Isle of the Verdant Sea

[align center] <span style="font-size: 200%">**Isle of the Verdant Sea**</span> {embed image: 'images/island.png'} Fantasy microfiction of travellers to a strange isle [[Choose a Path]]

[align center] {embed image: 'images/compass.png'} Choose a Path to Take: [continue] >[[❖|Blue]] >[[◇|Orange]] >[[◎|Green]] >[[▽|Pink]] >[[★|Purple]]

[align center] We arrived on the obek by yerr shore. Sandy shores greeted us [[Onward|Blue2]]

[align center] We arrived on the farro coast of the island, after many weeks at sea, the shores a dazzling white [[Onward|Orange2]]

[align center] I arrive, finally, after weeks at sea I find land at last. I walk slowly along the beaches, my sea borne legs uneasy at the steadiness of ground but they feel comforted by the stability. [[Onward|Green2]]

[align center] We arrived along the trinne shore, the midsection of the island’s expanse visible before us [[Onward|Pink2]]

[align center] I arrive on the shore, as the first sun rises. I have spent days at sea, adrift from a neighbouring isle [[Onward|Purple2]]

[align center] Heading farroward, we skirted the shore, the oceans green and the water pale [[Onward|Blue3]]

[align center] Moving along the shore we met the tree line, deciding to push through into the unknown [[Onward|Blue4]]

[align center] We moved through the woods, dark and thick, trees tall with bark red like blood, their dark purple leaves blotted out the sun [[Onward|Blue5]]

[align center] A river runs through the woods, we follow its streams, the water pale and green, like the ocean [[Onward|Blue6]]

[align center] The river bends as it nears a break in the forest, we stop for a moment to rest, while we are close to water, while we still have shade [[Onward|Blue7]]

[align center] The river exits the tree line and we see a place where it forks, the place it divides drawing near [[Onward|Blue8]]

[align center] We are left with a decision, which way to follow the water: velst by obek or continue on farroward [continues] >[[Velst by Obek]] >[[Farroward]]

[align center] We are met with hill and grassy plain, the slopes are steep and our feet go weary but we press on [[Onward|Velst2]]

[align center] We cross the river at its shallows, following it as it runs into another ticket of woods, this bark darker, these trees taller [[Onward|Farro2]]

[align center] We reach the hills peak, we can see the island expand out before us, thick forest and smoke and shadow and the coast [[Onward|Velst3]]

[align center] We continue down towards the coast, moving along the tree line, hearing the sounds of what dwells within [[Onward|Velst4]]

[align center] {embed image: 'images/boat.png'} We make our way to the coast, finding boats long abandoned and in disrepair. We see the things moving closer from the forest and we make our leave [[New Journey|Choose a Path]]

[align center] We move through the dark woods, our chatter quiet, the forest loud [[Onward|Farro3]]

[align center] Without moving far in, we have lost sight of our entrance, unsure of the way out we keep moving farroward [[Onward|Farro4]]

[align center] We hear sounds as we move, we begin to walk away from the sounds, as they nip at our heels. Our slowest has not been seen in hours [[Onward|Farro5]]

[align center] We keep pressing on, daylight yawns through the treetops our numbers are few and now we just move towards the sounds of the sea [[Onward|Farro6]]

[align center] {embed image: 'images/skull.png'} We are but one. We are but I. I’ve followed the sounds of the sea but the noise from the forest drown it out. I fear my travels will end here [[New Journey|Choose a Path]]

[align center] We hugged the coast moving yerrward, looking to explore the depths of the island [[Onward|Orange3]]

[align center] Our party, tired from our time at sea, pressed on, each with their own goals in mind of what we wished to seek here [[Onward|Orange4]]

[align center] Differing ambitions set us divided, some wishing to settle, some wishing to find resources and depart, so our part split and followed opposing shores [continues] >[[Resources]] >[[Settle]]

[align center] We followed the velst coast following the sun obek. Our smaller numbers meant we moved quicker, bickered less [[Onward|Resources2]]

[align center] We split from our party, deciding to follow the trinne coast moving odonward. Following the second setting sun [[Onward|Settle2]]

