Falls

The late autumn sun reached over her brilliantly as clouds parted, as if attempting to direct Aadhira’s gaze from her face to her body, to see how the lithe, athletic dips and curves were painted in a soft grey. His gaze jumped then, returning to her face, seeing how she looked at him so openly, so sweetly. Aadhira’s curved ears turned, rotating as he quickly studied his surroundings. He was looking for Aarushi, as she would be displeased if he spoke with anyone – especially someone of their homeland – without her.

Aadhira knew he should run. He knew he should pull his wait back into the brush and flee. Aarushi would be angry with him for leaving the place she’d told him to stay, but once he explained she would perhaps be pleased he avoided confrontation altogether. She would want to go, he knew, to find somewhere different where someone of their home was nowhere near.

Hello? Who are you?

Aadhira’s graceful neck turned forward again, his eyes drawn to her and his ears pointed in her direction. She did not speak like he and Aarushi did… did this mean… could she possibly not be of their home? Were there others in this world that looked like he and Aarushi did, but did not come from their desert? Aadhira felt he had stumbled upon an exciting discovery and for the first time he felt inspired. Aarushi would be excited to learn about this, wouldn’t she? She couldn’t be angry he left the place she told him to hide and she couldn’t be angry he’d spoken to anyone if it was to learn something so monumental, right?

Aadhira took a breath to try and gather courage and drew himself one slight step further from the underbrush, the leaves snapping against his coat. “Hello,” he said, his voice was soft and small, and thick with his native accent. “I am Aadhira who are you?” He spoke quickly rather than breaking the sentence up, running his question and introduction together. His eyes were bright, excitement making his heart pound and worry pinching sick in his gut Aarushi may not be as pleased as he hoped she would.