Solitude [open]

[Kilnarak]

With all the hustle and bustle of the day, peace and quiet was welcome. The grand event of the hatching was finally over and done with, all of the lucky chosen paired off with their hatchlings - eating, resting, and being shown about their new lodgings and duties. All so elated at being chosen! But one pair wouldn't be found amidst the activity, having slunk off unnoticed. Teimoph had been in a foul mood, chastised and sulking; and N'raan didn't care to deal with any of the other winglets just then, or any of the riders. His mood was also somewhat foul - less so than the simourv's however, and for different reasons; more low than angry. The two had left the grounds in a general cloud of displeasure that had over time diminished to a dull buzz - like the forest's insects, moving at the periphery.

N'raan had taken a rather round-a-bout way of reaching this vantage point, the trek leading through one of the gardens, not following any of the main pathways of the Eyrie. He hadn't wanted to run into anyone on the way - both he and his red had had enough of people for the day. The route he had chosen had both the advantage of being relatively empty of people, and also leading through one of the orchards. The dark boy had snagged a small variety of fruits to take with him - while Teimoph no longer hungered, he was famished. That one sweetroll earlier that morning had hardly been enough to last him this long.

Midday found the new red-pair curled together in a small nook in the canyon's wall - a fairly good distance above the ground for two who had to climb; but there were more than enough hand- and claw-holds to pull their way up. Not yet even a day old, Teimoph had fallen asleep near immediately upon reaching their destination and lay curled about his bond, his muzzle resting upon his taloned paws. He didn't look near so frightening asleep - he looked rather like a big dog, and while N'raan wasn't much a fan of hounds, he liked his simourv well enough. The anger and unhappiness they had felt earlier had dulled, blunted by their physical exertions in the long trek and climb. In the shade and against the red-brown walls of the cavern, Teimoph's vibrant red feathers were slightly difficult to spot.

For now, N'raan was content enough to lounge against his sleeping Teimoph, absently picking apart the rind of a citrus fruit he had stolen and popping stick-tart bites into his mouth. Sleeping, Teimoph was merely a warm presence, his mind - when N'raan felt for it - simply warm and blank, touched now and then with a sense of contentness; far different than when he was awake. It was nice, comforting - N'raan hadn't even realized the strain his simourv's wakeful thoughts had put upon him, and only now that it had been lifted, now that he could relax, was he aware of it.

Alone as they were, N'raan could let his guard down, set aside his masks. He smiled softly at the sleeping Teimoph, the expression a touch sad - Teimoph shifted slightly, unconsciously coiling more closely about his bond. The red grumbled sleepily, flicking his ears back and shoving his beak into His' lap. N'raan let his citrus-sticky hands fall to the downy ruff of feathers of Teimoph's ruff, lightly stroking the creature's feathers. "This'll take some gettin' used t'," he mumbled, half to himself, and leaned heavily back against the simourv with a sigh. "'s jus' y' an' m', huh? Wonder 'f 'nii's arright..."

N'raan continued to speak softly to the sleeping beast, not entirely aware of what he was saying - telling the creature about himself, about his life. He doubted Teimoph would hear him, sleeping, but he also doubted that Teimoph needed to hear it at all - he could pluck it straight out of his head if he wanted - still it felt good to him at the moment to talk. And when he began to pause mid-speech and yawn, blinking heavily, he didn't think twice about cuddling up against the red's side and using his Teimoph as a pillow - Teimoph wouldn't mind. He hadn't planned to fall asleep, himself - and he told himself he wasn't falling asleep, was just closing his eyes a moment. A few moments. A while. Unaware of time passing, the new redpair napped in the shade of the canyon.

[crow]

Having just left the nesting sands with her newly hatched Caidiph by her side, R'ths had been looking forward to a nice long nap in her new quarters. Both mentally and emotionally drained, there was nothing the girl would have liked to do more than to fall asleep in the confines of her room away from the noise and people, with or without a roommate. Unfortunately, her 'loveable' little simourv had other plans for the pair.

When she had first reached her newly assigned room, R'ths had been more than happy to go through with her original plan. Not having bothered to unpack her belongings, she immediately threw herself onto the first empty bed she saw. Snuggling into the warm comfort of her pillow, she had closed her eyes and soon enough was happily drifting off to sleep. All that ended however when the feeling of something heavy, or to be more accurate something the size of a large dog, landed on top of her upper torso. Suddenly gasping for air, R'ths jolted awake to find herself staring into a pair of big, brown eyes.

Long story short, Caidiph still hadn't gotten to play yet, and she was not, in any circumstances, going to fall asleep before at least playing a game of tag. And apparently, seeing as R'ths didn't have the heart to say no - her mind on the other hand was pretty much shouting the word -, what Caidiph wanted, Caidiph gets. For now anyway. As such, R'ths found herself making the long trek up into the canyons, jogging to keep up with her bonded's pace.

Caidiph was enjoying herself. While her rider was tired and slow, the green hatchling was energetic and swift. Easily winding her way up the trail, Caidiph made periodic stops in her run to turn and check that Hers was still behind her, only to end up speeding off again after sending the girl a chirp of encouragement, never staying in one place for too long. Come on, Mine! You have to do better than that to catch Caidiph! Warm brown eyes twinkling with unbridled joy, the young simourv gleefully teased her rider as she reached the top of the trail where she obediently sat on her haunches and waited for Hers.

