Watching the setting sun [open!]

[rayel]

Her first day had been exhausting but still Rayel felt that itch to keep moving. Even so, after resting for an hour or two, she found herself balking at the idea of traveling outside of the orchard today. She was still debating on her preferred course of action when the sky distracted her; she had idly watched the sun’s progression on and off while she lied down but now it sank slowly beyond the horizon, seemingly evaporating into bright colors that rose up in tendrils and tinted the world. It was beautiful.

Not yet understanding that she was watching a daily event, she dragged her tired body to its feet to pad softly toward the horizon. Once she had a breathtaking view, she sat down quietly, her face relaxed as she basked in the warm glow of the setting sun. Tomorrow, she told herself, she would begin her journey into the world, her steps reaching everywhere that this magical light touched. But for now, she was satisfied right where she was.

[Cobalt]

A small, clumsy feline picks her way through the orchard, ruby eyes gleaming in the pink light that announces the end of the day. She's only just gotten the hang of walking, still only being a few days old. And in the process, she's covered most of the orchard that she calls home at the moment, ventured away from the Tart Cerasus tree that sheltered her within it for so long. She's met other creatures, though their names still haven't stuck in her head, and she's become sure of who she is. She's Zumarra, and she's almost ready to leave the shelter of the orchard. It just seems she has to wait for the new light that will come tomorrow.

Her eyes flicker up to the soft streaks of orange and pink that hover among the clouds, her ears prick up excitedly. She can't wait until the morning, but her body is telling her that sleep will have to come soon. Her jaws part, stretching into a silent yawn that makes her eyes water. She needs to find a place to sleep. Zumarra urges herself faster, barely remaining upright on her young paws. As she passes an Annab tree, the feline's gaze lands upon a pelt about the same brownish hue as her own, though a bit darker. The canine doesn't seem very big, so it might be fresh from the pod as well. Curious, Zumarra approaches.

The canine is staring at the sunset, sprawled across the ground. Zumarra needs only a moment of thought before sitting just a few muzzle-lengths away without hesitation. Her pale-furred tail wraps close to her small frame, tip curling over on itself as she settles into place, nose pointed toward the bright orb that hangs low in the sky. Still engrossed in the colors, she lets her words fall out of her mouth. She's become much more used to the idea of speaking in her few days of life, as well as the notion of being friendly. "Beautiful tonight, isn't it?" She lets her head turn, still holding her position precisely. "My name's Zumarra. What's yours?"

[Meesh]

The orange and white canine did it! He could walk! Right paw left paw Right front left front, keep your balance, swing your hips. This was pretty easy when you got used to it! At least, until he tripped and fell on his face. Slowly, he got back onto his paws, an orange furred canine with a white udnerbelly and black paws and eartips. A black and white tipped tail wagged in eagerness and excitement, Eyes narrowed in concentration, he wobbled forward a few more steps. Success!

A new scent- no, two new scents,caught his nose and he froze, tail beginning to wag. New people? He LOVED new people! "Hi new people!" Fox called, wobbling towards the scents. "Hi there! I'm Fox!"

[rayel]

As she sat there serenely, gaze fixated forward on the sky, a wide-mouthed yawn sprung her jaws apart unexpectedly. She blinked once in confusion, then again with indignation; there was too much to do and see for such fatigue. A new scent reached her nose and she eagerly sniffed the air, curious about its origin. One floppy ear perked up the best it could, angled backward, trying to discern a faint noise. Another unfamiliar scent had almost tempted her to glance away from the sunset when she noticed a feline through her peripheral vision.

Her excitement at meeting another person showed in her grin and her wagging tail as she looked sideways at Zumarra. “I’m Rayel,” she replied with a friendly dip of her head. She indicated the sunset with her muzzle, “Does it always do this? Do you know?” When a male voice called out energetically, Rayel realized again how tired she was; even hearing such enthusiasm wore her out. Still, she glanced at the newcomer with a smile. “Hi Fox. I’m Rayel and this is Zumarra.” She did not have much more to add to the conversation currently so she returned her gaze to the sky, although her tail continued to lazily wag.

