Bandit Invasion! [Aika!]

[‡§åkørü‡]

Ts'kal was sleeping. That was okay! Aburoqaph didn't mind one bit. His rider had had to find some new sheets for his bed, because his simourv was still wearing the ones he'd used yesterday to raid the pond with. Aburo had decided that the Bedsheet Bandit was going to stay.

Peeking through the door-less opening to his rider's room, the rainbow trilled softly to himself. He had a new bandit-plan, and he was going to put it into action immediately! Seeing Ts'kal all wrapped up in his blankets, the simourv crept closer, and then without warning shoved his head through the door, grabbed his rider and blankets in his beak, pulled them out, and caught them in his claws. Warbling with pure glee, Aburo wrapped his talons snugly around his rider, and launched himself off their ledge, racing along the side of the cliff until he found what he was looking for.

By now Ts'kal was shouting and flailing his arms in the freezing air, beating on Aburo's claws in a bid to make the simourv let him down. The Bedsheet Bandit has a PLAN, Mine! the rainbow's voice trilled into his head. The candidatemaster didn't stop screaming at him ("ABUROQAAAAAAAPH!") until they drew nearer to another eyling, one much larger than their own. With a gasp of horror, Ts'kal looked up at his warbling simourv. "No, Aburo! You CAN'T!" he practically squeaked. The rainbow chirped, and touched down, prancing into the other eyling with no shame at all. Good grief. He was going to need a simourv-sized chain to hold the accursed beast in their own eyling. And the rainbow was still wearing those stupid bedsheets, which didn't improve the situation.

Thoroughly excited, and more than pleased with himself, Aburo dropped His on the floor, half tangled in blankets, and kept him down with his claws, chirping victoriously. Up, or I squish him! The rainbow tried to sound threatening, but the giggles he was hiding were all too obvious. Still, Ts'kal, flattened against the stone floor, tried to hide his face in the ground, cheeks flaming. Oh, skies. Did he really have to be the hostage here? Really? In Sa'nia and Altaph's eyling? Flattened by his own simourv (who looked like an idiot)?

He didn't even try for dignity. Shirtless (and more than thankful he was wearing pants under his sheets), the rainbowrider pressed his forehead into the stone, skin freezing in the icy air. He rather welcomed the feeling, since it distracted him from the stupid, stupid, embarrassing creature he was forced to call his bonded. I hate you, Aburoqaph.

[Aikaph]

Altaph was snoozing quietly on her stone couch, with Sa’nia huddled up on the bed totally covered with all the blankets she could find in her eyling. It was rather warm there, even with the bitter wind ripping at anything and everything outside. Dreams of swimming in the summer ocean passed through her mind, friends gathering about her and throwing a party. The Simourvs were all playing a game of tag overhead, and the sun was just beginning to sink on the other side of its course. What a lovely day it was, and she and other laughed away as one of the proud Reds got bombarded with pounds upon pounds of sand…

Of course, all good things came to an end, and this one wasn’t an exception. With a loud and obnoxious chirp that was too masculine to be Taffy’s. Said Tawny groggily brought her head up only to roar with Simourv-laughter. Perched atop of their ledge was none other than Aburoqaph, adorned with many a bedsheet, with a helpless and raging Ts’kal within his grasp. Of course, this didn’t help Sa’nia’s sleep at ALL, and the Lieutenant merely groaned very unladylike and rolled over (not that one could tell, it just looked like a mass of blankets).

At the crazy Rainbow’s giggly and empty threat, Sa’nia gave another unladylike groan and sat up to reveal that she was only in the bare minimum of clothing. A thin black cami and equally black shorts adorned her now-goose-bumped skin, and her freckles looked as if they would fall off of her skin. The red mass that was her tangled hair clung to her face as her bleary eyes took in the eyesore that was an overexcited Aburo in the morning. Just one look at the Rainbow and a palm was brought to her forehead, to land gracefully on her forehead and hold the face as it shook from laughter. ”Aburo, what’s up? Besides bedsheets, of course!” she laughed as Altaph peered into the cage that was Aburoqaph’s foot.

