Dawndrifters

Dawndrifters are curious little sprites that are uniquely harmless in nature. They live in piles of objects, and avoid dangerous things and people. As a counter to the above, they are quite sociable with those that they deem to be safe.

Habitat
These small sprites prefer to live in things that they can burrow into. While they are unable to dig down into solid surfaces such as dirt or stone, they can displace some objects from piles to allow themselves to find a space. Why they do so is unknown, though most often it appears to be to hide. They can be found in piles of leaves, snowdrifts, piles of dirt, and sometimes (more commonly in rural areas and individual houses found away from society) piles of clothing, coal, and other such domestic items.

Biology
Dawndrifters are small spheres that pulse with an internal light. The variable nature of this light somehow gives them a somewhat fluffy appearance, and they have been likened to floating balls of cotton by some. They rarely grow to be larger than an apple.

They travel via a slow drifting through the air, which they use to carry themselves out of the way of creatures that might seek to harm them.

If one were to touch a Dawndrifter, it would feel somewhat tingly, as if holding onto a tangible static charge.

Sociology
Dawndrifters are docile around those that they detect no danger from, and collect together in groups of variable size. They produce no sound at all, aside from that made by objects that they move via gentle pushing.

Dawndrifters will emerge from their hiding places to greet creatures that they perceive as friendly. Most of their appearances are to travelling individuals that have never (or almost never) harmed a living creature, who they will follow for some time before eventually floating away.

Trivia
When a Dawndrifter is near, one can be much surer of their safety. Dawndrifters appear to have an innate sense of danger, and almost never reveal themselves under dangerous circumstances. They are quite cowardly in this respect. A possible indicator that one is headed into danger is the sight of Dawndrifters fleeing in the opposite direction.

They appear to have some limited capacity for phasing through objects, though the precise limits of this ability are little-tested.