By the time R'ths had finally caught up her green, the girl was panting and wanted nothing more than to just drop unconscious onto the ground. Normally, a run like that would've been an easy accomplishment for her, but she was just too exhausted to even care about that fact right now. Still, she had to complete the game. Muscles still aching from her forced run, her mind and body were practically begging for rest, she walked up next to her tiny 'tormentor' and placed a hand a top the hatchling's head, taking care not put all of her weight on it. "Alright, Caidiph." She spoke patiently, voice laced with weariness. "We've played your game of tag, now can we please go and get some rest?"

At first, Caidiph said nothing in responce to her rider's question, instead the young green simourv gazed intently up the wall of the canyon's edge, her mind currently eslewhere. Since the beginning of their game of tag, from the moment both Caidiph and Hers had set foot onto the trail, the emphatic green had sensed the presence of one of her siblings. Now that they had reached the top of the trail, that sense of feeling grew stronger. One of her clutchmates was up there, she was sure of it, and she wanted to play. Eyes shining with a childish determination, the small green began to claw her way up the jagged wall.

Watching her newborn simourv climbing up the canyon's edge was like having a bucket full of water tipped over one's head for R'ths. Now fully awake, the girl made a grab for her simourv in an effort to prevent her from going any further. "Caidiph, get down from there!" She hissed in hopes of frightening the green to bend to her will. When that didn't work, the girl raised her voice, she didn't exactly shout - because that wouldn't very much help when dealing with children - but her voice could clearly be heard by those within the vicinity. "Caidiph! You get down right now or I swear I'll- You just get back her this instant!" Everyone had their limits, and her patience was wearing thin. Receiving no response whatsoever from the green hatchling, R'ths sighed in exasperation and resigned to fact that her bonded had no intentions of backing down from the climb.

Directing her gaze onto the wall, she noted that the climb itself wouldn't be too bad; the surface was rough and there were many indents within the wall, providing any adventurer - or an overly hyperactive young simourv - with more than enough handholds for them to use. Staring after her green, R'ths reluctantly began to stretch in order to prepare herself for the physical strains that were sure to come. You better appreciate this Caidiph, because, Heaven knows, I hateclimbing. And with that, the girl began her accent.

[Kilnarak]

Sleep was a quiet beast, dreamless and comforting. It was easy for N'raan to fall asleep there, despite the environs, lulled by Teimoph's breathing and the simourv's warm bulk. If he had been able to think about it, he would have thought it nice having a living, breathing body to lean against - it had really been too long since he'd had the comfort, prior to coming to the Eyrie. But he didn't think about it, and likely would avoid doing so when he was awake again - it was a bit depressing. The red also seemed to have little issue falling asleep, however Teimoph had been exhausted by the time they had arrived, his belly full and his eyes drooping from the exertions of the day.

The two would have been content to spend the rest of the afternoon, and perhaps even most of the evening curled upon their perch - but it was not to be. A loud voice was calling from below, and while Teimoph growled and shifted, N'raan was the one to wake - the red simply curled more tightly about his, sleepily trying to duck his head under something to block out the sound. N'raan awoke startled, confused a moment by the large red-feathered beast half-sprawled across him and by the voice shouting up from below. It took a moment for him to make sense of his surroundings - while at first he wondered if the shouts were directed at him, after a moment he realized the voice - a girl's voice - was calling a name that was not his. Nor was it the name of his red, although it did seem to be a simourv name.

Struggling a bit to free himself from beneath Teimoph's pinning bulk, the dark-skinned man leaned forward a bit over the edge of his ledge, squinting down at the spectacle below. There was an energetic green scrambling up the rock face - apparently not tired at all by her earlier hatching - and a vaguely familiar girl following after her. N'raan couldn't place the girl's name, 'though he recognized her from somewhere, and the young green's boundless energy made him wonder just how long he had been sleeping - but the sky didn't seem much darker, the shadows a little longer than he remembered, 'though not much; it couldn't have been very long.

N'raan groaned, leaning back against the red and trying to block out the girl and her green - but he could still hear them trying to climb up. He didn't particularly want to deal with other people, really, usually a social animal but not just now. Right now he mostly just wanted to go back to sleep. But after a few moments he could still hear the sounds of the pair climbing and he realized he would have to do something about them, one way or the other. Absently raking his fingers through his hair, the blonde boy leaned forward over the edge again, casting a narrow eyed gaze at the decidedly-closer green, and then down to the girl.

"Th' hell 're y' doin'? Gon' be real tough fit 'f both've y' come up here t'," he snorted lightly, wrinkling his nose. There was a hint of amusement in his voice, although the expression he wore expressed displeasure. "Ain' tha' big've ledge, an' y'd have t' squeeze in with m' 'demon!'" But the girl and her bird kept climbing, and as they drew nearer he rolled his eyes bracing himself, and leaned to offer an arm up to the girl. "C'mon, girly. Y' look like yer gon' fall on yer ass."

[crow]

Although she was still tired from the morning's ordeal, R'ths was thankful for the fact that the climb, for most of the part, had been relatively easy. True, she was still a fair distance behind - or rather below - her green, but the girl was still making good time. It was quite the feat considering that, at the moment, she felt like she could drop off to sleep at any given time. And right then her mind and body craved for it. The lazy atmosphere of the day and the lingering warmth that radiated from the sun did nothing to help in this situation. If anything, R'ths practically felt her eyes drooping, her weary muscles begging for her to abandon the laborious task for the day. She had been about to give up too, when she suddenly heard a voice calling out to her.

