Lullabies [open!]

[Kilnarak]

The midday sun shone down on the Eyrie's gardens, warming the air. The morning had begun overcast, however by noon the bright sun had burned away the last of the cloud cover and the sky was clear and endlessly blue. It was a good day to be lazy, but there was still a heavy tension in the air about the Eyrie - the aftermath of the recent battle, as well as of the drama of the flight-and-chase lending a sense of anxiety to the goings on about the simourv-riders' home. Many had been wounded, but there had been no casualties at least - at least, none on their side.

One of the wounded stretched in the garden, soaking up the heat of the sun. Muraaph had chosen to seclude herself in one of the flower gardens, avoiding the more often tended fruit and vegetable gardens; the smell of wildflowers comforted the green, and the grasses here were soft and fairly tall - allowed to remain half-wild. Muraaph lay somewhat awkwardly, her bandaged leg spread out stiffly to the side, her wings fanned out from her back to catch the heat of the sun - and shading a good portion of the garden in doing so. The green's leg was currently splinted and bound in a great deal of white cloth - the bone had fractured beneath the koxi's strong jaws, although it had not broken all the way through; it would heal cleanly, so long as she did not put her full weight on it. This caveat made her normal actions and duties somewhat difficult - flying was easy, launching into the air was more difficult. Muraaph had taken up a hopping half leap with her take-offs, not allowing her injured leg to touch the ground - it was much easier when there was a cliff or a ledge she could drop off of instead of throwing herself into the air. Her other wounds were not bound, they had simply been cleaned, pungent smelling salves smeared upon them - they were not serious, shallow nicks and scrapes mostly. Muraaph did not like the smell, and she did not like that she could not be rid of it - it clung to her feathers and kept causing her to sneeze; it was at least part of the reason why she had chosen this garden over the others.

Of course, while the garden was more or less empty, Muraaph was not alone. Her A're sat in her shadow, his weight a warm and reassuring presence against her side and his mind open and clear. While he reclined, the slight rider did not doze - he was worried for Muraaph, and that worry kept him awake. He had hardly left the green's side since they had returned from the battle - not even taking his own bed, but rather sleeping snug against the great bird's side. For the moment, both rider and simourv were uncharacteristically quiet - neither spoke physically or mentally, but their thoughts and feelings still transmitted. Muraaph's mind still buzzed with a quiet sense of anger - toward the koxi, toward her sister Valenph who she felt had abandoned them during the battle, toward herself for getting injured. The simourv's usually bright mind was dull and dark and dreary.

For his part, A're had tried his best to cheer his bond, but her thoughts remained mired in her unhappiness, dragging his own down with them. After some time, the green simourv lowered her head, craning her neck about to set the edge of her beak against her rider's legs. She whuffed softly through her nostrils, closing her eyes as his hand rose near of it's own accord to stroke her beak. I am tired, Mine. But! I cannot sleep, Muraaph's mental voice suddenly broke through the silence, carrying a faint whining edge to it. A're frowned slightly, but continued to pet the green's snout soothingly. "I can sing ya a lullaby, Mura, if you want," he murmured quietly - Muraaph would hear, her ears were keen, and even if they were deaf, she would still understand. The green brightened briefly, before sinking back down into her hazy thoughts. Oh yes, that would be nice, she crooned.

And so, A're began to sing for the simourv - his voice soft and lilting, the song more about tone and pitch than actual words. It was something he remembered his mother singing, when he was very young, something he did not remember in its entirety, but Muraaph understood the sentiment. A're closed his eyes as he sang, half words and half emotion, unaware of anything other than the great warm bulk of his simourv and the scent of wildflowers.

[zeis]

K'huna picked up the large jar of salve from his desk, and limped toward to door to Canph's chamber. His stride was slow, and he moved gingerly due to the blackened bruises caused by his harness which without a shirt as he was, made it appear as if he were wearing one over his bare skin. "Time for your medicine!" He called out a warning to his injured red, and received nothing more than a wave of dislike over their mental connection. He couldn't help feel a little sympathetic for his bonded. The stuff smelled terrible, and who liked medicine anyway? But everybody has to do things they don't like at some point or another, and simourv riders were no exception.

Nothing good had come out of the fight with the Koxi. Sure, it had been a victory, and there had been no deaths that he'd heard of, other than trampled and missing livestock. But there had been injuries, many injuries, especially to K'huna's own Canph. This normally would have been frustrating enough, but the kicker for the red-rider and the red was that the injuries mostly hadn't come from the great plated lizards at all. They'd come from Valenph in her repeated attempts to drive off and maul the pinkish red. K'huna had tried repeatedly to dissuade his simourv from further attempt, but the red was lost in lust and anger and either chose not to or was unable to heed his words. Now here he was, sulking in his eyling chamber from his loss in the flight, his wounds, and what he perceived as a waste of time when he could have been killing Koxi. He hesitated just outside the doorway, and craned his head with a wince to peer inside.