[Cobalt]

Zumarra smiles at Rayel, about to answer, but instead instinctively turns at the sound and scent of another canine. Her scarlet eyes snap cheerfully at the optimistic voice, and she nods quickly in acknowledgement when Fox introduces himself, and again when Rayel introduces her. "Hello, Fox!" Her gaze roams over his figure, curious. "Your fur's bright! I've met some other creatures around here, but none of them are even close to the color of you!" Her voice is teasing, but her eyes remain kind and sparkling brightly. She suddenly remembers Rayel's question, and turns back, head tilted and right ear slightly slanted downward as always. "Yes, I've seen three before this one. It'll get very dark soon, and a long time later it'll be light again, it'll look kind of like it does now." Curiosity sparks gold in Zumarra's eyes, and her head tilts the other way. "You must be pretty new if this is your first. How far from here is your tree?"

The sun is beginning to disappear from view, the last streaks of gold and pink beginning to fade into a deep cobalt, tiny points of light beginning to show further away from the descending orb. Another yawn splits Zumarra's jaws, reminding her of her aching tiredness. "Ugh..." She doesn't have enough energy to say much more, but for now she is content with the presence of her new acquaintances.

[Meesh]

A brown colored canine and a cream colored feline turned out to be the scents he had noticed. He wagged his tail as he approached, blinking at the new strangers with interest. "Hi Zumarra, Hi Rayel!" he called cheerfully, pausing to give each one a greeting sniff. Turning, he followed the two's line of site to look at the quickly setting sun. "It's really pretty" he commented dreamily, tail wagging at the pretty site. Turning to Zamarra after the feline's comment, he added. "My fur is bright? I never noticed, but your fur is really pretty too" he offered a small smile. "I've never seen stripes like that before. They're pretty"
Turning his gaze back to the sunrise, Fox smiled in curiosity. "Does this really happen every day? How long have you lived here, anyway?"

[pizza98]

{TP-do not reply}

Ghost gazed around her surroundings as she walked through the orchard. The grass seemed to glow a silver color as the moon shone. "Such a pretty sight." She watched as a few canines and felines conversed and continued on her way. Her almost-black fur looked glossy as her white muzzle and white hind leg stockings glowed the same silver as the grass. She saw a big silver gate in the distance and decided to check it out. When she got there, she saw three exits; one a forest, one a river bank, and one a plain. She went through the forest one, looking back to see if Tallik was coming.

[rayel]

The feline's energetic greeting grated even more uncomfortably in Rayel's ears, possibly due to her closer proximity. Would she one day speak with such animation? Did that come with age? She estimated that she would always exude a more mellow friendliness, but she knew that she could be completely wrong.

Her agitation had not shown but now she glanced curiously back at Fox, then at Zumarra, and finally down at her own chest and forelegs. They all seemed a little tinted in the glow of the sun-flecked graying sky but Fox did look brightest. After this observation, she offered a smile to them both, as if in acknowledgment of their grandly described appearances.

Her tree? Briefly confusion showed on her face; today had been such a hectic day. But she quickly realized that she would never forget her birth tree and would recognize it if she saw it. "It's a ways off," she answered vaguely, "It's an Annab tree." Her ears perked forward when a canine strolled past -- his fur was darker, she noticed -- but decided against greeting him as he kept walking past them. Halfway watching the sky and halfway looking at her companions, Rayel waited patiently for Zumarra to answer Fox's question.

[Cobalt]

How long have I been here? It's hard to explain to one who hasn't even lived through a full day yet. "I'd guess I've lived about four times as long as you, if this is still your first day." Remembering her plans for the morning, Zumarra decides she may as well say that as well. It does quite excite her, after all. "I'm leaving the orchard at sunrise. I've seen everything around here, so I really can't wait to go out further! I wonder what it's like?" Her eyes are wide, ears held straight. Her gaze flickers back to the sunset, the first one she's experienced with company. Somehow seeing it with new friends make the colors even brighter, the light even purer. Happiness fills her, silver and gold and indescribably light, seeming to pour right into her veins. Everything's fading into darkness, but the beauty remains seared into the young feline's memory.


