Twilight spread its cloak across the desert, casting the gentle rolling sands in shadow. Stars began to wink pleasantly above as the evening advanced. The bustling of the market in the isolated trading town had long since quieted, and only a few souls wandered the worn streets. Lights flickered in windows behind drawn curtains as the people of the town settled in for the gentle desert evening that had followed the harsh heat of day.
And yet, not all of the town was quiet. Near the outskirts of the marketplace, the great tent of the gypsies remained pitched. From within the tent, a light glowed, causing shadows to dance upon the stretched cloth. The entrance to the tent had been drawn closed, but movement could still be detected within. Sitting upon a mat before the entrance, his eyes closed as though he were asleep, was the old lupine flute player. A very small crowd had remained gathered through the day and into the dusk of evening, though the gypsies had long since ceased their performance.
Hushed whispers and curious murmurs floated through the group. There were several new faces this year, the old wolf thought as he remained seated upon his mat, and some that were gone. He breathed a quiet, longing sigh for the passage of another year. Without opening his eyes, the wolf knew what the crowd before him wanted, knew that the majority of them would be males, young males in their prime, seeking the dancer. She would not have them, though, and a small knowing smile tugged at the corner of his lips. No, she would not have them. He was perhaps one of the few, if not the only one, who knew what it was the gypsy sought, and until she found it, she would not rest.
"Itzak," a voice like silk floated to the wolf\x92s ears, and his eyes opened. "Let them come."
Itzak unfolded his legs and rose up from his mat. His old joints seemed to protest the movement. With another tired sigh, the wolf faced the expectant group before him. He knew his years with the troupe were coming to an end, but he would not face that fact just yet. There were others to consider. The gathered villagers stopped their whispering to watch the wolf. Those who had been in the village for years knew that he was the one that would decide who went in, and who had to wait until next time. Much to their surprise, the front flap of the tent lifted, and the troupe\x92s newest member, the lizard who played the cimbalom, emerged. The wolf stepped aside, allowing the lizard to pass by him towards the gathered crowd.
The lizard was tall, easily rising above the heads of most of the waiting villagers. He had dark, piercing eyes that seemed to seek into the souls of every pair of eyes he met. That he was handsome was undeniable, and the few female villagers that sought an audience with the gypsies caught their breath. A soft and sensual smile graced the face of the lizard and his eyes shone with a playful gleam when he noticed their reaction. It was obvious he knew the effect he had, but that was not the reason he had come out from within the tent.
Slowly, he lifted a taloned hand. He began to point at certain members of the crowd. Smiles and sighs of relief could be heard, and anxious faces could be seen. After choosing nearly half of those that had remained, he made a gesture of dismissal. Voices of protest could be heard beginning in the throats of several of the males not chosen, but an elder of the town silenced them with a sharp glare. The elder bowed low to the lizard who returned the action, then turned, ushering off those who had not been picked back into the town.
The lizard turned around and headed back into the tent, pausing at the entrance flap long enough to incline his head respectfully to the grizzled wolf beside it. Itzak nodded his head in return, then beckoned the first of the villagers chosen forth. A small, nervous looking jack rabbit skittered forward, his long ears hanging down on either side of his head, and he entered into the tent at the wolf\x92s guiding. Once the rabbit had entered, the wolf let the tent flap fall back into place before once more seating himself upon his grass mat. The few villagers that remained went back to milling anxiously among one another as they waited their turn.
The rabbit shuffled into the tent, wringing his hands together. He kept his head lowered, his eyes taking in the rich, colourful rugs covering the hard packed sand floor of the tent. The tent was very warm, and a pleasant scent he could not quite place filled the air with its incense. The rabbit paused a few feet into the tent and finally lifted his head. There, before him, was the gypsy he had waited so patiently to see. A short table had been set up near the center of the tent. Two candles burned in elaborate holders on either side of the table. Several bowls filled with various powders and liquids were set upon the smooth surface of the wooden table, and a deck of intricately decorated cards had been placed in the center.
