Blooming Fire

- The Leave -

"We can head south." Opal shouts over the wind; pointing. Mori gave a quite confused expression.

Both her and Mori were riding on Aoi's back, fast wind rushing past. Koki wrapped in a cloth across Mori's back.

Opal held on tightly.

"Are you ok?" Mori asked.

"Yeah, just not meant to be going this fast."

"Do you want to stop? Maybe, uh, take a break?"

"It's up to you, I'll be fine." Opal yelled over the wind.

Looking across the horizon, Opal could see little white specks which Opal assumed to be sheep and smaller yellow specks she assumed to be chickens.

"We can stop to see those things if you —-- they are but if you want to keep —-- we can." Mori tried to call out something from over the wind, but to no avail. Despite the loud wind and the friends yelling, Koki still continued to sleep, hanging limp in the cloth. Kid really did sleep like a rock.

"Sure." Opal yelled over the wind, thinking Mori had wanted to stop. Aoi began to slow.

Once they had stopped, Opal looked around to observe her surroundings. They were on the edge of the plains and a large mangrove forest; the trees watching from a great height. They seemed to stretch and reach to the sky forever.

"Aoi isn't used to carrying two people since she only trains with me. She's getting tired."

Opal nodded and continued to look around as Mori fussed with Aoi's saddle.

There was the sound of rushing water and she turned around toward the north to spot a river. It looked to be the same river that ran through Helianthus Annuus Plains but on closer inspection, and for the sake of curiosity, She walked toward it to find the foggy looking water. It was so foggy, it looked like tears. Opal looked just beneath the water and found a rock with a frown scribbled on it. The writing on the face seemed smudged or washed off. There didn't appear to be any people nearby.

She placed it back where she had found it and walked back to talk with Mori.

"You ok?" Opal asked.

"Yeah, I just finished refastening Aoi's saddle." Aoi was jumping all around the trees and bushes. Aoi seemed to blend in so well, covered in the grass and loose leaves.

By this point, Koki had woken up, his little eyes staring up to the world.

The four of them walked toward the forest, the trees.

"You ready?" Mori asked. Opal nodded confidently.

With that, the group stepped in the woods, Aoi taking the lead to make sure the path was safe.

They'd been walking for a while now. The sun shone beautifully from behind the trees as she disappeared into the horizon.

Mori and Opal walked with Aoi leading the way to the trees, hopping from each of the roots from the large trees.

The slight bounce from their walking helped to drift Koki back asleep.

"Opal?"

    "Yes?"

    "Random question, what would you want to be known for?"

    "I want to be known as someone who's full of love and radiates light."

    "I want to be known as someone who may or may not be the queen of the underworld."

    "What."

    They walked farther till Aoi circled down on the ground like a cat and fell asleep. "I thought wolves would be more stoic or something." Opal said with a chuckle.