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 Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2004 10:37 pm
Originally posted on Sat Aug 07, 2004 8:28 pmOn 8/8/04 Kali Dear Diary, I keep a constant vigil over Zayn. Part of it may be because I don't want to miss it if he suddenly is reborn. But certainly just as large a part is concern for him. This stage is very uncertain, very unknown to me. I have no clue if things are progressing as they should be - is it meant to take this long? Is Zayn meant to be this sleepy and unresponsive? He is barely recognisable in his actions, neither bright and excited or shy and curious. I asked him for his opinion of his new name and all I received was a tiny pulse before he drifted back off again. I keep replaying the scene trying to discern if he was pleased or interested or insulted... All I can do is trust and wait, I suppose. I sit beside my relic and read, sketch, play around on my laptop until the batteries ran out. It's a nice, quiet catch-up time but it isn't what I want at the moment. I hope everything is okay.
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Posted: Wed Nov 17, 2004 10:39 pm
On 18/11/04 Kali Dear Diary, Well, the best laid plans and all that... An emergency drove me back to Earth, away from Gaia and Zayn. Awful timing, but it was my family - and as annoying as they can get, they still remain a much loved priority. To make matters worse, once I had dealt with things, I found myself in a region where I couldn't travel back to Gaia eek What awful timing! I was so worried about Zayn - would he grow without me? Would he understand why I wasn't there? Would he be all alone? What if he changed his mind and left the relic? Or if someone else bonded with him? I can tell you, I was panicked at the thought of any of these occurring. It would seem that my maternal instincts are in full swing - and here I thought I didn't have any. To make it back here, I needed a new portal into Gaia. You'd think it would be fairly easy to find someone to do that, right? Ha, maybe if I spoke the local language a bit better... Eventually I received some help from people around me and managed to have a local portal created. If I believed in Gods, I would be praying to them right now, because I returned to find Zayn safe and sound, just as I had left him. Tiagra had been watching over him for me, which was very reassuring - I don't think he would have liked to be left alone. Hmm, maybe I should pray to the Kyeldi Pantheon then? They are Zayn's gods, after all... But I have no clue which one/s he followed, or will follow, so maybe it is best if I leave things alone until he knows for himself. Anyway, diary, it is so good to be back. Curled up here in the treetop, talking to Zayn and watching his soft pulses in response... it feels very much like a new home for me.
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Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2004 7:42 pm
On 4/4/04, Kali Dear Diary, I've just been sitting here for some time now and the strangest, most wonderful thing has happened. The tree has been blooming. I'd noticed when I returned to Gaia that it was much improved from when I'd left - more foliage, melons growing ( eek ), tiny fae lights everywhere. The shelf had been mostly as I'd left it though. But just recently the changes have caught up with it. Vines wind around the edges of the shelf and the 'wall' of the trunk, unfurling to reveal tiny violet flowers. A kind of soft moss has grown as well, giving the entire shelf a faintly green background. Wide-eyed I watched as these changes slowly appeared over the course of several days - not all at once, nothing so startling. I was awestruck... it was as if the tree itself was welcoming the new Ieldi and their parents. Zayn apparently liked it as well, from what I can tell. He remains sleepy and mostly non-responsive, but I noticed his 'eyes' flicker open at several points during this change. They seemed to glow brighter as he gazed out. But perhaps that is the effect of the transformation or relic and I'm just thinking wishful thoughts? Either way, the shelf will be much nicer when he finally emerges. I just had to take a snapshot and stick it with the other photos in the front of this diary.  In other news, I must praise the magic of Gaia and the technology of Japan. When I returned, I brought my new mobile phone with me. On Earth, my family could send emails to it that arrived as normal text messages and I could return messages back to their email accounts - letting the Internet take the burden of communication rather than hefty phone charges. To my surprise, I continue to receive and return the messages while in Gaia! It is reassuring to keep in contact with my family in such a way. I had been very worried about them recently. My nan is getting much better, so that is a weight off my shoulders. It sounds as though my younger sister is experiencing some problems, however. They will have to look after themselves for a while though, as much as I would normally love to be there. Zayn needs me and I will not leave him again when he is this close to emerging. Even after, I could never think of returning to Earth so soon when he will no doubt be as disorientated as I have heard the other Ieldi were. He would think I was abandoning him! Maybe much later I will return, although I hope such problems have been fixed by that stage. For now, I will remain here and content myself with my writings and my art. Fingers crossed for Zayn's sake, Kali ^_~
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Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2004 4:58 am
Quote: 5/12/04I... I don't know what to say... The tree is dead. It was fine this morning, and now- It's so hard to think about. My head is spinning, hard to make sense of what happened... Siff and Valesti fighting... Valesti killed the tree, I think. And another Pantheon - Siff's mate? - died to stop Valesti. And now those Pantheon and the tree are all gone. The Ieldi have no home... If not for Chronos, I think Zayn and I would be dead along with tree. ... I don't know what to do... where to take Zayn, still in his relic. He's calmer than I thought he would be... guess he listened to Chronos and I after all, or maybe it's just the magic of the relic at work... It's just... everything made sense this morning... Now what do we do?
