Splish-splish-plish!
A strange gold bird splashed in what was little more than a puddle on the very edge of the Ela lands. It wasn't much larger or smaller than a hare, with long thin wings with flight feathers in every color of a pastel rainbow. It had a small, curling crest of light gold, maybe even yellow feathers on top of its head and a small beak.
Tarishi didn't often take a mortal form, but taking a bath as a bird was a lot easier than as a full-grown and pretty huge lioness. It meant she could use smaller pools like this one, avoiding having to be picky as well as the threat of crocodiles. She was a goddess and all, but the semi-aquatic reptiles were still a problem. She would handle herself better against them than most mortals, but she didn't want to risk the entanglement.
So there she was, Goddess of Messengers, in the form of a bird taking a bath. Her usual companion, Hermes, was off hunting for himself, as Tari didn't hunt because she didn't eat and found that wasteful. Besides, Hermie needed to keep his skills up, his way of hunting was a lot more difficult than hers.
Nekoda Waya:The Hunt seemed to be the norm for that afternoon. Nekoda had never learned under a guiding paw how best to go about the chore, so a lot of his experience was gained through guess and check. His lean, scraggly form was testiment enough to how sucessful his methods were. His parents took pity on him, even as an adult, and would often let him have a scap of their kill at the end of a long, unsucessful day. Rabbits were perhaps his favorite. They were larger than birds and mice, but weren't as capable of hurting him as the gazelle. The gazelle would run endlessly, the rabbits on the other hand would hide in dens. Once he knew where they were running to- it was a little easier to cut them off. Still, it was a chore and one that he hardly had the attention for. Sniffing around for holes and trails was only amusing for so long. All it took was a shadow passing over, a breeze blowing the grass, or a sudden noise to draw his mind elsewhere.
But today...yes today he'd get a bird. He'd have feathers to decorate himself with and plenty to gift to Anni. She was new to the pride afterall! She had to have her own feathers. What better way to welcome her than with a gift?
While his bright green paint hardly made the best disguise against the earthen terrain, Koda knew enough to stick to the shadows, keep his breath even, and step lightly. He moved only when the bird was looking elsewhere, froze when it lifted its head, and kept his claws well shiethed...
It had gold feathers. That was interesting! Pretty too... gold. He liked gold. It was so shiny! He'd never seen something so shiny! How did it do that?
Without knowing it, the lion began creeping out of his hiding spot, his mouth dropping open and his eyes widening. It was so...shiny...
Tarishi:
Tari let out a happy trill as she continued to fluff up her feathers and splash water on herself. She had no idea that something was coming to get her. Even if she had some power that allowed her to detect when mortals were near, it wouldn't have worked. She didn't know if it was with all gods or just special to her, but it always felt like her powers were dampened when she took an unnatural form. Like they did when she was in her true shape, her wings shown with several shades of gold when the sub hit them. Except for the flight feathers, which simply remained the colors that climbed her paws when she was in her true form.
Deciding she'd washed up enough, the goddess-in-bird-shape fluttered out of the pool onto one of the rocks, her back to the unknown threat. She fluffed and shook the water from her feathers, preening some of her breast feathers that weren't getting dry fast enough.
Nekoda Waya:
As the bird-goddess turned about, she'd come face to dumbfounded face with a very perplexed Nekoda. The lion laid out on his belly, his paws flopped down to his sides and his chin propped up against the ground. He couldn't get a very good look at the bird from standing up- and the under-side of the wings were just as pretty as the top.
Rather than process that the creature he faced was supposed to be lunch, he starred with a half baffled, half mystified expression.
Tarishi:
Tari finally hopped about to give her wings a better sunning and noticed the small lion not far from her just as she was spreading her wings out. They were oddly shaped in comparison to most african birds, except for a few species like the Swallow-tailed Kite, long, thin, and bent a lot more obviously.
She blinked bright blue eyes at the lion, pretty much forgetting the whole lion-predator-bird-prey issue. He actually looked... in awe or something.
Nekoda Waya:
Koda didn't seem to mind that his prey was looking right at him anymore. He lifted a paw and pointed a single claw her way, his expression never once faultering from its awe-struck state.
"You. Are a very shiny bird."
Tarishi:
Tari's feathers ruffled with pride and she looked at her spread wings. If birds could smile, she SO would be right now.
"Oh! Why thank you! I never really thought about it, but I guess I am really shiny," she replied cheerfully, flapping her wings a bit. She liked being shiny, in the clean kind of way. She was certainly not as bad as Rama, but then he was Ego. That certainly made sense. She just liked to be pretty.
Nekoda Waya:
He slowly extended the remainder of his claws, purpose suddenly re-appearing in the back of his mind. A shiny bird. He could catch the shiny bird! Then the others would be impressed. Not just a bird- but a shining one. Golden feathers...it must have been.
"Bird of the sun! I will claim you!!!"
Tarishi:
Tari blinked even more when the lion extended the rest of his claws. Why in the world would he do that? He seemed so friendly.
And then he was yelling about claiming her or something and before she knew it he was pouncing at her. She let out a surprised chirp and tumbled off the rock, but trying to scramble away did no good. Before she knew it, she was under paws. Paws that would have been small compared to hers, but in this shape they were very big and very scary.
"Oh no! Please-don't-hurt-me! I'm-not-a-bird! Please! I can give you something very special if you let me go!" she cried, flapping her wings in an attempt to get free. She couldn't change back, not when she was pinned down any more than she could have if she was in a small space.
