Welcome to Gaia! ::

Today the air was fresh and heavily laced with the perfume of newly budding flowers. LuLu took notice of this and felt drawn outside. Josh was hesitant to let the newborn raevan outdoors. Nevertheless, out of much groaning and complaint, LuLu had gotten her way. It was the usual way things turned out. Josh couldn’t help but melt under her pouts and protests.

Now she floated about the small yard blissfully. She gave special attention to examine the small patch of land around her. The flowerbed north of the house had a lovely patch of clover. The area left of that contained an exquisite sampling of wildflowers. Likewise, she had found a delightful bush full of an assortment of grasshoppers and ladybugs. LuLu felt like she was in paradise. Except there was one major flaw in her ecstasy. The fence surrounding her felt too… well, enclosed. She mused momentarily as she began to inch closer to the gate leading out of Josh’s yard. Her guardian's warnings rang clear in her furry ears. “Do not wander off LuLu.” However, they went unheeded. She peeked over her shoulder to see if anyone was watching then quickly began to fumble with he latch. Her slight fingers worked with the contraption until it clicked open.

Success! The raevan inched out hesitantly into the newly found territory outside her home. It seemed dirtier. On the other hand, she could not mistake the empowering feeling of freedom. She relished in the sensation before she wandered away further, curious of what things she would run into.

LuLu floated further into the depths of Aekea. The countless yards around her seemed to elevate her euphoria. House after house passed by the young frei as if she was seemingly lost in time. LuLu was in a world of her own and it was filled with yellow-green fields speckled with lush flora.

Eventually, the fragile raevan paused to emit a tired sigh. Unused to this much activity, she felt like she had traveled for hours. LuLu’s initial feeling of empowerment began to dwindle into a nagging lethargy. Now would be a good time to go home. LuLu turned around dismissively and was confronted by the endless line of identical houses. Her heart sank. She froze in shock. Her gentle lavender eyes shot around expectantly as if her home should have been right behind her. Where was it?

The raevan could no longer focus on the flowers and insects that had once amused her. They now seemed to only remind her of home…. the place she desired to return to. The cookie cutter buildings did nothing to help guide her through the labyrinthine neighborhood. Her motions turned frantic as she began to float about aimlessly. Her wings gave tiny beats as her pace quickened. Everything looked the same, everything felt the same. For once, LuLu wanted something to be different.

“LuLu!”

The small raevan’s ears perked up as they caught a familiar, husky voice. LuLu spun around to meet the owner of that low tenor. Zul. The frei rushed over to the other raevan. Once again, he called out like a beacon to her. "Zul." The frei bolted across the small road separating them. She was too relieved to notice the oncoming car she had just run in front of…

A similar heartwarming scene played in LuLu’s mind as she floated closer to her immaculate, aqua eyed hero. However, a screech of tires interrupted her from those blissful thoughts. She saw a steel monster charging towards her. A scream built up in her chest but the frei could only manage a frightened squeak. Her lilac eyes grew wide in horror then flitted over towards Zul. Those deep pools begged for any sign of help. To her amazement, LuLu saw her hero take on a much different form. The male raevan was enveloped in fire; her defender had become a beast himself. Zul produced a few raging sparks that launched at the metal beast. LuLu could feel the heat smoldering around her and huddled on the ground hoping it would provide some sort of protection from the molten attack. She peered through split fingers in horror as she watched the beast dash towards her protector. There was another loud screech and a crunch. This sound was so much more powerful than the sound when Zul had defeated the white monster. This sound indicated safety. Zul had won. LuLu’s ears perked, followed by her head as she sought out her flame ridden hero.

That smile. The only thing she could see through the smoke and damage was that smile. It was pulled tight and menacing. The slightest bit of fang was visible past his thin lips. LuLu gasped in terror at the dreadful sight of that terrible smirk. Then all too quickly that grin was gone and was replaced by a warm body and tender words. The frei’s senses where overcome by the crackling of fire, the foul stench of burnt rubber, and the heat of Zul’s arms wrapped around her own shivering limbs. LuLu looked up at him with her soft eyes and furrowed brow. Her lips trembled as she spoke, "Yes. Zul…” She couldn’t find the words to describe the awe she felt. The driver and the beast were forgotten as she hugged Zul tightly in gratitude.

LuLu shook her head at Zul’s response. Her pigtails swayed side to side then fell down again to frame her stern face. He had protected her. What more could he have done? She scolded him for those thoughts with a serious chime of her bell-like voice, “No. I do not want Zul hurt. I am fine.”Her eyes narrowed with resolve. Everything was settled for now. It was quite obvious from the smoking vehicle behind them and its dumbstruck owner. The monster was defeated and somehow they managed to float off with no interruption from its owner. The driver was probably too frightened to confront a demonic frei and his damsel in distress.

LuLu’s face took on a more pleasant smile at Zul’s next question. “Josh. Yes, he is very nice.” She recalled the coloring book he had gotten her the first day she had arrived as well as the clothing and the dolls she had bargained for in the consecutive weeks. She also remembered the delightful feeling caused when his mother styled her hair every now and then. Of course, it was nothing compared to Zul’s tender, sympathetic pets. The female frei fluffed up with excitement; the fur on her ear bristled and her own hair ruffled slightly from her enthusiasm. Zul just had to see the way Josh took care of her. More importantly, he had to see all the things she had gotten. “I want to show you my home.” But that brought up another question.