You have a visitor, Mine~ Altaph sing-songed as she nipped away Ts’kal’s only form of cover from curious eyes. Still shaking with laughter, Hers slipped out of bed and stumbled over to where Ts’kal was ensnared. Another laugh rocked the young woman to her knees, head ducking down so that she could wedge it between the prisonkeeper’s toes. ”Why hello, Ts’kal~! Why did you bring Aburo here~?” she taunted, voice still sounding rather groggy, but teasing all the same. Oh skies, this would be hilarious.

[‡§åkørü‡]

Aburoqaph either failed or refused to recognize Sa'nia's laughter as anything but admiration. Puffing up his brilliant feathers, the simourv sat down on his haunches, tail swishing in glee as he squished his rider playfully against the ground. Ts'kal swore and dug his face harder into the ground, but the rainbow totally missed it. Hearing the tawnyrider's question, Aburo puffed himself up and fluffed his wings cheerfully. I'm not Aburo! I'm the Bedsheet Bandit! I kidnapped this Mine, he explained, practically glowing with pride. His brilliant yellow eyes shone; he glanced down at his captive and shuffled his toes aside so Sa'nia could see him. A high warble of laughter escaped him when Altaph jerked the blankets off of Ts'kal, and he reached out a wing to playfully bat her on the head. Feathers fluffing self-importantly, Aburoqaph chirped and shifted his claws, smushing His playfully against the rock.

Ts'kal was obviously and for all intents and purposes annoyed. Sprawled flat on his chest, he covered his head with his arms, and then shivered as a gust of cool air brushed over his back when Altaph stole his blankets. Glad he'd had the foresight to wear pants (he glanced back to make sure they were still there, and they were), the rainbowrider's humour nonetheless did not improve. Hearing the chirpy greeting from Sa'nia, he looked up with a less-than-amused expression on his face. His eyes clearly stated all of his feelings on this situation. "Hello, Sa'nia," he muttered, and then slid his arms back slightly and pushed himself up onto his elbows. "I brought him here to murder him," was his less-than-pleasant answer.

Aburo finally lifted his claws, apparently deciding that his prisoner couldn't get away here, and Ts'kal heaved himself up onto his arms, rather relieved to be off of the cold floor. His chest was freezing, his arms were equally so, and with his blankets gone his feet were like ice. Dragging himself into a sitting position, the rainbowrider sighed and rubbed his arms, goosebumps rising on his skin. "Altaph," he demanded, twisting to glare up at her, "could I please have my blanket back? I'm freezing and the Bedsheet Bandit here grabbed me before I even woke up."

Muttering under his breath, Ts'kal rotated back to face Sa'nia, and then, noticing her messy hair and the warm shade of her skin, narrowed his eyes. Oh, like that was it? She could laugh because she was warm. He wasn't. In a wicked moment of impulse, the candidatemaster seized her arm and dragged her into his arms, deliberately leaning his icy chest against her sleep-warm arm. "Freeze, Sa'nia. Freeze!"

Aburo chirped with alarm as His kidnapped Sa'nia (whom he dubbed now 'the fair maiden'), and he swished his tail excitedly, before forgetting all about it and turning to Altaph. With a happy trill, he sprang up off his haunches and pounced at the tawny, ears flicking joyfully. Altaph, Altaph! Don't give his blankets back! he begged, and His, hearing it, released Sa'nia and glared at his simourv. Right evil beast, the rainbow was! Evil, truly evil and wicked and all kinds of nasty things.

