[1515 WORDS]
Anxiety stilled the breath in her lungs. Her heart beat like a drum, pain flooding her system with a rush of emotion that could only be deep dread. Above her head, the sky darkened from the radiant blue it had been to a strange deep blue-black that reminded her of nighttime. But it was far from being time for the night. It was barely midday!
Aurora could not believe what she was seeing. The sun - the brightest thing in the sky - was disappearing, a dark orb of pitch taking its place. How could this be real? Was she dreaming? A nightmare? Had she eaten something that had thrown her for an utter loop? She had so many questions!
Pawing at the earth below her hooves, she lowered her head but found it incredibly hard to pull her eyes from the sight above. But a warning sprang into her mind, passed from grandmare to foal. Don't look at the light of darkness. Don't look at the black sun, for it would steal your sight.
Could it be true? Again Aurora felt the sharp bitterness of fear flood through her. It left her feeling weak. But what if the light did not return? What would happen then? What of the greenery?
"This can't last..." She whispered, afraid to speak loudly in the prevailing silence. She knew she was terrified, blinding her to the reality of the situation and the seconds and minutes that ticked away within the darkened sun's rays. She ached for the sun's warmth to shine upon her, even if, on most days, it felt like it would roast her alive in her skin. Such as it was, she was as dark as pitch. The first thing she knew she would have to do was to calm herself. Then what? What was the next course of action? Aurora frowned, unsure. "Do I wish upon a star?" This whole situation left her very perplexed. Thinking back to when she was a foal, she had vague recollections of her grandmare telling her stories and singing her songs of the darkened daylight. She remembered the tales of the midnight sun, where the sun never entirely held full strength over the lands there. No, this felt different. Aurora paced, thinking hard, trying to recall the tales.
A small voice pulled her awareness to the present. "Mother? What is happening?" Moonsong stepped toward her mother; her whole being mirrored Aurora's anxious being. "Hush, love. Breathe deeply. I don't think we're in danger... But don't look at it. I fear our sight to be stolen gazing upon it for too long." Moonsong averted her eyes from the skies at the comment, exuding concern. Like her mother, parts of her glowed luminescent. She was not afraid of the dark but instead of the unknown. "Do you fear it, mother?" Moonsong whispered.
Aurora quirked a brow and stared at her eldest child. "What is there to fear?" Aurora asked in return. "The sun has only been eaten." A drop of sarcasm colored her voice before she smiled once more. "Do you think it's been eaten?" Moonsong looked up briefly at the dark patch of sky. It seemed so threatening, but perhaps it was the not knowing part that made her body scream at her to run and hide—the unknown.
She could see others everywhere around the valley area her family had called home recently, huddled together, soaked in fear. She heard outright cries of frantic prayer, sobbing, and the occasional outburst of anger and rage. Emotions were running rampant, as if the swallowed sun had flipped a switch, causing that deep animal instinct to wash away rational thoughts.
"Mother... Tell me a story. I remember when you used to tell me tales of dark skies. Is this like it?" Moonsong wondered aloud. "Yes, you could be right. But goodness! Aren't you too old to have your ma tell you a bedtime story?" Moonsong rolled her eyes at her mother's words. "Never." Aurora sighed. Well, no getting out of telling a tale now.
Aurora cleared her throat as she leaned her shoulder against her daughter's. "Let's see... Where to begin..."
Finally, a story popped into her mind, and she smiled in a bemused fashion.
"My mother and her mother before her would tell a tale of a big angry bear that got into an argument with the sun." Aurora gazed at the dark sky again. Could an angry bear be the cause? "Once long ago, the excellent sky bear crossed the bridge of stars on his search for the giant fish that would swim in the sparkling ocean of stars. They were very elusive and only would show up at particular times of the year. The sky bear had made it a goal to catch this fish, for he had heard the tales of how wondrous it tasted. Considering how close the hibernation time was for him, he did not have much longer to stay on this hunt, so speed was his mission. However, as he continued his journey, he came upon the Sun in all its glory. Now the sun was large and slow as it moved along the bridge, lumbering as carefully and slowly as might a turtle. This irritated the sky bear greatly, for he could not push past the sun to pass for fear of being burned. So instead, he let out a mighty roar, announcing his presence to the lumbering giant. 'Ho! Brother Sun, I must get past you! I hunt a fearsome - and delicious - fish for which I would greatly like to eat before my long nap. Move!' He yelled, all teeth and barely any manners to speak of." Aurora chuckled, enjoying the foal-like wonder that shone in Moonsong's brilliant eyes. It brought back tender memories of bygone days. "The sun groaned and looked at the sky bear with deep disdain. How dare they interrupt their walk among the clouds. 'I will not move. You'll have to wait until there is room.' The sky bear did not like this answer at all. In anger, the sky bear lashed out and clamped his great maw around the sun. Darkness flooded the heavens, illuminating the stars. The sky bear was quite pleased with himself as now the path was clear, and he was free to stroll to his destination. But oh, his mouth was on fire! It burned! It burned badly! He roared mightily, outraged. Light dripped from his maw, for the sun was not giving up its right to live. Drop by molten drop, the sun's light grew, and drop by drop; the sky bears deeply regretted his decision to bite the sun. Finally, unable to handle the fire any longer, the sky bear opened his mouth, releasing the sun from its prison. Light flooded the darkness, driving it back. At the same time, the irritated sun drove back the bad-mannered bear. 'How dare you!' The Sun yelled. 'I am not to be eaten. I Light the skies and bring warmth to the earth, and in your greed, you tried to imprison me. For that, no fish will dance near you.' The sun cursed the sky bear, never to be able to catch the fish he so desperately wanted to eat." Moonsong snorted, "To be fair, bears thinking with their stomach is a fact." Aurora laughed and nodded her head in agreement. As she did so, she noted a spark of light above her. Peeking upward, she noticed a halo surrounding the sun that seemed to grow brighter as time passed. "Is it... Moving?" Aurora whispered in wonder. It was hard to look away, but she did after a moment. Sure enough, she noticed that little by little, color was returning to the washed-out grey of the world. Moonsong let out a gasp of excitement. "Light!" She crowed, flapping her gilded wings. Aurora grinned, her daughter's excitement infectious. "I think it's safe to say that if the story IS true, that there is a poor bear out there somewhere dealing with some serious mouth burns." Moonsong laughed again and sighed deeply as if the brightening of the world brought an exuberant amount of calm. Slowly, the sounds of life were returning as well. Birds tentatively called to one another. The chirps of crickets and other bugs slowly filled the emptiness. And then a cheer of happiness seemed to take over everything else. Soquili tremendous and small were letting out a noise that could only be described as pure delight. "To imagine a world with the sun, without the warmth and the light it casts down... I fear the world would be nothing but a nightmare waiting to happen." Aurora said, her tone thoughtful. Moonsong nudged her mother's neck softly. "Even the night-time has its perks. And if it happened, I can't help but wonder if that sky bear might finally have captured that delicious fish it so wanted to eat." Aurora quirked her head slightly. "Perhaps you are right." She nodded, peering up to the skies as the brilliant blue finally won out over the deep night color.