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Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2004 7:51 pm
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Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2004 7:57 pm
06/12/04Kali Kali was sleeping the sleep of the undead, so exhausted from the activities of the night before. A bright light streaming into her eyes disturbed the much-needed rest. Squinting her eyes further closed, she tried to turn away from the source of the brightness. "Five more min'tes," she grumbled, still half asleep. "Close th'blinds..." When there was no response, she opened one eye slightly to peer out. Blinking rapidly, she realised that that was not sunlight! Massive swirls of light and colour were emerging from the relic.  Bolting upright, a cloak of silky material fell off. Distracted, Kali glanced down and recognised it as Chronos'. Looking back at the relic, she felt a moment of panic. Zayn had never been meant to be reborn here, in an unfamiliar place, on the ground. She looked around for the Pantheon. "Chronos? Is this..." Is this okay? Is it normal? Will it hurt him to be reborn somewhere strange?Youko "It is his time to emerge," Chronos said, smiling softly as he woke. Pushing himself up to sit, the deity moved a bit closer, bringing one hand to rest on Kalindara's shoulder. "While it's not normal for them to be born on the ground... perhaps this will help your little one get over that fear, where the others haven't really done that yet." He watched the swirling lights, realising that his smile was genuine... this was perhaps the only good thing to happen after the disaster, other than the fact that no one was killed. Kali Smiling back gratefully at Chronos, Kali nodded. She was glad for his support - if not for him last night, surely she and Zayn would both have been killed when the tree collapsed. She, too, felt that this was the silver lining to the storm. Zayn would be proof that life went on, that the Ieldi wouldn't end just because one tree was no longer there. Feeling very nervous, Kali turned her attention back to the glowing relic. "Zayn?" she called softly. "It's okay. We're safe here, remember? We told you last night... Chronos is still here, too, see? It's very safe." As she spoke, she inched closer to the relic. It was hard to see anything else beyond the swirling masses of energy - and even that was beginning to blind her. She didn't need anything else at the moment though. Thanks to Chronos, she had her resolve back. And Zayn wouldn't need anyone other than her. For her new child, Kali could be strong. "Zayn? I'm waiting right here for you, okay? Like I've been here all along." Unplanned absence aside, she told herself mentally. The light gathered together, pieces of the relic breaking off and carried along in its motion. Red and gold trails intensified, giving off a final blinding burst before disappearing... leaving something very precious behind.  Kali gaped and then smiled tremulously, tears forming in her eyes. The new Ieldi looked perfectly healthy - no ill effects from the night before. "Hi there," she said, holding out her arms. Blinking, the boy mimicked the action. With a soft laugh, she scooped him up into a hug. "You're safe here," she told him. "You'll always be safe with me." Looking at Chronos over her shoulder, she mouthed another 'thank you'. Youko Reaching out, Chronos let his hand rest on the boy's hair gently, his other arm still around Kalindara's shoulders gently. "Welcome, little one," he said, glad that this had happened when it did. It was certainly a sign. A sign that Valesti had been wrong. He had killed the Ieldi once, and had tried to do so again... but this time he hadn't succeeded. THIS time, they'd been able to stop him, and the loss of one tree, while devastating, wasn't as bad as it could have been. They were all alive. Kali Zayn peered up at Chronos with large, serious eyes as the Pantheon ruffled his hair. Despite recognising the diety, it appeared the boy was a little shy of his gods. His hold on Kali tightened and he buried his face against her. "It's okay," Kali soothed him. "Chronos is a nice god. He's the one who saved us last night. He's good. He's safe." 