atoll does a think about the seasons
summer yr 21 seasonal
10-25-2024, 11:01 AM
Atoll hadn't really been alive for long enough to know a lot of things, but he knew it was hot. The days blazed long and the pack wolves were restless beneath a strange red sun. It was unusual to him only because everyone else seemed restless and off-kilter, buzzing about the strange shaking of the ground at night and what was happening all across the land. It was frustrating, really, because he couldn't go all across the land. His world was still annoyingly small, and he found himself staring out across the water's edge nearby Cryer's Ravine towards the land mass across the sea. That was Auster, he was pretty sure, but he'd never been there. It seemed pretty far away.
His bi-colored eyes traced a path down the sand, far, far away down to the beach to the very tip of it all. A narrow strait stretched between here and that far away land, but he didn't like how thin the landmass was, like the ocean was gobbling away at either side of it like a hungry wolf with a bone between its teeth. Every time the tide came in, it lapped more away, gnawing and gnawing it down. He muttered quietly to himself as he watched and the red sun beat down heavy on his head. With the darker fur there, it was almost enough to make him sweat, and he hated sweating. Atoll skittered a little further inland, mulling over the view from the shade. There, that was better.
While it was hot, hot, hot here, there was an almost icy breeze that came in off the ocean. Every time it made its way inland he sighed, pleased by the chilling effect. He could see heavy storm clouds gathered in the sky over Auster - they looked angry and full, as if they were ready to dump water any second. Atoll knew that the clouds held water but he wasn't quite sure how. They looked so light and fluffy from down here, how could they hang on to a big old storm? As he watched, angry winds kicked up across the ocean and stirred up the sea until it was a writhing, choppy mess. Atoll watched carefully, his eyes narrowed. Was that ice on the shoreline over there? It seemed so strange that he could feel this hot, hot sun along his back but could watch this furious winter storm form just across the ocean. Although it was difficult to make out from far away, Atoll thought he could see a flurry of snow begin to fall and cast the land across the water in a grey curtain.
He was pretty sure that the seasons taking place at different times was normal. There had been some talk of it, because the prey migrates different ways and some of the hunters wanted to take advantage of it. Atoll stretched out along the shady spot he'd chosen, reaching out with his little paws to dig deep into the sand and flex his toes. If all this was happening above the ground, what was happening under it to cause all of the quakes? He stared between his front legs at the sand, wishing he could see down beneath the earth's surface. The tremors had happened suddenly in the night and sent many Raiders on the move the next day to check things out. He had been so mad he couldn't join them, but he knew soon enough he'd get to explore and maybe see what all the fuss was about. More quakes had happened in Auster, with murmurs about an underground tunnel system being revealed. Honestly, the thought gave him the creeps.
If it was so hot, hot, hot this summer, did that mean it might stretch on and on into fall? He hoped not. It was supposed to get gradually cooler, he was told, and he couldn't wait to get a taste of snow for the first time. Atoll stared out at the snow squall floating across Auster, sullen and jealous.
Well, he was sure he'd get more information soon, even if he couldn't begin to guess what came next after recent events. How could, he after all, when he was just a little guy? Atoll would leave it up to everyone else to bring home the information and he'd parse it over when he had all of the pieces laid for him. There was no point in wondering if everything was still in motion - and hey, hadn't he heard this morning that more wolves were leaving to head up North? Something strange was happening with the prey up there, too.
The little boy rolled his shoulders back and then slowly rotated so that he laid with his spine flat along the ground and his white tummy exposed up the sky, letting the sun's rays bake him until he couldn't stand it. Oh well. It would all be taken care of, he was sure of it, in the way only the confidence of youth can be.
pixel by sqdpxl on DA - coding by xarae
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Current time: 11-21-2024, 03:48 AM
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