As he expected, his red was curled moodily into a tight ball of red and pink feathers with his head tucked under one large wing. Whether to shut out the light or shut out the world, he wasn't sure, though he suspected the latter. The red had since recent events lapsed into an incredible sulk, and was as a result even less approachable than before. He barely spoke to K'huna, and growled ceaselessly whenever he came close to tend his wounds. The red-rider ignored these threats, and was not afraid of his simourv injuring him beyond a few more bruises. It was others he was more worried about. Canph had never been quite this beat up before, and he was unsure how the simourv would act around any of his siblings. Steeling himself, he limped into his simourv's sleeping chamber, and unscrewed the lid on the jar, discarding it to the floor. "Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey." He called out insistently over the low growl as he started toward the great feathery wall before him.

The red-rider was pleasantly surprised and a little startled to see Canph obey him with so little urging, as no sooner had he taken his first step than the wounded simourv started getting gingerly to his feet. He felt a little heartened by the sight, and his scowl momentarily disappeared before resurfacing as he got down to business. "You look like hell. Alright, hold still. I'll get your leg first." He moved beside his simourvs back leg to inspect a shallow set of claw marks across the scales near the ankle. They looked like they were healing. He glanced briefly down to locate and remove a rag he had stuffed into his belt, and did not see the attack coming.

He felt it coming, as least for a second or so prior. An angry defiant surge along their mental connection, and enough time to try and look Canph in the eye. The hind foot he had been tending to had withdrawn, and now came rushing forward with restrained force into him. The blow knocked him away and to the floor a few feet away, with a surprised yell of pain as his bruises hit the floor. Canph didn't stick around for his rider to come to his senses, and with an equally pained caw leapt off his eyling ledge and into the air. His sore wings snapped open in the air, and the light breeze aided his escape.

He did not hear K'huna's curses and threats as he put distance between himself and eyling, at least not physically. However they rang clear in his mind for a moment or two, before Canph shut down the majority of their connection. He was not sure what he was doing, or where he was going, but he needed to do something and go somewhere. The red had indulged a wild whim with no real plan or course of action, and damn, it had felt good. His wings locked in position and he simply glided across the canyon, enjoying the wind in his feathers and the lofty feeling of weightlessness as he waited for anyone, or anything to judge his course. It came in the form of a song. distant and sweet to his ears. Without really thinking, he shifted his wings, and angled leisurely in that direction. It would be a while yet before his rider would be able to catch up on foot, he could afford to take his time.

His sharp eyes picked out the sprawled form of Muraaph in the distance, laying among a wild cloud of flowers, and the apparent epicenter of the song that had called him. A sad and angry feeling twinged his heart as he glided nearer. He had caught her once, what seemed like a long time ago to him. Unlike Valenph she had been glad to have him, or at least pleased enough with his tenacity to tolerate him. She had been vibrant and alluring then, and still was even ragged and bandaged as she was. Canph felt a very brief pang of guilt at this, as though her wounds had been his fault through chasing. This uncharacteristic feeling dried up as he circled down to land a respectable distance from her. His landing was awkward and stumbling, and his great weight took out a portion of the flower bed with a mild tremor. After a few moments of struggling to catch himself, the red simply fell forward onto his stomach. He made no effort to get up, and for the moment was content to just lay in an awkward jumble in the soft grass, sweet scents, and pleasant song.

[Kilnarak]

A're's voice wavered, and the song died abruptly as a great wing-shadow passed overhead - the simourv's shadow briefly blocking out the light of the sun. At the sudden sense of nervousness Muraaph picked up from her bond, the green slowly lifted her head and blinked lazily as Canph made his landing - no less awkward than hers had been earlier that morning. She watched her red brother a moment, vaguely interested but not particularly wary - she didn't fear Canph, 'though her rider might. For all that the red was a good deal larger than herself, she trusted him and did not believe he would ever harm her.

Under more normal circumstances, Muraaph would have taken the opportunity to flirt and play with the red - as she did most other male simourv - however given her current state, as well as Canph's own, she merely offered a warbled greeting and a slight flick of her long feathered tail before lowering her head once again. Muraaph settled her chin down in the grass near her forelimbs, her normally bright orange eyes heavy-lidded and lazy. It is just Canph, Mine, Muraaph's voice murmured sleepily through her rider's mind. There was a slight buzz of annoyance to her tone, but she didn't blame the males for chasing; at least, not so much as she blamed her green sister for Flying at so inopportune a time. If only she had waited until after the battle... Muraaph's thoughts slowly drifted back down into a gray mire, thick and dark.

