The choice is made: You'll check the contents of the bag
Curiosity inevitably gets the better of you, leading you to decide that you will rummage through the bag. You shift to kneel upon the soil as you begin to undo the various clasps that hold the bag closed. Alisra stands close by as you do so, acting more as the devil on your shoulder for the time being than as the angel. Upon opening the bag, you quickly discover just how full of supplies that it happens to be. What's more, you quickly happen across something surprising. As you open the pack, you notice that the interior lip of the bag is embroidered with a name. You automatically push your attention to the sewn in writing, hoping that it will provide you with some clues as to who the bag actually belonged to.
What you find is that the bag was embroidered with your name - Meira Esyra. The letters stand out clear as day in a color far different than the surrounding cloth. Now, this is a surprise. One that you definitely had not been anticipating. Someone had intentionally left this bag and the staff here for you to find. You had no idea who. You had no idea why. Right now you could not even bring yourself to ponder over it too much. The staff had already left its mark on you and as of now, your sister was anxiously looming over your shoulder hoping to see what was in the pack. You could deal with finding out who had mysteriously left these gifts for you on a later date. Pushing the confusion to the back of your mind, you begin to rummage through the bag.
The first few things that you pull from the pack are basic rations. Paper pouches containing a fair amount of dried fruits, dried meat, and roasted nuts. You assume that the rations are moderately salted, but ultimately resist the temptation to open one of them to find out for sure. That could wait until after you had gotten home. Ultimately, you found around two weeks worth of rations - assuming that each package contains enough food to get you through a day. Beneath the pile of rations, you find what seems to be camping supplies. There is a tinderbox, containing flint and steel along with a handful of dry straw. The box itself contains everything needed to get a fire started, aside from firewood.
Along with the tinderbox you find some very small bundles of sticks bound tightly with strips of cloth. Presumably additional kindling provided with the intent of building campfires. You pull all of these items out, quickly determing that the bulk of the bag's weight is built up of kindling and dried food. Beneath the bundles of sticks, you find medical supplies. A wooden box is stuffed to the brim with bandages, medicated salves, and herbal medicines. Every paper package has instructions for use written carefully upon them. Many of these medicines are incredibly expensive based upon what you've heard, which only adds to your confusion as to why someone would leave this pack here with intent of you finding it.
The bulk of the pack searched, all that remains are the items at the bottom. There is a glass bottle containing lantern oil. Some spare cloth, presumably for starting fire - maybe specifically put in with intent of building torches. There is also a lot of rope. The bottom of the pack has been thoroughly padded through the use of the rope, which also protects the bottle of oil. With the majority of the pack empty, you also happen across another clasp hidden inside. Upon unbuttoning it and checking inside, you discover a map and a compass - which you quickly return to the hidden compartment due to their obvious importance. Having thoroughly inspected the interior of the pack, you begin to put everything back inside.
You make sure to return things to their original place. Only after getting everything put away again, do you notice something tied to the exterior of the travel pack. You need only to take a glance to realize that it is a waterskin - an item equally as important as the tinderbox and the rations. A fair amount of water could be carried in it to prevent dehydration during travels. Whoever had put this surprise gift together for you had made sure to provide just about anything of importance. Everything except for a few otherwise expected tools, such as a hunting knife. Not that it made much of a difference considering you had no intention of going on a camping trip anytime soon. Unless this was some sort of a surprise gift left for you by your father.
Maybe this was all some overly complicated scheme to get you out here to locate your present. That would explain why you had the urge to come here. Your father might have given you a hint at some point that your dream self made sure to remind you of. This was all speculation, though. Given that the bag was most definitely put here for you, you proceed to sling it over your shoulder before moving back to your feet. As you do so, both yours and your sister's stomachs proceed to make their voices known. This brings you to your next matter of business. Breakfast. For now you'll ignore the rations in the pack and stick to the plan to pick some fruit on your way home. You feel your sister tug lightly at your arm.
