Meteorwind Reception: Wish II
Pantalaimon and their white pwigi Alicanto shot forward through the air as Troia, her Lunewyrm attempted to keep up on foot, bounding relentlessly through the Perilunal Plains behind them as they all chased the meteor soaring far before them. Pantalaimon’s golden faerie dust trailed behind them and formed a stardust-like in their wake that gradually faded; they looked much like a comet themself as a pale green blur in the sky.
Troia’s lunewyrm slunk up around her neck and murmured questioningly into her ear. “How much longer will it take?” She repeated it’s question. “Until we have to stop.”
The meteor, far ahead from Pantalaimon, sparked, and began to burn a hot, bright blue, it’s trail also heating from to sheer and blinding white. It veered downwards and in the blink of an eye, accelerated far faster than Pantalaimon was able to catch up- shooting into the horizon and landing into an unseen part of the plains with an echoing and thunderous “BOOM!”. A column of light shot up from the impact and lit up part of the sky until it died down. Stardust drifting upwards was all that was left visible of the meteor.
Troia and Pantalaimon stopped in her place to watch. Pantalaimon then turned around sharply to face Troia in mid-air, grinning from ear to ear as they beat their wings to fly in circles over her head. “Exhilarating, isn’t it?” They called to her from above. Alicanto settled down to perch on their horns and fussily shooed their faerie halo away. “It won’t be long until we reach the meteor now that it’s landed! They say that there may be treasure at the very end if we reach it fast enough; little things like Pocket Meteors and Charms and the like!”
“We’ll see if there’s anything at all,” Troia replied.
Pantalaimon merely laughed, and flew off to catch up to the meteor, leaving behind a trailing wake of faerie dust behind them. The lunewyrm sneezed from the faerie dust settling on it’s nose, and Troia quietly grumbled to herself. It was typical of them to respond in this way.
She gave chase, sprinting across the plains once more. Perhaps she could see why Pantalaimon enjoyed the Meteorwind Reception so much; it felt nice getting lost in her surroundings, caring only about where she would be headed to next as the sun continued it’s descent into the sky, and stars began to light into her view one by one. And, at least, letting some of her worries take a backseat for a while…
Her lunewyrm nestled into the back of her neck and shoulders, where fur and feathers subtly merged and were at their softest. She liked the feeling of having a companion by her side. Solitude with someone small and soft was enjoyable this way.
—
After some time, the both of them arrived at the site of impact. There was a somewhat sizeable crater where the meteor itself fell, the size of a house. A perfect circle of earth and grass within the perimeter burned down to black ash, and some small blue embers were scattered about on the ground, flickering until they died down into wisps of smoke.
Pantalaimon alighted onto the ground, sniffing. Alicanto took off from their horns, and fluttered about to help them find what they were looking for. They turned over a pile of ash with their paw and unearthed some Pocket Meteors that the meteor had shattered into; perfect to take back as a trinket or to exchange to Revel for some unique gifts. Alicanto tried to help them, and struggled to fly upwards while picking up a Pocket Meteor weighing down both of its feet, as Pantalaimon’s farrie halo circled around it curiously.
Troia stalked over to Pantalaimon’s side, and her Lunewyrm slithered down onto the ground to join Alicanto in digging for treasure.
“Well? What do you think, Troia?” Pantalaimon wagged their tail expectantly; the spiked metallic ring at the end of it rang like a little bell.
Troia pawed at a pile of ash, revealing a Pocket Meteor underneath. Her Lunewyrm pounced on it, playing with it like a cat would toying with a small ball, and Pantalaimon’s faerie halo fluttered over to investigate.
She snatched the meteor up with her front paw, and the tips of her golden claws clicked into place within the tiny craters.
“I enjoyed the run up here,” she said, quietly. “It’s nice enjoying the scenery… it’s beautiful finding the remains of a meteor like this, too.”
Pantalaimon brightened up considerably with her response. “There we go!” They barked with a grin. A shower of faerie dust burst from their feathers in their excitement. Alicanto struggled to carry its last Pocket Meteor on a pile of Pocket Meteors and Charms, tumbling over into the pile and lying there. “See, I figured you’d at least like that part,” they said, “Social festivities aside and the like!” Their horns glowed with magic, and they lifted up their pieces of currency, one by one, into the knapsack that they wore on their side. Troia walked over to Alicanto and lifted it with her magic to lay on her back. Alicanto, exhausted, slowly snuggled in, and the Lunewyrm scuttled up her back to curl up next to it.
Another meteor shower sparked through the sky. Pantalaimon watched it earnestly, and wagged their tail. “Ooh! We could chase after those too! We just got a few pocket meteors here, but there might be more to see if we chase a meteor shower!”
Pantalaimon was about to sprint ahead and sprung into the air, but Troia grabbed the end of their ringed tail with her stinger and yanked them in.
“Hey!” Pantalaimon protested. “What is it now?”
“Hold on,” she said, sternly. Can I ask you something?”
“Aww, make it quick! I want to go!”
Troia glanced at the sleeping companions on her back and shook her head slowly, sighing inwardly to herself. She turned back to Pantalaimon, and asked, “What did you wish for when you saw that meteor?”
Pantalaimon blinked, and paused. “Oh, simple! wished to enjoy the rest of my life with friends I like to spend time with. Like you.”
Troia never smiled through her mask halo- it was impossible for her to. She was terrible at finding the words to respond to sentimentality in this way; but something about their answer warmed some part of the coldness of her heart. “Thank you,” was all she could say. Pantalaimon beamed in return. “Don’t mention it!”
She didn’t need words to say her mind; Pantalaimon knew what she wanted to express, but couldn’t quite reach. They already knew, through subtle tells and years of friendship, that she appreciated all of the time that they wanted to spend with her this way; she wouldn’t have such fond memories to look back on, were it not for them and their ever-playful nature.
The sky was a rich indigo blue now, and the stars swathed through it shone in sparkling waves of white and silver. It was very late now; and the companions on Troia’s back were sleeping soundly.
“Well,” said Pantalaimon. “I suppose we can’t wear out the little ones any further; we got what I came for after all. Let’s head back to Moonreach! I want to go to a Meteorwind Reception party tomorrow! And another! And…”
The both of them started heading back, Pantalaimon flying leisurely by Troia’s side as she ran on the ground. Troia let them blather on excitedly about their plans, occasionally nodding to let them know that she was (somewhat) listening. They didn’t seem to notice that she wasn’t paying full attention. As long as someone’s voice filled the silence (even if it was just their own), that was all that mattered to them.
Troia felt contentment in her heart spending time with Pantalaimon so carefreely.
