The Golden Pear [YA - Featured]

♫~Notes 19~♫

 Azure liked strawberries. Sol liked strawberries, too. They looked different, yet they shared another trait. Sol showed to Azure one of Sunnie's songs. Azure listened, and then his feet moved. He danced. But Azure never danced before. Yet Azure knew he was dancing now.

They danced and sung until nightfall had covered the sky.

"The sun is going down!" Sol shouted, hiding under a leaf. "I can't stay. I gotta hide."

Azure came to him. "Why does Sol need to hide?"

"Because Sunnie's Chief said, the night takes Sun away. So night can take Sol too. Sol watches Sun."

Azure thought about it. He thought about it for a long while.

"Brownie's Chief never said day takes stars away." Azure looked at the thinning light. "Azure counts stars, yet day doesn't take Azure." He offered Sol his hand. "Let's go. Sol doesn't need to be afraid. Azure will protect Sol. Let's watch the stars."

Sol peeked from his hiding place. "Really?"

"I promise. Azure will protect you."

The Sunnie smiled, taking a step from his hiding place. He hugged Azure tightly, as only a very thin ray of light remained. Sol closed his eyes, burrowing his head into Azure's shoulder.

Sol breathed seconds away in silence.

"Look! The stars!" Azure called to him.

At that moment, Sol forgot about his fear and looked up. His mouth turned into a big hole and his eyes into big plates.

"So many," Sol breathed, stargazing for a long time. "You watch those every night?" He looked at Azure with big eyes.

"Yes, I count them," Azure said. "They make shapes and pictures."

"Really?" Sol squinted. "I see nothing."

"Let me show you." Azure found on the ground a short stick and drew into the dirt. "This is a Small Bird, and this is Mother Bird. See? They are very close, and Mother Bird protects Small bird."

Sol's eyes went back and forth between the sky and the ground, forgetting his fear. It took him some time, but he saw both birds.

"Are there any others?" he asked with tightened fists, another two stars shining in his blue eyes.

"Yes. There are many." He drew more into the dirt when a howl cut through the night.

"Waaah!" Sol screamed, hiding behind Azure. "What it was?"

Azure looked around them. "I don't know. Let's find a place to hide. Chief told me about Spooks who take small Brownies."

"Our Chief tells stories about Spooks too!"

Together, they climbed stones, overcoming a chasm, and climbed to the top of a bush. The cry kept coming.

They looked around them, finding an empty bird nest.