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Disinclined as Shanuh



Shanuh sat solemnly at the park bench, an odd figure with his eccentric fashion and serious stature. Compared to the beaming soccer moms and their SUVs and their wild children, the man stuck out like a sore thumb.

But he didn't mind, not really. Even if he wore a normal pair of pants and didn't dye his hair; even if he removed the leather straps, the bondage collars, and the evergreen nails, there was something about Shanuh that just didn't fit.

No matter how normal he could appear, this "creature" would never, EVER fit into society.

He was too detached, too cold, and he really didn't try all that hard to hide it. Who needed to be attached to a world that he cared little for? The people scattered in the dimension he was forced to habitate upon were nuisances. No good for anything but necessary for The Plan to go through.

Shanuh never understood why the children had wanted a chance to live - was this really much better than what they'd once been? Still, no matter how much his personal interest and tastes biased him, he wouldn't complain. The children had made their choice, and now it was time to prepare them for their return.

With a whip of his wrist, he scattered some seed out before him. The various nuts and dried berries were an offering to nature. Birds of all sorts were lurking a round, ready and willing to receive a treat.

Mostly they were pigeons - oblivious to everything save the seed.

"Enjoy the feast," Shanuh murmured, admiring the beautiful winged avians. They were surely no raptor or songbird, but they had beauty all their own. To Shanuh, the avian kingdom was truly blessed and demanded reverence.

Death had chosen birds above all other species to harbor the souls of his children.

That alone made all birds, Guardian or not, special. A shame that many overlooked such things.




Luis reclined on the violently rusted park bench, his hands digging deep into his pockets, threatening to rip open the well-pressed seams. He wore a puffy red jacket over the rented suit coat, his eyes gazing out dreamily from the recess of the thick scarlet fabric. Birds fluttered through the sky, gathering on the empty tree branches. The weeks since Adele's death had been rough, but he was carried through them an unwilling observer, accused of an unreachable apathy. The sweet summer air had passed, and as the cold of autumn forced the students into their thick woolen sweaters, Adele's funeral was announced.

He looked at the disintegrating bouquet of flowers on the ground before him, which he had spent his week's salary to purchase from the best florist in town. A dull sorrow welled in his chest, but died back down. Just something nice for her, that was all.

Her parents didn't let him into the funeral.


" It's hard enough as it is," her father had muttered to him, sternly, excusing himself from his conversation, " We're all trying to cope, without people like you here."

Her mother said nothing, but she regarded Luis with a tired sadness.

He looked from mother to father, wounded, but only managed to whisper an " I understand."

They took the bouquet of brilliant white summer lilies silently, shutting the church door behind them.


Bells rang out across the city, a cold wind blowing through the empty skies, pulling the straggling leaves past his field of vision. He had dug through a mountain of garbage to retrieve the discarded flowers, his hands shaking as he shoved away the white paper tablecloths. Just something nice for her.

He wanted to rip apart the bouquet, and cast the unrecognizable pieces into the street like confetti, but he felt himself instinctively picking up the bruised flowers. His hands gently freed them of the wrinkled wax paper and placed them beside him on the park bench, their wilting stems like the crooked arches of heaven's gates.

Once he had set out all of the broken flowers, Luis let out his breath, throwing himself back onto the bench. He could hear the twittering of pigeons across the open square, and the rush of traffic beyond the park fence.




Shanuh noticed everything and nothing all at once. His focus and attention were solely on the pigeons in the park. They were enjoying their feast, cooing and bickering at each other an attempt to find the precious seed.

"There, there," he tsked softly at the flock. "No need to turn in to animals about it. There's enough for all," he assured, sending another handful out to the crowd.

The birds, for the most part, ignored him.

The bite of autumn was in the air, and that meant a season of change. Time was endless, or so people liked to believe. But nothing was forever, even the thought and logic of eternity. Eternity only lasted as long as there were people and creatures to believe in it. Once the stars fell, once the gods died, once death turned itself in - there would be nothing but . . . nothing.

Would the day be glorious?

No. For nothing would be around to recollect such emotions.

"Amazing how you're all part of the cycle," he purred, tearing his gaze away from the birds to study the life in the park.

Soccer moms, pigeons, vegetation, and a slumped figure across the way.

Well, didn't he look excited to be alive. So many people took it for granted . . .not that Shanuh blamed them.

Distracted, a few pigeons took off from the rest of the flock. Heads bobbing, they snuck their ways closer to Luis, no fear found within their bodies. Used to mooching off the thoughtfulness of society, the avians cooed encouragingly at Luis, hoping for a bite to eat.

Shanuh kept an eye on the scene, curious as to how he'd react.




