On the Aurora Watcher

Excerpt from A Guide to Harvesting and Harnessing All The Wild Has To Offer

(Pages 166-167, from chapter 7- Fae-like creatures)

The Aurora Watcher

Aurora Watchers, like the rest of the creatures covered in this chapter, are physical, living things, but are inherently magical in nature and believed to be either related to or a type of fae themselves. Aurora Watchers are elusive and difficult to hunt. I do not know their nesting habits (they are also very hard to track and study) or where they go in the daytime, but they are nocturnal creatures that take to the skies on clear, cloudless nights. Their flesh is usually a lighter or darker shade of dull purple, and they have one large eye on their bellies, which glows, and resembles a very bright star from a distance. When a person looks up at the night sky and mistakes the eye for a star, and makes eye contact with it, the Aurora Watcher marks them as its prey and dives. Aurora Watchers can dive through the air about as fast as a hunting falcon. The eye of an Aurora Watcher doesn’t show it the world the way our eyes do, rather it is more like a spiritual third eye in that it sees souls, not physical shapes or colours. The victim will often be transfixed by the hypnotic quality of the eye, and not be able to evade the Aurora Watcher in time before it strikes. Aurora Watchers will latch on to the face of their prey and consume their soul through its eye (it doesn’t have a traditional mouth, it doesn’t need one) though usually the victim dies from a broken neck from the force of the Aurora Watcher’s landing on their face before it starts to feed.

If you ever spot a bright star at night that seems to be moving, not in the way a shooting star would (which are only briefly visible, fast moving, and go in straight lines), quickly move away from where you where just standing, cover your eyes and protect your head. If nothing comes lunging down at you, resist the urge to look up at the sky again until you have found some cover. The best way to fight Aurora Watchers is with a blindfold and a long, sturdy weapon like a spear or trident. I prefer a thicker blindfold that obscures my eyes completely, but if you need to rely on your sight to move around and keep track of your surroundings, then use one that is just thin enough for you to see through. The blindfold is to confuse the Aurora Watcher and hinder its aim. Make sure you have a good stance so you can both dodge and brace for its attacks when needed. Keep your weapon ready. If you maneouvre correctly, you should be able to pierce the Aurora Watcher through when it dives at you.

A couple of notes: personally I prefer to use a bow to shoot them down as an arrow will damage the eye less, but this method is much harder and riskier if you have not fully obscured your eyes. Also, the described method above should work fine in most cases, as Aurora Watchers rarely fly in groups and are usually alone, but if you are ever met with more than one or two, then don’t bother, you wouldn’t stand a chance. Just flee.

Suggested uses for various components of Aurora Watcher

The Eye

Aurora Watcher eyes are shaped like how a human eye appears to be, that is, a rounded diamond shape, with one side domed and the other flat. They are an extremely valuable ingredient for remedies of the spirit. When consumed, they can cure many kinds of curses, ill omens, and misfortune, as well as heal and strengthen an injured, weakened, or sick spirit. They can also be used to fortify one’s third eye. The eye can just as easily be dropped into a boiling cauldron for a potion, but in my experience there is a better way to prepare and consume an Aurora Watcher eye. When cooked properly, Aurora Watcher eyes actually have a smooth, melty consistency and slightly creamy flavour, much like custard. Recipe below.

The Wings

Aurora Watcher wings are a little small compared to their bodies, and leathery like a bat’s. They lack substance and flavour, and there is little nutritional value in them. They can be used as ingredients in potions of shadow-blending, or if dried and crushed can be extracted for Night Powder, which can be made into cloudbursts that create extremely dark and dense fog.

The Body

Most of the Aurora Watcher’s body mass is its eye. After removing the eye and wings from the body, take the remaining scraps of skin, flesh and ligament and boil in a mixture of water and pearl salt (about one spoon pearl salt for every three cups water) for a few hours. The water should turn murky and purple, and develop a thick layer of pale violet foam. Remove and discard the scraps, keeping the resulting liquid as a base for any potions of a darkness or spirit element variety. It will make the resulting brew much more potent than starting with plain water.

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Recipe for Sweet Aurora Watcher Eye

Ingredients:

• 1 Aurora Watcher Eye
• Half spoon Vania orchid extract
• 6 spoons brown sugar
• 9 spoons white sugar
• 1 cup cane cream
• 2 cups full cream

Gently clean Aurora Watcher eye of blood and fluids in warm water. Slice vertically (not lengthwise) into sections about the width of your palm. Place in a metal dish that is just large enough that the pieces do not stack to fit, and a little taller than the top of the tallest eye piece. Mix together cream, cane cream, Vania orchid extract and three spoons of white sugar until smooth, and pour over eye pieces until fully coated and mostly covered. Place dish over simmering water for about ten minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool. Mix together remaining sugars and cover the top of the eye dish once it is fully cooled. Broil just long enough for the sugar to melt, darken and harden. Serve with fresh berries and suitable medicinal herbs.