|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2007 8:12 am
 Silence watched carefully as Kita spoke his name and that of his griffin. His griffin's name was easy to read: "Meh-jai". An "m", an "eh", a "j" and an "ah-ee" dipthong. His name, though...The "k" in Kita, being more of a glottal letter, was harder for her to see, though the "ee-ta" part was fine. She glanced at Meshach, who sketched the letter "k" in the air for her, anticipating her dilemma. He had become good at that in his own recent dealings with her.
"Kita," she repeated slowly, "and Meji? Did I pronounce those correctly?"
Meanwhile, Chade scrambled up her front, completely abandoning his repose as Meji continued to advane, and settled on her shoulder, gouging her with his wickedly sharp chick-talons and kitten-claws. His tail whipped wildly as he strove to maintain his balance, teetering precariously until Silence brought one arm up to steady him. She winced at the abuse her shoulder was taking, but she remembered that Trill had done this, too, as a chick, and there were scars to prove it. She had survived the larger chick, she could survive Chade.
Trill, considerate of Chade's concerns, broke his Stand Down and moved to intercept Meji before Chade got scared enough to lose control of his bowels. He did this courteously, without agression, but insinuated himself quite firmly between Meji and Silence.
My human calls me Trill, he said in a series of chirps and clicks. The young one is Chade. She just got him.
"We've made camp here. Would you like to join us?" Silence offered, guessing that Kita had had rather a rude introduction to Meshach and hoping to make up for it. Also, there was still plenty of deer meet available for consumption, and she had not been brought up to be wasteful.
She ignored the glares which Meshach gave her from behind Kita. He could deal with guests and be polite, or he could go off on his own, as he sometimes did, much to Silence's distress, and return later. He usually took those jaunts without telling her he was leaving and because she never heard him depart it usually took her several hours to note his absence. Besides which, they would eventually reach civilization in a recognizable form and he would have to be social then, if he didn't grow bored with her and leave for good.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2007 12:17 pm
Kita ives a nod as he continues to send glances at his griffon companion. "Yes, you said them right. Meji, please just leave the chick alone." Of course he ends up being ignored as usual by the beast, and decides to just give in.
"Join you? Oh, we couldn't, I don't want to impose. It's a kind offer, but.." Again his attention is drawn to the funny chirpings of the griffons. It had bee a while since they had been around other griffons since he left home.
Meji, for the moment gives up his attempts to get closer to the chick, seeing as the spotted male had blocked his way. He sits, preening a wing slightly before giving his own chirps and clickings in answer. My human called me Meji, why is that.. CHade.. acting like a hatchling afraid of his own shadow?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 8:13 am
Silence shook her head. "It wouldn't be any sort of an imposition. As you can see, we have more than enough food for ourselves and the griffins, and there's certainly space. Besides, we have had only each other for company for some time, and I find that Meshach grows tiresome after prolonged, uninterrupted exposure."
She shot Meshach a meaningful glance over Kita's shoulder and then shifted her attention to Meji.
"Your griffin is very handsome. His color is quite interesting," she said.
Trill looked over his shoulder at Chade and replied, He's very young, and you're a great deal larger than any other griffin he's seen, likely. When Silence got him, he was just newly hatched, it seemed.
Meshach sulked, slouching against a tree, his turquoise eyes narrowed to displeased slits and trained on Kita. It was irrational, he knew, to dislike the young man, but he did, for whatever reason. Perhaps because he traveled with a griffin and could not control it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 11:29 am
Kita thinks it over for a minute or so, before nodding. "If you are sure we won't be imposing.. alright." At the comment on Meji, he gives a slight shrug. "Oh, thanks I guess. But he's not mine, he belongs to my brother.. he just followed me when I left home. I would have taken my griffon with me but it hadn't hatched yet, and my brother was keeping an eye on it just to make sure I didn't."
He glances off to the side, a bit ashamed that he'd left before his griffon egg had even hatched.
Meji cranes his neck a bit to look at the chick over Trill's shoulder again, before settling down. Suppose that makes some sense. My human would have had a young griffon with him instead of me if he waited longer before setting out.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 10:22 am
Trill cocked his head. Would that have been better?
Chade found his balance on Silence's shoulder and settled there, his fur and feathers flat along his hide. Clearly he was aware that attempts to seem larger would be pointless, and so he strove for invisibility and insignificance. A sensible tack to take, considering the situation.
Silence felt him relax and took advantage of the momentary cessation of his claws' gouging and pried him from her shoulder and set him firmly on the ground, nudging him gently forward with her booted instep. He looked back piteously, but when it became apparent that she would not permit him to return to his perch he shook himself thoroughly to settle his wings, fur, and feathers, and then he slunk to Meshach's heels. Both then proceeded to look thoroughly disapproving.
Silence pretended not to notice Meshach's disapproval and turned so that she could not even see him peripherally, giving Kita her full attention.
"Why would your brother wish to prevent you from taking what was rightfully yours?" she asked, gesturing that he might be seated.
