Sunflower: [Crystal Rain]


Nature's Cradle, Crystal Rain

A small blue and orange bird gracefully glides, high above a lush green forest, wings spread out wide with the warm summer air flowing around its delicate wings. He gives off a slight shine from the grand sun reflecting off its sleek blue wing-feathers. The bird carefully scans the treetops below, appearing like a near solid green barrier that separates the forest environment from the open skies. Eventually spotting a small opening in the canopy, the bird makes a slight adjustment to line himself up with the hole before steadily descending, holding those delicate wings out wide to ease his approach. Then just as he makes it over this opening, he tucks his wings and dives through the canopy.

Breaking into the forest at high speeds, the nimble bird engages in a fast pace aerobatic dance, zipping between and around the seemingly endless tall trees with expert precision. Making split second calculations and decisions to cut left or right, avoiding the countless obstacles that make up the natural forest environment. Yet despite the ever-present danger of a high-speed collision, the determined bird continues to energetically flap his wings, making no effort to slow down. Soon finding himself speeding towards a tight collection of trees, he spreads his wings out wide and rolls into a steep right bank, immediately flapping his wings hard with an explosive burst of energy to pull a sharp turn around a wide tree trunk, avoiding the cluster. Zipping around, he makes a half-barrel roll that flips him upside down and into a steep left bank as the nimble bird flaps his wings hard again, urgently adjusting his flightpath that now has him speeding towards a dense collection of leaves. Pulling through the sharp turn, he manages to avoid grazing these leaves by a mere foot. But the forest’s relentless obstacles cut him no slack, for he now finds himself rapidly approaching a dense mesh of branches and leaves from two massive oaks standing close to each other.

This mesh formed what looked like a solid wall, too tall and too wide to avoid with his speed. However, the bird's razor-sharp focus allows him to spot an extremely narrow gap towards the lower section in virtually no time. A slit that didn’t even look wide enough for him to fit through, but it appears to be his only option. With no time to waste, he makes a surgically precise adjustment before tucking his wings and dives toward the gap. Darting through the air like a speeding bullet, it only takes mere seconds to travel the distance towards the gap. The bird holds its small body perfectly still, remaining calm as there was absolutely no time to break away or make any further adjustments. Just as he approaches the entrance, time slows to a near dead stop. Particles floating through the air become clearly visible in his vision as the leaf and branch walls of this gap appear to him like sharp teeth, seeming to narrow as he gets closer. Yet he remains calm, despite knowing that with his high speed, the very grazing of one side would cause severe damage if not tear his wing clean off. Or cause him to tumble and slam against both sides, or kill him on impact, or...the possibilities were terrifying and numerous, but none of this shook the bird's calm flowing spirit. Time still moving at a snail's pace, he passes through the entrance with less than a centimeter of space on both sides. The journey through this slit only lasts a few seconds but it feels like an eternity passes before emerging from the other side unscathed.

Back out into the open air, he spreads his wings out wide again to bleed off speed and maintains a steady glide towards the forest floor. After his quick series of stunts and tight, high-speed maneuvers, a feeling of fatigue had built up in his wings. The bird decides that now would be as good a time as any to take a break, beginning a search for a suitable resting spot. With the numerous low hanging branches around, it only takes a short while before coming across just what he was looking for. Approaching a rather narrow branch, the bird rapidly beats its wings and extends his feet, slowing himself before easing in for a graceful landing that barely causes the branch to move.

The blue and orange bird sits idle on the branch for a few moments to rest, head darting in all directions, attempting to take in his surroundings. Everything seems fine for a little while, but before he can settle himself, a soft tapping sound from behind grabs his attention. The bird quickly turns, snapping its head back to the direction of the sound, but finds nothing that seems out of the ordinary. His head tilts to the right in confusion before seeing a drop of what looks like water fall from above. Crashing onto an exposed root on the forest floor, the drop produces the same tapping sound that he’d heard seconds ago. Poking his head forward at the root and tilting his head to the left, the puzzled bird stares at this spot when two more drops of water smack against the root. With yet another drop soon crashing against the root, the bird's head darts up towards the sky, expecting to see rain clouds rolling in. But is even more confused because there’s nothing more than the beaming sunlight shining through holes in the canopy. How could there be rain? There weren’t any clouds above now, and there certainly weren’t any when flying above not too long ago. His head continues to dart back and forward, looking from one spot to another in the upper portion of the trees, trying to determine the source of the drops, but the light shining down made it difficult to make out anything above. Just then another two drops fall, followed by another single.

