grilled fish for dinner?” He stood there proudly, fishing was his favorite pastime when he wasn’t traveling after all.

“Oh yes please!" Catch me a shark!” They jumped in excitement, twirling around where they stood.

“A shark? I… I am not quite sure I am THAT good at fishing, maybe something small to start with? Something we can actually eat?” He smiled at them and they nodded. “Meanwhile, would you maybe take care of the campfire? We’ll need it to stay warm tonight.” Sigurd said before he made his way to the water.

“Ahw alright, well then you gotta catch me a shark next time!” They grinned, getting up to gather branches for the firewood.

As Sigurd stood still in the water, waves softly crashing against his legs, it took only a few minutes for fish to bite, and after a while he managed to catch a handful, just enough to offer a filling meal for the both of them. He returned to the fireplace, fishes in his arms, to find Valkha, laying in the sand, talking to the crabs.

“I know my little fellas, I am sure our dear friend here will leave you some leftovers to nibble on~ Yes I am sure he is a friendly one. No I will not follow you to the crab king, you have to stand up for yourself. Yes I will be there for the celebration when I return from my travels! Oh look, our most interesting friend has returned! And he has food!” They jumped up in glee, hopping from one hoove to the other. 

Sigured watched them for just a moment, before shaking his head, dismissing the entire situation. “I am sure we can leave some for your crustacean friends~ But we have to grill them first, at least the ones for us.” Sigurd pulled a few skewers out of his bag, sharpened and carved by himself, he pierced the fish and placed them above the fire, offering one of them to Valkha. “Here you go, I hope this is enough~”

Valkha rejoiced, placing the fish on the sand, where the crabs quickly circled it, picked it up and carried it away. They stood there, clapping as they watched the crabs crawl further and further down the beach, before plopping onto their butt and sitting by the fireplace. “Alright Siggy! Sigster! Siggerony!” They watched Sigurd laugh before continuing. “What is it we’re looking for? Where are we headed? What’s the plan?” They stared at him through the flames of the campfire, but he just shrugged.

“I… I am not entirely sure. I’m looking for something special. I’ve been following the storms for days, hoping to find the right one.” He stared into the flames himself. “I don’t know how to describe it… My gut feeling is telling me I need to be at a certain spot, at a certain time to find what I’m looking for, if that makes sense.”

Valkha nodded, smiling widely. “Does it have something to do with the white lady following you?”

Sigurds ears perked up. “White lady? What white lady??” He looked around.

Valkha stared at him for a moment before shaking her head. “Ah, never mind, I must have been imagining things. Happens from time to time! Anyways, do you know where you have to look??”

“Not entirely. Something tells me I need to go to the desert close to Su-Bahn, not many Wooly go there, but I am almost completely certain that is where I’m needed. I know this sounds weird…” He looked at the floor, scratching the back of his neck when Valkha chimed in.

“No, no not at all. I know what you mean. It’s like something is drawing you there, tugging at your heart, isn’t it.” They watched him nod slowly, still staring at the ground. “Then I will join you, until we find what you’re looking for! I mean it can’t be that hard right? Even though we have absolutely no idea what we’re exactly looking for, we at least know WHERE to look! It’s a lead! A clue! A hint! We’ll crack this case like the cranking cracked his father!”

Sigurd stared at them in slight disbeliev. “D…Did the crabs tell you that?”

They didn’t answer and just put their index finger to their lips. Alright, that's enough questions for the day. Maybe they should just eat and then go to bed for the night, yes that sounded like a plan. Sigurd tested out the bish, pulling it from the skewer and placing it onto a wooden cutting board, pulling out its bones before handing it to Valkha who thanked him before completely devouring it without even leaving as much as a scale. The meal went on without much happening.Once the sun had set, Sigurd watched the waves and the stars, humming in the rhythm of the rising and falling waters. He looked over to Valkha, who was already fast asleep in the tent, snowing quietly. He laughed to himself, and shortly after fell asleep by the campfire.

In the early morning, the sun was just about to rise,, Sigurd woke up, dusting the sand off of his clothes as he looked at the position of the moon. He scanned the area, listening to every oh so small sound around him. But aside from the waves, there was nothing. It was strangely peaceful, calming. He took a deep breath and stretched before getting up to wake his travel companion. Sigurd carefully shook her awake and together they gathered the camp and made their way towards Su-Bahn.

As they traveled for hours, Sigurd was watching the clouds closely, something seemed to be brewing up ahead. While the sun was shining only a few moments ago, the sky was beginning to darken. Once they reached the city around noon, things seemed to escalate, the air grew thick and humid, clouds almost completely blocked out the sky and Wooly started to retreat.

“What’s going on? Why is everyone hiding?” Valkha looked around. “Uh! Are we playing hide and seek!? Am I the seeker or am I the hider? Sigurd! Are you the seeker?? I’ll start counting with you!” But Sigurd was transfixed on the desert outside of the city border, his gaze scanning the dunes. The sky turned a sickly shade of dark gray-green and a low growl could be heard. A storm was brewing - a bad one. Everyone was seeking shelter.
Suddenly, a flash ran across the sky and Sigurd's ears perked up “That’s it!”

Valkha looked at him confused, following his gaze towards the sun. “What’s it? Who’s it! It’s me isn’t it!?”

