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Wyld Hunt: Week 1
Team: GhostLights

**Content Warning:** The written piece contains a graphic and detailed fight scene where characters are seriously harmed. There are also depictions of blood, body horror, violence, and drowning. Continue with care.

---------------------------------------------
There was something wrong with the music.

That’s to say, there was music. In the middle of the swamp. Steadily growing louder.

“Well, that’s not concerning,” Trixie huffed, her shovel slung over her shoulder like a musket. She cocked her head to the side, ear flicking. “Was this in the briefing?– ‘Oh, by the way, the swamp has a backing soundtrack’?”

At the front of the group, Seelie hesitated midstep. The water sloshed around their paws as they turned, their brow furrowed in utter confusion. Their shovel stuck into the mud as they raised their hands to sign. “...You can hear that too?”

The Ghostlights all paused, staring at their team leader.

“...What the hell do you mean, ‘can you hear that too?’” Eclipse hissed, his lip curling in disgust as his eyes darted around the swamp. Its dense canopy was thinning into a clearing, revealing the red moon in the sky– but not what was singing. “It’s bloody deafening– it’s all I can hear. Why would only you hear it? You special or somethin’?”

Seelie twitched– flinched, their gaze flicking down to the muddy water.

Eclipse groaned. “Great. Our team leader’s a lunatic.”

All of the grove-born folk winced, hissing out a startlingly synchronized “language!”

After a quick but stern talk about how they understood Eclipse was a traveler, but they didn’t use that language here and wouldn’t tolerate it, the Ghostlights were suddenly cut off, even as their mouths still moved.

Not a single spoken word cut through the suddenly roaring music.

Eclipse mouthed something suspiciously swear-word-shaped as the Ghostlights raised their shovels.

Across the clearing, the hollow in the swamp, a Hollow husk stepped out of the woods. Its limbs dragged through the muck, rippling the water as it cocked its head to the side– down past its shoulder, nearly to its chest. ‘Too far for anything with muscles, bones, or living tissue.

Its mouth fell open as the False Soul within spilled out, tendrils swaying to the heavy music. It was like a snake’s tongue tasting the air– tasting the sickly sweet fog of music.

And strangely, the Ghostlights could taste it too, like caramel syrup dripping down their throats.

Seelie coughed, gagging against it, but still raised their claws. They pointed to Grey and Síofra and then straight to the Hollow: head-on attack. Then, Trixie, Myr, and Eclipse, to which Seelie drew a circle with their claw: pick-’n-chip away at it. And finally, they turned to Icy, tapping their shovel's bowstring: ranged support.

The Ghostlights nodded, readying themselves as the Hollow swayed before stumbling forward on the False Soul’s strings.

Grey and Síofra darted forward, catching the Hollow halfway across the clearing. They both bore their teeth, yelling threats and taunts to try and keep its attention, though whatever they said was lost underneath the noise. Still, it worked, and the Hollow paused, surveying the two folks before it– not noticing the three others circling behind.

With a jerk, the Hollow’s arm shot up toward the sky. It paused, hanging there, before slamming down on Síofra.

Sí smirked, deftly rolling backwards and away, as Grey slammed forwards. He cracked the butt of his shovel into the Hollow’s chest, sending it stumbling back– straight into Eclipse’s waiting blade.

It would’ve slipped straight between the spine’s vertebrae on any living creature– a killing blow. But, here, the blade dug in, too far without resistance, before suddenly catching. Something tugged it deeper before throwing it out.

Eclipse staggered, mouthing something profane as the False Soul shot from the new opening and for Eclipse’s neck.

The False Soul didn’t even touch Eclipse before Icy struck. His dart came from the sky, pinning the False Soul down like a bug to a board. Finding his footing again, Eclipse nodded upward, stepping back to let Trixie through. She grinned with all her teeth, raising her shovel and swinging it into the Hollow’s stomach.

