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Description
Snow fell lightly around Tsume’s paws, feathering the rough rocks of the mountain in a white cloak that crunched underfoot. He glanced up at the sky and smiled, watching his breath puff up and dissipate as a pale cloud. The stars were blocked out by the gray clouds that cast themselves across the sky, but he knew they were there, just as he could see the pale glow of the moon striving to break out of the encasing clouds.
Tsume shook out his coat, the dark spots covered in sticky snow that flew off in a light shower of powder. He jumped from his current perch on the mountainside, to another rock, landing easily. Sometimes being part cat had its advantages, it came with claws, noiseless walking, and grace and stealth. But there was also a price to being different. Tsume didn’t really have anywhere he fit, or a family to count on. But it didn’t bother him; he found plenty of ways to entertain himself.
He tilted his head listening to the whispers of Antarctic wind as it blew through his thick fur, another flurry of snow came with it and he shut his eyes as a cold blast of snow rushed into his face. Tsume hopped his way up the mountain side, seeking shelter from the sudden flurry in a small crevice.
He slipped through easily, his eyes adjusting to the darkness as he moved through the cave, careful to make sure he didn’t lose his way. He twitched his ears as he caught the slow sound of dripping water off of icicles and stalactites and a few drops of icy water landed on his nose. His purple eyes glanced up, catching their vague outlines in the darkness.
He found a glassy indentation in one of the pockets of the cave; he curled up in it, his long fluffy tail curling around him once and over his nose like a scarf. He sighed and slept comfortably.
Tsume’s ears twitched as he caught the sound of humming, he lifted his head from where he had been laying, the cave seemed to have lightened somewhat, so a few hours must have passed in his sleep. He tilted his head, his ears swiveling as he heard the humming continue, rising and lowering in pitch like a song, one he thought he recognized.
He stood, stretching his back legs before stepping through the cave curiously, following the sound of the song. He stopped as the song reached its last notes and faded into silence. “Wait…” he called, his voice echoing off the walls of ice. “Where’d you go?” he whispered. Only silence graced him with a reply.
He sighed and kept walking, the cave growing lighter around him the farther forward he went. His soft paw steps stopped as he entered a huge chamber. The walls were made of clear ice that showed vague outlines of the mountain outside, it rounded to the top where a perfectly circular hole was open, above he could see the full moon shining, and the stars twinkling brightly around it.
He stepped into the chamber, his eyes staring around him in awe, there were pictures colored into the ice, different waves of lines, animals, and creatures of all manners and size. He stopped as he reached the center of the room; on a small pillar of raised ice was what looked like a gem.
Tsume stopped a few feet away from it, tilting his head with curiosity, a moment later, there was but a few inches separating his face from the sparkling stone. It shone like diamond or quartz and Tsume’s eyes sparkled as brightly as it did. He was tempted to take it as his own, but he wondered who would want to leave a crystal in the middle of a cave.
He was drawn from his thoughts by what sounded like faint whispers, and the soft sound of the song he had heard before. He stepped back from the gem, his head turning this way and that as he looked around the empty chamber. “Hello?” he called, his voice reverberating off the walls of ice. And of course, there was no response.
Tsume frowned and turned back towards the gem, the whispering began again, he looked up at the opening in the ice, a small shaft of moonlight falling through and onto the gem. He gasped as suddenly the room was lit in a myriad of colors, shining all over the walls, green and red, blue and orange, purple and yellow, all the colors shone from the stone’s depths.
“Wow…” Tsume murmured staring enthralled at the ice around him.
Voices hummed through the air, “You of no race known….” One voice said.
“You’ve come here for a reason.” A different one murmured near his ear.
“But you do not know it.” Several said at once.
Tsume’s eyes widened and he took a step back, prepared to bolt for the exit and out of the cave; things had gotten a little scary for him. “Who….Who are you?” he called looking around him at the still shining colors.
“We are no more than spirits, the guides of the lights that grace the sky, the aurora.” They all murmured together in unison.
Tsume’s ears pinned to his head and he gasped. “Spirits…?” he asked.