A're watched the red simourv more intently than Muraaph had, still holding his tongue. Canph wasn't in harness, and the slight greenrider could see no sign of K'huna - he was flying alone, then? He relaxed slightly as he noticed that, nestling himself closer against his Muraaph's side - it was a bit embarassing, being caught singing children's lullabies by the red; but it would have been more embarassing had his rider been there as well. Or any of the other riders, for that matter. "Hello Canph," he called, giving the red a small wave - mimicking, in a sense, Muraaph's flick of her tail. "No K'huna today, huh? Probably busy--" He was cut off abruptly by the green, who curled her tail around to swat its fluffy tip against her rider's face and chest. Sing more, it was very lovely, the green whined as he pushed the fluffy bulk of her tail away from his face. He scowled down at her tail even as he absently stroked it, the expression sitting uncomfortably on his usually smiling features. "We've got company now, Mura. Doubt Canph wants ta here me croonin' at ya."

[Fox]

It was always the same. During a battle, when the reports of koxi sightings turned into a first-hand view of the large, lizard-like creatures there would be that large surge of anticipation. Adrenaline would flood his system, making him fidget uncontrollably, eager for the sensation of sinking his talons into warm koxi flesh. It was at these times that Seronaph found that he and his rider got along best, even though his barely restrained impatience often made last minute details a trial. Still, K’ean was always calm and steady but through their shared connection the red could feel the twin fire of an almost predatory bloodlust burning in the young man, the fires banked but no less hot for it. ‘Easy.’ K’ean would say, and it would be during these times and these times alone that Seronaph would actually listen to him, forcibly calming himself and consciously trying to remain still as his rider dealt with whatever eleventh hour problems that had cropped up. He knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that when it came time K’ean would let him loose to engage the simouv’s natural enemy and his rider would be beside him, astride him, all the way.

Afterwards, though, when the adrenaline had worn off and the hundred and one little cuts and bruises began to sting menacingly, Seronaph only ever felt like curling up in a ball and going to sleep. The lethargy often lasted for a day or two after the battle, and it was in this position, curled up into a comfortable ball in his and K’ean’s eyling, tail over his beak and sunlight glowing red through his closed eyelids, that the midday sun found him. Warmth spread over his feathers, and it almost seemed as if the simple sensation alone was enough to obliterate the horrible reek of salve that K’ean had applied to his numerous small wounds. The red was perfectly ready to sleep the day away, and possibly the day after as well. But he couldn’t do that. Not unless his beloved, much derided bond-partner would very kindly remove himself and his blasted mending from Seronaph’s immediate vicinity.

“I heard that.” Came K’ean’s voice from a little niche in the wall where he sat. He sounded at once both amused and slightly aggravated. “I’m very sorry, but it’s not exactly my fault that the mending is turning out to be a noisy job.” The young man looked up from his awkward, squashed position on the floor, using one foot to press down on the two halves of the padded leather strap as his other hand- the right, his off hand- awkwardly wielded a needle and thread. The jingling of the harness was what had been grating on Seronaph’s ears for the past half hour as his rider shifted and turned, trying to find a position in which he did not cramp up but that was suitable for him to be able to use the needle. Held carefully close to his chest was his left hand, that he had injured when somehow a strap had come loose on the riding harness, entangling the arm during the battle. Seronaph had been vaguely aware of his rider’s distress, but had not thought much of it until a koxi’s slashing claws had forced him to leap unexpectedly into the air. The bright flash of pain from K’ean at that motion had both startled and alarmed the red, as it became apparent that the wrench from the surprise take-off had thrown the rider back in the process of trying to disentangle his arm. His own body weight had dislocated the arm at the shoulder, spraining the wrist as well.

Once he had gotten himself straightened out and to the healers afterwards, they had set his shoulder to rights, but could do nothing for his wrist other than give him a soothing salve for the pain. It almost made Seronaph lose faith in the healers that they couldn’t do anything more to help his bonded. But what they couldn’t do, perhaps Seronaph could. Mine, it might be a better idea to leave the harness for now. I’m not going anywhere. Go take a walk or something. It might do you good.[/color] Lightly, gently, he batted his tail at the work in K’ean’s hands, one amber eye opening to fix the rider with an exasperated, slightly concerned gaze. It was almost out of character for Seronaph to be so... nice. K’ean almost couldn’t believe his ears.

