Xolani hopped nimbly higher and higher up the trees towards the canopy. From time to time he would jump to a branch that he could just barley grasp onto on his descent, but he showed no fear, as this was a path he took regularly to his special spot in the sun. He made sure time and time over that no one could easily follow him here, the last thing he needed was one of the tribe members that were not as fond of him coming and befouling the closest thing he had to a sanctuary. As he pushed himself higher and higher, his smile widened.
With a final tug, he breached the surface of the trees to meet the bright orb that caused his skin to become such a dark hue. He had to admit, he loved how his leaf gems stood out against the dark blue of his morning skin. He had found this place, farther away from his tribe when out wandering. He had half mindedly followed an interesting colored bug around before popping out to find a nice place to feel the warmth of the sun in the day and to watch the moon in the evening.
Walking up here was the hardest part. Xolani could not just walk around on the leaves, but on the branches right below them at the top, so at least his feet were always hidden beneath them, though there were spots where he dipped down to as low as his waist because there were no branches closer that could hold his weight. He moved slowly to his workstation of sorts, which was just a cloth laid delicately over some of the sturdier leaves. On top of it were different herbs and flowers that he had collected. He picked up one of the leafy herbs delicately and observed it.
“You’re just about dry,” he stated, apparently to the herb. “Soon you’ll make a lovely tea for father. I doubt it will be as good as the ones mother would make, but she had the plants of Tale to mix in as well. I cannot mimic her brews when only allotted to the plant life we have here,” he mused as he set the one he was holding to pick up a flower. After looking at it for a moment he decided that it was ready to be used and placed it gently in the satchel that he had brought with him. He then dug out another flower, a similar one to the dried one, only this one was freshly plucked, and placed it where the other flower had been.
“I hope these will dry soon,” he commented. “I’m almost out of the blend that father has been asking for the most…” He sighed as he halfheartedly picked up a few more of the dried plants that were sprawled out before him. He hated being grounded in this one place. He missed wandering, like his family had done before his mother’s death. His father was recovering from the emotional turmoil well for the most part, but he wondered if the older man would be able to handle taking care of himself, at least enough to allow Xolani to take up exploring again.
His inner thoughts were dispersed when the sound of rustling leaves. He felt his body tense up. Could someone have found his special place, or worse, did someone follow him here? His eyes darted around, trying to find the source of this new and unwelcomed sound. Xolani scanned the canopy, trying to see any leaves moving. He had just begun to think that perhaps the heat up here had started to play tricks on his mind when a small blur burst out about a meter from where Xolani had been standing, and it startled the poor mixed blood so badly that he lost his footing on the branches that he was standing on. Thankfully he was able to catch hold of a branch before falling very far. While still shaken, curiosity filled his thoughts as he wondered what in the world had just transpired.
Xolani had to hoist himself back up to see up past the final layers of foliage. He peeked only a part of his head out first, just enough so his eyes rose past the leaves. He looked around the place he saw whatever it was burst out, and he saw it spreading itself out on top of the leaves. It wasn’t all that big, but had a large leathery wingspan for its size, a beige color with splashes of deep purple and pink gracing it’s smooth scales. Its tail swayed back and forth lightly as its tongue tasted the air. Xolani had seen a creature like this in Tale a few times before, mother had always referred to them as sailscales. Its head swerved towards Xolani’s direction as it caught his sent on its tongue, but it did not really move from its current position. Curious to see what sort of temperament this creature had, Xolani reached into his satchel and dug around until he found a smooth stone. He stood up higher, and the creature watched him curiously as he slowly straightened his legs to a full stand. He threw the stone up and down, catching it in his own hand, and the beast seemed to be rather interested in what he was doing, its head bopping up and down to watch the stone go up and down. Its tail swished, and Xolani could tell it was more in excitement then fear or malice, which he found rather adorable. Xolani then gently tossed the stone towards the sailscale, and immediately the creature popped up and snapped up the item in its jaws before wiggling over and placing the stone in Xolani’s outstretched palm.
Xolani laughed at the creature and grasped the stone, motioning that he was going to throw it again. The beast clambered up quickly onto Xolani’s shoulder and as soon as he tossed it it would glide off the perched and snap up the rock before it would sink below the leaves. And this is how they spent most of the day.
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Name: Xolani