A Study of the Fauna of Termina [For kasumu_sekai]

[feathered_mages]

The next time the younger Rydia sees the little Black Mages, they may seem a bit more prepared for a trip. At least judging from the new little grade-school-type backpacks they're sporting. Blaze had picked those up for them at the Nexus Mall, being of the opinion that visiting other worlds was a great opportunity to pick up Shiny Things and that it might help to have something to carry them in. He couldn't use a backpack himself, what with the wings, but he has no doubts about their usefulness.

Comments

[feathered_mages]

The real trick was getting the hiploop on the slide, but soon they're all at the bottom.

"It seemed better than walking and hopping all the way," says Mistral. Not that they don't still have a few lily pads in their future before they'll get back to solid land and the route back to Clock Town.

The Magelets are a little uneasy about getting closer to where the Moon can be easily seen again. It really does seem bigger the closer one gets to Clock Town... as if it's right over the town.

[feathered_mages]

"Just don't look up unless you have to," adds Mistral with a nod.

The guard won't have any problems letting them in. Clock Town is decorated for some kind of holiday - the walls are painted and decorated with posters, and there are banners and other decorations everywhere.

"Are they having a party?" asks Luca.

[feathered_mages]

"Why would it be weird," asks Lono. And before they can be stopped the Magelets waddle towards a pair of twin jugglers practicing.

"Hey, Misters?" asks Luca. "Are you having a party?"

"We're practicing for the big carnival. It happens once in a blue moon," says the one in the blue shirt.

"Or in this year's case, once in a really, really scary, red-eyed moon," jokes the other in the red shirt.

[feathered_mages]

Mistral nods. "Yes, it could be. I just hope there's time before it to see any other animals. But maybe someone will bring animals to the carnival, too. Ones that might not be easy to find."

A couple Magelets give uneasy glaces up at the Moon.

"I hear it's gonna fall harder than the way my clumsy brother is always dropping our juggling balls," the twin in blue is saying.

This makes all the Magelets jerk and look up at the Moon, frightened.

"It's going to fall?" says Juro.

"How can you joke about it?" asks Kaze.

"We're entertainers," says the twin in red. "We must keep people smiling. No mater how things get, we must remain optimistic."

"... then, again," Mistral mutters, with a wary glance of his own at the Moon.

[feathered_mages]

Mistral nods at that. "Or at least stay out from under it and be ready to PINPoint away," he whispers back, watching the moon for a few moments. "If it is falling, it isn't falling very fast."

[feathered_mages]

Mistral nods. "With PINPoints, we can get away in a second if we have to."

"It's still scary," Juro says quietly, tugging the brim of his hat down a bit to help block any view of the Moon.

[mage_hatchlings]

"Ok!" they all chirp. And they will stick very close indeed for as long as they're in town.

There are a lot of pre-holiday things to see, even with the issue of the Moon, but not a lot of holiday crowding. Apparently, impending doom is keeping some people as far away as they can get, festival or no festival.

[feathered_mages]

They'll follow without hesitation, and while the close don't interest them greatly they do find an assortment of colorful ribbons that do. Ribbons, to Magelets, are lots of fun for tying on pointy hats or lacing up little jackets. Pretty ribbons are even better. The shopkeeper has brief issues with the following hiploop, but relaxes when its proven to be so obviously tame - the Magelets use it to stand on, one at a time, to reach the ribbons.

Good thing Mistral thought to bring rupees with him. As they exit, he's thinking about the surrounding area, and trying not to look at the Moon. "There are four main areas outside of town, and we've already been to the swamp. We had a look at the canyon last time, and it's full of things my bell wouldn't work on... so that really leaves two areas to look for more pets.

[feathered_mages]

While Mistral thinks about that, the Magelets seem to have forgotten all about the Moon in favor of playing with their new ribbons. They even try to tie some on the poor Hiploop, only giving up when they can't figure out just where on a Hiploop you can tie a ribbon.

"There's mountains, or the seashore," says Mistral, looking to the Magelets, "which would you like to see." He, personally, has a preference for the mountains. But then, he tends to be biased in favor of anything frozen and snowy.

A flurry of suggestions from the Magelets follow, mostly in favor of the seashore. They haven't seen one of those before, and they saw mountains the last world they visited.

[feathered_mages]

Happy Magelets, still playing with ribbons, will try to find their way to the town exit on the ocean side. Mistral will just try to herd them and the Hiploop in the right direction.

Just outside is a tiled area with a fountain to each side. Ahead of that can be seen an area where the grass starts to give way to sand. The ocean can't quite be seen from here, but it can't be too far away.

[feathered_mages]

They don't get very far onto the sand before they'll be able to see that someone has built a wall blocking the way to the seaside. The Magelets, though, remember that ice slide from the swamp and will try something similar here - ice steps up one side of the wall and a slide down the other side.

While they're busy with that, though, they might not notice the Leever that bursts out of the sand and slides towards them.

[feathered_mages]

The Magelets look, and slip on the ice, and then wobble around in panic.

But the Leever has stopped where it is.

"Hmm, this is a new one," says Mistral. They hadn't had a chance to see the beach area before.

[feathered_mages]

The Magelets all nod agreement on that.

"We didn't even see it," says Luca.

"It popped up out of the sand," adds Lono.

The Leever is largish and rubbery, bigger than the Magelets but shorter than an adult human. Mistral, out of curiosity, decides to see if there are any others on the sand. A quick spell creates a three foot ice block a short distance above the sand. When it smacks down, a nearby Leever bursts out of the sand and slides towards it in a straight line. It slams into the ice block and then dives back under the sand as quickly as it appeared.

Mistral chuckles at this, and checks to make sure the Hiploop doesn't wander off. "I think it would be good for that."