The Bedsheet Bandit [open to all!]

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Miiiine!

No, Aburo.

Miiiine!

No.

But MINE!

Ts'kal turned around, facing his simourv, and put his hands on his hips. His expression was moderately grumpy (which was unusual for the rainbowrider) and he stalked forward to where Aburoqaph was peeking at him innocently from behind his bed. The darned simourv had hauled his entire bed right out into the middle of their eyling, and now was using it as cover, peering at His with a deceptively innocent expression. Leaning over the mattress, the rider smacked the simourv on the beak, earning a happy chirp.

Please, Mine? It'll be FUN! Aburoqaph insisted, blinking his big golden eyes. He pushed at the bed with his nose, and the entire thing skidded a foot sideways, taking Ts'kal out at the knees. Flailing, the rainbowrider dropped on his stomach onto the bed, and then crawled across to loom over his simourv. Do you promise not to humiliate me? he demanded. An earnest chirp answered him, and Aburo tilted his head with a cheerful warble. Annoyed but unable to budge his rainbow, the candidatemaster crawled over, poked his bonded in the head, and then dragged the sheets off his bed, narrowing his eyes. "If you wreck these I'm going to kill you," he assured his rainbow. Tying them together at the ends, he sighed and looked at the contraption. He well remembered his simourv wearing the stupid bedsheets to a candidate lesson. Nobody had laughed outright but it had been terribly embarrassing. Nearly as bad as the time when Aburo completely hijacked his koxi lesson, too.

"Pick up your head," Ts'kal commanded, and the rainbow did so, trilling excitedly. With a resigned sigh, the rider tied the bedsheets under his simourv's chin, and then glared at his bonded. "Are you happy?"

No. Tie the others on and make it a cape! Aburoqaph commanded, wriggling his haunches about with glee. Despairing, Ts'kal stared at him. Must I? he pleaded, staring helplessly at the already sparse pile of sheets on his bed. It's COLD, Aburo, and those are the only sheets I have! They'll be all feathery if you wear them!

Yup! I wanna be beautiful, Mine!

"Skies above," Ts'kal muttered, and then yanked the last of his sheets off the bed, affixed the first to Aburo's bonnet-sheet, and then trailed the remaining one out behind it, forming a short cape. Staring helplessly at his rainbow, the candidatemaster sighed and sat down on the bare mattress. Aburoqaph squealed with delight and leapt up, skittering in circles to admire the way his bedsheets fluttered. Yay! Mine, Mine! I'll be the Bedsheet Bandit! I'll be famous FOREVER! With that, the simourv pushed at His, who swatted him away. "Please, just leave," Ts'kal grumbled, and with a cry of glee, Aburoqaph launched himself off the ledge of the eyling and out into the canyon. Warbling with delight, he swooped through the air, flitting all about and turning as many circles as possible so he could watch his bedsheet cape fly out behind him.

Now, what was he going to do first? Bandits had to make a name for themselves somehow, didn't they? Following this train of thought, Aburo decided that the very best way to live up to his new name of the Bedsheet Bandit was to steal something. Pondering what he should steal, the rainbow soon came to the conclusion that he would steal the water out of the pond. It was all frozen and stuff now, so he could carry it all away! Yes, that was the perfect way to begin his new career. Settling on this course of action, the simourv spiraled down to the pond at the end of the Eyrie, and smacked his claws down on it, lifting the resultant chunk of ice up into the air. It was a pretty big chunk, too - a couple of feet long by a couple of feet wide. He had the pond! It was his!

Shrieking excitedly, the Bedsheet Bandit spiraled up to hover over the frozen pond, zooming in circles to show off his bedsheet properly. His next words were sent to everyone in the entire Eyrie (except Ro'za and Eceph because they weren't supposed to know if things were being stolen). I have the pond! It's mine! IT'S ALL MINE!

[zeis]

This must have been what it felt like to be a mother. Sh'gir couldn't help but think as she wandered quickly throughout the Eyrie's floor, having already searched frantically through the Winglet barrack. Today was a day off for the Winglets, and Candidates alike. A rare occurrence, meant for rest and recuperation. The young green-Winglet had left earlier to tend to an errand, with the knowledge that Anaph was safely napping on her couch after a meal. She had returned to find the chick gone, and she wasn't answering the girls calls. Anaph! This isn't funny! You're scaring me! Where are you?

Anaph had indeed woken bright eyed and bushy-tailed, and finding her rider absent, had originally set out to go find her. Her purpose for wandering had changed several times along the way, once to follow a slightly uncomfortable looking boy carrying a tray of food. But he didn't want to give her any. Then she noticed there was a door to outside the barrack, and when she went outside the ground was covered in white. Cold, and white stuff! But not too cold. It crunched beneath her feet, and for a while she simply ran in the snow laughing and chirping, occasionally tripping and rolling in a fluff of white. Then she heard hers calling, and got a marvelous idea. They would play a hiding game! She continued wandering, chattering to herself at her rider's entreaties. Mine, I can't tell you! That would be cheating! The chick said sensibly, and rather abruptly fell into a deep snowbank.