Of the pair, Caidiph had been the first to have reached the top. Ever the little speed demon, the green made no effort to slow down as she squeezed herself past the other rider. She was forced to a stop however, when she realized that her journey only led to a dead end. So much for that adventure. As she turned around to inspect her surroundings, Caidiph felt her spirits sink even further. Not only was she forced to stop her adventure, she had so badly wanted to see what wonders lay beyond the rock wall, her clutchmate, the red hatchling that she had sensed earlier, was also asleep. The small green let out a silent hiss of irritation. Why was everyone so insistent on sleep? How was she supposed to play now? Feeling a bit dejected, the simourv sulkily coiled herself into a tight ball as she waited for Hers to arrive.

R'ths had been startled when she looked up to find another person at the top of the wall. At first she thought that she had been hallucinating, that her sleep deprived mind was playing tricks on her. That notion was soon pushed aside as she neared the top. Now that she was closer, she recognized the man to be one of the other candidates to have been chosen by a hatchling; a fellow winglet.

"Demon?" The girl chuckled, full lips pulled into a half smile at his comment. "Sorry, but as of right now, the only being I consider a demon would have be that green feather ball." The next few words that were spoken by the winglet caused R'ths to grimace slightly. Her pride wounded, the girl's voice was uncharacteristically timid as she asked "That bad, hunh? I must look like a mess." The grimace then turned into an embarrassed smile as she accepted the arm offered, grateful for the assistance.

Happy to have finally finished the dreadful climb, R'ths turned to face the man who helped her, offering a polite smile as she introduced herself. "Thanks for the help, I appreciate it. My name's R'ths by the way. And the green simourv over there is Caidiph." Motioning towards her green, the girl was surprised to see that the small creature had settled down, she hadn't thought it possible for the hatchling to do so. Redirecting her attention onto the man before her, R'ths felt a faint sense of familiarity about him. Blue-green eyes shining with a curious light, the girl tilted her head to the side as she studied him. "Hey, I hope you don't mind me asking this, but have we met before?" She knew it was strange, but for some reason, she couldn't shake off the feeling that she had seen him before. Not as a candidate, but at a time before that; before her arrival at the Eyrie.

[Kilnarak]

N'raan winced slightly as the green scrambled past him, half expecting the little simourv to shove him aside. It didn't, however, and instead continued its mad dash around him and behind Teimoph - and possibly into the rock wall not far behind the red. He didn't hear the green crash, however, and turned his attention back to the girl, pulling her up. He hadn't been exaggerating when he said the ledge would be a tight squeeze - with both simourv upon it, there was hardly enough room to sit comfortably in front of the red with one's legs dangling over the side - of course, if one didn't mind leaning against the testy creature, one could sprawl more comfortably. And once he had ascertained that the girl was safely upon the ledge, N'raan did just that - nestling up against the red simourv's side again in a lazy sprawl.

"Yeh, demon. Tha's wha' tha' gian' called him 't leas'. Prob'ly fittin'," he flashed his teeth in a brief grin, half threat half amusement. "'m sure y' saw th' mess he made on th' sands earlier. Seemed kind 've big deal. 'C'ntrol yer beas'!' an' all tha' nonsense," N'raan snorted lightly, glancing aside at Teimoph a moment.

The red had flicked his ears back, laying them flat against his skull, and had half-opened his eyes, his tail-tip twitching. Apparently the commotion hadn't let him remain asleep, and a sense of annoyance projected from him to his bond. It only grew more noticeable as the green - Caidiph - curled up behind him, brushing his side. Teimoph remained lying still for some moments, apparently considering what to do about the breach of his personal space. What he would have liked to do was shove the green-pair away - however he was tired, and the movement required in that would more than likely knock His down as well in the process. He didn't want that.

Finally, after some moments Teimoph raised his head and fully opened his eyes, glaring briefly at the girl then turning to face the green. He simply stared at the ball the smaller simourv had curled up into for a long moment before addressing his clutchsister. What are you doing? his projected voice was relatively serious, although there was a faint buzz of annoyance to it. I could squash her, if she remains there. Why is she sleeping there? Teimoph's tail twitched again as he projected this, not only to the green but to the two riders as well.

N'raan stifled his grin, instead patting his red lightly on the neck. The muscles beneath his hand had tensed slightly, so he simply stroked the simourv's downy feathers absently. When he looked back to R'ths again, however, he allowed the grin to show, offering a brief nod to the side to indicate his simourv. "This'd be m' demon, Teimoph. An' y' can call m' N'raan, girly. Or y' could make 'p somethin' more int'restin' 'f y'd rather."

At her question, the blonde boy cocked his head to the side curiously, putting away his grin and regarding the girl in a more serious manner. His amber gaze raked over her consideringly, and finally he straightened slightly and nodded. "Mayb', yeh? Where y' from? Y' d' look kin' 've f'miliar. Y' didn' pay m' fer anythin' righ'? 'r I don' owe y' diasks?" His gaze narrowed slightly and he frowned ever so faintly. She was, indeed, familiar - although he doubted she had been either of those things, she wasn't that familiar, just a touch moreso than the other winglets.

[crow]

Having somehow managed to squeeze herself into a relatively comfortable sitting position, with her back leaning against the rock wall and her knees pulled up against her chest in an effort to save space, R'ths smiled to herself, glad to finally be able to relax. The smile adorning the girl's face slipped however, when the red simourv's words penetrated her thoughts. With a neutral expression, R'ths turned to face the creature, and recognised him instantly as the main instigator of chaos that took place during the hatching. She had expected her anger to flare up again upon seeing him, but surprisingly, the feeling had already dulled to a mild annoyance. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she recalled the many girls who had been prey to the beast's rampage. The red's attitude grated her nerves, but for the sake of peace, she would tolerate him and his 'pleasant' personality. Then again, she was a bit irritated with her own little simourv as well. Stealing a glance at Caidiph, R'ths smirked as she observed the green's own reaction towards the other simourv.