She was about to follow suit when she recalled that her hair was still unbound, and thus the ends would drag in the dust if she simply sat. She would have to braid it and bind it before she could sit. Parts of her hair were still tangled, but Meshach had done much to undo the worst of it. She separated her hair into three hunks and wound them together until she could pull the mass over her shoulder and braid it further, to the ends.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 12:59 am
Meji fluffs his feathers for a moment before tilting his head and preening out a loose feather that had been annoying him. Probably not, this human doesn't know how to look after a chick so its good that I followed instead.
Kita shrugs absently, sitting down. "I don't know, probably because he didn't think I was responsible enough to take a chick with me. He's probably mad at me right now since he has to take care of it for me.."
He almost laughs though, remembering when Meji had been enough of a handful for the elder sibling, and can't help but wonder what kind of nuissance his chick was being. "Just curious, how long have you been traveling?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 9:37 am
Silence paused before answering to be sure that she was replying correctly.
"We've been traveling for a little over a week. Why, do we smell like it?" She offered a grin.
At her grin, the turquoise-eyed young man on whose feet Chade sat scowled deeply. He did not approve of this, it was more than apparent. Silence continued to ignore him. She stepped forward a few feet and petted Trill behind his ears, making him croon blissfully before he answered Meji:
Silence knows how to look after chicks. She looked after me and she's looking after Chade.
He couldn't help bragging about his Silence. As far as he was concerned there was no one in the world more wonderful and magnificent than she. No one more clever or brave or talented. He was just a little biased, but he would never admit to it. His devotion to her was total and without qualification.
Chade glanced up at Meshach just as he happened to look down and their eyes met. The chick understood more than he let on, Meshach realized, and the thought brought a smile to his lips which displaced his scowl. Silence would be protected, even if he were not around. The chick was clever and Trill was brave and growing bigger and stronger every day. He needn't worry so much on her behalf.
Having come to this conclusion his stance relaxed and his expression remained fixed in a faint, enigmatic grin. He always favored enigmatic whenever possible. But he made sure to catch Silence's gaze and give a slight nod of acceptance to which Silence reacted with a smile of her own. Sometimes he worried that communicating with someone who couldn't hear would prove frustrating beyond words and beyond his patience, but Silence always proved his fears unfounded.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 9:42 am
Kita blinks, before quickly shaking his head. "No no I didn't mean that really." he'd almost raised his hands in a faint gesture of defence before catching himself and lowering it. "I was just wondering. I hadn't seen anyone else traveling with a griffon on my way, and I was just wondering."
Meji watches the younger male, giving a click of his beak once Trill stopped the little display of affection for his human. Meji watches the younger male, giving a click of his beak once Trill stopped the little display of affection for his human. [i]My human can well take care of a chick.[i/] He wasn't defending his human's pride against the words of an adolecent griffon, no...merely stating a fact. yes, that was it.[i]My human can well take care of a chick.[i/] He wasn't defending his human's pride against the words of an adolecent griffon, no...merely stating a fact. yes, that was it.
Kita casts another glance at the two larger griffons, smiling a bit. "They look like they're making friends. I haven't seen Meji being civil this much, back at home he was almost the bully."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 8:45 am
Silence's gaze followed Kita's and she shrugged. Trill was usually easy-going and seemed to get along well enough with other griffins when he didn't feel that she was in danger.
"Trill's a bit big to intimidate, even if he is young," she pointed out. "And I was joking, you know, about the smelling like we'd been on the road for a week."
Somehow Silence got the impression Kita's sense of humor was a bit repressed. Or perhaps it was that she couldn't hear his tone of voice, which made it harder to gauge his intent. She had already grown accustomed to his particular speech habits of pronunciation, for the most part, which made her proud. She knew he had a sense of humor. Everyone does, somewhere in them.
Meshach picked up on the rest of Kita's statement and followed up:
"Have you seen anyone else at all?" he asked a little too sharpl for it to be a casual question.
He just remembered that there was, some ways in the direction he and Silence had come from, a young woman's body, dead and dragged just off the road. He didn't want Silence to take the blame for that, when he had been the one to kill her. Still, if Kita hadn't seen it at all, that was all to the good.
Trill heard some tension in Meshach's voice as he answered, but he decided that he was safe to continue his conversation as long as Meshach didn't exhibit any physical displays of hostility. In that case, he, Trill, would be ready to fight. In the meanwhile, he copied Silence's habit of nodding to acknowledge a fact in response to Meji's statement.
Of course he can. Chicks aren't that difficult to care for. Just keep them fed. He used another human gesture and shrugged.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 12:13 am
Kita glances at the man slightly, not really sure why he sounded a bit tense. "I haven't seen anyone since we passed by a small villiage two days ago. Why do you ask?"
His attention is directed back to Silence again after giving another glance at the griffons. "I honestly don't know if Meji can be intimidated or not. I've never really seen him picking a fight with another griffon unless it was just practice."
Meji clicks his beak lightly at the other griffon's mimicing human gestures. Feeding the chick isn't the hard part. If my human is following us he has to keep it safe without my help. Your human has help looking after that chick over there.
[[Ack, I'm sorry.. I live I swear! ^^;;; I've been getting distracted by other threads and guilds..]]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 6:34 am
Trill glanced over at Meshach, assuming that was the "help" Meji was referring to. Meshach certainly was not helpful. Much of the time he only upset Silence and frightened the chick and made it difficult for Trill to hunt.
