Welcome to Gaia! ::

Day 1~

The mail came, as usual, late. Mail on a college campus as large as the one in Dur'em usually meant that there were delays in almost everything that needed to be delivered. Oddly Sin was quite content with the mail being late. It meant that bills did not have to be dealt with on quite so prompt a basis.

Sin flicked her black hair out of her eyes, squinting to read the postage-stamp-sized address that had been written off to the right-hand side of the envelope. What was this letter? Who had sent it to me? She wondered, as it reminded her of the letter that Harry Potter received during the fourth book. Feeling the letter up and down for letter bombs, she decided that unless someone really wanted her dead, there was no reason for her not to open the letter and see who had written it.

Sin picked up her wooden letter opener and carefully slit the side of the envelope, a folded, business-style letter fell out onto her lap. Sin set down the envelope and unfolded the letter.

Dear Sin-
We, here at the Aerandir Recovery Center, have reviewed the application for guardianship that you filled out on 1-21-05 and have deemed you to be suitable for custody.

Enclosed you will find directions to the ferry, and more important information that you will need if you plan to accept our invitation to come and live on the islands.

In three days time from the arrival of this letter, you will be sent two jars, each containing a separate element, a feather, and a fluff. You will be expected, if you are so inclined, to bring these with you to the islands, as we do not see hustle and bustle of the rest of Gaia to be suitable for raising Aerandir children.

Thank you,
The Aerandir Recovery Center.

Just as she finished reading the letter, there was a knock on the door, and Sin stood up quickly, hastening to the door.

"Delivery, ma'am." Said a man in the brown and yellow UPS uniform, holding out a small box.

"Thank you," Sin began, "Do I have to si-"

"It's all been taken care of, ma'am." The UPS-guy said, turning and heading back down the stairs, leaving a bewildered Sin and a box full of glass jars and a letter telling her that she had to move.

"I'm calling Chao." Sin said, setting the box down on her bed, and heading towards the phone.

Day four~

Sin soon found herself staring up at a small house, backed by trees, and off to the side of the building there were gardens. She groaned. She hated gardening, but she did go to great efforts to make sure that her home looked presentable for others.

From what Sin had heard, Chao had found a home a few houses down the road, but many of the other buildings in this circular neighborhood were empty. Sin had decided to go for one of the few semi-furnished houses on the island. This house was all on one level, and was really just one big room, with some walls that had been set up to provide division into three major rooms and a bathroom.

Sin had set down her basket of eggs and jars as soon as she had gotten onto the porch, leaving the various growings out in the sunlight as she went inside to check out the inside of the house.

From the looks of it, the island management had provided her with a bed, couch, stove, fridge, some book shelves and a countertop with some tall stools. Well, it was better than nothing, Sin noted as she noticed a small pile of letters on the counter top.

She reached over and picked up the first one, printed neatly was her address in what was plainly her mother's hand. She sighed, and flipped the letter over, opening it, she read:


My darling-
Why do you never call us anymore? I know that it's not very easy for you to keep in touch because of your university life, but Nike said that she found you off on this small island. Did you know that it was raised at about the same time as the island that my sister and brother were born on? An interesting tidbit for you and your friends~
Sometime soon, Nike and I plan to visit you, but we'll wait until you get settled, because barging on someone when they're just moving in is plain rude. So, if you'll forgive me in advance.
Nike sends her love, and asks that you not try and use the eggs that she gave you for cooking, as they would ruin her experiment. Do you know what she was talking about? I haven't the slightest.

All my love,
Mum

Sin knew exactly what Nike had meant, and she had no intention of explaining it to her mother, as the contents of the eggs was an illegal combination of many different creatures, with hopes to create the perfect organism. And for once, Sin believed that Nike had gotten it right.

Smiling, she set down the letter and turned to the boxes that had been neatly stacked in the middle of the main room. Walking around the counter, she rolled up her sleeves and prepared for the long process of unpacking.

The first boxes that she dealt with were the books. Surprisingly, all of Sin's DVDs and CDs only took up a small section of the first book shelf, so she decided to decorate it with pictures that she had taken over the years in various photography classes.

