Vesper, a small bat in a dark wood, awakes - alone.
He was forced out of his colony for, of all things, a white nose. The elders believed it to be a bad omen, and the rest of the community agreed; and so Vesper left. Not even his parents wished him well.
He made a home for himself in a dead tree, something had lived here once, and now it was Vesper's. He's been alone now from new moon to full, and had begun to settle into his new life. He knows, though, that the frost will approach soon - how soon though, is a not a question he can answer.
What he needs now though, is protection. Many larger creatures than Vesper hunt in these woods, and what he needs is a means of hiding. He remembers lessons in the colony about Hellebore, about how it could hide you from the prying eyes of something bigger than you. He had never seen it, of course, but the elders spoke about it with authority so he assumed it must be true.
That was what he needed. Hellebore.
So, off he goes.
There is an excitement to his journey, one that hasn't quite been able to surpass the sadness he feels in his loneliness, but it is there. Being able to see the world beyond his community.
He journeys out with a sense of cautious optimism. The world beyond the colony is vast, impossible, and thrilling.
Credits
Music, Art, & Lore by Grumm Trencher