Welcome to Gaia! ::

It was her favorite time of day. Diana lay on her belly beside a river of cream soda that ran bright pink and sparkling, with her head resting as close to the edge as possible while still managing to stay dry. She reveled in the hissing, fizzing noise the liquid made as it bubbled passed her ears and had to close her eyes from the almost blinding light of the sun as it sunk below the horizon and danced across the sparkling surface.

She watched the flashes of light through the insides of her eyelids like a little kid watches fireworks. It had been a beautiful day, with the exception of the unbearable heat. Poor Diana, like many of the other Numas in the land, had spent most of the day hunting for shelter under the trees and wading in whatever fluid they could find.

Anything to get cooler.

Now, as the sun sunk lower and lower in the sky, it took the heat with it. The female could already feel the difference, as a gentle breeze fluffed the fur on her back, and the moon hadn't even it's shown her pretty face yet!

Except for the sound of the cream soda that rushed by her ears, Diana was completely oblivious to the world that surrounded her. She could tell, however, as the light on the inside of her eyelids steadily dropped in intensity, that it wouldn't be much longer before the sun dipped completely below the horizon and what she knew of the world was draped in a dark, star-sprinkled blanket.

The silvery colored Numa had absolutely no idea that she was being spied on, or approached, for that matter. Diana continued to lay where she was, with a peaceful grin on her pretty face, until there came a slightly annoying prod at her forehead.

What the-

"Yes?" she asked softly and swatted the digit away with a gentle hand. Her eyes fluttered open for the first time in several minutes.

Diana wasn't upset about the way the other female had approached her. There had been no real harm done, aside from her forehead's disagreement with the prod, and the violet eyed Numa was taken aback by the other girl's rush to apologize. A low chuckle erupted from between her teeth and Diana sat up slowly, with an amused grin on her pretty face.

"It's alright," she said good-naturedly, "I usually just do things without asking, anyways. If I was you, and I'd seen somebody as pretty as me sitting on the ground, I'd have had to poke me too."

It was only part joke. Diana did think very highly of herself, but she was trying to make the other Numa comfortable. To show the other girl just how okay it was, Diana reached out with a paw and gently poked one of the many stars on her head.

Diana nodded her head as the other female spoke, and took the opportunity to study her. Before, she'd only noticed the stars on her face. Now, as the other Numa spoke, Diana could understand why she'd take to calling herself a child of the night.

"There was no harm done," Diana giggled once more, "but it's good that you try to mind your manners. I'm afraid you're far more polite than I am. Not that I ever mean to be rude. I always try to be nice. Sometimes, though, something just always slips out."

She crossed her eyes stupidly, as an attempt to look at the picture of the moon on her forehead, and, when she realized that she'd never see it that way, turned back to the other girl.

"I suppose I might be a daughter of the moon. I do like the night better than any time of the day."

Distant cousins. A smile started on Diana's face, shy and uncertain, at first, and then blossomed into a gigantic grin that stretched from ear to ear. She'd never had any family before. It was nice to be able to say that this other beautiful girl might have been a surrogate relative of hers. They didn't have to be connected by blood to be cousins, did they?

"I am out and about whenever I want to be, for was long as I want to be," Diana responded softly, "But, I like to be up during the night the best. I'm surprised I haven't met you before."

Since they both preferred to be nocturnal, it would have made sense for them to bump into one another sooner. Ah, well, so was life.

"I'd invite you to my birthday," she said conversationally, with a friendly gesture of her paws, "If I knew when it was, that is."

"You and I are one and the same, then," Diana nodded sweetly, "I do not know many other Numa, but I've been around for a long time. So, I should know more. I just don't. I suppose everybody else likes to be up during the day, when they can see better?"

It made sense to her. If she hadn't been so in love with the night and the stars and the moon, Diana supposed that she might have enjoyed the sunlight more. For some reason, which might have been influenced by the birthmark on her forehead, she'd always felt more at home during the night, more complete. There was less company, that was for sure, but the female Numa didn't mind not knowing that many people. It saved having to remember names.

"My name's Diana," she grinned and paused to listen to the bubble of the river behind her for only a moment, "It's nice to meet you, Silver. May I call you that?"

It was easier to remember than Silverglow.

The thought of anybody being alone for their entire lives, just because they preferred a certain time of the day to be out and about was a depressing one. Diana knew that she and Silver were not the only Numas that sought comfort in the light of the moon and the stars, rather than the sun, because she had been lucky enough to meet a couple others when it was dark. Unfortunately, however, she hadn't really made any type of connection with somebody.

It was for this reason that she was so eager to call Silver a friend.

"What is it about the night that you like so much?" she asked softly, with one eyebrow cocked upwards.