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 Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 10:30 am
Cornelius silently stalked his way through the undergrowth of the woods, making a beeline to Mistress Chings den. The air was a bit dry and cold, but he barely noticed the cold due to his thickening fur and the heat readiating from the basket he was carrying.
He was surprised when heard a small explosion near the edge of her territory and when he went to investigate, he found a small crater in what used to be a cluster of bushs. Being overly cautious, he tensed himself for anything that would fly at him in an attack. But when he peered over, all he found was a clam, almost looking like it was glowing, the wings softly crackling with fire.
Having ran to the rangers station, stolen a basket and rushing right back, he got the clam into the basket and covered it with a small blanket, and now, back in the present, he was making his way to his employers den. Normally, he would have taken the clam to his mother, but she just had her newest litter of three and was devoting her time and attention to their care and he didn't want to introduce a new one suddenly.
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Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 8:05 pm
Mistress Ching lay sunning herself outside of her den, Chih-kai off somewhere running errands for her. She was enjoying this lighter lifestyle, though that didn't mean she didn't get her own paws dirty sometimes. Why, just the other day she and her little assistant had made a run outside of the Oasis to make a raid on a fish hatchery. They only brought back two catfish, but the monsters were huge! They had shared some of the first one with their fellows and had the rest drying in strips, something Shih and Hsu had learned by observing humans.
The old otter queen's eyes were closed, but she was alert to everything around her. Every sound rang crisply in her keen ears. She was loath to admit it, but her eyesight was getting worse and worse as time wore on. Sometimes, she had to put on crystal spectacles to see details in treasure they brought in, or determining the quality of pearls.
Not that anyone but Hsu knew.
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Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 8:08 pm
He finally recognized the tell-tell signs of being close to Mistress Chings den and he slowed down his gait, feeling himself sweat a little under his fur. He would have to take a dip into the water when he could, this clam produced alot of heat!
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Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 8:18 pm
Shih's eyes snapped open at the sound of another creature's approach. Brown eyes slipped over to the direction of the sound and relaxed. It was only Cornelius, her top otter, second only to Hsu in her chain of command. He had a basket, so she could only assume he was coming to bring her something.
Rising in a dignified sit, she crossed her paws in front of her and wrapped her tail around her side.
"Yes?" she asked, her voice accented by an eastern influence.
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Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 9:00 pm
Cornelius made his way toward his employer, somewhat glad that annoying squirrel wasn't around, not wanting to deal with his fussing with what he brought. Setting the basket down in front of him, he bowed his head in respect to the elder, looking up to her, "Good afternoon Mistress Ching. I know it is unusual for me to show up unannounced like this, but....I found something." he said, hoping he wasn't overstepping his bounds.
He grabbed the basket and started tipping it, the ashes sliding out first and then the clam.
The clam seemed to be nestled down in the ash, the fire of its wings glowing slightly and soft singing/chirping could be heard from inside as the pup was somewhat startled from the movement.
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Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 9:48 pm
Brown eyes widened in surprise as the younger male tipped out a clam that clearly held an otter pup within. She narrowed her eyes and leaned in close to get a better look at it, a thoughtful frown on her face.
"There were no parents?" she asked, returning her focus to Cornelius. Did he expect her to take in the pup and raise it?
She considered the clam, its wings and halo, the ash nest it sat in and the fire flickering on those tiny wings... Shih was too old to be raising a pup! But... it had been so long since she lost Jin, having no idea what happened to her son. This little one could be a second chance for her... She did miss being a mother.
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Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 9:54 pm
Cornelius stepped back when she got closer to the clam, "That is the odd thing. I heard an explosion, and when I went to investigate, there was a small fire and sitting in the middle of it was the clam, on fire as well, surrounded by ash. I didn't smell anyone else around because I was on patrol. No one else was there besides me and the clam." he said.
The pup inside finally calmed down, the fire on the wings slowly lowering down to a dull glow, soft singing from inside the clam.
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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 10:11 am
Shih listened to the story Cornelius told her, of the explosion and the fire. It triggered a memory, of an old legend once forgotten in her mind, from her homeland. Her claws lightly scrapped against the surface of the claw as she considered the tale.
"In my birth holt, we had a story of a great bird, the fenghuang. A bird of fire, it came to the land in times of goodness and prosperity, watching over the mate of our leader. The fenghuang watched over the female while the dragon would come to the male. This little one reminds me of fenghuang. Thank you for bringing it to me, I shall watch over it now," she said, returning her gaze to Cornelius with a short nod.
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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 10:45 am
Cornelius listened intently to her story, looking down at the firey clam and thinking how similar they were. When she said she would watch over the clam, he smiled lightly and nodded his head, "What name will you give the pup?" he asked, a bit curious, especially if he would probably end up seeing the pup more often after it was out of it's clam and in the open.
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