Redhawk Caldera From Bissau to Palau, in the shade of Avalon

The flowers had been pink just a few weeks ago. Now, they were faded, many of them scattered on the ground below the tree. Atreus walked beneath its shade and looked up at the green leaves fluttering in the breeze. He smiled, then dropped his nose and brushed it through the drifts of blossoms. He pushed a few dozen into a pile, then gently lowered himself among them. Their fragrance surrounded him and, he hoped, stuck to his fur.

Amalia found him like that, a former soldier and guardian of pharaohs rolling around in pretty flowers. Atreus didn’t mind being “caught.” This sort of thing really suited his new life here. As she came closer, he snuffled at some of the nearest petals and then patted the space next to him, inviting Amalia to join him.

I like it here, he told her, but I’ve spent all this time exploring the place and not enough time talking to the other people who live here, Atreus admitted with a thoughtful frown. Maybe we could find some of them today and you could introduce me?