Though you couldn’t hear it, the mouthed shout of ‘FORE’ still rang with power.

The Hollow didn’t have time to recover as it was hounded back towards the tree line by swings and blows. Its mouth curled into an annoyed snarl, the skin crinkling and tearing like paper. It reared, stepping back to swing at the folk harassing it–

‘Letting Myr dart in and slash its leg clean off.

The Hollow crashed against a mangrove tree. The False Soul tendrils that swayed from its mouth desperately slithered back inside, trying to escape through the amputation. But, it didn’t get far before an arrow pinged from Seelie’s bow, straight through the Hollow’s chest, the False Soul within, and sticking into the tree trunk.

The Ghostlights whooped as the Hollow husk crumpled and fell away from the twitching False Soul like a discarded jacket. Though the music didn’t die with it, it did quiet, and they could again hear each other over the strange, unintelligible opera singing.

Everyone paused to breathe before Seelie signed, “To answer your question, no, it wasn’t in the briefing. The False Soul does have a paralyzing toxin, though– be careful over there.”

Síofra paused from where she’d been poking at the twitching tendrils before nodding and returning to her work (though more carefully than before, covering her claws with the sleeves of her shirt).

While Sí poked and prodded at the False Soul, the Ghostlights gathered at a safe distance. Eclipse brushed off the mud on his jacket before squinting up at Seelie. “...Okay, we’re circling back around to that.”

Seelie turned, looking down at the shorter folk with mismatched and narrowed eyes. The other grove-born Ghostlights similarly stiffened.

Eclipse shrunk in on himself, seemingly embarrassed (if such a thing was even possible for him) as he hissed. “Look, you do you. That’s fine. But I think I’m within my right to ask questions about it. ‘How long ‘you been hearing opera?”

Seelie hummed, still squinting down at Eclipse, but they eventually shrugged. “A while, but I do not hear opera. I haven’t heard music like this since…”

They trailed off, their paws stilling before resting against their chest. They absentmindedly rubbed their sternum, staring off into the middle distance with a furrowed brow.

After a while, realizing Seelie wasn’t going to continue, Myr shuffled in place, piping up with a, “Well, maybe one of your parents is a necromancer? I’ve heard of some spells that let necromancers listen to… things others can’t hear.”

But Seelie wasn’t listening.

Seelie was staring, wide-eyed at the strange glass scale Sí had found and was trying to pry out of where the False Soul had twisted around it.

The Ghostlights followed their leader’s gaze, landing on the scale as Sí finally managed to pry it loose. It was something akin to a large piece of sea glass, semi-translucent but still rich with colour. But it was nearly the size of Sí’s forearm and shimmered with iridescence as she flipped it back and forth. It glowed with a bright cyan light, blocking out the warm red shine of the moon.

That, and it was vibrating like a speaker– the source of the music.

Trixie whistled, stepping forward to get a better look. “Sweet, dibs on the jukebox!”

But before she could get any closer, Seelie’s shovel snapped out before her, nearly hitting Trixie in the stomach. Trixie yelped, though she kept her eyes fixed on the glass scale.

Grey growled, spitting out, “The hell’s wrong with you?”

Seelie didn’t acknowledge him. They just stared down Síofra. “Drop it. Now,” they hissed, claws clenching on their shovel’s handle.

Sí blinked, pulling the scale close to her chest, baring her teeth.

Grey growled again.

Before anyone could do anything else, Myr stepped forward, one arm outstretched in front of Sí. “Wo-woah! Calm down, what’s going on? Why is everyone upset?”

“Listen– drop it,” Seelie snapped again, entirely ignoring Myr. They shook their head, ears folding tightly closed. “Listen– don’t. Drop it.”

Myr blinked his doe eyes, cocking his head to the side. “Hey, it’s alright. Why don’t you take some deep breaths? We’re all comin’ off of an adrenaline high right now– why don’t I take the scale, and we head back to the Cove?”