"Mei, can we pick blackbebbies?" Alisra requests, unintentionally letting her cute side show as she mispronounces the word "backberries" out of old habit. Only a short while ago, she could not pronounce her R's. This had led to a cute little family joke resulting in any sort of "berry" being referred to as a "bebby". You cannot help but smile as you begin to lead your sister back towards the woodland path.
"Of course, Ali. As many as you can eat~" You reply, all the while thinking of what you're in the mood to eat.
"Blackbebbies", peaches, or apples. Which of these seem the most appealing to you this morning?
-The choice is made: "Blackbebbies" it is
You hardly need to take the time to ponder over your potential options before you decide that you'll follow your sister's example. Blackberries do sound lovely, and they were in peak season right about now. They would make for a good breakfast to tide you over until later in the day. Beyond that, it would just be faster and easier to eat at the same time as Alisra. Ergo, the two of you make quick trip back to the cluster of bramble bushes. There, you find the long thorny vines practically overgrown with large, succulent berries. You have to hold your sister back to prevent her from just rushing forward to wrap her little hands around the nearest vine. Ever the eager child, she had clearly forgotten that brambles had a knack for stingin those around them.
"Careful, Ali!" You utter, lightly scolding your sister for letting her hunger outshine the lesson that she had supposedly learned the year prior.
"Blackbebbies have thorns, remember? You have to pick them carefully." You remind her. Alisra quickly takes on a bashful stance as the embarrassment over her foolish behavior sets in.
"I'm sorry..." Alisra utters, coaxing a sigh from you. You reach to give your sister a gentle pat on the head. Perhaps you had been too rash in correcting her initially.
"It's alright, Ali. Just be careful, okay? The blackbebbies aren't going anywhere. You can eat as many as you like." You reply, letting go of your sister's hand for now so that the two of you can go about the business of having breakfast. Alisra needs little encouragement to rush to the nearest bush - though now she does so with obvious caution. Rather than blindly reaching for a vine, she carefully extends her hands towards one to grasp the space between the thorns. At which point she begins to carefully pluck the ripe berries from their stems, before popping them into her mouth. You proceed to follow her example, dropping the staff for now so that you can eat. You carefully clasp a vine between your fingers whilst you pick the berries.
One by one the berries are plucked and consumed. Your sister fills her belly quite quickly, as her smaller body requires less food in one sitting. Granted, it would be safe to assume that she would be feeling snackish again within an hour or two - meaning she'd be more than ready to eat again around the time that you were finishing your chores. You, on the other hand, can eat more in one sitting. Not that you plan on pigging out on blackberries. You intend on eating enough to tide you over until lunchtime. Or you planned on it, at least.
"Meira!" Your sister abruptly blurts out your name in a state of panic, drawing your attention from the blackberries as you snap your head in her direction. What you find is your sister with the sleeve of her shirt caught by the brambles. Right away you move away from your own bush to go and tend to your sister. In your temporary panic you fail to follow your own advice, haphazardly grasping the vine that your sister is snagged on while you free her. In the midst of it all you do not notice the pain from the thorns pricking your fingers and palm. You simply pull the vine down enough to unsnag your sister's shirt, the intent being to set her free before she can hurt herself on the thorns.
However, once you've got her free, the dull throb of your minor wounds quickly sets in. You hastily open your hand to try and pull it back. In doing so, you discover that a small segment of the vine has decided to imbed itself in your skin. One of the small stems that once held a berry was stuck to your hand. Wincing, you carefully work the fingers of your other hand around the little stem so that you can coax the thorns out of your skin. Alisra hovers by your side, watching all the while as you mentally curse to yourself. Eventually you work the small segment of the vine free from your skin. You hardly have a moment to feel relief before the magic staff begins to pulsate, letting out small bursts of soft green light.
