Welcome to Gaia! ::

***note for Biihlu in her last post xD

Dark clouds loomed over head as the winds drove them closer from the ocean. What started off as a nice day was quickly turning into a nasty one...

A ear piercing screech was projected from the Deep Woods border; something was defiantly amiss...

There was endless moonlight and fields of long grass. He was running through the grass, blissfully feeling the wind in his feathers. Occasionally he'd leap, high enough to sail over the grass and look down at it as if he were flying and it was only a sea of moondrenched gold. Muad'Dib would land and snap at lunar moths enjoying the evening breeze and the giant white moon. He snapped just close enough to one where he thought he'd caught it in his mouth. But then the lunar moth screamed in pain.

Muad'Dib shot from his beautiful dream with a start as a ferocious screech ripped through the air. Clearly it was this ungodly noise that had ruined his wonderful sleep. He stretched, ears flattening until the screech had tapered off. It was coming from the deep forest and made him wary.

Muad'Dib was a bit of a loner and preferred to spend his days napping and use his nights for enjoying the forests and finding food. He encountered a lot less others during those hours and that was just the way he liked it. Unfortunately his daily rest was disturbed and so crankily he pushed his way through some dense brush, noting the ominous tone to the sky and the wind picking up. He heard voices and movement not far away, and warily pursued it.

The large male snuck up on the group, but admittedly his sneaking skills were not up to snuff and any one of them who was aware would notice his approach. His multicolored stripes stood out strikingly against the daytime scenery. He noticed some young ones and his wary demeanour lightened only slightly. While he didn't much enjoy company, the loner had a soft spot for children and often secretly wished he'd ever bothered to father any. He wouldn't approach, not yet.

He waited, slightly shaded but definitely visible, for any one of them to see or acknowledge him. He could feel the chill run up his spine as he remembered that screech from only moments before.

It wasn't safe here.

River Dance watched the youngsters, still feeling a little distracted by something being amiss. An unusual looking Adahy caught River Dance's attention. Noting the extra ears and fuller growth of feathers, River realized the creature was a Di'Taki.

River's dark brown feathers bristled on her neck. "That one does not belong here," she growled lowly. Lowering her head, she flattened her long ears along her neck. Taking a step forward, she readied herself to intervene should the cursed one move towards the youngsters.

As the blue and brown Di'Taki started backing up, a screech split the air. River Dance crouched defensively in reaction to the unexpected noise. She then noticed the darkening clouds moving in.

"A cursed one among the Adahy. Darkness coming," she muttered. "These are bad omens."

Muad'Dib watched this interaction. He observed the Di'taki flee and the child make a futile attempt to defend it. He had limited experience with the exiled race but good or bad.. they were different and that was enough.

He finally emerged from the brush where he hid, shaking out his feathers and making himself known. His approach was bold and he walked straight over to the child, Au, and lifted a stong foreleg to push the child gently down. It wasn't an aggressive move, but one of dominance. The child must know it's place and know what is right and wrong.

"She may have been good.. or she may have taken you from your own kind. You do not know young one. The Di'taki are cursed. Our kinds do not mix for good reason." His voice was deep, gravelly from disuse. "You'll be best to know the ways of our kind. You are just hatched so the sooner you learn the better."

He moved slightly away from the child and looked around at the other present.

"That horrible sound woke me from sleep.. and I come to find Di'Taki in our woods. I do not know what it means but it cannot be a good thing. Not at all." Though he was normally a hermit, Muad'Dib made sure to fluff himself out and look as impressive as possible. It was always good to make a strong impression.

The sudden commotion settled, and Pakuna could now only hear his own loud breaths- no screeches. He closed his mouth and nodded at Maud'Dib giving Au, the youngling, a good lesson in how the world turned. "Should the Adahy investigate?" He asked, making eye contact with River Dance, and all the surrounding Adahy. "I came only a few seconds sprint from that direction. The Deep Woods were not far away, and the noise was louder in that area." He cleared his lungs with a exaggerated snort, and took a step back. "If we do choose to head in that direction, it would be best to go as a pack." His nervous jolt made him twitch as if he was sneezing.

Muad'Dib glanced around at all the adults and youths gathered, each scared or worried. He wasn't much of a leader but everyone seemed so uneasy that he felt as if this moment called for him to make an effort in taking a leadership role.

"I think we should investigate.. but we should NOT go into the Deep Woods. That is Di'taki territory and there will be patrols around the border. We don't want to put ourselves or the children in danger. Unless you'd prefer to split up?"

He posed the question to the adults before he realized that he had not become acquainted with a single one of them. He let his tough persona relax for a moment.

"..and pardon me.." His deep, gravelly tone softened and his eyes went to the adult females first (it was always nice to look, give them the eye little..) and then the males. "My name is Muad'Dib. You can call me Mahdi for short if you'd like."