Riverside Meetup

Rue moved through the thick forest with poise and precision; she ducked under the vines that drooped from above, and leapt over the roots that bulged from the earth below. The weather was warm, but being beneath the canopy of the forest meant having to deal with the less pleasant sticky humidity. The insects and and wildlife were bustling, the rustling of the lush greenery around her making that clear enough. Finally, after who knows how long, Rue made it out of the sweltering brush and out into the fresh air. She relaxed as she longer felt like she was going to melt into a sticky pile of forest goop. Her gaze ran alongside the river in the front of her, her prize for having made it through the suffocating thicket. She took a step back, and happily jumped as high as she could into the refreshing water. As she came up to the surface, she saw a dark figure not far away on the other side of the shore. She quickly ducked back beneath the surface, lifting her head just enough out of the water so she could see the creature. The second glance made her realize it was another terra, silently sitting by the edge of the river and dangling their feet in the water. They either hadn't noticed her yet, or had and weren’t paying her any mind. Curiosity got the better of Rue, and because the terra didn’t seem to be particularly dangerous, she rose from the water and began wading through the river towards the other side. Eventually, the darker terra turned its head in Rue’s direction and she stopped. She raised a hand tentatively, and gave a shy wave. Rue held her breath for an instant, but relaxed when the terra waved back. She continued toward them and sat down next to them on the muddy shore. She dipped her feet in the water, and kicked them around lazily, creating a pattern of ripples along the surface of the slow-moving brook. She looked over to the terra beside her, and finally noticed how much bigger than her they were. They had long, dark hair that cascaded down their back and a huge sweeping tail that was nearly as big as Rue herself. As intimidating as their appearance was, the terra was quiet and calm. Their tail swayed slowly behind them, dragging through the soft mud. Rue looked back over to the clear stream in front of her and leaned back a bit. The cold water around her legs combined with the golden sun warming her body felt lovely, a welcome change from gloomy and humid forest she had to trek through to get here. She continued to sit in peaceful silence with the mysterious stranger, watching as the occasional water strider skitted erratically over the surface of the river. The sounds of wildlife echoed out of the trees on the opposite side of the river, and a distant pair of birds called to one another. In that moment, it felt like time went still. The scenery, the weather, and river, everything was so calm and serene. Rue did to her best to live in the moment, but knew she would remember this encounter for a long time to follow.