When the Shadows of This Life Have Gone - Phet'knis

Who: Arol Kaiver
Where: Manik Swamplands
What: Aviator jacket, dark jeans and boots
When: Dyo 81384
Why: Adventure seeking!1!

Arol was careful to keep his wings tucked in, he had already learned that if he didn't they could create quite the problem. He had narrowly missed a smoke root plant earlier, and if his wings had reached out just an inch further, they would have been coated in the putrid smoke. Luckily his nose had detected the nasty thing before he got close enough, and he was able to avoid it. The whole swamp was filled with stinky things. Mostly it was the dead plants, not the living that made the problem. The place was so warm and wet that there was always decaying matter, and they were anything but delightful.

Arol didn't mind it so much, it smelled like nature to him, and nature was a good thing. Well, to a certain extent. He supposed walking in quadrupedal form
was more "natural" but he hadn't done that since he was a kid. It had always embarrassed him when his parents did it, it made him feel primitive and weird. But then, everything about his homeland made him feel that way. Normally he spent most of his time at the school, but with the recent attacks and Fronima ban, he had spent a lot of time with his family. They had all been frightened and begged him to come home, and he had to admit, he had been scared too. Things had settled down some so he had left as soon as he could, but although he would never say it, he had felt comforted by his visit to Dhruv.

Things couldn't be any more different where he was now. Arol was walking through a dangerous mess of brambles and trees, with all sorts of unusual sounds echoing through the wetlands. The creatures that lived here were bound to be strange, but that was exactly why he was here. It was almost night and it was getting darker, but he had no complaints. He was completely at peace, even with the myriad insects buzzing around.