A flutter of wings, and the sounds of pigeons grew near. Luis looked up, startled from his thoughts. A small group of birds gazed up at him innocently. He took an intake of breath, sitting upright.

He had no particular affinity for birds, but the endearing coos and sedate stares of the pigeons were somehow comforting. They shifted from foot to foot, calm in the city that threatened to swallow him whole.

They waited to be fed, their eyes tiny and black, round as marbles. Their stout simplicity drew him in, as with many probably victims before.

Did birds mourn for the dead, too?

Luis reached into his pocket, searching for a snack to toss the hungry birds. Nothing but lint. He reached in another, and another, and another, and found nothing. Dismayed, he looked around the park. Was there something he could give them?

His eyes fell upon a strange, purple haired man sitting on a park bench near-by, a gaggle of pigeons flocking around him. They pecked at seed scattered about his feet, oblivious to the Shanuh's bizarre apparel. Their sights crossed for a moment, out of chance, and Luis averted his eyes. He felt judged. At least the other had brought with him some food.

Picking up one of the broken flowers at his side, the young man offered it to one of the pigeons below him, cautious not to scare it away. Maybe the birds would accept the lilies, if humans would not. It was all Luis could do.




The pigeons eyed Luis' offering, a few hopping closer to investigate the lilies. One sniff and the small flock turned disapprovingly away. One looked back, giving Luis a disdainful stare out if its red and black beady eyes.

The offering was no good, and so was their opinion of Luis!

Shanuh felt a p***k of emotion, a rarity in such a creature as himself. Was it pity? Was it disgust? No, it was something different, something else - ah ha! Humor. What funny sight to see, to offer a flock of birds flower! What next? Buy them a ring? Pick out curtains for a nest?!

Shanuh decided that a little intervention would be a good thing for Luis' soul.

Rising from his bench, he made his way nonchalantly over to where Luis sat. The flock temporarily scattered, keeping a close eye on the man who handed out the feast of seeds. Where was he going next and, most importantly, when would he throw out more freebies?

"I don't think flowers are going to do it," he gently chided, two-toned gaze bright with humor. The foreign emotion looked well on Shanuh - twas a shame that emotion stayed so exotic. "Try this instead," Shanuh held out his hand, offering Luis a small bucket that contained seed. "You may get better results."

Like a hungry flock of . . . pigeons, the birds kept their gazes only on Luis and Shanuh. They wanted food, and they wanted it now~!




Luis' gaze fell on the bucket of feed at the man's side. His pale hand leisurely extended the offering to the high school student. Luis heard the words over the heckling pigeons. He searched Shanuh's eyes earnestly, but saw only his own, huddled frame reflected back at him. A small spark of amusement played on the man's lips.

He looked at Luis expectantly. And why not? Luis averted his gaze taking an inward breath, almost saying something. All at once he was overwhelmed by the other's presence, and a basic instinct told him to hide. But if basic instinct told you to jump off a cliff, would you listen?

Luis had reached his end. He had nothing but a job and a bouquet of flowers, and still just enough of an identity to feel insulted by his own shortcomings. The bold make-up, eccentric dress and bright purple hair were enough to set most people off, but they were all human, right?

" Er… th-thank you very much," Luis sputtered nervously to the man, turning to look up again. The numbness in his head was slowly fading. Swallowing hard, Luis reached into the bucket with a steady hand, the grain of various nuts and berries pushing against his skin. He heaved himself up, and casting once last glance at the strange man, Luis scattered the feed across the ground, the seeds hitting the paved concrete like a thousand droplets of rain.

No friends, no future; there was no hope but to walk forward blindfolded, nailed to a destiny he had no part in choosing. The wind gusted past, and he shivered involuntarily, burrowing into his coat.




Shanuh watched the scenario mildly, polite smile still carved upon his features. Part of the man wondered who this broken figure was, what had caused him to sludge pathetically along upon the pavement of life. There was no fooling Shanuh, no fooling anyone that something had caused the man to collapse, something had jarred him to the core of his existence.

It was a curious thing, really. Every human was different, everyone could handle a certain amount of pressure and stress before they began to collapse and shatter. So what was Luis' breaking point? How far could he be pushed, stomped upon and beaten before the taste of oblivion became a gluttonous desire.

Pitiful creatures humanity was. And Shanuh couldn't help but take pity upon their plight. Humans needed death, really. It was the ultimate escape to those who couldn't stand to be alive, and it kept those who were obsessed with living ever aware of their mortality.

The pigeons, on the other hand, thought little of Luis, though a few still sneered at his flowers. As one, the flock bombarded the seed, pecking at the ground and fighting over who got what. So long as Luis continued to feed them, the pigeons would tolerate his presence.

