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 Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2012 7:33 pm
 Lyrica was no longer living with her mother and siblings. She had moved out on her own a few months back and was still trying to find her place in the world. She'd found a small place, not far from town, where she could just spend her days daydreaming, walking, and singing. Lyrica loved to sing. She got that passion from her parents, Leona and Tenor. Her father especially had ingrained in her a love for music. So it was not uncommon to find her walking down a path near her house, singing in a sweet voice, to anyone or anything that cared to listen. She spent many a day making up new songs to sing, and on occasion she would return to her mothers home and sing her new songs for Leona. Today was an exceptional day by Lyrica's standards. It had rained the night before, and this morning there was a brisk, cool wind blowing. The grass under her feet was still damp with raindrops from the night before, and they shimmered as the rays of sunlight shone on them. She had walked down to the stream for a morning drink of cool, sweet water.
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 10:20 am
Naito had been on his own for as long as he could remember, and had no recollection of parents even when he was young. Although he quickly learned to take care of himself, he had never been quick to make friends with others. He seemed to insult others, usually without the intention to, so often he preferred to be on his own. Others tended to cause problems, be too sensitive.
It was morning and he was woken by the dripping of water onto his head. It had rained last night and he'd found shelter in a cave, just to wait out the night. He tended to travel a lot, so never had a permanent dwelling. Naito rolled over and stretched, yawning as he did. It was much too early to be awake, but since he was, he may as well make the best of it. He plodded out of his cave, dragging his feet lazily on the ground as walked. He knew there was a stream nearby, so he headed in that direction.
The water was cool and clear, shimmering as the sun hit it in just the right spots. He lay down next to the river, dipping his foot in the water then licking the drops off. He had never liked sticking his head too close to the water.
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 10:29 am
Lyrica decided to take a walk, so she followed the downward flow of the stream. Somewhere along the way she would find something to eat, so she wasn't too concerned about the rumbling going on in her belly. She wasn't too intent on her surroundings this morning, as she was well acquainted with the others who lived nearby, so when she saw him from across the stream, she wondered who he might be, and what his purpose was. He was just lying there by the water, casually licking water off his foot, as he kept dipping it in. Not one to take chances, she decided to stay on her side of the stream, and get his attention from there. "Good morning," she called over to him, "I don't believe I've seen you around here before. Are you visiting someone in town?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 9:14 pm
Naito had been so intent drinking his water and listening to the sound of the stream, that he hadn't even heard the approach. He started at her voice, his paw splashing into the water. He glanced up warily, looking towards the voice.
Across the river was a female, not one he'd seen in his travels. With her snow white fur and amethyst eyes, she was quite lovely. Naito found his thoughts wandering, wondering what those eyes looked like closer up. And it appeared she had black appendages, what were those things.
Naito wound up staring at her for much longer than was polite, and had not said a thing. Shaking his head to clear the errant thoughts, he looked away.
"Hello," he answered slowly, taking a quick look back at her. "I'm not visiting anyone, no one to visit really. I'm a traveler and don't stay in one place too long. Just stopping by, I had to take shelter from the rain last night. I was in a cave all night, it mostly protected me from the rain..."
As Naito realized he was rambling, he trailed off. Although he didn't spend a lot of time around others, he found that he spoke far too much. His gaze had drifted back to her and he found himself studying her markings.
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 12:15 pm
"Oh, well my name is Lyrica and I live upstream from here," she said as she looked over the handsome male. "If you'd like to come visit, there's a place not to far upriver from here where you can cross safely. I can walk up with you, and show you where it is if you like." She was intrigued by the markings she could see on his body, and wanted very much to ask him about them. There was also something shiny hanging around his neck. She sat down on her side of the stream and waited for him to stop staring, and answer her invitation.
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 12:39 pm
Naito stood up, shaking the remaining water from his paw before setting it down, and started walking upstream.
"Lyrica.." he mused to himself. "A pretty name.. I wonder if she can sing, if her parents are musical. Maybe I should just swim across the water, instead of walking."
He cast a quick look at the water, shaking his head. Then stopped abruptly and looked back at Lyrica. He had never answered her, was he supposed to? He probably should have.
"Are you coming?" he called, seeming unabashed. "I would like very much to see this crossing spot and get a closer look at you. I can't quite make out your markings from here. And I don't much like swimming. I mean, I don't mind it, but the water is too cold this morning. I know from.. drinking.. it..." He trailed off again. Unable to stop talking.