Eclipse balked. “Wait– why should you get it? What’s so special about you? Why not give it to me?”

“Because it’s upsettin’ Seelie,” Myr tutted, fixing Eclipse with a look. “And I’ve got a backpack I can put it in and get it out of their sight–”

“Ohhh,” Eclipse hissed. “So you’re a hoarder. That explains a lot. ‘Definitely explains that backpack full of junk you haul around.”

“What?! I made all that food for you guys,” Myr snarled, turning around to poke a claw into Eclipse’s chest. “The least you could do is pay me back.”

“I don’t owe a vamp ‘nothin’.”

Trixie jumped up and pushed Myr and Eclipse apart. “Both of you, stop! What, are you children? Besides, I called dibs.”

Icy stepped forward, past Grey, but not towards the three bickering folks. He stepped towards Síofra; his eyes fixated on the shimmering scale.

Grey roared, snatching his long tail and yanking Icy back to him and his waiting claws.

Myr roared, “I’m not a VAMPIRE!” and lunged at Eclipse’s throat.

Seelie whined, ears folded flat, as they roared over the music. “SHUT UP, STOP LISTENING. STOP– JUST FUCKING DROP IT!” as they dove for Síofra.

The music screeched as the Ghostlights threw themselves at one another.

Sí rolled out of the way, dropping the scale to block Seelie’s swing. Howling, she tore a clawed hand down Seelie’s arm before snatching their wrist. And, with a yank, Sí flipped Seelie over her head and down into the mud.

Those clawed hands squeezed down, fingers digging into Seelie’s eyes.

Seelie sputtered and heaved, doing everything they could to keep their head above water as Sí’s spittle fell onto their face.

The tempo raced like a comet shooting across the sky, burning in the atmosphere.

Eclipse’s eyes went wide as Myr’s teeth sunk into his neck. It lasted only a moment. His eyes narrowed as he slammed the butt of his shovel into Myr’s jaw.

Myr howled, ripping himself (along with some of Eclipse’s fur) backward. Black blood dripped from his teeth in a wild arch as he swept his shovel into Eclipse’s legs– only to hit the handle of Trixie’s as she swung her shovel into his stomach.

It wasn’t to help Eclipse. The second Myr fell to the ground, she lifted her shovel again, slamming it towards the new closest target. She cackled, wild-eyed, as Eclipse stumbled, spitting up black ichor. She raised her shovel above her head before pausing with a snarl.

Myr clawed through the water, reaching out a shaking, mud-stained hand to the song.

Trixie’s mouth curled with disgust, and she brought her shovel down.

The flutes wailed as the music went up an octave, birds singing their final cry.

Grey punched Icy right in the throat, dragging his hand down the other folk’s neck, before finding the collar of Icy’s outfit. He pulled, and Icy gasped for air. Grey had enough time to plaster himself to Icy’s side, like a tick about to dig in for a meal, before Icy tensed and jumped into the sky.

Icy roared, his bony wings whipping against Grey as they flew higher and higher. But, even up in the air, the two folks' roars were nearly inaudible over the music.

Grey gritted his teeth as he dug his hands into the straps of Icy’s bag. His comet trails whipped through the air, bashing into the side of Icy’s face.

Icy reared with a wail of pain, twisting into one of rage. The two folks’ eyes met as they leaned back before slamming forward, their horns crashing together.

The music crescendoed as–

Seelie gasped– their breath barely a whisper against Sí’s claws. With one hand shoved underneath themself to keep them out of the water, Seelie pawed through the mud with the other. It caught on something cold, metallic, and familiar.

They cracked Puck against Sí’s skull, relishing in the ring.

Sí barely let up for a moment, but that moment was all Seelie needed to grab her claws and flip her into the mud. Sí gasped, trying to leverage herself up– Seelie was up and on top of her before she could react.

Their clawed hands squeezed into Sí’s throat as they pinned her under the water.

