|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 9:43 am
The female slowed down her bouncing back and forth when she noticed he wasn't amused at all. She waited for him to reach her, little tail wagging excitedly, smiling gently to encourage him to keep trying until he wouldn't fall anymore.
When he stumbled again and mentioned his difficulties with turning, she nodded. "It takes a little to learn to coordinate your paws.. but it will come to you", she reassured him.
"Sometimes everyone trips and falls over something, that's completely natural.. but luckily it happens less to our kind since we have wings and can avoid things like roots and stones", she told him, hoping to make him feel a little better. "Oh, um, roots are the things that keep trees standing.. they're generally buried in the ground but sometimes they reach up to the surface, and those are easy to get caught on." She had had her fair share of trouble with tree roots, growing up. She imagined it'd be even more so for gladiers other than the Spicae, lacking wings and being bigger in size.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 2:28 pm
Esha was so kind and patient. How did no one notice this before? Amun gently nudged the female with his head. "Thank you." He slowly started turning again, pausing at points to change the positioning of his paws. This time he got halfway through the turn before falling. He got up and tried again, repeating the motion until he got it right. When he finally succeeded in completing the turn, he gave Esha a sunny smile.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 2:59 pm
Esha beamed with a shared sense of triumph when Amun was finally able to control his movement to a satisfactory degree.
"You're learning fast", she happily reassured him. "I think we could start walking through the field now, if you'd like to start slowly?"
She stood up, tilting her head to the side slightly, waiting to hear his opinion. She wouldn't mind sitting around either, but active movement would probably be more effective practice for him, now that he had the basics down.
What they were doing didn't matter to her as much as simply having someone to spend time with did. Most gladiers were active during the day, so it was rare for her to ever cross paths with them.. and when she did, she couldn't really get to know them due to communication problems. Her sister and family could read her body language just enough for them to be able to understand each other, but with Amun she was actually able to converse..
This was so new to her, and incredibly exciting.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 4:49 pm
Amun's face lit up at his companion's praise and reassurance. He nodded at her suggestion. "I think that would be wonderful." Slow and steady, but still moving. It was the best option. Not only did he get to practice some more, he got to spend time with Esha and explore this fascinating world that he'd only been able to watch from a distance. He understood basic concepts, yes, but only because it was necessary for wish-granting. Now he could learn about everything--and he had the best company in the world to help him do it. "You know," he said after a minute, taking a step or two before looking at the other Gladier. He beamed. "This is already the best wish I've ever granted." And it wasn't even completely fulfilled yet!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 5:07 pm
The dark female could not help but blush with shy, embarrassed happiness at his last remark. She had been afraid her wish was selfish. Amun enjoying himself made her feel much better. After all, she wanted to bring him happiness just as much as he seemed to try to do the same for her.
"I'm glad you think so", she finally cleared her mind for him to hear her thoughts better. "I wouldn't want to cause you discomfort since you came such a long way just for me.."
The flowers in the meadow had a gentle glow to them, just enough to illuminate both their faces even when the moon was not full. Stars, even though bright, did not provide quite enough light by themselves for one to see their way in the inky darkness of night, but Illumision was luckily filled with these magical plants, that emitted soft light almost like fireflies. Different plants seemed to have their own, distinctly colored light as well. It was all faint, but still easy to differentiate once you were familiar with it.
Esha's eyes were perfectly accustomed to the faint, desaturated light and color palette of the glade. Daylight on the other hand blinded her.. sometimes she'd catch the last few lingering moments of a sunset, but she had never been able to really see the sun. It was too uncomfortable for her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 6:44 pm
"Of course I think so," Amun replied warmly. "You've been nothing short of wonderful." He shook his head at the second comment. "You've done nothing of the sort," he reassured her. He smiled sheepishly. "The only discomfort I had was with my landing, and that was because I didn't think to slow down before I hit the ground..." He stuck close to Esha as they walked through the field, his wide eyes taking in his surroundings with innocent wonder and delight. The dark didn't bother him; he was used to it. He had sat in that dark sky just a short while ago, after all.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 6:56 pm
Esha's little face beamed as they slowly made their way through the flowers. She was a little embarrassed to be so close to Amun, but she figured she'd try to support him in case he lost his balance.
No matter how often she came to Illumision, it never ceased to amaze her. It was like the glade was made for her kind - those who loved the night and its simple elegance. She knew that flowers that bloomed during the day were extravagant and colorful. While it would be nice to some day be able to see them, she was much more comfortable with the desaturated hues that surrounded her every night.
"I really like this meadow.. the flowers here are so pretty. I've heard these can be used for some kind of potions, too, but I don't know what they do", she told him to keep the conversation flowing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 7:56 pm
Amun's eyes sparkled at her bright expression. His insides suddenly felt like they were flipping and twisting, and he wasn't sure why. He didn't think it was normal, but he wasn't sure...
He nodded to Esha's comment, smiling. "It's beautiful here," he agreed. "These are flowers, right?" He thrust his nose into the plants, instinctively inhaling. He sneezed almost immediately, losing his balance and falling backwards. He blinked a few times, then got to his feet. "... My nose is twitchy," he observed, trying to look at it. He looked at the flowers again. "What are potions?" he inquired after a moment of thought. "Some wishes mentioned them, but I never quite understood what they were..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 8:05 pm
The female couldn't help but chuckle silently at Amun's somewhat exaggerated reactions to things. It was so endearing to her, seeing him so genuinely amazed by everything.