Soon though, the rest of the shelves were filled with books. Sin smiled happily and went outside to retrieve the basket of eggs. Setting them on the counter, she pulled her stereo out of the box and proceeded to set it up. Soon the generator was running and the soft beats of Delirium were pounding through the small building.

Sin threw open the windows, and enjoyed the gentle breeze that filtered though the house when windows on both sides of the room were opened.

Grabbing her box of clothes, Sin carefully set it on the bed along with her box of bed sheets and the other bedroom things that she had brought with her. She would make the bed later.

The time past quickly and soon Sin found herself sprawled on the couch, dog tired and wanting desperately to shower. She hadn't, as of yet inspected the bathroom.

Oh well... that could happen in the morning. Sin yawned tiredly as she fell asleep.

Day 8~

By the time that Sin woke up on the morning that would mark her spending a week on the Island, the sun was already high in the sky. Rolling groggily over, Sin fell out of bed and slumpped her way over the the bathroom, wondering what the great Island of Ar'Idil would hold for her today.

She resolved, as she pulled on some clothes that she would pack a lunch and take her book and the jars containing her Aerandir fluff and feather along in her backpack, so that she could see what was on the other side of the Volcano. Although dormant, that volcano was the only one that Sin had ever seen in her life, as the mountains around her home were of the plutonic dome type and had been in the same place for many billions of years.

Packing a roast-beef sandwitch, a water bottle, and a jar of cranberry juice into a small cooler, Sin resolved to head down to the lodge to see if she could buy some chips or something to make her lunch more interesting.

Closing the windows against rain, which she suspected, even though the weather report had stated that it would be nice all day. Sin's distrust in the weather men had come into being some years previous, when she'd been playing a game of softball and was nearly stuck by lightning. She never listened to the crackpots on the weather channel any more.

Sin pulled the door closed behind her, and looked around the village. Everyone was going about their business, and no one seemed to notice as she ambled down to the lodge, intent on a bag of chips.

The lodge was deserted, but it had been every time that Sin had come into it. She left her money on the counter and took a bag of Sun Chips out of the rack. She shoved them unceremoniusly into her backpack and headed back out of the store.

She was heading towards the volcano, but, as Sin neared the excavated land, she realized that it was most likely a bad idea for her to go as far as the volcano. She decided that, due to the heat of the day, that she would have to find a shady strech of beach to read some of her book.

Sin had resolved to read to the jars, thinking that it would be a good way to bolster their intellegence before they became a solid being in their gryphon form.

Ambling slowly down the beach, Sin resolved that she would stop under some trees where the beach sloped gentally down into the water, the waves slopping gentally against the shore.


-continued in next post

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Day 14

There. were. flyers. everywhere.

Sin had been out and about, walking down to the lodge, hoping for conversation, but had, as ususal, just missed everything fun that was going on. She peered sharply at the message board, wondering what this new flyer could be about.

Aerandir Summer Festival! - It read, and Sin suddenly found herself to be rather excited. She loved fairs and gatherings in the summer, because that was one of the main points of summer.

Yes. She would be going to this, and taking Gael-the-Jar with her. There was only one problem. Sin needed clothes, summer, festive-like clothes. Things that she wasn't sure that she posessed.

And with that. Sin resolved to see if there was anyway that she could get some new clothes somewhere so that she looked properly festive. She knew several, cheap places online, and had used all of them in the past.

She picked up one of the excess flyers on the shelf below the message board. She would have to see if there was anything she could do to help. Yes... she really would.

Day 16~

Sin had been drifting around the summer festival, cradling Gael-the-Jar, worried that something horrid would happen to her Aerandir before the jar became the young gryphon that Sin knew would arrive sometime soon. Sin just wished that she had found some people at the summer festival to talk to. So far, everyone seemed to be too distracted to talk to her, on top of that - All that Sin had wanted to do since the festival started was to write. It shocked her somewhat, but all she wanted to do was write out a history for this man - this angel of music.

