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 Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 10:18 pm
((Just a fun RP I had promised Lithle months ago. Please don't post unless invited!))
The little raven sat on what he had claimed as his perch in front of the Shadyside Apartment Complex. His territory was on the cold cement stairs in front of the entrance, to guard the complex with his sullen pout. The black and magenta haired boy liked to watch the cars drive past, to stare disdainfully at those in skirts and suits, all the busy body's of the world.
He didn't have anything against the people, at least no more than he did anyone else.
They were interesting, in a boring sort of way, and it was fun to make up games about the strangers. Maybe that one was an alien? Or perhaps he was on his way to save his wife from a burning building? Maybe that little girl was going to get a new kitten? Or perhaps that little boy was going to rob the grocery store down the street?
His imagination was starting to run away with him. For as quiet and aloof as he was, the little raven was quite the thinker. He loved to pretend, to imagine, at least when he was by himself. His shadow didn't make very good company, and despite having the option of going to the Birdcage, there was some company Xaxis preferred more than others.
Today was not a Shanuh day. Or a Nikel, JoJo or Kirwan day.
He didn't want to stay alone, but he surely didn't want to sit around the shop with them. Lucien would be there, working, and Xaxis was starting to grow bored with the bird-toys.
So this overcast day, with the hint of spring on the polluted air, the little raven was ready persure his afternoon of people-watching. Of course, the key word was being ready. There was only one flaw to the course of his afternoon, and one flaw he hadn't learned to handle.
His wings.
His large, black-feathered pinions were looking particularly raggedy. The feathers were tangled and looked a wreck, while a few threatened to pinch off any moment. Despite their horrible looks, the worst thing about his spring-time-molt was the fact that it itched!
Uncomfortably, the little raven squirmed in his seat, reaching a bony arm behind himself in an attempt to ease his discomfort. It didn't work. Not really. As a bird he could easily fix such a problem - as a child, it became unbearble and there was very little for him to do.
Giving up on his feeble attempt, the little raven heaved a sigh. Shoulders slumping, wings still twitching, he gave up. Oh well. He'd dealt with a bad molt before, he'd be able to deal with this sort of irritation again. Lucien would brush his wings for him later, perhaps.
The only problem with that was the fact that Lucien still had another five hours of work.
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Posted: Wed Mar 01, 2006 9:12 am
The day was perfect, and Savius had been up early (for him) to hunt and explore. He'd gotten the usual scolding from Lithle as he slipped out the door, but that was good too. It meant she was feeling, and he'd come to think of it as his own personal duty to keep her from slipping into apathy. Jer'ain certainly didn't do much to help on that front.
But now, he was satiated and happily tired. Fresh squirrel meat filled his tummy and Fen carried another one between his jaws in case he should get hungry again. For his part, Fen looked quite content with himself, huge gray furred head held high with ugly pride, blood staining his muzzle. Despite his initial objections, Savius loved the dog more than he wanted to admit.
His return walk brought him quickly back to the apartments, using side streets and the dark avenues between buildings. Savius wasn't afraid of much, not with his trusty wooden swords at his side and Fen at his feet. It'd be good to get home, torment the kittens and talk to Jer'ain.
There, the apartments. And on the steps. On the steps was Xaxis, looking particularly pathetic, his wings slumped. And molting. He remembered the boy from when he was still in bird form, and the vain attempts he'd made to help him with his huge wings. Well, now he could do some real good.
"You look terrible!"
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Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2006 7:16 am
Put off by discomfort and slight agitation, the the molten winged raven glanced miserably at his friend. His oily, black wings spread slightly, as if trying to hide the fact that they were indeed pathetic looking. "Thanks," he agreed smartly, a trace of childhood sarcasm lacing his voice.
