Rivers of Light

Aerndis took advantage of the warm spell, knowing it wouldn't last long. She couldn't explain it but she'd felt the urge to visit the north once more despite the risk of the weather turning bad. She supposed it was because her memories were fading. She used to be able to picture the place she'd grown up but even now her memory was fading. When she tried to think back on what her mother looked like she found herself struggling. It was scary. She wished she could remember more clearly. Some days she thought of tracking her mother down but she was old enough to know how foolish that would be. Aerndis sighed as she continued to trudge through the snow.

She turned her thoughts to the lessons her grandfather Valentine had been teaching her. The older man had been educating her on the Imperialis bloodline, their history and their superiority as well as his expectations of her as part of that bloodline. She still wasn't quite sure what to make of it other than she knew she wanted to make him proud. Aerndis hoped in time her father Angelus would visit and perhaps she could reconnect with at least one parent. She supposed she still secretly hoped Faria would magically show up again but she had no idea how she'd feel if that did happen. Would she be pleased? Furious?

Aerndis came to a large lake just as the sun was setting. The light spilled over it and the way it reflected the sky made the sky seem twice as large. She felt some what like she was flying. Gingerly she stepped onto the ice. Carefully she found her balance and then started to walk across the lake. She was confident the ice was still thick enough to support her weight. Despite being warmer than it had been earlier in the week the temperature was still below freezing. She couldn't say she cared for the feel of the ice on her paws. As she moved across the lake the light from the sun faded and the stars emerged. They winked gently into existence. A few at first and then more and more until the whole sky seemed to light up. The moon was nowhere to be seen, it was new and dark but Aerndis didn't lament its absence. It made the stars seem even brighter and the contrast of the sky was brilliant.

She was gazing into the lake when she noticed the beautiful cerulean glow of bioluminescent plankton. Aerndis was transfixed. She had no idea such creatures could thrive this far north. As she continued to watch she noticed a river of green light suddenly bloom across the ice. Now hold on… what was… Aerndis turned her face skyward and her jaw dropped. She saw a river of bright green flowing and undulating through the sky. It moved and shifted as she watched it and she knew these were the Northern Lights. Aerndis settled onto the ice, watching the bright glowing band. It moved like it was slithering across the sky, like she was watching a serpent of light. It made her think of stories of dragons that would trace through the sky.

Aerndis had never been told stories of the Northern Lights but she had heard of tales of river dragons once from another loner. She'd heard they were like great, living water spirits. Come to think of it the Northern Lights made her think of rivers of light moving across the sky. Occasionally she'd notice little bands of violet appear and disappear. It seemed alive. She wondered what caused the lights to show and if they were the work of spirits or mythical creatures. Perhaps because of her pelt she felt she had some sort of strange kinship with the wonders of the night sky. Aerndis didn't think too much of her pelt but as she increased her skills in hunting one thing she'd noticed is that animals pelts often helped them hide amongst their surroundings. What did it say about her pelt that she looked like she belonged to the night sky?

Aerndis watch the beautiful green light continue its way through the sky, watching the tendrils of light melt into the dark blue. The night was beautiful and clear. She felt she could see every twinkling white star winking at her in the sky. She had no idea how long she was sitting there but slowly the lights began to dissipate into the night sky. With a sigh she got to her feet and carried on her way, her head turning from the sky to the ice at her feet and the plankton that continued to glow and carry on, seeming now to mimic the trail of the lights in the sky. When she reached the edge of the lake she continued on, melting into the dark of the night.