Can You Be My Floaties?

Walk | Talk | Think

A really fun day full of wandering around Ebony was turning into a just as wonderful night. Anais was fascinated by all the new changes her family had made, by the new territories that were now hers to explore, by the chance to see so many new things. She had done much of that around the Range of Seracia and even a little beyond, but this place was nothing like that, more exotic and vibrant. There was a fallen structure as tall as the trees that seemed to have lost its strength and fallen over, littering stone and rock everywhere. There was also a wide valley hosting a multitude of rocks of all sizes, some tall, some wide, and all dispersed across the space at random. It was nothing like she had seen before, so original and entertaining. She had spent all day roaming through it, and the night had finally brought her back here to the lake, the very first territory her family had crossed into upon their arrival and acceptance.

The grey-gold youth lay comfortable and still amid the reedy grasses that surrounded the lake, sprawled upon her side but with her front half still upright. A paw lay tucked and the other outstretched, with her attention focused on the water and an awestruck smile widening distractedly across her muzzle. Fireflies, so many of them that she could not count, buzzed about and above the still lake water, occasionally coming close but for the most part sticking to their elaborate display in the center. Oh, she could watch them all night! The way their light would flicker and fade, moving about like dancing stars, was mesmerizing, enough for her to lose track of time as not realize that she should have been back at the dens much earlier than this. But she was safe within the pack's boundary; what was the rush?

She would soon be glad she had stayed late. Through the darkness she saw a tiny shadow move, and as soon as she spied it the small creature captured her attention. Was it a small animal - a fox, perhaps? Were there any other pups who lived in Ebony? As far as she knew Kailos and Lior were the only ones, and they were presently snuggled up with Mom and Dad. Who could this have been? The shadowed figure ventured almost curiously to the water's edge, the sound of faint splashing enough to tell Anais that it had entered the water. It was not until she heard the garbled cry for help that she realized who exactly it was. "Lior!" The lateness of the hour mattered nothing; she yelled her sister's name as she scrambled to her feet, heart racing with fright. What was she doing, heading into the deeper water when she she had yet to learn to swim! Quick, frantic strides carried her through the heavy foliage bordering the lake closer to where the pup had fallen in, and bounding into the water she reached the flailing pup quickly, grabbing her roughly by the scruff and dragging her ashore.

She did not let go until they both were clear of the water, and when she did she took a moment to catch her breath. Her legs shook, the severity of the situation rattling her to the core, and just a little she felt the stirrings of her mother's temper echo within herself - Lior should have known better! - but she was far too frazzled to act on it. "What were you doing?" she asked incredulously - surely the fireflies had not been that hypnotic? Only belatedly did she remember to ask the more important question, "Are you okay?"