Glacier Yaherra
The Glacier Yaheera’s icy blue beak curved upwards into a soft smile as his gold-flecked eyes scanned the mostly-empty bookstore and found the science fiction aisle vacant. Exactly what he had hoped for, and exactly why he preferred the mom-and-pop stores that brought character to small towns across Subeta to the larger chains often found in the cities like Arctic Frost proper.
The eyes of his tail, somehow warm and present though not truly “seeing”, appeared to glimmer with benevolent mischief as he skimmed his hoof along the bookshelf until he found the Zs. He slipped a pen from his coat and then, after throwing a cautionary glance over his shoulder, reached for Dalian Zinn’s book. He pulled the copies from the bookcase one-at-a-time; turning each to the dedication page and bracing it against the sturdy wooden shelf so he could add a unique note in his well-known loopy script. Some funny, some heartfelt - each autograph was written with a deep love for the unknown individual who would eventually pick the book out and (hopefully) enjoy the story within.
It was then that he heard a loud squeak-like noise followed by the heavy thud of a beefy paperback meeting a carpeted floor. He jumped back, hiding the book and pen behind his back guiltily as if it wasn’t his own novel he was autographing.
“I’m sorry!” The young Feli chirped with some distress. “I didn’t mean to startle you … it’s just … are you … him?” Her wide eyes darted back and forth between the novels on the shelf and Zin’s face.
Though he wished it wasn’t the case, he generally tried to avoid unplanned encounters with fans. While he treasured their passion for his works and their kind words, he also found social interaction quickly overwhelming. Despite their patient requests for book tours or wide-spread signings, he just hadn’t been able to overcome the anxiety that churned inside whenever he began to think about the feelings of large gatherings, Q-and-A sessions, and massive obligation. It was a lot of responsibility, and a lot of things that he could neither control nor plan for.
Realizing he had been staring blankly at the young fan in silence for several seconds longer than it took to become awkward, Zin bowed his head gently and smiled at her. “It’s okay. It appears we were both startled.”After a moment of internal debate, he added “Yes, I am indeed “him”.
The Feli’s mouth dropped open and a combination of star-struck wonder and “try-to-play-it-cool panic” battled in her eyes. It was then that Zin noticed the book she had dropped – a paperback of his very first novel, not belonging to either of his more popular series, but a favorite of many fans who had been with him from the start. The Feli followed his gaze and scrambled to pick up the book.
“I uh, I haven’t read this one yet” she stammered. “I loved the ‘Mark of the Snocloud’ series … and the ‘Reigns of Tern’ series … my friend introduced me to them, well I mean, to the first one and then I read the second on my own because I loved the first one and then I heard about this novel and …” her cheeks burned pink and she trailed off with a sheepish smile.
Zin’s heart thrummed with gratitude. Here was such a bright soul, full of bubbling excitement because of his words. He wrote because he loved the writing, because the words flowed into his mind and needed a home on a page – he saw himself as much a creator as a conduit. But he also wrote because he treasured the idea that just maybe through his books he would put into the world some degree of joy and maybe even, through his stories, inspire courage and curiosity.
“What is your name?” he asked as he extended an arm towards her, a gentle gesture for her to hand over the book.
“Melan. Melan Brooks.”
“That’s a beautiful name – Melan,” He let the word roll over his tongue. “What is it you enjoy Melan, or what is it you hope to do one day?”
“I’ve never left home. Not really.” she said with a wistful sigh. “But I’d love to explore the world on day, like Kliff Dinlan. And I’d really love to explore someplace completely new, to find a new species or a new way to make energy – something that makes the world a better place.”
Zin’s eyes sparkled as he smiled knowingly. He turned from Melan and leaned her book against the shelf he had been using when she came upon him. Tapping the pen against his beak for a moment, the eyes of his tail seemed to pulse with thought. He then put pen to page, and only the scratching of his scrawling filled the space. After a minute he handed the book back to the young fan and with a glance to him as if seeking permission, she opened to his note. His face remained calm as a sharp strike of panic bolted across his chest – what if it wasn’t good enough, what if it didn’t mean as much to her as he had intended for it to. But as she read in silence her eyes welled with tears and she clutched her chest with a paw.
“I … I … thank you” was all she could say.
“Thank you Melan” he replied. “May you never lose your inspiration, may you accomplish all your dreams.”
She clutched the book to her chest, bowed her head to him with a smile too deep for words, and disappeared into the maze of bookshelves.The quiet melody of the overhead speakers floated down to him and the smell of roasting coffee beans from the small in-store café settled like an invisible, warm fog in his lungs.
He had meant every word he said, and every word he had written not just to Melan but to all the unknown fans who would sooner-or-later pull his books off these shelves and find his notes of gratitude and encouragement inside. As he scanned the nearby shelves for a new story for his own reading he thought to himself; moment like this, that's why I come here and then Hmm, Melan would make a good name for a protagonist, an explorer of new lands indeed.
With serendipitous and sudden inspiration for his next book, the secretive and beloved author made his way out of the shop and towards his favorite place in all of Subeta – his writing desk.
Credits
Profile Coded by: 
Yuzu
Extra Code by: Ringo
BG Multi Stars by: giphy
BG Imagination Book by: De_mi_voz_voces Pixabay
Overlay by: goth
Story by: 
Faune
Name Art by: Chrysariel
