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 Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2007 5:06 pm
Uugh! This was so irritating.
The sandy-hued griffin, with the tiny bits of white on her ears, tail, and the tip of her wings, lifted herself from the cool earth and moved yet again, deciding that - despite having already switched back and forth at least five times - she wanted to be in the sun again. Growling softly, she moved, yet again, to a more desirable spot, where the great shadow of Iris' lavish home did not disrupt the last few rays of that slowly-setting sun. Bah.
Her blue eyes gazed up to the window where she could still see Iris preparing herself for what Ma'at assumed to be a night out with Kalei's owner..Deste? Yeah, that was it. Ma'at really didn't mind. She felt..distinctly different, and knew not why, but she didn't mind. It felt nice outside. All the colors were unusually bright, all the smells heightened...was that something with her, and not with the surroundings? Was it of her own doing? Honestly, she didn't care - she enjoyed it.
Buuut, she felt restless again. And hot. Sighing inwardly, the griffin lifted herself again, moved herself back into the shadow of the home. Perhaps she should head inside?
..perhaps not. She would brood over it for a while.
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Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2007 10:04 pm
A grey streak in the sky swept along over the rolling countryside, the dotted shadow it made tiny compared to the monstrous forms of white fluff passing slowly along above. The streak could have been a cloud itself, actually, being so high up, barely distinguishable against the giants it passed under. Though, the barely distinguishable part proved to be this faux cloud's undoing - no natural cloud of this world had brown edges.
Though, possibly, only the keen gaze of a hawk or eagle would be able to distinguish said mottled color, if on the ground. Granted, however, the other giveaway was the fact that this cloud was moving in the opposite direction than the rest of them.
Kalei liked to fly. He loved to feel the whistling wind sift through his wing-feathers, buffeting but encouraging him at the same time. Any sort of flight was a good time, really - gliding, slow, leisurely circling, or laying himself out flat, like he'd once seen a falcon do, and diving for the ground. And at the moment, that was what he was doing...except, not really diving for the ground. He doubted that the person on his back would enjoy that.
Head down and forward, talons tucked carefully into his belly feathers, and his hind legs pushed back to make him as streamlined as possible, the male griffin was like an arrow cutting through the air. Except, this projectile could keep going, if he wished. The wind helped hurtle him forward, but occasionally, he gave a few great flaps of his wings for a little more thrust.
But eventually, his fun had to end. A slight nudge at his side told the creature that his human had spotted their destination below. Flicking his laid-back ears when he heard words spoken to him, Kalei wasn't really able to understand what had been said with the wind whipping past him, but he guessed that it was also a command to start heading down. Ah, well. Where they were going, maybe he would get to fly again later, if any of his friends were willing. It would also be a bit cooler once the sun had completely set, too. Hm....
Slowing down gradually, the griffin began to pull wide circles around the grounds where they were to land - he'd done it several times before, and knew of a good spot where he'd have enough room to make a running stop without having to skid. Lower and slower he flew, until at last he was merely gliding towards the open lawn. Once near enough to the ground, he reared in the air, his wings slowing him even more as his hind legs came down to touch the earth first, followed by his front claws. Loping a bit, he slowed to a trot, and eventually stopped, right near a door on the side of the house. A perfect landing, made possible by a lot of practice.
Deste had been flying him a lot, lately, and it had built up his strength, speed, and stamina. But besides that, Kalei had a feeling that it was also so he could have the freedom of being airborne; the griffin understood that feeling completely. It was one of the best things those with wings had.
Clacking his beak in a pleased way as his owner dismounted, he was given an affection pat on the neck, before being told to behave and relax. Whistling affirmation that he would be good, the brown and gray male took a moment to nibble affectionately at the man's rather disheveled hair before being batted off. Chirping happily as Deste went into the house, Kalei ruffled his wings a bit, stretching to ease them after the exhilarating flight, then turned himself to go find someone to settle down by.
Hopefully Ma'at. While he liked Sekhmet and Elrok very much, his dear friend was by far his favorite. Sniffing the air, he caught a whiff of her scent...though it was mixed with something very strange-smelling too. It smelled both wrong, and right, nice, but also kind of irritated. Was someone else with her? Hm...puffing up a bit, and for some reason feeling a bit of jealousy rise within him, the griffin gave a loud squawk and trotted off in the direction of the smell, towards the back of the house and the shady trees....
