Violet skies

“C’mon, Pidge. It’ll be so much fun!” Goldenfleece bats her opal-blue eyes at her feline girlfriend. The two of them sit side by side out back of their shared RV. The raised awning casts a growing shadow over their fold-up lawn chairs. The great cloud-white dragon sits in a throne ten times the size of her tiny ebony companion’s. They watch the sun set over a nearby canon, its peaks turned orange with fading rays of light.

Pigeonspring rubs her paws together nervously. She hates to impede on the dragon deity’s fun, but cliff diving, in all honesty, seems like a bit much.

“I just,” she sighs, flicking one of her whiskers, “I just don’t know, Fleecy. What if one of us gets hurt? What if you get hurt?”

Goldenfleece shakes her head and chuckles lightly. Pigeonspring is such a worrywart sometimes.

“We won’t. We’ll do it safely. And I’ll go first, so you know it’s all right,” she says, her great rumbling voice projecting warmth and comfort.

Pigeonspring winces. She knows deep down that Goldenfleece is right. The jet-black cat has always wanted to experience the feeling of flight on her own. She mentions this constantly, out loud and in her dreams. Still, it’s one thing for her enormous eldritch dragon goddess of a girlfriend to carry her through the skies on her back. The experience of wind spinning past her cheeks and the ground rushing ever closer is something else entirely.

Pigeonspring blinks once, twice, blue eyes wide with concern. “I… I’ll think about it.”

Goldenfleece squeals in delight. “Yay! I’m so excited. And seriously, do not worry about either of us getting hurt. I’m immortal? Nothing could possibly go wrong.”

That’s… not necessarily true, but Pigeonspring refrains from arguing further. When the great deity sets her sights on something, there’s no changing her mind. It makes sense. As a goddess, she’s used to getting her way. Perhaps a new experience like this one will help the little black cat get over some of her other fears. At least it doesn’t involve getting wet. Last year, Goldenfleece suggested they explore a waterfall on the other side of the Wilds. That was a hard no.

“This time,” Pigeonspring mutters to herself, “this time. I’m going to try it.”

She resolves to muster up some bravery. Hopefully she doesn’t chicken out by the next morning. It would be nice to fly by herself, even for a moment. Even if it’s frightening. Besides, she’s dating a goddess. How bad could one small hop off a cliff really be?

*****

The climb to the canyon’s peak is slow and peaceful. Goldenfleece offers to carry Pigeonspring, but the cat refuses help this time.

“N-no thanks, Fleecy. I want to do it myself,” she explains.

The white dragon shrugs and dances off to examine a nearby cactus flower. She sniffs it delicately, wondering if she might be able to incorporate it into one of her sweetcake recipes. Last time, she used mint leaves to decorate the top of a cake, which added an additional freshness to the treat. Goldenfleece plucks the crimson bloom gently with two fingers and stows it away in her translucent blue scarf.

Meanwhile, Pigeonspring pads her way nervously up the jagged rocks, checking over her shoulder to make sure they aren’t being followed. It’s the indigo part of the morning, when the birds begin their waking songs and the past night’s chill hasn’t quite lifted. The ascent feels quite peaceful. Pigeonspring shivers slightly in the cold.

“Aw. You sure you don’t wanna be carried? My fur is nice and cozy,” Goldenfleece grins.

The tiny cat sighs and slinks over to her beloved. “R-right. Maybe being carried… isn’t so bad.”

She hops up in her favorite position onto the deity’s large head and settles down into her warmth. She begins to purr as the two of them continue up the cliff.

“So,” the dragon declares, “tell me. What are you the most afraid of? About the jump, I mean.”

Her smile turns feral at the prospect of the dive. A glint of adventure sparks in her eyes.

Pigeonspring considers for a moment before answering. “I think the parachute not opening, maybe? The parachute and also hitting a tree, and maybe even crashing into a rock.”

Goldenfleece reaches into her pack and offers Pigeonspring her water bottle. It looks doll-sized in the dragon’s immense claws. The inky cat takes a grateful sip before returning the bottle to the pack.

“So here’s the thing. About the parachute. If it doesn’t open, I will catch you. Promise,” Goldenfleece swears.

Pigeonspring blinks lovingly and kneads her claws into her girlfriend’s fur. “Yes. I guess you will.”

The odd couple continues the climb, chatting about the logistics of the cliff jump. They’ve reached the peak before they know it. A slice of golden sun has just begun to peek over the horizon by the time they make it to the top. Pigeonspring hops off Goldenfleece’s head and begins to pace nervously.

“I think, um. I think maybe this isn’t such a good idea? I mean, doing danger on purpose. Not such a good idea.” She kicks a rock over the edge of the cliff and watches it tumble into oblivion.

Goldenfleece takes the parachute out of the pack and begins to check it for safety. “Remember what I said about catching you?” she asks gently.

Pigeonspring steels herself and nods. With her girlfriend’s comforting words in mind, she prepares for the jump…

*****

Wind through her ears, through her fur. A moment of terror. Freefall. Whistling and then a fwump as the parachute kicks open. Goldenfleece soaring in loops around Pigeonspring as she floats gracefully down like a jellyfish through water. There is nothing to fear. There is nothing to fear. The black cat begins to laugh. She laughs at the fear she left behind on the cliff. Her girlfriend begins to laugh along with her. So this is how it feels to be free.