Barrow Fields moonriser

Tags are invitational, not obligational! This is open to anyone at all.

Today’s hunting drove her inland to Barrow Fields, though the August heat soon became unbearable. Tiuttuk sought respite in the shade beneath one of the many rolling hillocks, intending to wait until the temperatures fell a little. She didn’t mean to fall asleep, though the weariness of being a round-the-clock babysitter caught up to her.

She jerked awake late in the afternoon, the sun moments from slipping behind the western ridgelines. Feeling groggy and disoriented, Pie smacked her lips and found herself desperate for a drink. Heaving onto her feet with a quiet grunt, she sought out the nearest water—a trickling stream on the far side of the grassy mound—and perked up considerably once hydrated.

Treepie trotted back to the crest of the small hill, gazing toward the coast as shadows quickly gathered in all the nooks and crannies of the wilderness. She ducked her head and first loped down, then up, then down again as she made her way back toward the forest overlooking Ankyra Sound.

A distinct noise—very strange to most ears, warmly familiar to hers—caused Tiuttuk to halt with one paw in midair and glance upward. She spotted Wyvern and smiled, woofing a greeting to the bird. The nighthawk swooped closer, then circled before banking and coming to perch on Pie’s haunch. She winced a little as the bird’s talons sank into her skin.

I feel like I barely see you these days, she gushed quietly to Wyvern, craning her head to look at the bird. I’m glad you’re still around, my friend. On that note, she continued, straightening her head and cupping her ears as she peered into the darkling distance, have you seen Alaric or @Tikaani lately?

Wyvern shook her head rapidly and Pie’s lips pulled downward. She considered sending up a howl, just to check in with her two companions. But she didn’t just want to hear from them, she wanted to see them, see how they were doing and have a proper conversation. She bit her lip, her yellow eyes bright in the dusk as they drifted toward the sea, then flicked determinedly inshore again.

Sobeille and the pups had become the center of her universe. Tiuttuk might orbit around them these days, though Alaric and Tikaani would always be her little moons.