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Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2007 10:33 pm
He was here!
Right?...maybe?...
Ma'at trilled to herself and stood, looking t'wards the source of the smell that she had suddenly picked up. Oddly enough, she was too busy thinking to hear or see their descent..but she caught the gust of wind that barely made it down to her, bringing both his scent and that man's. However, in her...odd state, so to speak, she found herself in doubt. Was he really here? Or was it just another trick of the powers to get her to move spots again? Nonsense. Of course he was here. That was a very distinct scent, at least to her. The female had only smelled it since her days as a chick.
She walked quietly, shifting her wings a little. So, they flew in? She wanted to fly, honestly. It wasn't often that Iris got the chance to go flying with her. When they did, though...that was fun. Ma'at rarely had that much fun. Plus, flying helped keep what she considered 'her figure'. The griffin was a lithe one, sleek..not very strong, but then, she had her mind for that. And she was strong enough to get whatever job that needed to be done, done, and that was all that mattered. Regardless, she took pride in her feathers and her body...
...though, whatever had her feeling so odd also had her being more self-conscious. Was she as pretty as normal? Or better? Or worse?!
This was ridiculous. Simply ridiculous. She shook her head and chirped angrily, shaking such thoughts from her head.....and, as she did so, realizing that Kalei was, literally, right in front of her. She had started to turn the corner of the house just as she had, and so...well, it was a good thing that she noticed before they collided. However, the surprise made her back up a bit, wings unfurled and ready to attack. Then she noticed who it was.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, lowering her battle-stance and readjusting her wings once more. "Sorry, Kalei...I knew it was you, but I didn't-..oh, nevermind. I was thinking. My apologies for nearly bowling into you. I'm glad that you're here!" she trilled, finding herself indeed quite glad that he had come. Good, this meant she would get to play with him for a while. Or, at least, talk to him - she liked talking to him. She liked anything having to do with him, actually.
....oh, now her mind was giving her issues about that. What? This was her friend! Her favorite friend. There was nothing wrong with that.
"Did you have a safe journey?" she asked, reaching forward to set one of the feathers on his shoulder straight.
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Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2007 1:13 pm
Rounding the house, Kalei was thinking. If someone he didn't know was with Ma'at, he wouldn't mind, as long as this other griffin was nice to her, and played fairly, and talked to her a lot, and did all the things he did with her that were fun....Alright, so, the male would rather he be the one with her, but he supposed-
Rearing back himself when he nearly ran into another creature coming around the corner, the brown male puffed up - the common tactic of any bird to make himself or herself look larger - and extended his wings further. He was about to let out an angry cry, when he saw who it was. Oh...and here he thought it might be this other griffin with her....
His feathers gradually laying flat again as his sand-colored friend spoke to him, Kalei was more distracted by her still very-odd scent than anything else. Again, it smelled like her, but there was something else...what was that something else?!
...And why was he getting so worked up over the difference?
Letting out a low whistle of thanks as Ma'at set one of his erring feathers back into its proper place, Kalei thought for a moment, then decided it would be best to act normal, since, other than the weird smell, his friend seemed to be completely normal...he hoped. "Yes, Deste took me on another flight!" he chirped happily, with just a note of pride that his owner went flying with him. The male knew that Ma'at didn't get to fly as often with her mistress, and, being mildly competitive with her ever since their chickhood, he liked the fact that he got to fly more than her.
"We went out early and flew out to the east, towards the hills, then turned south and made a big circle around the city. You should come with us sometime, and bring Iris, it's a lot of fun! We can race!" he added at the end, with just the hint of a playful challenge in his voice. "But enough about me," he said as he leaned forward to give an affection greeting-rub on her neck with his beak. "How are you today?"
He decided not to ask her about the funny smell until later. Though, putting his beak that close to her made the scent much sharper, and it excited him for some reason. Maybe it was just something from her...just her...
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Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2007 6:16 pm
"That sounds fun!" she chirped excitedly. "We should do that. I haven't gotten to race you in a while...I'll just scoop her up next time we're all together, and we'll go." she finished, making a trilling laugh.
She felt her feathers fluff slightly when he moved forward to rub her neck, almost as if she was nervous, or blushing. Hmm...odd. Probably having to do with her odd mood, but she wasn't going to let that ruin her time with Kalei. Who, by the way, was looking quite handsome - he often did, after flights. She didn't know why.
