The experience of a rocking-ship-sleep soothed Ayla in a way she had not predicted. She awoke feeling that her lungs filled further, her steps would be lighter, and her prospects brighter than ever. Having slept deeply and peacefully, the elf stirred some minutes before the dawn’s light began to kiss the watery horizon. They were not out of port yet, but Ayla   miss this sunrise. Before leaving the cabin, she braided her hair to catch any flyaways that may have slipped out during her sleep. 

The refugee collected her bundle, slung it over her shoulder and crept from the below deck to the frosty seaside morning. The faintest glints of starlight were beginning to wink away, and the glisten of the moonlight shone down from the blanket of a lighter blue. Ayla took to the side of the ship facing the eastern morning and waited. 

In her same travel garb from the previous evening, she enhanced her attire only by winding a length of fabric around as a scarf. This added material sat outside of her cloak which freed her hands from constantly worrying her fingers at the hem of the hood. She felt secure in her layers, thin as they were against the biting chill of air so close to water. She had experienced far worse accommodations than this and none of those ever came with the brilliance of the impending dawn.

As additional passengers and the final crew boarded The Silver Wing, Ayla paid no heed to their bustling. All of her attentions were directed to the sun and the future. Her robes billowed around in the gentle breeze but the cold did not seem to penetrate her heart. Warmth radiated down from the brilliant yellow orb rising from its blue blanket and the elf drank in peace. With her eyes closed, she felt the heat from the sun kiss her cheeks and melt into her spirit.

Humming another ancient tune to herself in meditative bliss, Ayla channeled her focus into being in this moment. They would leave shortly and the best thing she could do to accommodate that was to stay out of the crew’s way. As eager as she was to find out when exactly they would depart, she knew better than to pester any of the staff settling into their roles. Instead, she cast occasional glances to the hive of activity across the ship until anxiety began to tighten her chest. Then she would look to the sun again and feel the kinship of nature her ever-ancient spirit knew beyond her lifetime experience and returned to calm again.