Still, not wanting to turn his sharp taloned friend against him, he proved his good nature with a pale smile. "When don't I look awful?" He teased, poking a bit of fun at himself. He was in good spirits, despite his itching wings, and his overall lack of health. He was feeling better than he had in weeks, and his attitude allowed a sliver of childhood sunshine to shine through.
Two pink eyes traveled over Savius before settling on the giant dog. Xaxis was impressed by the size and mass which made up Fen, though fear over the hound wasn't present. Why should a dog scare him?
Instinct told him that he had no need to feel fear, even though logic wanted to scream he hadn't a chance if the beast attacked. "When'd you get a dog?"
Was that, perchance, a twinge of jealousy? A dog? Lucien didn't have any pets, and Xaxis figured (even if he asked) the answer would be no. Sure, there was a good chance the little raven was probably allergic to such an animal, but the bird didn't care. It was the fact that he'd be denied, and this raven, for all his quiet, aloof-and-sickly ways, was just as selfish as any child.
There was a need for want, a need to have, and a desire to be just as cool as his friends.
Iamel had glowsticks, Diacyn had attitude, and Savius had swords-and-beast - Xaxis wanted all of that too!
((If he seems a bit off - I"m trying to push his more child-like side. x3 ))
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Posted: Tue Mar 14, 2006 5:15 am
Savius wasn't much effected by sarcasm, he was being raised by Lithle after all. If he let a little thing like that touch him, he'd spend all his time nursing a bruised ego. Better to ignore such minor jabs, and stride ever forward. Or... at least as far forward as the steps.
"You wouldn't look awful if your wings weren't so messy." He replied, taking a seat on the step next to Xaxis and giving those huge black masses of feathers a thoughtful look. Yes... he could do something to help. Poor Xaxis... it must be hard, trying to take care of so much with just little human hands and none of the proper twisting a bird could do.
For his part, Fen settled at the foot of the steps, his huge head resting at his paws, his attention on the street. He wasn't a dog to sleep on the job, oh no. Sure, he might lay down, but he'd be up again at the first hint of danger.
"That's Fen." Savius explained, his voice taking on a touch of fondness, "Lithle brought him in to guard me. I don't need that so much, but I like him anyway."
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Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2006 10:55 am
Xaxis wasn't at all offended by the raptors bluntness. If the black haired bird hadn't been naturally patient, he'd learned it with time. Things didn't rile or upset Xaxis as easily as some of his peers, but whether that was learned jadedness or just an easy temperment one couldn't say. Whatever the case, he'd treat Savius with the same amount of patience as he did everything else.
"I do what I can," he explained, spreading his wings to show their full girth. They were obnoxiously large, in his opinion, and he just couldn't reach all the feathers. Reaching over, he tugged at the edges of his feathers, tugging lightly only to gain a fistful of down. "See? An' Lucien doesn't do it right."
He wasn't whining, merely stating a fact. Lucien didn't know how to properly preen his wings, but that was no fault of the humans. Xaxis didn't blame him, not one bit.
Heaving a sigh, his pink eyes focued back on the resting Fen. He was still amazed by the dogs prowress - he was huge. Xaxis wanted a dog that big. He wanted a dog just like Fen, even though Fen didn't have the same feel as an ordinary dog. Fen was different, Fen was . . . special.
"He looks like a good dog," the boy explained, eyes lighting up with a moments childhood delight. "He could eat anything or anyone, I bet. I'd like to see that."
Childhood visions of Savius with his swords drawn in a moment of attack, coloured wings spread, with the giant dog-beast devouring children and babies and schoolteachers.
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Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2006 5:53 pm
"Yeah, I know. Your wings are too big, that's the problem." If he had been just a bit older, he might of tsked openly at the boy, but that required a sort of 'maternal' nature that he had but did not yet understand. Scooting upward a sit, he moved over so that he was sitting behind Xaxis, giving him a much better view of the other boys wings. Well, he certainly had his work cut out for him. "Hold still. I can do this better now that I'm bigger."