Unfortunately, Ts'kal had never been capable of resisting his adorable bonded. Aburoqaph, trilling and ridiculous-looking as he was, was irresistibly cute, and with a sigh, the rainbowrider gave up on trying to be really angry at him. At least he'd landed in Sa'nia's eyling, and not somebody else's. Sadly, this still left the problem of his being cold, and he turned helpless eyes on Sa'nia. "Can I have one of YOUR blankets? Aburo's wearing all of mine and Altaph stole the ones I borrowed from the storerooms. Pleeeeease, Sa'nia?"

[/center]

[Aikaph]

Sa’nia only laughed harder as the ‘Bedsheet Bandit’ fluffed up his feathers to the point of being able to be called a fuzzball.”Well, I only know one living rainbow, and that’s Aburoqaph. SO, that makes YOU Aburo!” she giggled. Of course, even as the overly-joyful Rainbow pulled his talons away from the now-semi-squished Ts’kal, the man was as sour as an unripe Chydyn nut. She gave a quiet tut at him before continuing. ”You know, smiling makes you live longer,” she explained to his dour face, which was turned towards Altaph. The Tawny, unable to refuse, was about to give it back and-

AND THEN Aburoqaph was bowling over her much larger form. With a squawk of surprise, the blanket oh so conveniently was shaken from her grasp in an attempt to keep her horns from shattering on the ground. It also conveniently drifted up and off the ledge to be swept away by that incessant wind. And before Sa’nia had any time to react, her body was hurtling towards Ts’kal’s to be wrapped in a rather tight hug. Her face shifted to a slight shade brighter as her warm body collided with his somewhat cold one. ”I already was, in case you couldn’t tell by my freckles falling off of my face!” she retorted in mock rage as the Candidatemaster released his grip on her.

Altaph was royally upset. With a quiet caw, she watched as the blanket landed on the ground to be picked up by one of the workers and brought to the washing area. I’m sorry, Ts’kal, but your blanket has been taken away to get cleaned, she apologized in dismay before rolling ver, hopefully pinning the tiny Simourv under her.

With a small huff that was overruled by the broad grin that was plastered on her face, Sa’nia grabbed Ts’kal by the wrist and started trying (and failing) to drag him over to her bed. ”It’s too cold for you to be bundled up alone on a bed with just one blanket! How’s about we do like the sheep and huddle to keep warm?” she asked with a face that was filled with innocent intents.

[‡§åkørü‡]

Aburoqaph's fluffy feathers wilted slightly as Sa'nia insisted upon calling him Aburoqaph even though he'd told her he was now the Bedsheet Bandit. But there are Tossitoph and Weirph too! he protested, trilling a little weakly. But he wasn't Aburo, little bubbles of thought continued to tell Sa'nia, he was the Bedsheet Bandit! He wasn't associated with any rainbows! He was a bandit - mysterious and unknown, and the most terrible criminal of the whole Eyrie!

Ts'kal made a face as Sa'nia informed him that smiling made him live longer, illustrating exactly what he thought of that. Demanding his blankets back, he stared hopefully at the tawny, and then the unthinkable happened. Actually, it was quite thinkable and in fact predictable - it was just heartbreaking. Aburoqaph launched himself excitedly at the bigger simourv, and then the blanket was flying away over the edge of the eyling, lost down the cliff. At least the rainbowrider was temporarily distracted by grabbing Sa'nia and pulling her against his freezing skin. Hearing her protest, he lifted a hand to poke her nose, and grinned, mostly forgetting about his anger. "Oh, they're falling off? Shame. You won't match Altaph anymore," he chirped teasingly.

