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 Magelets happily flop into the water to start paddling for shore, while Mistral will try to get the pets loaded into the waiting boat. Once back on shore it's not hard for him to know which way to go based on the instructions he was given.

He'll head up the coastline a bit, until he sees a cave-like passage not far ahead. Somewhere to the right, among the rock outcroppings in the sand, is what looks like a strange tube-shaped orange sponge nearly the size of a small house.

Since it's perfectly still at the moment, Mistral hasn't glanced at it or matched it up to descriptions he was given of a LikeLike. It's waiting for something to get closer.

[feathered_mages]

The LikeLike, stretched up to twice its normal height, jiggles for a moment. Then, with nothing in its range, it settles back down, surface rippling slightly.

Mistral compares this to what he was told earlier. "That must be a LikeLike. They swallow people and then spit them back out, stealing things from them when they do. They really like to eat shields, for some reason. Hmm. It doesn't really look like something that eats metal, does it."

He watches it for a bit, making sure the Magelets stay back and being careful not to get too close himself. "It's a shame it's so big, and that I don't think it's mobile..."

[feathered_mages]

"Maybe there's some way to transplant one. If they're in the Nexus, they can still be called if needed, they just won't be able to move anywhere," Mistral says. And he'll just edge around the LikeLike's range and onward into the cave. Through the short passage they'll find the area where the Zoras live - and it looks like the fish people are setting up for some kind of concert.

[mage_hatchlings]

"I dunno," says Luca.

"Maybe it's for theater?" suggests Kaze.

"Hmm. I guess we could ask," says Mistral.

Several Zora are just staring a bit at the Leever and the Hiploop.

[feathered_mages]

"So the Indigo-gos can practice," says one.

"Though it's getting hard to say if they'll be performing at the festival or not," adds another.

[feathered_mages]

"I don't know," says the Zora. "I wouldn't want to go to Clock Town with the moon the way it is. But if it comes down... will any of us be safe?"

"It's a scary moon," agrees Juro.

[mage_hatchlings]

The Magelets crowd together in a spooked little group. Someone said the 'd' word. Gaian Black Mages tend to avoid those words.

Mistral just briefly facepalms at the Magelets' reaction, and says, "If's falling very slowly, so I think most of them would have the sense to evacuate in time." Then again, it's a moon. How big would it actually be once on the ground?

[feathered_mages]

On the upside, give them ten minutes or distraction with something shiny and they'll forget all about it.

"We don't know," says one Zora. "It's very strange."

"There's an astronomer near Clock Town that might know more," says the other.

Mistral's mind is on things other than the moon. "Do you know of any way to move a LikeLike?"

The Zoras just blink at him for a moment. What an unusual question!

[feathered_mages]

"If you found one small enough, maybe it could be moved," says a Zora, "but I don't know where you'd find one."

Mistral just nods and looks up to Rydia. It seems a lot of the decent water monsters here were annoyingly out of reach anyway. "The white ones like Snowball are up on the mountain. It's really pretty up there." He has a bias in favor of snow.

"Do you mean Snowhead?" asks the second Zora. "I've heard rumors it's thawing."

"WHAT!" Mistral squawks.

[feathered_mages]

The Zoras are just confused by the reaction.

"It shouldn't have been frozen at this time of year," says one, "but it just kept getting colder there. Like the ocean was getting too warm."

"I don't know if it had anything to do with the moon or not," says the other. "It's all been very strange."

"But... what will happen to the Boes, and all the other snow monsters?" Worried Mistral is worried.

"I don't know," says the first Zora.

[feathered_mages]

There is much frantic nodding from Mistral, who is quite the upset featherball now. Maybe they could move the monsters to the Ice Cavern... but it was melting too!

Noting that Mistral's heading for the exit, the Magelets wave bye to the Zoras.

[feathered_mages]

She won't have any trouble catching up. Black Mages are just not designed to run around like that, and Black Waltzes aren't that different. If he were flying it might be another matter, but Mistral's the worst flyer of the trio and he also doesn't want to lose the others.

Running tires them out fast, and they have to sit down for a rest somewhere a bit past the LikeLike.

"Why.. why is it all melting," says Mistral. As soon as he's caught his breath he intends to get up and start moving again, but he's learned that in the long term running will slow him down more than walking will.