“Yes…” one of the voices replied.
“Why did you appear to me, and why is this room glowing?” he asked looking around at the room that continued to shine brighter as the colors melded together into a smooth rainbow.
“Because Tsume, you who are pure of heart, along with the rays of the moon and stars, awoke us; something that is not often done…” he could almost hear a smile in that voice.
“So now what happens to me?” he asked tempted to take another step back. After all, they hadn’t said if they were friendly spirits or not.
What sounded like a chiming laugh filled the air, as if they had seen him tense, for all he knew, they could have. “Be not afraid young one, we are here to aide and to guide you as we have done for all who have come here before you and awoken us.”
“You mean those?” he asked turning his head to look at the pictures on the wall.
“Indeed…” said a different voice. “You shall be blessed, and we will be able to aide you whenever you call on us. With our wisdom and strength.” It said in a hushed tone.
Before Tsume could say anything, a blinding flash lit up the cave, he scrunched his eyes shut and hit the floor, expecting it to rumble or to give way underneath him. “Remember…” he barely heard a voice say, “Call on us, and we shall guide you…” and the voice faded away.
Tsume cautiously pulled a paw from his muzzle, opening an eye, the flash was gone, the ray of moonlight had vanished from the gem and the room was now back to the way it had been. Something gleamed on the wall, and curiosity gripping him, he stood and crossed the chamber.
He stared at the newest picture on the wall, it was exactly identical to him, only a few feet long rather than full sized, the picture’s spots were the source of the glittering, as if they had retained the color of the gem shining, the spots glowed in the myriad of colors that had flashed along the walls.
Tsume blinked, staring at it for a few moments longer, before at his reflection in the ice, were his spots blue?! He looked at his back in alarm. They were! And green and teal and purple! He gasped, so then he hadn’t been hallucinating…there really had been spirits here, and they really had blessed him.
Tsume smiled somewhat to himself as he remembered what they had said. They would guide him and come when he needed them. It looked like he wasn’t as alone as he had thought anymore.

Description
Snow fell lightly around Tsume’s paws, feathering the rough rocks of the mountain in a white cloak that crunched underfoot. He glanced up at the sky and smiled, watching his breath puff up and dissipate as a pale cloud. The stars were blocked out by the gray clouds that cast themselves across the sky, but he knew they were there, just as he could see the pale glow of the moon striving to break out of the encasing clouds.
Tsume shook out his coat, the dark spots covered in sticky snow that flew off in a light shower of powder. He jumped from his current perch on the mountainside, to another rock, landing easily. Sometimes being part cat had its advantages, it came with claws, noiseless walking, and grace and stealth. But there was also a price to being different. Tsume didn’t really have anywhere he fit, or a family to count on. But it didn’t bother him; he found plenty of ways to entertain himself.
He tilted his head listening to the whispers of Antarctic wind as it blew through his thick fur, another flurry of snow came with it and he shut his eyes as a cold blast of snow rushed into his face. Tsume hopped his way up the mountain side, seeking shelter from the sudden flurry in a small crevice.
He slipped through easily, his eyes adjusting to the darkness as he moved through the cave, careful to make sure he didn’t lose his way. He twitched his ears as he caught the slow sound of dripping water off of icicles and stalactites and a few drops of icy water landed on his nose. His purple eyes glanced up, catching their vague outlines in the darkness.
He found a glassy indentation in one of the pockets of the cave; he curled up in it, his long fluffy tail curling around him once and over his nose like a scarf. He sighed and slept comfortably.
Tsume’s ears twitched as he caught the sound of humming, he lifted his head from where he had been laying, the cave seemed to have lightened somewhat, so a few hours must have passed in his sleep. He tilted his head, his ears swiveling as he heard the humming continue, rising and lowering in pitch like a song, one he thought he recognized.
He stood, stretching his back legs before stepping through the cave curiously, following the sound of the song. He stopped as the song reached its last notes and faded into silence. “Wait…” he called, his voice echoing off the walls of ice. “Where’d you go?” he whispered. Only silence graced him with a reply.