Curious about the source of these drops, he flaps his wings and leaps off the branch, launching upwards. After a quick, vertical flight up the tall tree’s trunk, the bird lands on a much higher branch and immediately investigated the area. It doesn’t take long to notice something clearly out-of-place as he’s caught off guard, hopping back a little at the sight of a lion resting on his stomach against a branch, sporting a pair of red shorts and clutching something close to its neck. The upper half of the lion’s body bathing in a stream of beaming sunlight piercing the canopy. Its head gently cradled by a golden mane that gives off a slight shine, reflecting some of the light while it softly flows in the forest breeze. For a few moments the bird stares mesmerized at the sight, very much curious about what this lion was doing. He continues to tilt its head, observing until he’s caught off guard again, hopping back a bit on his branch as he reacts to the lion’s upper body slightly jolting. The bird tenses up and cautiously watches the lion for a few more moments, not knowing what to expect from the large creature, but nothing significant happens. It just lays there with a slightly noticeable rise and fall of its chest. It’s then that he notices two drops of what appears to be water, fall from just under where the lion’s head rested. Quickly concluding that the lion in front of him is the source of the drops from before, the bird hops from his branch into a gentle glide towards the much larger creature. Soon batting his wings again, he eases in gracefully for a soft landing on the lion's lower back.

The feline's ears twitch a few times, chest continuing to slowly rise and fall, but otherwise he didn’t move. The bird now carefully observes the lion for a short while from head to the tip of its swaying tail, wings at the ready to fly away at a moment's notice, but still the lion doesn’t budge. He wasn’t sure if the lion knew he was there despite him standing on its back, but he doesn’t detect much of a threat from the resting feline, so he tucks his wings and settles down. Suddenly he feels another slight jolt, followed by what sounded like a loud sniff. The bird tenses up in response, but quickly settles himself back down, waiting a few seconds before he cautiously takes steps towards the lion’s head. Those golden fluffy ears with a touch of blue around the edges, twitch a few more times to his small steps. Reaching the lion's upper back, the bird stops and begins to relax in the warming rays of sunshine that are pouring over this creature's golden fur. The lion’s body slightly jolts a few times again, but the bird remains calmly in place. Now up close, he notices that the feline's breathing rhythm is rather...off, something difficult to see at distance, but easy to detect standing right over its upper back. Each exhale and inhale seems to be stuttered, even forced with abrupt pauses, unlike the gentle flowing rhythm of a mammal's breathing patterns. The bird also feels occasional soft vibrations through his feet, accompanied by a faint purring sound and sometimes a slight hum. After a good while of resting here, the bird takes another step forward before pecking at the lion's back. The lion's ears twitch again, its body tensing up with a soft whining sound, but only for a few seconds as the large creature's body jolts again with another loud yet stuttered sniffing sound. The bird sits down, starting to rest himself again while he scans his surroundings, observing the environment for a few minutes until his attention is drawn to something in the lion's grasp. An arrowhead of what appears to be sapphire gleaming in the sunlight. The arrowhead's pretty blue shine delights the bird, causing him to quickly stand again, letting off a few excited chirps right next to the lion’s ear.

