Word Count:563
Winter had faded and spring had begun to flesh out it’s leaves. The scent of the world had changed almost over night. The cold dry scent of snow and ice was replaced with the scent of new leaves and something that Hotaru could really only describe as rainbows. As much as she hated the analogy, that was what came to mind when she inhaled the cool spring air. The air was gradually getting warmer and the nights weren’t as bitterly cold. Song birds had started to return and with their arrival it had become impossible to sleep in.
As usual, Hotaru was perched on her carving boulder that sat just outside her doors. She had long ago finished her restoration project for her set of drawers, leaving her mind and hands free to wander. She didn’t really know what she wanted to carver, so she sat with a small block of wood and her carving knife to simply pass the time. After a while a shaped had begun to form in the wood. As she worked the form of a creature appeared and soon its fearsome body had become evident. After several hours a ferocious cougar sat in her lap. Its long tail swooped around and too the side while its open mouth revealed a set of sharp fangs. Even if the image seemed complicated at first, Hotaru’s hands revealed otherwise. The body was smooth and almost without definition. She had created a mountain lion’s basic form, but the details were few and far between, which made the overall design simple.
Even though it wasn’t anything close to a masterpiece, Hotaru was rather proud of herself. She ran her fingers over her creation and studied it carefully. She was about to fix a problem when a sudden crashing sound reached her ears. Red appendages flicked to the side in alarm as she tried to make sense of the shattering sound. Again and again the sound of something breaking came and the grey female grew worried. The sounds were coming from Sky’s house, and she knew that Sky had several young children.
Frowning, she stood and grabbed her walking staff. Fawkes was still sleeping inside the house, so this adventure would be for Hotaru alone. Her lithe grey form moved easily through the familiar village and cautiously she approached the house of her fellow pack mate. ”Hello? Is everything alright alright?” Her staff that she waved before her, bumped into something on the ground. Whatever it was, it was new. The grey female bent down to retrieve a shard of something unknown.
Table by Chazza