[align center] Tracing along the shores we peered inwards to the island, nothing but plains of blue grass and brush, nothing of the resources we wished to find [[Onward|Resources3]]

[align center] The sands hot on our feet but the ocean breeze cooling, we stuck to the coast, carrying our boats with us, if we needed to leave [[Onward|Resources4]]

[align center] We ventured into the grassy plains, but saw nothing but rolling hills as far as the eye could see to the point where the coasts curved in toward one another [[Onward|Resources5]]

[align center] Our provisions began running low, so we sent out a scout looking for food, into the plains, to search for anything we could forage [[Onward|Resources6]]

[align center] Our scout not returning, we pressed on, keeping to the coast and eyes scanning the horizons for our others halves, as the other coast drew near [[Onward|Resources7]]

[align center] We discussed the travels back home, the time, the supplies, we fed on grass root but found no nourishment, no fish within the sea we could fish from [[Onward|Resources8]]

[align center] {embed image: 'images/leave1.png'} We settled our boats on the shore, waiting a day for our companions, before we would return home [[New Journey|Choose a Path]]

[align center] Tracing along the coast we began scanning the plains, speaking to each other of our hopes for a new home [[Onward|Settle3]]

[align center] The sandy beaches hot, the ocean breeze cool, the plains expansive and sprawling we felt almost at home here already [[Onward|Settle4]]

[align center] Seeing enough of the coast we decided to move inward, scanning the fields for a direction to walk in search to settle [[Onward|Settle5]]

[align center] We moved towards where the coasts curved inward, hoping they would open up into more land, more space for us to create a home [[Onward|Settle6]]

[align center] As we walked we wondered what of our separated kinfolk, what they would find, if they were to find us once more [[Onward|Settle7]]

[align center] A scout from the other party found us after being sent out in search of food, having found none they spotted us, we realized our supplies would soon dwindle [[Onward|Settle8]]

[align center] We pressed on, the scout with us, searching for food, our kinfolk, a place we all could find to be our new home [[Onward|Settle9]]

[align center] We traversed closer to the opposite shore, our kinfolk’s absence weighed heavy in our minds, our light provisions even heavier, this was not a place for us to call home [[Onward|Settle10]]

[align center] {embed image: 'images/leave2.png'} We made our way to the shore, waiting a day for our kinfolk, before we would have to make our journey back home [[New Journey|Choose a Path]]

[align center] We travelled along sandy beaches, our walking slow, our steps sluggish in the heat of the white sands [[Onward|Pink3]]

[align center] Following the coast we began circling the island, trying to survey the environment, before us sprawling fields of blue grass, waist high [[Onward|Pink4]]

[align center] The sands were hot on our feet as we continued along the shore, but the breeze from the ocean cooled us, brought some needed relief [[Onward|Pink5]]

[align center] We continued along the shore, our voyage slow, the coast felt the safest route unsure of what dwelt within the unseen depths of the island [[Onward|Pink6]]

[align center] The breeze dulled and the heat relented, we convened and decided to move through the island to the other coast. Do we skirt the forest or traverse the grass? [continues] >[[Forest]] >[[Grass]]

[align center] We chose to travel along the tree line as we had the coast. The grass making our travels low, our steps purposeful it would be some time before we met the forest [[Onward|Forest2]]

[align center] Unsure of the forests’ depths we chose to walk through the grass, tall as it was, to find the other coast. [[Onward|Grass2]]

[align center] As we traverse the plains, the grass crept up higher, meeting shoulder and chin of our smaller travellers, we held hands and pressed on [[Onward|Forest3]]

[align center] The grass grows taller, to the point we were unsure where the tree line was, with vision obscured we pressed on, a line of travellers snaking through the grass [[Onward|Forest4]]

[align center] At some point grass became tree, blade became bark, we are in the forest now but we do not know when. We still snake through the trees, hands clasped, we are traveller [[Onward|Forest5]]

[align center] The forest’s dark is familiar to our eyes, its sounds comforting, we traveller, we traveller, through the trees, snaking, one, some of us wish no longer to be traveller and wail. We move [align center] [[Onward|Forest6]]