Neither you nor your sister can ignore the glow. The two of you approach the staff, where you stare at it for a long while. The glow which radiates from the wood is nearly hypnotic. Hypnotic enough to have your sister reaching for the staff. You respond in turn by reflexively reaching to wrap your fingers around the mystical object, ignoring the dull throb brought on by your multiple puncture wounds. You reacted out of fear to prevent Alisra from somehow being affected by the staff in the same way that you had. The mark that it had left on you may very well be a curse, and you did not want it spreading to her. What happened to you did not matter as much in your mind, so long as she was kept safe.
As soon as the staff is held firm, the glow that it radiates begins to grow stronger. It pulsates faster, the light spreading into your skin and lighting up your veins. The impulse to drop it is there, but again you feel that jolt of energy rush through you and you find yourself unable to do so. Your hand, and only your hand goes rigid from the energy coursing through it. The back of your head begins to tingle as the light flowing through your veins flashes behind your eyes. All of this takes place over the course of a few seconds. Just like before, the bizarre anomaly brought on by the magic of the staff seems to end as quickly as it began. Alisra stands tense and worried next to you just as she had done the first time around - though she is dead quiet.
Quiet and waiting for you to give her some sort of hint as to whether or not you've been hurt. You have not been. Oddly enough, you feel as though someone - or something - had spoken to you. Not your sister. Your best guess would be that the staff itself had somehow communicated with you while it sent the false shock running through your body. There are words tugging at your lips. Simple words that harbor no real meaning, though you feel compelled to utter them. You hesitate, taking a moment to look at your sister as you contemplate speaking the words that you have heard uttered in the back of your mind. Your grip on the staff tightens as you feel the words tugging harder at your lips.
Will you utter the words, or will you silence them?
The choice is made: You'll utter the words
The tingle in your lips only grows harder as you hesitate to speak. Alisra stands anxiously besides you as you undergo your internal conflict. Part of you fears what may happen if you dare let the words flow from your lips. Part of you is excited at the idea of seeing just what may transpire. Ultimately, you cannot resist the temptation to utter the words which had been whispered into your mind.
"Grasping Brambles." The words leave your lips as easily as any others that you have spoken in the past. You watch as your sister's face contorts into one of confusion in response to hearing you speak. You soon mirror her confused expression as you come to realize that nothing has happened after uttering the words. While you had not been sure what to expect, you had most certainly expected something to happen after speaking the words. Certainly there had to be a reason that they had popped into your mind after the staff had given you a jolt. You cannot help but release a disappointed sigh as you realize that you had effectively made a fool of yourself after scaring your younger sibling half to death.
"Do you have the poo brain?..." Alisra suddenly inquires, her confused expression still lingering as she stares up at you. You cannot help but snort a little in response to the unexpected question. In a roundabout way she was trying to ask if you were alright. At the same time she had basically just asked if you had been shocked stupid. Her expression becomes something more akin to a pout in response to your barely repressed laughter.
"No, I don't have the poo brain, silly~" You muse, awkwardly clinging to the fragment of humor that had presented itself to you. Explaining your random behavior to your sister would prove difficult. There was no easy way to say 'The staff spoke to me' without coming across as being a little loose in the head; but you don't quite get the chance to think of a better way of wording it. The awkward tension takes a sudden shift as a sudden commotion overtakes the forest. It starts with the birds; drawing yours and Alisra's attention to the sky as a flock of them suddenly passes overhead. Or rather, as a massive superflock built up of dozens of other flocks soars by.
The sun is blocked out for a moment by the moving mass of feathers as it rushes overhead. All manner of birds inhabit the superflock. From the modest sparrow to the mighty hawk. The unusually low height of the unexpected mass migration makes it easy to spot the multitude of bird species that compose it. You're hardly given the chance to let your head process what you're seeing before the next chaotic scene takes effect. Your ears catch wind of it well before your eyes do. You feel it rumbling through the earth and know immediately that you and your sister are in danger. Reflexively you look towards the source of the rumbling.
