Starlit Skies (June Auru Entry)

Jags looked out across the glittering midnight sky, she had been planning this trip with Sandia for weeks, and it was finally here. Up high in the mountains they had decided to camp at a lake, the pristine water shimmered and reflected the stars.

She brought her gaze down from the cosmos to her girlfriend, who was watching the fire. The orange glow from the dancing flames softly illuminated Sandia’s face, casting tangerine lighting and shadows along her beautifully patterned body. Jags loved that about her, she resembled a gorgeous sunset over a canyon, and she often got lost in that beauty.

Sandia looked up at Jags and smiled. “This was a great idea, we should have done this sooner!” Jags smirked, “Well there’s a reason I waited this long.” She beckoned for Sandia to come with her, and they laid down on the cold night grass. Sandia’s tail wrapped around Jags’ leg, something she learned a while ago Jags likes. Jags pointed up at the glistening array of stars, “What do you see?”

Sandia scanned the sky, picking out several constellations she already knew, and said them aloud as she pointed them out. “And how about that one?” Jags moved her Sandia’s arm to point at a triangular star pattern. Sandia was a bit rusty at her constellations, but she new this one was a bird. She turned her head to look back at Jags, who was grinning devilishly at her. Sandia now realized what it was. “Its an Eagle!”

Sandia’s favorite animal was an eagle, she adored their majestic strength, a symbol of grace and power. Jags had waited this long so the eagle would be visible.

“It’s called Aquila.” Jags said. “I knew you’d love it.” Sandia hugged her tight. “Thank you!” She whispered. They lay there for a while, enjoying the silence of everything except for the crackling of the fire.

After an unknown measure of time, the fire had burnt down to smoldering coals, and Jags and Sandia were on the verge of sleep. Just as they were about to drift off, a bright flash lit up the sky above the lake. Jags shot up, she had always been a light sleeper and quick to wake. Sandia had also sat up, “What is that?” They stood up and looked out at the light.

An opalescent light had appeared just above the lake, the faint rainbow casting brilliant colors upon the surface of the calm water. Suddenly the light vanished and something fell into the lake. They rushed to the shoreline, what was that?

“Hey over here!” Jags called, and pulled an old canoe out onto the water. Sandia quickly climbed in and grabbed some oars. “What do you think that was?” She asked Jags as they paddled out towards the center. “I dunno,” she said. “But we’re about to find out.”

They stopped the canoe just above the spot where the thing fell. “I’ll get it.” Jags said, and started tying a rope around her waist. Sandia agreed, Jags was far better at swimming than she was. Jags secured the rope and handed the other end to Sandia. “Good luck!” She said as Jags jumped into the frigid water. The cold hit Jags like a wall, but she fought through it and swam down into the depths. As she got closer to the bottom, she noticed a faint light glowing from farther down. It must be the object, she thought as she pushed herself towards the bottom. Now she was able to see the lakebed, and the thing was there, nestled in the soft mud.

It was glowing softly, and as Jags reached for it it felt strangely... powerful. She cradled it between her arms, and gently tugged on the rope. Sandia started pulling her up back to the surface, Jags could hold her breath for quite a while, but she didn’t want to take any chances. Once she reached the boat, Sandia helped her out of the water, and back into the old canoe.

“What is that thing?” She asked as Jags gently placed it on her lap. It was still glowing like before. It appeared to be... an egg?

Sandia ran her paw over the smooth surface. It was sky blue and white, with darker blue patches and stripes. The thing that intrigued her the most though, was the pale yellow crescent in the center. “Lets take it back to camp.” Jags suggested. “Good idea, we should try to warm it up by the fire.” Sandia knew a lot about animals, and this was a very important thing to do to hatch an egg. They paddled the boat back to shore, keeping an eye on the mysterious egg.

Once they hit the shore, Sandia carried the egg gently back to their site, Jags pulled the boat back up and hurried to join her. They looked at it in the faint light from the still-glowing coals. “What should we do?” Jags asked. “Uh, go get your jacket.” Sandia instructed. Jags nodded and went to go get it. Once she got back they were just about to wrap it around the egg for warmth, when it suddenly cracked. They jumped in suprise. “Wait why’d it crack?” Jags asked. “I’m, I’m not sure...” Sandia responded, and gingerly ran her paw over the crack.

CRACK

Another crack appeared in the side of the egg, Sandia leaped back. “Don’t touch it anymore!” Jags cried. They sat back in horror as more cracks appeared, glowing from within.

“Wait, it’s hatching!” Sandia realized. This egg didn’t require heat like most others did. Now there were so many cracks filled with light that the egg appeared as if it were made of energy. Suddenly the pieces of the shell burst away, leaving the light in its place. They were astounded, they’d never seen anything like this before.

As the brightness faded away, they noticed the thing within. A small creature that resembled a Nabi, but radiated an energy more powerful.

Jags gasped. “I know of these!” One of her neighbors was a creature like this, an Aurusalkar. She told Sandia about them as they looked down in wonder at the small child they’d hatched. Her fur matched the patterns on the egg, and her big silver eyes looked up at them in awe.

Jags picked her up gently and set her in between them. “What should we name her?” She asked.

“I know!” Sandia chimed. “Aquila.”