Caidiph had not been asleep. Her eyes had been closed, and it was true that she hadn't moved since reaching the top, but she was still wide awake and aware of the things that took place about her. When Hers had first made it to the top, Caidiph had wanted to run up to her and tell her of the unfortunate discovery of the big rock wall. She would've done it too, if it weren't for the fact that she sensed her bonded was more than just a little annoyed at her. Like most children, the simourv was able to tell just by looking at Hers that the rider wasn't pleased, but being the emphatic little creature that she was, Caidiph knew that she'd be in for a scolding. In an effort to stall the inevitable from happening, the green had opted to stay in her coiled position and remained silent; she even made a game of it. If it hadn't been for the fact that she heard her clutchbrother's thoughts, she would've gladly continued on with her 'quiet' game.

Caidiph's ears had perked up at the sound of Teimoph's voice, his annoyance towards her and the irritated feel he generally gave off completely passed over her as she greeted him with a friendly chirp. Hello, Teimoph! Would you like to play with me? Cheerful as always, Caidiph seemed completely oblivious as to the red's feelings of annoyance towards her. The smaller green was optimistic, not stupid; she knew her clutchbrother wasn't happy with her either, but there was no point in letting it get to her, right? Caidiph wasn't sleeping! She was just waiting for Teimoph to wake up. Before she could ask the red to play with her again, Caidiph felt her bonded call for her, urging the green to return to her side. Always happy to please, Caidiph did exactly that, distancing herself from her red brother in the process.

R'ths, feeling suddenly protective of her simourv, immediately placed a hand a top Caidiph's head, ruffling the green's soft feathers affectionately as she did so. It took a while for her to reach her decision, but in the end the girl found that she'd rather not have her dear companion crushed by the volatile red. Hand still buried in her creature's downy feathers, R'ths faced her fellow winglet once again. The man had introduced himself as N'raan. His name, the girl noted, sounded very familiar, but then again so did a lot of names. The blonde was starting to feel a bit irked by now; annoyed by the fact that she still couldn't quite remember where she had seen him before. Deep in thought, the man's question - or better yet, questions - caught her off guard. "Oh, umm, N'raan, right? Well, I'm not sure if it'll help any but I lived in Sayaie before coming here." R'ths' eyebrows furrowed a bit at the second half of his question. What did he mean by pay? Pay him for what? Whatever it was, the girl was very certain that no amount of money had ever been exchanged between them, or at least she was fairly sure, and told him as much.

[Kilnarak]

N'raan's lips quirked slightly, not exactly smirking, as he noticed the girl realizing just which simourv was his. He laughed softly to himself, draping his arm over the red's neck and leaning heavily against the creature's feathered bulk. He may have attacked the other candidates, he may have been a danger to them, but he was no danger to N'raan. They were the same, they would be the same now, and the boy draped himself lazily about his simourv as if proving this fact. If Teimoph noticed the reaction he had engendered, he didn't show it. The young red was still watching the smaller green, his eyes narrowed and his ears pinned back. Beneath his bond's weight, however, the great beast seemed to relax slightly, the tight knot of muscle at his neck loosening.

Teimoph's tail continued twitching, however, and he cocked his head to the side to eye the smaller simourv - as if the change in vantage would make more sense of the green's antics. Play? What would she like to play? He sounded a touch confused now, although the sense of it was faint. Why would the green want to play with him? He was much larger than she, and his concept of 'play' involved wrestling and biting - she was much too small for that, nor was there enough room upon the ledge. To top it off, he was still tired. Still, Teimoph made a grumpy noise as Caidiph scrambled back to Hers, and he gave another lash of his tail before curling it possessively about His.

I do not want to play, anyway. I want to sleep. Why doesn't she want to sleep? he kept up his glare on Caidiph and her R'ths for a few moments longer, then broke it off in a giant yawn. That yawn could have been a threat-display, had he teeth to bare, but instead the gape merely showed the hard edges of his beak and a tongue near as dark as the black beak surrounding it. After that gesture was completed, Teimoph shook his head, fluffing the feathers about his neck, then set his maw down upon his forelimbs, grumbling softly to himself. Today was tiring, she should sleep.

N'raan absently smoothed back Teimoph's ruff, casting a sidelong glance away from the simourv to the girl. His lips curved into a smirk as she spoke, at her confusion. Of course she hadn't, she really didn't look the type. "Yeh? Sayaie? Thought s'. Me an' m' brother 're from there, t'," he drawled, stretching. "S'ppose y'd r'member, 'f I owed y' money. Sold thin's 'round th' market district 'ccassionally? Furs an' thin's mos'ly."

[crow]

R'ths blinked owlishly as she took in the red simourv's reaction, bewilderment apparent on her features. Eyes focused on the red, she considered the creature again. Instead of snapping at the smaller green - something of which the girl had been very sure he would do - Teimoph had questioned Caidph's action in a rather calm manner. She had not been expecting that, and the turn of events really threw her off balance. To put it simply, she was at a loss for words. Her feeling of surprise towards him began to fade however, when she realised that he red had made a valid point. Silently, R'ths repeated the question, addressing the green simourv beside her.