Yes, Sin was having great cravings to write Phantom of the Opera fanfiction, and had been having said great cravings all week.

But, back to the festival.

Sin had been wondering around for a while, there were goldfish and all sorts of fun places to eat. She tried the most interesting little Chinese-dumpling-like-things. They were called 'Cute little rolls,' and Sin had decided that she had to learn how to make the steamed delicacy.

Sin wondered why she hadn't seen Chao at all the previous day. She decided that it wasn't really worthwhile for her to lounge around the house, talking to people online. She would just have to take Gael-the-Jar out and brave the weather (she'd gotten a horrid sunburn again yesterday). Sin was positive that she'd run into people that she wanted to talk to today. Yes, she was sure of it.

[ Message temporarily off-line ]

Sin stood just outside her bedroom, contemplating how many flashlights she wanted to bring with her for their excursion back to the cave. Sure, two should be enough, but there was a nagging voice in the back of her mind that told her that she should be far more careful and bring and extra flashlight, some spare bulbs and some batteries. But then again, that was the voice of illogical thoughts that told Sin that she should do still sillier things, like invite her parents for a visit.

She put the two flashlights into her backpack, along with Gael's jar, Phantom and three bottles of water. She didn't want to take any chances so she, for once giving into the nagging voice, added a few batteries to the bottom of the bag. She knew that they would remain there, long forgotten, but she didn't care. All of her electronics were rechargeable anyway.

Slinging the backpack onto her back, Sin picked up her shoulder bag, which contained all of the food that she had prepared. Sandwiches, some chicken salad, some roast beef, chips, some lemonade, and the usual gingersnaps. All that she had left to do was make her slow process down to the Lodge where she would meet up with Jizzy and Chao, and maybe some others, to head back to the cave.



Sin trotted down the dusty road towards the lodge, resolving that if no one was there that she would wait for a little while, before heading off to the cave. She reasoned that someone must have seen the message that she had posted on the message board. And then she had talked to both Jizzy and Chao about the cave, and they had both seemed interested in the idea.

Her backpack clicked as Gael's jar knocked up against the flashlights. Sin sighed. She would have to stop for a moment and fix the problem. She came to a halt in the middle of the road and unzipped her pack, reaching in and pulling Gael's jar out of the dark recesses of the backpack.

Sin tucked Gael's jar into the food bag, where the only thing that it could crash into was tinfoil. Satisfied, she started to head towards the Lodge in a half run - half walk that carried her feet rather briskly towards the building.



Panting slightly, Sin ran up the back side of the lodge, her shoulder bag banging uncomfortably at her side. She was now late, and she knew it. In a strange and rather bizzare way, Sin was glad she was late, because that would mean that more people that she wanted to come would already be there.

She rounded the final corner and was surprised to see Chao standing outside of the doors. She ran up, "Hey." She said, putting down the bag of food and gasping for air.





Sin smiled and straightened, her breath finally caught. "Hey Jizzy!" She said happily. People had actually shown up. How amazing was that? Sin resolved that they should head out before it got any later. She raised the food bag.

"Anyone have any objections to nummy sandwitches on the trip to the cave of doom and explosion?" She asked, recalling a favorite line from a framilliar phanfic. "I've got chicken salad and roast beef, but we'd better head out soon, or we'll be late..." She trailed off... late for what? She had no idea why she'd said that.





Sin smiled and gave a small jump. "I have Gael with me. Sanar, Tobias - " She held out the jar containing Gael's feather and fluff to show the two young gryphons. "This is - or will be, Gael. She's going to be a gryphon soon, and then she can play with you."

She turned to Jizzy and Chao, and grinned. "Okay then, let's go. It's this way." She pointed towards the now well-beaten path out of the village. Without so much as a backward glance, she began to walk away from her friends.

After a few paces she turned, "Well, are you coming?"





Sin thought for a moment then began, her feet treading silently on the ground before her. "Well, it's in the woods, set into a rock ledge. There was some writing inside of it. I couldn't quite make it out before I had to leave." She paused, still thinking deeply. "And then there's the fact that I don't know why there would be a cave there. I mean, think about it."

