✅ [Fae'rel] Head South and Find Your Destiny (Rosen)

[Duck of Death]

Early Autumn, Era XXVII

A cool breeze rustled through the trees, tickling the fur-tipped ears of the sprite, even though they hid beneath a hood. Light filtered down through the reds and oranges and yellows of autumn leaves, though none had fallen yet; it was still too early in the season for that.

Still, the signs were there. Winter was just around the corner and soon food would be scarce. A rumble in his belly reminded him of that fact.

In his trek south toward the coast, settlements became fewer and fewer until, after entering the forest, they disappeared altogether. And, with the last village, he had filled his pack with the last rations he'd see for who knows how long. And, although he was fairly confident he had enough food to last at least another week, it occurred to him that perhaps it would be a good idea to supplement his stores.

Which meant either hunting or gathering or both.

Over the course of the last two or three brightenings, he had seen very little wildlife. Birds, mostly. A few squirrels. A chipmunk once. All small and bearing little in the way of sustenance unless caught in numbers.

Plantlife, however, was, while not exactly abundant, much more accessible. Acorns could be found easily enough. There was the vibrant green moss that carpeted tree trunks and rocks, as well as various bushes and plants that appeared here and there; some even had berries.

 

[Rosen Wolfsong]

A cloaked figure moved through the thick undergrowth, poking the way ahead with a long branch he had picked up from the ground a few days ago. Rosen knew some of the dangers that could hide in the bushes and tall grass, from poisonous snakes, spiders and even some of the bigger predators that might take a swipe at him. He wasn't scared of wolves, they being his namesake and all, but foxes were ever hungry and fearless and bears were to simply to be avoided at all costs. The bag he used to store food was beginning to feel a mite too light and the last loaf of bread was mere crumbs jammed into the bottom seam of the bag. The fae remembered growing up that the most common color of berries fed to him by his mother were blue and purple and acorns could be ground up into flour and used in all kinds of recipes using honey or maple syrup. Or if he could find a walnut tree in season..."Roasted acorns it is then." he grumbled to himself.

Looking around for the nearest Oak tree Rosen would roll his shoulders in a big motion that opened up the slits cut into the back of his cloak and unfurl his huge butterfly wings before taking flight. It took him a few seconds of circling to gain enough height before landing amidst the branches of the big tree, folding his wings flat just before diving into the foliage and crouching to grip the branch he landed on with his hands and stabilizing himself. Once there he would look for the fullest looking acorns with fully formed caps before snapping them off into his bag. Once he had gathered a couple of pounds of acorns he dropped down to the ground in a quick glide to resume looking for dark berries or perhaps even a beehive. Now and then when he would find a particularly lush patch of vibrant green moss he would harvest it. The right moss properly boiled and mixed with berries would be a tasty and nutritious treat...if he could find the right berry.

 

[Duck of Death]

No danger presented itself, and, for the most part, the area was almost eerily silent. Only the gently rustling of leaves and the occasional bird song or the chattering of a squirrel could be heard.

And, speaking of squirrels.

As Rosen flew into the branches of the oak, he came face to face with one of the bushy-tailed rodents. Its cheeks were puffed with acorns, and it regarded him with suspicion. After all, it had obviously already laid claim to this tree!

It only took a few ticks, however, for the little critter to decide sharing was a far better strategy than defending its claim, and off it scampered, leaping to the next tree and disappearing around the trunk.

There were plenty of acorns to be found, and, in truth, the sprite really hadn't needed to fly into the branches to gather them. The ground below was covered. But, better to get them straight from the source.

Moss was easy enough to gather as well, the stuff being nearly everywhere, carpeting whole sides of rocks and trees.

And, then there were the berries. There were a few that were easily found. Mostly red, but, there were other varieties, as well.

Beneath one tall, lonely pine was a small clump of tall standing plants which bore clumps of dark purple berries. There were enough there to last several brightenings, assuming they didn't shrivel up after being picked.

Beside a small creek, which seemed to bubble up from beneath the roots of a large and mostly dead tree, could be found a rather lively tree with oblong serrated leaves, and more importantly, bluish-black berries. They looked familiar to him, but, then, so did the purple-black ones hanging from a nearby bush.

Acorns, moss, and a variety of berries, and, clean fresh water seemed to provide the sprite with enough food to last him at least a couple of brightenings. In which case he could probably just pick more.