Wisp Hunts for Fizzgrpyon: Wisp Hunt 1

The four stryx and elf  Eluvien had met Tolfren and Aerwinde on the fog filled mountainous grotto while hunting for ghosts, wisps and spooky things. Tolfren and Aerwinde had been exploring the area, with no real goal in mind, other than to get a better lay of the land, perhaps note anything interesting down in their journals.

As a result Eluvien had asked if they wanted to join the four large birds and herself on their hunt for wisps. To which Tolfren and Aerwinde readily agreed,not having had any real goal in mind for their wanderings, and both excited to hear more about the ‘wisps’ the motley group was hunting. The two nir loved meeting new people, it was half the fun of exploring after all. And so the rather large group of four birds, two niravar and an elf all set off to explore and hopefully catch the elusive wisps that had been reported in the area. 

The groups current surroundings were not completely inhospitable, but they were also not very hospitable either. Tolfren and Aerwinde wrapped their cloaks around their frames, not having the natural insulation that stryx’ feathers provided. A chilly breeze seemed to constantly be blowing, but it strangely did not shift the dense fog that made it’s abode in the large gouges in the damp dirt. Away from the gouges the fog shifted, sometimes light enough the group could see perhaps forty meters ahead. At other moments the group of stryx, niravar and elf could not see a single talong, claw or foot in front of them.

Aerwinde and Tolfren soon ceased trying to read their maps, or mark down areas or markers of interest, so dense was the fog the group would have been completely lost if they hadn't started their journey on the top of a large rocky ridge. 

Raelith the gryph with her large frame and keener eyesight were at the front scouting ahead for any dangers or wisps. While Cheeky and Auburn often attempted to fly above the mist with their powerful wings, but the mist seemed to go on forever, and the hawk and tyto did not want to risk losing sight of the group, for the mist seemed to have a dampening effect similar to snow, that stifled sound into nearly nothing. Eluvien being an elf was also helping the Niravar to traverse some of the more tricky piles of loose rock and thick mist as they hiked. 

So while Raelith was scouting ahead, and Cheeky and Auburn scouting above (as best they could manage), Pie was quite enjoying chatting with Aerwinde and Tolfren about their adventures, and was quite relaxed and interested in their surroundings, not having any particular job to do it was a pleasant journey for him so far. 

Which made it all the more ironic that it was Pie that spotted the first flicker of a blue, ghostlike mist far in the distance.

“I think I saw something,” Pie changed the subject he was discussing with Aerwinde about compassion, to the more immediate issue.

“Truly?” Came the reply for Aerwinde, not disbelieving, merely surprised.

“Over there.”, Pie pointed a talon toward a particularly ugly looking boulder.

“That’s a house?” was Tolfrens skeptical query.

“I thought it was a rock,” Was Aerwinde’s remark.

“It’s definitely a house, look! It’s got windows and a door! There are just no lights on inside.” Pie explained, and upon looking closer Aerwinde and Tolfren agreed that it was definitely a house. A weird, oddly shaped boulder house, carved from the rock, or maybe the rock ate the house? but in any case it was still a house, Pie was correct.  

“The wisp went in there, i’m sure of it.”, Pie assured both Niravar.

Aerwinde and Tolfren, who were both just meandering and exploring, were nevertheless quite interesting in capturing one of the ghostly inhabitants of the mountainous grotto; they'd heard this place had many spectral creatures, ghosts, wisps and unexplained things. As a result Aerwinde went a few steps ahead to inform Raelith about the potential sighting, while Tolfren waived for Cheeky and Auburn to rest from their scouting above to tell them too. 

Auburn was skeptical that Pie would have spotted something they didn't, especially as Pie had not actively been looking or scouting for the wisps, but Cheeky was more open minded.

“Maybe they only appear if we are not looking for them? Like cat’s who like people that don’t make eye contac-,” Cheeky managed to put his talon in his mouth, potentially upsetting their two niravar companions, who were after all giant magical cats. Fortunately for Cheeky, both Aerwinde and Tolfren were easy going, Tolfren even making a joke at his expense. Relieved and grateful, Cheeky sent them both a sheepish grin of thanks and apology as Raelith, Auburn and Eluvien made ready to go and check inside the house. 

Well, Raelith wouldn’t actually fit inside the house to check, but she could raise her head to the height of the houses’ upper windows to hopefully block the wisps escape route with a net held in her beak. Cheeky, even though they were smaller than Raelith, also grabbed a net to help try and catch the wisp if it entered from one of the downstairs windows. Raelith had scouted the whole way until now, and was embarrassed to not have been the one to spot the potential wisp; they’d even been at the front of the group. Auburn and Eluvien were similarly embarrassed and wanted to prove themselves useful on this hunt, adventure, quest, thing.

In short order Eluvien and Auburn entered the weird stone house, Auburn first as she could fight anything that might have taken residence and was hostile. While Eluvien brought up the rear, soul-spider silk net ready to catch their ethereal quarry. 