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Dexter’s ears twitch in response to a nearby chirping sound, his teary amber eyes beginning to open slightly to the peaceful forest. He lets out a deep stuttered exhale, pulling his arms closer towards his chest, gripping his arrowhead necklace even tighter as more warm tears flow down his cheeks. For a short moment, he stares off into the distance, floating particles glowing in the sunlight becoming increasingly visible while they drift through his blurry vision. Suddenly hearing the bird start chirping again, he opens his eyes wider and relaxes his grip on the arrowhead. The gem slips from his loosened paw, bouncing off the branch before dropping off the side, only to dangle from the branch as it hangs from the string around Dexter's neck. A few more gentle purrs vibrate his chest before he cautiously shifts to his side, trying not to disturb the bird resting on his back. But sensing these movements, the bird leaps up and flies just a few feet down the branch. Dexter stops his movement and carefully looks back, disappointed in himself at first, feeling the bird disappear from his back. But is relieved to find that the bird hadn’t flown away altogether. He wipes his eyes then slowly sits up, adjusting himself to straddle the large branch and face the bird.

Dexter remains still for a moment, staring at the bird who in turn stares back at him, both under the warming sunrays shining from above. He sat completely mesmerized by this avian, for despite its small size, Dexter could sense a vibrant free-flowing spirit within. That sense further amplified by a slight glow from the beaming sunlight radiating off its blue and orange feathers. Suddenly Dexter's eyes widen to all of this as a spark is felt deep inside. This spark resonates within him, beginning to grow before he slowly shuts his eyes and lifts his head towards the sunlight shining through the canopy, steadily inhaling the refreshing scent of the surrounding forest. The scene before him triggers a soothing sensation that rushes throughout his body as a memory he held close to his heart comes into full focus, of a bright lively spirit he'd experienced for a time before. A spirit like no other that filled his heart with a warming, comforting, and joyous sensation. A relaxed purr vibrates Dexter's chest as it felt to him like the skies had opened up, showering him with a unique and indescribable warmth that washes away his sorrows, relaxes his soul, and heals his fractured spirit. Immersed in his joyous state, he sits still while purrs continue to emanate from his chest. But this wondrous feeling lasts for no more than a short time as his own spirit eagerly and happily reaches out, only to grasp at a chilling emptiness. Dexter's eyes remain shut while he lowers his head with ears drooping, pathetically gripping at the branch with his claws, weakened by a numbness overpowering his arms. The once soothing purrs in his chest replaced by the heavy pounding of his heart. The feeling of that special soothing warmth now gone just as fast as it had come. Although this particular experience was a lot more vivid, he was all too familiar with this build up and sudden collapse. Like a warming breeze brought on by wonderful memories, quickly followed by the chilling rains of his reality. A sudden powerful spark at the slightest hope that he may one day embrace, comfort, and devote all of his strength to protect the soul that once calmed and brought so much joy to his own, only to face a swift reminder that no matter how much he wanted to, this remained far out of his reach. No matter how tough his shell, that allowed his once roaring spirit to withstand some of the fiercest storms, this razor-sharp sense of helplessness always found a way penetrate and strike at his insides with relative ease. No matter how many times, or how confident he was trying to go toe-to-toe with this lingering emptiness, his own loving heart would always bring him to his knees and expose the softest side of his soul, before he even had a chance to defend himself. Leaving him wide open for a powerful shot that brought him loss after loss.

Dexter slowly opens his eyes back to the bird who's still staring back at him, head tilting a few times. Softly rubbing an arm across his face to wipe away more tears that had begun to well up again, he forces a difficult, shallow breath against the sensation of an immense weight pressing hard on his chest. He then looks to his left, then to his right to observe his surroundings before looking back to the bird. His vision begins to blur while his thoughts raced, staring straight through the bird as his mind starts to sink under the cooling waves of sorrow that had gripped at him for quite some time. But this all quickly evaporates as a few chirps strike through the illusion, his gaze returning to the slightly glowing bird. The energetic avian makes a quick hop into the air and flaps his wings twice before chirping again. Dexter wasn't sure what its intentions were, but he could feel a glimmer of amusement inside, wanting to smile despite his lack of emotional energy to do so. A few more seconds pass along with a few more chirps and tweets before Dexter gently reaches forward, his paw slightly trembling from a numbness as he rests it on the branch in front of the bird. To his surprise, the delicate bird wastes no time in hopping onto his palm and sits, still calmly staring at him. The trembling fades in his paw while he takes slow relaxing breaths. Dexter was quite intrigued by this bird who he'd expected to fly off a while ago, but here it remains in his presence, untroubled by the massive size difference between the two. He pulls his paw with the bird resting on it back to himself at about chest height, then softly rubs its head with his other paw.

