Wild Berry Meadow silence, and the firmament withdrew

Backdated to October 10. Read only -- no replies, please.

There was a chill in the air that was unmistakably the whisper of winter as she lurked on the horizon, yet summer was not yet ready to relinquish her reign on the lower-lying areas of the Teekon. While the highlands and mountaintops were leafless and draped in white, the valleys and plains still wore the colors of autumn. Raven didn't mind it. Her coat was already filling in, acquiring a thick plushness that insulated her against the bite of the wind. And since black absorbed light and heat, she was always warm when the sun was out. Summer would always be her favorite season, but she wasn't bothered by the cold.

She made her way to her favorite meadow, where in warmer months, flowers were abundant and berry bushes grew thick and wild. Tall stalks of browning grass tickled her elbows and underside as she walked for a time, taking in the beauty of the scenery around her and feeling a moment of regret that the berries were no longer in season. Time didn't matter here and she passed the hours in peace and solace, enjoying what was quite possibly the last chance she would get to enjoy this meadow before the snows came and took it from her. Later in the afternoon, the wind direction shifted and her idyllic paradise was darkened somewhat as her brother's scent came to her, laced with pain and death. Her insides quivered and her blood ran cold as she glanced wildly around, attempting to determine from which direction the scent was coming.

It didn't take her long to find him. "Oh, Nightjar," she whispered as her heart cracked and shattered. He was several yards from where she stood at the crest of the hill, looking down on him. His tawny, agouti-patterned fur blended nicely with the russet-colored grasses, but it was unmistakably him. It had been maybe a day since he had fallen and scavengers had already visited the site. The evidence was horribly clear to her as she approached, though it was difficult to tell at this point exactly what had caused his death. She thought of his blindness and knew that somehow it had been the cause, and an ice-cold tsunami of regret washed over everything else she felt inside. If only I'd been able to fix his eyes, she thought.

It was too late for him now. Her brother was dead, and it was her fault. She leaned down and kissed his head, where hot tears dripped from her closed eyes and splashed onto his fur. "I'm so, so sorry," she whispered to him, taking a step back from his carcass. She looked on him for a moment more before she turned to make her way back to the caldera, the wind suddenly uncomfortably cold.

Wild Berry Meadow would no longer be her favorite place.