Sunrise Within

You've come such a long way, overcoming quite a bit that at one point seemed impossible. Putting so many obstacles behind you, that all only get further and further away as you continue forward with each and every step, each and every day. Yet despite the vast distances traveled already, the multitude of experiences had thus far....you still have such a long way to go, with much to learn and so much further to grow on the inside Dexter. There are many arduous days ahead, mistakes to be made, wrong turns you'll accidentally take, etc.; that will each result in varying degrees of hurting, stress, and/or emotional strain. But it’s all a necessary part of the learning process. Helping shape who you are on the inside as you find ways to
recover and navigate these tough waters. Ultimately strengthening as you manage and resist the gravity of these negative events; all the while fine tuning your judgement as slowly but surely, your wisdom sharpens.

Keep on climbing Dexter! So far nothing has ever been able to truly stop your progress forward. Despite the many times you felt like you’d never make it through something, whatever those somethings were, you managed to find a way around eventually. There is only one thing, only one person with the power to truly stop you; and that’s you yourself mighty lion. That ultimate power and control of your life belongs to you and you alone; whether you continue pursuing your dreams and how you go about doing so, or if you decide to bow out and abandon those pursuits thinking an obstacle is too tough and not worth it. But your fiery, determined spirit knows that nothing worthwhile is ever easy, and that you'll have to keep pressing forward despite whatever life decides to throw at you. So never give up, and take pride in the journey ahead that has your own unique flavor of difficulty, just as everyone else endures their own specific flavors of difficulty. Always willing to go toe-to-toe with whatever may happen to stand in your way, determined to rise above no matter what.

BUT through it all Dexter, as you keep on growing and progressing forward, DO NOT forget to marvel at the beauty of the world around you and all it has to offer; nor forget that there are others who share this world with you. They each may have their own paths to travel with a very different range of destinations, but they can potentially have just as much a profound impact on your journey, as you can on theirs; both pawsitive and negative. Some of those impacts obvious, while others are very much hidden, and you may never realize the effects you've had on someone else's life. So be mindful of your interactions with others and don't underestimate the effects of those impacts, because even the smallest acts or words can tremendously brighten another's day, or very well leave lasting scars on those you care about due to carelessness.

The joys, smiles and the happiness of others are something you cherish deeply, and are very important to you. Never seeking to cause harm in any way, but rather striving to comfort others, inspire others, sharing in the laughs and sorrows of others as we help each other along. A lifelong endeavor that is your sunshine, that will forever make you smile. But this is still another area among many that you must improve tremendously Dexter, something to look forward to with each day as you cross paths with others of all sorts. Always searching for ways to uplift others, as others have done for you at various points of your life.

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Take a deep breath Dexter, embrace the fresh mountain air that drifts around you atop this grand peak. Allowing the pure chilled air to reach your lungs and revitalize you. The lion stands as still as a statue, gazing at that distant horizon with its magical glow that only gets brighter as the sun rise nears. The seconds that tick away seem to last an eternity, focused eyes narrowing in anticipation of what was to come. An event that happens once every day, yet each one unique and special to him in a way he couldn't describe. Then suddenly, Dexter's eyes widen just a little as a bright spec of light appears at the very center of that magical horizon.

Dexter shoves out a long deep exhale, visible from the condensation created by his warm breath colliding with the chilled, brisk air. He keeps watching the bright spec that gradually grows in size and intensity for a few more seconds, before lowering his head some, just as he draws in the deepest breath yet. His eyes drift shut, and for a few moments he contemplates all that he reflected on; what he stands for, where he came from, what he's overcome, where he is now, and the tremendous journey still ahead. This sparks a rush of adrenaline, a smile growing on his muzzle as the lion concentrates hard to control the energetic and exciting burst within. He then extends his right arm out as far as he can to his side, out into the free flowing mountain breeze, then gestures his paw as if he gripped something...yet his paw was empty. Dexter clenches his teeth tightly, a low growl vibrating his chest while he maintains that smile, holding his immense focus. Then suddenly, the space within his cupped paw ignites with a bright blue flash, that quickly expands and lengthens into his signature sword of pure, blazing blue flames.