Her breaths bubbled up, and her claws raked down their side, tickling the fur on Seelie’s arms. Seelie wailed, lost in the crescendo, but the bubbles popped and popped aND POPPPED.

–as the red moon’s light fell over the hollow once more, the looming shadow that had blocked it fading from view.

And the red glow pierced the cyan light.

And the music popped.

Icy’s ears rang in the sudden silence, the lack of pressure painful. He gasped, feeling the air rush past him, before Grey’s swear snapped him back to attention– Icy spread his wings just before the two crashed.

Grey slipped from Icy’s harness once they touched down, falling on his back– his splash mirrored by one across the clearing as Trixie’s momentum left her face down in the mud. She scrambled up, nearly slipping back down multiple times, before she sat up on her knees.

“...What,” she wheezed, clutching at her chest. “The actual fricking hell.”

“Oh, sweet Azalhai,” Icy whined, shaking his head as he stared down at his paws. “I didn’t– I– Grey, I–”

Icy’s mouth snapped shut as Síofra gasped, loud, desperate heaves for air. Only her coughs broke them up as she spat up brackish water and dirt.

“Oh, gods!” Trixie yelled, jumping to her feet and running across the clearing with the rest of the Ghostlights. She slammed her hand across Sí’s back repeatedly until they couldn’t hear her chest rattle. “‘Keep coughing, just keep coughing. Get it out of there.”

Sí clawed at the earth, tears streaming down her face as she heaved, though she waved off the other's help. Trixie’s brow furrowed, but she took her hand from Sí’s back and hooked it under her arm. “We need to get to a hospital– we need– we need to leave.

“Help me get her up.”

Grey scrambled into action, hooking Sí’s other arm over his shoulder.

But Icy didn’t move to help. His legs trembled, and as he tried to take a single step, he slipped into the mud, tripping over something in the water. He snapped his wings out to steady himself before falling motionless again.

Trixie hissed. Though she and Grey got Sí to her feet, the mud made moving her a single step difficult. “Guys, we need to leave– we need help– we–

“We…”

Trixie’s gaze trailed down to meet Icy’s and then further still to meet Seelie's.

Seelie’s cold, mismatched eyes stared up at Trixie, Grey, Icy, the sky, and nothing as they floated in the water. ‘Motionless, except for the blood pooling and dripping down their chest from the glass shard lodged within.

‘Drip drop went Seelie’s blood as it fell into the water.

Drip came the noise again, muffled by the distance across the clearing. Drop.

Eclipse and Myr lay in the mud, black and orange blood pooling from glass sticking out of their chests, as they stared up at nothing and everything.

The Ghostlights screamed orders, pleas, and cries at the wrongness of it all as they gathered their fallen companions and ran, feet splashing through water and mud.

The noise drowned out the music, and the faint wind chimes on the wind, following them home.

**Word Count:** 2605
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PREVIOUS | GHOSTLIGHTS | NEXT
Selections: Cosmo | Eclipse | Myr | Seelie

**Characters Depicted:**
- Eclipse -- MinTea-Leaves
- Grey -- LiteralCryptid
- He Who Sounds Hollow -- Grimsby Grove Deep One
- Hollow ~ Written -- Grimsby Grove Predator
- Icelos "Icy" -- MinTea-Leaves
- Muirín “Myr” -- twooost
- Seelie Hollow -- justspillingcoldtea
- Síofra twooost
- Trixie Treet LiteralCryptid

**Event Prompts: **

-------------------------------------------
Special thanks to the whole team, we did an amazing job and I'm really looking forward to our next prompts!

Sketch: twooost Lines: LiteralCryptid Flats/Shading: justspillingcoldtea Bg/finalization: MinTea-Leaves
Story: justspillingcoldtea <3

Eclipse has been bitten by Myr who is carrying an active Infection of BloodBorne Virus

Acorns: 41/537
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

Description

Wyld Hunt: Week 1
Team: GhostLights

**Content Warning:** The written piece contains a graphic and detailed fight scene where characters are seriously harmed. There are also depictions of blood, body horror, violence, and drowning. Continue with care.