((Sorry, it's a bit short.))

[Meesh]

Fox blinked, looking up and craning his neck to see the edge of the Orchard. Sure enough, it looked like there were definitely places beyond those gates. Was the world bigger than the Orchard? Fox had never thought about it.. First he thought the world was only his pod, then it was the Orchard, and now it looked like his world had expanded to include these new places. Fox's tail began to wag, did this mean that there were more places beyond even those? Would he get to explore them all. "I didn't even realize there was more to the world than the Orchard!" he yipped in excitement. "Let' go see them ALL!"

[rayel]

Four times older, hm? She pondered this with a furrowed brow and scrunched nose before saying softly, "I wonder how long we live for." Hearing her own voice and realizing she had thought aloud, she offered a bashful smile and hurriedly added, "I hope a long time!"

Zumarra's next words wrought a great change in Rayel. She had not seemed particularly stiff before but now her tiredness seeped from her body, replaced by a liquid happiness, so effortless and freeing. This feeling spread through her limbs and she rose to her paws, tail wagging energetically, then took an unconscious step toward the gate as if urging them to begin their journey tonight. With a laugh, she flopped to the ground on her side, glancing between her two companions and adding her input, "I think Fox said it all. Count me in."

[Cobalt]

She listens patiently, each word pulsing in her pointed ears. They flow inside her, new information feeding her, filling her up. Her eyes light up, shining crimson and flecked with gold, at the words of Fox and Rayel. Perhaps she won't have to disconnect from these new friends so soon, as she did with her first acquaintances. "Maybe we could travel together, then? Just for a while, at least. I'm sure it might be easier to see a new place together, and I'd love to get to know you both better!" Her fluffy tail sweeps the ground gently with it's cream-colored fur, somehow conveying both Zumarra's excitement and her tiredness. She casts a wistful gaze in the direction where the white-bright, heat-giving orb passed below the horizon only minutes earlier. "I really-" She's cut short by a huge yawn, but she shakes her head and starts again. "I really can't wait for tomorrow!"

It's so true, Zumarra feels as though she just might burst.

[Meesh]

Fox nodded. "That would be great!" He began. Pausing, at Rayel's strange question, he added "And I'm not sure how long we live for, but I certainly know I plan to be doing it a super duper long time~ Living is fun!" he gave a grin, about to ask if they were to set off, excited as ever to see the world, before he noticed the tiredness on their faces. Both looked exhausted. Now that he thought about it, Fox was a little tired too. He shifted from paw to paw uncertainly. H was oh so excited to see the world, but if his companions were tired...
"Let's go see the world tomorrow" Fox suggested. "Tonight, let's get some sleep"

[rayel]

Traveling with friends sounded grand; even just having friends sounded grand. Rayel continued to smile, tired but happy, her tail wagging slowly and quietly through the grass behind her. “I can’t wait either,” she agreed, glancing back to Fox when he spoke. Tomorrow... yes, that was the day that came after today, and it would be her first full day in this world. She felt ready but also understood that her body had physical limits she would have to learn to put up with. She craned her neck upward so that she could see the sunset without lifting her head, but apparently the sun had set some time recently without her noticing, for now only a faint glow continued to emanate from behind the horizon. Even as her eyes adjusted to the dark she could feel herself succumbing to the growing night sky. “Sleep sounds good,” she murmured through a whole-hearted yawn, returning her head to a more comfortable position facing the group. She curled her legs up into her body and let her eyes close, her expression content.

[Cobalt]

Sleep, sleep and a promise of adventure, new things, and another sunrise and sunset. Her scarlet eyes are flickering closed as Zumarra lets the weight of her body press to the earth. She can feel the pulse of herself syncing with the warmth in the earth, reminding her of her days in the pod when her whole world lived and breathed together. Maybe it still does, just more softly. Maybe I'm still connected to my world, through invisible threads through the air. The thought is comforting to her tiring body as her thoughts go silent and the noises outside fade to white noise. Still her heart beats a slower yet steady rhythm.

Sleep. Sleep. Sleep.