enter; the falcon
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Soon the grass would die, and they would be left with nothing but a pasture of dry and withered tan strands. Where trees congregated their leaves would littler the worn paths, and there would be no place for a paw to step to avoid the brown dead. But, fall was still young and there was still green in the groundcover, the leaves that drifted from their branches still held the crisp color of red and yellow. So instead of entering a bleak and dismal world ready for the onslaught of winter’s wrath, she stepped into brisk day with the promise of a cloudless sky and a warm sun.
Toes brushed through thick morning dew and hand moved over the harsh bark of passing tree trunks. The light grey fey let her eyes and mind wander, from the ground to the towers that surrounded her to the sky and back down again. Every now and again she played her own little game, reciting the names of passing flora and testing the knowledge that her father had instilled in her. It was a simple thing, to pass the time when she traveled to reach the packs boarders on a lazy morning. Time stood still during her ventures out to the limits of her home, out to make sure they were secure.
These were times when she wondered if they just let them go, didn’t worry about them, what would happen? Would another pack filter in, mixing with their family, would there be a fight over hunting grounds or would something even worse happen? The questions blocked her mind from her game, making her forget about her score and clouding her thoughts. The two legged fey steadied her gait, which had become relaxed and wandering, and focused on her task at hand. Arms bent slightly at the waist and eyes forward she made her way, no longer letting her paws rest against the trees that passed, or eyes roaming to watch leave dance in the wind or check the clouds changing shapes.
With a new motivation she picked her walk up and brought it to a trot. The woods were silent; all but her paw steps could be heard. The trees blurred, until they disappeared all together. But it wasn’t familiar, yet the smell was still Crimson and she felt the natural balance that held her in their territory. The field was what seemed out of place, sitting in the middle of their forest. Two tall birches stood in its center, and the grass came just below her knee, a faded green as if just holding onto the last of its life. Anu took a few steps forward, unsure of her bearings but also sensing no danger. Her mind was once again changed, and her mission was now of exploration instead of boundary formation. Br even that was short lived, and as she walked to the white barked trees, their skin curled at the dark black corners, a new curiosity bloomed behind her eyes.
A noise behind her cause the thin fey to spin, eyes searching the forest she just left, but it was too loud to be so far. It wasn’t of footsteps, and the air was clear of any beast’s scent. She smelled no prey, not even hare on the still wind, but still the noise flouted to her ears, a never ending rustle mixed with what she thought maybe squeaking. A mouse made no noise of such kind, only if it was searching for its death, but she let her eyes fell to the ground, eyeing it though her movements were slow and scarce.
It was nothing, her mind decided, a waste of time and effort.
The thought ran through her brain the moment she dropped to her knees, parting the grasses and listening. Nose led and eyes followed with a glint of interest sparkling among the blue hue. The scurrying sounds increased, reinforcing her efforts and fueling her search. Heart racing, and eyes darting to scan each small space between each blade of grass it was now easy to decipher the exact scent of her quarry.
Normally, it was easy to ignore their scent, neither prey nor a threat Anu was used to forgetting their existence. But as she held it in her hand it was as if she welcomed a brand new being into her life. Still kneeling among the grasses she temped to peak between her closed and entwined fingers. She felt and heard the beast, but could not resist a peak. Opening her hands slightly she caught a glimpse of its light blue pelt. But as she looked closer, it wasn’t a pelt at all, small feathers overlapped each other to create a smooth and soft coat of faded indigo.
Black eyes bursting with fierceness looked back at her, wondering just about the same thoughts as the wolf was. The gazed back at her, sitting quite content in her warm soft paws. She held it as she held her own breath, knowing that at any moment he would flutter off to perch back among the boughs of the birch tree from which he much of fallen. But as the second ticked, it only sat, forever watching her. Head turning to the side in question she looked it over, gently raising her hands to meet her eye level. She found it then, the small digit that looked out of line and swollen. Her brow lowered as she imagined the pain of a broken toe might bring.
Still it didn’t fly away, surprising her as he spread to stretch its two wings without taking to flight. She was sure it could, puzzled to the reasons why it enjoyed her company. Its chest expanded and contracted, the ruby breast large enough to change the bird from an it, to a him. She stood, watching him all the while, and still he sat against her palm, only fidgeting a bit to poke her thumb with his small dark gray beak as if testing her tolerance to his presence. A smile crossed her face, and her worry for the small creature began to fade. Maybe they could tolerate each other, and maybe she could help him heal. Crossing the meadow the female finally took her eyes away from her new friend, suddenly sure that he would just stay in his new seat. Back to the mansion and back to her mate who may be able to help fix this new man in her life. |