..thinking that felt funny. It normally didn't. Maybe she was sick?
"I'm fine," she answered finally, turning and making slow strides t'wards the sparsely wooded area behind her home. Ma'at cared little if Iris and Deste were still there are not, and so, did not make an attempt at peering through the windows. The woods were alive, rich in color and detail...even more so in what she was beginning to think as her 'ill' state. Ill with what? Well...one of two things. One was just a simple sickness, another was something that she felt like she recognized, something good...but, the female wasn't sure. Regardless, it was a beautiful sight. And with the sun going down, the air slowly cooling...
...she still felt restless. He made it a little less irritating...but then, he also was kind of egging it on.
They walked in a comfortable silence for a while, simply enjoying each other's company. It was probably...oh, about an hour before Ma'at decided to speak. Sighing quietly, she looked to Kalei, who was walking beside her at that point. They hadn't moved very far back into the woods, but already the coming of sunset caused the few creatures within to move and call out to one another. A nice little symphony to accompany the lovely surroundings. "Tis very pretty out here, is it not? We should go hunting...if you want to, I mean. We can pretty much do whatever we want." she stated happily, pausing a moment to set an unruly feather straight on one of her wings. Meticulous as always, Ma'at.
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Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2007 9:25 pm
Kalei had been following her quietly, trying to figure out exactly what was wrong. Not that they weren't being as companionable as always, and the atmosphere was comfortable, just...it was like the times when Deste would start feeding the griffin something different, that really did smell and look and taste almost the same as when he had been eating, and yet there was the one slight difference that would make him wonder for hours after dinnertime.
So...what was different this time? She was there, and he was there. It was the time when the sun set into evening; he had stayed over plenty of nighttimes before. They were in the forest, like they often went when they played.
...There was nothing wrong! But there was! Gah!
He was still perplexed by the time they paused among the twilight filled trees. He had, of course, narrowed it down to something funny about the way she smelled. Hm...maybe her mistress had bathed her in some funny water. His other friend, Zephan, sometimes had weird smells on his feathers, smells that the great black male attributed to stupid things his owner did....But then, Ma'at was always saying how smart Iris was.
This was very, very confusing. And, in the midst of thinking, he completely passed over responding to what his companion had said. And then, proceeded to do something rather rude, and somewhat stupid, himself, by blurting out, "Ma'at, why do you smell funny?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2007 9:47 pm
Ma'at stopped midstep. What did he say?! Why did she...smell funny?! How could he say such a thing! To her, no less!
In her self conscious state...if a blush could have been seen through those delicate, sandy-hued feathers, she'd be as red as a tomato. And not in the good way. What was she supposed to say?! She didn't even have any idea what he was talking about. The logic in her fought for mental control - ok, so...could that be what was wrong with her? And she couldn't tell? After all, one's own scent was the hardest to pick up...
..but why would he say it like that? Kalei was never so rude. There must be a reason for it. Just..calm down.
The female had never felt more unsure of anything in her life, so..she didn't answer. Funny how he always made her act so..adolescent, around him. Right now, it was keeping her from doing much more than trying to fight off the weight of embarrassment...though, eventually, it forced her to sit down. Her blue eyes watched the dirt as she used one claw to scratch at it.
"I..don't...know?" she managed, still unable to look at him. Plus, she was stuck out there, with him, so she probably wouldn't be able to recover the ability to look at him for a while.
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Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2007 10:14 pm
"Oh, I didn't mean-!...."
The male let his sentence trail off into a feeble chirp, as he watched his childhood friend sit down with a very said droop to her feathers. He'd offended her, he knew that much...but instead of being angry, Ma'at just wasn't looking at him, just...meekly scratching at the earth.
It had been a very stupid thing to say. So...."I'm sorry!" Kalei burst out, stepping with a jittery and almost frantic movement to stand in front of her. "Funny was the wrong word to use! I meant...different, maybe? It's just strange, and I was confused, and just....It's a very strong smell."
The griffin was so focused on getting his apology across that he didn't notice how strange he was acting. Normally the pacifistic and quiet one, even around this particular female, he was now desperate to make her understand that he hadn't meant what he had said. And what was now even worse, he had actually made her sad! Normally, the sandy-feathered griffin would have taken the comment with dignified offense, merely choosing to not speak to him until he apologized. But now she wasn't even looking at him!