She burrowed to the surface some moments later, and shook her feathers free of snow with a sneeze. Suddenly a shadow passed over her incredibly fast, and she tilted her head up with wonder as a simourv of every color she had ever seen flew over her. Her brown eyes widened, and she chased after him, ineffectually slow on young inexperienced legs in the snow. She leapt toward the sky, frantically beating her stubby neon striped wings. Ahead of her, the marvelous adult simourv landed, ripped a chunk of ice out of the pond, and took flight, claiming the pond as his.

Hey! Thats not yours! You didn't say please! She shouted mentally as hard as she could at him, stumbling in the snow, and clawing her way forward with vigor. She kept leaping and bouncing, fluffing up her neon feathers in mock indignation. I'm gonna stop you! As soon! Leap, leap. As I! Leap, leap. Get up there!

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Aburoqaph had been a bit of a nut since the day he hatched. That being said, Ts'kal wasn't in the least surprised when his simourv's voice echoed into his brain. Apparently he had the pond. Really not wanting anything to do with the ridiculous creature, the rider sighed and shook his head, going to have a bath where he most definitely couldn't be accused of setting up this whole expedition. The rainbow was going to do whatever he wanted regardless of what Ts'kal told him, and although it was all harmless it was also supremely embarrassing. Hopefully none of the candidates would figure out what was going on, because if any of them ever mentioned this the candidatemaster was sure he was going to be beyond humiliated.

Aburo, caught up as he was in the crime of the moment, didn't even notice the little green he'd zoomed over. Trilling gleefully, he kidnapped the chunk of ice, and then broadcast his challenge to the entire Eyrie, cape billowing behind him as he raced in circles. He did notice, however, when the little green's voice sounded in his head, informing him that the pond wasn't his because he hadn't said please.

Oh. That was a good point. But I'm the Bedsheet Bandit! he protested. It was his job to steal things! That was what bandits did, or so His had told him. But here was this little simourv fluttering up at him, insisting that she was going to stop him. The shock of the situation only grew more intense when the bedsheet-clad rainbow realized that this was the hatchling His had helped to take care of after she'd been mauled by her brother. Her name was... was...

You're Anaph! he exclaimed triumphantly, digging the information out of his rider's brain. Yes! This was Anaph! And she was a little green - powerless to stop his rainbow and bandit-y might! Of course, it didn't occur to him that he could just stay in the air and she would never reach him. Instead, the rainbow dropped out of the sky, but clutched the ice against his chest with one foreleg, holding it where the younger simourv couldn't reach it. Betcha can't stop me! he trilled into her head. His feathery tail flicked across the ice of the pond behind him; satisfied with his crime, Aburo hopped three-legged in a circle, chirping to Anaph. Wasn't his cape magnificent? Ts'kal had made it for him! Didn't it just make him look like the perfect bandit? It had helped him steal this ice! And no, she couldn't have it! It was his! All his!

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[zeis]

Despite her energetic leaping, her increasing determination that each leap carry her higher than the last, and her faith that her stubby down covered wings would any moment now carry her aloft... her shoulders were getting a little tired. She huffed triumphantly as the rainbow landed, likely knowing she'd eventually make it up into the air to stop him anyway. She darted toward him, skidding and slipping in the snow in her scramble to make it toward the much larger adult. So?! She challenged with playful outrage, puffing up her small insulating feathers as she darted at Aburoqaph's elusively quick long legs. You hafta have manners, cause ladies have manners. That's what Mine said!

Anaph eagerly accepted the Bandit's challenge, squeaking with delight and chasing after his bright colored form with childlike intensity. Aburoqaph had a much better edge on the game than her, with his long stride and balanced gait, but she didn't seem to notice her limitations. Sure he was bigger, but that didn't mean anything! He was still doing something bad, and there was no one around to scold him but her. And Anaph was quickly becoming and expert in scolding, with how often she experienced it. You're being bad! Put the pond back! Put it- Her attention shifted to her playmates long prismatic tail, a mesmerizing wriggling spectrum of color. Pretty! Your so many colors! Did ya know? She asked innocently, switching from her chase of the ponds ice to leaping and snatching at the quick moving rainbow's long tail.

Sh'gir's search was still not going well. However the frustrating silence that Anaph had responded to her mental entreaties with suddenly was replaced with excitement, and joy. She paused in her steps near the feeding pens, hands resting absently on one of the paddock fences. Wherever her bonded was, the infant simourv seemed to be safe at least, and having fun. That eased her mind somewhat, and she sighed before scanning the feeding grounds. She didn't see any trademark sign of Anaph's light green feathers here. Oh, where could she be?