---------------------------------------------
There was something wrong with the music.

That’s to say, there was music. In the middle of the swamp. Steadily growing louder.

“Well, that’s not concerning,” Trixie huffed, her shovel slung over her shoulder like a musket. She cocked her head to the side, ear flicking. “Was this in the briefing?– ‘Oh, by the way, the swamp has a backing soundtrack’?”

At the front of the group, Seelie hesitated midstep. The water sloshed around their paws as they turned, their brow furrowed in utter confusion. Their shovel stuck into the mud as they raised their hands to sign. “...You can hear that too?”

The Ghostlights all paused, staring at their team leader.

“...What the hell do you mean, ‘can you hear that too?’” Eclipse hissed, his lip curling in disgust as his eyes darted around the swamp. Its dense canopy was thinning into a clearing, revealing the red moon in the sky– but not what was singing. “It’s bloody deafening– it’s all I can hear. Why would only you hear it? You special or somethin’?”

Seelie twitched– flinched, their gaze flicking down to the muddy water.

Eclipse groaned. “Great. Our team leader’s a lunatic.”

All of the grove-born folk winced, hissing out a startlingly synchronized “language!”

After a quick but stern talk about how they understood Eclipse was a traveler, but they didn’t use that language here and wouldn’t tolerate it, the Ghostlights were suddenly cut off, even as their mouths still moved.

Not a single spoken word cut through the suddenly roaring music.

Eclipse mouthed something suspiciously swear-word-shaped as the Ghostlights raised their shovels.

Across the clearing, the hollow in the swamp, a Hollow husk stepped out of the woods. Its limbs dragged through the muck, rippling the water as it cocked its head to the side– down past its shoulder, nearly to its chest. ‘Too far for anything with muscles, bones, or living tissue.

Its mouth fell open as the False Soul within spilled out, tendrils swaying to the heavy music. It was like a snake’s tongue tasting the air– tasting the sickly sweet fog of music.

And strangely, the Ghostlights could taste it too, like caramel syrup dripping down their throats.

Seelie coughed, gagging against it, but still raised their claws. They pointed to Grey and Síofra and then straight to the Hollow: head-on attack. Then, Trixie, Myr, and Eclipse, to which Seelie drew a circle with their claw: pick-’n-chip away at it. And finally, they turned to Icy, tapping their shovel's bowstring: ranged support.

The Ghostlights nodded, readying themselves as the Hollow swayed before stumbling forward on the False Soul’s strings.

Grey and Síofra darted forward, catching the Hollow halfway across the clearing. They both bore their teeth, yelling threats and taunts to try and keep its attention, though whatever they said was lost underneath the noise. Still, it worked, and the Hollow paused, surveying the two folks before it– not noticing the three others circling behind.

With a jerk, the Hollow’s arm shot up toward the sky. It paused, hanging there, before slamming down on Síofra.

Sí smirked, deftly rolling backwards and away, as Grey slammed forwards. He cracked the butt of his shovel into the Hollow’s chest, sending it stumbling back– straight into Eclipse’s waiting blade.

It would’ve slipped straight between the spine’s vertebrae on any living creature– a killing blow. But, here, the blade dug in, too far without resistance, before suddenly catching. Something tugged it deeper before throwing it out.

Eclipse staggered, mouthing something profane as the False Soul shot from the new opening and for Eclipse’s neck.

The False Soul didn’t even touch Eclipse before Icy struck. His dart came from the sky, pinning the False Soul down like a bug to a board. Finding his footing again, Eclipse nodded upward, stepping back to let Trixie through. She grinned with all her teeth, raising her shovel and swinging it into the Hollow’s stomach.