She waved her hands about her, causing the food bag and Gael's jar to clatter. "Because of the Volcano, which has been dormant for many years, wouldn't it make sense that all the caves on this island were formed by the last eruption? But the odd thing is that it hasn't. The cave was made out of real rock, probally ignious or sommat like that. There was no trace of volcanic activity anywhere near the cave."





There were times, Sin mused, where she wondered why Gael had not grown as fast as Sanar and Tobias had. She reasoned that she had been just trying too hard. She assumed that the growth would come in time, but it still made her feel as though she'd somehow been a bad guardian as she watched the two young gryphons clicking out a conversation together.

She turned into the forest, the village now far behind them. "It was right in here." She muttered to herself, wandering from right to left, squinting about. Maybe she'd gotten the entrance wrong...

She took several steps forward, remembering that she had ventured deep into the forest. Wow, I'm jumpy today, she commented to herself, and plundging back into the undergrowth. "Come on guys! We're nearly there."

And that was a good thing, as the sky was darkening...





Sin sighed as she brushed past another tree. It would be hard for the young gryphons to venture this far into the woods, though the tangled undergrowth. Maybe this whole trip had been a bad idea. She shook her head, and turned back towards Jizzy and Chao. "Maybe we should take a break in that clearing up ahead." She suggested, "Because the little ones look as though they're having some trouble. I don't want anyone to get lost."





Sin resolved to take a break, but she now wondered if it was a good idea. It looked as though it was going to rain again. She hadn't remembered a rain coat. Again. Damn it all.

She pushed apart the final branches into the clearing, and found herself up against the rock wall that she remembered from her previous trip. They had to be close. They'd eat some food here, and would be able to find the cave if it started to rain cats and dogs the way it had the last time that Sin had been out to the cave.

"So." Sin turned back to Jizzy and Chao, taking a seat on a tree stump. "Who wants food?"





Sin almost laughed out loud. She had never thought that the small gryphon would be so happy to get out of the bag that Jizzy had been carrying him in. It amused her greatly to watch Tobais as he inspected the clearning for more interesting things than the inside of a bag.

Reaching into her own bag, Sin pulled out the tin-foil wrapped sandwhiches and offered one marked 'c' to Chao, keeping an 'R' for herself. She turned back to Jizzy, and reached back into the food bag, intending to at least offer Jizzy some lemonaide, when her hand struck the side of Gael's Jar. She pulled the jar out of the bag and stared at it. There was... sommat wrong with it.

"Uh, guys?" Sin held up the jar, her voice shaking a bit, "Is this normal?"





Concerned, Sin shook the jar slightly. Was Gael going to grow soon? What an... interesting concept. She would have to puzzle over it a little later, she mused as a raindrop hit her nose. Sin blinked and looked up to see black thunder-heads rolling in all around them. Sin assumed that the rain wouldn't hit until they got to the cave, but knowing her luck - It would hit just before.

She tucked the now-glowing-but-perfectly-normal-thank-you-very-much Gael into the food bag and sighed deeply. Now all that she had to do was remember where exactly along the wall the cave was so they could get out of the now steadily dropping rain.

"We should go." Sin said, standing up briskly and looking up and down the rock face. Which way was it? From the direction they came, it would be north east from here. Sin glanced at her watch. That was up to her left. Might as well chance it, she thought, plundging into the undergrowth, hurrying to get out of the rain.






The rain began to pour down through the deep foliage of the forest as Sin pushed her way through the now dampening undergrowth. The temperature was falling, and she could hear the distant rumble of thunder in the distance. All around here was the sound of birds singing and the shapping and cracking of Jizzy and Chao making their way after her.

Sin took several steps past the cave before she realized that she'd past it. It was quite well hidden, and so Sin began to wonder if it might have just been fate that had drawn her to the cave in the first place, because what else would have caused her to push past the over hanging vines and though a rasberry bush to get inside it?

"Guys!" She called, stepping into the cave and then popping her head back out. "Here it is! Quick, before it begins to rain harder."