“Who are you and what have you done to my Seph?” he asked, a crooked grin tugging at the side of his mouth. As a wave of annoyance not his own washed over him and a not-so-gentle swat knocked the harness out of his hands, the rider couldn’t help but laugh. Leaving the harness where it had fallen, K’ean levered himself to his feet, for once gladly taking the opportunity to procrastinate. It wouldn’t do, after all, for him to manage a sloppy job and have the harness ripping again the next time they went out. He’d already oiled the leather and fixed the buckle. Better to wait the few days until his wrist was up to it again before sewing it up properly. “Alright, old bird. I guess there isn’t much I can do that I haven’t done already.” Stepping up, he patter the red on the foreleg, smiling into an eye that had already begun to droop again. “Get some sleep, then maybe next time Valenph flies you’ll be up to chasing her.”

The growl that followed him out just made K’ean smirk all the more. For Seronaph had been one of the few males who had not chased after the Green that day, though for a long moment he had been torn between chasing and remaining to fight the koxi. Eventually, the red had forced himself to turn away and threw himself into battle with a pent-up frustration that made his talons faster and his strikes fiercer. It was a good thing too that he had not decided to chase, or K’ean likely would have been in for a rougher ride than he had already experienced. As his feet carried him in the direction of the Gardens, K’ean’s mind was just slipping back to his gently dozing simourv when a strain of song, barely more than a whisper on the wind, floated down to his sharp ears. Blinking, he paused for a moment beside a bed of small pink flowers, his head tilted slightly to one side as he followed the sound of a male voice, singing softly. Was it a candidate singing to pass the time?

Quietly, curiously, the young man followed the soft voice, past a canal and another flowerbed. It was just as he turned a corner that a muffled ‘thump’ sounded, and he heard an exceedingly familiar voice- A’re- bid a greeting. Sure enough, a moment later, he rounded the corner of the hedge and was greeted with the towering sight of A’re’s green, Muraaph, and a little ways beyond her, Canph. Somewhat startled, K’ean blinked for several moments. It was only then that he remembered his manners, lifting a hand in greeting and calling across the distance, a small smile tugging at his mouth, “A’re!” [/size]

[zeis]

Canph offered a breathy keen that was part greeting and part groan. The grass was soft under his massive weight, and the wind made it wave soothingly over his feathers, and lightly tickle his scaled legs. Unfortunately, the scent of the hated medicine was here too, looming in a cloud around Muraaph, but lessened by the sweet scent of flowers. He spread his achingly sore wings out to their full extent almost possessively over the ground and went limp with a great whuffing sigh that sent flower petals in front of his beak flying. Every part of his ached, stung, or itched. Maybe he should have let his rider put some of that stuff on him after all...

The singing had stopped, and he heard A're blabbering on about K'huna not being here and other things he didn't care about. It was like a mosquito buzzing in his ear compared to the nice sounds he had made before. The red shifted his head to stare directly toward the pair with his large brown eyes, and spoke. His voice was a tad pleading, an emotion he wasn't used to, but it also held the edge of a demand, and perhaps a tinge of jealousy. Keep singing... Muraaph's sung to her. K'huna never sung to him. Could he even sing? He never did. He liked his rider's voice, but it was not as smooth as Are's. Did humans need a smooth voice to sing?

His large eyes rolled to lock onto K'ean when he appeared, and his ears flattened back against his head. The rider of his red brother Seronaph. He harbored no grudge or ill will against the man, but he felt irritated at his inopportune appearance. Now that he was here to talk would Muraaph's keep singing? Probably not. Maybe he should try and scare him away. He started to push himself to his feet, but a twang of pain in his injured back leg caused him to lay limply back down. ... Maybe later.

[Kilnarak]

A're was more than a touch startled by the red's orders, and blinked owlishly at Canph. He hadn't expected the simourv to request he continue - Muraaph liked it, but he had imagined it was only because they were bonded. At his back, Muraaph heaved a giant sigh - tired and sore - and flicked her tail about herself, laying it across her rider and absently flicking its tip against his chest. See, Canph wants you to sing more too, she murmured drowsily, letting her eyes drift shut. It is very lovely, so you sing more, Mine.

The slight greenrider absently pushed Muraaph's twitching tail away from him, wrinkling his nose and sitting up straighter so that the feathers no longer brushed his face. "I s'ppose, if Canph doesn't mind. An' doesn't tell K'huna anythin' about it," he cast a sidelong glance to the lounging red, waiting a moment for a confirmation he doubted was coming.

A're glanced away after a moment, looking toward the ground and gathering his thoughts - about to resume singing for the two simourv. The familiar voice calling his name, however, stopped him abruptly and he choked on his words. He coughed, looking abruptly in the direction of the voice and spotting one of the redriders waving at him - not K'huna, like he would have expected, but K'ean. He blinked at the man, then offered his own wave, as well as a lopsided and more than slightly sheepish grin.