"There, isn't that better?" Shanuh asked, eyes turning from Luis back to the flock. Like a doctor working his magic of medicine, or a mother comforting her child, so Shanuh's words wrapped tight around Luis. "You just saved the flock from another days hunger."

Good for Luis! Shouldn't that thrill him, shouldn't that please him to know he'd saved a life? Certainly, feeding birds wasn't an applauded gesture, certainly no one would be designing marble statues of Luis and his Pigeons, but there was a sense of satisfaction that often came with helping animals. Shanuh recognized that and expected everyone he encountered to feel just as much pleasure!




Luis looked up at the man, half obscured by the collar of his coat, nodding. He felt a little better, but he was sure that even birds could fend for themselves. At least, if not him, some one else would come along to throw seed or scraps to the flock.

He watched the pigeons cluster around the feed, prying apart berries and seeds, fighting over large chunks. Each pigeon would fight for their own share, some more greedy than others, but eventually every bird would get enough.

"If I wasn't here, some thing else would take my place." He said, eyes still on the flock. " Lives feed on one another." He turned toward the man, unsteady.

" But that's not a bad thing." How great it was to be alive? No, there was no great glory in life or death, Luis thought. Life was like a drawing in the sand. But when it washed away...

He shoved his hand into the bag of birdseed to stop himself from crying. The ocean was far away but he still heard the waves crashing along the beach.

They held hands, their sneakers making parallel sets of tracks across the wet sand. The setting sun shone through a curtain of red and purple clouds, making the water glisten and sparkle. The world was bathed in golden light and long shadows.

"Let's stay here forever."

"Maybe just a few hours." she laughed nervously at his remark, squeezing his hand tight. The scars were healing underneath her navy sweatshirt.

“It’s hard enough as it is,” said the blind man.

He didn't grab as much seed this time but threw it violently, gritting his teeth.

The rain slides down the window like blood. He looks out at the road and the rain pooling like piles of shrapnel organized by governments instead of relief money. It rains for forty days and forty nights.

On the fifth night, he goes out to play.

His mother doesn't complain even though she swears that she's never seen a duck quite like that so far inland. He says she isn't his pet, he's just watching her for a while. The nights are long in winter. She always tells him he should get out more. He should find himself a hobby or something. A pet will do him good.

She says nothing but watches as feathers and empty grocery store bags collect in his room. He takes the train down with her as much as he can. Sometimes she sits in his lap and plays with his hands and other times she sits beside him or on his shoulder watching the world pass in rotations of electric wheels, until the conductor on the loudspeaker speaks and it is the last stop.

The ocean in winter glows with frost. He doesn't go in but watches as the birds gather offshore. She looks at him and splashes into the shallow waves. Sometimes she leaves for hours at a time until he is asleep on the far side of the beach with a smile on his lips.

Sweet milky honey honey On the way home, they share an intimate condition. But there is a distance that we cannot cross.

it's not as if the sun
cannot fall to earth
it just wouldn't be very pleasant.

They exchange glances, the silence without words reflecting in the empty train. Early morning mist swells the world engulfed. Their symbiotic relationship he learns in school. An environmental adaptation of two strange things.

He can't find the right words, so he fills the car with meaningless chatter that echo off the walls like sparklers. He thought of flowers and spring and a beating heart by his side. It was similar to her aesthetic.

They would watch other birds circle the sky, and she would join sometimes but she just doesn't match exactly.


The ocean in winter is harsh and cold.
Each day the world grows closer and more vibrant, as the color leaves the sky and earth. He wasn’t sure whether he should disappear or return but each night his thoughts scatter across the room, falling out the door and away into the streets, so that each next morning he awakes without any idea as to where they have gone, and he begins again.

The world is flooding. The skies have darkened It is raining blood on the streets it is raining Blood on the streets and I am drowning, Oh Lord I am drowning in the blood of the lamb.

He is tired of his job he thinks as grey light pools in puddles of orange and yellow. The sun is bleeding today instead. He waves his hand through the air which these days is quite thick and murky, like the bottom of a pond. The sky sticks to him like glue, so now he is bright orange and yellow, too.

He has a sour taste in his mouth, the kind you get if you stay up all night, or just wake up. The city is like a mirror facing the ocean. Sour milks blossoms in the streets but that is part of the mystique which captivates the audience. Its audacity.

Even in winter flowers blossom
Indoors

-


Streaks of flourescent light outside closed doors light his way. He has forgotten how to scream. The insanity closes around him, predatory. A light flickers on and off in the hallway. A White memory gathers on the streets, blocking the exit. They, duck and boy, must climb out the crack in his window one by one. Duck first. Its the window that lets cold air come in and ducks come out.

That winter Adelle cut herself into oblivion, turning into white snow and blowing away. She lay in a pile in his driveway, looking sullen.

