Sunbeam Lair a thousand points of light

she slipped out when the sun had only just dipped below the horizon, walked than climbed as the darkness fell ever heavier around her. When finally she had tread as high as she wished to that night, she stopped and settled on her haunches, shifting slightly on the unyielding, craggy rock, until she finally looked up.

her breath was but a gasp for a moment as the night's full radiance was upon her then; stars and constellations brighter than she had ever seen in a long time, perhaps simply because she had stopped paying attention. But as her eyes roamed the heavens hungrily, almost, fragments of old lessons echoed in her mind, and quite suddenly she longed to know more.

how foolish she had been, in the past, but now she was fully prepared to search and hunt for knowledge however she could, for the earth was a beautiful, living thing, and she determined to know all that she could of it.

03.06.17 — Ending added.

Down beneath the horizon the sun had fallen, casting the lair into darkness. The cavern supported the life of the tribe and protected them with its sturdy walls, but allowed little of the moon’s light to touch its floor in exchange. There were plenty of areas where the moon could be seen, of course, but only one location within granted a wolf a grand view of the night’s sky. Asterr had just slipped into said area, the space as vibrant and open as the sky itself, having not visited it in a great while. It had been there that she’d spent countless hours with Noctura, whose presence she had never stopped longing for. Members came and went, as did males, but always had she known the man to be a special one; settling beneath the stars that he’d adored so much had seemed wrong, almost. Still, the scene provided her with a feeling of bliss and serenity, the stars and moon alike creating for her a world in which she could soar. With closed eyes and a muzzle tilted up towards the heavens, she’d basked in the ivory glow and relived the nights in which she’d spent at the side of one of her greatest friend. If not for the echoes of footfalls overhead, perhaps she would have stayed there all throughout the night, too.

Abandoning the meadow, it was towards the exit that the dragoness had gone. Her pace had been quick, movements swift, curious to discover the soul lingering atop her home. It was over familiar trails that she’d hiked, legs pulling her from one spot to the next as the cavern was climbed and the roof reached. Warily—the openings that littered the mountain could not usually be fallen through, but they were wide enough to twist an ankle if one lacked caution—she’d walked across the cavern’s top, allowing for her nose to guide her. Led upwards, she’d paid extra attention to just where each paw was placed, wishing not to fall or become trapped. When at last she’d spotted the silhouette of her sister, a sharp bark was issued for the purpose of attracting her attention. No sooner had the wordless sound left her mouth than the distance between them was lost, replaced by a gentle touch to the shoulder of the argent woman.

“You are up late, sister,” noted the Chieftess. “Are you well?” It was not unusual for those of the tribe to spend the nights with their heads back and eyes facing the sky, but the commonness of it could never prevent concern from developing. Those of the Ryūjin Tribe were family, she would never say that they weren’t, but Hisaya was tied to her through blood. For that reason, and that reason alone, Asterr had situated herself there atop the rocks and turned her head to face the female. To hear of what troubled her sister, if there was anything at all, was her purpose for being awake that night, and that she was certain of.

The sisters conversed for what felt like hours, speaking of the stars and home. When the first yawn stretched one of their mouths, the duo chose to head back into their shelter, where they parted ways in order to rest for the night.