"Hey! K'ean! What are ya doin' out here? Takin' a break? he shifted slightly, making as if to push himself to his feet and offer a better greeting, but an annoyed flick of Muraaph's tail pushed him back to the ground and curled possessively about him. A're dropped his hand out of the wave, instead scratching sheepishly at the back of his head. "Guess I won't be gettin' up ta greet ya, forgive me?" He looked a touch embarrassed and a touch more amused, and he absently stroked the green's tail. He didn't intend to keep singing now that there was human company, and Muraaph sensed it. The green simourv snorted indignantly, flicking her ears back and opening her eyes a crack to stare at K'ean.

[Fox]

As A're's cheerful voice responded to his greeting, K'ean allowed his the corner of his mouth to tilt upwards in a lopsided smile. "Hardly. I got booted out of my own eyling, if you can believe that." A roll of his eyes completed the picture of exasperation at his Seph, as the rider took a few more steps forward and stopped a reasonable distance away from both simourv. Awkwardly, he folded himself down, ignoring the protests of aching muscles and holding his injured arm, clad in its heavy black brace, away from his body. Once seated, he flapped a hand in good-natured dismissal. "Forgiven, if you don't mind my sitting down." K'ean rather felt like he'd been run over by a herd of stampeding horses, but he wasn't about to say that out loud.

As he settled, the young man happened to notice the rather heated glare than Canph was throwing his way. It was an... interesting experience, being glared at by a creature who was sixty feet long and five times your height. K'ean returned the red's glare with a raised eyebrow of his own, amusement mingling with a touch of steel behind his blue eyes. He had always been somewhat wary of the other reds, Canph and Anoglyph, as genetics indicated that they would be just as prone to violent tendencies as his own Seronaph, give or take, and he didn't have the benefit of being bonded to either of them.That didn't mean that K'ean disliked them; it just meant that he was a little bit more aware whenever one of them was around. At that moment, though, the other red looked so battered- for lack of a better word- that K'ean rather felt sorry for him.

"Canph." he acknowledged, raising a hand in a wave. Idly, he wondered where K'huna was; it wasn't like the other man to leave his injured bonded alone. Perhaps he was busy. Heaving a mental shrug, K'ean turned his eyes to Muraaph and was in the process of offering the green a smile when he noticed that she too was giving him a 'look'. The smile faltered on his face and his greeting emerged rather puzzled. "Hullo, Muraaph..." A frown. "Did I interrupt something?" Belatedly, K'ean recalled the faint song that had led him here, and his frown deepened. Was it because of that? Had someone been singing to the simourvs? But there was no one else around besides himself and A're-

Turning to shoot the greenrider a slightly disbelieving look; K'ean's mouth opened before he could filter his words. As a result, the query was heavy with incredulity and sounded almost accusing. "Were you singing?" Of course, the minute the abrupt words were out of his mouth, K'ean winced. What a way to start a conversation. In the back of his mind, he felt his sleepy simourv stir and sarcasm dripped from the tired voice. You always did have a way with words, Mine.

[Kilnarak]

"What, Seronaph didn't enjoy th' company? His loss, our gain, right?" the slight greenrider laughed, settling against Muraaph's side again and pushing her twitching tail off of his lap. "'course we don't mind ya sittin' down, do we Mura?" He tilted his head back to cast his grin up at the green, hoping she did not voice the annoyance she was broadcasting to him. Mura, you don't mind K'ean that much, do you?

No, Muraaph broadcast, finally, after continuing to stare pointedly at K'ean for some moments longer. She whuffed sharply through her nostrils, closing her eyes again, 'though her ears remained pinned back. Hello, K'ean. I was just resting here with Mine. Did you know? They weren't going to let us back on watch duty!? The green snorted again, indignant, her tailtip trying to twitch again beneath the hands holding it down.

"Yeah, yeah. But ya talked 'em outta that Mura. We've got a couple days for her leg ta heal a bit, then we're back on night watch. Not s'pposed ta engage if any koxi show, 'though. Jus' s'pposed to give out a warnin' an' stay back in th' Eyrie," A're explained, still looking up at his simourv. At K'ean's final question, however, A're's gaze darted immediately to the redrider, his face coloring briefly - embarassed. "No! Nothin' like tha'. Jus'... hummin' a bit."

He was! the green cut in abruptly, her voice brightening for a moment. It was very lovely. But now he does not want to. Muraaph lifted her head, stretching her neck to it's full length and peering down at her rider in disappointment. A're shrank against her side, pushing himself back into the thick downy feathers about her belly.

