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"Do we have to?"

Jizzy said in a childish tone. She stuck out her tounge for a moment, catching a few droplets in her mouth before she looked back over to her friends.

"Ok, now I'm ready.."

Tobias ruffled his feathers, his spikes bristling as well. 'I don't like being small.. My name is Tobias..' He repeated, stubornly. Just because these other Gryphs were bigger than him, didn't mean they had to rub it in his face, beak, snout, uh.. whatever..

A pair of unusual creatures sat on the shoreline. One, the larger of the two, resembled a large, fat chick with furry ears, and was busily digging up small seashells with its talons. The other resembled a tiny child, hardly over five inches tall, with wild violet hair, a rabbit tail, delicate clear wings, and golden hooves. The latter stared fixedly out over the water, fidgeting anxiously. Beside the two, what was undoubtably a single Aerandir jar sat, nestled in the sand.

A blue spot appeared on the horizon, growing larger every moment. The little child-creature, known as Yaraif, began to flail her arms and call out in excitement.

"Nenemne! Nerae, 'Nuno, nerae!" she trilled in her foreign language, meaning 'Good! Come, 'Nuno, come!'

The ' 'Nuno ' in question landed heavily on the damp sand, its rabbit-like face slack with exhaustion. Tiredly, it held out the brightly colored mason jar it had retrieved from the ocean. A reddish-pink feather rested inside.

Yaraif squealed something about a certain 'Prolo' being happy to see the object, then patted 'Nuno's exhausted little wings gratefully. "'Nuno nenemne...nenemne..."

'Nuno sighed and fainted from fatigue.

Biting her limp, Yaraif quickly glanced over 'Nuno's panting body for injuries. Seeing none, she returned her gaze to the ocean.

In the distance, a figure slowly managed to stand, while the waves swirled around his knees. His long black hair was glossy with moisture, and his clothing stuck to his body. He held a fluffy griffin in his arms, and a second, dark red one struggled through the sea water beside him. A curious cloud of steam seemed to be following the red griffin.

His arms aching from swimming so far, Progolo could hardly stand to carry Myrrh in them. Pain and fatigue laced down his shoulders with every wobbly step he took through the water. Beneath his gasps, his muttering and cursing was only just audible.

"Idiot...Absolute idiot...could have drowned...I knew we shouldn't have...I'll wring his conceited neck...!"

He finally staggered onto the shore, and collapsed onto his knees before setting Myrrh on the ground. Then, with a groan, fell face first into the sand.

"Prolo..." Yaraif began cautiously, nudging his ear with a hoof and gesturing to the two Aerandir artifacts.

Taal, the reddish griffin, finally trudged onto the sand, his cloud of hissing steam following him. He shook himself like a dog, though he didn't appear to be wet at all, and was just about to preen himself when something pale brown burst onto the beach. With his eyes widening to an almost comical size, he bolted off down the shore. Kuntu, the chicken-like critter, scrambled behind Yaraif, dragging its fainted sibling, and Myrrh cheeped in fear and confusion.

Such was the chaotic sight that Chao stumbled upon. Yaraif, frantically trying to decide whether to comfort Myrrh, chase Taal, or try to awaken Progolo, did nothing but quiver and stare. But something about the woman's smiling but startled face looked familiar...

"Kaaaaaaaaaay-OOOOOOO!" Yaraif shouted in relief. She fluttered excitedly into the air, yelling at Progolo to wake up.

Progolo heard some kind of commotion, but he was too tired to try and translate Yaraif's jumbled Kunkunese. It was the human, English-speaking voice that caught his attention and made him stir weakly.

"Ugh..." he mumbled into the sand. He lethargically pulled himself onto all fours, then sat back on his legs, rubbing the sand out of his face with an aching, wet arm. "M-hm," Progolo blearily nodded in response to Chao's question, not yet recognizing who she was.

"Sek! San Yauf!" Yaraif burbled, fluttering around in mid-air madly.

Progolo squinted at Chao, finally recognizing her. He brightened somewhat, but his face was so raw from rubbing that this was hardly noticeable. "Ah, yes...Miss Chao," he said softly. "Hurt...? More ruffled than anything. I didn't swim...quite that far."

"I look every bit as bad as I feel, then," Progolo mumbled, taking the offered hand and standing, with a little difficulty. He smiled his thanks to her, but it came out as a pained grimace.

"Thanks," he sighed, deciding that verbal messages were likely the only way to go.

He glanced sluggishly around him. Myrrh had calmed down and was craning her neck to get a better look at Sanar, peeping questioningly at the unusual creature. Taal...where was Taal? Progolo sighed. It was a pain to have so many charges.

"By the way, why're you back on Ar'Idil? Not that it's not nice to see you or anything."

Progolo had been in the act of stooping back down to pick up the two jars nestled in the sand when Chaotic asked this question. "Well, actually..." He straightened, holding the two bottles. "I...was invited to care for an Aerandir," Progolo admited, as though apprehensive of her reply.

Yaraif squealed and alighted on Sanar's head, promptly imitating the aerandir's questioning clicks. "Ero cyooot birdy! Tik! Tik! Hee-hee!"

Progolo held up the jars a little higher so that their contents were easier to see. His hand trembled slightly as jolts went through his arms from his fatigued shoulders. "This one is a horn...the name of the animal escapes me, though...I think they're called Jerfs. Or something...very tall animals, with long necks," Progolo added sheepishly, embarrassed that he couldn't remember. "And this is the feather of a fla...Flamgo? I mean...Flamingo, that's it..." He displayed the other bottle, which was noticably different. Instead of a cork, it had a screw-on lid, and it appeared to be decorated with brightly colored rabbits, chicks and flowers.

"I...accidentally broke the other jar back at the port in Gambino," Progolo explained, before Chao could ask of it. "I had to borrow one of Yaraif's hoarding jars. I do hope that won't affect the development of the Aerandir..."

"That...would be wonderful," Progolo sighed in relief. The thought of a bed was almost too good to be true. He reached up to massage the cramp out of one shoulder, and finally noticed Sanar's distressing situation.

"Yaraif, don't pull the feathers!" he snapped, for Yaraif had just burried her tiny hands into Sanar's wings, intent on collecting a souvenier. Yariaf squeaked, startled that she'd been caught, and grinned guiltily.

Yaraif was not the wisest of creatures, but she knew when to give up on something like a feather. She fluttered off of Sanar's back just in time to avoid a wild ride, yelling something in kunkunese that Progolo would have been ashamed to translate. Instead, the man pointed violently at the squishy critter near his feet.

Yaraif's face fell into a moody scowl, as she floated over to Progolo and began trying to awaken the poor fainted animal. The rabbit-like thing stirred a little, and blearily opened its wide-set eyes.

Meanwhile, Progolo watched Sanar loop around and come back down the beach. He was just about to answer Chao when he felt something hot and fluffy press against his hand. He flinched, but was glad to see the Taal and returned after his panic attack.

"Ah, there you are..." Progolo said, rubbing Taal's head. Then to Chao, he answered, "sorry for the trouble. I think I've finally got everything."

Yaraif landed on Progolo's shoulder with a grumpy "hmph!" and refused to meet his eye.