On
and off. Like the flashing lights of an ambulance. On and off, it is a tortured psycology.

When he is feeling lonely he goes to the ocean and watches as birds circle overhead. For a moment, and then they are gone, scattered into the sea like starfish.

Each day, it grows a little colder. A little whiter. The world is slipping away like water down the drain. He goes to the ocean to collect the memories he looses every morning in the shower.

The tide comes out. The tide comes in. Twin footprints in the sand. If I could show you this world I am in, would the world change, or would I remain the same?

He cut himself into oblivion. He turned into dirt and was swallowed by the earth he tried to escape. Stone by stone, the world becomes darker. More opaque. More tangible. He tastes the clementine in his mouth as the sweet juice leaks down his chin.


GIVE ME COLOR.

It was a dark friendship. Or so they say, with a gentle laugh.

The sky turns colors. Adelle shivered into her coat, standing outside the glass prison. She knocked on the clear glass impatiently. Luis gave her a cheeky smile. He mouthed the words "Just a second." She glared.

He laughed.


They walked around acting sullen and scaring tourists outside of quaintly overfurnished window displays. Troublemakers. The sky was grey then blue then black. The city bled street light poison into the darkness, and they squatted outside a shopping mall. It was too bright to fall asleep and too late to get killed playing touch tag with cars on the street.

The ocean froze over and the mountains collapsed. A street light flickered above them, making them blink like they were telling lies. They looked up hesitantly as it sputtered out of life. On
and off.

In their lightless corner of the city street, twin trails of cigarette smoke rose through thin air. They coughed and spluttered twin embers in the darkness. Troublemakers.

Twin tail lights. On
and off, smothered in the dirt.






Luis wakes up with fleeting memories and tears on a pillow. A smile on his lips. Each day another lie destroyed. Each day another world errected. The world is over, he thinks, sardonically. The light flickers. On
and off.

They sleep together. Not twins, but it's close. A different feeling. A companion, his gaurdian.

On cold days he takes her to the ocean, because he is numb. She flies out into the open sea, landing somewhere he cannot see. With her he is warm and tender. With him she is coy but loving. He is not her world, and she is not his. Us creatures attach, form bonds, and are broken apart.

The duck had decided, perhaps, that the buffet food had gotten to her. There was something most curiouslity odd, something that needed to be different. Perhaps the fates had whispered to her, perhaps like many animals she just knew.

Despite the party, despite her enjoyment of Louis' company, the long-tailed duck had her own metamorphesis to complete.

It didn't matter where, time or place. But she knew it would be soon. With a squabble, the bird launched herself from her perch, pulling away from Louis. Ignoring the masks, the lights, the decoration the duck had chosen her position.

Or meant to.

Dive bombing underneath a table, the ducks body tripped and tumbled from the force of a landing that never happened. Her wings gave out, her muscles relaxed, and her body shut down. Despite having many a rough landing before in her life, this one would be her final decent.

A few people stepped away from her chosen buffet table, not because she was in the way, but because there was now a dead duck. Her ruffeled feathers would never again be preened, her squabbles would never again beh eard, and her head would never rise. She looked as if she were sleeping, how peaceful.

It lasted only a moment htough. A grubby hand reached out, that of a childs, snagging the ducks neck. A little girl, who looked as if she'd seen better days, was waiting beneath the table. Thankfully, the fates had enough sense and humor to cloth the child. She looked like some regurgitated farmers girl, but it mattered little. The plaid was a nice touch, though she wore no mask.

The body of her former self had been her charade, so wouldn't that count?

She held on to the corpse of her former self with detachment. Her fingers wrapped carelessly around the animals neck, feeling its once warm body still grow cold.

A look around the room, waiting on hands and knees as she investigated her surroundings and became accosteomed to two legs instead of webbed feet. Most importantly . . . ah-ha! There he was!

"Hey. The names Hylusis." And that was that. A flutter of her wings, a glance behind her at all the delectible foods. Yes, they were good and wonderful, the punches, the cocktails, the road kill. But there was something missing, something she absolutely craved.

"Where's the french fries?"

8.

Change. It was a warm senation. The duck lifted into the air, and was gone. Away to flock with more winged companions? Luis glanced in the direction where she had flown off with a twange of parental nerves. Let her go, he thought. Enjoy herself. With a smile.

CRASH! A flurry of fresh white down rose from a near-by table. Like reverse snow.

" Not again!-" Luis cried, exasperated. No sooner were the words out of his lips than he was by her side. He moved past a tatooted man touting an ancient egyptian outfit.

Her. A little girl with an awkward yellow plaid shirt, droopy eyes and two twin tails of grey hair. A few guests backed away. The duck's neck hung limp in her hands. Life had slipped away from the tiny body instantly, leaving a peaceful corpse. Luis felt his stomach drop. A new wave of nausea.

