In Dire Straits

Corona woke them up with the sun with a yip and big ol’ wet kisses. “Ha ha! Gogogo!” He screeched as he bounced around them, his coat shimmering in the morning light. His tails were a blur as he nudged his brother, trying to push him up from his place on the ground. They had to go! Places to see, and a wayward brother to find! He stopped his prancing for a moment to look out in the distance, the wind ruffling his coat as his tails swayed behind him. They’d find Hyperion. He was so sure of it, his heart swelling with pride for their accomplishments so far.

They’d left Gemini behind, and the world was their oyster. Hyperion was the pearl, and the greatest treasure they could ever hope to find.

The aurora practically vibrated in place as he waited for them to rouse themselves, and once they were up? His nose was to the ground, snuffling loudly. When he found something? His tails shot straight up and he threw his head back, letting out the loudest bark he could muster. With the basset hound call complete, he took off at a run. His long legs ate the ground as he barked, baying and yipping so his counterparts could follow him with ease. That was hours ago though, and now he simply walked. He’d lost the trail, but Hyperion had to go this way!

He would. It was so pretty!

The land was a vast sea of tall grass and wildflowers as far as the eye could see. Corona laughed freely, rolling around in the blossoms and nuzzling the plants. He giggled as he got back to his feet, his tails a blur behind him. Bits of grass and flowers clung to his fur, accidentally woven in the dark tresses to make him look rather silly. He didn’t mind though. His floppy ears pricked up at the sight of… something, in the distance. Was it Hyperion? The boy looked back at his companions before he barked excitedly, dropping into a play bow. “S’go!” He chirped before he loped off in the direction that caught his attention.

As they got closer, Corona’s steps only quickened. “Ha ha! Wow! WOOK! WOOK!” He screamed as he bounced around, left and right, spinning and racing in a circle. Inaria’s purple trees loomed before them, large and strong as their branches swayed in the breeze. Corona didn’t know about borders. He was never taught about boundaries, so he simply stepped over that invisible line. He sucked in a deep breath of air, and then hollered, “‘PEEEEOOON! ‘PEEEEOOON, ‘ROOOONA! G’WAY ‘PEON, G’WAY RONA!”

He stopped for a minute to listen. Then he just kept walking through Inaria, still calling as loud as he could for his brother.

Moons lay curled up at the base of one of these purple trees, eyes closed in a light doze.

Her chest gently rose and fell with the rhythm of her lungs, and the birds provided a gentle song for the second-in-command to relax to. A rare right, really, but it happened. As much as she preferred to continue to work, she had learned over time it would do her no good to overexert her body. Yet, even though she rested at the tree, with the shadows flickering over her, she was still alert. Her ears swiveled on her head, searching endlessly for signs of a disturbance. Her nose wriggled as it took in, and analyzed, each scent the wind brought to her attention.

What came from a pathway into Inaria, though, didn't require good senses to detect. "PEEEEOOON! ‘PEEEEOOON, ‘ROOOONA! G’WAY ‘PEON, G’WAY RONA!" The birds above her took off in flight, flapping desperately away with racing hearts as Moons sharply lifted her head with ears back. This was an unfamiliar voice, and clearly they wanted something. Without realizing it she was already on her feet, shaking off her pelt and moving further into the shadows. She used the trees she knew so well to shelter her as she moved closer to the source of the ruckus, the soldier slipping effortlessly into stealth mode despite the years in her.

It wasn't long before she found what she was looking for.

Amber eyes sought out a bright boy, his pelt shining greatly in the sun as he hollered for someone. Moons' gaze, sharp and cautious before, now softened slightly into the regular neutral tone she usually carried when alone. Perhaps it was being near the borders like she had been, but her mind was still echoing with the sounds of her nightmares, which is what made her such an unpredictability sometimes in regards to her mentality when she woke up. She would always be cautious with unfamiliarity after certain events.

But this? This was a youngster. She looked in the direction he came for others, but figured they wouldn't be far behind. As she walked in the shadows watching, a twig snapped beneath her paw. Moons huffed slightly before silently going deeper into the foliage before emerging completely, in front of the young (and loud) bright boy.

"Good afternoon," she offered, her voice soft and mellow as it always was. A gentle smile decorated her maw now, any previous wariness gone for the moment. At least on her face. "Looks like you seek someone. Can I help you with something?" Let's leave the obvious out for now, shall we? Moons wanted to see what this youngster would do first when finally being asked about why he was well within Inaria's territory.

Lea woke to the sound of Corona yapping and something wet against her face. Ugh. The rainbow child was always a bundle of endless energy and enthusiasm and it was utterly exhausting being around him but she supposed he wasn't that bad. He was sort of endearing really. It was hard to be sad around the brilliance of his happiness and she decided not to complain for once as she bathed in its warmth. Still, his optismism only went so far and they were out in the middle of no where after all.

While Corona was thrilled and excited to see the world, to explore and discover new things and meet new people Azalea was filled with a huge amount of anxiety. Her muscles stayed tensed, her shoulders tight with the tension, her dark ears pinned back as her sharp emerald gaze flickered around for any sign of a stranger approaching or an ambush attack. Her mother had told her so many awful stories about what it was like growing up in the neutrals that in her mind, it became this terrible place full of monsters ready to attack you. And so Lea trailed behind the brothers, watching dully as Corona laughed and rolled around in the flowers, his tail a whirlwind of excitement. He called for them to follow and bounded away energetically and Lea followed obediently at a much slower pace, caution in her every movement. Corona, on the other hand-

“‘PEEEEOOON! ‘PEEEEOOON, ‘ROOOONA! G’WAY ‘PEON, G’WAY RONA!”

Azalea made a wheezing, choking noise and whisper-shouted at Corona, "Rona, you can just walk into people's homes!" With a internal scream Lea chased after him and crossed the scent barrier. The smell of mice and rabbits and other woodland creatures made her mouth water but that wasn't what drew her attention, no what held her gaze were the beautiful lavender petals of the trees above them. "Good afternoon," Azalea flinched as if she'd been struck and recoils, quickly moving to place herself behind Corona and Kunzite. Yeah, she was a coward. The maroon and grey woman gave them a kind smile and Lea squinted in suspicion, looking for any sign of treachery or deceit. But all she detected from the kind woman was a warm honesty. "Looks like you seek someone. Can I help you with something?" The mint girl pursed her lips in hesitation, glancing at Corona and Kunzite before speaking. "Have you seen a blue guy around? He's grey.. and blue.. and spotty.. about yay tall?" Lea lifted her paw high and placed it about what she remembered Peri's height to be. Hopefully he hadn't grown too much in the time he'd been gone..