It had definitely been a house, collapsed piles of petrified wood littered the place, remnants of ancient tables, chairs and other furniture. There was a thick layer of dust, or perhaps it was mushroom spores from the giant mushrooms they’d been walking under in the fog? Either way, Auburn and Eluvien made sure to move slowly, to not dislodge the detritus, it could be poisonous or bad for their lungs after all. Moving slowly also helped them adjust to the low light inside the house, and also not alert their wisp quarry of their presence. 

The Pair made their way through the ancient stone house, careful to check behind petrified piles of wood for any sign of the wisps blue glow. Eventually the pair realized the wisp was not downstairs, and they’d have to ascend to hopefully catch the wisp. 

Unfortunately for Auburn, while the door and rooms had been large enough to allow her movement, the stairs were not so accommodating. As a result Eluvien had to ascend the stairs by herself. Auburn went outside with their own soul-spider silk net to cover the third window that Raelith and Cheeky could not.

Auburn almost wanted to complain that Pie wasn't helping, but there really wasn't much more to do, and Pie had spotted the wisp after all. Pie for his part was engrossed in listening to Tolfren retell of a time he and Aerwinde had been trapped in a particularly unpleasant land, filled with slimy thorns and terrifying corrupted monsters. 

As for Eluvien,she was inside the house and made her way up the stairs. But as she ascended the stairs to her complete shock a LARGE bright blue wisp bolted straight at her. It was only reflex that had herraise the net quickly enough to have the creature zapp against it, and if Eluvien had shrieked a bit as she raised the net, well, she was just informing the others outside. Unfortunately for her the wisp struck the net, but darted backwards, and zipped up the stairs out of her sight, not giving her a moment to tangle it in the net. 

On the outside of the house the group with their keen cat and bird ears had heard the shriek (unfortunately for eluvien), and thus tensed up.

Pie opened his beak to ask if Eluvien was alright, just as Auburn dropped jolted and Raelith turned her head to the left.

The wisp had tried to escape through the window Auburn had been holding the net over!

With a swift movement of their beak Auburn tangled the ghostly creature in their net.

Pie, feeling a bit guilty he’d been chatting to Aerwinde and Tolfren without helping until now, was quick to grab the magical glass jar, and then Auburn was swift to deposit the spectral..bird? It definitely looked like a bird of some sort, into the container. 

All this was done in a matter of a few seconds. Raelith had dropped their net as soon as they noticed Auburn had caught the wisp and made to poke her head into the stone house to check on eluvien, but the elf appeared from the doorway before the gryph could.

Everyone let out a relieved sigh, the hunt was a success and no one was injured. 

Cheeky, a bit upset that neither their scouting or attempts at catching the wisp in their net had been successful, gloomy collected up the nets and supplies they had used, stifling a sigh at their lack of helpfulness, they thought perhaps next wisp hunt they could be of more use. To that end after he’d finished collecting up the supplies, he flew on the top of the house, hoping to spot another wisp, two wisps was better than one after all. 

Back on the ground Tolfren and Aerwinde were utterly fascinated at the glowing bird-like spirit..wisp, ghost thing. It was the first upclose look either of them had seen of a creature from this haunted, mist ridden grotto.

“Could you remove the net without it escaping? I’d love to get a clearer look.”, Tolfren asked, their trusty journal come sketchbook in their paw. Tolfren walked up to the truly massive jar and noted that the wisp was even taller than he was!, granted the bird-shape mean it was standing on two leg’s while Tolfren was on four, but still. It was a massive creature! Tolfren was so distracted he almost missed the reply to his question, that he also almost forgotten he’d even asked.

“Sadly not,” Came the response from Pie, “If we open the jar now the wisp is likely to escape.”

“If you wait an hour or so you’ll be able to see it, the spirit silk net dissolves after a while in contact with a wisp,” Was the helpful addition from Cheeky.

“An hour,” Aerwinde mused, “Poor thing,” Her compassion for all things clear in the suffering, however small of the wisp ghost.

“Well, if you don’t mind, i’d love it if you’d have us with you until that net dissolves, we’ve been exploring and cataloging this place for days, and this is the first time we’d seen anything more than spooky flickers and strange shrieks in the mist.”, Tolfren asked, hopeful.

Raelith, Cheeky, Auburn, Pie and Eluvien were all happy to agree, and the group of seven traveled together for the rest of the day. All seven members of the impromptu traveling party were very pleased with the day's events. The stryx had caught their wisp, the niravar had explored the grotto, Tolfren even picked up a few weird looking walnuts, and all was well. 

In the end Aerwinde and Tolfren had reached the coast after having examined the wisp and taken make sketches and scientific notes. This was where the two groups of travellers parted ways, Aerwinde and Tolfren got into their sizable enough boat, and with many fond farewells set off down the foggy river.

The Stryx meanwhile had a long trek back to civilization, but now that they were away from the thickest of the fog they could use their wings and fly home.

It had been a good day for all. The stryx had  hunted their wisp, the niravar had explored, noted down half a dozen scientific points of interest and creatures of note, and made a group of friends too.