One would not believe the ravine could open up to such an open clearing. From the outside, it appeared that every inch of groundcover would be masked by the treetop canopy above. Only small slivers of moonlight could sift down through the leaves, making it difficult for some to traverse during the nighttime. But a clearing such as this with lush grass and small white flowers, it was a hidden gem. And now that she's perched upon her rock with the thin piece of tanned hide stretched up before her, she looks up to her father and then to the stars. Their vast landscape is magnificent. If she were to focus, she could point out the different constellations and stars that would help one when they were lost.
Chimera's question sends her tail wagging again. "I want to paint mama a picture! Of the stars! So that when she's stuck in bed, she'll have something to look at!" Gem's voice is excitable as she jumps down from the rock and moves over to a small puddle of mud. "You'd be surprised what we can use to paint!" Gem giggles, her eyes crinkling at the corners. Plopping her front paws as deep into the mud puddle as she can manage, she carefully tiptoes back over to the rock and begins to smear the mud over the hide. "See, the mud is for the darkness that the stars twinkle from. I like to use blackberries, but this will be better because it's stickier and dries better," Gem peers up at Chimera with that wide smile again.
"Then before it dries, I find as many little white flowers as I can!" Why she hadn't gathered the flowers first didn't quite make sense, but she was a puppy after all and their brains hardly made sense. "Do you think mama will like it?" Gem calls out from not more than five feet away as she plucks the heads of small white daisies into her mouth.
Hematite, Gem's Mastiff, is always with her unless stated he isn't.
