keep the home fires burning
She is resting when she spots it, a dark mar moving against the pale summer grass that has dried with the heat of the summer.
Israfel squints from beneath her shaded, lounging place of respite, peering with curiosity at the figure that ambles through the brush, the cracks of their steps on brittle vegetation easy to hear amidst the chirping birds nearby and the gentle kiss of a summer breeze. For some time she is simply content to linger and watch, feeling oddly lazy given the hectic rush of the last few days.
The Sun Daughter was on her way home, intending to return to Denocte from her visit to Veneror, and before that the Bellum Steppe, when she decided to rest, instead. Luvena’s strict voice to ‘take things easy’ had forced her hand, more or less, as the last thing Israfel wanted was for Lu to be irritated or irked at her for ‘not taking care of herself’... So, she found a shady place to lay and rest before making the long trek home.
It would take time, of course, but Isra wasn’t in too big of a hurry… To an extent, of course.
Eventually, the ivory maiden grew bored of watching the stranger wander. She shifted, rolled a little to get her legs beneath her, and slowly did she push herself upright. Wings splayed and stretched, and heaving a breath, the Sun Daughter moved from her shaded place and stepped out into the dazzling, warm sunlight. The woman moved with confident steps, her pace a casual sashay, and vermilion eyes glittered like rubies amidst firelight as she moved closer to the stranger.
Dark. The stranger was a dark thing, but their mane and tail were a brilliant white that caught the sunlight with striking clarity. There was a shine about them, a glittering, multi-colored aspect that Isra couldnt’ place a name for… But as she grew closer, she could make out the kaleidoscope of colors, the glittering beauty that caught the light from the sun in breathtaking splendor. Their body was a cascade of colors, rippling and reflective, matching the elegant multi-tined antlers that sprouted from their brow. Curious, Israfel called out, finding herself in a strange sense of bravado since winning a crown from a king.
“You lost?” She called jovially, allowing a smile to turn up the corners of rose-kissed lips and knowing her voice would be loud enough to be heard despite the empty paces that now stood between them. “Howdy.”
