Stars tended to burn like the eyes of the dying. They were at their brightest and closest when their life had already ebbed away. It was only then that pieces of their journey could be marked and noted, which is what Scheherazade mused upon that very night. Like most of the fellow watchers she spent a good deal of time in the highest of tree branches, seeking out the breaks in the leaves so that she could see the unperturbed night sky. There was so much out there that she had yet to know. Why was it that the sky only guided travellers by night? It was a map for the bold, to be sure, as many predators walked the darkened lands. However, unlike the night, her pale coat shone as bright as a star itself from her perch. Frowning, Scheherazade pondered, biting at the left side of her bottom lip in deep thought.Velveteen Angel:
Hu couldn't sleep. It was a constant issue these days. His body was physically tired, and his muscles ached, but his mind raced with thoughts that kept him from sleeping even when he felt near physical exhaustion. It was getting frustrating, but he found himself quite productive at night.
He moved through the trees silently, only a few rustling leaves giving him away. He was caught up in his own thoughts, but a pale figure caught his eye. For a moment, he thought it was Ua, but the figure was definitely not his daughter. The pale pink on her form gave her away easily, and for a moment, Hu stopped to regard his fellow council.
She seemed to glow in the night, like the stars above them both. He had found himself thinking of the other councellor often, her image coming to mind at the most inconvenient times, and catching him off guard.
Painted Moose:
Scheherazade moved further out on her branch. She was careless to the way it swayed beneath her, and negligent to the dipped as it bowed towards the earth. Her eyes had caught the most spectacular sight! The elation was plain in her expressions as she pratically bounced. A meteor shower! Stars were chasing one another across the sky right before her. But was this normal for this area? She would have to ask once it was over. Looking about her, Scheherazade attempted to find someone to share her findings and with surprise she found Hu! She hadn't even heard his approach, but then again, she rarely paid attention to anything that wasn't screaming at her. "Have you come to see the stars, Hu? You're in luck; they're dancing tonight!"
Velveteen Angel:
Hu was surprised when she glanced around her. Had she heard him approaching? He had hoped to observe her for a moment and then move on. He was not the most...socially inclined male, and had rarely spoken to many members of the colony, preferring his own company or his family's company. Her comment made him raise a brow.
"Dancing?" He repeated back, but found himself drawn into the idea. He moved towards her on the branches, rising in the branches until he was higher in the trees, the stars in view.
His golden eyes scanned the sky, surprised at the sight. "What is happening?" he asked, slightly in awe. He had not seen it years, back when he was a cub he had seen it, but for a while he had thought that he might have dreamt that.
Painted Moose:
Scheherazade thought the tiger striped male pleasant enough during official Council talks. He was intriguing to her, and handsome, though she had learned long ago that physical attraction could lead to a trap. Having this oppurtunity to talk with him was odd, and slightly disarming, though she was relieved to have a distraction in her work. "At first I had thought the stars themselves were falling. It was supected that when they died, and ran out of their light that they would show a path for mortals to the God's Haven." Her eyes watched the display, a light smile on her maw. "It's nothing more than a cub's tale, however. They're stones that have fallen from the sky, though I cannot say from where or why."
Velveteen Angel:
Hu listened to her talk, surprised that he had not spoken to her about her work before. She was quite intelligent now that she was speaking. He supposed that was why she was council as well. He supposed she couldn't be stupid to be one of the council but he had rarely spoken to her about things like that.
"How intriguing," he said quietly, staring up at the stars with a look of curiousity. It was so odd, and for a moment, he felt as if he was back in time when he was a cub
Painted Moose:
"It's the one thing I haven't been able to track. Stars rather predicatable when they aren't falling." Scheherazade's tail hung over the branch, swaying languidly beneath her. She possessed neither the grace of her mother, nor the tact of her father. So when she turned pointedly towards Hu, her eyes were normal for her, but cold, if not slightly sharp. "Are you not usually asleep during these hours?"
Velveteen Angel:
Hu didn't respond quickly, continuing to watch the stars fall curious but not overly excited. He was a rather quiet male, rarely speaking unless he was forced to do so. He was quite cold as well, prepared to shun people than put in the effort of a conversation.
"I have found myself awkward at night more and more," he remarked simply. "I find the night air refreshing." He glanced at her. "I presume you are awake to watch the stars." Her eyes were like stars, he realised, and felt immediately awkward thinking such. They were bright, but distant.
Painted Moose:
Scheherazade sat straight as she analyzed Hu. He was not as flighty as the other males, nor as standoffish as some. He was both air and stone. There was a pattern in it that was odd to her. So very, very odd. "It is refreshing when one is safe. To a lone rogue the silence is a sign of oncoming death." She stated very calmly. "Stars, yes, among other things." Moving her eyes back to the stars she allowed her spine to relax.
