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 Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2008 1:46 pm
The female hawk glided lazily through the morning sky, hardly paying attention to anything as she flew. She was so tired... Why was she up this early anyway? Misi had no idea, but she intended to get some sleep just as soon as she found a suitable spot.
She angled downwards and hovered for a moment next to the branch of a dead tree before reaching out and grasping it with her talons, fluffing her feathers and letting her heavy eyes rest. Never again, she promised herself. Never again would she get up so early and fly for so long, especially when she had no particular destination in mind! Why on earth had she done such a thing? Perhaps it had something to do with the earthquake that had happened a while back.
Yes, the earthquake. She remembered seeing the entire ground shake as she flew, and she had been terrified of being anywhere but the sky for quite some time after it. Up there, at least, no movement of the earth affected her. She was safe, so long as she was in the air.
But now was not the time to think about that. She was far too tired. Ramisi's golden eyes shut and she tucked her head under her wing, ready for a good long rest.
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Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2008 6:49 pm
 Lazarus was taking a nap under the shade of a thin, dead tree. It was a light sleep, his eyes barely closed, one step further in his training to sleep with his eyes open than last week. He was quickly roused when the tree above him rustled softly.
Glancing up, craning his neck back rather than turning his head to make it easier on himself, he spotted a bird that had not been there when he had deigned to stop in his trek. Standing now, shaking his head as if to loosen the clingy remains of his restful position, he pondered how he might make a mission out of getting the bird down from the tree.
It had the obvious advantage: flight. The moment it saw him it would fly away. So he could not play his usual card of 'surprise attack'. Taking a rather direct route instead, he spoke abruptly.
"Comfortable up there, feathers?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2008 7:04 pm
Misi's eyes jerked open, glancing down with a distasteful look on her face.
"What did you call me, mutt?" She chirped sharply, ruffling her feathers. Well, it certainly did not look like she'd be getting that sleep. Not just yet, anyway.
She glided down to a lower branch to get a better look at him and clicked her beak at him, "Where do you get off disturbing my rest anyway? Have you no manners?" Not that she was one to talk. She was as rude as they come, but this green thing didn't know that. Though he was likely to find out if he kept it up.
But for now, she'd keep her polite face on.
"My name is Ramisi, by the by. Misi for short.
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Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2008 7:39 pm
"Mutt!" he barked, a scoffing laugh at the hostile response. He hadn't quite expected that, though he was relieved to note the voice was distinctly feminine. He watched her as she flitted closer, tilting his head at her as she scolded him.
"Nope," he said with a toothy grin on his muzzle, "no manners whatsoever. But at least now you know. You can hardly hold it against me now. But it is very nice to meet you, Ramisi. I hadn't realized you were busy. And, to be fair, you woke me from my nap first."
He sat down heavily, yawning unabashedly and shaking his head after the extraordinary effort, "I'm Lazarus. Or Laz, if you'd like. And, to return to your first question, I called you feathers. Is that particularly insulting to your kind? If it is, I'll have to avoid it. What if I called you... bird?"
He had hoping to be a bit more charming and witty than that, but the rugged jackal had spoken too quickly, even for himself. He had nothing to end the sentence with, and had to add the first thing that came to his head. He hated when he wasn't funny.
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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 2:46 pm
"At least I didn't do it on purpose." She scoffed, "Look, I apologize if I disturbed you, but two interrupted naps leaves less sleep for everyone." She nodded sagely, as though she had just spoken some great wisdom. In reality, she had just made it up, but it made sense. To her, at least.
Ramisi clicked her beak, "I would not have given you my name if I didn't intend for you to call me by it, Lazarus." She rolled her eyes. Canines were always so much more difficult to deal with.
"And for the record, I was not busy any more than you were." She shook her head, "But please, if you woke me for any kind of good reason, do tell me. If I can be of assistance, I will be. Otherwise I will be moving on." She lied. As much as she hated to admit it, she quite enjoyed this sort of banter and did not intend to stop even if the green jackal wanted her to.
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Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 12:41 pm
The jackal's ears perked forward, his amusement mounting with every word she uttered. He wondered if it was entirely his fault that she was in such a bad mood, or if something else was helping the moment spiral ever further away from being pleasant.
