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 Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 12:07 pm
 Finally Seiki was able to take her to his favorite spot in all of the jungle and feel at peace about. She didn’t seem afraid of trying to enjoy her time, he even thought that she might feel a peace now with herself and him as well as they traversed through the jungle. The bewildered look that she placed onto her face was one that he enjoyed purely, and the smile she cracked into right after was more than enough to cause his heart to skip a beat.
Watching her for a couple minutes the male called to her, “It seems to me that Miss Zephyiote has finally come out of her shell.” A wink was given as the dark starry body of the painter slowly swam towards her, the cool crisp water causing the male to shiver for a couple seconds before his body finally got used to it. This was his hidden paradise, a golden river spawned from a spring close by. As he drew closer his smile grew wider, his senses going wild at all the mixtures of scents present.
“This is my favorite place in the whole jungle. On the other side of the river my den and my dire owl spirit, Nora, reside. Here we laughed and played together, ignoring all the sadness that could have been dwelled upon and blossoming into what we are today. Maybe you can rebirth from all your pain here as I once did.” He was so close now, all he had to do was reach his paw out to touch her, but he resisted the urge and instead dove down into the clean, clear water to retrieve the rivers most precious gift; gold.
As he dove into the water the male shivered again in excitement, he was finally able to show someone his most precious place. The feeling was incredible, like he was struck with an arrow of friendship and love, of excitement and happiness. Opening his eyes wide in the soft water, he quickly caught notice of the glint of gold, snatching it up in one paw before kicking off the bottom to greet the surface.
Shaking the water off of his face the male opened his eyes to greet her, holding up a small bit of gold with a large smile on his face. “It is weird, normally I am so afraid to show people this place, but with you I feel safe sharing it.”
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Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 2:00 pm
 When in doubt, make a playful or rude gesture. Zephyiote stuck her tongue out at Seiki, before cracking another grin. "I bet you thoughht that was funny, huh?" she asked, refering to her awkward plunge. She stared at the sky for a minute, then back at Seiki. "I think it was funny anyway." Zephyiote didn't get to be around water much, aside from Crater lake. This was something entirely new to her. Both the river, and having such pleasant company. She had a friend or two, but...Seiki was...well...he was...different. That was all she could say about it. Why did she get that funny feeling when he smiled at her? It is nothing. He is just being nice to me is all...Idly she swam in circles around him, her long tail serving as an excellent rudder, while her serpentine shape reduced drag. Too bad the same couldn't be said of her mane and featers. She froze for a moment, staring at him slightly dubiously as he spoke. Being...born again? I had no birth... her memory went back only seven years ago. Before that...darkness. Nothing. Perhaps...perhaps this is my birth...have I not existed until now? Is this the beginning? Of what?... Zephyiote's head spun, and confusion practically leaked out all her ears. It was such a strange sensation...that little prickle of fire that sparked in her. But it was not the same kindle that allowed her to loose a gust of flame. No, this was...something else entirely. Something alien and foreign. Kind of like how the rest of the day had been. Maybe this was a beginning? Maybe her thoughts weren't so off after all? Maybe this was what it felt like to be...accepted? "Thank you for...sharing this with me..." she muttered sheepishly, suddenly unsure of her words. Something most unusual for her. It was hard to say whether he heard them or not, for he promptly disappeared under the water. For a moment, panic struck her. He was leaving her! Fear and other feelings she normally held back flooded her, leaving her paralyzed. Why should she feel this way when he left? Abandonement was nothing new to her. But...normally it didn't hurt this bad. Her fright was momentary though. For he resurfaced, and what he held made Zephyiote's jaw drop momentarily, before she collected her self and tried to regain her composure. "That's amazing!" she declared, leaning in to examine it. It sparkled, and she could see her face reflected perfectly on it. And it might have been a trick of the light, or her imagination, but...her reflection was smiling, and...she didn't look so monstrous anymore. Brilliant red streaks against a shimmering silver-grey hide. What was so wrong with that? In the reflection, even her eyes seemed to sparkle like topaz...what was so wrong with that? She jerked back, realizing she might have been invading Seiki's personal space. "I am sorry!" she yelped, scratching the back of her head and averting her gaze, feeling extremely self concious all of a sudden. "But...why? Why would you show me such a place?" she asked quietly, once again staring hard at him. "I am...so different from you."