And then said tawny's voice filtered into his head, and with a truly pitiful whimper, Ts'kal stared out at the edge of the eyling, down beyond which the blanket had been lost. At least Altaph was sorry, unlike his own shameless bonded. With a sob that could have been either real or faked, the rainbowrider turned back to Sa'nia, his eyes implying that this was the worst thing that had ever happened to him and he was so cold. Of course, he was distracted once more by physical contact - this time it was the tawnyrider initiating it. With a startled laugh, he scrambled up onto his feet, and then playfully ducked down to pick her up. Carrying his hapless victim the few feet to the bed, Ts'kal then lifted her and tossed her onto the warm covers with a laugh, his own face suspiciously pink (although less innocent than hers was). "Aburo eats sheep," he pointed out, and then leapt after Sa'nia, bouncing down on the bed next to her. With the cold air playing over his skin, he didn't mind not waiting; he grabbed a tossed-back quilt and threw it over both of them, snuggling gratefully down into the soft mattress. "It's so WARM! Hallelujah! Skies above and koxi below, I thought I'd freeze!" Ts'kal teased, and then reached an arm out and poked the tawnyrider immaturely in the belly, laughing.

Aburoqaph squealed in delight and launched himself at Altaph. It was all his fault that the blanket was lost, of course, but he hardly even noticed it fly away, let alone land. Managing to knock the other simourv over, the rainbow's plan was nonetheless foiled when she rolled over. Being a great deal smaller and lighter, Aburo couldn't resist the roll and he was soon squished under the tawny, warbling. One of the sheets in his cape was caught under her claws; he didn't even notice and when he turned his head to look at her there was a terrible ripping sound. He didn't notice that either. Altaph! You should be a bandit too! You'd be good at it! he suggested. Obviously she had to be a great fighter to be able to squish a fearsome bandit such as himself! Therefore they should be accomplices! The Bedsheet Bandit and the Terrible Tawny!

[/center]

[Aikaph]

Sa’nia was getting tired of playing Aburo’s game, but knew fully well that he wouldn’t give it up. So, with a resigned sigh, she looked at the hilarious bundle that was Aburo. ”I’m sorry, Bedsheet Bandit, I could have sworn you were Aburo. I mean, Weirph and Tossitoph look nothing like him, and you look SO MUCH like him! I guess I was mistaken,” she explained, all the while shaking her head. She turned to Ts’kal, who made the loving remark about her freckles. Her light shade went a couple notches up as he spoke the words. ”Simourv teeth! I look NOTHING like Taffy!” she laughed.

However, she wasn’t given any time to continue, for she was soon swept off her feet and tossed rather unceremoniously onto the bed. Now her face was bright red, but it was mainly surprise and the fact that she wasn’t getting enough oxygen in her lungs, she was laughing so hard. Soon, Ts’kal was beside her, and a heavy quilt was thrown over top of them. When she was poked in the stomach, she erupted with even more laughter. So much, in fact, that it seemed that she would die of laughter. Gasping for breath through giggle fits, she retorted with a few pokes of her own. ”Maybe, since my freckles are starting to melt back onto my face,” she giggled, shifting closer to the other person, ”Maybe I could get some on you!” she then proceeded to rub her face all over Ts’kal’s shoulder. It may have been immature, but it was hilarious.

Altaph was sniffing at the now-ripped bedsheet that was lodged in between her and Aburo’s foot. With a sad warble, she turned to Hers’ current playmate. Ts’kal, I have horrible news, she peeped meekly. She looked down at the sheet one last time. I seem to have ripped your sheet. I’m so sorry. All of the meekness in her tone of voice made Sa’nia laugh all the harder. The Tawny was soon distracted by the Rainbow beneath her. Become a bandit as well? No! That would not do! With a caw of defiance, she brought her face close to Aburo’s. But a bandit as a bad person! I will not be cruel! she chirped defiantly. I will change your ways and see what you are doing is wrong! Come to the light side! We’re a lot nicer!

And thus Sa’nia nearly passed out due to lack of oxygen via laughter.

[‡§åkørü‡]

Aburoqaph was beyond thrilled with Sa'nia gave in and called him the Bedsheet Bandit. It was his rightful title, after all! He was the Bandit! He was! And it was delightful! Trilling in glee, he nodded enthusiastically. But I'm... I'm... badder! he decided. Yes, he was badder than Aburo. Far more badder! More terrible-r! And stuff! Happy, gentle Aburoqaph would never kidnap a Ts'kal and hold him hostage in another simourv's eyling! But the terrible Bedsheet Bandit would, and did!