Curled tightly about her rider, with her head propped up against the girl's feet, Caidiph's ears flicked to and fro as she listened to Hers' silent inquiry. The small green let out a soft trill as she gave her answer, happily amused that the others still did not understand. Caidiph doesn't want to sleep yet because she wants to spend the day with her R'ths! The small green crooned as she snuggled against her rider before she cheerfully continued. Besides! Caidiph can sleep for as long as she wants to after the feast! Isn't that right, Mine?

R'ths laughed quietly to herself at her simourv's explanation. The small green's childish behaviour never ceased to amaze her, and she loved Caidiph all the more for it. Grinning, the girl gently stroked the creature's green feathers as her gaze shifted onto the man. The market, hunh? The girl was silent for a while as she tried to recall her memories of the town's market and the area in general. The man had said that he too was from Sayaie, and since he looked so familiar she must have seen him somewhere. He said he had a brother, so...

Shifting through her memories, R'ths' eyes widened as she remembered an event that had occurred not too long ago, a memory that included two brothers and an attempt of picking-pockets. With a knowing smile, blue-green eyes glinted mischievously as she informed him about that certain memory. "No, I don't think you owe me any money. But, you and your brother do make up for an interesting pair." At this point, the smirk turned into a Cheshire-like grin, clearly portraying her amusement. "So tell me, has Kenii improved any since the last time we met?"

[Kilnarak]

Teimoph grumbled to himself, shifting into a more comfortable position - and in the process sprawling over onto the empty space where Caidiph had previously been. He managed to drag N'raan back with him in the movement - while it gained an undignified yelp from his bonded, unintentional or not, the move cleared a bit more space for R'ths and her Caidiph to sit, so long as they didn't mind sitting on the edge. Teimoph settled again, one side pressed to the rock-wall and the other to His, half-curled about his human with his head on his paws and his tail draped possessively over the man.

She should sleep, anyway. She will always be with her R'ths, there is always time, he grumped, the tip of his tail twitching across N'raan's lap. He hadn't thought of that, staying awake to spend time with His... but N'raan would always be there, and he was still with his, even if he was napping. They should both sleep, he snorted sharply through his nostrils in emphasis, And Mine should, as well.

"Mayb' after a bit, Tei," N'raan mumbled to the red as he squirmed into a more comfortable position after being dragged down, uncertain about speaking with his mind. It took him a few moments to find a comfortable means of sitting, and eventually he simply gave up on dignity and reclined against the feathered bulk of his simourv, using one of Teimoph's forelegs as a pillow. "Yeh? S' y' d' know us? An' there w've fergotten a pretty face," he pouted at the girl, the expression more mocking than serious.

"S'ppose y' bumped int' us there, haa? Nmm. Y' could ask him yerself, prob'ly. 'nii's here 's well. Got himself some sort've green bird tha' glared daggers at m'," he wrinkled his nose as he said this, glancing away a moment and trailing off. Of course he loved Teimoph, they were the same, they were bound, and he loved his brother (for all that he likely would never admit it aloud), but he didn't much care for the green his brother had bonded - having had hardly any contact at all, and still he disliked it. Perhaps that would change, or perhaps not. After a few moments he sighed, glancing back to R'ths and watching her a moment, thoughtful, before flashing a broad and somewhat feral grin. "Li'l better 't some thin's, na' s' much 't others. Still can't hit a target fer shit, even after all th' coachin' 'n th' world."

"But tha's how 't goes, righ'? S' wha' have y' been up t', pretty R'ths?" he purred, propping himself up on his elbows and leaning forward slightly, sheathing his grin behind a sly smirk. "Caught yerself a pretty li'l bird t', haa? How long 've y' been here?"

[crow]

Stifling a laugh with the back of her hand as she watched the scene before her, R’ths found the red’s antics highly comical if not a tad bit unexpected. She thought it was adorable how Teimoph was so protective of his rider, and the red sounded even more when he gave them his advice. If it weren’t for the fact that she knew the little critter would tear her to bits when irked, R’ths would have enjoyed teasing him. Even Caidiph shared her bonded’s amusement, her brown eyes warm as she let out her own chirrup of laughter. The words of her cutchbrother had held a great amount of truth, but the smaller green had her own view of things, her own imagination.

But Teeeiii, Caidiph likes to see her bonded instead of just being able to feel Her! Isn’t it better to not only feel Ours, but to meet Ours as well? Wasn’t that why we were born? Happily the green had broadcasted her thoughts, hoping that somehow her explanation would help the others to understand why she didn’t want to sleep. Rest was important, she knew this very well, but in Caidiph’s mind, rest also happens to be an activity that she had grown tired of. For a long while she had rested, in the confines of her egg, waiting for the day she would hatch and meet Hers. That period of time had seemed like ages to the small simourv, and she figured that if it meant that she would be able to spend an entire day with her bonded, she would gladly give up a few hours’ worth of sleep. Besides! Caidiph can’t play any games while she’s sleeping!

R’ths smiled as she listened to her simourv, touched by the young creature’s words. Yet at the same time, she couldn’t help but feel a strange need to tease the green. Tilting her head back so that it was now resting against the wall, the girl tuned in just in time to hear N’raan mention his brother and the simourv that he had apparently bonded to. At that particular bit of information, her eyes snapped open, bright with curiosity. “Kenii’s here too?” A pause. “Wait, he bonded with a green?” Once again, the blonde had to hold back her laughter; her mind fixated on the mental images she conjured up of the new born simourv glaring menacingly at the man before her. “Well, hopefully she’ll have a positive effect on his self confidence.”

