Author's note: I'm not really into the psychological kind of writing. It took me more time to write this chapter than I had anticipated. Especially the part between Skylar and Avira took me quite some time. So I'm curious how this writing style is coming across. Any feedback will be greatly appreciated. :)
A hurt Avira, a looming threat in the sky. The day seems to bring nothing but bad luck for the jaquins. What spark of hope may bring good to this day?
After a brief moment, Luna realises they came here for Avira. She goes to stand beside her while carefully wrapping a wing over her back. "Aw, look at you. All dishevelled and trembling in pain. You need looking after.' Luna comments motherly and caresses her back with some gentle strokes before looking up at the sky once more before adding, 'Uhm, guys?"
Skylar turns to Luna. He looks a bit calmer than before. However, he ignores her last words and comments: "I feel so sorry for Avira. We were just playing here. You know, training for the speed race tomorrow. I took Avira here for practice. She did not want to join the race but I made her change her mind. Now I – I got her hurt. Look what I did…"
He lies down with a thud. He rests his head on one of his forelegs and releases an audible, prolonged sigh. "You did not do this on purpose." Dióntan comments with a kind touch to his voice.
"Well, the only thing that went on purpose was him not thinking again. Were you, Skylar?' Migs adds sternly as if condemning the blue-and-yellow jaquin on the spot but softens his voice as he continues, 'Anyway, I would like to know what happened. Every detail to the story, if you will."
Dióntan looks up from Migs' response. His gaze is one of surprise. "Now you are being unreasonably hard on him. Besides, is this the best thing to do now?" he asks with concern as he gestures to the sky.
"Yeah, like we have time for that." Luna adds.
Avira looks down toward the ground. She slowly sits down. Her body is shaking still. With tears in her eyes still, she pleads slowly: "I want to go to mommy…"
"Aww, I know… We will leave here quickly,' Luna says softly and after looking around changes her voice to one with clear annoyance as the others aren't heeding her call, 'because we should definitely be looking at the sky now!"
Amidst an atmosphere growing tense, Avira looks up at the orange sky. Not only because curiosity gets the better of her, but this way she can seek abdication from the uncomfortable situation also. It enables light to shine down upon her orange-furred but troubled-looking face, highlighting the depressing corners of her mouth. This gives her a drooping expression, displayed out of unhappiness and ongoing agony within. Her eyes, wet with teary droplets forming in them still, reflect the light that strikes them. This renders her eyesight even more blurry, leaving her without clarity on what everyone else is observing. It begs her to wonder what's so important that keeps the others occupied, apparently sending her presence into oblivion. Thinking about this makes Aviral feel lonely. She recalls the moment before the impact with the pile of rocks when only she and Skylar were here. Before that unfaithful event came to pass. *I had his full attention, and Skylar had mine. Spending time together like that… We were flying wing by wing. That felt good! I felt good… I felt appreciated. I want to relive that moment again, because of Skylar… He is special – to me. I know now: I need others around me to look up to.* she thinks with a certain relief.
These final words of thought, however, empower her. Something within her awakens; a certain realisation. Instead of keeping watch of the orange sky, Avira decides upon something different. She stands up and steps toward Skylar. She looks feeble; walking is dreadful to her. Every step she takes hurts her, but it's of lesser agony still than the burning sensation in her left wing. It could make her scream in pain if she'd let herself. But she doesn't. The orange-furred jaquin keeps her jaws shut, unwilling to express herself this way. Avira realises she's standing on a crossroad in life in which any oncoming decision made will impact her life from here on forth: she either screams and lets others pull the strings like she's used to doing, or she takes the matter into her own hands as a true Soothsayer does. She must choose, despite being in this broken state of self…
Yet, no one but her can make this call. Avira feels she must prove to herself that she doesn't desire to be that shy and reluctant jaquin any longer, the one that seeks safety in the shadows of others, who sometimes avoid her because she's reluctant in expressing herself properly. All that, Avira tells herself, must be cast aside… This change of heart makes for a revelation: Avira has grown more self-aware; she simply hadn't witnessed it until this very moment. Feeling renewed from the unfaithful experience of impacting with some rocks she knows she's ready. Ready to embrace her new self. Ready to become the very opposite of who she used to be. She wants to become a confident, talkative, and strong Jaquin: confident like Dulce, talkative like Shaniqua, and strong like Luna. *I must keep control over my thoughts and emotions. I must do this, prove to myself I can handle any situation… Show everyone that I can support them, as a Soothsayer is meant to do. Even now, while I am in incredible pain… I cannot back off anymore!* she thinks strongly of herself.
