Sol.
The sun gleamed brightly against the soft blue hues of the eastern sky; even looking in its general direction left a pure white after-image when one blinked. The warm rays spread out across the heavens, gently caressing the two children's cheeks like the father that they never knew. They smiled upwards as they played, a sense of security surrounding them.
Ventus.
The wind whistled a hearty tune as it blew through the trees bringing a sylvan perfume to tantalize the children's nostrils. It moved across the field, the grass and flowers swaying in motion with it; the cool gusts swirled about the children, flowing through their hair, playing with it and twirling it about as their mother often did. They let the air hug them in its windy arms, their hearts calm.
Aqua.
The water of the lake appeared as a cerulean jewel sitting between the small forest and field. Its surface was still, reflecting with near perfection the sky above it. Many a day, the children had played by its shores under the watchful eye of their grandmother; here, they would splash each other playfully and relax in the coolness of the water. They gazed over to the lake, hopeful to swim again soon.
Terra.
The earth beneath them was blanketed with a layer of supple, emerald green grass and spotted with bright summer flowers that played with the children's visual senses. They ran barefoot across the field, playing a round of tag, wriggling their toes between the soft blades; neither child felt any worry of stepping on something hard like a pebble or a stone, such thoughts of pain were lost to them.
Asa.
The boy was slightly taller than his twin sister; he was the eldest of the two. His soft olive skin shone healthily in the light, giving the boy an almost heavenly complexion; this angelic look, however, was contrasted by the boy's jet-black hair. It was long, having never been cut and fell loosely over his sharp violet eyes. Even at the age of six, he was his sister's protector.
Crixa.
The girl was the smaller of the two. Her skin was slightly softer in color than her brother's, and coupled with her own jet-black hair, it made her look even paler. Like the boy, her hair had never been cut, but it did not fall wildly over eyes. Crixa's eyes were sharp, like her brother's, only they were more lilac in color, causing them to look fierce; but as they played, this fierceness suddenly faded from her lightly colored eyes, she slowed to a stop, her breathing becoming sparse, and stared at her brother for a brief moment before everything went black.
*****
The professor swiftly sat up and gazed out into the darkness of her bedroom. Her breath was quick, uneven and her body was covered with a thin layer of perspiration. She tentatively wiped her brow, forcing back a shiver that was due to no coolness in the air and tried to calm herself down; but try as she might, Crixa Steeltalon could only remember that last look of terror in Asa's eyes.
In the corner nearest the window, two pairs of yellow eyes watched her with an intense curiosity as the woman slipped out of her bed and pulled on her robes. She looked down to them, the pale light of the half moon made the two cats' eyes shine in that odd way that only a predator's could; Crixa's own eyes caught the light in a similar way for a brief second as she turned to the window. The night was calm and the stars showed like diamonds on a sheet of black silk in the sky.
Soft fingers undid the latch that locked the window into place and the woman pushed it open, sighing as the nightly air immediately spilled into her room. Crixa climbed up onto the windows edge and stared out at the darkened horizon. How long had it been? Already she could feel the changes in her body and she smiled for the first time in a while, too long.
The sun gleamed brightly against the soft blue hues of the eastern sky; even looking in its general direction left a pure white after-image when one blinked. The warm rays spread out across the heavens, gently caressing the two children's cheeks like the father that they never knew. They smiled upwards as they played, a sense of security surrounding them.
Ventus.
The wind whistled a hearty tune as it blew through the trees bringing a sylvan perfume to tantalize the children's nostrils. It moved across the field, the grass and flowers swaying in motion with it; the cool gusts swirled about the children, flowing through their hair, playing with it and twirling it about as their mother often did. They let the air hug them in its windy arms, their hearts calm.
Aqua.
The water of the lake appeared as a cerulean jewel sitting between the small forest and field. Its surface was still, reflecting with near perfection the sky above it. Many a day, the children had played by its shores under the watchful eye of their grandmother; here, they would splash each other playfully and relax in the coolness of the water. They gazed over to the lake, hopeful to swim again soon.
Terra.
The earth beneath them was blanketed with a layer of supple, emerald green grass and spotted with bright summer flowers that played with the children's visual senses. They ran barefoot across the field, playing a round of tag, wriggling their toes between the soft blades; neither child felt any worry of stepping on something hard like a pebble or a stone, such thoughts of pain were lost to them.
Asa.
The boy was slightly taller than his twin sister; he was the eldest of the two. His soft olive skin shone healthily in the light, giving the boy an almost heavenly complexion; this angelic look, however, was contrasted by the boy's jet-black hair. It was long, having never been cut and fell loosely over his sharp violet eyes. Even at the age of six, he was his sister's protector.
Crixa.
The girl was the smaller of the two. Her skin was slightly softer in color than her brother's, and coupled with her own jet-black hair, it made her look even paler. Like the boy, her hair had never been cut, but it did not fall wildly over eyes. Crixa's eyes were sharp, like her brother's, only they were more lilac in color, causing them to look fierce; but as they played, this fierceness suddenly faded from her lightly colored eyes, she slowed to a stop, her breathing becoming sparse, and stared at her brother for a brief moment before everything went black.
*****
The professor swiftly sat up and gazed out into the darkness of her bedroom. Her breath was quick, uneven and her body was covered with a thin layer of perspiration. She tentatively wiped her brow, forcing back a shiver that was due to no coolness in the air and tried to calm herself down; but try as she might, Crixa Steeltalon could only remember that last look of terror in Asa's eyes.
In the corner nearest the window, two pairs of yellow eyes watched her with an intense curiosity as the woman slipped out of her bed and pulled on her robes. She looked down to them, the pale light of the half moon made the two cats' eyes shine in that odd way that only a predator's could; Crixa's own eyes caught the light in a similar way for a brief second as she turned to the window. The night was calm and the stars showed like diamonds on a sheet of black silk in the sky.
Soft fingers undid the latch that locked the window into place and the woman pushed it open, sighing as the nightly air immediately spilled into her room. Crixa climbed up onto the windows edge and stared out at the darkened horizon. How long had it been? Already she could feel the changes in her body and she smiled for the first time in a while, too long.