A storm is brewing in the Black Shroud, but it’s not the usual dark and thundering gloom that many in the area are likely familiar with. No, these particular storm clouds are gathering over the otherwise peaceful Bentbranch Meadows, and a little place called Moogle’s Gift Mounts.

As many already know, Moogle’s Gift Mounts is home to a wonderful group of chocobo handlers and stables, both for those looking to raise their own chocobos, and those simply wanting to purchase one as a companion.

Over the past seven weeks, however, the welcoming Moogle balloon that ever flies over the establishment has shifted to the left by three inches (or South according to the compass). Experts have no explanation, while Twin Adder representatives stationed at Bentbranch are also left scratching their heads. Even the ownership of the long-standing chocobo stables are at a loss.

So what is causing this bizarre phenomenon?

I spoke with one stablehand, a younger Elezen woman named Amelia. She agreed to comment under her own name, though we’ve chosen to only provide her first name, as this topic may be considered controversial.

“I don’t know why the balloon has shifted,” she told us, “It hasn’t moved for several years, but now…My best guess is the wind caused it, though it’s not usual for it to come in from the north.”

Amelia has worked at Moogle’s Gift Mounts for at least ten years. “It’s all I know, working with these chocobos.” And yet, the current situation regarding the Moogle ballon has her more than a little worried.

“I don’t like it. Everyone I have spoken to, from the stableworkers to the riders, we all believe it’s a bad omen. An ill omen.”

She believes this truly could be a portent of something to come.

“It was only three inches at first, but… it is now six. What if this is only a sign of something worse to come?”

While its movement of six inches has not been publicly disclosed (which is why I mention only three above), the addition of three extra inches may be cause for concern.

Speaking with other workers at Moogle’s Gift Mounts, I also learned that the Moogle ballon itself is a repurposed portion of an Ixali war vessel. “We found it caught and abandoned in some trees many years ago,” one of the owners told us, “So we took it, slapped a Moogle on it, and made it our trademark.”

While this may seem unsafe or out of the ordinary, a brief followup investigation with nearby (and more or less friendly) Ixali tribes reveals that the portion of the war vessel being used by Moogle’s Gift Mounts is a balloon from one of their dirigibles, and unlikely to pose any ongoing risk.

We’ll have to wait and see if an answer to the Moogle balloon’s shifting problem presents itself, or if experts uncover a plausible explanation. For now, citizens of Gridania, like Amelia, will do their best not to worry. “I’m sure all is well, I’m sure this is simply a trick by a Moogle, and we have nothing to worry about,” Amelia told us before the interview was over, “But I will be watching out. There are strange times ahead, I’m sure of it. Let’s hope the worst does not come to pass.”