[Gift] Morning Mayhem

The sun had barely begun to rise when Apple fluttered her eyes open sleepily, squinting against the dawn-touched rays that shone brightly and stretched across her room. She let out a yawn and stretched, hearing more than one pop sound loudly from her back as she worked the night’s sleep out of her body. She ended with stretching her wings wide, then giving her coat a quick shake as she leapt down from the cushion where she rested to the floor below. 

As the sun filled the sky with pinks and purples, Apple felt as if today was going to be a good day. She drifted over the floor of her home to a large pot in the corner where she brewed tea. She plucked some dried leaves off of her herb shelf, where they hung, and dropped them in the pot before filling it with water and lighting a fire beneath it. She sat and watched the water, thinking about her morning, until the pot began to boil. Slowly and carefully, she dipped a cup into the water and pulled some tea out, taking it gently out to her porch to sit and read in the morning sunshine. She set her tea down on the wooden boards and tucked her back legs underneath her, folding her wings in close and curling her tail around herself. With her front claws, she opened her book to where her bookmark marked her place and began to read, following the words with the soft touch of one talon raking across each page. Back into the story she fell, entranced by the tale of two lost lovers, separated by death but slowly making their way back to each other through the memories they are slowly discovering as they live their new lives. She sipped her homemade tea gently, savoring the taste of the herbs. Suddenly, a shadow passed over her. 

She looked up. There, flapping quietly on the wind towards her, was a small Elysiphim, barely larger than a hatchling. Apple squinted her eyes, attempting to make out the other Phim against the bright sun, but there was no need. The small creature was barreling through the sky towards her at top speed. 

A loud “AAAAAAA” slowly grew closer, as if carried towards Apple by a stray breeze. But the source of the noise was very clear, so clear that it hit Apple in the face, literally. 

Apple was rudely awakened from her peaceful morning by being barrelled into by the tiniest Phim imaginable. Fur and wings flew everywhere, until suddenly the other Phim separated herself from Apple and leapt away, spilling out endless apologies. “I’m so sorry!” She exclaimed loudly, standing in a very silly, spread legged position with urgency on her face. “I can’t believe I did that to someone else. Again! How has this happened twice now? Am I really that clumsy?” She proceeded to turn in a circle, holding her wings wide as she looked at them. Then, and suddenly, her wings disappeared with a small wisp of feathers that drifted down to the floorboards. 

“Uhh,” Apple sat up, soothing her fur and shaking out her wings. She fixed her hair bow and then gave the Phim a curious look. “Are you alright?”

The tiny being looked up at Apple with surprise. “Yes! I’m great! How are you?”

Apple was a bit surprised to see that the Phim was perfectly fine, and asked her how <i>her</i> day was going. Well… her day was better before she got plowed into. “Umm, I’m alright,” she answered truthfully. 

The other Phim nodded. “I’m Harper,” she said, introducing herself. “I am so incredibly sorry I interrupted your reading. It looked very enjoyable. I just think I’m having trouble with these wings of mine. I don’t usually fly places.”

What a strange Elysiphim. She doesn’t normally fly? How does she get around quickly? “Oh, it’s ok! I can read anytime.” ‘Anytime’ was only half true. “I’m Adelyne, although most Phims know me by Apple.”

“Aw! That’s such a pretty name!” Harper exclaimed, bouncing closer. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

“You too,” Apple said, giving her a sweet smile. After a moment of awkward silence in which neither dragon seemed to know what to say, Apple added, “I think I’m going to go back to reading now.”

“Oh, of course. I’ll go back to practicing!” As suddenly as they disappeared, Harper’s wings reappeared and she leapt into the sky, flapping away. She looked wobbly, but she stayed afloat.

Apple shook her head at the strange interaction and she sat back down at her book, but not before she looked around to see if anyone else was flying through the sky near her. When no one caught her eye, she drifted back into her story, sipping her tea as she read her book with keen interest.