Ts'kal giggled (a most unmanly giggle) as Sa'nia argued that she looked nothing like Taffy. "Sure you do!" he countered, and then grabbed her up and threw her on the bed before diving after her to wrap himself up in the warm, blessedly comfortable blankets. "Your face is all freckly and the freckles are just the right shade! And accented by that lovely, lovely red, too!" he teased, laughing and reaching out to poke the tawnyrider in the belly. Thus began the poking war - she returned his attacks, and, filled with the hilarity of the moment, Ts'kal poked her half a dozen more times, then pushed at her shoulder with a giggle. Contrary to his attempt to push her away, however, she ended up right next to him, rubbing her face all over his shoulder.

Unable to contain the laughter, Ts'kal cracked up and giggled so hard he couldn't breathe. Tears streamed from his eyes, and though he could barely speak, he grabbed one of Sa'nia's hands and rubbed it over his shoulder right after her face left it. "Eraser, eraser!" he gasped between fits of laughter, and then caught her other hand too, rubbing them both over the tawnyrider's face. "Quick, get rid of the toxic tawny freckles! Eraser hands, eraser hands!"

Of course, his mood was momentarily dampened by Altaph's announcement that she'd ripped his sheet. "Another one?" he complained pitifully. He should never have made Aburo that stupid cape. Probably it was his favourite quilt that had gotten all ripped up - but he hoped it was just a sheet. Please, just a sheet, he begged mentally... and then went back to poking and generally harassing Sa'nia. He'd deal with his simourv later.

Aburoqaph trilled persuasively when Altaph refused to become a bandit with him. Chirping impudently (without noticing her caw of defiance), he poked at her face with his own, making their beaks click together. But it's fun! he protested gleefully, tapping his beak against hers. Tail twitching, he tried to catch the tawny's with it, giggling mentally. No! I won't be good! I'm the Bedsheet BANDIT! Bandits weren't bad people! They were just misunderstood! Besides! He had his hostage to be nice for him (although he reluctantly admitted that Ts'kal wasn't really a hostage anymore - hostages weren't supposed to giggle fit to explode). Besides, maybe he liked being squished! Altaph's tummy was awfully warm. Just like a big, brown, fluffy feathery blanket! Yes! She could be his cape! That was a splendid idea! The impracticality of it didn't even strike the rainbow; trilling excitedly, Aburoqaph suggested the idea to Altaph. She didn't have to be a bandit - she could just be his cape! Wouldn't that be grand!?

[/center]

[Aikaph]

By now the Bedsheet Bandit was making absolutely no sense whatsoever, so Sa’nia just tuned him out. It wasn’t as if he was saying anything of great importance, right? Besides, if he did happen to say something that was actually intelligent, Taffy would let her know.

Of course, her giggle fits were not helped at all when Ts’kal giggled a very UNMANLY giggle. At his insistence that she looked remotely like her Tawny bonded, she just shook her head quickly as she laughed. ”No!” was all that she could get out before erupting into more gigglefits. He poked her, she poked him twice as many. So when he poked her six times in the belly, he received a baker’s dozen of pokes to his abdomen. She was going to start tickling him till he cried uncle, but that sudden plan was foiled when the Candidatemaster grabbed her by the wrists and smeared her “melted freckles” back onto her face. The pressure on her nose and the lack of breaks between laughter was making her lightheaded, but she paid it no heed. Nothing could go really all that wrong, could they?

Altaph was not swayed emotionally when the floofball underneath her tried to persuade her to join the dark side, but she was swayed physically when he tapped her on the beak. The sudden shift from having her nose inches from his to his clicking against hers twice in a row startled her a bit, and she began to rock to the side. Giving a startled squeal, she tumbled over onto her side in a bundle of feathers and bedsheet. And then Aburo asked her to be…. His cape? You do realize that I could easily crush you under my weight, and that I would end up being fully responsible if you injured yourself due to me being on top of you as your cape, right?