Sin smiled and turned to shine the flashlight that she had fished out of her backpack around the cave. "This is the cave of doom and explosion." Sin set down her bags and sat down on the floor, taking Gael-the-jar out of the food bag, where Sin had put her for safe-keeping. The soft glow that Gael's feather and fluff were emitting was enough to make the cave glow brightly in a strange and somewhat creepy light.

Reminded of some far off book, Sin set Gael in front of her, entraced by the slowly pulsating light. She stared at the light, watching as it began to pulse faster and faster, it's light distracting Sin from the water dripping from her nose and down her shirt.

She turned with the intent of shining the light into the back of the cavern and was surprised to hear the sound of breaking glass. Sin's head snapped back around, and she found herself staring at the place where Gael's jar had been.







Sin stared at the glowing orb, facinated as it solifided. Before her eyes, her gryphon was, forming? She thought that that was the right word for it.

Then, quite suddenly, the orb stopped glowing altogether as a small gryphon was deposited onto the ground, landing on unsteady legs.

"Gael..." Sin breathed, reaching out to brush some of the feathers with a trembling hand.

She opened her eyes. The room that they were in was dim to her vision. There was something touching her fir, ruffling it affectionately, or so she judged. She turned her head to face the hand, her beak shooting out to inspect the offending hand - or at least, she thought that was what it was.

"OW!"





Sin smiled as she put her finger into her mouth, eyes watering with the pain of it. She knew that letting the young gryphon see that she had been hurt was a very bad plan. She raised her other hand and gingerly lay it on the back of the gryphon's head, nestling it in the feathers there.

So... soft Sin thought, turning to smile at both Jizzy and Chao. "Thanks guys, I'm glad that you could see this." And truely she was, she didn't want her gryphon being born alone, but now Gael had Tobias and Sanar to keep her company. All that waiting was definately worth it.

"Come on guys, the rain's letting up!" Sin bounced happily, perhaps unwisely scooping Gael up into her arms.

Gael started, staring first from the creature that had picked her up and then back again to the ground, where she would have much prefered to be. With a twist she struggled to get back to the floor.

It was then that she saw the writing on the wall, painted there in deft strokes. Gael's beak came forward, intent on getting a close inspection.





"It is better that they saw this. It's like watching someone giving birth, only without the blood and ooze and stuff." Sin smiled down at Gael and the others. They were all looking intently at the painted figures on the wall.

"I wonder what they see in those letters?" Sin asked herself, as she pulled out her notebook and began to copy down the letters. She wanted to show them to Anthony when they returned, maybe he would be able to make sense of them.

Gael stared from Tobais to Sanar, she clicked deep in her throat. Would they understand?





Sin nodded her concent and watched as the young gryphons appeared to have a conversation.

Gael chirped back at Tobias, why are you so rude? And turned away from him, facing Sanar with a much happier note. Hello, she whistled.





Sin smiled and watched as Gael turned tenativly back towards Tobias.

Gael clicked. Sorry, smallgryph? She tried the nickname out tenatively. I'm just not... her beak clicked slightly, used to talking to people.





Sin watched as the rain began to die down, and continued to smile slightly at the antics of Gael and the other two gryphons. Maybe Gael just bit her because it was, well, startling to have someone try and touch you so soon after forming from a feather and a... but of tail fur. "Maybe we should head out before the rain picks up again?" She asked her peers, as it seemed like a good idea.

Gael clicked her beak, 'Well, Tobias, who until recently was known as smallgryph, it's nice to meet you.' She turned back to the taller of the two gryphons, the one that was playing peacekeeper. 'What's your name?' she asked in a series of clicks and snorts.





Gael survayed the two gryphons in front of her, they were different from her. "What are your... parents like?" She clicked out, staring from Tobias to Sanar, wondering why they looked like such a strange combination of animal and bird. She didn''t know what she herself looked like, but she imagined that she looked much better and more like one species of animal rather than another.

Sin smiled, "It''s for the best, I don''t wan''t to get completely soaked, as I don''t really like the feeling of water on my skin. makes me break out... you see." She giggled.

-end of teh Arpee-