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Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 3:00 pm
Blinking for a couple seconds a toothy grin appeared as he watched her stick her tongue out at him. So She was going to make face now, was she? Swimming up a little closer the male drew close to her face before whispering, “Next time I see that tongue I just might bite it.” A smile and a wink followed with the comment as he swam back from her a little bit to watch her swim in circles. The sudden silence of water alerting him, causing him to stare directly at her, where he then noticed his kind companion staring blankly in confusion from what had been said. Did he… did he upset her with his words, or was she rolling the idea over in her mouth. He wouldn’t mind her living around him; he would actually enjoy it and the idea of helping rebuild someone he always held close to him.
“I am sorry if I upset you…” he whispered before diving into the water, unable to catch what she had said afterward.
To see the Zephyiote’s jaw drop like that was a real treat for Seiki as he watched her closely examine the precious metal in his claws. She was like a young fledgling seeing something new, or differently for the first time and it made him snicker. His face inched closer to hers as he watched her eyes focus on her reflection. “It is amazing, and there is plenty more when this came from.”
The sudden jerk that then followed in pursuit of the examination caused the male to jump slightly. Why was she so nervous all of a sudden, it was awfully cute, but slightly strange to him as he cocked his head at her.
“Don’t worry, I wasn’t upset. I actually enjoyed watching you examine the gold piece.” Sticking his tongue out at her playfully he laughed. “You are cute when you are self conscious.”
His smile faltered for only a second before he shook his head and grinned. “Don’t make yourself feel different because you are not. You are no monster, you are real, with feelings and kindness I have never seen before. I like you for that and trust you for that. This is why I decided to take you to this place. I believe it is time for you to move on from whatever is haunting you and feel good about whom you are. “Seiki’s claws curled around the piece of gold for a moment before he reached out towards her, offering the precious metal as a gift.
“Welcome to the Jungle of Sleep, Zehpyiote!.”
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Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 4:19 pm
Zephyiote stuck her tongue out at him again, in rebellion to his teasing. When he called her...cute? She felt a flush in her face, masked by her scales. She had a few compliments here and there. From her friends etc. But no one had ever called her 'cute' before. Again it sent that peculiar spark in her, slowly building to a kindle that she couldn't ignore. Her hands extended to recieve the gold, her fingers wrapping around it protectively. All the gold in the river was not worth the single handful she held now. This sign of surrender and acceptance. She shuddered a little, eyes narrowing a bit as she surveyed the treasure in her palm. So beautiful, so perfect...
Her head flicked up to watch Seiki again. This most peculiar male. This most dear of friends. This open, accepting, strange, beautiful painter. The fire in her liked this thoughts. It flickered and grew rapidly, threatening to overwhelm her and become a torrent. She felt a tickle run down the length of her spine, and she was sure that under her scales and head ridges, her skin was bright red. This was so brilliant. So wonderful. She could lose herself so easily in all of this. Float away to some eternal nirvanna. But she didn't have to. For surely no paradise was greater than the one she was now in. Surely she was dead? Life had always been cruel to her? What had she done now, to deserve such kindness and brilliance? She couldn't possibly fathom it.
"I...err...I feel a little funny," were the only words that seemed correct at the moment. For surely she was feeling 'off', even if it wasn't in a bad way. And it wasn't possible to thank him enough, to show him exactly how happy she was to be shown this? Surely it wasn't possible to make him know how he was making her feel. Right? But she had to find a way! She had to let him know!
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Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 5:37 pm
A brow was raised as she stuck out her tongue, mocking him for his teasing. She was being playful now, wasn’t she, well he would be playful right back. A shy, mischievous smirked slowly slid into place as he swam close to her, his eyes sparkling with giddiness, knowing what was to come. “Ya’know. I said I would bite your tongue, but I decided against it…” His face was inches from her, and before he knew it he licked her cheek softly, smirking lightly at her before backing up. “…your punishment for waggling your tongue at me. “ His whole face burned as he said this, but her face was going to be too priceless not to do it.
As he swam slowly in the water he smiled to himself. He really did enjoy Zephyiote, and not just in a friendly way, no, this was different to him. He liked it; it filled him with a wonderful tingling sensation along with a strange awkwardness that normally was never present. Purring to himself as a soft warming sensation rolled through his body.
Eyes quickly shifted up to hers as she spoke, was she sick? Quickly swimming towards her he cocked his head and looked up. “What is wrong, did the fruit not mix well with your pallet?” Soft powder blue eyes shimmered with concern as he waded slowly in the water. “Come; let us get you to land to rest.” His head nudged in the direction of his strange, grassy cave hidden just a few feet away from the river itself. he rather not see her sick, nor have her wear herself out due to excess swimming, so land would be the smartest idea for them both.
