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Description
Tone was tending to the butterflies visiting her windowsill when she felt it. A gentle but insistent tug at her core, beckoning her mysteriously, blindly. She hopped onto the ledge and let the breeze ruffle her pansy. "An adventure!" She chirped, and winked out of existence...

... only to reappear a moment later at the base of an extremely large, moss-covered tree. She glanced around excitedly. The area was so very different than her own little corner of the world. Here a massive forest reached as far as the eye could see, and there wasn't a single building or human in sight. Birds called wildly from the canopy far above -- she thought immediately of Veery, and began to clamor up the tree for a better view. Her dear friend would love to hear about all of the new birds (and bugs) she'd seen! This new place is so exciting, she thought to herself, delicately navigating up a thick tree limb.

/ / / / /

A pale beige esk was absentmindedly watching the clouds breeze past when she, too, felt the tickling little tug at her spirit. She stood, barely reaching the tops of the flowers in her humble garden, and gave herself a puppy-like, full-body shiver. Instead of shaking off the strange feeling, however, the tugging became much stronger. She looked down curiously just in time to see her teeny legs disappearing, as she winked out of existence...

... and reappeared in a large, messy bed of damp leaves. The sunlight streaming through the canopy was dappled, muted, and so very different than her sunny flower patch. The thick forest was loud with unfamiliar bird and animal cries. She sat where she'd first appeared, admiring the vibrant green foliage and listening to the soundscape in wonder for several quiet minutes. Soon, however, a few stray leaves drifted down to her little spot on the ground, drawing her attention towards a gnarled branch in the upper canopy. Something had scrambled across a tree branch far above. Thinking back to the friendly squirrels and birds from home, Wren jumped to her feet with enthusiasm and began to make her way over to the hidden creature.

/ / / / /

Tone had almost reached the particularly vibrant butterfly when a mousy little head suddenly popped up over the edge of the high branch she was walking across, making her trip back in surprise and startling the bug into flight. She was only disappointed for a second before she realized this newcomer was another esk... a friend! She jumped to the esk's aid at once, pulling them over the edge and onto the relative safety of the branch. The esk's creme colored eyes crinkled in a faux, mouthless smile, and she trilled a cheerful greeting.

"Hi hello!" The new esk bobbed her head up and down in excitement. "You look like me! No, I look like you!"

Tone let out a melodic little laugh. "Hello, friend! Don't you have any other pansy friends? I know a couple of pansies. And now I know you, too! But what's your name?"

The esk touched a little foot to her face in thought. "I'm a wren. That's my name, I think."

"Hi Ren! I'm Tone."

"But where is your pansy?" Ren said curiously.

"Oh oh, I'm not actually from this area!" Tone answered. She could tell this other esk was relatively new to the world, and was eager to try to help. "See, when you're away from home, your flower will disappear."

Ren gasped and grabbed at her head, seemingly only just realizing that her pansy was gone.

Tone patted her reassuringly. "It's okay, though. If you go home it'll come back."

"What are you doing all the way out here?" Ren asked.

"I got poofed! It felt so funny! I'm not even sure where we are... but look at all these cool insects!"

Ren laughed joyfully. "I poofed too! Do you think anyone else is here?"

They both looked around, but no other esk appeared to be in the area.

"... so what should we do now?"

/ / / / /

Tone and Ren decided to follow the persistent tugging further up the mountain, attempting to discover its source together.

Their cheerful march brought them through an incredibly dense, high altitude jungle. Often Tone would pause their journey to point out an exotic bug, and give a little background of its species or ecological significance for the area. Ren was impressed by her new friend's knowledge, and committed silently to learn much more about her own home's plants and animals when she returned. Whenever that will be. She thought, turning back to look at their progress. Despite being among the smallest creatures in the forest, they'd made good time up the rugged path. They were nearly to the top, now, where the trees thinned and the view into the distance became clearer. Spread as far as the eye could see were leafy, cloud-dusted treetops, revealing just how deep into the mysterious jungle they were. The path long ago had become rocky, and the two pansies scrambled over boulders in their efforts to reach the summit.

Ren huffed and puffed over a large protruding tree root. The unfamiliar jungle biome had started to affect her, and it felt as though she was being weighed down by a thick wool blanket of humidity. She didn't want to seem upset to her new friend, though, so kept her tone light and curious. "Do you see anyone, yet?"

Tone let out a little gasp. "Yes! Look at that."

Ren peered around Tone, blinking, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Tone pointed, dancing forward. "See? I knew there'd be something special if only we kept going."

An odd little altar stood before the pair, right at the base of an immense, ancient tree. The structure was clearly made deliberately and had a stone-like texture, but the jade centerpiece hanging from the center by a woven thread appeared to be broken. A random act of nature, perhaps, or something more sinister? Tone knelt to inspect the broken segment that was resting on the ground nearby.

"I think this is it. This is the thing that was calling us up here." She called to Ren, who was gazing up the tree. Ren bounced over to have a look.