'Safe' was a familiar word for the Ieldi. He peeked back up at Pantheon, before ducking away again. His hold on Kali loosened though and he turned to inspect his surroundings... Which was... the ground... A whimper left the boy's throat and he launched himself at Kali, trying to climb up her as though she was a tree. "No, no, it's okay," Kali said, torn between laughter and slight panic at having a new child panicking. Reaching out with one hand, she patted the grass. "Look, see? Safe. Remember last night? This was safe. We came here to be safe. Remember? We both slept here. Chronos slept here too, on the ground. Nothing bad happened to Chronos and I... You trust us, right?" Liquid red eyes stared into Kali's. Whatever he saw reassured him. Mimicking Kali once more, he reached out to the ground. It took him a few tries, and several reassurances from Kali that he was brave and safe, but he eventually touched the ground. The look of surprise on Zayn's face was comical. Peering closer at the grass, he poked at it harder. He looked back to Kali as if to say 'it didn't do anything bad to me'. "See?" Kali relaxed and smiled. "Safe." The boy nodded seriously, petting at the grass and learning the strange new feel of it under his hands. Feeling much better now that that crisis was averted, Kali sat back and studied her boy. He was stunning shades of scarlet and gold, with black tinges on his hands, feet and wings. Golden runes ran along his down-like feathers. Her mouth twitched at she notived the 'collar'. "I recognise that bracelet," she muttered under her breath. It looked like she wouldn't be getting that back anytime soon. ((It may seem strange that Zayn lost his fear of the ground so quickly. I figure that, like Chronos/Youko suggested, being born on the ground made a big difference.
Plus with last night and all, Zayn has been repeatedly told that the ground is safe. To be fair, I will probably give him tree-fear instead XD He remembers the tree as a bad place now.))
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Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2004 3:28 am
On 06/12/04, Kali Dear Diary. Today has been a marvelous day. It was the day I had been waiting for... today, Zayn was born. I always thought having him was a blessing, but now he is doubly so for being born right after the events of last night. This fragile boy is a symbol for us - he is our hope, our belief that Valesti's attack on the tree did not mean the end for the Ieldi. My little Zayn is brave, too. Apart from an initial attempt to climb me - more instinct than anything else, I think - he displays no fear of the ground itself. Did Chronos and my reassurances last night effect him this way, kind of like a hypnotic suggestion? I think I remember hearing something about the Ieldi spirits being very delicate while undergoing their final transformation... I can't regret it if we did alter something that was meant to be 'natural' for him. It was the only way to save and calm him last night. And it certainly does make things easier now, with one less thing for Zayn to panic over. He is a strange mix of curiousity and shyness - loves to look at everything but doesn't seem ready for other company yet. Anything unexpected also sends him straight back to me, tiny cries filling the air... for example, a rather large frog that decided to hop Zayn's way rather than fleeing like any normal animal should have done. When he looks back at the remains of the tree, he becomes very subdued and whimpers. I don't blame him - it made me sick to realise how close to death we all were and I'm the adult here, I'm the one with a firm grasp of death and mortality. Although Zayn has died once before, right now he is just a child, with a child's wild-eyed innocence and belief that he will exist forever. It is strange to stay here. I feel like I should get Zayn as far away from the physical reminder of Valesti as possible. But where would we go? I can hardly take him to any of the towns, filled with strange people and stranger things that would scare him. No, instead we wait here. Hopefully Rasu and the Pantheon will have an idea of where to go and what to do next. Maybe there will be a new tree, now that Valesti is no longer a threat. Until we know, it seems that Zayn and I will both be remaining here. It isn't too bad, if you don't look at the tree. The forest is beautiful - green and lush and teeming with life. Plenty of things to occupy us. Maybe later I will get out the art supplies I had in my bag and see if Zayn feels like drawing, now that he finally has hands to hold the materials properly. I do hope Zayn has enjoyed today as much as I have.