“What have I been up to?” The girl took a moment to consider the question, her expression thoughtful. “Hmm… Not much really. I mean sure, I was chosen as a candidate and got to meet little Caidiph here, but asides from that I haven’t been doing anything special.” She paused a bit before answering the next question, trying to recall exactly how long it had been since she arrived at the Eyrie. “I’ve been here for only about three days, one of the last few to arrive I think.” Then it was her turn to smirk, her eyes teasing. “And what about you? Anything interesting happened since we last met?”

[zeis]

Canph soared serenely through the noonday sun, casting his massive shadow ominously over the canyon bed. His wingstrokes were slow, ponderous, and he scanned the Eyrie floor with lazy curiosity. Most of the new winglet class had either been shown to their rooms or to the infirmary, but curiously a few had gone missing. The one he had seen leave, the thief and his violent red, and apparently one of the green pairs were missing also. K'huna had gone off looking for them, and tasked Canph with the same course of action. The red had easily obeyed, though he didn't plan on dragging back the runaways as his rider had instructed.

He did not expect to find the two missing Winglets on the walls of the canyon, and was both surprised to see them there, and even more surprised to realize he was worried. Of course, the chicks weren't his children, but in another sense they very much were because they were his students. He wasn't sure whether he was concerned for their safety out of compassion, or merely because he did not want to see his things broken. The red dismissed the train of thought as he winged silently over, landing beneath their ledge on the floor of the canyon with a light gust of his wings. Sitting up, and with his head held high he very easily cleared the height of their resting place, and peered at the four runaways with large curious brown eyes.

Why, hello. The red tilted his head and flicked his ears, glancing between the four of them as he spoke quietly in their minds. His voice was polite, but politeness did not sound genuine to him. He sounded friendly to be sure, interested, perhaps even bored, but unused to kind words. I almost didn't see you. K'huna would be furious if he saw you up here. He paused, and folded his wings around himself with a deep rumbling growl that may have been laughter. I approve. How do you plan to get down though? He asked with amusement, bobbing his head slightly to look from them to the floor below. Climbing up a surface was one thing for a simourv, but getting down without wings to help you glide was another.

[Kilnarak]

I have met Mine, and also Yours as well, Caidiph, the red grumbled, flicking his ears back in annoyance. He felt like the little green was laughing at him, and it was enough to ruffle his feathers but not much more. It also irked him a touch that his clutch-sister called him Tei - only His had called him that! Only he was allowed to! He twitched his tail, thumping it hard against N'raan's chest, but otherwise did not move from his restful posture. And I will see him again tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after, on and on forever. Just like you will see Yours. Sleeping a bit won't hurt. Teimoph snorted lightly, twitching his tailtip again. Teimoph paused a few moments, mulling over something, and when he spoke again his tone held a faintly sly edge. Besides, if you fall asleep later, you will not be able to play with everyone else. They will be awake and you will not!

N'raan kept glancing aside to his red and R'ths green, distracted by their conversation - as well as by the black tipped tail that kept smacking into his chest. When R'ths asked about his brother, he nodded absently, only answering after a few long moments had passed - his gaze remained fixed on Teimoph for the moment, curious. He had felt the creature touching upon his mind, inquisitive, and the red's argument reminded him of ploys he had used, to get Kenii to do things the younger boy didn't want to. He wondered if the simourv had taken that idea from him and put it into play here? "Mm, yeh. Pushy li'l thin', 't shoved m' away from him. An' th' glare 't gave m'! 'f looks could kill, yeh?"

His amber gaze finally shifted away from Teimoph, who had settled into a brooding silence once again, and flicked back up to R'ths. A wry smirk tugged at his lips and he nodded again, absently brushing his bangs out of his eyes. "Yeh, one can hope. Mayb' sh' can actually teach him t' hunt? Figure 't prob'ly comes natural t' simourv?" N'raan glanced briefly back at Teimoph, questioning, but the red offered no answer, only the vague certainty that he would know how to hunt, when it came time to do so, he would know how to kill. N'raan stroked his red's neck, trying to decide whether he should be amused or disturbed by the young creature's conviction. He shook his head slightly, dismissing the thoughts, and focused instead upon what the girl was saying. "Only three days? Is tha' s'?" he loosed a low whistle. "An' there I thought w' had arrived late. Been here couple weeks, mayb' month, I think? 's hard keepin' track 've time without th' city up 'round m'. Thin's here are kin' 've diff'rent, y' know?"

It looked as though he intended to go on, but the shadow suddenly falling over their perch silenced him. The boy tensed near instantly as he recognized the giant red landing before them - Canph belonged to K'huna, and K'huna put him on edge, thus the elder red also put him on edge. Behind him, Teimoph had similarly gone rigid, holding absolutely still for a brief moment - and then suddenly the newly hatched red was a blur of motion. All but leaping to his feet, Teimoph put himself between His and Canph, his feathers fluffing out about his neck and head and his maw gaping to release a threatening hiss. Of course, while the threat might work against humans, against the much larger Canph it likely meant very little. Still, Teimoph felt His' discomfort and apparently meant to drive the elder red off in doing away with it - or at least try to.

Go away! We can get down like we got up! The little red growled as if in mimicry of Canph, although the sound held none of his elder's amusement. Truly, Teimoph himself hadn't given any thought to getting down - he had simply been following His. Although now that they both thought on it, descending from their ledge might be a bit of a problem. N'raan could climb down easily enough, but Teimoph, on the other hand, wasn't so sure. It looked far to jump, perhaps he might slide down? The small red flexed his claws, scratching them against the stone beneath his feet. Yours can be furious all he wants! I won't let him touch Mine! Go away!

