♪♪ [Rain]<3 by Rising Nature
Gem's Reflection

On an especially gorgeous spring morning, Dexter carefully settles himself down at the base of a tree. Letting out a relaxed sigh as his frame presses to an inviting natural bed of soft grass, slightly damp from the fresh morning dew scattered among the green blades; the bed itself surrounded by small flowers. It didn't take long for the big cat to get comfortable, his eyes drifting shut and allowing his mind to flow peacefully under the powerful hypnotic spell of his surroundings. Dominated by the ever-soothing song of distant waterfalls, mixing with the chorus of colorful birds soaring through the trees, and the soft whispers of a gentle breeze that carries a few delicate twirling leaves towards the distant mountain range. This wondrous hypnosis enhanced by the magical warmth that beams from the morning sun, combining with the softness of his comfy natural bed to give him the heavenly sensation of being cradled in Mother Nature's loving, comforting embrace.

A good ten minutes ease by, when the lion abruptly shifts himself, giving a few rapid flicks of his tail to resist the tug of sleep that is slowly overtaking his relaxed body. Lifting his muzzle to the sky, he lets off a soft yawn before his eyes reopen to the beautiful morning, just in time to catch sight of a bird with its wings out wide overhead; gliding towards a nearby tree. Dexter smiles some, his ears fluttering as those delicate wings flap once or twice before spreading wide again to continue the steady glide. Once the bird leaves his line of sight, he lets out another soft yawn then shoves out a steady exhale from his nose as he brings his paw to his chest. He taps the tips of his index and middle finger with a little wiggle, giving a slight tickle to his chest fluff. Almost immediately, his ears fluttered again as he feels a thumping sensation right where his fingers touched. He thought it a little odd at first how slow the beats of his heart were right then. But after pausing for a few seconds, he presses his entire paw firmly to his chest, with the sapphire arrowhead of his necklace right under the center of his palm. Dexter presses the sapphire arrowhead against his chest with a little more force, wanting to feel every last slow beat of his heart through the treasured gem for a good while. But soon those slow beats began to increase in pace, nature's hypnotic spell weakening considerably over him as his attention focused more and more on the thumping gem under his paw, and his mind drifting elsewhere.

Dexter's heart was beating at a rather fast pace now, just shy of racing with his thoughts far from relaxed. "This necklace..." a thought that swirled in his mind. He knew he came here to relax and unwind, but he couldn't help but dwell on that special necklace of his. That cherished treasure that's been with him through so much; through so many great moments of his life, through so many thrilling and adrenaline pumping adventures, through tears, moments of joy, moments of pain, moments of rest... all of it. That necklace that vibrated to every beat of his heart through it all. A soft smile forms on Dexter's muzzle, as he clenched his paw into a fist with the sapphire arrowhead grasped at its center. He then lifts his head to carefully remove the necklace, before grasping its cord with his fingers so that the arrowhead could dangle freely just above his nose. He stares intently at it, his chest vibrating slightly to the soft rumblings of focused purring. "You sure have been through a lot, haven't you? Or rather haven't we?" Dexter smirks as he gazed at his treasured gem that gently sways in a sudden breeze sweeping through the area. Reflecting on the long journey he's had with the necklace since discovering it many years ago; while exploring a shipwreck off the coast of Nassau. For a few more minutes Dexter kept up the steady swaying with a slight motion of his wrist, while he tapped his footpaw to the pace of his tail swaying idly. Finally, the big fluffy feline shifts himself again before propping himself up into a sitting position with an even bigger yawn; deciding that now was just not the time to relax himself with his thoughts racing. But that suited him just fine, feeling a spark of happiness within from the resulting rush of energy, ready to get a move on and do some more exploring. After all, he could make it back to this spot later. For now though... Dexter gets to his feet and stretches some, making a few awkward movements as he loosened himself up, then slipped the necklace back over his head.

Feeling somewhat refreshed, Dexter takes a few steps back towards the tree he was just resting against. Standing proudly and with a wide smile, he places one paw against the tree as he pressed the arrowhead to his chest again with his other paw. His heart raced, not from the flurry of thoughts from before, but rather the breathtaking view before him. He smiles trying to take in all of the beautiful landscape, until his attention is soon drawn to the fluttering white of several birds flying just in front of those magical waterfalls in the distance. But then something else captures his attention, his eyes glancing above the waterfalls and the vast forest that sat above it; settling on the far off mountains. Despite the distance that separated him from these mountains, he could feel the dominating presence of those rocky structures standing tall. Almost in a protective manner. It felt to him as if these mountains were guardians over these lands, something that he greatly admires. For our ever-adventurous feline, that was all he needed, taking one step forward followed by another, with countless more to come as he started making his way towards those mountains. He knew the journey ahead would be rather tough, observing the terrain he'd have to traverse to get there. But nothing too much for this cat "You got this Dex..." he thought rather confidently. But quickly pauses with a smirk, reaching up to pat his arrowhead to his chest "I mean, we got this..."

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Marvelous work of art done by the talented  Latex Original artist post here: [Pensive days] My gosh I can't say enough how impressed I am with this spectacular work of art. The scenery is so very well done, depicting the purrfect place for our ever adventurous lion to completely relax himself. I know I've mentioned quite a few times that i imagine what its like to actually be in some of these places artists create, and this one is no different. Latex has done such a fantastic job here, I can take a look, then close my eyes and dream of what one might feel here. Ofc the sights, but also the natural smells and feelings. Definitely an honor to have Latex execute this idea, and I def encourage anyone not watching him to do so, you won't be disappointed! His works of art are impressive to say the least =D

Lion at peace in this wondrous environment, with one of his treasured sapphire arrowhead necklaces belongs to me  DexterLion also at [@DexChillViber]