Sitting alone at the art station, Jean focused all her concentration on the sheer rock face before her, dozens of bowls of paint cluttered around her person.
A soft, tuneless hum could be heard, low in her throat, as she raised a paint-soaked paw to dab once more at her creation, one ear occasionally swiveling to and fro, catching any sound within the vicinity. “Mmmm-mmm-mm-- Ah..! There.” Jean huffed a breath through her nose, and leaned back to gaze at her finished work, bringing an already messy paw to rub at some drying paint that had collected on her cheek as she’d worked.
Positively beaming, Jean leaned forward and placed a forepaw below the work, making sure to press her pad flat against the stone, ensuring as she did so that when she removed it, a print would be left in its place, as she had seen others do before.
“I hope the others made it back safe.” She mused, eyes flicking over the painting, her voice low. She sat there, staring for a long moment, before a bright ray of light fell over her, and the rock wall; over everything. “--Mm?” Turning, Jean squinted against the bright light of the rising sun, as it rested over the hills in the distance. “Ah, is it really morning?? Already? I should get going, then.”
She stood up, tongue swiping across her muzzle to remove any traces of s’mores that might have still been present, and rubbed her paws in the grass, doing her best to remove as much paint as possible. After she had rubbed off as much as she could, she straightened and cleaned up her area of the station, emptying the bowls and gathering her belongings, making a mental note to dip in the first stream she passed to remove the remaining paint.
Bags packed and secured to herself, she took in a soft breath, then released it, mind now full of thoughts of the trip home, and the soft bed that awaited her return. She chanced one more glance at her painting, which now shone in the strengthening sunlight, the still wet paint glinting in the dawn.
Smiling to herself, she turned, and, after checking that the straps of her bags were secure, headed off towards the hills, her tail bouncing lightly behind her, following the beckoning of the morning sun, towards the horizon, and towards home.
<< [Cameos: Lao from @askmoonchildren, Nero from @guideofthetornworld, and Honey from @askbookwormflareon.] Only three of the individuals Jean has depicted (not including herself) actually attended the Stargazing Festival! So who might the others be? >>
“I don’t blame you for your actions, because as I said then, I didn’t know the circumstances, and in any case, I wasn’t upset. You have nothing to be sorry for.”
Removing her paw, Jean smiled at Lao, her tail lifting high. “And I would absolutely love to stargaze with you! It’s one of my favorite pastimes! I had an incredible view on the cliff behind us, shall we go there?”