She stood just to the right of the table, her hands clasped before her. Her blue eyes studied him intently, the firelight causing them to sparkle like sapphires as she held him in his gaze. Her chocolate headfur had been pulled back into several thick braids adorned with small metal worked trinkets and beads that caught the light when she moved. As she turned her head to look at the table, several flashes of light could be seen from around her ears, and it was then the nervous jack rabbit noticed the number of silver piercings adorning her pointed ears. The beautiful feline gestured to the large pillow that had been set before the table for him to sit at before walking around to the other side of the table. The gold bangle bracelets that had graced her slender wrists earlier that day were gone, as was the jingling anklet that had marked her every step. She moved with perfect grace and perfect silence as she made her way to her own seat.
The rabbit dared not move as he gazed upon the lithe form of the dancer as she walked. He felt as though he were under a spell. The colourful and shimmering outfit she had worn earlier in the day had been replaced with a very simple and airy dress of the deepest blue, a sash of white with flashes of silver wrapped around it. She met his gaze again as she settled down upon the pillow she had chosen as her seat, once more gesturing to the pillow that was across the table from her.
:Please," her voice rose to his sensitive ears, "sit down."
Shakily, the rabbit lowered himself to sit down, almost falling over in his attempt. A glimmer of amusement danced across the features of the feline gypsy. Movement in the dim shadows of the tent behind her caught the attention of the nervous rabbit, and for the first time he noticed that the lizard and jackal members of the troupe were seated in the back upon pillows, as well. The jackal\x92s flute was resting across his lap, and when he smiled, the rabbit could see his teeth gleaming white in the firelight, and he supressed a shudder. The lizard watched him, as well. Though he did not smile, the lizard\x92s amusement was still evident, as was the cimbalom in his lap.
"A little nervous, are you?" questioned the feline as she leaned forward a little. She rested her elbows upon the top of the table, entwining her fingers together before resting her chin on them. The rabbit merely swallowed, then nodded his head. "Do you wish to go through with a reading, or would you rather leave now?" Her blue eyes glittered darkly, and for the first time, the jack rabbit realized there was a lot more to this Himalayan feline than looks and a skill at dancing. Through the air of mystique and mystery that shrouded her, the rabbit sensed something inherently dangerous and powerful within her, and yet, he was mesmerized.
"I..." he began, then paused and swallowed once more. "I will stay."
The feline clapped her hands together as she leaned back. "Ah, so the lapine is not quite as fearful as he appears!" She smiled disarmingly at the rabbit, and everything he had sensed only moments before seemed to disappear. She was merely a gypsy seeking her bread by telling the fortunes of those who wished to see her, and nothing more. "Come, now\x85what is it you would ask of me?"
Boldly, the rabbit met the gaze of the gypsy across the table from him. "I wish to know what lies in my future."
A small, secretive smile played about the lips of the feline as she held the eyes of the rabbit across from her. "Are you sure?" is her simple reply. The rabbit merely nods his head. The feline leans farther forward once more, her eyes intent upon his own. Unconsciously, the rabbit leans forward as well, hypnotized by the deep blue orbs that hold his gaze. Neither creature moves for several heartbeats as silence reigns within the dim tent, until the feline suddenly moves. She moves back from the table quickly, rising to her feet, her eyes wide as she gazes unbelievingly at the rabbit before her. He doesn\x92t move, still staring ahead of himself as though locked in a trance. The lizard rises quickly from his own pillow, crossing the few feet of rug space between himself and the feline in a rush to be at her side.
"Lalasa...what is it?"
A shudder passes through the feline, and she stretches out her arms to keep from losing her balance. She gives her head a shake as if to clear her thoughts before turning to look up at the lizard in whose arms she suddenly found herself.
"It's...tell Itza to dismiss whoever remains. We leave, and we leave now. The lapine comes with us."
"But..."
"Do it!" Lalasa snarled, glaring at the lizard who abruptly let her go before moving to follow her instructions. She turned slightly to beckon forth the jackal, gesturing for him to carry the prone rabbit out the back of their tent to their caravan. The feline knelt back down upon the pillow before the table, picking up one of the ornately decorated bowls filled with water. She lowers her gaze to look down into it, looking back at her own reflection.
"The time draws near."
Based on "Magic of the Dance." Title is subject to change (because it's so cheesy!)