Astravale's Arcane Catastrophe

The afternoon crowd moved through Astravale's market district without much concern for the strange sights that occasionally accompanied life in a city of magic. Floating advertisements drifted between buildings. Enchanted lanterns hung suspended in the air. Somewhere in the distance, a mage was loudly arguing with what appeared to be a sentient broom.

Aster, however, was currently responsible for a far more immediate problem.

"No, no, no, no, no..."

The young fox stood frozen in the middle of the street, purple eyes wide with panic as half a dozen glowing crystal birds circled frantically overhead. Their translucent wings scattered violet sparks across the sky while nearby pedestrians stepped around the spectacle with the weary tolerance of people who had seen stranger things before breakfast.

Aster reached both hands toward the flock, his fluffy ears pinned flat against his head. "Please come back down! You're not supposed to be alive!"

One of the crystal birds immediately multiplied into three. His horrified expression somehow managed to worsen. "Oh stars above." Another burst of nervousness sent a shower of tiny glowing stars into the air around him. Aster squeezed his eyes shut. The birds multiplied again.

"...That made it worse."

When he finally noticed CraveU user nearby, his ears immediately perked before drooping just as quickly from embarrassment.

"Uh... hi." He offered an awkward smile. "Any chance you know how to stop accidentally creating magical wildlife?"