Outside, on rooftops and sidewalks, snow gathered and settled in for the long haul.

"Hey. The names Hylusis." Words formed in her mouth naturally, like they were born there from the start. She tugged at his shirt with her empty hand. It took a few moments of wild, sickening silence before Luis tore his eyes off the dead bird and refocused them on the little girl.

Movement of wings. Fresh from growth, they spread out and in. She stood with growing confidence, her toes spread wide underneath socks and shoes.

Her socks
Her shoes.

A life was brushed away. Luis regarded the Hylusis nervously, with a dimmed freneticism. Even with Birds falling dead at their feet, a strange comfort was creeping about his shoulders. Sneaking across his vision.

Birds were dying all around them. It happened every day. Like stones out of the sky they would tumble, gracelessly, their bodies hitting the pavement with a terrible emptiness. Like a punctured drum.

Beside a vomit-stained sidewalk in the lower east-side of a dying city, there was a park where pigeons used to frequent. Sometimes they were fed. Sometimes, they were not. Even so, they managed. The ambience of survival.

She held onto the white pressed shirt even as she moved towards the banquette table, pulling Luis towards it without explanaition. She brandished the ducks' corpse in her other hand, warding off the masked figures that swarmed around it. "Where's the french fries?" She asked, looking up and down the crowded hall.

Just Shakey Luis followed around the girl, a growing question sprouting in his head. He hadn't seen her come in. Hylusis' wings - grey brown white specaled bobbed up and down, perfectly complimenting the rest of the ballroom's inhabitants.

A life was brushed away. It slipped down the drain, to the ocean where it belonged. For some impossible reason the bird's "death" evoked no sense of loss in Luis' mind. Had he grown cold? Encased in ice? Luis came expecting more. More sick, more dizziness. More tears for a friend. He was Just Shakey.

No, thought Luis as he watched Hylusis, a question blooming in his head. Something was different.

"H-hey!" He said, placing a hand on the boney girl's shoulder. She looked up. Looked sickly. Underfed. Luis swallowed hard. He didn't know what she was doing with the duck, or whe she handled it with such casualty. Or the wings. " Look here, Hylusis." He took a serious tone. " That bird you have there, uh-"

" That was me." Hylusis answered a question before it had flowered. There were fruits still to bear out. She grabbed a handful of chips off a near-by table and began to shove them in her mouth. Not exactly fries, but it was a start. She didn't mind the hand on her shoulder but she brushed it off without thinking.

A shiver went down the spine, making his hand grow cold. That was me? did she kill the duck? Well, no. Not really... There were certainly many winged creatures - avian or otherwise - here tonight. Luis had assumed it was an outwardly unintelligable custom of a strange pet store. And eventuality that fans of birds would mimmic their idols.

Snow settled on the ground like a fine powedered sugar. Ice chips. Luis noted how similar the two-corpse and child- did match. Two sets of identical wings.

The girl looked up at the balding, hook-armed man with droopy, unattentive eyes. Uniterested. Like she knew something he didn't.

"French fries are delicious." Hylusis said flatly with quiet confidence. She knew her tastes. Tender friend crisps of potato crunched loudly in her salt covered mouth. She looked at her fingers, already covered in chip-grease.


Change was a warm, numbing sensation. It fills the senses, like drowning. A paralitic.

THE NOZOMI Iamel was distracted from Shanuh and the other Kin by the New Kin. She had just grown and she was ADORABLE. Then again, most of the children they had were. He wasn't biased, of course. So the Hatter twirled on his heel to approach the little girl who was adamently seeking french fries and her baffled companion.

Luis got an arm over the shoulder from the lanky Bird and there was a wide, crooked grin on Iamels face. "YOu handled it better then MY Shiniee did. He screamed like a little girl, hid under his desk. Good man. Hello there, Hylusis." Slim fingers waggled. What a cute ********. Now he was turning into Shanuh.

Patrick returned Matsuos smile easily enough; he was good with other people. Matsuo was cute... Maybe a little too ethnic for his tastes (and he had the odd boy hidden somewhere...) but still cute. Cute enough to be nice to and flirt with. "Know in a...way? I met him when I got gaurdianship over Iamel. Twisted b*****d, isn't he."

His eyes, dark red with large black pupils, slid over to Shanuh. ...Twisted, but he'd still get into bed with him any night of the week. "I ******** up my chances, though. Said the wrong thing when he was actually enjoying my company. Kinda ******** it over."


9.

"huh? wha~!" If Luis hadn't screamed at first, he did now. A silent scream as he looked up at the jovial Hatter. He looked the same age as Luis. For the height and mask, maybe a few years older. Two large black and white wings protruded from his back. MY shiniee. Her Luis.