Dexter once again stands as still as a statue, with a barely noticeable rise and fall to his chest for a few moments, until he shoves out a deep exhale. This time visible from a short burst of blue flames that flare from his nose, quickly dissipating before him. He then lowers the sword to his side, with a quick twirl of his fingers to rotate the sword into a reverse grip within his paw; just as he slowly raises his head, opening those amber gems of eyes to the stunning terrain before him.

By now his smile has faded despite the adrenaline still flowing within him, fueling the fire sword that blazes beside him. He just stands here while he gazed at the horizon to think for a few more minutes, while that grand ball of life giving light makes its way further above the horizon. "It's time" Dexter says in a low voice, before leaning his head back and opening his maw wide to allow a thunderous roar to erupt into the atmosphere. A booming roar that rattles the mountain ambience for miles around. Dexter found it a bit difficult to tame his racing heart, for he knew the time for reflection was now over, and it's time to step back out onto the path once again with its many twists, turns and hurdles. His determination and motivation had certainly sparked, but now it's time to purrform, to really put his will to the test once again. With that, Dexter takes one step forward, then another, his heart racing as he began the descent down the mountain, towards that beautiful horizon. "Bring it" Dexter said with that determined look, his smile returning; the sword pulsing brighter as he grips his sword tightly in anticipation of the trials ahead.

No matter what happens Dexter, you have to keep moving towards that horizon. Remember what's important to you, what you know is the right thing to do, what you stand for, and to find a way to spark your flames when you feel you're approaching your limits...

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This truly epic, stunning commission done by the legendary  Jocarra Original artist post here: [Warrior] I've always had some anxiousness about commissioning artists that have a more realistic style, not really sure how Dexter would come out, but my gosh Jocarra did such a magnificent job here with Dexter. Can't say enough how much I love the detail with Dexy, really giving him the look of a mighty warrior lion. And that's not all. The mountain top environment with the sun shining goes far beyond what I originally envisioned. Jocarra truly is a legendary, talented artist that deserves a lot of praise.

Now what's this writing...story...thingy or whatever the heck, all about? Well over the past few nights I've been doing a lot of self-reflection. Thinking of where I am on this wild roller coaster and where I think it's going. And truth is, I've no flipping idea where it's going x3 I don't think anyone really fully KNOWS. But I do know the general area that I want it to go, and that I want to keep fighting to steer it in the direction of my own "horizon"; as gracefully as pawsible around the obstacles that appear before me. But I know looking back, there were times I've managed to get lost, more than once. Forgetting not only where I want to go, but forgetting who I was and what I stood for, what I strive to do. Finding myself in some scary places at that. And as a human (lion) who makes mistakes and who isn't purrfect, it's bound to happen again. Finding myself lost in a deep, dense forest of stress, emotional strain and life difficulty; coming out alive ofc, but not on the same path as I was going in. Now I'll NEVER EVER end up as lost as I was nearly four years ago, well before I joined the fandom, during a particularly dark stretch when I came very close to ending my own life; a time I'm far beyond thankfully. But I know things can happen in life that have enough force to knock even the strongest willed individuals off their paths. And TRUST ME, I believe 1000% that we must be there for one another to help each other through, and ease the pressures of life as much as pawsible. And I absolutely deeply appreciate the encouraging words of my cherished friends. BUT I still bear ultimate control and responsibility of my own life, and only I am fully aware of what I stand for. So that's where this comes in to play, something to come back to when life is taking the inevitable temporary down turn, as we all experience from time to time. Something that can give me that extra push when the road seems a little too steep, or redirect me if I'm heading too far off course...

I really hope this didn't get too gloomy or whatever x3 Please don't take away anything negative from this. This is an encouraging note to my future self that hopefully I'll never have to use :3 Everyone else reading this, just know that I love and care about y'all tons, and there are plenty of fun adventures to look forward to with Dexter! I have LOTS >:3


Oh last thing...if you've ever wondered why I have the text formatted in a column with longer pieces of writing. I just purrfur not to read all the way across my laptop's wide screen. This just makes it easier for me to read and hopefully for you too x3 ...FA why you no have better system for this ;-;

Mighty warrior fluffhead belongs to me  DexterLion, accompanying writing too! also at [@DexChillViber]