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 12:51 pm
She laughed at his words. She stood up herself and caught up to where he was across the stream. "It's not far. We should reach it in a few minutes," she said. So he wanted to get a closer look at her...markings huh? She smiled to herself, because she was thinking the exact same thing about him, but she wasn't so bold as to say it out loud. Within a few minutes they had reached the place where he could cross. An old tree had fallen across the stream during the last big storm, making a perfect bridge. "Here we are. You should have no trouble crossing over now. Just don't fall in," she said in a good-natured way.
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 1:05 pm
He wasn't sure whether to frown or smile at her laughter. On the one hand, he wasn't aware he had said something funny, so he felt as though he had said something wrong again. On the other hand, it was such a lovely sound he rather liked it. He settled for an impassive look, just to be safe.
Arriving at the log, he didn't think twice before crossing. Through his travels he was quite used to climbing on and over many natural elements. He jumped atop the log, allowing a second or two to steady himself before crossed. When he jumped down on the other side, he misjudged slightly and landed rather close to Lyrica. He blinked, unsure how to proceed.
"Hello, my name is Naito. You are much prettier at this distance. I love your eyes." He kept the same tone throughout, treating the compliment as if it were a greeting; perfectly normal and natural.
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 1:16 pm
She stepped back quickly as he started to lose his balance, and fell at her feet. "Hello Naito. Are you okay?" she asked, as he looked up into her eyes. She'd been complimented on her eyes before by others, but never by a male as handsome as him. Now that he was here at her feet, she could see the moon marking on his forehead, and the beautiful markings on his hind leg. Around his neck was a necklace, but she had no idea what it way of.
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 1:27 pm
Naito pushed up so he was sitting in front of her, a few leaves caught in his fur.
"Yes, I'm fine. Though admittedly it is a bit embarrassing to fall on your face in front of a girl. You are a girl, right? You look very feminine and your name sounds feminine too. I certainly hope I'm not wrong, I'd feel even more foolish than I do now." He looked at her hopefully, keeping still so as to avoid being rude. He very much wanted to inspect the black appendages, but that seemed rude without permission.
"I'm a boy, by the way." He said as an afterthought, just so they were clear.
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 1:52 pm
Lyrica found it strange that he would ask if she was a female, and then tell her he was a male. Wasn't it obvious? But she kept those thoughts to herself and simply answered his question. "Yes, I'm female." She wanted to ask him all sorts of questions, as she had never met anyone quite like him, but she felt that it would be better to take him back to her home, and offer him something to eat, and a more comfortable place to talk. "If you follow me, I'll show you where I live. If you're hungry, I can give you something to eat." She fluttered her small wings, and smiled as he stood up.
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 2:02 pm
He was relieved to verify that she was female, but that relief didn't last long. She wanted to go back to her house? "But what's wrong with the forest," he blurted out. He squirmed at the thought of a house. He'd never been in one before. Should he tell her that? He glanced at her, suddenly torn.
"I don't.. I mean.. houses are.. I.." he stuttered, tongue tied. "Are you hungry? I could find you breakfast, or lunch. I'm sure there's something around here to eat." He took a step back from her, still uncertain. "Are you going to leave if I don't go to your house?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 2:20 pm
Lyrica was confused by his hesitation, and his apparent uneasiness. "But my house is in the forest. It's really nothing more than a hollowed out tree, and I have a store of berries and nuts there. But if you would rather not go it's perfectly alright. We can stay right here if you would rather. It's a nice day, and though I've already eaten, I'm sure you could find something nearby if you are hungry." Why in the world would he be afraid to go to her house? He was most certainly unlike any male, or female of her kind, she had met before. Perhaps he'd been away from their kind for a while. If he decided to stay, she would definitely ask him.
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 2:27 pm
"A hollowed out log isn't so bad, I suppose it could be much worse. I've stayed in hollowed logs myself. It's just.." He paused, taking a quick look at her again. Would she laugh? He took a deep breathe. "I've never been in a house before." He said it quickly, and wasn't sure if it was clear.
He pawed at the ground nervously, pushing a stick around and sneaking glances at her every now and again. He had never felt so uncertain in his life. "I'm not very hungry anyway" he admits. "My stomach has been in knots since I saw you, I'm not sure what to make of it. It feels as though there's something squirmy or fluttery in there, but the only thing I've had is water..."
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 2:52 pm
She noticed how uneasy he seemed to be around her, and she didn't quite know what to make of it. No one else in the village reacted that way to her presence. Never lived in a house? Now that was strange as well, but then she supposed there could any number of reasons for it. "Well, I don't mind if we sit here and talk. May I ask you a few questions? Like, where do you come from?" She figured this was the best place to start, and she lowered her body to the ground, folding her wings against her back.
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