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Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2004 4:34 pm
Back pressed against a tree trunk, Kali relaxed in a clearing in the forest, enjoying the sun on her face. For all that things were upside down and up in the air, she felt more at peace than she had in a long time. And why not, with no immediate threat to anyone and Zayn finally arrived? She glanced over at the boy in question, as she did at least once every minute when not directly by his side. The brightly coloured Ieldi child was out in the middle fo the small clearing, petting the grass and the exploring the area. He stayed away from the edges of the clearing as the denser forest - neither Zayn nor Kali wanted Zayn out there on his own, not when he was still so skittish of new things. Sensing eyes on him, Zayn glanced up from his study. Large red eyes blinked at Kali seriously before he smiled sweetly. He was rewarded with a big grin and a wave from Kali, which he returned - more due to mimicking than having any idea what waving was or meant. Happy that Zayn was safe, Kali turned her attention back to her journal. Quote: Dear Diary, Time seems slower now. I thought the days were creeping by while waiting for Zayn's rebirth, but now I realise that the stress and anticipation made those days pass faster than I realised. Now that things have settled down here, now that things are calm, I find that the days stretch on in ways I'd never noticed before. Perhaps it is because Zayn and I have so much to learn together. Even camping out here is no big deal. Ha, this from someone who hates roughing it! But I slept by the relic's side for quite some time with only a sleeping bag (which luckily I saved when fleeing the tree). It is roomy enough for both Zayn and I - he is so small, after all - but snug enough to keep us warm at night. At least there is less of a wind now on the ground than there was up in the tops of those trees. I keep waiting for someone in charge to tell us what to do now but- Kali's writing broke off as the pen took on a life of its own, moving over the page to create scribbles. She eyed the black-tinted hand above hers on the pen and then raised an eyebrow at Zayn where he now sat by her side. "Pen," she said, holding it out for the boy's inspection. "You can write with it or-" The pen was snatched away and returned to the paper to create more squiggles and basic shapes. A very basic flower formed beneath her entry. "Or draw," she finished. Pointing to the flower, she said, "Wow, that's very good, Zayn!" The gold and scarlet Ieldi puffed up at the praise. His beaming smile gave Kali little tingles... Wow, being a mother wasn't so bad. At least she'd already found something that made Zayn happy. She worried that maybe she'd be horribly bad at this whole thing. "I should get you your own artbook," she mused. Zayn nodded enthusiastically. "I'll have to go to town, though... I don't think you want to go there and I certainly can't leave you here..." Zayn just looked puzzled, not understanding. "Okay, later then! Aw, don't pout, sweetie. Once we have a new home, okay? We have to have somewhere to put all the art supplies." Not happy at waiting, Zayn perked up at the mention of more art things for him. The fact that Kali abandoned her journal to his budding artistic talents for the rest of the afternoon may have helped.
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Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2004 9:43 pm
On 10/12/04 Kali Dear Diary, Zayn is enjoying our life in the forest. He remains edgy and anxious if other people come near to us, so I try to keep us seperate from the others. As a result, I am somewhat cut off from any news the others might have... But I think Zayn has gone through enough recently. He really does love art, more than I realised when he was a spirit. Explorations are limited to places he feels safe in and generally only to 'pretty' sun-filled places - and only as long as I am by his side. The darker reaches of the forest hold no appeal as of yet. (Thank goodness, because I don't want to be out there!) Collecting flowers has become his new hobby, though he is sad when they begin to die after a day or so. My diary is now littered with coloured marker drawings of flowers. I'm impressed by the way he can already tell the diferences in shapes of flowers. I know that at his age, most flowers got drawn the exact same way by me, regardless of how they really looked. His lines are messy and often just scribbles of colour, but the form comes across. This will totally justify me spending large amounts of money on art supplies later whee Not that I wasn't already planning to, but this amount of talent can let me tell myself that there's a big cause or aim for it, too. I wonder what the other Ieldi are up to? Maybe I should introduce Zayn to another of his kind soon? That should be more familiar and reassuring than meeting a strange human or something... And maybe their parent will have some new information about what's going on 3nodding
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Posted: Tue Dec 14, 2004 4:07 pm
On 15/12/04 Kali Dear Diary, Sometime during the night, we had a visitor. How do I know? Because when I woke up, there was a surprise waiting for us...  I recognise the make of the plushie, so I know who it is from. Sosiqui, one of the other 'mothers' of an Ieldi. We have met several times before, usually on quests or special events regarding the Kyeldi pantheon. I must catch up with her and find out how she and her child are doing. As expected, Zayn loves the plushie. He was at first shocked, then very pleased, to think that someone made such a gorgeous toy of him. I reminded him that he had a plushie of his sprit form, too, but he had no mirrors then to see what he looked like. This new likeness seems to fascinate him. (I think maybe he didn't realise or remember that there are other ways to duplicate something rather than painting or drawing.) Of course, the fact tht the plushie Zayn has a paintbrush has made my Zayn very eager to try painting again. I am just sorry that I don't have the proper materials with me. I told him that we will have to find a new home first. Speaking of new homes, I have heard rumours that a new place has been discovered in Sabilasi, somewhere we all might end up living. We should definately have a look. I'm just... not sure how to get there sweatdrop The rumours said something about a tower in Durem, but I don't think Zayn is ready to enter a city of strange, noisy people...
