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A small child stood under the pavilion and looked out into the misty forest. thunderclouds that promised heavy rain formed from above the canopy, turning the sky a dark shade of blue. from where they stood they could see large trees that seemed to stretch endlessly upwards, with the dappled light of butterflies and birds hiding within the branches. sometimes a gust of wind would sweep through and would in turn reveal entire flocks of animals cowering in the shadows of the leaves. they too, seemed to sense the oncomings of the bad weather, and tried to find cover before the storm arrived. the skykid lifted their head up to the sky and reached their hand out into the open air.
Several drops of rain began to fall, and upon one touching their palm they hastily retracted their hand and brought it back into the safety of their cloak. backing away the child went and stood by a candle they had lit, feeling warmth spread throughout their body and into the cloak on their back. three glowing stars ran down the back of the fabric.
A low pitched warble of dismay came from behind a pale mask as more rain began to fall, making further travel much more difficult for the child of light. they ruefully watched across the clearing as their light guided to an opposing structure, where they could vaguely spot clusters of butterflies swarming a crystallized lantern that opened the gates that blocked the forest‘s temple. the skykid shuddered as the rain continued to steadily fall harder.
With nothing better to do, they sat themselves down on cool stone steps and looked around their surroundings. tree trunks shot up like pillars from the ground, with lanterns places every now and then by one. not many were lit, and the child wasn’t very enthusiastic about the thought of running around in rain trying to light them with a candle. their winged light was precious to them, a gift given to them by the stars, and the risk of losing it was too great for them to try something hazardous like that.
Flying also wasn’t an option; the action drained the energy too quickly from their cloak and endangered their light even more.
They let out a defeated chirp, and resentfully deduced that they would probably just have to wait for the rain to stop. the clouds were still very dark, not giving any sign that the storm would stop any time soon. to pass the time, the child closed their eyes and listened to the sound of consistent pattering of droplets hitting the ground, focusing their mind on the falling sounds of nature.
After a few moments, they felt a pulsating breeze blowing against their ear, and a faint buzzing sound began to fill their head. opening their eyes, they turned their head to stare at a small butterfly hovering just above their shoulder. they tilted their head curiously; creatures like that usually always travelled in large groups in order to sustain the purity of their light, and seeing one stray from their group was definitely an oddity. a questioning trill was sounded and the bug gave a small squeak in return; the noise sounded almost melancholy.
The butterfly seemed to be in the same situation as they were, with no other way to find its flock until the rain let out. darting around the nearest source of light, in this case the skykid, it rapidly fluttered its bright wings and they couldn’t help but pity for the small animal; going out in rain would certainly be a death wish for a creature of its size.
The two stared at each other for a second before the child lifted an inviting hand from their cloak and opened their hand for the butterfly to rest on. it buzzed happily and gently landed on the tip of a small finger. a welcoming heat spread throughout their hand and they chirped thankfully for the warmth. their hand was brought down to rest in their lap, cradling the creature resting in their palm and keeping it safe. they made a contempt noise and admired their new friend for a few moments before turning their gaze back to the downpour of rain still falling from the sky.