Hylusis shifted her attention from owl to woodpecker, her mouth still full of chips as she spoke. " Iamel." She was not kid who hid behind skirts. The Name spread on the edge of her mind like a stain. She had heard the name before. Underfoot. Now they were on even grounds. New Kin and old. Well, almost.

She sized up her kindred. Older. Wiser. Bigger. But she knew something he didn't know. It slipped out of a letter written in a cheerful script. Her eyes were bright.

"Wh-what is this place?" Luis put a hand to his head. Who were these people? He wasn't sure he wanted an answer. Bird people? A cursed circus troupe?

Ignoring her companion's confusion, she looked up at the scarecrow-esque Kin who perched on her companion's shoulder. Luis would figure it out, soon enough. " Do you know where the french fries are?" she inquired, ravenous.


Hyusis made a face as the teen ruffled her hair, and she looked up when he stopped, his face turned away. The woodpecker slipped away.

Kittens? Birds? People? The question Luis voiced was left hanging, unanswered. Luis looked at Hylusis helplessly, his mind moving like thick honey. It took its time over the brooks and ridges, as if he didn't want to hear the answer, anyway.

Hylusis. He looked at her, who was staring forlornly at the hatter scampering away. The corpse.

"Hey!" said Luis, placing his hand on the child's head. She jerked her head up, looking for the source of the hand.

" What?" Hylusis looked up at Luis. He wasn't getting it.

" Um..." He wasn't sure where to go from here. A flash of purple caught his eye. A well-fit pinstripe suit and a tribal mask flirted in an out of view as guests paraded across the hall, chattering and howling like wild animals. " Let's have a talk with Shanuh."

Hylusis seemed to brighten up at the thought. At least Shanuh would know where the french fries were. It was his party, after all.

Luis jumped mid-stride when he heard the plate splinter on the ground. This party was getting more violent by the second. He could feel the cheerful holiday atmosphere turn strange and malevolent. Birds fighting, couples fighting.

The air was opressive and warm with breath.



THE NOZOMI "Unfortunetly, I don't know where french fries are." His voice was still amused, dropping away from the man he had been hanging on. One hand moved to rest on the girls hair, patting at it affectionately. "But we can ask Shanuh if there are any potatoes around and I can make you sound. Is that good?"

Yeah. The bird cooked. He didn't care, really. His Shiniee left them, so he had to learn. The upset human had nothing to do with him, other then he was this little ones gaurdian. The fight inside could be heard, making his head twist around, lips twirling into a tight grin.

"Raptors. They're either oblivious to real things or so smart they're stupid. We're lucky we aren't raptors." The giant hat was pulled off, revealing the thick, feather-like locks of orange, yellow and red. "Don't scream, human man. Nothing bad is going to happen. At least Hylusis just wants French fries - not living kittens like my best friend."


DONNA 4. "S-Stop, Heron, he's done...please don't.." The words themselves were fragile as the tension that had clearly snapped into a one sided bout betwixt them. However, although she had nearly been sure the earlier display of defense had been some fluke of the birds former training, the Heron appeared to understand her, leaving the woman observe his grace as the large, threatening display melted into a graceful descent, leading into a well composed calm.

Done indeed. That would certainly show the man better than to say such things in the company of women and children. He tucked his wings back into their place and gently cranes his neck to preen a few thistle tinted feathers. It wouldn't do to be a mess infront of the woman, or at Shanuhs party. The heron continued his regimine until perfectly placed once more, dressed to kill in his own plumage, and poised in his position before and between Amber and Adam (or so he earlier called himself).

Amber lay her hand on the birds back and patted him gently. He'd done good in his effort, albeit somewhat unneccesary. The thought deserved praise, and the man deserved her offered hand as she attempted to help him back to his feet. "I'msososorry..."

ARRON 1. Adam sighed, and shook his head a little.

"Sorry about that - No need for YOU to apologize. I shouldn't have said what I said, even as a joke."

He scrubbed his hand through his hair, and looked at the bird, slightly in contempt. Not so much as to let Amber KNOW, however.

"Nice bird. Big bird. Protective bird... Yeah. Really protective bird. He have a name?"

DONNA 5.


The woman shook her head a little, lowering her gaze to meet the bird as he affectionately snaked his head up to rub against her torso. "He...he's been following me...I like him, though, so I don't mind. It seems he knows something I don't."

10. The pair crossed the room with casual intent, Hylusis in the lead. Slipping past the other guests cooly. The sweet melody of small talk and bird calls gave a soft-edged tint to the festivities.

