through the darkness to the dawn
The panther had left him breathless, but he watches in wide-eyed wonder as she shifts so easily from feline to equine form. And he thinks that she’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen and he doesn’t bother trying to tamp down these thoughts, try to hide them, even after she admits that she can hear his thoughts.
He tries not to stare, his jaw slack, but he can’t help it. He’s never seen anything like her and he doesn’t know enough to be embarrassed by it. He grins something distant, distracted, something that only vaguely resembles the smile that she wears.
He blinks once, twice, thrice in rapid succession and then finally shakes his head as if to shake himself free of whatever spell she has cast over him. A pale blue flower tumbles down his nose from his forelock and lands in the meadow-grass between them as he exhales a shuddering sigh, still wearing a dumbstruck grin.
He is happy, he thinks. Even happier now to have company. His smile and his eyes brighten in tandem at the prospect of adventuring and his posture grows more erect still, like his excitement is pulling him taut and tall. “I would love to go exploring with you,” he announces, perhaps a little too enthusiastically.
He can feel his nerves begin to hum with energy. He has rested plenty now and her sudden appearance has reinvigorated him. He feels ready to tackle the whole world. He feels like he could fly from one end of Beqanna and back again.
It doesn’t occur to him to be put-off by her question. He is open and honest and bright-eyed, nothing at all to hide. And he perks up even further still at the mention of his sister. “Aero is my twin sister,” he tells her, grinning and nodding, “and I’m Lumineer. What’s your name?” He asks it as he shuffles a few steps closer, reaching out as if to bump her nose. “I bet it’s something really pretty.”
@[aureline]