Dawnlark Plains when god falls fast asleep

he was surprised--just surprised, not disappointed--at river's response, but he pulled back accordingly, watching as the boy slumped to the ground. slowly, he went down with him, placing his paws side-by-side and looking down at them, keeping the full fire of his gaze from burning into the other. he smiled, then, softly, still staring down.

"when i was a boy, i saw this owl," aditya said. he looked up at river then, eyes gentle. "an owl is a large bird--they rule the sky, flying through the air. so i saw this owl, and his feathers--his pelt--looked a lot like your maa's, but without the orange. he was big and white, with eyes as bright as the sun. he was perched in a tree above the clearing where my den was."

he grinned in remembrance. "that owl. he was always there, calling down to me. hoo, hoo," he vocalized. "who, who. and i thought, well, me. . .that's who, right?" adi laughed. "anyway, every day, i'd wake up, and i'd see the owl, high in the tree. hoo, hoo. hoo, hoo."

"bachcha, look at this," aditya prompted, eyes cutting over as he noticed the totally not a plot device emily placed here feather tucked near the mouth of the den, blowing gently in the wind. it wasn't quite white--more a shade of cream--but it would do. he took it gently in his teeth, resting it at river's paws. "his feathers were much like this. soft, hai na?"