A Realm of Adventure Beneath the Canopy

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Dante looked expectantly at Axel, excitement in his eyes as he watched for a reaction to his onslaught of information. Though he was met with confusion, it only caused him to lean forward more, a teasing smile on his face. He knew his tribe’s beliefs were likely very uncommon, but that never deterred him from wanting to share them. Especially with Axel. He felt he easily could, even if they had just met.

His ears perked forward upon him asking if it was just a legend, his tone indicating to Dante that he should probably ease off of the topic for now. After all, the last thing he wanted to do was scare his new friend away. But he thought about it for a moment. The legend of the singing stars was widely believed by his tribe, the knowledge imparted to them by the generations of wisemen who had watched the tribe grow and flourish, so it came as no surprise when he first learned about it, and that most everyone thought it to be true. They had no reason to doubt the wisemen. But he wondered, unsure himself if he could put his full faith into it. He yearned to, and some nights he swore he did. Perhaps, he partially believed it. Perhaps, to him, it was less about the superficial singing and more about the principle behind it.

Even though Dante knew he probably shouldn’t press on the topic, seeing as how it made his friend uneasy, he wanted to answer honestly. “I don't know if the sun and moon sing, but like the stars, I grew up with the belief that they are alive. Not in the sense that you and I are alive, but, 'alive' in a more… incorporeal way. Given a soul, just like us.” He used the term ‘alive’ loosely. Realistically he knew that celestial bodies were inanimate and could never breathe life, but his deep connections to spirituality and things otherworldly gave rise to a new line of thinking, one he wholeheartedly believed.

“I think they're immortal. They never go away, put out there to watch over us. In return, we give them something to remember. From the earth below us to the trees around us—” he looked up at the ceiling of the hollow that comfortably enveloped them, a fondness on his youthful face. “To even the mountains and beyond!”

He drew to a stop, his speech ended, his expression softening. “But you’re right, it is only a legend.”

When the topic changed, Dante was delighted to see Axel buzz with excitement, exclaiming how he wanted to see it all. Especially the mushrooms! His reaction got a laugh out of the russet male. “You gotta be careful though to not eat too many of the mushrooms! Some can be a bit of a hallucinogenic.” He warned playfully.

Watching his brown and cream friend stretch out and get comfortable made Dante realize again his exhaustion, and soreness, especially in his shoulder. There was still so much he could tell Axel but he figured for now he would spare him the details. A nice nap sounded enchanting, especially as the late afternoon sun began to seep into the opening of the hollow, casting a gentle ray of light into the dark, cool space.

Zawki

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"Do you think that's why the sun and moon move?" asked Axel. Dante looked at him with bewilderment. He had never thought of it like that but the more he ruminated, the more it made sense to him. He had always approached the topic of the sun and moon moving with a grounded dose of logic — day and night, the natural cycles. Perhaps in a similar vein, their souls enabled them to move; to make their cycles. As Axel continued speaking, he drew Dante’s attention in more until he was practically leaning towards him with perked ears and interested eyes. When he paused, so did Dante, and he waited with anticipation for his friend to finish his thought.

"Like fruit! And they roll through the sky." The idea hit Dante like a brick. He was not expecting that analogy in the slightest and he lay in silence for a moment. Then the image of it hit him, as did the sound of Axel’s laughter, which paired together only made the situation funnier. He laughed, listening to his friend as he continued on. “Now that is a world I would love to live in, personally.” He looked up, looking thoughtful for a moment. “And then we eat the animals? I guess in a way, we’re kinda like fruits. Soft and squishy on the inside.” He cackled, his smile wide and his lips contorting into a playful grimace at what he was implying. He brought a pale paw up to poke at his other paw, watching with boyish amusement at the way his skin gave way beneath the slight pressure. He pretended to gag for dramatic effect.

Axel asked if mushrooms were edible, to which Dante nodded his head eagerly. “They are! There are so many different types — so many varieties of taste, texture, and nutrition. You can even cook them down with fire and pair them with berries or meat.” He tilted his head. “Sounds like we’ll have to go back and get more, then! Mushrooms grow to nurture us, after all. They’re pretty, but they’re not meant to be gawked at forever.” He snickered.

There was a lull in the conversation which allowed Dante to readjust himself, having become excited after the continual joking with Axel. He cozied up against the wall of the hollow, digging into the soft dirt, and closed his eyes, feeling content in the darkness they brought. He easily could have drifted off to sleep but his friend’s voice prompted his eyelids to open again in curiosity. Was it cold? As he was, he couldn’t tell, but he raised a paw to touch the ray of sunlight that filtered in through the hollow’s entrance. He felt an immediate difference as the light hit him. It certainly was colder.

“You’re right!” he exclaimed softly, looking at Axel with surprise. “I hadn’t even noticed.”

Zawki

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Thick brows quirked up as Axel humored Dante, who couldn’t contain the cackle that bubbled up from his chest. “Muscle? I think I have plenty for the both of us,” he teased with a sly smile. If his friend were any closer, he would reach out and press his shoulder like he did with his paw. He brought up a good point, however — fruit indeed didn’t eat other fruit, but by the time the auburn male began to consider the new thought, Axel was proposing they were more like trees instead. He blinked at him and it was evident through his dumb expression that the gears were turning. He hummed in contemplation. “Yeah… yeah they do look like fur. I never thought of it that way.” Axel had a way of surprising Dante with each new idea, but fortunately, he loved surprises.