[Fox]

A fleeting smile slipped across K'ean's face before becoming sober again. "His loss; yes. Your gain? That's up to you, but thank you anyway." A're and Muraaph were always a pleasant pair to be around. That is, when the redrider wasn't being made to feel like he'd somehow managed to trod on Muraaph's tail.

The green's indignation at not being allowed back on watch duty was, in truth, somewhat amusing despite the fact that K'ean could understand perfectly how she was feeling. "That'd probably be best until your leg heals, Muraaph." he said politely. "But at least you managed to get them to allow you back on duty." People were still on edge from the attack that was so fresh in their memories, the marks still apparent on their bodies. Eyrie probably needed as many pairs of eyes as they could get in order to make sure that the koxi attack would remain as a single event and not part of something larger. Heavens help them if the koxi mounted an attack now; with half their force in less than fighting trim, it would be a difficult battle indeed.

K'ean felt rather sorry for A're as the other man looked like he wanted to sink through the ground. It appeared that he'd unwittingly hit on a slightly sensitive spot, and it made the redrider feel slightly guilty that he had apparently deprived Muraaph of A're's singing. "Don't stop on my account." he said hastily, raising both hands in a gesture of surrender. He shot an embarrassed glance at the greenrider. "If you want me to leave, that's fine. But she does want you to sing to her." A crooked smile tugged at the corner of K'ean's mouth. What a simourv wanted, a simourv generally got; most riders (K'ean himself included, though he did strike up an enormous amount of protest) tended to get wrapped around their littlest claws with minimum effort.

[Kilnarak]

A're did rather wish he could turn invisible right about now, or at the very least go hide under a rock somewhere. The concept confused Muraaph, who continued to stare at her rider in the most disappointed and guilt-inducing manner she was able to - she managed to hold this up for some moments longer, until the silence it had also caused finally grew boring to her. With a loud whuffing breath and a shake of her head, Muraaph lowered her muzzle to the ground again, curling slightly around her A're now - Ouroboros, her tail-tip touching the end of her nose when it was not twitching about and rustling the grass.

I do! And Canph does, too! But... Muraaph heaved a giant sigh, the tall grass cushioning her maw bending under the exhalation, We do not want you to leave, K'ean! You should hear, too! Everyone should! The green glanced out of the corner of her eyes at her A're has she said this, and the slight young man squirmed under her scrutiny, muttering something under his breath. I'm not that good, Mura. He doesn't want to hear it, A're looked down from the green and down from K'ean, picking with a sudden interest at blades of grass about him. I don't want him to hear it.

"Maybe I shoulda brought my lute. I don't mind so much playin' that for an audience," A're spoke finally, plucking at grass a moment or two longer before glancing up at K'ean and offering a lopsided and slightly embarrassed grin. "'least I know that sounds a lot nicer. Mura isn't the only one who likes that. Ya know, she'd say it was lovely even if I sounded like a dyin' cat." His gaze shifted to the green and he fended off a playful swat of her tail. You don't sound like a dying cat, Mine!

"Ah. I could go get that, if ya don't mind keepin' these two company?" he continued, after Muraaph grew tired of swatting at him - his grin was slightly broader now, more amused and less sheepish. "Or maybe, if ya know or if I can remember how, we can play grass flutes? Don't remember it bein' that hard ta work with." Muraaph's ears pricked forward as he mentioned this, curious as to what a grass-flute was - the mental image Hers associated with it couldn't have been right.

[Fox]

K'ean wasn't sure whether to grin or wince in sympathy. It was plain that, whatever Muraaph said, A're was unwilling to sing while K'ean was around. He didn't quite understand why; the snippet of song he had heard and traced here had been lovely in it's way. Hardly like A're described at all. But if the other rider really didn't want to do this, then K'ean felt rather bad forcing him into it. He was silent as A're carried on the conversation with Muraaph, head resting on his hand, which in turn was propped against his knee. Absently, he nodded to A're's suggestion of getting his lute; he had heard the slighter man play a few times before, and it had been quite good. K'ean himself couldn't hold a tune to save his life, but he knew when he heard nice music.

K'ean wasn't really paying attention, up until his ears caught the words 'grass flute'. Almost immediately, his eyebrows drew downwards into a puzzled frown and he lifted his head of his hand. He shook his head slowly. "What is a... grass flute?" His voice was slow, slightly hesitant, but genuinely curious.

As a child, K'ean had rarely played with other boys, he had played mostly with his sisters, and spent a lot of time in the woods with his mother. He had not been a particularly social child, truthfully, and it was no wonder that he didn't know a lot of the games and tricks that other boys did. Playing grass flutes was, apparently, one of them. Blinking curiously, he leaned over and plucked a long stem of grass from the ground. "You make these... into flutes?" Incredulity suffused his voice, along with interest. If A're didn't want to sing, well, that was his affair, but now K'ean was curious about these 'grass flutes' and how they worked.