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Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2004 5:52 pm
"Stupid DFA, stupid Fafnir... stupid everyone..." the grumbles and complains were probably easily heard by passerbyers as Gabriel padded towards his destination, his ears flat against his skull and spikes, obviously displeased and rather much willing to show it. He had, after all, been asked to deliver the gift to the newborn and Kali, since DFA had been busy that day. The dragonic Kyun had not even acompained him, which rather much annoyed Gabe.
However, upon reaching his destination, his sour thoughts left his mind as hesitation swarmed him; personally he wasn't sure he was the most apropiate to deliver a gift to a baby... sure, he liked them, but 'mothers' or 'guardians' (aside Youko, really), weren't all that keen about having him around their precious babies. Something about his quills being dangerous or what not.
Nonesense. Even the dumbest person had to know he was as harmless as they came. Even though it was quite a blow for his ego, he too admitted to it.
Snorting, the silver hued kyun slammed his head against the door several times, ramming it with his horns. It was after doing this that he came to notice it may have not been such a good idea... think before you act, he told himself as he rolled his eyes.
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Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2004 8:41 pm
((There is no door, as they have not yet gone to Sabilasi. They are camping out in the forest near the Tree. They'll head off to find the new place later on.
And can't kyuns not speak apart from 'kyun' and stuff? o.O ))
A slight movement in the brush caused Kali to quickly look up. 'Paranoid, much?' she berated herself, but it didn't calm her down like she'd hoped. Okay, so being a mother was really nerve-racking and not just because of the things Zayn himself could do. Suddenly she had mild paranoia about just about everything...
Zayn must have also heard the noise because he ran clumsily back to Kali's side to cling to one leg and hide. It worked better than it sounded, since Kali was seated and that left Zayn with more of Kali to hide behind.
Finally the maker of the noise appeared - a silvery kyunru trotting into the clearing. Kali relaxed a little and then tried to think whether she'd seen this particular kyun before. He wasn't a purebreed and he obviously wasn't Lufia, who was the kyunru that Kali had spent the most time with before the reappearence of the Ieldi.
"Uh, hi there," she called in a friendly voice. Hope he's the nice sort, Kali thought to herself. "Are you looking for someone?"
The small body burrowing into her side made Kali look down from the new arrival. She stroked Zayn's scarlet red hair softly. "It's okay," she told him, hoping it was. "It's a kyunru. Don't you know the kyunru? You were all on Sabilasi once..."
Zayn's ears flickered a little, perhaps recognising some familiar words. Raising his head a little, he peered over the top of Kali's leg at Gabriel before ducking back down.
"He's really shy," Kali told the kyunru, smiling in gentle apology.
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Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2004 12:02 am
((Oops about the shelf XD blah, just... imagine he rammed the wall, or something. And Kyuns can o_o Rasu's kyun, and a few others, winter's and so on so forth can speack. Fafnir and Gabe can too. :3 I think it's only 'babies' that can't talk yet. At any rate XD when I've used gabe he's always talked, with Rasu and such. Soooo I don't know any rule that doesn't allow them to talk; Fafnir can even read))
The creature tilted his head to one side before padding over towards both Kali and the Ieldi, a small letter held between his teeth, which he promptly offered as he raised his head slightly more into the air, keeping a slight distance. He was used to other shying away from him, and he knew Ieldi were even more shy if posible; Youko's 'child' had proved that to him, for it had tken the child a good few hours to actually work up enough courage to pet him and hug him. Since that day he had decided he actually liked the quiet bird like children...
