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 Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 7:20 am
The sun and wind felt good today, Imladris thought ot herself and she kited on the breeze, looking for anything interesting on the ground. On days like this, she felt great pity for the beasts stuck on the earth. They would never know the beauty of flight or see what things looked like from above.
Flicking her tail and angling a wing just so, she adjusted her flight and spied a spot of blue moving through the yellow-green grass below. Well, right on cue, here was something potentially interesting! Chirruping happily, the little bird changed her flight and began to descend.
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Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 7:27 am
Feeling more content now than she had in days, Ilaheva hummed softly to herself as she made the trek back home. This was her third or fourth trip to visit Mrengo. She wanted to get as many visits in as possible before pups made traveling more than a foot from her den an impossibility.
Really, it was amazing how much better she and Mrengo seemed to be getting along now that they no longer occupied the same space. And her little lion cub had been developing a great deal of confidence and had successfully caught a hare just this morning with no recourse to pure dumb luck.
She had been cursing her meeting with that old maned wolf, now she blessed it.
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Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 7:30 am
There was a small, scrubby tree only a few feet ahead of where the blue wild dog would be walking. Imladris made haste to backwing and land on a low hanging branch. Once settled, she fluffed out her breast feathers and whistled a greeting to the wild dog once it drew close enough.
"Good morning, neighbor! Good morning! And where are you bound on this lovely day?"
As she waited for an answer, she preened a feather.
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Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 7:33 am
Jumping slightly at the whistle, Ilaheva looked around quickly before spying a bird just ahead who looked entirely as cheerful as Ilaheva felt. Smiling, she hurried forward until she could sit just under the branch and look up at the bird.
"Good morning to you as well! It is indeed a lovely day and I am bound for home to sleep," she laughed and cocked her head at the bird. "Would it be impudent of me to ask what you're up to?"
It wasn't often she had a chance to speak with the feathered ones. Sleep could wait a bit while she got the news.
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Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 7:41 am
Chortling softly and fluffing herself up again until she looked like a ball of feathers, Imladris nibbled at the shaft of a dislocated feather. Clacking her beak at the wild dog, she noted what seemed to be a gravid state and nodded to herself. No wonder she was going to go sleep if she was THAT far along!
"It's not impudent in the least, friend! I'm simply traveling through and enjoying myself while I do it! Now, would it be impudent of me to offer early congratulations to you?"
Tilting her head, she winked down at the dog.
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Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 7:44 am
Ilaheva's ears back back as she looked up at the bird with wide eyes. Was her condition that obvious to everyone?
"Ah, thank you," she replied hesitantly, not quite certain of what to say or do. So, she decided to turn the focus of the conversation tot he bird's travels. And as perky as this specimen seemed, Ilaheva had no doubts that it woudl be happy to chatter away at her.
"Have you traveled far? Have you seen anything of great interest or importance?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 7:50 am
"Have I seen anythign interesting? I should say so!" the bird retorted. "Why, did you know there are lions and things out there that have found love with other species? I must say, I've seen a few and the offspring are all quite adorably fluffy. I've seen great bolts of lightning that lit up the entire sky during a storm! And when I ventured close tot he edge of the shore, I saw a great lovely expanse of blue water as far as the eye could see! Aren't those all interesting?"
Chortling again, Imladris leaned down to strop her beak against the branch. Land dwellers missed out on so much! And this particular land dweller had probably never even heard of the sea! Why, it was her duty to enlighten the poor thing!
"Ahhhh! I wish you could see the sea and shore as I do. It's easily the prettiest thing ever!"
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Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 7:54 am
Wrinkling her nose in confusion, Ilaheva tried to figure out what on earth the bird meant by "shore". That she'd seen hybrids meant nothing. Ilaheva knew such things existed and were not that interesting to her. But this shore thing... now that sounded interesting.
"Tell me about the sea and shore? Why is it so pretty? Where is it?"
She felt a sudden desire to see this place for herself. Perhaps, if it wasn't far she could manage ti before the pups were born. Now wasn't that an intriguing idea!
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Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 8:02 am
Clacking her beak again, Imladris looked down in pity at the dog.
"Tchah! Too far for you to simply go and come back in a few days. You would need several moons to make the journey. As for why it's pretty, well!"
Imladris settled herself more comfortably on the branch and began to describe what she'd seen.
"Now, you must imagine this as if you were a bird yourself. At the shore, below you would see a thin band of pale tan and cream that glints strangely when the sun strikes it just so... Roaring and crashing agaisnt it are enormous waves of water! Imagine it, you see a vast expanse of blue darker than the sky, but as it draws closer to the shore, the blue grows lighter and moves restlessly. Then, it builds and moves even faster until it's a curling, roaring beast of every shade of blue imaginable crowned with purest white!"
Pausing for a moment to allow the dog to envision this, Imladris continued.
"From above, you can see every play of color and feel how the breeze grows cool and smells of water and salt. From above, everything looks like a living version of those odd stones one sometimes finds hidden in the grass and dirt."
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Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 8:07 am
Sighing with disappointment that this marvel was so far away, Ilaheva nevertheless listened eagerly as the bird described it. She had no problems closing her eyes and picturing everything as the bird spoke.
Indeed, imagining it woke a hunger to someday see it herself in Ilaheva's heart. When the bird finished speaking, the wild dog sighed again, this time in envy. She got to her feet and began walking back to her den. Someday, she would find that place and see if it really was a pretty a place as the bird described.
"Thank you for the story, friend," she called back. "Perhaps, I shall see this all for myself someday!"
Without waiting for a response, she broke into a ground eatting lope. It was past time for sleep and she was dreadfully tired.
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