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 Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 8:50 pm
They've decided not to kill each other, and have in fact fallen in love. Although Abunai has not seen her parents in years, Susamajii has, and wants to take her to meet his...
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Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 8:55 pm
"Aww, come on, Honey-bun," Susamajii said, a hint of a whine in his voice. "They'll love you! There's nothing to be nervous about..." It had been months since Susamajii and Abunai had decided to share a territory and become mates, and her leg had fully recovered, certainly enough to climb from tree to tree. He wanted badly to take her to meet his parents and small sister, but she was quite reluctant. He knew it was because of her previous experience with other kylan, and hoped to rid her of her dark opinion.
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Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 9:03 pm
Abunai looked at Susamajii hard. "Honey-bun? And I just don't know... what if..." She was grasping at straws and she knew it. She just didn't know what facing another kylan would be like after all these years.
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Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 9:07 pm
"Tell you what, Abunai. You meet my family, and if they don't like you, we'll never leave the territory again. But they're nice people. Come on; do it for me?" As she shrank back, he switched tactics. "Too afraid to?"
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Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 9:11 pm
Abunai lowered her head. Normally, she'd be riled by a challenge, but this was a bit too far. "Yes. Yes, I am," she said quietly.
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Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 9:33 pm
Susamajii knew he'd crossed a line. "Aww, Abunai... I'm sorry. Don't worry about being afraid." He nuzzled her neck. "But will you do it for me, then? I know you can do it. You're a brave, gorgeous, witty kylan, and they'll adore you. Please?"
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Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 9:37 pm
Abunai smiled at him and nuzzled him back. "Well, they raised you didn't they? You turned out ok, so they can't be all bad."
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Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 10:17 pm
Susamajii licked her nose. "That's my girl. My family only lives a few days' travel away walking, though we will have to climb once we get there. You up for that? Good," he said as she nodded. "Let's go."
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Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 10:47 pm
They walked at a reasonable pace, fast enough to make good travel time, but slow enough not to bother Abunai's leg. They spent the days talking about nothing, making jokes, and just enjoying each others' company, and they spent the nights curled close together. Susamajii often listened to Abunai's heart as he drifted off. He noticed that as they got further and further away from home, she got more nervous and it beat faster. After five days, they reached the foot of an enormous tree. The scent of kylan hung heavy on the air, but there were no claw marks up the tree, as if whatever frequented its branches could fly. "Are we here?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 12:29 pm
"Yes. This is my old home," Susamajii said with a small tear in his eye. "It hasn't changed a bit." He had left several years ago, but all the memories came flooding back. The tree's shaggy bark seemed quite climbable, but he wasn't sure. "Can you climb this, Bun?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 12:35 pm
In response, Abunai jumped onto the tree. She ascended as quickly as she could, much like a squirrel, stopping occasionally to rest her leg or catch her breath. Susamajii followed her, flying most of the time and landing on the tree to nuzzle her whenever she stopped. "It's funny... I'm too tired to be nervous about this!" she laughed as they took a break a few meters from the top, where the kylan nest would be. Suddenly, their branch shook as a bright red female with fluffy wings like Susamajii's landed nearby, teeth bared at her. "Halt! What do you think you're doing?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 12:45 pm
"Cinna?" Susamajii exclaimed. "Cinna! You've gotten huge!" The kylan female was no longer a cub- she was nearly as big as Abunai! Cinna stared at Susamajii. "Sue? It is you! You've come back after all these years!!" Brother and sister nuzzled each other, relearning their scents. "So what are you doing here?" Susamajii smiled. "I've come back to introduce the family to Abunai." He gestured at her. "I've taken her as my mate." The female smiled at Abunai. "Sorry for startling you- It's my job to guard the nest now that my brother has left. Shall we continue up?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 12:54 pm
Abunai wanted to bolt at the female's aggression, but her apology and smile were sincere. She weakly smiled back and continued to climb up the tree, Susamajii and Cinna chattering in the background about past events. They soon reached a large platform with a huge, leafy nest on it. "Mom, Dad! Susamajii's back, and he's got a girl with him!" Cinna shouted. The heads of delicate silver female and a strong-looking red male appeared over the side of the nest. Abunai was terrified, but what could she do? Nervously, she bowed her head, hoping she had the custom right. "So our little Susamajii's taken a mate!" the female cooed. "He's certainly picked a looker," the male said, patting her on the back with a big paw. "What's your name, dearie?" asked the female. "Abunai," she said. "Abunai of the Silver River territory." She felt so out of place among the winged creatures, but they were very kind. "I am Arji, and that big oaf is Aka. Why don't you come into the nest?" Susamajii's mother said.
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Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 6:12 pm
Susamajii clambered over the edge of the nest to tackle his father. "Dad! Mom!" he shouted. He had missed his parents quite a bit. Both of them nuzzled him. "Our prodigal son has returned," Arji chided teasingly. Casting a short glance over his shoulder, Susamajii noticed Abunai looking down nervously. He went over to her and nuzzled her gently. "Mom, Dad, this is Abunai. She's my mate." He smiled happily at his words. Arji raised her eyebrows. "Your mate? It's offical? Oh, Susamajii, I'm so happy!" She nuzzled her son. Aka smiled widely. "Welcome to the family, girlie. I hope that boy of mine's been treating you right."
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Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 6:40 pm
"Yes, in fact, he took care of me when I was injured. I fell and broke my leg, and he stayed with me the entire time," Abunai said. Aka said nothing, but raised his eyebrows at his son. Arji just beamed. "You must be exhausted from your climb up here, dear. Why don't you lie down, and we'll eat soon? Cinna! Go get something to eat for dinner!" she shouted at her daughter, who was looping off in the distance. Cinna nodded and dove down. "I hope you don't mind the lack of meat. We're all vegetarians here, except for Abunai. He's always been a meat-eater." "He's an excellent fisher. He kept me fed when I couldn't hunt." Arjii nodded happily. Despite her effervescence, she was much smaller physically than most kylandrei, as was Cinna. Aka, however, was quite large, much larger than his son. She didn't know if there were other winged kylandrei, but she guessed that if there were, they probably ran about the size of Arji and Cinna. Cinna soon returned with a load of delicious fruits spiked on her quills and horns. The family and Abunai shared from a communal platform in the massive nest. Aka told stories of Susamajii's childhood, and Abunai found herself relaxing and laughing along.
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