Though you couldn’t hear it, the mouthed shout of ‘FORE’ still rang with power.

The Hollow didn’t have time to recover as it was hounded back towards the tree line by swings and blows. Its mouth curled into an annoyed snarl, the skin crinkling and tearing like paper. It reared, stepping back to swing at the folk harassing it–

‘Letting Myr dart in and slash its leg clean off.

The Hollow crashed against a mangrove tree. The False Soul tendrils that swayed from its mouth desperately slithered back inside, trying to escape through the amputation. But, it didn’t get far before an arrow pinged from Seelie’s bow, straight through the Hollow’s chest, the False Soul within, and sticking into the tree trunk.

The Ghostlights whooped as the Hollow husk crumpled and fell away from the twitching False Soul like a discarded jacket. Though the music didn’t die with it, it did quiet, and they could again hear each other over the strange, unintelligible opera singing.

Everyone paused to breathe before Seelie signed, “To answer your question, no, it wasn’t in the briefing. The False Soul does have a paralyzing toxin, though– be careful over there.”

Síofra paused from where she’d been poking at the twitching tendrils before nodding and returning to her work (though more carefully than before, covering her claws with the sleeves of her shirt).

While Sí poked and prodded at the False Soul, the Ghostlights gathered at a safe distance. Eclipse brushed off the mud on his jacket before squinting up at Seelie. “...Okay, we’re circling back around to that.”

Seelie turned, looking down at the shorter folk with mismatched and narrowed eyes. The other grove-born Ghostlights similarly stiffened.

Eclipse shrunk in on himself, seemingly embarrassed (if such a thing was even possible for him) as he hissed. “Look, you do you. That’s fine. But I think I’m within my right to ask questions about it. ‘How long ‘you been hearing opera?”

Seelie hummed, still squinting down at Eclipse, but they eventually shrugged. “A while, but I do not hear opera. I haven’t heard music like this since…”

They trailed off, their paws stilling before resting against their chest. They absentmindedly rubbed their sternum, staring off into the middle distance with a furrowed brow.

After a while, realizing Seelie wasn’t going to continue, Myr shuffled in place, piping up with a, “Well, maybe one of your parents is a necromancer? I’ve heard of some spells that let necromancers listen to… things others can’t hear.”

But Seelie wasn’t listening.

Seelie was staring, wide-eyed at the strange glass scale Sí had found and was trying to pry out of where the False Soul had twisted around it.

The Ghostlights followed their leader’s gaze, landing on the scale as Sí finally managed to pry it loose. It was something akin to a large piece of sea glass, semi-translucent but still rich with colour. But it was nearly the size of Sí’s forearm and shimmered with iridescence as she flipped it back and forth. It glowed with a bright cyan light, blocking out the warm red shine of the moon.

That, and it was vibrating like a speaker– the source of the music.

Trixie whistled, stepping forward to get a better look. “Sweet, dibs on the jukebox!”

But before she could get any closer, Seelie’s shovel snapped out before her, nearly hitting Trixie in the stomach. Trixie yelped, though she kept her eyes fixed on the glass scale.

Grey growled, spitting out, “The hell’s wrong with you?”

Seelie didn’t acknowledge him. They just stared down Síofra. “Drop it. Now,” they hissed, claws clenching on their shovel’s handle.

Sí blinked, pulling the scale close to her chest, baring her teeth.

Grey growled again.

Before anyone could do anything else, Myr stepped forward, one arm outstretched in front of Sí. “Wo-woah! Calm down, what’s going on? Why is everyone upset?”

“Listen– drop it,” Seelie snapped again, entirely ignoring Myr. They shook their head, ears folding tightly closed. “Listen– don’t. Drop it.”

Myr blinked his doe eyes, cocking his head to the side. “Hey, it’s alright. Why don’t you take some deep breaths? We’re all comin’ off of an adrenaline high right now– why don’t I take the scale, and we head back to the Cove?”

