{PRP} Constellation Station

[magnadearel]

((PRP for Antares Astrophel and Euthymia al-Suhail))



Antares poked his nose outside the cave entrance to his home. It was well past sundown. The moon had not yet risen, and there was just soft starlight illuminating the world. Just the way he liked it. He reached in by the entrance and threw a couple of blankets over his back. Just in case it got cold, but he didn't believe they'd be needed this night.

The dark stallion trotted down a worn path that eventually led to a relatively large, and cleared meadow. The trees didn't stand too tall and most importantly didn't block his view of the sky. There was also conveniently placed a mostly flat rock that was perfect perch for watching the skies. Antares had build up two thick nests on top of the rock. It was much better than having a cold bum a couple hours in to his stargazing.

He approached the rock and settled down on it, laying the blankets nearby. It was a peaceful night. He hoped that his friend would be able to join him tonight. While he waited, he looked up and spotted a constellation that always made him want to laugh. It's story was rather bizarre. He wondered if Euthymia had heard it before.

WC: 206  

[xo maho]

Euthymia wandered her routine path, the grass soft beneath the pads of her paws. The world around her was quiet, but not quite silent. Her swiveling ears picked up the sounds of rustling in the brush as small, nocturnal mammals went about their business. The soft hoooo of an owl echoed off the trees as it called to another of its kind. The skittering of bird feet on branches reminded her that some smaller canopy-dwelling creatures were out and about, as well.

Her steps led her slowly toward her destination, though she deeply enjoyed the calm of the evening and savored it for as long as felt practical. After all, she did have a destination, and a person who waited for her there. The flat boulder lay ahead, and even from here, Euthymia could see the glow of his white mane and tail tips in the darkness. His other markings were less distinctive in the dark until one grew closer to him, but they reflected the night sky, filled with starry luster. She smiled a soft smile at the sight of him.

Approaching the rock, Euthymia glanced at the blankets he had brought, thankful for his thoughtfulness. Though she was quite resilient, sitting on cold rock did get chilly even to her, despite her volume of hair. "Antares," she said, voice almost a purr. "What awaits us in the sky tonight?"

WC: 231  

[magnadearel]

Antares turned his eyes from the sky filled with stars as a purr calling his name drifted out of the night. The soft blue mare approaching him almost looked like a ghost in the dark, a ghost of stars. He was pleased she was able to join him this night. The stallion grinned at her question. She was as interested in the stars as he was, and that pleased him. Having someone to tell his stories to was a matter of pride and delight.

"Ah. You've come on a good night Euthymia." He pointed his muzzle towards the horizon. "Just coming up tonight, you'll see the constellation of Beaverillo." Antares waited for his friend to get comfortable on her blankets before introducing the story of the night. "It is a bizarre tail," he filled his voice with mystery and awe. He did his best not to chuckle at the pun, maybe unintended, maybe not.

"See the constellation here? It has the body of an Armadillo, and the tail of a Beaver. This is the story of how the Beaver got its tail!" Antares watched her to see if she was familiar with this particular story or not. He kind of hoped not, but Euthymia was a good audience either way.


WC: 210  

[xo maho]

Euthymia looked up at the sky, her pale eyes catching on a round constellation with a not-quite-oblong shape extending from one side of it. "Don't you mean the story of how the first rain came?" Euthymia said, one eyebrow lifting in mock-challenge. "The Armadillo was quite a troublemaker, after all, but without it, we might not have the green and the pools we so enjoy in this world." Euthymia settled on a blanket and curled her mass of tail around her side, insulating herself. Pulling another blanket over to her side with her mouth, she inclined her head in a gesture of invitation to Antares. She enjoyed his company, and on nights like these, she also enjoyed his warmth. The area surrounding them was quiet and hushed now, finally gone mostly to sleep; she liked it when they whispered their tales to each other in the night, bonding over stories and the comfort of each other's company.

WC: 157  

[magnadearel]

He instantly perked up as she countered with a title of her own. Antares loved exchanging stories. Sometimes they were similar, and sometimes very different. He chuckled at her challenge.

"Aye. Armadillo was a trouble maker, and that's why the Beaver is also! But I jump ahead of myself." Antares made himself a tiny bit more comfortable on his blankets and tucked his tails about his haunches. He half closed his eyes to better focus on his story.

"Long long ago, Armadillo stared across the flat flat land that went on for as far as the eye could see. 'This will not do,' he thought to himself. And so Armadillo started to dig and dig and dig. Deeper and deeper did he go. Wider and wider did he extend his hole. Now, surely you must be thinking, 'but where did the earth go?' "

"It didn't go far! Armadillo stacked and packed the earth nearby to his hole. Higher and higher did it rise. Wider and wider did it extend." He knew he had half mesmerized himself when he could see the Armadillo in his self appointed task through his half closed eyes. It was right there in the sky, the deepening hole, Armadillo, and the ever growing mountain of dirt.


WC: 210  

[xo maho]

Euthymia smirked as Antares took the well-intentioned bait. It was almost a little intoxicating when he got hooked into a story; his expression went dreamy, but his voice held authority as he told the tale. As he settled himself, his tail briefly brushed her side. Its soft touch put a little flush of warmth through her.