Where was her home?

LuLu’s expression faltered into a small frown and she huddled closer to Zul as she recalled her previous situation. Fear seized her once more. Her hands snaked around Zul’s chest and took refuge along his back. She amused herself by playing idly with the rough bone-like projections along his spine. Her face scrunched up in thought as she tried to form just the right words to explain her circumstances. She found herself floating even closer to the other frei for the comfort it provided and the fact she was embarrassed at her current state of affairs. LuLu pressed her body gently against his and rose just high enough to whisper in his pointed ears. Her breath ghosted over his skin and was laced with the slightest suggestion shame, “Not alone. Zul is here. I am lost.”

LuLu’s thin arms squeezed Zul a bit tightly as the two raevans embraced. It was as if she feared the other frei would disappear at any moment if she did not hang on to him. The female frei took no notice of her male counterpart's adventurous gaze; rather, she found herself mellowing into a blissful stupor in Zul’s arms. LuLu was becoming distracted by his twitching ears and warm body. The demonic frei was comforting to her. She could not exactly describe the feeling his presence gave her, but it was very reassuring.

LuLu snapped from her languid thoughts when Zul’s subdued voice glided past her ears. The fair-haired appendages gave a sudden jump as she detached herself from Zul. LuLu nodded resolutely at Zul’s words and took his hand as she pulled him forward. “Yes, Zul always protects me. He will find my home.” There was little force behind her actions; however, it was rather obvious she desired to find her house.

A soft smile upturned LuLu’s lips once more as she mused to herself. First, when they found her home, she would show Zul the yard she loved to play in. Then, the pretty bushes filled with flowers and ladybugs. Zul would love that! She was already becoming giddy at the though of having Zul over at her home.

LuLu’s gaze wandered as she considered the other raevan’s question; her gentle, purple eyes never really met with Zul’s. Whether it was due to embarrassment or her waning attention span was unknown. She spoke up in her bell like tenor, “I wanted to explore.” It was the simple truth and she felt satisfied with her answer. Her own hand entwined in his further as they ventured down the unfamiliar sidewalk. It was one of the small signs that confirmed the fact that she was still uncomfortable with her new surroundings. Her ears fidgeted thoughtfully as she continued with her explanation, “It is scarier than I thought. Monsters are here.”

LuLu caught sight of a butterfly and her attention was completely lost. She followed its retreating form until it landed on a vibrant red flower. She clung to the white picket fence separating her from the curious creature. LuLu leaned as best she could over the wooden barrier and paused to inspect the fragile insect. Her tanned arm reached past the fence to grasp at the flower and brightly colored its occupant. The butterfly was scared away; however, her goal now seemed to be the crimson flower. She plucked it gently from the bush it was entangled in. The flower soon found its way into Zul’s bi-colored hair; it was mixed in lovingly among the strands of orange and creamy white. When she was done, she returned her attention to her response, “Pretty things are here too. Like flowers. Like Zul.” She smiled widely at her companion and hoped that she had used all the adjectives Josh had taught her correctly. The last thing the frail rabbit frei wanted to do was somehow offend her protector. She admired Zul entirely and she admittedly needed his assistance.

She also added a question of her own, “Why is Zul here?”

LuLu trailed next to Zul at a slow, languid pace. She continued following him towards Alex and the promise of finding her home. The spring air was heavily perfumed by the smell of flowers and liveliness of nature. The intoxicating aromas seemed to overpower the rabbit frei’s nose and cloud her senses. It spurred her desire to explore again. The fact that she now had a valiant protector around her arm also served to ignite her yearning for adventure.

LuLu could also pick up on a musky scent that hung in the air around her. It was distinctly masculine and was a stark contrast to the other fruity and floral scents that hovered around her. She decided that it was coming from Zul. It made sense the female raevan that Zul’s smell would be uncharacteristic of their surroundings. He already seemed out of place in comparison to the brush and wilderness that LuLu was fond of in this area; surprisingly, the neighborhoods around Aekea managed their yards religiously. It could have been to make up for the complete lack of vegetation in the mechanized bowls of the city. LuLu had no complaints. The female raevan leisurely closed her eyes and took in more of that spicy scent to remember it. Her eyelids rose slowly and her lilac orbs met with Zul’s electric blue ones, “Zul is very important me.”

At Zul’s next statement, Lulu’s features mounted with confusion, delicate eyebrows arched upwards to express her intrigue. “Harness?” Her mouth moved awkwardly around the new word as she tried it out. Zul mentioned that it was boring; however, LuLu still wondered just what the word meant. Next, LuLu was thrown off by the movement of Zul’s eye. Was he trying to blink? That could not be it. She paused and contemplated why he had preformed such a foreign action. LuLu’s ears twitched in excitement as she formulated an answer. It is a secret explorer greeting! That must be it! Lulu smiled and returned Zul’s wink, “Explorers should stay together.”