"Come come, we shall eat now. Maybe that will make you feel better."
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Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 5:53 pm
All that burning, kindling from before...that was nothing, Zephyiote discovered. It had been but a scale on a butterfly's wing compared to what she felt now, when Seiki gave her that simple little gesture, that little lick on her cheek. Her eyes wheeled with intense golden light as she tried to regain control of a suddenly awkward body. Silently she struggled to shore after Seiki, forcing her cumbersome limbs to obey. A task which they seemed to disdain. For standing soon became too much. And with a plop, Zephyiote plunked onto the ground, shaking her head, trying to clear the light-headedness.
Seiki...so nice, so kind, so caring and unbiased and loving and...lovable. Zephyiote's wings trembled, a reaction soon carried out by the rest of her body. Why had he done such a thing? Why waste such a token of affection on her? Never had anyone done such a thing to her. Gestures of friendship, perhaps. Words of encouragement? Occasionally. But never such sweet praise. Never had anyone looked at her with such kindness, or shown her such open affection? What was this sillyness overtaking her? She was Zephyiote the infamous! The twenty-eyed, four-eyed freak. But here she was...a somebody. Appreciated and just maybe...understood. She never wanted to leave.
She picked herself back up, taking a few shaky steps after Seiki, not wanting to make herself a bother. "Are you...feeling okay? Seiki?" perhaps it was an effect of the red fruit. Perhaps this was a haze. Had he drugged her secretly? Was he trying to get something from her? If he was...she felt herself unable to care. This was so perfect...a minute of this was surely worth a lifetime of suffering.
"Food...that sounds...good." Hopefully it would help clear her mind, if anything else. She didn't want to waste a moment of this paradise wandering lost in the recesses of fantasy. Why would she, when her own wildest dreams were coming to life right here and now?
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Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 4:00 pm
His body quickly wheeled around when he heard the sudden thud behind him, a soft breeze licking at is wet toes from Zephyiote’s fall, causing a shiver to jolt up his spine. He was most certainly glad he had gotten her to land as he did, but was still very concerned about her well being. Racing next to his fallen companion he nudged her with his cheek, concern and fear boiling in his body. What was wrong, he had to figure it out; he couldn’t allow such an amazingly loveable Painter become sick right in front of his eyes. “Zephyiote! Zephyiote are you okay?!” He looked over her twice before looking in her eyes. All four of them had a strange mix of feelings in them; it was hard to tell just what she was thinking.
Leaning back to watch her body shudder Seiki’s eyes widened. Had the fruit he loved so much gotten her sick? Quickly moving to the side of her he laid himself down and pressed up against her side. He wouldn’t be able to do much for her at the moment, so his touch would have to do. Rubbing his head softly against her in a soothing motion he whispered softly, “Everything will be okay sweet Zephy, just breathe and stay by my side, if only for a little bit.” He made one last soft nudge before getting to his feet. Maybe she needed to eat; if that was correct then he would have to go to his cavern. Some juice, veggies and a basket for collecting food was located there, but first…
Walking towards one of the fruit trees he looked up, only to have his attention diverted back to Zephy who was now slowly walking towards him. Racing towards her he looked up and sighed. “I am fine, don’t worry about me, I am more worried about you. I would hate to have something happen to someone I lov- “He shook his head as he pressed his lips together, how could he let that almost slip, she was a friend, he knew he could never truly be with her! For all her knew she might have already had a lover…
Taking note of what was said he smiled and looked up, “Yes, food will be good. Maybe it will help you feel better. Let me grab you a citrus, then... maybe if you can move we can go back to my den when you can rest and eat a proper meal.” He watched her face, making sure that she was fine being left alone for a couple of seconds so that he could get her something. Waiting for a reply he looked towards the nearest citrus tree then back at her. “What do you say? I will only take a couple seconds, the tree is right there.” The starry painter nodding in the direction of the nearest tree and waited for her reply, toes burying slowly into the muddy earth as he waited.