Having been shoved behind Teimoph, N'raan slowly and carefully picked himself back up. His red's sudden charge to his defense had broken his sudden tension, if not his discomfort. The young man padded carefully forward to his simourv's side - and Teimoph shifted, still keeping his body between His and Canph - and set his hand upon Teimoph's neck. "Shh, Tei. W'll figure somethin' out," his bright amber gaze fixed upon the giant Canph, and his lips quirked slightly into a nervous smirk. "Yer 'lone? N'one said w' had t' g' back, 'cept yer hunter an' w' don' much care t' listen," he drawled, shifting to lean to one side - trying to look less nervous than he felt. Canph could crush him beneath his little toenail if he wanted, but N'raan had Teimoph now, and the smaller red was doing his damnedest to fill N'raan's mind with assurances that nothing would touch him so long as Teimoph was there. It was hard not to believe him. "'least na' 'less he means t' make us. But he ain' huntin' n' more, 's he?"

[crow]

Caidph’s eyes widened at her clutch-brother’s words, her ears flicked in a manner that could’ve meant disappointment or irritation as she curled tighter about Hers. The red simourv’s comment had left a stinging wound on her childish pride, and it was obvious that the small green was horrified of such an event taking place. Teimoph had made a good point, and she hated him for it. Fine. Be that way. she grumbled, temper stirring. Caidiph doesn’t care anymore. Narrowing her eyes in a way that could have been taken for pout, Caidiph pressed herself closer to hers, suddenly no longer interested in having anything to do with the red.

R’ths had looked on silently as the two young simourvs conversed, having completely forgotten N’raan for the moment, and the girl could do nothing about the frown that pulled on her lips as she watch her green sulk, obviously displeased by N’raan’s own. Truthfully, the girl wholeheartedly agreed with what the red simourv had been trying to do. Even she thought that it was high time for Caidiph to hit the sack. It still hurt her though, to see the small hatchling so upset. “There, there, Caidiph. It’s okay.” In an attempt to comfort her, R’ths pulled Caidiph into a hug, resting her chin on top of the creature’s head as she whispered soothingly to the simourv in the same fashion one would to a sulking child. “Tell you what, if you’re awake while everyone else is sleeping, you can just wake me up, alright? I promise that I’ll play with you then.”

Looking up at her rider, Caidiph’s eyes were like that of a child afraid of being left alone, desperate and pleading, the simourv’s thoughts nothing more than a quiet whisper in the girl’s mind. Promise? R’ths gave her simourv a wide smile, ruffling the green’s feathers as she did so, blue-green eyes alight with humour. “Yeah, I promise.” Even as she made the promise, R’ths knew that she might one day come to regret that decision, but for right now it would have to do. With that settled, the girl’s attention shifted back towards N’raan, a guilty expression on her face for not having paid him any attention. “Sorry, about that. I kinda spaced out on you there, so what were you-” Her words however, were cut short as a giant shadow loomed over them, the greenrider’s eyes widen as she glanced up at the towering red simourv. A few seconds passed before she was able to recognize the giant before them.

Canph, she realised, was K’huna’s, and K’huna was none other than the wingletmaster. As such the large Canph was a beast that deserved respect and R’ths acknowledged that. Still startled by the elder simourv’s sudden appearance, the blonde only manage a curt nod in greeting as her voice failed her. Caidiph, however, was not affected in such away. Squirming her way out of Hers’ grasp, the small green eagerly ran up to the elder and, while still ignoring her clutch-brother, gleefully addressed him as if she had known him for a long time. Uncle Canph! Look at what Caidiph did! She was able to climb up the rock wall all by herself!

Caidiph’s ears twitched at Canph’s question, her childish mind slow in processing the thought. Down? the green chirped, sounding as if the idea was completely alien to her. The thought had not once occurred to Caidiph that, once having climbed up the ledge, she would have to eventually get back down. Curious, the young simourv carefully crawled towards the edge of their perch, tilting her head as she peered downwards – a soft trill of wonder escaped her as she did so. Looking below, Caidiph realized that both she and Hers were quite a ways up from the ground, the height was not incredibly tall but it was still a large enough distance to cross out the option of jumping down – for her at least.

While her bonded continued to peer calmly down the cliff’s edge, R’ths mind was racing as she tried to think of a way to get both her and her simourv safely onto the ground below. Since childhood, the girl had never really been good with heights. It might be true that she was able to climb the tallest tree just like the rest of the boys, the blonde always found herself hesitating when it came to getting down. It wasn’t that she was afraid of heights, she just hated the slow process of climbing downwards when compared to the relatively faster process of climbing upwards – or at least that’s what keeps telling herself.

Noticing her rider’s discomfort, Caidiph slowly rose from her spot at the ledge and made her way towards the girl. Nudging Hers with her beak, the simourv pressed herself closer to the girl, hoping to dispel the feeling of unease that had settled over Hers. What’s wrong, Mine? Sighing a bit unevenly, R’ths ran a hand through her hair, suddenly finding herself unable to face her bonded. “Oh, it’s nothing, Caidiph. Really.” Snapping out of her thoughts, the girl noted that N’raan and Teimoph had been less than pleased with Canph’s arrival. But just because the red pair had gotten all riled up, it didn’t mean that she had to be on edge as well. Sitting up straighter, the greenrider spoke calmly to Canph, hiding her discomfort behind a polite smile. “So, Canph. You said that K’huna’s looking for us?” She let out a soft chuckle, one that sounded forced even to her. “Well I for one have no idea about how we’ll be getting down. Any ideas?”