"Naps and sleep aren't really tangible. You can't distribute sleep hours to others, in fear of eventually running out. So, no, me waking you up after you wake me up doesn't leave less sleep for everyone. Sure, it feels that way now, but that's just because you're not sleeping at the time that you wanted. Close your eyes, and you're going to get just as much sleep as you would have ten minutes ago."
Clicking his tongue in a effort to mock the sound she had made with her beak, he grinned and shook his head. His eyes maintained their jovial brightness, his body bearing itself lightly as he playfully continued the conversation. Whatever she thought about him, he liked her company, "Okay, Ramisi, I'll give you that one. No nicknames. But I can't really give you a good reason for why I woke you up. I saw you, and wanted to talk. Actually, I wanted to jump on you, but you're too high up for that."
"I could probably make up a good reason, though. You're a bird. Maybe I needed something from the clouds?"
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Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 2:20 pm
"I suppose this is my own fault for not specifying." She shook her head again. "I meant less sleep for everyone involved. You and I, hm?" Her tone changed slightly, as though she were talking to a child. "And that statement of yours is false. Simply closing my eyes would do me no good because now you are here. Keeping me awake whether I like it or not."
The hawk flapped her wings and circled the tree quickly, in an almost teasing way. "Yes, we do have a habit of being out of reach. It's quite useful." She laughed, "Especially for you land-bound creatures. Pity."
"The clouds?" She asked as she landed once more upon the lowest branch of the tree, "I suppose some land critter like yourself might think that there is something good up there, but you would be mistaken. Clouds are nothing but water droplets."
Wait a minute...
"Unless you mean the clouds at sunrise..." She said slyly, "Those are something special."
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Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 4:19 pm
"That's true," Lazarus said through a cheeky grin, bowing graciously as she pointed out that he was keeping her awake. It was a point of pride, apparently, that he was there, and something worthy of some honorable attention. He watched her circle the tree, tail wagging at the challenge of her teasing.
Once she settled on the lower branch he got to his feet, shaking the dust from his green coat without much effort. He never really cared how dirty he got, his colors making it difficult to see, anyway. Plus, dirt only added to how easily he could hide, should he need to. He could always jump into some water later, if it got to be too much.
"All clouds are special, my feathered friend," he returned, shaking his head, "I think you're just taking them for granted. But you have a point. The ones at sunrise are particularly beautiful. So if the ones during the day aren't anything more than water, what are the ones at night? What could you get from them for me? Something pretty, I hope. Though, from down here, you're as pretty as any cloud I've seen so far."
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Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 2:11 pm
"Of course it is." She laughed, nodding in response to his bow. How could it not be right? If she had said it, the odds of it being right were certainly higher than average. At least, she thought so. Ramisi saw herself as brilliant, and nobody was going to change that.
"Hardly." She scoffed, "Not that you'd know. Stuck here on the ground. Often times they're in the way." She recalled a time when she had flown head on through one, and quickly regretted it as she came out the other side, drenched and shivering like mad.
"Oh please." She said disdainfully, "Don't try any of that with me, Lazarus. Flattery will get you nowhere." Yet another lie. She loved being told that she was pretty, but was loathe to admit it to someone who might try to use it to their advantage. "And what makes you think that I'd get anything for you anyway? Especially something so special? Have you anything to offer besides your empty words?"
Yes, her mind was working furiously to come up with some way to trick this jackal. It was clear that he was curious about the clouds, or at least was pretending to be, and she would milk that for all she could. He probably didn't know it yet, but Ramisi was a greedy, traitorous bird, plotting and scheming for her own benefit.
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Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 3:11 pm
"You are obviously unfamiliar with flattery," Lazarus countered, "words are never empty. The greatest weapon you have, the greatest gift you can give, the most reliable thing in your life are words. For me to give them to you, then, is a real big deal. Worth anything in the sky, and then some."
"Besides, I don't say anything I don't mean."
Lazarus wagged his tail, standing and prowling around the tree as he spoke. His step was light, almost like a dance, and he moved with a casual ease that came naturally to him. Moving away from the tree, he turned and looked back up at her, his sharp blue eyes focused keenly on her face.
