Kyanoko's Travels Across the Paperverse: A Natural Light Show and Childish Playtime

Lyra Prompt 2 - Terra Borealis 

Word Count: 1057

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“I promise this is worth it,” Hedda assured the tanuki she had dragged out of bed in the middle of the night. Kyanoko was groggy and sleep clung to her eyes. She could barely muster grumbles of protest as Hedda hefted the tanuki into her own sled and pulled her out into the cold. Immediately, Kyanoko shivered against the cold night air and pulled her borrowed coat’s hood over her face.

As Hedda pulled the tanuki through the snow, Kyanoko curled into a ball and pulled the oversized coat around her like a blanket. Between the warmth, the sound of the sled dragging along, and Kyanoko’s preexisting fatigue, she was lulled back to sleep. Kyanoko, as she would often do in the middle of the night, woke up. She was on a hard bed and wrapped in Hedda’s scent. She didn’t remember how she got into this position.

Slowly, she pushed her head out of the coat and squinted her eyes. The tanuki smacked her lips against the bad taste in her mouth. The moon was bright and full and looked far larger than it did when she first entered Lyra. Kyanoko heard a small giggle and she turned her head to Hedda, who was taking pleasure in Kyanoko’s groggy expression. 

She barely had time to process anything around her as reality before she felt Hedda rubbing her head between the ears. Kyanoko rested her chin against the sled lip, staring at the human-bear shifter through half-closed eyes.

“Why are we out here?” Kyanoko asked, her voice deep and croaky.

“I wanted to show you something before you had to leave,” Hedda answered, sorting through things in her bag.

Kyanoko squinted at her. She’s been on Lyra for nearly a month and had already seen the sparkly snow and towering crystal pillars. She had already seen them at night, too. 

“You don’t have to give me those daggers.” Hedda laughed at Kyanoko’s expression, “This isn’t it. Give it another fifteen minutes or so. I promise this is worth it.”

Kyanoko rolled her eyes and huffed. She found some amusement in the way that her breath escaped and rolled like smoke in the air. Sitting up, Kyanoko figured she might as well try to practice her fire magic. Instead of starting with the hands like she usually did, she decided to focus on her mouth. 

She breathed deeply, focusing on the way that the air stung her nose. She exhaled, imagining blowing out the chills in her body. She inhaled a deep breath of fresh night air. She held her breath, allowing the air to fill her lungs. Another sharp inhale to fully expand her lungs. And a slow release. She watched as her breath steamed into the air. She imagined herself as a dragon, blowing smoke.

Slowly, she felt her lips begin to warm. The steam turned to smoke. And, much to her pleasant surprise, embers danced along from the night sky. Kyanoko repressed her excitement and fear. The fire has reacted to her emotions before, and she didn’t want to catch her sled or Hedda’s coat aflame.

After Kyanoko exhaled fully, she felt warmer. Not warm enough to remove the coat, but nice enough to leave her hands and face exposed. Kyanoko climbed out of the sled and joined Hedda on the rock the human perched herself off. They were overlooking a vast frozen lake with several crystals breaching the surface. 

“It is nice,” Kyanoko admitted. “Maybe I should learn to appreciate the little things.”

“Nice sentiment, but you haven’t seen anything yet.” Hedda laughed and passed Kyanoko a glass bottle. Kyanoko sniffed it before taking a swig. It was sweet, very sweet. She knew what it was immediately, but something tasted different.

“Mead?” Kyanoko asked.

“Apple cyser,” Hedda corrected. “Warms you right up, eh?”

Kyanoko nodded in agreement and passed the bottle back. Her tummy and ears warmed as the alcohol passed through her system. Hedda took a large glug and tucked the bottle into her belt. Before long, Hedda grabbed Kyanoko around the shoulders and pointed excitedly out into the lake. 

It was hard to see what the human was so excited about at first. But quickly, colorful light spilled across the lake like ink. The lights rushed, enveloping her and the human as they ran past. Kyanoko released a breath she didn’t realize that she was holding.

“What… what is this?”

“Terra Borealis. It’s just like the Northern lights, just on the ground.” Hedda explained, releasing her arm from Kyanoko.

“Nothern lights?” Kyanoko asked, finally looking at the human for the first time the light show started.

“Aurora Borealis?” Hedda used a different phrase, but Kyanoko still felt lost. “You’ve never seen anything like this before?”

Kyanoko shook her head. There was a look on Hedda’s face. Kyanoko didn’t know how to describe it- something of a mixture of pride and pity. But something about it made Kyanoko’s heart flutter. The lighting made the human look so pretty. The tanuki never found humans attractive- they were too weird. But Hedda was growing on her in a way she wasn’t prepared for.

“Come on.” Hedda directed, standing up and holding her hands out to Kyanoko. The tanuki accepted the human’s help and was pulled to her feet. Still holding her hand, Hedda led Kyanoko to the middle of the lake. Kyanoko was slow at first, she didn’t trust the lake to hold, but Hedda assured her the lake might as well have been frozen solid. She didn’t know why she trusted Hedda, but she did.

Eventually, Kyanoko felt comfortable enough to do what she wanted to do. She ran around, chasing the lights while Hedda laughed. The human joined in, too, turning into a bear and allowing Kyanoko to ride on her back. The two enjoyed themselves in a way they probably haven’t since they were little girls.

Dawn would break several hours later, dispersing the light show that the women were enjoying. But they didn’t mourn the loss. They were already asleep in the snow. Hedda, still in bear form, was on her back. Kyanoko was resting on Hedda’s belly, with her large arms wrapped around the tanuki.