Bright pinpoints of starlight freckled the deep blue sky. Dewdrops sparkled on the fonds of grass, gently swaying in the wind. Wildflowers bobbed their heads of various shades. The moon, pale as a barn owl's face, was enshrouded in a dark cloud like a claw, white where the light could reach.
The clouds drifted over the river, the moonlight bathing the clearing in light. The shadows under the trees grew deeper and more mysterious, cloaking whatever desired to hide.
The bushes rustled and a lithe figure stepped out, pale fur seeming to glow in the darkness around it, deep peacock eyes reflecting starlight. It padded soundlessly out of the forest on long legs, approaching a darker figure that sat, motionless, by the rippling river.
"Cold tonight, isn't it?" The white fox asked, prompting a whisker twitch from his companion as he swiveled his ears back. He waited a moment before taking a seat beside the other fox, crimson red fur bearing a sharp contrast to his own stark coat.
"I suppose so, hlaliil." Hlaliil was the fox word for "friend."
They rested in their positions for a few heartbeats, listening to nothing but the river and rhythmic sounds of their own breathing. Finally, the colorless fox spoke. "Do you think that Frost has chosen a good Ahn'sirith?"
A few more moments passed. "I trust that Frost will choose what is best for the Watch." The red fox answered the question indirectly, bushy tail flipping to the other side.
"You didn't answer my question, Maple." He barked quietly, regarding his friend with curiosity. Maple's silence always hid intuitive insight.
"I have a feeling that many of the Patrollers will be unhappy about whom he chose. As will some members of the SkyWatch. Change will dawn."
Maple would often dream of the future, though the fox would rarely tell anyone about them. Other times, he'd just seem to know, as was the case now. It was a surprise that his abilities hadn't landed him a place among the Ahn'Sirith. He was, instead, a Patroller. That made it easy to keep his visions a secret, which he tended to do anyways. The white fox had learned not to press for details, because he'd not get anywhere. With this mutual respect between them, the two had grown to be good friends.
They observed the river for a little longer as the moon lowered in the sky. The cold breeze could barely penetrate their thick pelts, healthy and well-groomed. Two petals, one red, one pale, dropped into the water with barely a ripple and drifted downriver, until they touched and circled gently around one another. The fox glanced at his friend with peacock orbs as the crimson fox's ears perked up, nose twitching. The pallid fox knew that he was recieving a vision. It wouldn't be the first time this happened. Maple's golden eyes were wide, seeming to see what no one else could. Only when the leaves were too far to see any more was he broken from his trance.
"What did you see?" The tod asked. Maple seemed to mull over the question, as though he questioned whether or not to speak about what he'd observed.
"Two unlikely paths will cross," the cherry fox's lighter muzzle was low to the ground, nearly grazing the grasses, as though he was saying the words to them. "But the river will grow merciless, and it will swallow them whole unless they can remain as one."
The taller of the two had his eyes fixed on the river where the two petals had fallen into place as he puzzled over the prophetic words. Maple had never shared anything like this before. Eventually, the moon was gone and the sun climbed over the horizon, already warming the earth beneath their paws. Thin wisps of cloud were the only other things in the sky, apart from a Hlah'kial, or Hawk, doing early hunting. The crimson fox stood, stretching his cramped legs. The white fox followed suit, feeling the blood run back into his powerful legs. The air smelled like fresh blossoms and other living, green things. It was going to be another nice day.
As though by silent signal, the two walked side by side up the river and further from the cover of the woods until they vanished over the sun-soaked ridge.
YOU ARE READING
StarWatcher: Book 1 - The Rose and The River
Fantasy"If you had to choose love or loyalty, what would you choose?" They were as different as they come- one born to be a Patroller and the other SkyWatch. No one ever expected that their paths would intertwine, not even them. But the same prophecy that...