They offered warmth, loyalty and trust if you proved to be of trust, without really asking for anything in return. It was actually rather gratifying and refreshing, taking into account many others asked so much of him. snorting under his breath, the Kyun flattened his ears against his head as he thought of Oni, the demonic Kyun, but soon enough they perked right up as he bowed his head ever so slightly, "No problem miss, I may not look it," he talked softly, rather seemingly out of character for him, but he couldn't help it, children had always been his weak point, and many knew that to be a fact, "But I'm used to be around Ieldi; they're sweet, all of them. I like them."
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2004 12:38 am
Surprised, Kali reached out and took the letter. After doing so, she gave the kyun a scritch behind the ears - she remembered Lufia had liked that. The 'quills' in place of a mane weren't as sharp as they looked, she noticed. That was reassuring, for Zayn's sake if nothing else.
When the kyunru began speaking in his soft voice, both Kali and Zayn glanced up in surprise. The ieldi immediately ducked back down again, but left his eyes peering just over Kali's leg. The young woman let one hand trail gently through his hair to calm him.
"Ah," Kali smiled down at the creature. "I'm glad. So you know how skittish they are, then. It's not personal - you're only the second being, not including me, to meet him. Although I think it helps that you were both from Sabilasi as well, originally," she waffled on a bit, trying to give Zayn time to adjust.
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Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2005 10:01 pm
((OOC - Sorry DFA, but I need to get Zayn and Kali to the new area and I can't wait for a reply any longer sad ))
After the meeting with the kyunru, Gabriel, whom Zayn was still notably skittish around, Kali decided that it was time to finally follow the others to this 'new tree' that had been mentioned. Zayn should be with the other Ieldi and he'd feel much better in a Sabilasi tree off the ground, right?
Of course, the only way to reach the tree was to go through Durem. Just what Zayn didn't need, a trip through a bustling city filled with people. That had Kali stumped for some time... First she'd thought to travel at night, but cities were still busy late at night. Finally, she hatched out a clever (so she congratulated herself) plan.
Waiting until Zayn was sound asleep, she packed up their belongings. Settling herself, she waited patiently for hours until it was very early morning - not even sunrise, yet. At this lonely time, she entered Durem, a slumbering Zayn wrapped up and cradled in her arms.
As quickly as she dared, Kali made her way to the clock tower, flinching every time a loud noise was heard. The last thing she needed was for Zayn to awaken and find himself in a foreign place, especially this strange, metal city. It was Kali's hope that a foreign forest wouldn't be quite as bad. Climbing the tower seemed to take forever... And her load was beginning to seem heavier than ever, though no doubt it was just her muscles getting tired.
At last they arrived. Even as worn out and sleep-deprived as she was, Kali couldn't help pausing to admire the scene. Around the portal hints of the forest beyond had flourished - trees, flowers and running water... The promise of a place to rest lured her on though, so she cut short her admiring glances and walked through the portal.
Magic rippling over them caused Zayn to stir in her arms. Blinking his eyes open, Zayn fidgeted, trying to flap his tiny wings and peer over Kali's arms at the same time. While Kali stood in awe at the scene that spread out before them, Zayn began whimpering at this new place.
"It's okay, it's okay," Kali hugged Zayn close. "This is our new home. There are other Ieldi here - friends for you. Friends?" Did he know the word, she wondered. "Kyrunru and Kun-kun, too. And the Pantheon brought people here. Pantheon like Chronos, okay? Remember Chronos? Well, he and I both say it's safe."
Zayn didn't look convinced. His whimperings had stopped but a miserable expression was still present on his face. Kicking in her arms, he squirmed fiercly to be let down. Placed on the ground, the small Ieldi sat down immediately as though sulking, though he continued to look around him. The wooden buildings earned sharp frowns and wary glances.
With a sigh, Kali crouched down next to her child. "Isn't it nice?" she smiled encouragingly. "Lots of grass and flowers and ponds... Very pretty."
Cocking his head to the side, Zayn considered this.
Congratulating herself, Kali continued, "It would make a nice picture, don't you think?"
A reluctant nod from the boy, who then seemed to relax a little. As the tension left his body, he curled up on the ground and curved his wings around his back, settling in for the night. Although Kali made a face - she'd been eyeing the buildings enviously, dreaming of baths and beds - she sat down beside Zayn and recovered him with a blanket. Time enough for exploring with it was daylight again.
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