"Oooooh. So odd." She chirped, sitting back on her haunches and lifting it up to the light.

"We should do our best to fix it. It went to all the effort to call us out here... it needs our help!"

Ren nodded determinedly, and together they carried it over to the altar. They both tried to hold the fragment in place, but the ground near the tree was gnarled with uneven roots and didn't leave much room to maneuver.

Ren stepped forward. "Here -- I can hold it up, and you work on putting it back together!"

Tone nodded eagerly and paused for a moment, gathering her strength. She thought about all of the things in her life that made her happy -- the flowers in her windowsill, all the unique and wonderful bugs she got to see in the jungle today, and being able to make a new friend. She channeled that positive, hopeful energy into her will, and directed it with intent at the altar. Please, be fixed! She projected. As quickly as thought but subtly, gently, the stonework began to repair itself. Slowly the cracks sealed and disappeared and, when Ren let go, the centerpiece held together on its little string, merrily swinging back in forth in the light breeze.

Now fully restored, the shrine let out a thrum of energy, almost as if Tone's goodwill was being multiplied and spread to the earth itself. Wilting ferns in the area all at once appeared to burst back to life in vibrant color, and a chorus of birds chirped approvingly in the canopy of the great tree. Wildflowers sprung up all around the tree and a swarm of butterflies appeared to tend to them. The little clearing that was only moments ago cast in shadow had remarkably come back to life.

The two tiny esk cheered.

"We did it! We repaired the shrine!"

------

A cool collab between me and the wonderful runeowl ! I drew and they wrote from my picture, in the next one i'll illustrate their writing!

This is a guess at scoring so if it needs tweaked please let me know!
AP Breakdown
Base Score: 10 AP (Shaded Illustration)
+5 AP (Full Body)
+20 AP (Full/Scenic Background)
+10 AP (Other Esk Bonus: 10 AP * 1)
+10 AP (Esk Interaction Bonus: 10 AP * 1)
Base Score: 27 AP (Writing: 1352 words)
+5 AP (Event Bonus)
+5 AP (Wordcount Challenge Bonus)
+8 AP (Storyteller Bonus: 8 AP * 1)
Total AP per submission: 100

GP Breakdown
Base Score: 4 GP (Shaded Illustration)
+2 GP (Full Body)
+6 GP (Full/Scenic Background)
Base Score: 13.5 GP (Writing: 1352 words)
+2 GP (Event Bonus
+2 GP (Wordcount Challenge Bonus)
+6 GP (Storyteller Bonus: 6 GP * 1)
Total GP per submission: 35.5

Description
Tone was tending to the butterflies visiting her windowsill when she felt it. A gentle but insistent tug at her core, beckoning her mysteriously, blindly. She hopped onto the ledge and let the breeze ruffle her pansy. "An adventure!" She chirped, and winked out of existence...

... only to reappear a moment later at the base of an extremely large, moss-covered tree. She glanced around excitedly. The area was so very different than her own little corner of the world. Here a massive forest reached as far as the eye could see, and there wasn't a single building or human in sight. Birds called wildly from the canopy far above -- she thought immediately of Veery, and began to clamor up the tree for a better view. Her dear friend would love to hear about all of the new birds (and bugs) she'd seen! This new place is so exciting, she thought to herself, delicately navigating up a thick tree limb.

/ / / / /

A pale beige esk was absentmindedly watching the clouds breeze past when she, too, felt the tickling little tug at her spirit. She stood, barely reaching the tops of the flowers in her humble garden, and gave herself a puppy-like, full-body shiver. Instead of shaking off the strange feeling, however, the tugging became much stronger. She looked down curiously just in time to see her teeny legs disappearing, as she winked out of existence...

... and reappeared in a large, messy bed of damp leaves. The sunlight streaming through the canopy was dappled, muted, and so very different than her sunny flower patch. The thick forest was loud with unfamiliar bird and animal cries. She sat where she'd first appeared, admiring the vibrant green foliage and listening to the soundscape in wonder for several quiet minutes. Soon, however, a few stray leaves drifted down to her little spot on the ground, drawing her attention towards a gnarled branch in the upper canopy. Something had scrambled across a tree branch far above. Thinking back to the friendly squirrels and birds from home, Wren jumped to her feet with enthusiasm and began to make her way over to the hidden creature.

/ / / / /

Tone had almost reached the particularly vibrant butterfly when a mousy little head suddenly popped up over the edge of the high branch she was walking across, making her trip back in surprise and startling the bug into flight. She was only disappointed for a second before she realized this newcomer was another esk... a friend! She jumped to the esk's aid at once, pulling them over the edge and onto the relative safety of the branch. The esk's creme colored eyes crinkled in a faux, mouthless smile, and she trilled a cheerful greeting.

"Hi hello!" The new esk bobbed her head up and down in excitement. "You look like me! No, I look like you!"

Tone let out a melodic little laugh. "Hello, friend! Don't you have any other pansy friends? I know a couple of pansies. And now I know you, too! But what's your name?"

The esk touched a little foot to her face in thought. "I'm a wren. That's my name, I think."

