The Dancing Sky

Where oh where, had her little dog gone? Tsk. She hadn’t expected Delaeni to wander off on her own, and without Mila for the matter - she’d been the one who wanted the girl to travel with them, after all - so this behavior, it was odd to say the least. Did the dog have something up her sleeve? No, Laney wasn’t devious enough to be so conniving- naive yes, but there was no ill will inside of the girl. So perhaps, the answer to Azoula’s musings was simple- she’d wandered off and gotten lost. And so, after waiting a few hours for Laney to return, the tigress took matters into her own paws and went out looking for her.

Tracking into a thick, luscious jungle that was tightly packed with an array of foliage and wildlife, Azoula caught wind of Laney’s scent. It was fairly fresh, meaning she’d passed through the area recently. With the sun quickly setting beneath the horizon, time was of the essence- she didn’t want Laney out in the dark alone, trying to fend for herself. And so, Azoula picked up the pace, combing through the gulley for any sign of her companion. The canvas of orange and pink morphed above her, as it turned into something she considered quite rare, given how far south she was. An aurora of emerald, amethyst, and azure danced in the heavens, illuminating the jungle in an ethereal, otherworldly glow. It was quite beautiful.

As the night progressed, an hour having passed since her arrival, the illumination of the northern lights grew in saturation, encompassing the full moon in an array of bright colors. It almost felt like daylight to her- which was a bit cumbersome, because she saw better in the pitch black of the night. Still, she successfully honed in on her target- coming around a bend in the foliage, finding Delaeni sitting within field of fragrant flowers. Approaching her on silent paws, she comes up beside the girl and plops down beside her in an exaggerated fashion- acting like her journey has left her utterly exhausted. “Gone a little far this time, haven’t we?” She throws a large forelimb over the girl, pulling her in close and encompassing Laney with her bulk. Like a kid clinging to their dolly. “And you’ve left Mila all alone- my, what a bad girl you’ve been.”  The tone in her voice was playful, and yet, there was a serious undercurrent- one that warned Laney, to never do this again.

Allowing the weight of her words to sink into the dogs mind, and scouring the dog’s body for any injuries or abnormalities. Azoula finally feels content with her condition, and turns her attention to the night sky. Studying it in silence, her tail flicking wildly behind her body to show the deep rumination lulling in her mind. She wonders why the northern lights could be seen in the south, and why the moon appeared brighter than normal. Perhaps it was a gesture from the universe- instructing Azoula to return to the north, where the lights usually dazzled in the sky. She wondered then, if she followed this gesture, if she would find the group of Saxe youngsters she’d been looking for.  

"Speech"