He sighed and kept walking, the cave growing lighter around him the farther forward he went. His soft paw steps stopped as he entered a huge chamber. The walls were made of clear ice that showed vague outlines of the mountain outside, it rounded to the top where a perfectly circular hole was open, above he could see the full moon shining, and the stars twinkling brightly around it.
He stepped into the chamber, his eyes staring around him in awe, there were pictures colored into the ice, different waves of lines, animals, and creatures of all manners and size. He stopped as he reached the center of the room; on a small pillar of raised ice was what looked like a gem.
Tsume stopped a few feet away from it, tilting his head with curiosity, a moment later, there was but a few inches separating his face from the sparkling stone. It shone like diamond or quartz and Tsume’s eyes sparkled as brightly as it did. He was tempted to take it as his own, but he wondered who would want to leave a crystal in the middle of a cave.
He was drawn from his thoughts by what sounded like faint whispers, and the soft sound of the song he had heard before. He stepped back from the gem, his head turning this way and that as he looked around the empty chamber. “Hello?” he called, his voice reverberating off the walls of ice. And of course, there was no response.
Tsume frowned and turned back towards the gem, the whispering began again, he looked up at the opening in the ice, a small shaft of moonlight falling through and onto the gem. He gasped as suddenly the room was lit in a myriad of colors, shining all over the walls, green and red, blue and orange, purple and yellow, all the colors shone from the stone’s depths.
“Wow…” Tsume murmured staring enthralled at the ice around him.
Voices hummed through the air, “You of no race known….” One voice said.
“You’ve come here for a reason.” A different one murmured near his ear.
“But you do not know it.” Several said at once.
Tsume’s eyes widened and he took a step back, prepared to bolt for the exit and out of the cave; things had gotten a little scary for him. “Who….Who are you?” he called looking around him at the still shining colors.
“We are no more than spirits, the guides of the lights that grace the sky, the aurora.” They all murmured together in unison.
Tsume’s ears pinned to his head and he gasped. “Spirits…?” he asked.
“Yes…” one of the voices replied.
“Why did you appear to me, and why is this room glowing?” he asked looking around at the room that continued to shine brighter as the colors melded together into a smooth rainbow.
“Because Tsume, you who are pure of heart, along with the rays of the moon and stars, awoke us; something that is not often done…” he could almost hear a smile in that voice.
“So now what happens to me?” he asked tempted to take another step back. After all, they hadn’t said if they were friendly spirits or not.
What sounded like a chiming laugh filled the air, as if they had seen him tense, for all he knew, they could have. “Be not afraid young one, we are here to aide and to guide you as we have done for all who have come here before you and awoken us.”
“You mean those?” he asked turning his head to look at the pictures on the wall.
“Indeed…” said a different voice. “You shall be blessed, and we will be able to aide you whenever you call on us. With our wisdom and strength.” It said in a hushed tone.
Before Tsume could say anything, a blinding flash lit up the cave, he scrunched his eyes shut and hit the floor, expecting it to rumble or to give way underneath him. “Remember…” he barely heard a voice say, “Call on us, and we shall guide you…” and the voice faded away.
Tsume cautiously pulled a paw from his muzzle, opening an eye, the flash was gone, the ray of moonlight had vanished from the gem and the room was now back to the way it had been. Something gleamed on the wall, and curiosity gripping him, he stood and crossed the chamber.
He stared at the newest picture on the wall, it was exactly identical to him, only a few feet long rather than full sized, the picture’s spots were the source of the glittering, as if they had retained the color of the gem shining, the spots glowed in the myriad of colors that had flashed along the walls.
Tsume blinked, staring at it for a few moments longer, before at his reflection in the ice, were his spots blue?! He looked at his back in alarm. They were! And green and teal and purple! He gasped, so then he hadn’t been hallucinating…there really had been spirits here, and they really had blessed him.
Tsume smiled somewhat to himself as he remembered what they had said. They would guide him and come when he needed them. It looked like he wasn’t as alone as he had thought anymore.