Eclipse balked. “Wait– why should you get it? What’s so special about you? Why not give it to me?”

“Because it’s upsettin’ Seelie,” Myr tutted, fixing Eclipse with a look. “And I’ve got a backpack I can put it in and get it out of their sight–”

“Ohhh,” Eclipse hissed. “So you’re a hoarder. That explains a lot. ‘Definitely explains that backpack full of junk you haul around.”

“What?! I made all that food for you guys,” Myr snarled, turning around to poke a claw into Eclipse’s chest. “The least you could do is pay me back.”

“I don’t owe a vamp ‘nothin’.”

Trixie jumped up and pushed Myr and Eclipse apart. “Both of you, stop! What, are you children? Besides, I called dibs.”

Icy stepped forward, past Grey, but not towards the three bickering folks. He stepped towards Síofra; his eyes fixated on the shimmering scale.

Grey roared, snatching his long tail and yanking Icy back to him and his waiting claws.

Myr roared, “I’m not a VAMPIRE!” and lunged at Eclipse’s throat.

Seelie whined, ears folded flat, as they roared over the music. “SHUT UP, STOP LISTENING. STOP– JUST FUCKING DROP IT!” as they dove for Síofra.

The music screeched as the Ghostlights threw themselves at one another.

Sí rolled out of the way, dropping the scale to block Seelie’s swing. Howling, she tore a clawed hand down Seelie’s arm before snatching their wrist. And, with a yank, Sí flipped Seelie over her head and down into the mud.

Those clawed hands squeezed down, fingers digging into Seelie’s eyes.

Seelie sputtered and heaved, doing everything they could to keep their head above water as Sí’s spittle fell onto their face.

The tempo raced like a comet shooting across the sky, burning in the atmosphere.

Eclipse’s eyes went wide as Myr’s teeth sunk into his neck. It lasted only a moment. His eyes narrowed as he slammed the butt of his shovel into Myr’s jaw.

Myr howled, ripping himself (along with some of Eclipse’s fur) backward. Black blood dripped from his teeth in a wild arch as he swept his shovel into Eclipse’s legs– only to hit the handle of Trixie’s as she swung her shovel into his stomach.

It wasn’t to help Eclipse. The second Myr fell to the ground, she lifted her shovel again, slamming it towards the new closest target. She cackled, wild-eyed, as Eclipse stumbled, spitting up black ichor. She raised her shovel above her head before pausing with a snarl.

Myr clawed through the water, reaching out a shaking, mud-stained hand to the song.

Trixie’s mouth curled with disgust, and she brought her shovel down.

The flutes wailed as the music went up an octave, birds singing their final cry.

Grey punched Icy right in the throat, dragging his hand down the other folk’s neck, before finding the collar of Icy’s outfit. He pulled, and Icy gasped for air. Grey had enough time to plaster himself to Icy’s side, like a tick about to dig in for a meal, before Icy tensed and jumped into the sky.

Icy roared, his bony wings whipping against Grey as they flew higher and higher. But, even up in the air, the two folks' roars were nearly inaudible over the music.

Grey gritted his teeth as he dug his hands into the straps of Icy’s bag. His comet trails whipped through the air, bashing into the side of Icy’s face.

Icy reared with a wail of pain, twisting into one of rage. The two folks’ eyes met as they leaned back before slamming forward, their horns crashing together.

The music crescendoed as–

Seelie gasped– their breath barely a whisper against Sí’s claws. With one hand shoved underneath themself to keep them out of the water, Seelie pawed through the mud with the other. It caught on something cold, metallic, and familiar.

They cracked Puck against Sí’s skull, relishing in the ring.

Sí barely let up for a moment, but that moment was all Seelie needed to grab her claws and flip her into the mud. Sí gasped, trying to leverage herself up– Seelie was up and on top of her before she could react.

