Uncertainty was a weighted force against his muscles as tension lined his shoulders, marred his features, and furrowed his brow. He ventured forward, quietly and hesitantly, as each paw step brought him further and further away from what he had known to be the North. No longer were snow-cropped hills in his peripherals, but rather blossoming trees with petals, unlike any others he had ever seen. No longer were the snow-capped mountains at the height of his horizon, but rather rolling fields spackled with the various colors of blooming flowers.

He stood perplexed for a moment as twisting vines of thoughts caused his heart to stutter in his chest and his feet to root themselves in their place. He stood atop a hill, certainly not one he had remembered venturing towards before, yet there he stood. The warmth of the air was unnaturally comforting, like a breath hoisted from weary lungs that whispered its gentle promise.

Calm down, it had seemed to say, Enjoy.

And yet Amaris could not stop thinking of the Five, of the festival, and of his…extracurricular activities that he had participated in. While the world was not on fire like before, this…reality was not one he knew of either. Was this another punishment? Cloaked with the honeyed scent of summer and warmer weather—was it meant to unnerve him? Or keep him docile?

Was…this a dream?

He blinked along his churning thoughts, his anxious nerves fraying in retaliation to the comfort and warmth that pressed against his flanks. What would happen…if he chose to succumb to the world that now sat before him? Enjoyed himself…in a different way than he had done so before…?

Would the Five still be angry?

He would’ve mulled over his choices for perhaps as long as the dream-like reality existed had it not been for the flash of red that spurred across his vision. The Moon blinked in rapid thought as the dancing of a silhouette dawned before him, and the fluttering of various petals washed across the stranger’s features.

Who…was that?

Amaris’ legs had moved in their volition, and before he had consciously considered what he was doing, he descended the hill toward the stranger below. Hey! He called out as curiosity lured his anxiety away, and that comforting warmth once more spun like silk across his chest.

His tail rose to a place above him, and once more, without those constant anxious thoughts, he trotted over to the woman with a hesitant smile wrapped around his lips. Do you know where we are?

Perhaps, he was dreaming.