Mistic Pets

Welcome to Issue 47
Created by The Mistic Pets Team

Third Annual Tarinooki Ostara Contest
Written By gemajgall

Once again, Tarinookis' favorite holiday, Ostara, rolls around. Spring sunrises paint the sky, and new blossoms color the meadows. Birds return from warmer climates, and fresh air blows. Just about every kingdom, town, and glen in Mistica celebrates Pandoria's birthday. Legendaries color eggs to exchange, and Misticpets gather food to feast.

Tarinookis are no exception. Many groups gather in a designated clearing in the forest for their annual celebrations, which includes feasting and egg decorating like all of the other Mistican species. But the Tarinooki are reclusive for these festivities; no others are invited. That is why this reporter made sure to disguise herself as a shrub a full week before they gathered.

The first Tarinookis seemingly arrived from the coastal regions, carrying coconuts, mangos, papayas, and plain Ostara eggs. They were quickly joined by woodland-colored Tarinookis, who carried all sorts of wild nuts and berries. They gathered flat stones and laid the feast out, which was quickly added to by blush, albino, and overgrowth Tarinookis. Throughout the morning, more and more came until the meadow was filled with the warm chatter of the Misticpets.

When the sun crossed high overhead, they all gathered and feasted. The berries and tropical fruit seemed to be the most popular, and there was a small fight between two young Tarinookis over the last papaya. However, nothing was wasted—every vegetable, fruit, and legume went to nurturing the colored pigments created inside the Tarinookis' tails.

The light afternoon sunlight provided just what these small artists needed. They each selected a plain Ostara egg, rubbing the surface with their paws to test it as a potential canvas. Once the eggs had been selected, the Tarinookis scattered around the meadow and into the forest a small ways, finding the perfect place to paint in private. One even sat next to the bush this reporter was hidden in!

A type of silence fell across the clearing as the Tarinookis focused on their work, creating their best to celebrate the goddess. Crafty claws scraped against the egg shells without damaging the surface. For the entire part of the early afternoon, the Misticpets worked. Some would occasionally pause for a drink of water from the nearby stream, but most were too focused.

An hour before sunset, before the light grew weak, the Tarinooki lined up their creations for their communal judging. Once again, the craftsmanship was spectacular. Some of the eggs included detailed images of the kirui down to the scale; others attempted to capture a moment in Mistican life, such as the cliffs of Metropolis Quarry. One artist used the paints thickly and was actually able to mimic the texture of grass. Another drew an omelet feast that looked real enough to eat.

Each unveiling was met with applause to honor the imagination and work put into it. But several were clearly more popular than others such as the egg decorated to look like a miniature version of Europa the blue and the egg that depicted a Tarinooki mother cradling her baby.

This year, there was a very close competition between two eggs for the winner. One was painted to look like a Mistical Brindle Egg that hatched into an Eak as the egg was rotated clockwise. The other showed a spring meadow with flowers reaching for the sunlight while a flock of Skillows soared overhead. In a mastery of perspective, the rounded egg's surface looked three dimensional.

The Tarinooki voted twice, and in the end the Brindle-designed egg won. The whole group of Tarinookis cheered for the winner, and both finalists exchanged their eggs in a display of good sportsmanship. That was the cue for the other Tarinookis to do the same, and they swapped eggs with their friends and family.

The sunset was vibrant, and the Tarinooki clans took off on trails known only to them to return to their homes. Saying their final goodbyes, they all left one by one. As the final light vanished into night, everything was quiet. It was nearly impossible to tell such a celebration had just been had except for the small paw prints left in the soft earth.

When at last this reporter turned to make her own exit, she discovered that not everything had been taken with the Tarinooki. A single egg, colored like a Tarinooki tail, was left sitting right beside her bush.

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