[align center] {embed image: 'images/traveller.png'} We hear the footsteps of others, other travellers, we seek them out, we want them to join us, to travel with us [[New Journey|Choose a Path]]

[align center] We moved farro by velst, unsure of the way, unsure of what would meet us on the other side. We walked single file, snaking through the tall grass [[Onward|Grass3]]

[align center] The grass grew taller, and we became unsure of our passage, but we pressed on, navigating by the night sky that slowly crept in [[Onward|Grass4]]

[align center] We took the night to rest in a small patch where the grass did not grow, where for the first time in a day we saw dirt. By morning two travellers were missing, and the grass closed in tighter [[Onward|Grass5]]

[align center] We walked tirelessly, through grass navigating best we could by sky, beginning to hear the sounds of the ocean [[Onward|Grass6]]

[align center] Our leader slowed us to a crawl, they walked slow, hands running along the tall stalks of grass, they turned a corner silently, into the grass, and disappeared. We pressed on, eager for the ocean [[Onward|Grass7]]

[align center] The sounds of water called to us few louder, half our companions lost in, to the tall grass and we pressed on to the sounds of the waves on the shore like a welcome [[Onward|Grass8]]

[align center] {embed image: 'images/wave.png'} We finally made it, to the shore, and there we could rest, there we were home. There we walked into the sea [[New Journey|Choose a Path]]

[align center] I pick a direction and move, no aims no ambition, I will know my destination when I see it. I see a fellow lonely traveller, we pass each other on the shores, acknowledge our journeys and part ways [[Onward|Green3]]

[align center] My feet are ambling but I take off my shoes as I feel the sand beneath them, I savour the feeling and their grains stuck between my toes [[Onward|Green4]]

[align center] I see the lone traveller once more. This time we both stop for the night, to rest, to share in each other’s company. They travel to see, I travel to rest. We spend the night together and part ways [[Onward|Green5]]

[align center] My feet now walk through grass and dirt. The course blades of blue are rough on the soles of my feet but I cherish their presence, they hold impressions of me after I am gone [[Onward|Green6]]

[align center] I am aimless, I wander the hills of grass, seeking a place to find my rest, the suns are warm and the daylight stretches on before me [[Onward|Green7]]

[align center] The lengths of grass wax and wane through the fields, like they are coming up to greet me, to consume me, but reconsider [[Onward|Green8]]

[align center] The night encroaches in as the suns set over the coast, I sit and watch the dusk fall in over the hills before I continue my journey [[Onward|Green9]]

[align center] I walk along the forest line, hearing sounds for the forest, seeing shapes in the trees, but I retreat back to the hills, that is not the rest I seek [[Onward|Green10]]

[align center] My body yearns in a direction, up a great hill, my legs grow tired and the night presses into me but I continue [[Onward|Green11]]

[align center] The hill curves out of the earth, as I ascend I see the expanse, the hills, the shores, the forest, the coast and the verdant sea [[Onward|Green12]]

[align center] {embed image: 'images/tree.png'} At the top I find my rest and sit as the sun rises, remembering fondly my morning before. As the sun crests the hill I slip away, and my bones in time rest in the roots of a tree, a top the hill that sees all [[New Journey|Choose a Path]]

[align center] I walk the coast, scanning the sea, scanning the hills of tall blue grass that unfold over the land and wonder what it has to offer me [[Onward|Purple3]]

[align center] My compass was lost many weeks ago, I keep to the shores, the banks, letting the island unfurl before my feet, I see the places where many have left from here not long ago [[Onward|Purple4]]

[align center] I cross the hills where the coasts curve together, a natural bridge between the land masses, foot tracks in broken gross, a path by trodden feet make this place familiar [[Onward|Purple5]]

[align center] I set my eyes on the other shore, heading that direction but letting my mind and feet wander as they please [[Onward|Purple6]]

[align center] Hearing strange sounds in the valleys of the hills I move quietly, following along the perimeters of the sounds, looking for a way to see without being seen [[Onward|Purple7]]