He was not a stupid or simple jackal. Playful, suave, and a bit quirky, he was also intelligent and open minded. Always up for a game of wits, or just a game, he could spot a challenger when it presented itself. Grinning at the bird above him, he shrugged his camo shoulders and tilted his head to one side.
"But if that's not enough for you, how about I show you a place where you can find some really pretty rocks. Not sure it means much to you, Miss Up In The Sky And Clouds Are Stupid, but to me it's pretty cool. I might even offer to get one for you. But that's only if you can bring me something from the clouds."
He grinned, knowing very well that it might be a difficult task for the pretty bird.
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Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 2:31 pm
"As though I've never heard that before." She laughed, "Words are not empty, I'll give you that, but they are far less valuable than you make them seem." It was true that she did often use her words in the ways he had described, but this bird was not willing to give him that satisfaction. She was too high and mighty for that.
"Now that," Her eyes sparkled, "Would be worth my efforts." She cooed, suddenly quite intent on what this jackal had to say. "Tell me, Lazarus, what kind of rocks are we talking about here?"
If there was one thing Ramisi loved, it was beautiful things. Bits of coral, intriguing rocks, even the occasional shiny pebble, were all things she collected fiercely. Even if she had to get something from the clouds, or fake it at least, she'd do it if the price was right.
"In return I will bring you the most beautiful thing I find up there."
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Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 10:19 pm
"Or maybe you just don't put enough value in words, and I'm giving them exactly as much value as they deserve?" He asked thoughtfully, more to himself than to her. Tail twitching, he grinned as she questioned him about his promised prize.
"They're stones, not rocks. I guess I was unfair in calling them that in the first place. They're pretty, like little gems, and they shine. Kind of like your eyes, but without the depth of character and intelligence. So... I suppose more like my eyes," his grin widened at his joke, his eyes never leaving the bird.
"The most beautiful thing you find up there, huh? I bet I already know what that is, but I'll tell you about it when you're done," he nodded, as if settling the deal, "okay, I think that's good, huh? You bring me something from the clouds, and I'll give you this cave."
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Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2008 5:28 pm
"Doubtful." Ramisi snapped, but otherwise dropped the subject. Now was not the time to get into a petty argument about the value of words. She had more important things to think about. Mostly how she'd get something from the clouds for Lazarus.
"Interesting..." She cooed, envisioning the glittering beauties already. Oh, how she wanted them! She'd have to get her claws on one... Her mind was working furiously already, thinking of the sorts of things she could gather and pass off for bits of cloud to give to him in exchange.
"You have yourself a deal, friend." She flapped her wings happily. "What say you about meeting back here in three days? It should not take me much longer than that to get something worth enough for you, yes?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2008 10:56 pm
Lazarus arched an eyebrow, glancing around the area as if to take note of it's placement on the map in his head. Looking back at Ramisi slowly, he frowned thoughtfully. It was not an expression he kept for long, however, his bright eyes and playful attitude constantly affecting the way he absorbed and reacted to information.
"Three days? What do you need so much time for, feathers?" he reverted to his first name for her, though it was unintentional, "just flap those pretty wings of yours and sail on up into the sky. Unless you're not sure of yourself, and don't want me watching where you might fail. That, I could understand."
He grinned, wagging his tail almost childishly, "but if you need three days, I'll give you three days, my new pal. Around the same time of day good for you? I wouldn't want to interrupt another nap. That got me into some trouble."
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Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 3:57 pm
"The treasures of the sky are not easy to find." Ramisi ruffled her plumage in an irritated fashion. Why did this jackal have to ask so many questions? That just made her job that much harder.
"But if for some reason you need it sooner, just say so. I can't guarantee that it'll be of the same quality, but..." She trailed off, shrugging. Perhaps it was just easier to stop resisting his questions and just go with it. What ever.
She gave him a quick nod, "In that case, I'll be off. Unless you needed anything else?" She shot him a look that seemed to dare him to ask something more of her, but she held off on leaving for another moment, just in case he had the nerve to do so.
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