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 Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 5:33 pm
 It was late at night, well past sunset when Oloneric awoke. He wasn't tired for some reason and was having a hard time falling asleep as well as staying asleep. More than anything he wanted to get up and play, but the majority of the herd was asleep save for a few who kept watch at night. He knew those individuals were too busy to play and if he approached them he would just be returned home and told to sleep. But try as he might he couldn't sleep. Shifting once more in hopes of finding a comfortable position that may cause him to sleep Oloneric sighed and closed his eyes.
A faint sound reached his ears and slowly he cracked his eyes open. What he saw was truly amazing. Dozens of fireflies danced around in the air, floating over the nearby sleeping herd members. He had only seen fireflies once or twice before this and found them utterly fascinating. They reminded him of stars, stars whom you could touch. Without thinking the small colt nosed his sleeping mother beside him. "Mom! Mom wake up!" He said in an excited but hushed voice.
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 5:50 pm
 Synestra didn't need to be awake to know that her son was. It was a side effect of motherhood, a mother always knew what their children were doing even if they weren't within sight. She had listened to Oloneric shift and sigh several times this night but she herself had remained asleep for the most part, trying her best to stay asleep and not encourage her son to stay up. Eventually it became clear that no matter what Oloneric wasn't going sleep. Especially when he prodded her and told her to get up. With a sigh Synestra gave up on sleep for now and turned her sleepy eyes to her quietest son. "What is it Olo?"
As soon as she asked the question the answer became quite evident. Fireflies flitted about all over the place. Oh dear. Syn knew now that there wasn't a chance of Olo going to sleep any time soon now. Letting out a yawn Syn shook her head to clear the sleep away and got to her feet, giving Olo a nuzzle. "Come, let us walk a bit so we don't wake the others." With that she led the way through the trees, nodding to one of the guards in passing. The more they walked the more fireflies they saw. Stepping out from the tree into a clearing they were met by a vast amount of darkness, broken up only by the faint glow of the moon as well as stars twinkling in the sky and fireflies dancing about them. It was as though the sky completely enveloped them.
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 5:59 pm
He was happy to see that his mother was willing to let him stay awake instead of telling him to go back to sleep. Following silently behind his mother as they made their way to a quiet place. Seeing so many fireflies Olo was filled with such a sense of happiness. He loved all insects, any creature for that matter really, but insects were his special love. It wasn't often that he got to see or enjoy the insects of the night. He tried as often as he could to do so, but more often than not sleep overcame him before he truly got to see anything. But now that he was a bit older it was easier for him to stay awake later and catch glimpses of them in the air or scurrying about the ground.
Tonight however was even more special, as he got to share this experience with his mother. "Wow." He whispered as they came out of the clearing. "There are so many!" At some points it was hard to tell which were stars and which were fireflies. He stood in awe at his mothers side looking out into the night. "How many stars are there?" He finally asked, his curiosity getting the best of him now that he could speak without worry of waking up the others.
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 6:13 pm
Smiling down at her son Synestra looked out across the meadow once more. "There must be hundreds of fireflies out there." Perhaps there was more, it was hard to tell in the darkness. Sharing moments like this with her son made life so much better for Syn. She loved both of her sons equally, however it was Olo who preferred to do quiet activities. Oh she still run and played with Syrrin when she could but sometimes she believed he didn't like to have her around. Such was the way boys were, mother wasn't always what they wanted and with their father not living nearby it was hard for her to be both parents to them at once.
Giving her head a shake Syn refocused on what was happening now. This was not the time to worry about her sons. Oloneric's question made her pause. Just how many stars were there? Certainly more than anyone could count in a single night. "Thousands at least. I'm not sure anyone knows for certain just how many there are." Lowering her head she nuzzled Olo. "It's one of the many great mysteries of this world." There were things that would never be known to anyone, answers that would always remain hidden.
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 6:29 pm
Hundreds of fireflies! It was enough to make him want to jump for joy and run around chasing as many as he could. But it was dark and even with the little bit of moonlight shining down on them it was hard to see and there could be dangers lurking out there be them predators or simply tripping hazards. So the colt remained where he was, eyes wide with wonder trying to soak it all in. He felt smaller than usual in this moment surrounded by the blackness of night and twinkle of stars and fireflies. Swallowing deeply, from fear and excitement, Olo nuzzled up against his mother.
"I wonder if you could count them, or try to." He said more to himself than anything else. Though honestly he doubted that even he would be able to stand still long enough to try and see how many he could count. "Can we stay here a while?" He didn't want to go back, not yet, and he still wasn't tired yet. Not that he would be able to sleep even if his mother insisted on going back now, he was too excited about all of this.
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 6:35 pm
Synestra let out a bit of a laugh. "Even if you could count them I'm sure it would take many nights to do so, and even then I'm not sure you ocould count them all. The stars shift with the seasons, and some nights there may be clouds blocking them from view." Giving her head a shake Syn looked down at her son. "No, I don't think we are meant to count them. They are there to make us wonder about them, but the true reason they are there and the knowledge of how many there are is to remain a secret." That might not be true, but it is how Synestra saw things.
"We can stay for a little while. But we must go back soon, night is a dangerous time and we cannot stay away from the herd for long." The guards may have seen them go but they could not keep a constant eye on their pair either, the herd lands were quite large for an Usida to travel about and watch over in a single night and so they had to do their duty and keep the herd safe. She would let Olo enjoy the stars and fireflies for just a bit longer and then they would return home to the safety of their herds and the protection of the guards.
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