Velveteen Angel:
She seemed rigid when she spoke to him, but when she looked at the stars, she seemed to calm. Did he make her uncomfortable? He frowned. He hoped not - though he wasn't sure why he hoped not. He hadn't hoped that someone was comfortable around him for many years. What witchcraft was this?
"Being alone is not a bad thing," Hu remarked casually, watching her casually. "Sometimes it is the safest place."
Painted Moose:
Scheherazade laughed. It was a surprise of open chuckles that brought a little sarcastic smile to her face. "Do you truly believe that, Hu? Isn't it at our loneliest that a soul reaches for anything that will pacify it, even if it's a horrible decision?" She shook her head. "I enjoy the company of the stars and the silence it brings, but I much prefer my life in this pride than that of the silence of the rogue lands. But what of you? Would you prefer to be left on your own?
Velveteen Angel:
How interesting. She spoke like a philosopher at times, which he had not thought she would. She was proving more interesting company than he originally thought. He thought carefully of her comments and found himself admitting things that he had not intended to say.
"Years ago, if you had asked me, I would have said yes. But when Ua came to me, I found that when she was gone, I missed another voice around me. I would not say that I would miss each member of this colony, should they leave, but I think I would miss holding conversations with someone." He shrugged his shoulders, lean muscles beneath his coat rippling as he did so. "Loneliness is not all bad however. Sometimes you need to be lonely to realise what you had."
Painted Moose:
Scheherazade's smile softened. This was a side of him that she had not thought to see, and it was pleasantly surprising. "The voice of a child, no matter the age, is tender. It's routine. When you spend so much time around them their absense is sorely missed." To this she thought of Zarine. While Scheherazade knew her daughter was in the safest of paws, she still missed her dearly. Would that she could have her back, even for a moment..."If only it were not so. Every moment my children are away from me makes me yearn for the aggrivation I felt at waking to their spit in my fur, or the sounds of their squabbling." Her eyes turned downcast on a heavy sigh. "They were freaks, true, but my freaks."
Velveteen Angel:
Hu glanced at her, listening to her talk about her children with a fondness, a fondness he often felt when he thought of Ua, though she was not his by blood. "A harsh word for your own cubs, do you consider them freaks yourself?" He asked, curious. He knew the colony's view on the offspring of two species, but it was not necessary each person's personal view.
Did she think of them as freaks, truly ? Or was she simply voicing the pride's view?
Painted Moose:
Scheherazade nodded, passively waving her paw around. "It's a word my siblings were called before I left my home pride, being part lion, and one that my own were no doubt going to be referred to as well. They're freaks, theres no changing that, but why does the word have to have a negative connotation?" She had never said the word with disgust or anything other than love, to be honest. Her freaks had been her world. "I took an insult given by others and cured it before it poisined my cubs."
Velveteen Angel:
Hu was surprised by her logic. "That is quite intelligent," he remarked casually. "You have prepared your cubs well then." The world was cruel and harsh, and no doubt the hybrids would face hardships in their lives. She had prepared them well.
Painted Moose:
Scheherazade shrugged. She had done her duty as a mother in the short time she'd had her offspring by her side. "Is there...much else you wish to discuss?" As stimulating as she found their conversation, she long since adjusted herself to a solitary nocturnal existence.
Velveteen Angel:
Hu suddenly remembered that he was in fact intruding on her peace. "No, nothing further," he said, straightening his posture from the relaxed stance he had formerly been in. "I should take my leave now. That is enough fresh air for this evening." He nodded his head to her. "Goodnight Scheherazade. Thank you for the stars," he said calmly to her. A strange thing to thank her for, but he would not have seen him, had it not been for her
Painted Moose:
Bowing her head, a formal gesture left behind by lessons drilled into her, Scheherazade rose to move to a different branch. She settled on one a little higher, so that she could now look down upon Hu as he left. "Sleep well, Hu, and goodnight." She pondered on his words and added, "You may come and see them again if you find yourself in need of fresh air."
Velveteen Angel:
"Thank you," he said quietly, and began to move away. He spared a backwards glance or two at her, framed by the stars falling around her and the darkness which made her glow. She was beautiful, he mused, as he made his way back to his place to rest. He felt calmer now, more ready for slumber and his mind, while racing, was racing about pleasant things rather than concerns or anxieties which had previously plagued him. Thanks to the pale figure, the falling stars and the quiet conversation, he felt as though he could sleep tonight, at last.