A Lone Autumn's Day
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The sky shone a brilliant blue overhead, dotted with clouds and birds flying south for the coming winter. The breeze whistled through the remaining leaves on the trees, causing their colors to swirl and dance in the crisp air. Remnants of summer lingered in the corners and vales of the land, clinging to the earth with a forlorn hope that was almost exhausted. The false sun burned radiant overhead, giving the illusion of warmth without any real heat.
Dying flowers added splashes of color to the dying grass around the edges of the lakes and banks of the ponds; their crystal waters chuckled and babbled to themselves as they churned over smooth stones and waving green aqua plants. Fish darted in and out amongst the sunbeams, their scales glittering briefly before disappearing once more.
A lithe form wove in and out between tall, mighty trees; it ran with the deer and leaped with the rabbits. At times, it even seemed to soar with the birds above. The small frame clothed in black was easily distinguishable against the overly vibrant colors of fall, a lone shadow in the midst of dazzling sunlight that seemed to wash the entire land in gold.
Chest heaving, and muscles spasming, the short demon lept once more and alighted upon the top branches of a particularly large elm. Wrapping one small hand around the solidness of wood and bark, his ruby eyes stared out over the golden meadows and forests. They followed the paths of leaves as they whirled in miniature cyclones over the already leaf-covered forest floor. They took in the sight of the river's gleaming waters with interest and noted the path of a rather loud flock of geese overhead.
Those eyes seemed to take in everything at once, appearing to look in every direction without shifting. The hues of some of the leaves were mirrored perfectly in their fiery depths; if one looked close enough one could almost see a tiny ember glowing in each eye, viewed as if from a far-off distance, yet still burning bright with an unquenchable flame.
The white headband that covered his forehead swept black bangs out of those blazing irises, right above it a starburst splayed out across the front of his long, spiky hair, creating a sharp contrast to the ebony strands. Running the fingers of one slender hand through the smooth locks, the fire demon watched as a herd of deer stole their way through the clearing below.
They moved quietly enough; if it hadn't been for the piles of leaves at their feet, they would have passed as silently as the shadows of the night. A young buck walked in front, neck arched proudly above a muscular body, tensed to spring at the slightest sound. His does followed him, slightly less apprehensive then he; their bodies ambled along slowly with a clumsy sort of ease and none of the grace that their leader showed.
A loud, strident cry echoed above and the small form felt the brush of wingtips against one bare shoulder. Starting slightly, his eyes swept upwards as the deer scattered; an eagle wheeled overhead, sharp eyes picking out anything that moved below, targeting each creature and weighing its worth. Wings outspread, he gave another loud cry, startling a bunch of rabbits out from underneath the cover of a pile of dead leaves. The wind swept by at that precise moment and further destroyed their cover.
This time, the call seemed to ooze scorn and the demon could have almost sworn he saw a smirk curve the edges of the large bird's beak. Within moments the smallest rabbit had been snatched up in the crushing grip of the bird of prey, the small form's sharp eyes picked out the droplets of blood that fell towards the ground and spattered themselves over the browned leaves.
Turning away, he did not let any trace of regret or pity show on his face; that was life. You were either the hunter or the prey. That was just the way things went. If you were not strong enough to survive, you became food to fuel those that were strong enough, then were returned to the earth that gave you life. It was a never-ending circle that gave the short demon a sense of unyielding calm; he knew that at least this one thing would never change in his lifetime and it gave him comfort.
So with a tiny smirk adopted from the hunting eagle, Hiei bounded off along the treetops once more, this time he did not focus on the ground below, but stared up at the dazzling skies above. Colors streaked across the wide expanse as the sun sank leisurely below the horizon; the clouds turned scarlet and purple as the hills below were stained orange and pink.
His smirk slowly changed to an almost rapt smile. He knew his future lay ahead of him, wide and open just like this awe-inspiring heaven above; he could do anything, even soar with the eagles. There were thousands of possibilities and he knew that each of his dreams and wishes survived within this realm of reality and potential.
The sky was the limit.
Author's Note: A short, one-shot, PWP that I wrote one day when I was bored and had nothing better to do. Not one of my better works, that's for sure. >.<