Closing his eyes once again, he takes a moment to clear his mind and embrace the tranquility of nature. He only now just realizes how much he'd tuned out the surrounding forest as a chorus of avians chirping and singing rings out from many different directions, tickling his fluffy, perked up ears. The rays of sunshine that showered over his golden fur seemed to intensify with a warmth penetrating deeper inside of him, causing every muscle to relax. The gentle forest breeze that rattles the ocean of leaves, flows through and massages every fur within his mane, triggering a deep exhale as the weight tugging at his troubled mind partially evaporates into the wind. He follows this exhale with a long slow breath that graces his blue nostrils with the fresh scent of a wide variety of flora, mixed in the slightly humid forest air. Although sitting relatively still with the delicate bird nestled in his palm, it feels like he's leaning back into the cozy, loving embrace of Mother Nature's elements, all existing in perfect harmony. This state of peace and ease brings about an immense comfort that resonates within him. Not only from the soothing blanket of his serene surroundings, but also from a thought that caressed his mind; that this gentle soul he cared so much about was out there, somewhere spreading a warmth on this earth greater than what he was feeling now. A thought that needed to stay with him always, for he knew deep down that as long as the sun shines, that bright spirit would always do the same. Something he could always take solace in no matter what dark clouds he may encounter that tries to cast a shadow over his
heart or his judgement. A brightness that’s mere existence could ease any emptiness he felt and spark him to press through anything.

It's at this moment that a strong gust of wind rolls through this section of forest. The steady rustling of the leaves grows to a roar as the brisk wind churns in and around the numerous tall trees. Sensing the oncoming wind, Dexter leans forward and cradles the bird in both his paws to protect it from getting blown away, gently motioning a thumb to continue massaging the delicate avian. But this sudden gust only lasts a short while, the roaring of leaves returning to a steady rustle. Dexter begins to softly purr, but abruptly stops at the sound of the bird tweeting in his slowly opening palms. He ceases stroking the bird and slowly opens his eyes, wiping them again before glancing down at the avian. It quickly stands and chirps rhythmically, looking off into the forest for a moment before it's head darts back to Dexter, the chirps stopping again. Tilting its head, the bird lets out two excited chirps, fluttering its wings a few times before turning to face the opening in the canopy. It takes a few steps towards the edge of Dexter's paws and flaps its wings again.

Slow and steady breaths flow through Dexter's blue nostrils as he stares at the bird for a moment. A numbness spreading throughout his body from a refreshing calmness clashing with a heavy heart of many different emotions. Pushing out a deep exhale to alleviate this feeling and gather some of his strength, he gently extends his arms, lifting the bird towards the opening where rays of brilliant life-giving sunshine poured into the forest. With Dexter's arms fully extended, the bird spreads its wings and takes a step forward. After another step forward, the bird powerfully flaps its wings and lifts away from the lion's gentle paws, taking flight as it chirps happily. Dexter watches the nimble, free-spirited bird continuously flap those sleek wings while climbing higher, passing through the hole in the canopy and soaring off into the spectacular sunny skies. It doesn't take long for the distinct sound of its eager chirps to mesh into the chorus of numerous other birds in the forest. With the bird fading into his vision that's becoming increasingly blurry again, Dexter retracts his extended arms. He then presses both paws firmly over the sapphire arrowhead of his necklace against his chest, feeling every heartbeat through the gem. A gentle smile forms on Dexter’s muzzle as he softly whispers four words. Four words that warm his heart and gives it a slight flutter, as a tear slowly rolls down his cheek and drops to the forest floor below...