“Fire can be used in so many different ways,” he perked up slightly, looking around excitedly, completely ignoring the tree roots encasing them. “Maybe… I don’t think this forest would have the materials but, I should show you sometime! Fire was a vital resource back home, it drew everyone together.” He looked at Axel warmly. “But, let’s save that for the winter when it’s cold. Mushroom hunting sounds easier—” A big yawn escaped his mouth, cutting his sentence short. “You gave me your yawn,” he said playfully.

Dante's head tilted slightly at Axel’s change in demeanor and comment about pack life. He agreed wholeheartedly. After all, it had been only a few months since he fled from his home, leaving everything he had known behind. Life as a loner, though, hadn’t been terrible. He was free, with nothing to tie him down, no responsibilities or reputations to maintain. Although, even without the familial tether, he could still feel the ghostly traces of his family’s presence at his side. “Exactly, that’s why fire was so important to us. It provided warmth in the col—” When he noticed Axel’s eye peeking at him, the realization hit him like a hoof. “Oh!” His shoulders bounced as he laughed and he shook his head. He hadn’t even realized Axel was talking about something entirely different. “Are you cold?”

Before waiting for an answer, the auburn male rose to his paws, as best he could, crouching a little to not bump his head against the hollow’s ceiling. Ignoring the dull pain in his shoulder from where he tumbled earlier, he moved towards his friend, passing by the entrance and feeling the warmth of the sun touch his fur. In contrast, the air around him felt colder. Plopping down next to his friend, he nestled into the cushy dirt, already feeling the warmth from Axel’s fur as it grazed against his. He looked at him and smiled toothily. “Better?”

Zawki

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Dante nodded in response to Axel’s inquiry about fire being dangerous. It had the capacity to destroy ecosystems and lives, but at the same time, nourish them, starting them anew. Ultimately it was the will of nature that had the final say and playing with fire was a fool’s game. When handled carelessly, it burned even the most skilled handlers. “It is,” he reaffirmed, a thoughtful solemnity in his voice. “But that doesn’t mean we should fear it. It burns our forests but nourishes the ground, laying the foundation for new life to take root. The same can be said about food. It turns it into something new, and delicious.” He smiled to himself, thinking about the festivities that would usually take place during autumn and winter in his homeland, and though he was no longer physically connected to them, he had no plans of not celebrating.

"Maybe you stole my yawn!" The auburn man scoffed as if Axel had said the most preposterous thing! “Surely you jest,” he played along, “You obviously gave it to me first.”

The weight of Axel’s head on his back sunk him further into the ground and immediately Dante rested his chin on the dirt in front of him. He closed his eyes and smiled at his response, and chuckled at his comment about it being awkward. “I can move if you want,” he teased but made no genuine effort to follow through, as it was evident in his voice he did not mean it. Physical touch was one of the auburn man’s many comforts, even if shared with someone he met only a short while ago. None of that mattered to him. All that did was that he and Axel were comfortable.

His ears began to droop from the overwhelming comfort but they perked up at the mention of ‘the angry squirrel pack.’ He laughed. “Would we… have an army of angry squirrels? Or be constantly chased by them? That sounds exhausting, but we would be a feared pack, that’s for sure,” he said idly, exhaustion slurring his words a little as his eyes fluttered shut again. He was unsure if his friend would respond, likely already being lulled to sleep by their closeness and shared warmth. Dante wouldn’t be too far behind but he couldn’t help but fondly linger on the idea, as abstract as it was, and try to imagine how such a relationship between wolves and squirrels would function.

Zawki

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"You have got to show me sometime!" exclaimed his friend, whom Dante could only smile toothily at, feeling giddy all over again despite the exhaustion that weighed his body down like a weighted blanket. “It’ll be like nothin’ you’ve ever seen before.” He cackled tiredly. After a moment of stillness, he felt restless and decided to shift positions, turning onto his side and sprawling his legs out towards Axel. Immediately he felt relief in his shoulder, free from his weight. All the while his head never left the cushy dirt and after he was settled, he tilted his chin so that he could peer at his friend from his peripheral vision.

On the topic of yawns, he nodded lazily, amused. “Never thought I’d consider being grateful over a yawn.”

When he said it was cozy, the auburn male hummed in agreement. It had been a long time since he felt such comforting warmth. He hadn’t realized before but the hollow was gradually cooling down and if not for his friend’s invitation, he likely would have been feeling it in his sore muscles. Outside the hollow would be equally unpleasant with the sweltering heat hugging the valley, but he was neither too hot nor too cold, and it felt almost blissful. “Good,” he murmured into the dirt, again, digging into the pillowy ground. “Cuz I don’t wanna move.”

"We could pretend to be the squirrels. And climb our cousins, the trees.” His ears twitched curiously but his eyes never opened. “I like the sound of that. I’m sure they would have many stories to tell us, of their grand adventures. And the trees, of all the strangers they’ve seen.”

Zawki