[zeis]

Canph's ears pricked forward with interest and amusement at the very different reactions he got from the two chicks. Teimoph was incensed by the dim light of unease flowing off his new rider, and Caidiph instead was excited and pleased to see him. If simourv could grin he would have. Of course he had been around his siblings as a chick, but he'd never appreciated their antics or his own as an adult. He would not have said it out loud, but he found them incredibly... cute? Was that the word? He felt a rush of pride and protectiveness at the very sight of them. His students. His.

Easy, easy... The great red said soothingly, and tilted his great head to the side to eye the red chick curiously. Either brave or foolish enough to try and scare him off, both traits he heartily approved of. It was an interesting sight, fearsome maybe to humans, but a bit laughable to a grown simourv. He kept the laughter slyly out of his voice as he spoke, not caring to enflame Teimoph further. He told me to fetch you, but listening would be boring... I'm not his dog. Canph gave a whuffing breath, and leaned leisurely to the side lifting one great back leg to scratch at the feathery ruff around his shoulders. Whether he was doing this unconsciously or out of irony was hard to tell. At Niraan's remark, he eyed the youth curiously. Aren't you witty. Does he still want to mate with you? I'm not sure, want me to find out? That might be funny. I could tell you the things he likes.

His attention turned to Caidiph as she pranced to and fro form the edge back to her rider, and he bobbed his head playfully in greeting. You're a very good climber, Caidiph! He inched his head a bit closer to the ledge, resting the end of his beak lazily on an unoccupied area of it. But you have to be careful. You might slip and hurt yourself, and then neither of you could play or maul candidates until you got better. He reasoned with the pair, his large brown eyes rolling from one to the other. If you need help getting down, say the word. Or I could let you settle it yourselves, maybe tell K'huna I dared you to climb up here myself. The great simourv looked thoughtful, devious. I think his head would explode.

[Kilnarak]

Teimoph continued to growl, low and threatening, at the much larger Canph, however his gaze flicked aside from the elder red as Caidiph darted forward, and fixed instead on his green sister. He glared at the green near as hotly as he had at Canph, hissing a warning at her which was likely ignored. He didn't want her near him or His, he didn't want either of them near him or His. The young red squared his shoulders, holding his head high, his feathers fluffed up like the fur of an angry cat, glaring at anything and everything aside from His. Perhaps she needs it, but We do not need your help, Teimoph hissed again in emphasis. The young red didn't take his eyes off of Canph and Caidiph, and still glaring daggers, he began to back up slowly, trying to herd His back against the wall of the ledge. He didn't trust Canph, he didn't like how Canph spoke to His.

While Teimoph tried, N'raan wouldn't have it. The dark-skinned boy side-stepped the red and strode around him, gaining an indignant squawk from the simourv. N'raan padded smoothly to the edge of the ledge and dropped to a crouch, gazing up at Canph with sudden interest. Teimoph followed him after a moment, growling low under his breath. The smaller red lowered himself into a sit beside His, his tail twining possessively about N'raan, and his baleful gaze focused upon Canph.

"If y' say s'... Canph was 't?" N'raan purred at the giant red, his lips peeling back from his teeth in a broad grin. The idea intrigued him, certainly - and while Canph still frightened him to an extent, he felt that it could to no harm to be on the creature's good side. "S' wha' does he like, then? An' dislike? Prob'ly be useful knowin' where his room 's, t'. 'll do m' best t' keep thin's entertainin' fer y', Canph...?"

N'raan's amusement and idea of catering to Canph to get closer to K'huna only served to further ruffle Teimoph's feathers. The smaller red, growled again, rather forcefully nudging his head under one of His' arms. Why would you want that, Mine? We will be better than them, all of them. We don't need them, Teimoph kept his thoughts to His and only His. N'raan glanced aside at his simourv briefly, offering the creature a wry smirk and leaning against Teimoph's side. "'ve course w' will," he murmured to Teimoph, not specifying which comment he directed his answer toward. They would certainly be better, and he doubted, in the long run, that they would need anyone other than each other. But company was nice, and he did still find the Wingletmaster attractive - strong and handsome, so long as he didn't speak much he would be perfect. And it certainly would prove useful to have someone in authority wrapped around his little finger...

As R'ths spoke, N'raan's attention shifted back to her, smirking still. "I can climb easy 'nough, guessin' y' can't 'though, pretty R'ths? Mayb' Canph'll b' s' kind as t' help y' down? Or w' could climb down t'gether, 'm sure. Don' have rope on m', but w' can work 'round tha'..." He hadn't missed noticing that the girl looked a bit nervous, and sounded a touch more so. It amused him a bit that the height distressed her - she would likely be flying higher in the future - but he tried not to let it color his voice too much. He glanced to the two hatchlings, furrowing his brows slightly - while climbing up was easy for them, getting down might prove a problem; even if he tied a makeshift rope about them, if one of them fell it would drag both him and R'ths down with it. "Mayb'... y' d' sort 've controlled fall? Keep yer claws hooked 'n th' cracks an' slide down?" He glanced briefly to Canph as he asked this, questioning if it would work - neither of the hatchlings would know, but their elder might.

"... y' should tell him tha'. 'd like t' see his expression," he flashed his teeth briefly at Canph's suggestion, eliciting another small hiss from Teimoph. I doubt it will be so amusing, Mine. Your expressions are the only ones worth noting, he grumbled.