The caves were open. The caves were open to explore.
James burst out of the tunnel on rainbow wings, touching down and galloping off like a horse let out to pasture for the spring. He bucked, kicked, jumped, letting out a whinny of excitement as he grabbed bits of sweet, delicious grass between spurts of sudden energy. He took flight and soared into the air, free free FREE!!
No one could bring him down!!
The smell of the place... the trees, the grass, the flowers... it was so wonderful, so amazingly wonderful!
He landed and dropped down, rolling all over to get the smell on his hide, careful not to crush the flowers. He flapped his wings wildly and took off again with a kick, taking off once again. He very nearly forgot that he had a daughter with him, but at this point he was just too happy and lost in the moment to care.
By the time he was dripping with sweat, he was laying in the grass again, grazing on the greens, gorging himself, barely even able to breathe between bites. He was going to get fat off of this stuff, and he didn't give a care. Not one bother was given.
She followed James, mirroring his excitement. She pranced about, doing somersaults and getting her nose into every nook and cranny of the place. Sprinting full speed, Comet followed him to the meadow and leaped into the grass, did several barrel rolls, and bumped next to him. Her tongue lolled out of her mouth as she laid on her back gasping for air. This was great! Now, it was a question of what to explore first.
@James
James continued to eat greedily, before finally lifting his head and picking an orange flower, placing it in Comet's fur just behind her ear. He smiled and brushed the feathers of his wings along her fur.
He sighed softly and flopped his head on Comet's back,
The grass was just... so good...
@James
James pushed himself to stand and stretched out his wings, flapping them a few times before folding them up and preening them gently. He positioned them not unlike a dad looking at a freshly cut lawn with his hands on his hips, sighing happily.
He nosed another orange flower and gestured to it,
He laughed softly and bent his head down for Comet to reach, a smile on his face.
Comet ran out in front of the horse, ready to do some adventuring. The river looked nice too, perhaps there would be cool fish? Either way, she was excited for what they would be looking for next.
@James
James smiled gently and followed Comet, looking around at everything, feeling as if he were walking in some kind of enchanted magical land. Not far off, but still.
He bent his head to peer at the bug, sniffing at it gently,
Lifting his head again, he watched a flock of tiny birds flutter overhead, chirping, sounding like chiming crystals clinging together, but more musical.
James took off at a trot through the grass, making his way towards the river. He bent his head and drank from it, pleased to find it clear and pure, his eyes falling shut in bliss.
The pup followed James to the river, and greedily gulped up the water, cleansing her mouth of the weird feeling she got from the Sparkbug. But then, she felt the sudden urge to just jump into the river. And Comet obeyed, she jumped right into the river and felt the cool water sink into her fur. It was so refreshing and nice.
A den by the river would be nice, a good water source, and the meadow nearby too.
@James
James gasped as he was suddenly splashed, rearing and cantering away, tossing his head in alarm before turning back and bursting out laughing. He galloped into the water and purposefully splashed Comet, giggling happily.
A wolf wasn't as fast as a horse, not by a long shot, but James slowed down so she had a chance. He was still competitive, though.
She gained speed the more she ran, her momentum carrying her forwards. It had been some time now since she had been away from Aristotle and Sun. And to be truthful, she had already started growing away from them, sometimes going entire days without thinking of them. It had been a long time since she had been welcomed into their family. And in that time, she had grown from a small pup to a large dog sized juvenile. It was funny how time seemed to pass.
Soon Comet ran out of energy, and her steps slowed into a steady trot. She had not been able to catch up to James, but she had always been a couple meters behind. Her tongue out and lolling, she went to the river and drank up some mouthfuls of water. Having been running along it the whole time, it was easily accessible. Wait-- what was that? At the end of the river? She pricked her ears towards it.
It was in fact, the end of the river. And was that a rock wall?
@James