[private] consider how to find a place to stand | nashua

[Gale]

Gale this is going to break me clean in two -- this is going to bring me close to you In the brush and grasses of the meadow, the dawn birds begin to sing. The sky is a deep gray, and to the east there is a glow even fainter than that of the brindle stripes of the sleeping stallion, the smallest sign of the coming dawn. Gale wakes with a start, taking in sharp breath of cold air that stings his lungs. His blue eyes are wide, taking in the world around him. He does not recognize this meadow at all. He cannot recall arriving here at all. His last memory is falling asleep in Hyaline, wrapped around Mazikeen and the twins that grow within her. Rather than allow the panic to overwhelm him, Gale focuses his eyes. He will find out where he is, and he will go from there. To the east he smells fresh water, and to the west and north stretch a large forest that is thick with both ever and silvergreens. So those hills to the south must be Loess, Gale decides. He’s only ever flown over this place, and it looks remarkably different from the ground. Mostly it looks dark, but as Gale fills his belly on the autumn-dried grasses, the sky brightens and the sun rises slowly above the peaks of Hyaline. It is a beautiful sight, Gale thinks, enjoying this accidental return to himself for however long it lasts. @[Nashua]