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It had been some time since their last moment alone. The battlefield didn't count, for they weren't alone and had to spend their time holding up a facade draped around them like a velvet cloth, concealing all truth.
The suns were nearly all gone from the sky, although that wouldn't last long. Seven suns meant no true sunset and only a glimpse of the stars each night. It was something Sav wasn't used to yet, despite being on Zolar for months.
The grass was soft and tall as it billowed around, concealing the couple that lay on the pillowy earth, surrounded by flora. Sounds of wind darting and dancing through the blades of grass graced their ears gently, contributing to the peacefulness of the moment.
From where he was burrowed next to Dogulous, Savannah let out a quiet laugh. The cool metal encasing his shoulders and arms felt relieving, a moment of escapist euphoria from the sun's warmth. They were so far from them, and yet, each day felt like summer.
This meetup had been so impromptu that Dogulous hadn't the chance to remove the armor he wore for sparring, although Sav had never seen him without the metal encasing surrounding his hands regardless. If his arms were any hint of what lay beneath, they were likely covered in scars.
What a beautiful thought.
After all, scars were history. Maybe they'd note places visited, like a scar from a fall on a sharp shell at the beach, or maybe they spoke of things one survived, like a nasty crash onto a foreign planet.
Sav’s tail brushed against his own back absentmindedly. Dogulous had been silent for some time, looking up at the sky. When Savannah's gaze traced upwards to follow, she saw a few dots of stars in the sky, disappearing from view almost as quickly as he'd seen them, rays of sunlight brushing past once again and illuminating the sky.
“...You know, if I had any gripe with Zolar, it would be the suns.”
Her voice seemed to startle herself, but she still looked over to the dog beside her, who glanced down quietly. He'd removed his visor, putting her face-to-face with a glittering expanse of space, masquerading as a pair of eyes.
Dogulous blinked slowly before shutting his eyes again. “Mh. Considering you, I'd figure the opposite would be true.”
Savannah shrugged, turning her body enough so her chest rested on his, her arms folded neatly atop him so she could have a holding for her head. Her tail swished lazily behind her as she thought.
“You've been across the galaxy. What's something that sticks out no matter where you are, regardless of planet, domain, or home?”
“Inferior people?”
Sav scoffed, jabbing him in the side with a sour look, her brows furrowed and her lip pouted out. He managed a hoarse laugh, snickering as he bit back a smile. The prophet huffed, reaching forward and flicking his nose.
“Not funny. And I know funny. Try again.”
Dogulous went silent, mulling things over before shaking his head.
“People?”
Savannah shook his head, then rolled off him, spreading his arms out into the moss-like ground. His fingertips reached out as he stretched, making a satisfied sound before falling to the ground fully.
“Stars. You can see the constellations. Even if they are...different in every galaxy, you can count on that. At night, you can always look up and see something that's familiar, no matter how far you are from home.”
Silence elapsed in the space between them, hanging over but not feeling heavy. The prophet had more to say, and it was only fair to wait it out.
“...You don't see them here. The suns are always up. I'm not even sure if Zolar has a moon.” He reached up, fanning his hand out into the sky. “There are no stars here, and it feels…isolating. How ironic. For myself being a prophet of the stars, I hear surprisingly little from them, and see even less.”
A tone of dissonance rang in his voice, like it truly bothered him, before he laughed it off, shaking his head. Even in moments of quiet like this, Savannah was as "silly” as ever.
“I’m rambling. You're just so easy to talk to, sweet Jupiter.”
Dogulous hardly ever got to see this side of Savannah. Sure, he adored his naivety at times and he was immature constantly, the more he knew him, the more he'd begun to realize there was more than a lifetime of thoughts, philosophy, and intelligence hiding behind that pair of sparkling eyes.
“I see plenty of stars right now, right in front of me.”
That caught his attention, the eternal optimist glancing over with curious eyes. He tilted his head, peering at him questioningly.
Dogulous heaved himself up from the ground, sitting up. Dirt came tilled up at his palms as he adjusted himself. He carefully reached over to his claws, the metallic husks that contained his hands. After what felt like forever, a battle in his mind, he started moving his hand to the top, internal ridge of the paw, pressing firmly with a shining, sharpened claw.
A weak hiss started, leading to a chunking “click.” It stayed put for a moment before falling off his arm and into the grass with a heavy thump. Savannah’s eyes widened, pressing his lips together in a sort of muted shock.
His hands bore scars from countless past injuries, just as he expected. They mainly sat on the back of his hands, overlapping and raised jags of paler flesh. They looked like they’d been painful. To most, they’d likely be too bothered by imagining the pain that must have occurred to garner such a number, but to Sav, all he could think about was how beautiful they were. His claws were sharp and pointed, just like their metal counterpart, but not once did they make him bleed as he maneuvered the other paw off, setting them both to the side.
Dogulous’ gaze met his, and he gestured gently toward Savannah, looking…sheepish. Nervous, awkward, self-conscious, all of these emotions filtered through the cracks.
“...May I?”
He nodded wordlessly, allowing Dogulous to move closer, tracing his finger up his arm. The calloused touch followed the path of the freckles that seemed to cover his skin. Some were darker, like the freckles he’d seen on people back home. Some of them, though, had seemed to develop while he was on Zolar…or maybe they were from the crash. These were almost paler than his skin, like the white dots on a deer’s back.
“I see plenty of stars. I see them every time I look at you. You’re covered in them.” He turned his hand slightly, tracing out a misshapen constellation on his skin. “It’s remarkable, if I’m being honest. The more I’ve looked at you, the more I’ve seen it. Some of the constellations I’ve seen littered across your skin are so similar to ones across the galaxy.”
He glanced back up at Savannah, pressing his lips together before pulling back.
“...I’m no good at this…fluff. Stuff.” He lightly scratched at his hands, averting his gaze by looking back up toward the sky. Behind him, his tail thumped quietly, whether from nervousness or giddiness, he wasn’t sure.
“...Apologies, my Carme.”
The prophet leaned forward, cupping his face as gently as he could, pressing a kiss to his cheek. He welcomed the blossoming warmth that filled his chest, making his blood electric with nerves. A dazzling smile spread across his face as he laughed, looking at the way Dogulous melted in his hands. He needed this war to end yesterday, just so moments like this could happen for forever.
“...I think you did wonderfully, pretty bunny dew.” A kiss was gently placed on his nose before the prophet collapsed on top of him, smiling as he wound his arms around him tight.
Maybe one day, he’d get to see stars again, but for now, this was enough.