[/color][/i] she countered smartly. In fact, it was probably the most analytical thing she said all week! See what you learn every day?[/center]

[‡§åkørü‡]

Aburoqaph didn't even notice that Sa'nia wasn't listening to him. He continued rambling on about his exploits as the Bedsheet Bandit: first, he'd stolen the pond! Then he'd kidnapped Ts'kal! He was such a terrible, terrible bandit - the baddest one of all! Oh, yes. He was to be feared by everyone! Everyone and their cow! Or their grandma. Ts'kal said that people had grandmas but he wasn't sure what they were, because he'd forgotten. Oh well. It didn't matter!

The tawnyrider's refusal to admit that she looked like her simourv was doing nothing to sober up the rainbowrider next to her. Giggling as hard as she was, Ts'kal grabbed Sa'nia's wrists and smeared her freckles back onto her face, laughing so hard he could barely breathe. Tears streamed down his cheeks; at last he gave up smudging the freckles back on, and merely lay there laughing. Shaking with hilarity, the candidatemaster had no doubt that he would have been in quite the situation if any of his students knew about this less-than-mature behaviour - but that was why they weren't here. They didn't get to see him when he was truly being an idiot, such as now. On the other hand, he got to see Sa'nia being an idiot, and, still wheezing with laughter, the rainbowrider grabbed a pillow, and held it in front of her face so they couldn't see each other. "Hide the beast!" he whispered, and then cracked up again, collapsing in helpless giggles.

Aburoqaph was one hundred percent convinced that his idea was a genius one. Trilling gleefully, he clicked his beak against Taffy's, and then leapt to his feet as soon as Altaph rolled off. Here was his chance! His cape was here, ready to be collected! Yes! It was a perfect opportunity---

Wait, what?

No you couldn't! the rainbow argued. I'm the Bedsheet Bandit! You can't hurt ME! Granted, it wasn't the best argument anyone had ever heard, but Aburo wasn't known for his common sense. Suddenly, however, his golden eyes widened, and without further ado, the rainbow pounced on Taffy, balanced himself on her side, and lifted his head high, ears twitching. My boat! The boat of Sir Sensible, also known as the Bedsheet Bandit! ALL ABOARD! WE'RE EMBARKING ON OUR TRIP! The bedsheets tied around the rainbow's head fluttered as he flapped his wings next to his sides, trilling gleefully. If Altaph didn't want to be his cape, she could be his boat! The fact that they were nowhere near water, of course, didn't even factor into his decision. A boat was a perfect thing for Taffy to be!

[/center]

[Aikaph]

Tears were streaming down Sa’nia’s now-purple face as her fellow idiot released his grip on her wrists, but her plan was partially foiled when a pillow blocked her view of the man. He whispered something along the lines of Hide the beast (or was it fry the peas?) before bursting into another fit of laughter which only gave Sa’nia more drive to tickle him until he laughed his lungs out! With that plan in mind, she reached blindly around the pillow, fingers practically clawing at Ts’kal in an attempt to tickle him…

But there was a slight problem with this. Due to the pillow and her blind flailing around the pillow, the fleecy object was brought close to her face, making it even harder to get oxygen into her lungs. Of course, she paid no heed to the fact that her head was swimming and her vision was getting fuzzy. Her mind was just set on tickling the Candidatemaster to death! Unfortunately, the lack of oxygen was finally getting to her. With a few more laughs and not-really-flailing arms, her body went limp. Out cold.

Altaph, on the other hand, was busy trying to bite the sense into the oblivious little creature that was now perched atop her ribcage. It wasn’t helping her at all. With a snort and an attempted smack with her tail on Aburotard’s backside, she tried to regain her dignity. I will NOT be a boat!