Their clawed hands squeezed into Sí’s throat as they pinned her under the water.

Her breaths bubbled up, and her claws raked down their side, tickling the fur on Seelie’s arms. Seelie wailed, lost in the crescendo, but the bubbles popped and popped aND POPPPED.

–as the red moon’s light fell over the hollow once more, the looming shadow that had blocked it fading from view.

And the red glow pierced the cyan light.

And the music popped.

Icy’s ears rang in the sudden silence, the lack of pressure painful. He gasped, feeling the air rush past him, before Grey’s swear snapped him back to attention– Icy spread his wings just before the two crashed.

Grey slipped from Icy’s harness once they touched down, falling on his back– his splash mirrored by one across the clearing as Trixie’s momentum left her face down in the mud. She scrambled up, nearly slipping back down multiple times, before she sat up on her knees.

“...What,” she wheezed, clutching at her chest. “The actual fricking hell.”

“Oh, sweet Azalhai,” Icy whined, shaking his head as he stared down at his paws. “I didn’t– I– Grey, I–”

Icy’s mouth snapped shut as Síofra gasped, loud, desperate heaves for air. Only her coughs broke them up as she spat up brackish water and dirt.

“Oh, gods!” Trixie yelled, jumping to her feet and running across the clearing with the rest of the Ghostlights. She slammed her hand across Sí’s back repeatedly until they couldn’t hear her chest rattle. “‘Keep coughing, just keep coughing. Get it out of there.”

Sí clawed at the earth, tears streaming down her face as she heaved, though she waved off the other's help. Trixie’s brow furrowed, but she took her hand from Sí’s back and hooked it under her arm. “We need to get to a hospital– we need– we need to leave.

“Help me get her up.”

Grey scrambled into action, hooking Sí’s other arm over his shoulder.

But Icy didn’t move to help. His legs trembled, and as he tried to take a single step, he slipped into the mud, tripping over something in the water. He snapped his wings out to steady himself before falling motionless again.

Trixie hissed. Though she and Grey got Sí to her feet, the mud made moving her a single step difficult. “Guys, we need to leave– we need help– we–

“We…”

Trixie’s gaze trailed down to meet Icy’s and then further still to meet Seelie's.

Seelie’s cold, mismatched eyes stared up at Trixie, Grey, Icy, the sky, and nothing as they floated in the water. ‘Motionless, except for the blood pooling and dripping down their chest from the glass shard lodged within.

‘Drip drop went Seelie’s blood as it fell into the water.

Drip came the noise again, muffled by the distance across the clearing. Drop.

Eclipse and Myr lay in the mud, black and orange blood pooling from glass sticking out of their chests, as they stared up at nothing and everything.

The Ghostlights screamed orders, pleas, and cries at the wrongness of it all as they gathered their fallen companions and ran, feet splashing through water and mud.

The noise drowned out the music, and the faint wind chimes on the wind, following them home.

**Word Count:** 2605
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PREVIOUS | GHOSTLIGHTS | NEXT
Selections: Cosmo | Eclipse | Myr | Seelie

**Characters Depicted:**
- Eclipse -- MinTea-Leaves
- Grey -- LiteralCryptid
- He Who Sounds Hollow -- Grimsby Grove Deep One
- Hollow ~ Written -- Grimsby Grove Predator
- Icelos "Icy" -- MinTea-Leaves
- Muirín “Myr” -- twooost
- Seelie Hollow -- justspillingcoldtea
- Síofra twooost
- Trixie Treet LiteralCryptid

**Event Prompts: **

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Special thanks to the whole team, we did an amazing job and I'm really looking forward to our next prompts!

Sketch: twooost Lines: LiteralCryptid Flats/Shading: justspillingcoldtea Bg/finalization: MinTea-Leaves
Story: justspillingcoldtea <3

Eclipse has been bitten by Myr who is carrying an active Infection of BloodBorne Virus

Acorns: 41/537
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…