"Yes, these are flowers. I think you inhaled some of the pollen.." she told him. "Pollen is how the flowers make new flowers. I don't know how to explain it better than that. Potions, on the other hand.." she pondered for a moment again.
"Potions are these.. things you drink that are supposed to make you faster, or stronger for a while.. supposedly some of them can also change how you look, and I've heard some talk about a potion that would make someone fall in love with you.. I don't know if that one's real though, you can't force love."
Not like she knew much of that subject, but love was a magical thing to her, and her sister had taught her that love was something that just.. happened. When you spent time with someone you really got along with - or sometimes didn't - you just gradually couldn't imagine your life without them anymore..
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2012 4:35 pm
Amun's tail wagged as the silent chuckle rang in his head as clearly as if he'd heard it aloud. He sneezed again as she explained pollen, shaking his head to hopefully clear any other pollen from his system. At her explanation of potions he sniffed. "Poppycock," he announced, nose pointing up at his former home. "Love isn't concocted in a solution. ... Correction. It can't be concocted in a solution." He stared into the stars, many of the strange wishes now making sense to him. "Even if there was a potion that could cause infactuation, one couldn't call it a love potion. Lust potion, maybe, but not love." He tilted his head and scratched his ear with his back paw. "Pursuing such a solution would be like chasing old comet trails."
It wasn't until he'd said the words that he realized how strongly he felt about it. He felt it was insulting to true love to quest for some drink that forced another to show affection towards you. An insult indeed! 'Is it really that hard?' he thought, puzzled. He lifted his gaze to the stars before letting it settle on Esha. 'To find someone that you care about and cares for you in return?'
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2012 6:14 pm
Esha nodded at Amun's musings. She wasn't sure if it was desperation or simply selfishness that people sought to receive love 'the easy way'. But if the feelings were induced by something, and not naturally invoked, what was the point in seeking an illusion?
It just never made sense to her. Yet the human storybooks she had read often spoke of such potions. Why, she could not grasp.
It did make sense that love was something everything wanted.. but nothing in life was supposed to be free, right? You'd have to work hard to achieve whatever you dreamt of. Only then were you truly deserving of it.
She shook her head slightly as she realized she was getting lost in thought, and turned to look at Amun once again, noticing him already looking at her. The female smiled warmly in the soft light that was cast upon their faces by their surroundings. At least she was one step closer to realizing her fondest wish. Even though it was certainly too early to speak of love, she was growing more fond of Amun with every passing moment. She hoped the feeling was mutual, though judging by his expression she felt she wasn't too far off.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2012 7:06 pm
Amun smiled back just as warmly, but he averted his gaze as his insides tried to melt. He could feel the heat rushing to his face, his blush peeking through his fur. What was wrong with him? "I feel... strange," he said after a minute, fidgeting. Not only was there these unusual feelings, but there was a growing pain in one particular organ... His stomach growled at him, causing Amun to jump in surprise. He looked at his stomach, then at Esha, then back at the growling organ. "Is it supposed to do that?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2012 7:14 pm
The sudden growl from Amun's stomach caught Esha by surprise as well.
However, she quickly gathered her companion was probably growing hungry. After all, he had probably never eaten.
"I think we should find some food", she figured. "That was most likely your stomach telling us you're hungry. Food is what gives us energy to move about. I don't know how stars make their glow, but I don't think they really eat.."
She sat down as she tried to recall if she had any food stashes nearby. She came to the glade so often and sometimes spent a while there, she had some spots where she had hidden nuts and other foods that would not easily go bad.
"I think I have a stash nearby, around the edge of the forest", she finally informed her companion, standing up again and pointing a paw in the direction she believed her closest secret spot was. There were a few hollow trees right at the edge of the meadow. Hopefully nobody had discovered them since she last left things there..
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2012 7:23 pm
"Oh." Was this lack of food the reason for his other internal organs being uncooperative too? Amun nodded and walked over to join her. "Alright." He smiled and waved his paw in front of him--nearly falling in the process. "Lead the way!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2012 7:36 pm
She couldn't really recall coming across other gladiers on the glade more than a few times, overall.. so the chances were rather high that her little stashes were in fact, intact.
Nonetheless, Esha was a little nervous, not wanting to disappoint Amun - or let him go hungry.
Finally, they reached the edge of the meadow. The terrain was much more uneven in the forest, with rocks, tree stumps, roots and other things.
"Mind your step.. it's easy to trip around here.." she warned Amun as she looked around to find the exact tree she was looking for.
Soon, her eyes spotted a familiar knot on the trunk of a particularly large, half hollowed tree. It was still alive and thriving, but there was a cavity large enough to use as a nest - in fact she had slept in that very tree a few times in the past.
To her delight, a small pile of nuts and dried berries and mushrooms was in fact still there!
"Seems like we have ourselves some dinner", she happily informed Amun. "You can eat first and I'll have whatever is left, I'm not all that hungry right now, myself."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
