It seemed to Kio that he'd fallen asleep one night, shivering and cold, nestled in a cove in the rocks by the sea, and woke the next morning (well, afternoon), to find the world calm and green. In a few shady patches, white clumps of snow still hung about, but the sky was brilliant blue and sunny above him, pulsing rays of light and heat so insistently that Kio almost felt stifled. He emerged lazily from his rocky home, treading lightly over the stones to get to the grassy knoll above his sleeping area.Beautiful, he thought to himself, viewing the changed landscape. He snuffled at the grasses; they were damp, like the earth beneath, but had survived the winter, insulted by the snow. Kio had survived winter, too, it seemed, living on lichens and roots and sea animals that washed into his cove, though he preferred vegetables. Perhaps, with the snow gone, there would be more edible treasures awaiting him on the plain.
The big orange-and-yellow male began to head inland, loping rather lazily, pausing in his hunt to roll on his back in the damp grass. He knew finding food should be his first priority, especially if the weather turned fickle and a storm brewed from the sea, but he would much rather bask in the sun and rub the stems of his horns in the dirt. He huffed, scratching at his belly, bright blue eyes squinting up at the reflected sky.
The sun danced along the many colors of Amaryllis' coat, making it seem even more vibrant that it was. She pranced alongside a small stream that was heading toward the ocean, she had no reason to be there except she wanted to admire the sunset when it came. She tossed her head from side to side and hummed a little song to herself, one she had slowly came up on her own. It was one of the first days of spring and the weather had picked up, it would be a perfect day for her to enjoy the beautiful colors of the sunset on the ocean's surface.
