Broken Antler Fen i've got fire for a heart

maybe an astronomer thread? :-)

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When the sun has made it’s final, defiant stand against the night and lost Mato slips outside of the den he shares with his parents and siblings, trotting away from it with a creased brow, pausing quick enough to spare a glimpse over his shoulder and a smooth of his ears against his crown as he sucked in his breath and held it, trotting as quietly as he could — stumbling with an knee-jerk “Oof!” to catch his balance as he tripped over a …well something. He does not stop to look as he sucks in his breath again, skin of his cheeks flushed with the heat of embarrassment despite that he thinks that no one saw it (hopefully!) as he ventures to his favorite stargazing spot. It’s a large rock strutting out of the earth forming a small drop-off and though he could see the stars just fine on the ground he liked to sit on the rock and pretend that the world melts away until it is just him and the moon and her stars.

He hasn’t told anyone that he does this often though it’s quite possibly that he’s not as sneaky as he thinks and others have realized he slips out on clear nights at a certain time at night. Mato does not spend the whole night out — only an hour or two, usually in different positions on the rock: sitting, sphinx-like, lounging on his back so that he could draw shapes in the stars — but if anyone notices they have yet to bring it to him. He supposes it’s no real secret for he doesn’t think there’s any particular reason why he hasn’t shared his favorite past time. Other than perhaps because it is his. He finds his rock and his tail wags to and fro lightly against his hocks as he steps upon it, still warm from the sun, and plops down, scooting this way and that for a moment as he gets comfortable before he cants his muzzle skyward and lets his apple green gaze touch the velveteen darkness painted with the moon’s sweet beams and winking stars.

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