He's not help. At least not with the chick. He helps me keep Silence from being sad. She is sad a lot if people don't distract her. His tone was at first derisive, but it altered as he spoke of Silence, about whom he worried a great deal.
Meshach cocked his head and said, "No reason."
At the same time, Silence replied, "I doubt he can be intimidated. He looks a bit large for that, really. As for picking fights, I don't imagine he would, unless it was mating season, and that's an entirely different matter. Trill used to do mock battles, at home, but lately he's been short on opponents, which is, I must say, a great relief to me. He's got his father's fighting temperament."
She didn't elaborate on what sort of temperament that was, exactly, because she didn't feel like going into the Eyrie's history and explaining about Hraik and Valour and Courage and Patience. She especially didn't feel like explaining about Patience, and she didn't feel she could easily mention the Eyrie without mentioning those people. To her, they were the Eyrie.
Meshach saw the expression on Silence's face and knew at once that she was thinking of Patience and needed distracting, or she would be seriously depressed in a matter of minutes. Humans in love were a truly useless thing.
"Why not have Kita and Meji stay the night, and in the morning we can arrange a mock-battle between the two?" he suggested. He knew Silence would disagree vehemently, but it would, at least distract her.
As he predicted, Silence immediately responded in outrage, "Meshach! How can you propose that? I apologize for my companion. His ways are not my ways much of the time. He forgets to exhibit those qualities which separate humans from beasts if not reminded to do so."
Meshach met her challenging stare, "Like what? Enslavement? Murder? Rape? You don't see...beasts...exhibiting those qualities. Those are purely human."
Silence swallowed her ire and returned her attention to Kita with a pleasant, if obviously not sincere smile. "I do agree with the first part of Meshach's statement. Please feel free to spend the night. As you can see, Meshach and I grow weary of each other's uninterrupted company."
It's okay. I know how that goes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2007 11:35 pm
((I live! Honest!!))
Kita nods slowly, watching the small group. "If you truly don't mind, and it's not a bother.. then we will stay the night here. Really though, thanks for the kind offer. It gets kind of lonely with only that big oaf to travel with.." he almost laughs as Meji cocked his head as if he knew exactly what he'd said.
"I'm glad Meji can't understand humans though... he probably would have jumped at the chance to fight with someone, even just for a game. I don't think he really likes me all that much. he's worse than my brother I think.. a little too overbearing."
Meji gives the humans a cool glance, having the sinking feeling that he was being talked about.. before his attention returns to Trill. My human will do well with this human's chick.. whenever he catches up with us perhaps you would meet him.
He smartly avoids the topic of Trill's human being sad, the tone of the other male told him all he needed to know. How far do you travel, anyway young one? He gives the younger male a very.. almost taunting look, just waiting for Trill to 'ruffle his feathers'. What.. they needed a good quarrel before they could be friends, in his own odd sense of logic.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 7:09 am
I would like to meet him, Trill replied evenly, his raised hackles belying his tone. And I am not so young as all that. I have fought against adult griffins.
What he neglected to mention was that the fights were for training and that he had never actually beaten any of the older, more experienced griffins. He was telling the truth, to a point, and he would be only too happy to scrap with Meji if that was what the older griffin wanted. He had forgotten completely the question which accompanied the veiled insult.
It takes no real skill or bravery to taunt someone younger, he said, almost to himself. He, too, knew how to provoke.
Silence shrugged. "I truly don't mind, and it's not a bother. And there are worse things for siblings and griffins to be than overbearing."See? My brain all gone. I make short post. I'm glad to see you live.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 1:05 pm
Meji merely stands up, giving a good beat of his wings to lightly whack Trill, but only in a bit of a jesting manner. Not too smart to pick fights among humans you know.. That could get messy.
Kita nods, smiling a bit at that. "True, they could always be the bullies. I just hope my brother's doing okay looking after my griffon. I don't even know if it was going to be a male or female, or even what color. He's probably gone ahead and named it without me even there to say.." he shrugs.
"Oh well, I'm sure he picked a good name.. Maybe I'll actually wait for him in the next town, I just won't let him make me go back home yet." He gives a nod, as if affirming his little decision.
[[Lol, it's alright. Short posts aren't a bad thing, it's like a pause between good ideas right? ^^]]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 1:16 pm
Silence nodded complacently. It was nice to have something to talk about which reminded her that life went on normally for some folks. Her own life had been nothing like normal since she left the Eyrie, and she longed to find a place where she could settle down and try to establish a regular existence.
"That seems reasonable. If he's truly following you, he'll appreciate the reprieve. However, I doubt he'll have named your griffin. I hope he wouldn't have done."
Meshach listened impassively. He was not particularly interested in the boy's problems with his family. So he sat on the ground with his legs crossed and let the small, dark grey griffin chick crawl into his lap and snooze. He wondered how many hours the thing would sleep in a day. He hadn't known Trill as a chick, but he couldn't believe anything slept so much. Well, as a dragon he'd slept for longer, but dragons were different.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