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Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 6:32 pm
}~{We might need to shorten this up soon. For the sake of keeping our story from getting too long, and to give me time to write it up xD}~{
Zephyiote found herself ever confused by this...stranger. It was most peculiar. For while it felt like they were so intimate...she hardly knew him at all! How odd. Maybe there was something in the water. Or in the fruit. She felt herself recovering quite well from whatever kind of momentary illness had plagued her. Zephyiote took Seiki's words at nothing more than face value. So the little slip-up didn't solicit her attention for more than a moment. It wasn't like anyone could ever like her. If she knew of Seiki's question, she would no doubt have laughed. The concept of her having a lover was...ridiculous, in her mind. Who would put up with her in that respect? Besides...she didn't know if she could ever bring herself to have a clutch. The thought of producing young ones, no doubt mutated in some way like herself...made her very sad. The thought that a child of hers would suffer like she had...was terrible. She could never bring herself to make her hatchlings suffer. Even if they were hypothetical.
Zephyiote sniffed him, all of a sudden tempted to nibble his ear fins, an urge which she barely resisted. "You...smell nice..." she murmured, her eyelids sliding halfway shut, as she indulged in his aroma. Fruity and earthy. Most likely from spending all his time in the jungle, and enjoying the fruits of the earth. How sweet he was. And what a good testament to his character that he would hold such to his moral values, even when it brought him trouble. In Zephyiote's mind, that bespoke excellent character.
Coming somewhat back to earth, Zephyiote had sense enough to respond to his actual questioning. "That sounds nice. But please, do not spend any extra effort on me. I want to help too!" After all, he'd given her a generous amount of gold, it was the least she could do to be a helpful guest. Zephyiote reared up on her hind legs to sniff at the fruits, and plucked one delicately, lowering herself, and, still holding it in her mouth, leaned forward to offer it to Seiki, blushing once more, noticcing just how close they were.
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Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 5:28 am
(( Okay, last post for me. If you need to write a bit more for the conclusion in the story feel free to use Seiki! This was fun, and thank you again. Kinda sucks we didn't get a lot of time to plan and write.))
Seikis couldn’t help but drop his jaw in shock as Zephy sniffed at him. It was slightly embarrassing, but oddly comforting at the same time the way she slowly drew in air around him and let it out softly over him. Shutting his eyes as she continued to smell him he would have started purring had he not stopped himself from doing so. When she finally spoke he could not say anything for several minutes due to shock. She… she likes my scent? What was that supposed to mean. Did… Looking up at her he cocked his head, watching her for several minutes before breaking into a smile. “Well at least I am not stinky!” he laughed, sticking his tongue out at her before getting up, he had to get her something to eat.
As she reached to help him pick the citrus from the trees above him a soft smile glided into place, he was worried about her helping him, seeing as she seemed to have been having trouble focusing just a few minutes before but decided to let it go. She was fine now it seemed, he would just have to keep an eye on her.
As her slivery body snaked upward to pluck the swollen fruit above, he watched her, unable to coax himself into helping because he wanted to watch her. She was lovely, and beautiful, and fresh. So very different from all the other Painters he had met, and far kinder than most that lived in his former tribe. Just being around her made him giddy and excited! He knew in his heart he wouldn’t mind going an extra mile for her, because he knew she would most likely do the same for him.
Watching Zephyiotes face for a moment before it disappeared into the leaves of the trees he chuckled softly, Twas Lady leafy face! Laughing a little harder at the strange thought he shook his head to rid himself of the amusing image only to look up and find her face so very close to his own, only a large red and orange citrus fruit that was there to separate them. This realization was enough to cause the male to freeze, his whole body boiling with embarrassment at the closeness. “S-So it seems you found a big one!” the male croaked out louder than anticipated, looking at the four pairs of eyes intently as he prayed that she wouldn’t noticed the fluctuation in his voice as he took the fruit from her.
Breaking the gaze he quickly looked down, the muddy earth helping him still his raging stomach. It was like a seesaw stuck in an earthquake. What in the world was causing him such uneasiness?! Peeking up at Zephyiote he blushed harder, his stomach doing cartwheels all the while. He hardly knew her, yet for some reason she caused such a strange feeling in him, caused him to be… attracted to her. I want to protect her…
“I-I don’t know why, but.. I feel strange around you. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the feeling and wish to keep it around me all the time, but… I don’t understand it. It… well… I think I am attracted to you. I keep getting this strange feeling, like, I want to make sure everything is alright and keep you safe.” He paused for a moment, his face burning as he gave her an awkward smile. “Strange huh… We barely know each other and yet I am still attracted to you.” Taking a bite out of the fruit that was given to him he smiled, he had finally gotten that off his chest. Looking over the fruit he looked up at Zephy and offer her some as well.
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Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 8:01 am
}~{I'm gonna start typing it all up now. I'll include a response from Zephy at the end of the story, and you can approve it or not whee }~{
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