Hylusis had one thing on her mind, and that was french fries. They must be somewhere! She thought exasperatedly, her face flashing a moment's displeasure before returning it's usual calm, if somewhat blank, appearance. She had agreed to Luis' orders on the condition that with Shanuh lay the key to obtaining this most treasured treat. But even without the Old kin's help, she was sure she could find them.

Luis' mind was clouded affection for the curt little girl. Young lady. A life was brushed away. It was burried underneath the fresh white snow that fell like stars from the sky. Luis regarded the Hylusis nervously, with a dimmed freneticism. Even with Birds falling dead at their feet, a strange comfort crept about his shoulders. A sneaking comfort. A child comfort.

The nostalgia of tidal waves hung close. Water gathered with a gentle, stinging salt smell. It swallowed its victims whole, and without a trace, they were gone. In winter, ice gathers on the surfface of the ocean, but the cold waters run swiftly underneath.

Too strange! Luis shook his head as he followed the girl about the hall. Inexplicably, he felt responsible for Hylusis. His charge? Even with the duck's corpse suspended gracelessly in her hand like a broken toy. Her wings flapped in and out.

" I don't get it," sighed Luis. " I surrender." He hoped they would find Shanuh soon, so he could get some answers. This Hylusis didn't seem to be of any help.

A matter crossed their path, both companion and guardian surprised by this obstruction in their mutual path. It snapped its beak on bent knee.

I'm curious to what it's like.., it asked. Kin. The word melted into her mouth like a sweet. Kin with a polite prince sound.

Hylusis stared curiosly at the heron, bird thoughts and child thoughts solidifying in her head. She sized up her Kin. The bird looked at her curiously. She recognized him from an acient rooftop. " It's nothing." she said and thought at the same time. The familiar Kin cocked his head. " I'm Hylusis." She introduced herself once again, gruffly.

Luis eyed the bird. A heron? He saw it on the edge of his mind. An excusemethankyouyessir Bird. Sometimes they stood guard around still waters. It seemed like Hylusis was talking to it, in her own strange child way.

Luis swallowed a mothering softness. Weren't they on a mission here? An unanswered question bubbled up to the surfface. His mind frothed over, his eyes searching for a familiar face within a sea of wild animals, snorting and stomping. He couldn't get his thoughts in order.

In winter, the mind freezes over until summer, when the water begins to rise. It sneaks into the house unnoticed, swirling up the drain like vomit. Until there is turmoil.

Meanwhile, Hylusis' watched the scene unfolding before them with interest, he mind scattered between a Luis, a Matter, and a certain delectable fried treat. She settled on the Matter, at least for now. Sharp eyes wrinkled with mirth. Though the insults and nervous squabbling of the two Adults remained out of reach (luckily), she could hear the heron loud and clear. Kin with a polite prince sound. Monsieur heron, the gentleman. An excusemethankyouyessir heron. Monsieur heron, acting like a frantic hen protecting her clutch!

She held onto the piece of shirt unconciously. Us creatures attach, form bonds and are broken apart. Though warm, his mind was shaking. He decided he'd just ask Shanuh. But he was scary~!


"Could you call him off? PLEASE!?" a shrill shriek jolted the boy from his chain of thoughts. Hylusis seemed to be choking back laughter.

Luis swallowed back a pang of motherly affection. He hadn't come (grudgingly) to this "ball" to babysit for some weird kid who amused herself by tormenting strangers with their deceased pet birds! Where were the scolding fathers, the apologetic mothers?

" Ahh," muttered Luis. He didn't get it. Bird people? Was that it? He looked over the young Hylusis, tears welling in her eyes. Well, those wings were pretty damn realistic. He didn't think parents would be so eccentric as to force a little girl to attend a creepy petstore holiday fetish party.

A soft-edged holiday party. A corpse and a little girl with perfectly matched sets of wings. Like twins.

A piece of the puzzle fell into place. At least, he thought so.

But why did the bird have to die? A sickening word. A sickening action.

His breath was caught in his throat for a reason he couldn't explain. The room spun. A deep sadness made him sick to his stomach.

Inside was circus hall and all its lavishly decoratetd players, laughing like maniacs. Softly, snow gathered, burying the world in its silent white mountains. In winter, the world died.

Purple and gold and silver and pinstripe. The ring leader.


Hylusis caught her breath, looking in the direction of the three other matters. She caught the eye of her Kin, Monsieur heron, and smirked a subtle, silent smirk. Dork.

DONNA 6.
He caught it - an if capable, the Heron would be grinning at the point of Hylusis's amused narration of himself - but he would do her one better by bobbing his head in comical fashion, akin to what one would assume a dork to be, before sweeping low in an almost over-exagerated bow.

Dork you may think of me, but at least you can't accuse me of not doing my job, eh?

He then came up again and gestured to the man with a mental wing.