[/color] she squawked harshly. Sure she was a Simourv, but she was also a lady! And ladies do not enjoy being called fat, even If it wasn’t intended at all.

However, it was about this time when Sa’nia lost consciousness. Altaph’s ears flattened, and with a mighty heave, threw the rainbow off of her. This wasn’t right. She was laughing her head off not two seconds ago! There was no way she was asleep. Eyes narrowed, and ears pinned back, she shoved her head into the eyeling. What. Did. You Do. To. MINE.[/color] she demanded of Ts’kal, fury emanating off of her like a bad smell. Her choppy sentences didn’t help to alleviate any of the anger pinpointed at the innocent man, but there did happen to be a shred of bedsheet caught on her horn. She paid no attention to it. She was just worried about her rider. A growl emanated from deep in her throat, daring him to say something that would give her reason to eat him.[/center]

[‡§åkørü‡]

Ts'kal couldn't help but to keep giggling breathlessly, trying to suck air into his lungs between fits of laughter. It didn't help when Sa'nia tried to reach around the pillow and tickle him. Most unfortunately, the hand that was flailing at him fell limp without any warning at all, and the rainbowrider's eyes widened. Totally oblivious to the chaos as Aburoqaph tried to convince Altaph to be his boat, the candidatemaster stared helplessly at the collapsed tawnyrider, the giggles draining out of him like water out of a sieve. "Sa'nia?" he whispered, reaching over to shake her. His hand never made it, however, for Altaph's enraged voice burst into his head and with a startled (and rather nervous) gasp, Ts'kal jerked back as if he'd been burned.

"Nothing!" he protested truthfully, pulling back the covers to expose Sa'nia. "It wasn't me!" Really it wasn't, but he wasn't sure that Taffy was going to believe him. In an effort to make himself look more honest, he reached over and shook the other rider's shoulder gently, then picked up her limp hand and waved it around. And then he noticed the scrap of sheet caught on the tawny's horn, and choked, trying not to laugh. Scuttling up against the headboard, farther away from the angry Altaph, Ts'kal slapped a hand over his mouth in the attempt not to giggle. He couldn't laugh! She was going to eat him if he did! Eat!

Aburoqaph was struggling manfully to convince Taffy to be his boat. Tragically, she didn't seem to agree with his point of view... but he would make her! She'd see what a good boat she could be! Yes you will! the rainbow argued, lifting his feet in turn to avoid the snapping beak. Trilling with glee, he spread his wings to improvise a sail, and then squeaked, startled, when Altaph threw him right over the edge of the eyling. With a startled squawk, Aburo climbed back up to the ledge, and landed there. Taffy was threatening his!

Eyes wide, the rainbow darted onto the scene, banging his shoulder into Taffy's and scrabbling to crawl in front of her, crushing himself into the space between her neck and the doorway. It was squishy, but in the defense of His, that didn't matter. Ears flattening against his head, the rainbow warbled to Altaph, trying to calm down the angry tawny before she ate His. Mine didn't hurt her! he shouted mentally. His was a good person! He wouldn't have hurt Sa'nia - especially because, as Aburoqaph emphasized with a dramatic tone, he liked her. It was just a misunderstanding! Just the kind of misunderstanding that happened when a sheep tried to argue with him once and he ate it - but Taffy shouldn't eat Ts'kal because that would be bad and simourvs weren't supposed to eat people!

Squeezing himself more tightly into the space, so that Taffy had to drag him aside if she wanted to get through the door, Aburoqaph huddled under the tawny's neck, flapping his tail feebly at her shoulder. Taaaffyyyyy! Don't eat my Ts'kalthing!

[/center]

[Aikaph]

Sa’nia, blissfully unaware of the ensuing brawl due to her passed-out state, remained… well, passed out.

