Hoping for the Better

Though everything happened quickly, it appeared that the night’s events were for the best.
The evening began with a calm wind knocking the bare limbs of trees into the window with a soft tapping sound while Consus sat inside with friends. The curtains were pulled back to give way to the sky, which was devoid of clouds. Instead of peering into the heavens, the painted satyr enjoyed the company of Viorel, Vatos, and Boingo as the three drank sparkling cider and waited for their dumplings to steam as per Boingo’s instructions. Danny and Helianthus sat nearby, each creature with their own little bowl full of sparkling cider to enjoy. The ghost talonfish seemed eager to drink the liquid, but Helianthus put a leafy limb out to hold it back from consuming every last drop at once.

As if someone had stood outside the window with a flashlight, a bright beam of various colors began to shine through the glass. All six creatures looked amongst each other before a distant roar caught their attention once more.
Consus grabbed his starleaf cloak and ran out the door with everyone at his heels. Above them in the sky was a large dragon, seemingly shedding its scales in a meteor-like fashion. Colors of all shades flashed across the sky and fell into town. Other scales fell down into the surrounding forests, ponds, and luckily, the land surrounding Consus’ dwelling.

Vatos walked closer to one of the scales and picked it up in his clawed hands to feel the texture.
It was mostly smooth, yet almost rock-like in texture. It seemed heavy, but… porous? The browbird appeared to be confused, but let the other three know that the scales were, indeed, safe to touch.

With everyone holding a scale of their own, the seasun and ghost talonfish included, Viorel informed the group that the dragon sighting was quite the special event, and wishing upon a scale like the very ones they held could possibly be granted.
The two browbirds appeared to be quite entertained by the idea of having a wish granted, but Consus stood idly in thought. He didn’t quite know what to wish for, aside from courage - he knew that he needed to overcome his fear one way or another, and perhaps this was the kickstart to such a thing.

The satyr held out the dragon scale in his hands and closed his eyes while the item radiated a green glow. As soon as the light petered out, Boingo approached Consus and opened his hands, revealing a seemingly unchanged scale to Consus’ dismay.

“What did you wish for? Or… did you even make a wish? What happened?” Boingo tilted his head and offered an inquisitive look. “You… don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want!”

Consus gave an uneasy smile, but took a breath. “No no, I’m fine. I just… I’m a coward, haha. I know you’re all aware that I can’t step foot in that forest without backing out. I know it’s silly, but there’s something in there that’s waiting for me - I can feel it. I’m just… not ready, even though I want to be. I guess I couldn’t wish for something like courage after all.”

Vatos and Viorel each put a hand on the painted satyr’s shoulder as he sighed.
“Well, maybe not, but we’ll figure something out!” Vatos let out a hearty chuckle while Viorel fixed the cloak around Consus’ shoulders.
“Just let us know what you need. I’d like to think we’re a little more reliable than some weird scales… but they would be good subjects for research…”

Another bright flash caught the group’s attention, but this time, a large table appeared with food covering the entire top; Boingo standing in front of it with his hands on his hips and a scale in his mouth. “Yeah! What they said! I know we’ll need to talk some more about it later, but you can’t do that on an empty stomach! Let’s eat!”

END. 666 Words (haha nice)