Lunar Heart, Shadow Bound ✓ [when the moon lies]

Ch.20: At the Edge

Edited: May, 21, 2020

Note: Above art, by me.

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It was only when the forest gave way to open field that she slowed her pace. Cold fresh air filled her lungs making her shiver. Pinti flung herself on the ground and lay there, gasping for breath.

Here, the sky was turning from day to dusk, but the colors weren't horizontal like a normal sky. Right above her head was an azure circle that melted into lilac at the rims. Pink rose, orange, and a hint of yellow leftover from the sun followed after like rings. She sat up. The taller grasses of the field tickled her nose, but all was still.

No birdsong, no breeze blowing through or over the field, and no animals or insects made a sound. The grasses went from beige behind her to yellow where she sat and the further away, they turned to a deep forest green. Something blue and white lay behind that. Curious, she stood and took a step forward when the ground tipped.

Startled she jumped back, but it was too late. The whole world flipped, and the sky came below her with the ground above her head. Frantically, she tried to grab something so she wouldn't fall, but then she landed with a splash in water and was submerged.

Panic caught in her throat and she flailed her arms and legs, trying to resurface when she realized she was breathing. With a tentative sniff, she found the scent of fish, but there were none around her. It was too murky to see anything in this blue and green water. With nothing to stop herself, she could only let the current push her along.

Slowly, the murky water cleared, and she spotted little orange specks darting around. Some came close to her enough that she could see their little black eyes, six skinny legs, and elongated body. They looked like shrimp.

A boulder appeared before her then. Now she could stop floating. In haste, Pinti caught the edge in her paws, anchoring herself. At that moment, the water drained, disappearing below her and she found herself, yet again, in a new part of the Forest Crup and not even a droplet of water sat upon her fur.

Grateful convenience. She patted herself down, just making sure, but Pinti was completely dry as if she hadn't just been floating in fishy water. She didn't even smell fishy.

She breathed in the fresh scent of soil, dry leaves, and tree bark floated. There was another scent she caught with the scent gland on the roof of her mouth—fresh water!

Just what I need! A smile played across her lips. Maybe it's a river or a pond? Maybe I can catch something to eat, too.

Quivering her tail in excitement, she let out a trill. Jumping off the boulder she then raced through the forest, following the scent, but soon she was following the sound, too.

A rushing, rumbling sound shook her chest. It most definitely was not a pond, and she knew it was too loud to be a river. It had to be a waterfall. The first time she saw one was a Human-made one in the First Ring and it blew her away with its magnificence. But this was a real one!

Leaping and bounding over uneven terrain, she dashed through the forest completely focused on her sense of hearing and smell. Wind roared above her head and blew into her face sending shivers throughout her body. Trees swayed and bushes trembled. Pinti glimpsed rushing water through dark branches and sprang out into the open, barely catching herself at the edge of a cliff.

When she saw the waterfall, she decided against jumping in. It was upside down. Frothy white water rushed upwards to a pool surrounded by clouds. Below the cliff was a hole filled with soft yellow light, slightly warm.

That can't be the sun. Pinti shuddered at the thought of jumping in there and burning to death. Or I could fall up into the pool and then what? A new part of the Forest Crup?