Meanwhile, Altaph wasn’t giving a damn on what Ts’kal was saying. What he said meant NOTHING to her. All that she saw was this: Sa’nia was passed out. Ts’kal was there. Ts’kal knocked Sa’nia out. Her mind wasn’t really working to its highest caliber at the time. Don’t TOUCH her!

[/i] she screamed as he waved a limp hand about as if it were a puppet’s. Beak agape and a scream echoing off the stone walls, she made to grab him and deposit him past the edge of the eyling.

Unfortunately, a certain rainbow decided to wedge his way in between her and the disgrace that was Ts’kal. Hissing at the tiny creature, she turned to face him full-on. The only reason she didn’t bite his head off was because he was giving valuable information, albeit in a scatterbrained way. So Ts’kal liked Sa’nia, hmm? Well, we’ll see about that! How long has Ts’kal liked mine, Aburo? she questioned, glaring at him.

Her deathglare was interrupted by Sa’nia shifting in her state of unconsciousness, which was strange in itself, considering she was unconscious. Her arm draped over Ts’kal’s lap and just lay there, and mumbled something along the lines of ”Shut up, Aburotarrrd, ‘mtryin’ t’sleeeepppp…”

Well then. It seemed she had drifted from just plain blackness to fuzzy dream land. But of course Taffy didn’t notice this shift, and was still in a skeptical rage.[/center]

[‡§åkørü‡]

Ts'kal, trying to shake Sa'nia awake, hastily obeyed as Altaph screamed at him not to touch her. Cowed, he stared at her with wide eyes, wedged up against the headboard in an effort to stay far out of reach of the gleaming beak. "O-okay," he agreed in a rather high-pitched voice. He'd never actually seen Taffy angry before - had it even happened? If it had, it surely wasn't while he'd been around. Meanwhile, his face had gone from the red of laughter to the approximate shade of the snow outside. Honestly, he was sure that the tawny was going to eat him if she got in here.

Aburoqaph squealed, trying to stop Altaph from eating His, and then he realized that it had worked. Oh! He gave a happy chirp as Ts'kal wasn't eaten, and cheerfully volunteered the information he'd been asked for. His tail even flicked as a flourish to the end of his explanation. Forever! Mine always smiles when he hears your peopleperson's name, Altaph! I asked him why and he said he liked her! See, he wouldn't hurt her!

At the end of his explanation, the rainbow trilled, feeling he'd done a very good job indeed. He'd saved His! He was a hero! Everyone would worship him forever because he'd kept the Terrible Taffy from eating Ts'kal! Chirping at the very idea, the rainbow wriggled delightedly but didn't move from his spot, instead scooting to be even more in the way of the door. Just in case Altaph really tried to eat His, you understand.

Focused on the tawny's anger and his consequent peril, Ts'kal nearly jumped out of his skin when Sa'nia's arm landed across his lap. He had no idea what she said when she mumbled, but she definitely said something. "She talked!" he called, hoping Altaph would be a little less angry with him for that. Hoping to wake the female rider, the candidatemaster waved her arm back and forth, and then poked her repeatedly in the ribs, hoping she would at least roll over and prove to the tawny that she wasn't dead. He, after all, had no desire to be eaten.

Meanwhile, Aburoqaph was happy as could be. He hadn't shut up after explaining how long Ts'kal had liked Sa'nia for. No, now he was talking some more: did Taffy know that if you lined up a whole bunch of sheep you got sheeple file? And if you lined up singers you got single file! His had called his joke silly and laughed at him, not the joke. Wasn't that mean? And wasn't it funny that Ts'kal had a crush? Personally, Aburo liked to crush Chydyn nuts. And then he ate them! They were delicious. Did Altaph love them too? He didn't know what the crush His had talked about was, though. And sometimes he said 'like.' Was like the same thing as a crush? You could like and crush Chydyn nuts, couldn't you? Wasn't that just the most perplexing thing? And wasn't perplexing the best word in the world?

And so on and so forth.

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