[Kilnarak]

A're grinned broadly at K'ean, plucking another blade of grass and holding it up for both the red-rider and the two simourv to see - he wasn't sure if Canph was interested or not, but Muraaph certainly seemed to be. The green craned her neck back to peer questioningly at Hers, then leaned close to sniff at the slender green blade curiously. It doesn't look like a flute, Mine, the simourv's tone was doubtful as she drew her great head away. She shifted slightly, pushing herself up some to gaze down at her rider and K'ean in interest.

"It's more like a whistle, really," the slight green-rider chuckled, more at ease now that the subject had veered away from his previous song. "Ya hold it like this, see?" He lifted his hands in display, loosely braiding his fingers together, with the blade of grass caught between his thumbs. He showed the arrangement to a dubious Muraaph, who flicked her ears forward and back uneasily. Then, after a moment, he pushed himself somewhat heavily to his feet and moved to where K'ean sat, to show him as well. "See? Like that. Then ya just blow on it, like ya normally would ta whistle kinda?" He paused a moment, making sure K'ean saw how he was holding the grass, then lifted his hands to his face, pursing his lips and blowing air through the hollow between his thumbs. The sound produced was rather unmusical - squeaky and grating, sounding more like the squealing of a young pig than song. A're kept up the noise a few moments, however, moving his fingers slightly and causing the sound to waver strangely.

When he stopped, A're's cheeks were slightly flushed and he was laughing, dropping his hands away from his face. Muraaph had flicked her ears back, the feathers on the back of her neck fluffing up and her bright orange eyes wide. She looked more than a touch distressed. It sounds like something dying! Like when Zionph goes to eat! Her rider only laughed again as she projected this, shaking his head. "Yeah, doesn't it sound pretty? S'pposed ta be able to lure animals with 'em, huntin' animals? Never really tried 'though. Learned how ta do it as a kid, sorta a way ta annoy th' elders, ya know?"

"Why don't ya give it a try?" A're offered a lopsided grin over at K'ean - but the expression wavered as he noticed the sling cradling the red-rider's arm. He hissed softly between his teeth, slowly settling to sit in the shade. "That happen durin' th' attack? It isn't broke, is it?" His gaze, now a touch worried, flicked up to K'ean from the injured limb. He hadn't even known that the man had been injured during the koxi-attack - or, really, paid all that much attention to who else had bled. All of the simourv seemed to have suffered some injury during the raid, but he had been too caught up in Muraaph's pain to do more than note that there were others injured - not who or how. "S'ppose that'll put a damper on ya learnin' how. Maybe I can show ya again when it's healed?"

[Fox]

It was exceedingly hard for K'ean to keep the fascination from filtering into his facial expression, even though he usually prided himself on his control. His blue eyes followed the blade of grass in A're's hand with an attention and focus reminiscent of a cat eyeing a dangling string. He didn't mean to do so; it was just that curiosity could sometimes quite get the better of him. Now was such a time. K'ean had actually always been somewhat fascinated by all the tricks and tips his sisters had picked up from the local boys, but had never tried to learn them chiefly because he had always been somewhat busy with work his mother assigned him. He could set a snare and bait a trap as quickly and efficiently as the best of them, but give him marbles and a playing circle and he wouldn't know what to do with them.

Things just went downhill from the moment A're began to thread his fingers together, still holding the blade of grass. It was almost indiscernible, but K'ean's expression dropped ever so slightly as he wiggled the fingers of his left hand inside the brace. Damn. Well, it looked like he wouldn't be learning how to play grass flutes for awhile; it was quite disappointing, actually. Still, he said nothing as A're demonstrated the improvised toy, and even cracked a halfway decent grin as the green rider burst out laughing. "I wish I had known this sooner; it would have made hunting much easier if I could imitate a dying pig." And the sound did remind K'ean of some sort of dying animal, as Muraaph had so eloquently put it. That certainly wasn't what he would call whistling.

A faint grimace of distaste crossed his face as A're noticed the current useless state of his arm and he raised it for a moment. "It's not broken, thank goodness. Just sprained it. I'll be right as rain in a few days, but for now the healers aren't taking any chances." Lowering the arm again, K'ean ignored the pained sensation of a pulled muscle in his shoulder, knowing well that under his shirt the skin was bruised nearly purple. At least he hadn't ripped any ligaments when he dislocated his shoulder; torn ligaments would have been an even worse problem to deal with compared to some bruises and pulled muscles. Lessons on how to play a grass flute would, sadly, have to wait until he got his full mobility back. "I think so. But I would like that, thank you. I... wasn't a particularly social child." the red rider admitted this with a sheepish flush. "So I'm pretty behind on most games. Or anything fun, really." Leaning forwards again to rest one elbow on his knee, K'ean rolled his eyes mockingly at himself. It was embarrassing to say, but even his sisters had bested him at social games. He had never been the type.