He suddenly snapped out of it, “What? NO! The reason I’m here! That’s it - this is it! The storm!” He walked down the main street through the city as rain suddenly began to pour from the skies, leaving him and Valkha drenched. “That’s why I had to be here!” Sigurd watched the flashes along the sky and listened to the low humm that emanated from above. He caught Valkha looking at him in confusion, leaning forward to be able to look at him clearly.

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”

Sigurd, now jogging next to them, pointed towards the desert. “You remember when I said my feeling was telling me to be here? I was sensing the storm! The charged air! That’s why I had to come here! That’s where I’ll find what I’m looking for!”

Valkha came to an abrupt halt at the edge of town. “Inside the storm? Are you insane? You’re not going out there while the sky comes crashing down!” They grabbed him by the wrist, stopping him from going any further.


“Hey! Let go! What are you doing!?” He looked at them, tugging on his arm, trying to get loose. “I need to get there! I know I’ll find what I’m looking for!”

“I am sure you’ll find what you are looking for after the storm is over and you’re not being roasted alive like those fish you caught yesterday! I’m not letting you out there while the world is ending! You’re staying here until it’s over!” They pulled him back, refusing to let go.
“I can’t let you go out there - It’s too dangerous! What would the white lady say!?”

“What white lady!? What are you even talking about? You’re making absolutely no sense!” He kept tugging on his arm, desperately trying to get out.

“I can’t tell you! I promised! Please SIgurd just trust me! If you go out there now you’ll end up -” Valkha janked him back before they were suddenly interrupted by a loud crack, lightning had struck the path out of the village only a few meters away from them and Sigurds leg gave out, stumbling backwards and tumbling to the floor. Valkha knelt down behind him, checking if he was ok, he was shaking, his hairs stood on end as he grabbed Valkhas hand.

“Hey - It’s ok, I gotcha." They patted him on the back, helping Sigurd back onto his hooves and leading him under one of the roofs of the city. “You oughta be more careful Siggy - that could have been you!”

He gulped and nodded, shivering still as he looked towards the desert. “That… that could have been me…” He shook his head, running his hands through his face before looking at Valkha. “T-Thank you… I owe you…”

They nodded with a grin. “Yes! You owe me a shark!”

Sigurd blinked before bursting out into laughter, holding his stomach and going onto his knees. “This… this was not what I had in mind when I started this journey. I am sorry Valkha, I didn’t mean to worry you…”

Valkha sat down next to them, pulling their legs close to their chest as they watched the rain pour from the sky and the lightning crack along the clouds. “Why were you so dead set on going out there anyways?”

He looked to the ground, hugging his knees. “It sounds weird… I know that there is something out there that I have been looking for all my life. I thought if I finally found this one thing I was looking for, I might find that big thing that I have been missing all my life…Pretty stupid, isn’t it…”

But Valkha just shook their head, offering him a hand. “I understand wanting to find what you’re missing - but if you don’t know what you’re missing, you can’t find it. And blindly running into danger just because you’re convinced there is a thing you need to find to find what you’re missing while not knowing when, where or what is only going to end in chaos.
Or in this case, roasted like a fried shrimp~” They patted Sigurds back. “Maybe you should concentrate on what you have for a while instead on what you’re lacking~”

Sigurd stared at them. “... that is the first sensible thing I have heard from you ever since we met.”

Valkha pretended to be offended. “How dare thee, I make loads of sense!”

“You talked to crabs.” He elbowed them in the side.

“Yes and those conversations were of great political importance!” They proclaimed proudly.

Sigurd laughed, before looking out to the storm outside the city. “Alright… since we will be stuck here for a bit, how about I treat you to some street food? I saw they had spicy Chicern skewers down that way. My treat~”

Valkha jumped to their hooves, dusting themselves off and jumping on the spot. “Last one at the stall is a rotten Chicern egg!” and then ran off.

Sigurd stumbled to his hooves, skipping after them. “Valkha wait! You don’t even know where the stall is!” But they didn’t listen and he had to run after them to make sure they actually reached it.

Both of them spent their afternoon browsing the city and its wares in the little stalls that were open during the storm, getting food at every corner, talking about their dreams and what they wanted to do after this. Valkha was right, maybe it was time to concentrate on what he had, instead of chasing things he was missing. It couldn’t hurt to live in the moment every now and then, right?

In the evening, when the storm had finally calmed down, Valkha and Sigurd returned to the edge of the city, looking out to the dunes in front of them. “Alright! Ready Siggy?”

Sigurd nodded, and together they made their way towards the desert. He stopped at the spot the lightning had crashed into the ground, shifting the sand a bit before kneeling down. “Valkha! Look!" On the ground were shards of greenish yellow gemstone, he gathered them, holding them out to his new friend.

“What’s that?”

“It’s desert glass! That’s the thing I came here for! The gem I wanted to collect! I’m sure out there is even more!” He hopped from one hoof to the other in excitement.

Valkha stared at him, unblinking for a moment before jumping into the air. “Then what are we waiting for! Off to the dunes we go! Finding weird sand glas!” But Sigurd grabbed them by the wrist.

“Wait! I want you to have this first -” Sigurd pulled a leather band from his bag, wrapping it around one end of the biggest shard of desert glass, cutting it with his teeth and braiding a cord, turning it into a makeshift necklace. “Here!”

Valkha gulped. “Are you sure?? What if this is the only one out there and we can’t find anything else??”

Sigurd shrugged. “Then I gave the only one to my friend, what’s wrong about that?” He said with a smile.