eyes can't shine unless there's something burning bright behind
The night had dragged past in sleepless tossing. When morning came, the call of gulls roused Aurelia from her bunk on the Ark. She mentioned to one of the crew that she was going to go for a stroll to wake herself up. So she pulled her newly-cleaned poncho over her mess of curls and wandered down to the coast. The blood stains on her clothes had been particularly stubborn, of course, but she had cleaned it enough that it only looked like discolored patches. Her pants had a few tears in them and the collar of her shirt was ripped at the hem. New clothes weren't exactly at the top of her list of priorities, and anyway these were appreciated drafts at this point.
She was curious about the wildlife that surrounded Torchline. The tropical landscape was a stark difference to the temperate, rocky wilds of her home. She knew that such places existed, of course, but she'd never visited. In her home, the tropics were where the most dangerous creatures of all would flourish. Here, she hadn't seen any wildlife she recognized. Nobody worried about giant predators or people-eating plants, which was still bugging her out by the way. Sometimes she'd catch a plant that looked particularly suspicious but, it would turn out to be... well, a plant.
Taking a stroll across the beach was something she'd never dreamed of, not in a million years. Yet there she was. The sunrise over the receded ocean was paled by the clouds that still hovered on the horizon. Soon, the sky would clear and the sun would bring forth the heat and the tide.
She realized something in her peripheral was moving. Quickly, she whirled around to face it. Blinking in surprise, she was startled to see a ray-like sea animal, out of the water and floating through the air. It glided over to a mossy tree so casually that it must have been normal for it. Hesitantly, she kept walking, keeping her eyes on the treeline. As she walked, she discovered there was a whole flock of these things. They seemed to be eating from the trees.
Aurelia didn't know whether she was in awe or creeped out. They seemed peaceful, at least. After a few moments, she relaxed and moved on from them.
She came to an abrupt stop when she saw a man further up near some rocky cliffs. Squinting her eyes, she could see that he was dressed rather well for someone exploring the coast. Suddenly he disappeared below the rocky cliffs. Startled, thinking he'd fallen, Aurelia rushed over to where she'd seen him last. She was just as surprised to find a pathway between the cliffs.
"Hello? Are you okay down there? It looked like you fell," she called, already making her way down before he could even answer.
She was curious about the wildlife that surrounded Torchline. The tropical landscape was a stark difference to the temperate, rocky wilds of her home. She knew that such places existed, of course, but she'd never visited. In her home, the tropics were where the most dangerous creatures of all would flourish. Here, she hadn't seen any wildlife she recognized. Nobody worried about giant predators or people-eating plants, which was still bugging her out by the way. Sometimes she'd catch a plant that looked particularly suspicious but, it would turn out to be... well, a plant.
Taking a stroll across the beach was something she'd never dreamed of, not in a million years. Yet there she was. The sunrise over the receded ocean was paled by the clouds that still hovered on the horizon. Soon, the sky would clear and the sun would bring forth the heat and the tide.
She realized something in her peripheral was moving. Quickly, she whirled around to face it. Blinking in surprise, she was startled to see a ray-like sea animal, out of the water and floating through the air. It glided over to a mossy tree so casually that it must have been normal for it. Hesitantly, she kept walking, keeping her eyes on the treeline. As she walked, she discovered there was a whole flock of these things. They seemed to be eating from the trees.
Aurelia didn't know whether she was in awe or creeped out. They seemed peaceful, at least. After a few moments, she relaxed and moved on from them.
She came to an abrupt stop when she saw a man further up near some rocky cliffs. Squinting her eyes, she could see that he was dressed rather well for someone exploring the coast. Suddenly he disappeared below the rocky cliffs. Startled, thinking he'd fallen, Aurelia rushed over to where she'd seen him last. She was just as surprised to find a pathway between the cliffs.
"Hello? Are you okay down there? It looked like you fell," she called, already making her way down before he could even answer.
Aurelia