While she moves toward Skylar, the blue-and-yellow jaquin prince lies on the ground still and watches both of his forelegs as if mesmerised by them. Clearly in thought, he doesn't notice Avira who goes to stand in front of him abruptly, seeking his full attention. He gets up into a sitting position. She forces him to look at her, and straight into her teary eyes. When he does, he can see her face looking cramped and bitter, austere even, much like the expression his father shows whenever he's strict with him. Yet somehow, Avira radiates something that comes across as amiable. It could be her wet eyes… It confuses Skylar. It renders him motionless. Avira is expressing pain, that much he can tell.
On his turn, Skylar starts emanating guilt. Whatever happened to her and causes this agony she's going through, he's the one to blame for. It makes sorrow build up inside of him now he has the time to overthink his actions. Actions that were both reckless and heedless. It's what his intuition is telling him, that is. It causes a swirl of emotions to start coursing through him rampantly: frustration, sadness, guilt, shame… He has no idea how to cope with it. It troubles Skylar, making him feel lost. *This feeling… Is this what true regret feels like? Because it feels weird. I now get what Migs means whenever he speaks of 'suffering the consequences'… I really feel bad to see Avira this way… I want to make amends with her, but how?* Skylar ponders in guilt still.
Now that the one he got hurt came to stand before him, regret fills him even more. Deep within, Skylar knows he caused all of this. He bites his lip of bitter frustration with his eyes widened, filled with anxious concern. He watches her face, so full of hurt… It reminds him how he hurt her without intend but did so nonetheless. He saw her hit those rocks at such speed. Yet… here she stands. She's persevering but Skylar cannot tell what feeling predominates inside of her. Though one thing he knows for sure: he cannot apologise enough for his action that caused her so much distress…
Skylar doesn't know what to say to express guilt. Instead, he squirms and remains silent. While he does, he can see her expression change as well. Avira starts outing a forced smile. Not because she's unwilling to smile at him, but she's simply suppressing the pain she's experiencing still. Avira notices Skylar having fallen silent. His eyes betray a sense of inner conflict. There's a troubled look on his face. She feels an urge to sooth his mind, wanting to care for him. After all, she looks up to him and wants to be comforted by him, but the state he's currently in is making her nervous instead. She's smiling to make mellow his worry. While she does, both juveniles remain silent. This exchange of kind emotion is comforting to both. For a moment, Skylar and Avira feel fine as if nothing bad had happened at all. Right now, time seems to be standing still and everything around them ceases to exist… The bubble they find themselves in is one of security and heartfelt kindness. It makes Skylar smile back at her with a twinkle in his eyes. Everything feels without worry. It's just the two of them, finding all the solace they need in each other's presence. She decides to gently place her right paw on his blue rosette-covered left cheek. Her paw is soft to the touch. Skylar cannot explain but it starts easing his raging mind. Perhaps this touch is merely distracting him from his emotional instability, but it's good enough for him. He softly tilts his head, having it lean against the orange-and-yellow Jaquin's paw out of affection. A slight smile appears on his face also as both make intimate eye contact. Avira then comments slowly and softly: "You are hurt, too."
They haven't noticed, but everyone around the two has started watching them. It eases the tense atmosphere: Migs doesn't look disappointingly with Skylar anymore, Dióntan shows a clear interest in Avira's niggling situation, and Skylar and Avira together seem tranquil. That is until they are shaken when Luna suddenly speaks up. "Wow! Look at you, girl. All acting like that! Hmm-mm. I like it.' Luna states heartily and smiles amiably at Skylar as she directs her attention at him, 'No idea what you did back then, Skylar. One way or the other, you somehow transformed Avira for the better!"
With the jaquins becoming heartily with one another again, everyone's mind eases and all tension between one another starts flowing away. However, where tension flows away, the flow of wind is picking up. Gusts make the tree leaves around the jaquins rustle uncontrollably. This has the open woodland become an uncanny place to be. "Hmm, something is stirring the air and I believe it has to do with those dark clouds rolling in." Migs says with clear concern to his voice.
