Overview
Flickerlings are the simplest Leakborn creatures -- raw Wellspring energy that barely condensed into form. They appear as tiny points of warm light: golden, copper, occasionally green or blue. No insect body, no wings. Just light. They travel in swarms of dozens to hundreds, moving with obvious coordination.
Every culture has a name for them: fairy lights, will-o'-wisps, spirit sparks, the wandering fires.
Behavior
Drawn to suffusion -- to Gifted people and magical activity. They cluster around practitioners when magic is being used. Anne's plants are often surrounded by Flickerlings. They are attracted to strong emotion, creative acts, and temporal disturbances.
They are harmless. Beautiful. The fireflies in the Thornwood forest, the sparks in the greenhouse, the lights that dance in the ivy at night.
Significance
In the early books they are atmosphere. But as the Loom begins to fail, their behavior changes. They start moving in patterns. They start avoiding certain locations. When the Loom cracks, they rush toward the crack like moths to flame -- and pour through.
Students realize the Flickerlings aren't drawn to leaks. They are trying to get back to the Wellspring. They were always trying to go home.