[align center] I find myself a dip in between two hills where I may hide amongst the grass, there lies a deep valley between these hills and the one that crests in the middle of the isle, I skirt the hillside [[Onward|Purple8]]

[align center] I finally hear the sounds and see their cause, hill folk giant and towering, the waist high grass just covering their feet, they recline in the valleys, enjoying the sky and the setting suns [[Onward|Purple9]]

[align center] Unsure of them but I unafraid I continue on, as dusk falls I move purposefully and quietly through the blue hills, my path illuminated by stars [[Onward|Purple10]]

[align center] I walk along the edges of the hills, in a valley between them and the shore [[Onward|Purple11]]

[align center] The grass here is rough, and tall, but moves out of my way freely as I walk [[Onward|Purple12]]

[align center] I see the impressions of footsteps before me, I see where the grass has parted and the paths where travellers diverged [[Onward|Purple13]]

[align center] A quick diversion to the beach, to get my feet wet before I return my direction and attention to the thicket of trees before me [[Onward|Purple14]]

[align center] The shores and the beach come up close to the edge of the woods, to the point where the ocean could just roll right in [[Onward|Purple15]]

[align center] My day draws near a close at the edge of the woods, I make camp along the tree line, a make shift shelter from the rain from branch and leaf, the sounds of the rain soothe me to sleep [[Onward|Purple16]]

[align center] I begin my morning setting off into the forest, letting the sunlight fall away into its cool darkness [[Onward|Purple17]]

[align center] I move between trees, taking in sights, sounds, noting all the wildlife life and flora I had not seen before, my eyes adjust to the dark and see the shapes move in the in betweens [[Onward|Purple18]]

[align center] I hear the movement of many feet, I tread quietly behind them, my own footsteps light on the mossy floor, I hear the sounds they make and know it best to not approach [[Onward|Purple19]]

[align center] The footsteps dim and I see shapes of other bodies move through the woods, but it is sometimes difficult to know what extent the eyes play tricks [[Onward|Purple20]]

[align center] I can see the light dimming through the canopy of red leaves above me, painting the forest a bloody hue, I spot one of the setting suns through a break in the trees and follow it [[Onward|Purple21]]

[align center] I end my day making camp along the tree line once more, sleeping lightly as the sounds from the forest echo out into the plains, I know what dwells within won’t set it’s many feet out into the grass [[Onward|Purple22]]

[align center] I set off another day, toward the coast, feeling now I have completed another day rotation and perhaps an isle rotation as well [[Onward|Purple23]]

[align center] I trace along the coast, allowing myself to walk in the slowly rolling tides, my aching feet thank me for this brief reprieve in soft sand and cooling water [[Onward|Purple24]]

[align center] I see another solitary traveller passing by, heading into an opposite direction, I give my graces and continue on my way, not looking for companionship in the remainder of my travels [[Onward|Purple25]]

[align center] The sand grows hot under my feet but the breeze and water make it bearable and I feel safer along the sea [[Onward|Purple26]]

[align center] I see the lone traveller once more. I decide to share an evening and my story with them and they with me. They tell me they have come here to die, where I travel to feel alive. I hold them until morning, knowing I will be their last goodbye [[Onward|Purple27]]

[align center] I let the morning light roll in slowly and I wander towards the shore, I lose myself in the sun [[Onward|Purple28]]

[align center] My feet feel both heavier and lighter while walking after meeting the traveller. Their stories stick with me, in my gut and in my heart and makes my mind race [[Onward|Purple29]]

[align center] I feel myself being drawn back to my boat, unsure now of continuing my travels here much longer [[Onward|Purple30]]

[align center] I spend the midday in silence, slouched on a small hill and staring up at the sky, lost in thought and refusing to think all at once [[Onward|Purple31]]

[align center] My body wants to go home, I feel an ache in grief from a brief friend but even more for those I’ve left behind, I steady myself and hurry to my boat resting on the shore [[Onward|Purple32]]

[align center] {embed image: 'images/solo.png'} It’s near dusk when I set off, knowing I can navigate by the stars. My heart races and my mind brims electric in fear, in anticipation, that in a bundle of years since leaving, I am finally going home [[New Journey|Choose a Path]]