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Phenomenal illustration done by artist  lunalei Original artist post here: [Nature's Cradle]

I'm immensely impressed with how great this came out, along with its atmosphere. The beaming sun rays shining on Dexter inspiring a sense of comfort and warmth, combining with the peaceful vibe of the forest that embraces a lion’s strained heart. Like giving a place to rest and feel at ease for a while, letting the mind sail through the tree tops effortlessly, taking a break from the occasional struggles. Also, can’t forget about the delicate bird. Readers can get a good sense of the massive size difference, which helps show the softer side of our adventurous lion, as he wants all to feel safe in his presence.

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Despite his own internal battle, Dexter is and always will be a gentle soul that welcomes all. Striving to provide comfort and joy to others, even while he patiently waits for the receding tide of his own roaring spirit to turn, so it can take to the skies once again. This piece supports the short-story so well, and in turn the short-story does the same for this illustration, and though I’m not much of a writer (don’t want to be one), I must say it’s been one heck of an experience creating the accompanying little story. Quite a few times all I’ve wanted to do is scrub the entire day and just go home to relax in bed at night, so I could work on or tweak this story a little more. Heheh there sure as heck were many many heavy-hearted and sleepless nights working on different sections, not caring that I needed to be up super early...heck come to think of it, spent a good two hours on a few sentences alone one time x3 Emotions can at times be rather...sharp and burn to the touch, but I could never just toss them. Willingly ignored how much it hurt at times to dwell on these feelings, so I could figure out the best way possible to fit them in here and there. Obviously being careful to tame and manage the heaviest sides of those emotions so I don't completely redirect the focus. Still the story just kept on growing and growing, right along with the ups and many downs of the past few months. But despite the roller coaster of emotions creating this, and the many many hours of lost sleep, I can confidently say that it was more than worth it. Was quite comforting to take feelings on any given night and work on a specific part of the story, which is why there are probably a fair amount of abrupt tone changes...

Anyways, it was just about the time that I drew this story to a close. Heh wanted to hold on for one more week and keep building it, even if it’s to add one more sentence or fine tune the wording just a little more. But alas I can't work on it forever and had to push the darned thing eventually. Although I'm not at all afraid to admit that I'm quite saddened finishing this.

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I hope for sure that anyone who's made it this far through my little story enjoyed it and wish you all an absolutely fantastic week ahead of ya...heck the rest of the year for that matter. Wherever you might be out there bright friend, I just want you to know that I care about you tremendously and I always will. I can never say enough how much your friendship means to me, and what a shining treasure you’ve been along my own path through life. Despite as brief a time as it was getting to know each other, your unforgettable kindness, high-flying spirit, and bright personality has forced an unbelievable change to my own perception of what it really means to be Roarin and Soarin.

Of course, I'll always remain hopeful that I'll one day hear from ya. From the spirit that's nothing short of a fierce wind that lifted my own spirit to new heights with your positive outlook and warming brightness. But I'll be even more hopeful that you live a fulfilling life and realize your ultimate happiness, whatever your definition of that may be, it’s something truly spectacular I’m sure. I wish so much that I was there beside you, so I could devote all of my strength to you and do whatever it takes to support you in the pursuit of your dreams and happiness, even though I know your determined soul could reach them without me; but still if only to make your path a little easier. I truly meant every supporting word I’ve ever given to you from the bottom of my heart, and hope they stay with you always.

I just...just.. really hope everything’s ok with ya out there. I...feel deep down that in some way I’ve failed you epically, can't exactly say what. But my heart burns at the very possibility alone, and it feels like it's one of my top five or so greatest failures or letdowns...and am just having enormous difficulty forgiving myself. And I really am sorry...

But in pressing forward, I'll always be looking upon the shining stars and wishing you the absolute best, as I wholeheartedly believe you deserve nothing short of it. Go forth and do marvelous things bright friend! May your travels lead you through the most vibrant cities, beautiful forests, grandest oceans, or to the highest mountains. Wherever you may go friend, let the sun shine bright on your own bright soul forever!



Dexter belongs to me DexterLion Accompanying writing too also at [@DexChillViber]