The sun will come out tomorrow
The dappled girl shivers beneath the moon’s pale light. She had gone out earlier in the day, as the sun had been sinking towards the horizon, to help collect fuel for one of Denocte’s evening fires. Beneath the top set of wings, browned grasses and dried wildflowers are tucked within her neat rows of feathers, and clamped to her sides below her lower wings are several long sticks. She had worked diligently to collect her kindling, but had found herself distracted by the soothing openness of the prairie. Now, as she wanders beneath the clear open sky, she finds herself wishing she had remained closer to the festivities.
Still, even the night here is beautiful. Despite how frigid she is, she enjoys the sweetness of the night, moving with a carefree bounding step towards the lake. The surface of the lake is like glass- smooth and still, nearly unnaturally so, with the moon a full silver disk upon the black water. A whistling chirp breaks the stillness of the air, and she looks up as a pair of bats flutter over her head. One dips down, breaking the stillness of the water as it grabs an insect, and ripples spread across the lake. As the bat returns to the sky and disappears upon the black backdrop, something else appears. It is as though the sky is rippling, reflecting the surface of the water. Akeli grows dizzy for a moment, trying to figure out what is happening and why the wrong thing is reflecting the other, and suddenly an entire unicorn falls through the ripple in the sky. With a splash, the unicorn, with a rack of antlers well more impressive than her own, plunges into the silver of the moon’s twin, thrashing violently as she tries to escape the lake’s clutches.
Akeli leaps forward, flying on long legs along the muddy shore of the lake, until she skids to a stop at the closest point to the struggling woman. She then begins to pace wildly, wings clapping against her sides, as she drops her bundles. The woman’s head disappears beneath the surface of the water, and it begins to grow still again. “Oh no,” the girl gasps, her motions dangerous within the slick mud. She wants to help, but she knows it would be futile- she knows not how to swim, and even if she could try, swimming with one set of wings was hard enough, two sets of wings made the task nearly impossible. Then, again, after moments too long, in a spray of droplets, the woman bursts free.
The sigh of relief barely had time to escape before the girl is yelling. “Swim! You’re almost there!” She leaps into the water, wading clumsily until she is chest deep, and the other woman’s hooves barely have time to reach the lake’s floor before Akeli is beside her, providing gentle support, assisting the woman in her struggle to reach dry land. “Come, come,” the girl encourages, and as the woman collapses, Akeli continues to work.
“Sit up,” she cooed, the order soft, yet firm. Akeli moves purposefully towards the bank, collecting her previous hoard, making several trips back to pile the woody debris nearby the unicorn mare. “Don’t move too fast, but you mustn’t sleep.” Once content with her pile, she pushes over a flat stone, placing it by the pile. Striking her antler against the stone, one, two, three times, the flint stone secured to the highest tine finally produces enough sparks to set the driest of the grasses alight. Pursing her lips, she blows softly upon the embers, until it the smaller twigs go up. Leaving the woman to her silence, incase she needs that much, she continues to pile slightly larger branches onto the blaze, and piles more beside the fire for later on. Content with her work, she moves on, gingerly lipping mouthfuls of green grass, careful not to crush them or taint them too much, and lays the small amount of greens beside the woman.
Her diligent work completed, the girl, who looks surprisingly mature suddenly in the glow of the flames, warms her own wet body near the heat, before settling down upon folded legs. She had always desired to help others, intended on pursuing a life of service, but tonight has been her first test. But that thought hasn’t passed through her mind during this ordeal. All she can think of was the unwell woman before her, freezing in the cold autumn night. She hopes her fire will help, at least a little, until the woman is well enough to stand. Then, they could go together to the heart of Denocte, to where more experienced healers could help. But for now, this needed to be enough.
Akeli’s eyes, glowing molten gold within the fire’s light, watch the woman intently. Then, quietly, she finally speaks again. “I fell through one of those, too.”
Still, even the night here is beautiful. Despite how frigid she is, she enjoys the sweetness of the night, moving with a carefree bounding step towards the lake. The surface of the lake is like glass- smooth and still, nearly unnaturally so, with the moon a full silver disk upon the black water. A whistling chirp breaks the stillness of the air, and she looks up as a pair of bats flutter over her head. One dips down, breaking the stillness of the water as it grabs an insect, and ripples spread across the lake. As the bat returns to the sky and disappears upon the black backdrop, something else appears. It is as though the sky is rippling, reflecting the surface of the water. Akeli grows dizzy for a moment, trying to figure out what is happening and why the wrong thing is reflecting the other, and suddenly an entire unicorn falls through the ripple in the sky. With a splash, the unicorn, with a rack of antlers well more impressive than her own, plunges into the silver of the moon’s twin, thrashing violently as she tries to escape the lake’s clutches.
Akeli leaps forward, flying on long legs along the muddy shore of the lake, until she skids to a stop at the closest point to the struggling woman. She then begins to pace wildly, wings clapping against her sides, as she drops her bundles. The woman’s head disappears beneath the surface of the water, and it begins to grow still again. “Oh no,” the girl gasps, her motions dangerous within the slick mud. She wants to help, but she knows it would be futile- she knows not how to swim, and even if she could try, swimming with one set of wings was hard enough, two sets of wings made the task nearly impossible. Then, again, after moments too long, in a spray of droplets, the woman bursts free.
The sigh of relief barely had time to escape before the girl is yelling. “Swim! You’re almost there!” She leaps into the water, wading clumsily until she is chest deep, and the other woman’s hooves barely have time to reach the lake’s floor before Akeli is beside her, providing gentle support, assisting the woman in her struggle to reach dry land. “Come, come,” the girl encourages, and as the woman collapses, Akeli continues to work.
“Sit up,” she cooed, the order soft, yet firm. Akeli moves purposefully towards the bank, collecting her previous hoard, making several trips back to pile the woody debris nearby the unicorn mare. “Don’t move too fast, but you mustn’t sleep.” Once content with her pile, she pushes over a flat stone, placing it by the pile. Striking her antler against the stone, one, two, three times, the flint stone secured to the highest tine finally produces enough sparks to set the driest of the grasses alight. Pursing her lips, she blows softly upon the embers, until it the smaller twigs go up. Leaving the woman to her silence, incase she needs that much, she continues to pile slightly larger branches onto the blaze, and piles more beside the fire for later on. Content with her work, she moves on, gingerly lipping mouthfuls of green grass, careful not to crush them or taint them too much, and lays the small amount of greens beside the woman.
Her diligent work completed, the girl, who looks surprisingly mature suddenly in the glow of the flames, warms her own wet body near the heat, before settling down upon folded legs. She had always desired to help others, intended on pursuing a life of service, but tonight has been her first test. But that thought hasn’t passed through her mind during this ordeal. All she can think of was the unwell woman before her, freezing in the cold autumn night. She hopes her fire will help, at least a little, until the woman is well enough to stand. Then, they could go together to the heart of Denocte, to where more experienced healers could help. But for now, this needed to be enough.
Akeli’s eyes, glowing molten gold within the fire’s light, watch the woman intently. Then, quietly, she finally speaks again. “I fell through one of those, too.”
@
