stuffbydelle

"I think I'm finally ready." Rinku sat on the small pile of pebbles he'd accumulated, one for each day since his sprouting. He was bigger now, though still small for an arborling. Gone was his downy baby fuzz, replaced by the sleek fur of a young adult, bolder in color, and dappled with golden yellow markings and deeper violet spots. Holding a silver ring banded in turquoise between his paws, he nodded, shifting to his feet. Rinku tucked away his favored treasure, regarding the makeshft cairn with equal parts gratitude and mourning. His mother plant had withered with the seasons, as is the cycle of all green and growing things, and he took its passing as a sign that he should go. Raising his muzzle to the crisp winter air, the arborling gave a series of sniffs, following the trail until he found his quarry: a piece of quartz embedded in a stone, turned up by a raven who had scavenged in the field recently for any unused seeds. Grasping the pebble, he strode back to the pebbles