Black gold

Hanako leaned forward, captivated by his words as her tail happily thumped the sand. The soft flow of Nolan's voice made it easy for her mind to set the scene and when she closed her eyes she could see it all clear as day; the ground was all wet and marshy, with long grass than swayed gently in the wind. She even tipped her ears forward as though she'd be able to hear the birdsong if she just listened hard enough. Hanako sighed, smitten. But before she could ask for more info he mentioned another location, an oasis hidden in the depths of some far off desert and once again she was enthralled, the bird-filled marsh forgotten.

As though it would help her absorb his words even faster, Hanako scooted a little closer to Nolan till their shoulders were almost touching. By then only a slither of the sun was still visible, barely peaking over the ocean as though it was snooping in on their conversation. The stars, on the other hand, were just starting to reveal themselves, shining and sparking like the black sand beneath her paws.

"I've never seen an oasis before. Maybe we could go together one day, that'd be fun." She wasn't exactly sure how that would work, or even if she'd be allowed to, but Hanako wanted to believe that they could visit the oasis together some day. Even if it was a long while off. She would have kept up the light mood but then he mentioned his mother and her brows smushed in a show of concern."Oh I hope she's alright. But it's a little sad you haven't had the chance to explore as much as you want to. I know how that feels."

And that wasn't an exaggeration. Sure, she travelled a lot but she'd always been following in the wake of her Keepers, going wherever they said she needed to be. It was only in Boreas that she was able to pick a direction and head that way, the sense of freedom nearly bowled her over at first but she quickly began to love it, like it was her dirty little secret.