Sun Mote Copse iridescent

@Otter did her best to describe the full moon to Skipjack as the pair of them glided west through the copse. Between his familiarity with the terrain and his sister’s guidance, the bairn felt confident enough to speed up to a trot. His grin stretched from ear to ear as the cooling air whistled past them.

He knew when they reached The Gathering Place, so he slowed and began navigating toward the stump at its center. Skip strained his ears for his parents’ voices, though it was rather quiet. He started somewhat when he realized Njord and Meerkat were beside his target, sitting in silence. He nosed toward them.

Why are we bein’ so quiet? Skip whispered, touching the chunk of wood out of reflex.

His toes touched something. The boy made a curious noise in his throat and began to gently explore the items with his paws. His wee toes bumped against the stem of a rose, smoothing over its soft petals. Skipjack leaned down to draw in its fragrance. He then moved on to the misshapen stones beside it, face scrunching as he tried to identify what it was he was feeling.