[zeis]

Canph's brown eyes maintained their steady glare on K'ean for moments more, his neck feathers ruffling and puffing outward when the man stared back. He whuffed air through his nostrils in triumph when the other red-rider looked away, blinked his eyes, unaware that he'd been holding them open for so long. The red stretched with a theatrical groan across the grass, and looked around idly, searching the field and the sky s for any signs of Seronaph. The other red didn't appear to be here. Perhaps that was for the best. His brother red was an entertaining fellow, and, he hated to admit it, a pretty good warrior, but he wasn't exactly in the mood to deal with him or keep up appearances.

The singing had stopped permanently as he thought it would, and he heaved a massive sigh as the sound of A're and K'ean talking drifted to his ears over the soft sound of wind over grass. It irritated him that humans had such nice voices, but they rarely used them. It irritated him that Muraaph's sung to her, but K'huna probably couldn't carry to tune if he tried. It irritated him that he was so sore, and hurt and that there was nothing he could do about it. The red twitched and shifted where he lay restlessly, and at the sound of the grasswhistle offered a moody caw in their direction.

If I wanted to hear something die, I'd go kill something. Why don't you sing? He grumped sulkily, his voice sounding petulant and much like a child that has realized a decision they made was not a good one. His body hurt, and he didn't feel like doing anything other than whining, and being difficult. He would never admit it, but he regretted leaving K'huna behind, and wanted him here with him. K'huna could put medicine on him, and sit and talk with him, and pet his feathers, and ugh. If only his rider weren't so stupid! Canph's tail lashed irritably, and he forced himself to close his eyes in an attempt to nap.

[Kilnarak]

A're managed another grin at K'ean's comment on the sound, although there was still a touch of worry in his expression. "Yeah, ya'd think so, right? 'though I completely forgot 'bout it when I used to hunt. Maybe I woulda been better at it, usin' this tool, huh?" He laughed again, shaking his head. "Always was much better at drinkin' away my earnin's than anythin' else." He shifted slightly, dropping the blade of grass and moving to lean back on his hands. Peering over at K'ean's injured arm again, A're tilted his head slightly to the side. "So, few days from now, we can meet up here again, an' I can make ya practice it, hm?"

The slight green-rider's lips curved into a somewhat sly smirk as he continued, his voice once again picking up the amusement it had earlier held - if K'ean's arm would be healed so soon, there really wasn't much need to worry after it. "Ya've got a lot ta learn then, huh? Maybe I can teach ya some other games. M'ari an' me play cards sometimes... when we aren't on duty, yeah? Of course, we wouldn't be bettin' anythin', if ya were just learnin' how...?" He turned the statement into a question, an invitation. A're liked K'ean well enough, even if he did occasionally harp on A're when he slacked - perhaps it would do the red-rider good to play a few games, relax a bit.

Speaking of relaxing, however - A're rather abruptly found he could not. Canph's cawing and the suddenness of his grumpy voice in the green-rider's head made him start. He had forgotten for a moment that the large red was still there - Canph had been quiet, and A're had been distracted by his self-imposed task. Muraaph hadn't forgotten the red's presence, however, and she warbled in response, bobbing her head once in agreement.

He should! Perhaps K'ean could too. That doesn't require hands, does it? If Mine can sing, he should be able to, too! The idea dawned on her suddenly, that if one human could sing, might not others be able to as well? She brightened for the moment, craning her neck forward to whuff a breath in K'ean's direction - intrigued. Can you? Maybe you can sing together! Do you know that song, before? The one mine sang?

Beside K'ean, A're groaned, sitting up again and leaning forward to shove at Muraaph's looming muzzle. "Doubt he wants ta, 'specially if you're gonna be all pushy, Mura," he mumbled, blushing slightly and looking a tad flustered. You want to embarrass me, Mura. No! I'm sure he would agree that it is lovely, because it i-- Muraaph's mental voice cut off abruptly as she had a sudden realization. The green shifted, drawing her head away from the two humans and slowly turning toward Canph, her ears pricked forward for a moment. Slowly, she lowered her ears against her head in an exaggeratedly pathetic set, making her eyes wide and offering up a whimper. Canph! You should go kill something! And bring it back! I am hungry! I am sure a strong, handsome red like yourself could help me! Slumping back in the grass, A're laughed softly and rolled his eyes - Muraaph wasn't very good at manipulative. At least, not with anyone other than himself.