back to life

Amalia She clings to him in the summer evening, sharp claws twined into his shirt without apology, dark eyes - a leopard's eyes - peering through the night. Framed as they are in an otter's face, the effect is particularly uncanny; so, too, is the addition of large qilin ears, and the long tail that snakes out from the base of her spine. A strange amalgamation of animal parts betrays her own underlying uncertainty, her anxiety and doubt and gnawing frustration that she cannot be walking at his side. The night it beautiful, the moon full and bright, and here she is, captive, a slave to her broken body. At least she is safe within his arms, the unknown terrors of the home she knows so well kept, by his touch, at bay. And when he sets her upon the shore her body changes again, growing and forming into scales and sinew, a symphony of silver and violet beneath the moon. The reflection of the celestial body hangs delicately upon the oasis, pristine enough she wonders if she could not touch it were she to simply reach in her hand. And it is not merely moonlight that lights the glade: harmless fire flickers down her neck, a tuft of it burning on her tail. Together with the stars and Jyoti's presence it creates a beautiful, ethereal scene. And at its center, him. Despite her earlier trepidation she can feel herself relaxing. How can she not, in a setting like this: twinkling, luminous, gorgeous reflections, and the object of her ardor framed in it all. Through wide, soft eyes she watches him rummage and prepare; with flickering ears she listens to his unspoken remark, exhaling a snort half-amused, half-chagrined. You saw Adam? she asks instead of answering, trying to gauge how severely her friend had managed to misrepresent her words. Severely, apparently, and she begins to explain- but of course is cut short as his hands slip under the hem of his shirt, musculature rippling in the flickering light. What thoughts she has formed flit away in an instant; it takes her a moment to regain her composure, swallowing down the sudden heat in her belly, the overt appreciation she always feels for his form. There are more important things to address, to say, to swear, to reassure. Never, she promises, vows in return, wishing she could go to him, wrap her arms around his figure and back up her oath with the touch of her lips. Sighing, the qilin shakes her great head. He saw me right after and... I was afraid. That I wouldn't be enough for you. She reaches out with her crown, trying to brush against him in any way she can. I'm not afraid anymore. You are the one thing I do not doubt. Oh, but she is going to murder Adam when she sees him next. reach for the stars: but child, first recognize the constellations of light you already carry inside you