Nekoda Waya:
Time seemed to slow down around him. It was almost as if he was watching himself launch up from the ground, his claws outstretched, his shoulders rolling forward. Was this that 'instinct' his father was always going on about? If it was- it was awesome and he wanted more of it. When time caught up with him again, it took him a moment to fully comprehend just where he was.
He looked down, unseeing for a moment. The bird. It was under his paw. The bird. Was under. His. Paw.
"I DID IT!" He blurted, completely ignoring the poor creature's plea. "I caught one! It was I! Nekoda! I caught the sun bird!...what if that's a bad thing..?" He shot a look up towards the sky, eyes anxious. When it seemed the sun was in place and no fire came flying down at him, he turned his attention back to the bird.
"....I caught you. I caught a bird."
Tarishi:
"Pleaaaaase! I'm not really a bird. Please let me go," Tari pleaded with him once his attention was back on her. He'd looked almost like he wasn't all that there at the moment and he looked up at the sky. Did he think she was somehow part of the sun? No, if memory served, he was a big god... Though with her appearance this time around, for all she knew he might have been a relation. Related to Sun and Moon... No! Lion, pounced, pleading.
"I can get you something, anything! If you just let me go!" she begged again, looking up at him with huge, terrified eyes. Oh where was Hermie when she needed him?
Nekoda Waya:
"Anything?" The lion plopped his backside down and leaned in close, never once relenting his hold on the squirming bird beneith his paw. Anything...anything meant anything. He could have a star if he wanted! Or the sky itself! Maybe a full, clean mane!
"Really? Anything anything? How about turn me into a dragon! I want that."
Tarishi:
Tari looked like she was about to cry. She couldn't turn him into a dragon! Firstly, she couldn't turn anyone into anything. And secondly, last she knew, dragons didn't exist. Unless one meant big lizards or crocodiles and that CERTAINLY wasn't her area.
"I c-can't do that. I c-can only ch-change myself. B-But I can get you something fr-from a f-far-away land or fr-from somewhere you c-can't go or a l-lock of my m-mane or a f-feather. P-Please, just l-let me up and I'll sh-show you I'm n-not a b-b-bird," she stammered, her words catching as her eyes welled up with tears.
Nekoda Waya:
"A feather? But... I just caught you." He reasoned, narrowing his eyes. "I can have as many as I want. I just caught a bird."
Still...she looked kind of sad. He'd never killed a bird before. It was hard enough killing a rabbit, even harder to kill a gazelle...wait what?
"You're...not a bird. Liar. You are. You have wings and feathers and...little...birdy feet."
Tarishi:
"M-My f-feathers are b-bigger in my other f-form. Really! I'm a g-goddess. I can ch-change m-my shape to look l-like a m-mortal. And I l-l-like b-birds!" Okay, so the dam had to break sometime and Tari's outburst finally busted it. Her little body shook as she cried. It was embarrassing, but there was nothing she could do and she was frustrated and scared and OH DAMMIT! She'd just taken a bath and now she was all dirty again!
The tears came even more when that hit her. Oh how had such a lovely day taken such a turn for the worst?
Nekoda Waya:
Koda curled his claws around her, careful not to poke her or injure her in any way, and held her up off the ground. "A goddess! Really!? That makes...two...three? Something like that."
His eyes fell away once more and drifted out to the sky. Another goddess. That had to mean something! Maybe he wasn't the oddball, maybe...,he was the chosen one! Yes, a great hero no one really expected to step forward! Wouldn't the villans be suprised.
A drop of water snapped him back to reality. With a start he realized the bird was crying. "Hey... hey I didn't mean to make you cry. Stop it! I don't know how to handle a crying girl. I won't eat you."
Tarishi:
Oh good heavens, he was looking up at the sky again. And what did he mean by that made two or three? Had he met other gods before? Well, then he just had to believe her, just HAD to let her up. Oh, she'd be good on her word. If he wanted some foreign trinket, she'd zoom away to get it for him. It would take her longer than some other gods because she wasn't delivering any messages, but she was certainly faster than any mortal. Sure, there were a few this she COULDN'T give him, but she'd cross that river if she had to come to it.
Tari did her best to stop crying when he asked her to, reducing herself to sniffles instead.
"Please let me up. This is very uncomfortable and scary, I wanna change back now," she said, her words broken by sniffs. She even went so far as to wrapping her wings around his paw as best she could.
Nekoda Waya:
Koda tightened his maw and leaned in close. "...I'll let you up, but you have to promise not to run away. You said you'd give me something."
He eyed her for a long moment, forgetting completely about getting any kind of confirmation into this bargain, and slowly lifted his paws up. He threw them into the air, displaying empty paw pads before dropping them down at his feet.
"Okay! Blessing time. Make me great!
Tarishi:
As soon as she was free, Tari scrambled away, standing and fluttering her feathers a bit.
"That was so very unlady-like," she mumbled and continued shaking herself, as if she was still trying to rid herself of water. Only as she shook, her feathers shook off, into golden sparks that clung to her for a moment before they burst with a blinding light. When the light was gone, the goddess sat in the place of the bird, frowning down at her raised front leg which was now dusty again.
She always did have a thing for theatrics.
She set her paw back down and looked away, a little sheepishly.
"I'm... still getting used to my powers, and my blessings are meant for messengers," she replied, her ears flicking down a bit. It was a weird scene, really, considering she was almost twice his size. Well, maybe not quite, but she was still a lot bigger.
She looked up again, giving him what some might call 'sad, puppy-dog eyes.'
"Is there something else I could give you?"