With fretting faces both he and Dióntan observe their surroundings change rapidly. Just as they feel the jungle trees might give in to the increasing gusts, Tornado arrives. "And I was thinking you all would be back by now! What are you waiting for?' she bellows at them and grunts as she's getting a harder time hovering near them, 'We have ample time with those clouds coming at us! We need to get back to the Palace, now! By order of the king."
While Tornado verbally forces Migs, Luna, Dióntan, and Avira back home, Veje is underway to see Sienté in her nest. As he's making his way there, he gives Verago's judgement some thought. But as is usual with Veje, most things that affect him in life don't stir him easily. He simply goes with the flow of life due to this laid-back nature of his. Even the punishment by Verago was accepted like that, his fate sealed easily and all without a single hassle. Of course, had he a say in this he wouldn't strip himself from the rank of Royal Guard to begin with. It was, after all, a position that his relaxed state of mind found pleasing.
However, there's something else going through his mind now that deserves more attention. Something that he holds dear: *It might not be too late. I know she likes dealing with her quota in the morning. Because today, I want to collect food together with her!* he thinks passionately of the beige-furred Jaquin and performs a barrel roll out of excitement before adding, *I hope she is preparing herself in her nest still. My intuition tells me I will find her there.*
By now, he reaches the tree Sienté's nest is located in. Veje notices two other jaquins near it. He knows them but not too well. Everyone does greet one another in the morning, upon entering the Palace to attend Verago's morning ritual, yet with some, that's where socialising ends. This applies to Veje concerning these two jaquins for instance, which is in utter contrast to how much he socialises with Sienté.
Now that Sienté's done preparing herself, much to Veje's anticipation, she leaves the tree and smiles fondly at the two boys who are with her. "Sienté, ¡espera!' Veje shouts from a distance as he moves closer to her, 'Wait! Let me go with you. I want to collect food with you."
"Hi, Veje! I was about to leave for the gathering of food, indeed. It is funny that you know me well already. But these two boys here asked me first.' she says amiably and smiles fondly at them again before directing her attention back to her rose taupe suitor now hovering near her, 'It looks like I am popular amongst boys, hihi. What a luxury position I am in for I get to choose who to spend my time with. It makes me a happy jaquin! So, you must understand I will not spend all of my time with only you. We all need to uphold our relationships, the good and the special ones. But do not fret, Veje. I share the latter with you. After all, I like you a lot!"
"I like you a lot, too.' Veje says after her almost intuitively and with slight affection to his voice he adds, 'Can I – reserve my place beside you tomorrow? You know, to collect food together?"
Sienté giggles over Veje's question. No one ever asked to "reserve" a place next to her. It makes her feel more desired now that jaquins seem to queue just to spend time with her. "Come on, Sienté! I am ready for some relaxation. The sooner we fulfil these quotas, the sooner I get to enjoy the sunny weather and do some sunbathing!" one of the two jaquins hovering behind her states impatiently.
She nods at both of them, after which she redirects her attention at Veje. However, the rose-taupe jaquin's attempt at flirting with her was too faint for Sienté to pick up. Instead of meeting his desire to spend the day with her, she says: "I guess… But that is a thing of tomorrow. We still have today ahead of us. If you like, we can spend time together in the late afternoon."
Veje seems to liven up by those words and shows a smile. With elation but slowly, in a laid-back manner that everyone knows him so well for, he says: "Jaa-wel! But – why late in the afternoon? Do you need more time to gather food?"
"Hah! She is not like you!" one of the two jaquins behind Sienté banters and both start cackling.
Sienté decides to ignore their jesting, hoping it dies down quickly. After all, it's not the first time, and definitely won't be the last time either, that these jokes will be expressed. Instead, she continues sharing her plans for today: "Well, after I have fulfilled my quota it is time for me to pick up on training Avira. Yesterday was not the kind of day for a shy soul like her. It was just too crowded. But today is a perfect day for training, so we will continue where we ended before the start of Solyestra. Speaking of which… Do you know by any chance where she might have gone? I swear I had seen her shortly after king Verago completed his morning ritual…"