Looking up at the constellation with its twinkling stars in the deep night, Euthymia half-closed her eyes, as well, imagining Armadillo's rising pile of dirt, solid and damp, as it had been freshly pulled from the crust of the earth. "Before too long, Armadillo had raised a hill high enough that it touched the clouds beneath where his constellation now rests in the sky," Euthymia said, continuing Antares's story. "The peak was narrow enough at the summit to pierce the clouds, and from them poured the first rain, a downpour so great that thunder rattled as the clouds split and the earth shook. Armadillo, quite surprised by this turn of events, was even more surprised when a sudden rush of water poured down the mountain like a ramp, directly into the hole he had dug."

WC: 191  

[magnadearel]

He twitched an ear as her voice took up the tale. It almost pulled him out of his story trance when he heard her, but the soft lilting of her tone pulled him back in. Antares nodded, gazing up at the constellation in the sky. He could see the tower of earth the Armadillo had pulled from the ground and stacked high. He chuckled as he imagined the surprise on the face of Armadillo as his hole suddenly got filled with water.

"Indeed. There was a lot of water in the sky, and quite a bit came down the mountain he'd made, to fill the hole he'd also made. As you know, Armadillos are not terribly good swimmers. If he was to continue digging his hole now he would need to be a much better swimmer. So Armadillo shed his plates of armor for a warm fur coat, and his skinny tail for a nice broad, powerful tail with which to swim through the water. And that is how Beaver came to be!"

The tale was ended. Antares felt satisfaction with the whole telling, and he was pleased that Euthymia had also been able to contribute. He shook his head a little bit to dispel the fog around his mind. When he looked back up at the sky, the constellation of Beaverillo had shifted quite a bit across the sky. It was so easy to get lost in the tale that the night simply flew by. And there was always more and new constellations rising. Stories that needed to be told.

He looked sheepishly at Euthymia. "I hoped you enjoyed the story tonight. But I fear the dawn will soon rise." She knew that he never was out of his cave when the sun started to come up.


WC: 298  

[xo maho]

Euthymia blinked as Antares's piece of the tale came to an abrupt end, then turned her face to hide a little scowl. She wasn't ready for the story to be over! She had been having too much fun with the telling of it, and enjoying his company, to boot. At Antares's mention of the sun, she looked toward the horizon - a low purple glow had bloomed in the dark sky at the edge of the world, signaling that it would soon be time for them to say goodbye. She thought that perhaps someday she might adapt to his schedule, but really she kept one of her own. She enjoyed waking in the hours before dawn, to listen to the sounds of the animals scurrying in the dark and the night birds cooing softly. She listened to the nocturnal animals settle for their bedtime, and then she listened to those who rose with the morning sing their dawn chorus. Before the late morning got too warm, she usually found herself a nice, shady spot to sleep, and then would awake again in the late evening and experience dusk. She believed the term for her habits was crepuscular; her siblings compared her to a fox, with its odd sleep routine.

Unwilling to let the ends of the tale be tied up so incredibly neatly - something always came after the end - Euthymia chased it just a bit more, intent on using every bit of time they had. "But now that Armadillo was Beaverillo, you left out the best parts!" she exclaimed, mouth twisting up in a grin that was meant to poke at him just a little. "Because of Beaverillo, we have rain, rivers, mountains... almost anything one can dream up." Euthymia tilted her head toward the night sky, imagining what a beaverillo migt look like. But, as she watched, the purple at the horizon line began to lift into the rest of the sky, and Euthymia realized they had less time than she had imagined.

With a sigh, Euthymia got to her feet, slinging a blanket over her shoulder with her teeth. "I did enjoy the tale, but I believe you are correct about the sun; twilight rises from below the horizon." Euthymia led the way to the mouth of Antares's cave, hoping that the blanket over her shoulder would make her look helpful, at the very least. "Come," she said. "I can tuck you in if you would like."

WC: 408  

[magnadearel]

He was always sad when their time came to an end. His dark eyes blinked slowly as he took in the beautiful mare beside him. One day. One day he would tell a story about her. She was as beautiful as the constellations he gazed at every night. Maybe he could find a constellation just for her. He would start looking tomorrow night.

Antares knew she kept a different schedule than he did, and was grateful for the time she was able to spend with him. He chuckled as she had to get the last words in on the story. "I had to let you tell the best parts," he teased with a wink. "I am grateful that we have all these things." The stallion rose to his hooves and gathered the rest of the blankets.

"Yes. I wish you a beautiful morning Euthymia, and enjoy looking at the mountains and thank Beaverillo for them." He chuckled once more. "I will not decline the offer." He lead the way to his cave to settling in for the morning.


WC: 178  

[xo maho]

Smiling gently as Antares stepped into the cave, Euthymia helped him get settled, carefully arranging his blankets. Just before she left, she softly touched her muzzle to his forehead and wished him a peaceful sleep.

Outside the cave, standing on the same outcropping where they had just spent a while talking about the stars, Euthymia watched the sun come up.