Kalei had to make her look him in the eye. So, laying down, he scoot forward on his belly until he could look up into her eyes. He liked her eyes, really. They were a pretty, soft blue, like the sky on a clear day. And just then, the way the last bit of sunlight was streaming through the leaves of the trees and making little sparks around her, casting a golden glow on her feathers, made her especially beautiful.
...And there he was, getting distracted again. "Ma'aaat?" he almost whined, reaching forward to nibble at her front leg not currently messing with dirt. "Please forgive me?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2007 10:43 pm
Dangit! He wasn't helping!
She couldn't help but let out a little laugh, a giggle almost, at the look on his face and the position he 'scooted' into. So quick to apologize, and in such an amusing manner. The female sighed. She wasn't angry, just..embarrassed. The adorable look on his face made her forget that a little bit, but..not completely.
He was looking at her differently for a moment there...and not in a bad way. So many mixed signals.
"It's ok." she said quietly. "I'm not angry, just...I already felt weird, and that..I don't know, rubbed it in. I guess."
She was acting different, but her honesty stayed. "Honestly, though. It's ok. It just surprised me, is all." she said, in hopes of calming his distress. It made her feel better that he was to upset..but at the same time, she felt bad. He obviously didn't mean offense. She wasn't sure WHAT he meant, but he didn't mean that. And just as he apparently didn't like seeing her sad, she didn't like seeing him in such a fuss.
Ma'at backed up to where she could lower her front half down to the ground as well and not trap his head under her in the process. Feathers fluffing a little, she pushed her head forward to give his neck a soft, affectionate rub, hopefully an assurance that she had forgiven him. Not understood, forgiven, for there was a distinct difference between the two. Pulling back, she cocked her head a little. "What...did you mean?"
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Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 3:38 pm
Kalei cooed happily as Ma'at nuzzled his neck, hoping that the gesture was her way of saying she forgave him. Stretching out a bit as his pretty female friend resettled herself, the griffin laid his beak upon his talons, tilting his head to one side as he thought about her question. What had he meant?
The tip of his tail flicking back and forth as he considered, the male eventually answered, his words careful. He didn't want to upset her again, after all! "I did not mean 'odd,' I think. I meant different. But it isn't a bad smell. It is you, but then it is a you that is not the same. Did your last bath have something not-the-same in it?"
The male's light brown eyes, reflecting great amounts of fondness, turned up to look at her, if for no reason but to ensure her that, even if her scent was different, he thought she was the prettiest griffin he knew. And, she knew him best, even if he didn't live with her - not all the time, anyway - and Kalei also liked to think that he knew his Ma'at best, too.
He loved her; he really, really did. He just didn't realize that this particular feeling of affection had a specific name.
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Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 3:56 pm
She snapped her beak, turning her head to 'smell' heself. Which, she knew, was nearly impossible..unless something really had been used on her that was different. But then, if that were the case, she would have noticed it before..and likely not gotten nearly as offended.
"No, I don't think anything different was used...honestly, I wonder if I'm coming down with some illness. I've been very restless the past few days, and everything's much brighter than normal, sharper...and I can smell more. Hard as that may be to believe, that is." she added, looking back up at him, humor in her voice and a smile on her face.
The expression on his face was appreciated, and returned, bolstered by her shifting so that they lay side-by-side. It reminded her of their days as two fledglings, curled up beside one another in Iris' room. And it reminded her that their bond had only become stronger since those days. Though she didn't know much of the finer points of love, she felt more affection for him than she did any other griffin that she knew. It was easy with him - she could act as silly as she wanted, or be painfully candid, and he stood with her regardless. And she with him, for that matter. Ma'at knew his quirks, and Kalei knew hers.
...was that why she felt funny? Especially now?
Smiling with amusement, she copied his stance, putting her head on her front legs and turned her eyes to look into that handsome face. "I like your idea. Tis more fun, down here." she joked.
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Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 4:10 pm
The brown and gray male whistled, a hint of sadness coloring the sound. "Well, I hope you aren't getting sick," he stated. But if she was, she should be resting! Though...one could consider the position the two griffins were currently in, laying side-by-side, to be 'restful.' Especially when they were lounging like this, quite comfortable and warm.
Carefully, Kalei lifted a wing, and after shifting so that his body could touch Ma'at's, laid his wing over her body. It now looked as though the female were wearing a blanket of some sort, the color like water that wet the sandy earth. Reaching up after that was done, he gave her ear a playful n**, then settled his head on her neck. Rolling his weight to one side, the male pushed his feet out the opposite direction, and gave a contented sigh.