Fen, aware of the attention, twisted to look at Xaxis, panting a bit, and showing is teeth in a wide doggy grin. Oh yes, there was something special about him, but it was dilute, so twisted through his veins and his being that it was hard to catch. The dogs of war... didn't they say something like that?
"Mostly, he catches squirrels. We're not allowed to chase kids anymore." It'd only been one girl, and Savius still maintained that she looked particularly squirrelish, scampering about, and being generally irritating. And it wasn't as if Fen had actually hurt her, just knocked her down. Scared her a bit. "Lithle says she'll have me put down."
He grinned proudly, remembering that fight. Oh he'd got her worked into a real frenzy. Near hate in her gaze and in her words, and that was good, because hate was just love rewritten, and he'd done so well to awaken it.
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Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2006 7:09 am
Xaxis waited patiently for Savius to fiddle with his tangled mass of black feathers. The wings weren't terrible to look at, but they surely were a mess! They were dry and lacked the typical glossiness a healthy bird might have. A good portion of his feathers were hanging on by one or two roots, ready to fall off at any moment. The rest were unbrushed and unruly, the barbs ripped and tattered. Xaxis tried his best to keep his wings in good tact, but they were so big and he could only reach so far. . .
It was hard work, especially for one so small and sick!
Slouched in front of Savius, Xaxis grinned as his friend chatted fondly about his dog. He sounded pleased that the dog had chased a child - what a sight would that have been! "She'd have you put down?" He asked, voice sounding slightly surprised. A little giggle, followed by a sniffle and one bony wrist wiping away excess drip. "I'd like to see her try!"
Who would win? Savius, of course! Destruction ran hot through his veins, just as disease and pestilence ran through his own. They were all untouchable, in a way, whether they fully realize it or not. Xaxis figured Fen would defend Savius if he ever get in a tight spot - but then again - Savius was far too cool to ever get in a 'tight spot'.
The kestrel child was a predator, and predators were raised to win.
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Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2006 10:57 am
"She would try." Savius agreed absently, his fingers brushing lightly over the other boy's wings, barely seeming to touch them, but not needing to, really. There was a simple familiarity to the action of preening, and a comfort to it. "I don't mind so much, though. I don't really want to eat people. Too much meat. I'm never that hungry."
Kestrels were, after all, very small raptors. Hunting anything larger than very small mice was exciting and new. He was bigger now, and hungrier. But hungry enough to eat a person? Not by a long shot.
Maybe when he was older.
A light tug here, a delicate touch there, and there actually seemed to be some improvement in the mess he was looking at. Poor Xaxis. Sure, he was envious of the other boy's larger wings, but he wasn't envious of the upkeep. He had Jer'ain, and she was good at delicate tasks like preening. It didn't seem like the raven had anyone of the sort.
"You need to have me do this more often."
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Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 11:47 am
Xaxis gave a content sigh, the light touches of his friend lulling and relaxing. It wasn't often he recieved such attention - he himself had difficulty reaching behind him, and Lucien was plain incompetant.
Sometimes Shanuh and Nikel would brush out his wings, when they had time at the shop, but those oppurtunities were few and far between. "I can't really remember a lot about being a bird," Xaxis admitted, resting his head on his hands. "But I do know my wings weren't nearly as itchy and I kind of remember being a little more limber."
It had been a long time since he was pure avian. Xaxis didn't typically think of his birdhood, but every now and then he had a strange dream laced with vague memory. Was it instinct or actual thought, Xaxis couldn't be entirely sure, but whatever the case, the little raven enjoyed the impressions of his past.
"But if my feathers get too tangled later on," the boy chattered, "I'll let you do the honour of preening my wings again." A little, slightly crouped giggle followed his statment, reassuring the kestrel that his words were only in jest. "I owe ya for this, bigtime," Xaxis exclaimed, stressing his words so Savius clearly understood his thankfulness.
He was feeling better all ready, and all because of one sound preening!
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