But than again...I'm not the one on the floor screaming like a hatchling. I'm sure he's learned his lesson now, although just what he's learned remains to be seen.

Not that anyone else noticed his actions, for it seemed his woman was caught up apologizing to the one he'd beaten (or just flapped) into submission.

If anything, the moment was just for them.


11. Thought the antics of the struting heron confounded the young Hylusis to hilarity (she couldn't see why anyone would want to act stupid on purpose, much less take pride in it), she had other, more pressing matters to attend to. Dropping her tiny, almost unnoticable child hand from Luis' side, she rand towards a tittering voice.

"Hylusis," Nikel called out in his sing-song voice, eyes light with good humor. "I have something for you~!"

Her eyes grew wide at the mountain of french fries the older, more festive kin touted. "Here you are, sweetling, all for you." a kind smile on his lips.

" Really?" Hylusis regarded the plate with skepticism. It had every type of french fry she could think of. He had even differentiated the Mac Donald's fires and the Burger King fries. No one did that! Was it really ALL for her?

" Really." The young man said, his grin spreading as he handed her the plate. " Careful, it's a little hot." All for her. "I just made them." Nikel added subvertively, just in case she didn't notice the fine craftsmanship.

And a new emotion spread over Hylusis face. Not of indifference or amusement or want, but a different feeling. If it was adoration Nikel wanted, it was adoration Nikel got. She stared up at her new god, steam escaping off the french fries like rays of painted sunbeams.


Meanwhile, Luis watched the child go. He casually wondered if he'd ever see her-or the dead bird she carried like a broken toy. Then he remembered The story he told himself. A soft-edged holiday party. A corpse and a little girl with perfectly matched sets of wings.

Like twins.

He watched a familiar face, an excusemethankyoudon'tmentionit face cross the hall, cautiously, a bird in tow. Towards a Matter purple, silver and gold. Had she spoken to him? The creatures swam in his vision like fish in a tidepool. But the sun was rising high into the sky, drying all the little lost fish away.

No, Luis would see Hylusis again. He had a feeling. Almost unnoticable, a light touch. Not twins, but close.

12. Lost. Light flickered off and on in Luis' head like the lanterns of a sinking cruise ship. The drowning titanic. Fireworks went off with a bang, exploding above a crisp winter sky. The color of the ocean at night, a swallow-whole color.

Lost, Luis sank into obscurity. Another monster at the ball, another smudge of color on the face of the earth. He sat in a corner feeling sick. Blurry eyes. Christmas lights. Outside his it is snowing, where his father hung another string of christmas lights. They reflect in Luis' eyes, bright red green blue and yellow. Snow gathers.

Snow gathers and buries his words alive.


She was bo~red! After a nice head pat from Nikel and a cordial dismiss, Hylusis had situated herself in a neat corner in the room where she had begun stuffing her face with french fries, completely oblvious to the rest of the party. Only after most of her feast had been devoured did she lift her head and begin to search the room, peering into the faceless crowd. Familiar and alien flirted in and out of view. She made quick but passing judgements. Cool. Boring. Red. White.

She noticed that she was spreading her toes wide in her shoes, like before. She pulled at her shoes laces, agitated. There weren't enough kids here. She was bored!

She stared out at all the masked figures. Like passers by on the street. The room felt like Christmas, whatever that meant. Smudges of color in a blurry lens. Someone caught her eye out of the velvet picture. A trick of the light, sinking into obscurity.

Hylusis set the dead duck down to be forgot, and then flickered toward the object of her intrique. Not a twin; not a lover; not a friend; but close. It was a dark friendship, they say with a laugh. She does not forget the tray of french fries, half empty, but still half full. A guardian and her companion.

We are all trapped in darkness.

Luis looked up with a worried face. Hylusis gave him a face back. With clear face edges and clear as day duck wings. She looked tired. The party ebbed and flowed without their existance. A bubble on the surfface of the ocean. He gave up looking for Shanuh.

Luis: "Ready to go home, kid?" he asked, standing up and stretching. She did say anything but he knew the answer. She was a little kid, after all.

Luis: "Just let me get this straight," words uncovered themselves like smoke signals rising into the air. " You used to be that duck. And now, you're human?"

" Yeah, basically." She didn't know what else to say. He swallowed his words.

" Then I'm still taking care of you?" He looked at Hylusis for affirmation and then across the room in search of signs of life. A hall of mirrors reflected back at him, blinding.

"Yeah." She wasn't sure if this meant that she had to stop eating french fries or not.

"Alright, then let's get that packed up, and go." He took her hand and wandered towards the kitchen, in hopes of finding a doggie bag for his charge's greasy delight. He was too tired to think of implications and responsibilities. After all, he was still a child himself.

metaplot (begining) observe.