Everything was right, but something was still different. A weird feeling that was building inside him, though he didn't know what that feeling was. Hm...maybe he was getting sick, too. "If you are getting sick," he said after a moment, "We should sleep."
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Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 4:36 pm
"Thanks. I hope I'm not getting sick either." she trilled, shaking her head a little. funny thing was, she didn't feel tired. Wouldn't she be tired if she was sick?
...wouldn't she, under normal circumstances, put all this thinking to rest for a while? Yep, she would.
Ma'at coo'd and trilled softly as he covered her with one of his wings and laid his head on her neck. It was quite comfortable, actually, and helped her battle against these stupid thoughts. Her lids half-closed in a small display of happiness, she felt herself relax even more when his voice hit her ears.
"Yes...maybe we should..." she said, closing her eyes and letting the feel of him so close lull her into sleep.
~~~
Ma'at growled as something unseen woke her from her slumber. Gracious! Now she couldn't even sleep! Sighing, she remembered that she couldn't move, since Kalei was still sleeping soundly next to her. That was blissfully irritating. If that even made any sense.
As carefully as she could manage, the female moved out from under him, slowly slipping her neck back until his head could shift gently to the ground, and she could slip out from under his wind. Wow, he was sleeping heavily. If only she could join him. Moving off a little ways, her anger growing with every step, the griffin furiously beat the air beneath her with her wings, lifting at an alarming pace before jetting off...somewhere. Anywhere. If only it would get her away from this irritating restlessness.
Would Kalei worry? Well, she would stay near, just in case. She didn't want to cause him any distress. At the same time, though, she needed a bit of space...maybe. Kind of. She beat those wings even harder when she realized that she hadn't the slightest clue of what she wanted, except for one thing. And that thing scared her.
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Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 8:17 pm
Kalei smelled her move off, but it wasn't until he noted that she had taken to the air did the male fully rise. Blinking, his eagle-like eyes peered up through the openings between leafy branches, watching his beautiful friend dart this way and that. She was like a swift desert wind, one that could not be caught, could never be tamed. She was indomitable.
And yet, for some reason, he wanted to try and fly with that beauty. That scent was even strong now...it lingered on his feathers, in the clearing, making him almost dizzy. It was intoxicating; it drove him to spread his wings and leap into the air, giving a longing cry after the one he wanted as his mate. His favorite one, his playmate, his friend for as long as he could remember, his pretty, sand-colored Ma'at.
Words were lost to him - instinct, generations bred into him, was his guide now. Crooning, whistling to the wild one, he caught up to her easily, having had such a good warm-up earlier that evening. In the dark sky, his brown feathers were especially dark, deep like softened earth. In contrast, his chest and belly feathers glowed, lustrous from the moonlight. Thus, flattening to make himself even faster, Kalei flipped over beneath Ma'at, exposing those silvery feathers to her.
He wanted very much to try for her, win an affection he knew he already had...and yet had to impress for such an occasion to be complete.
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Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 8:40 pm
The feel of the air around her and the sheer might of instinct stripped away all but the most essential of thoughts. The change occurred so quickly that she hardly even considered its passing, soaring through the crisp air as she called to the one who was so earnestly calling to her. Yes, this was why she had felt different, smelled different...felt different. It was the subconscious recognition of a very powerful fact - she wanted him. She always had, and he wanted her as well. Now, she waited for him to prove himself.
She watched with a passionately frenzied eye as he lifted himself to the air, those magnificent feathers gleaming and shimmering as the moon illuminated the beginning of his dance. It was so odd, how her blood insisted that he prove himself before she accepted his call completely. In her mind, it was simple - her other half, her mate. However, he had to fulfill his duty as a suitor. No matter how much she loved him, how much she knew that they both yearned for that connection as they never had before....he had to prove himself. And if he could not, she would be heart broken.
The female's blue eyes, set a-fire by the moon, gazed down at Kalei as he displayed the feathers of his underside. She was momentarily dazzled, trilling and clacking her beak in delight...before veering upward and fluttering in the sky, the moon behind her, calling out for him to keep trying for her. Keep calling to her, keep fighting, while she remained the ultimate judge over whether they would both be happy, or both left heartbroken by her decision.
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