You need only see the wall of movement through the trees to confirm your overwhelming fears. You throw the staff to the ground and Alisra doesn't even have the time to spit your name out of her mouth before you reach out to drag her into your arms. Blessings are counted as she responds in turn by wrapping her arms around your shoulders to cling to you, making it easier for you to rush her behind the nearest tree. The first heads of the stampede make it into your view just as you duck behind the heavy wooden barrier. You press your back against the rough bark of the tree, curling up with your sister in your lap. She presses her face into your shoulder as the massive land beasts begin to charge past.
Dozens, if not hundreds of massive animals proceed to bolt past your hastily selected hiding spot. Absolutely petrified, all that you can do is watch as waves of creatures roll past. One instant you clearly see the silhouette of a deer as it sprints past; the next, you have to convince yourself that your eyes are failing you as you spot the image of a charging cow. You can feel Alisra cry out against your shoulder as these massive, terrified animals slam against the tree during their hasty stampede. The tree shakes and shrieks from the repetitive, continuous assault of animals running into it - but thankfully its roots hold firm. Behind the mass of deer and cattle charge herds of escaped sheep, and behind them come wolves and bears.
Whole families of animals rush through the area with reckless abandon. As the wall of beasts gradually thins out, the bodies of those too exhausted to maintain pace with the crowd come into view. You can't bring yourself to guess how many of these poor creatures lay ahead of you; their bodies bloodied and broken from the stampede of hooves and claws which had just trampled them into the ground. Alisra refuses to pull her face from your shoulder as the swarm of animals finally passes the two of you entirely. Admittedly, you would not have let her try. You would not have allowed her to gaze upon the aftermath of this sudden catastrophe. Horribly shaken, you force yourself to move out from behind the tree.
That stampede had just come from the direction of home. Plenty of those animals had come from nearby farms - some of them may very well have come from your own family farm. You could only imagine the sort of horrible accidents that must have taken place in order to send all those animals running like that. Fueled by the sudden rush of adrenaline, you make a beeline towards home. The path that was once easy to traverse had been rendered uneven and virtually destroyed by the sudden chaos of the stampede. You trip. You stumble. You skin your knees on rocks and dirt and cut your free hand trying to catch yourself. All the while you continue to hold your sister flush against you.
At some point you somehow manage to trip over the staff. Desperate to keep from falling, you wind up taking hold of the accursed thing to make use of it as a walking stick. Every stumble kept you away from home longer. Each moment spent not knowing the state of your home only added to your terror. You only spent a few short minutes stumbling through the woods before you finally made it home - but those minutes felt unbearably long in the midst of your panic. What you find upon breaking past the wall of trees only adds to your horror. More animals lay crushed to death only a few short feet away from the trees - the majority of them being chickens, which could never hope to be fast enough to avoid being caught up in the stampede.
The fence that once contained your animals now lay in ruin, clumps of animal hair tangled up in the wood and wire. A number of unfortunate lambs lay among the wreckage, their wool having become ensnared - leading to them being dragged to the ground along with the fence as the hoard of animals charged past. In the distance, smoke rises to the sky as your home burns to cinders. Tears well in your eyes as you overlook the scene. Alisra weeps in your arms as you stand there, frozen from the sheer shock of the destruction. The only thing that snaps you out of that shock, is the terrifying realization. You have no idea where your parents are. You don't know if they're trapped in the house, or if they're somewhere else on the property.
Right away you know that you have to find them. You desperately want them to be okay. You want to be able to help them if they've gotten into any trouble. At the same time, you feared that bringing Alisra past this point might put her at risk. You had already been stumbling. Your legs ache and your lungs are on fire from struggling to catch your breath. You don't want to leave her. You want to keep her safe - but there's a very real risk that she'll be put in danger if you bring her further into the destruction.
What can you even do in this situation?...