"Hi Ren! I'm Tone."

"But where is your pansy?" Ren said curiously.

"Oh oh, I'm not actually from this area!" Tone answered. She could tell this other esk was relatively new to the world, and was eager to try to help. "See, when you're away from home, your flower will disappear."

Ren gasped and grabbed at her head, seemingly only just realizing that her pansy was gone.

Tone patted her reassuringly. "It's okay, though. If you go home it'll come back."

"What are you doing all the way out here?" Ren asked.

"I got poofed! It felt so funny! I'm not even sure where we are... but look at all these cool insects!"

Ren laughed joyfully. "I poofed too! Do you think anyone else is here?"

They both looked around, but no other esk appeared to be in the area.

"... so what should we do now?"

/ / / / /

Tone and Ren decided to follow the persistent tugging further up the mountain, attempting to discover its source together.

Their cheerful march brought them through an incredibly dense, high altitude jungle. Often Tone would pause their journey to point out an exotic bug, and give a little background of its species or ecological significance for the area. Ren was impressed by her new friend's knowledge, and committed silently to learn much more about her own home's plants and animals when she returned. Whenever that will be. She thought, turning back to look at their progress. Despite being among the smallest creatures in the forest, they'd made good time up the rugged path. They were nearly to the top, now, where the trees thinned and the view into the distance became clearer. Spread as far as the eye could see were leafy, cloud-dusted treetops, revealing just how deep into the mysterious jungle they were. The path long ago had become rocky, and the two pansies scrambled over boulders in their efforts to reach the summit.

Ren huffed and puffed over a large protruding tree root. The unfamiliar jungle biome had started to affect her, and it felt as though she was being weighed down by a thick wool blanket of humidity. She didn't want to seem upset to her new friend, though, so kept her tone light and curious. "Do you see anyone, yet?"

Tone let out a little gasp. "Yes! Look at that."

Ren peered around Tone, blinking, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Tone pointed, dancing forward. "See? I knew there'd be something special if only we kept going."

An odd little altar stood before the pair, right at the base of an immense, ancient tree. The structure was clearly made deliberately and had a stone-like texture, but the jade centerpiece hanging from the center by a woven thread appeared to be broken. A random act of nature, perhaps, or something more sinister? Tone knelt to inspect the broken segment that was resting on the ground nearby.

"I think this is it. This is the thing that was calling us up here." She called to Ren, who was gazing up the tree. Ren bounced over to have a look.

"Oooooh. So odd." She chirped, sitting back on her haunches and lifting it up to the light.

"We should do our best to fix it. It went to all the effort to call us out here... it needs our help!"

Ren nodded determinedly, and together they carried it over to the altar. They both tried to hold the fragment in place, but the ground near the tree was gnarled with uneven roots and didn't leave much room to maneuver.

Ren stepped forward. "Here -- I can hold it up, and you work on putting it back together!"

Tone nodded eagerly and paused for a moment, gathering her strength. She thought about all of the things in her life that made her happy -- the flowers in her windowsill, all the unique and wonderful bugs she got to see in the jungle today, and being able to make a new friend. She channeled that positive, hopeful energy into her will, and directed it with intent at the altar. Please, be fixed! She projected. As quickly as thought but subtly, gently, the stonework began to repair itself. Slowly the cracks sealed and disappeared and, when Ren let go, the centerpiece held together on its little string, merrily swinging back in forth in the light breeze.

Now fully restored, the shrine let out a thrum of energy, almost as if Tone's goodwill was being multiplied and spread to the earth itself. Wilting ferns in the area all at once appeared to burst back to life in vibrant color, and a chorus of birds chirped approvingly in the canopy of the great tree. Wildflowers sprung up all around the tree and a swarm of butterflies appeared to tend to them. The little clearing that was only moments ago cast in shadow had remarkably come back to life.

The two tiny esk cheered.

"We did it! We repaired the shrine!"

------

A cool collab between me and the wonderful runeowl ! I drew and they wrote from my picture, in the next one i'll illustrate their writing!

This is a guess at scoring so if it needs tweaked please let me know!
AP Breakdown
Base Score: 10 AP (Shaded Illustration)
+5 AP (Full Body)
+20 AP (Full/Scenic Background)
+10 AP (Other Esk Bonus: 10 AP * 1)
+10 AP (Esk Interaction Bonus: 10 AP * 1)
Base Score: 27 AP (Writing: 1352 words)
+5 AP (Event Bonus)
+5 AP (Wordcount Challenge Bonus)
+8 AP (Storyteller Bonus: 8 AP * 1)
Total AP per submission: 100

GP Breakdown
Base Score: 4 GP (Shaded Illustration)
+2 GP (Full Body)
+6 GP (Full/Scenic Background)
Base Score: 13.5 GP (Writing: 1352 words)
+2 GP (Event Bonus
+2 GP (Wordcount Challenge Bonus)
+6 GP (Storyteller Bonus: 6 GP * 1)
Total GP per submission: 35.5