Welcome to Gaia! ::

"I... think I am starting to get the hang of this, Rae... but we still can't tell Papa, alright? Not until I am good enough at it." He told the hulking Raptrix who was walking at his side and she responded with a 'wuff' sound, as though she were assuring her boy that she in fact wouldn't be tattling on him. After all the boy was her best friend and the two of them had been together since they were both quite tiny, the fact that he had a secret that Makani confided in her was something she seemed to like. Given how important the secret was made it so that she was even more pleased, tail wagging behind her, ears turned forward. This walk was a sort of test in fact of the strange new ability that Makani had started to discover since he'd become a teenager, one that he was slowly honing as the days passed.

Giving a chuckle Makani lifted a hand, reaching out to rest it on top of Rae's head, ruffling her soft, warm fur, "You really are such a good girl." He said, smiling brightly before the walk continued. Rae was there for him in case he faltered, ready to catch hold of him and drag him out of trouble if the need arose... and strangely enough it did though in a manner that was unexpected by the young halfbreed and his dog, that being the sound of something... no... someone yelling and the sound of snow, as well as a body, coming tumbling down a hill. Rae was about to grab hold of Makani when he shook his head, "Give me a chance." He murmured, breathing in deeply, let the breath out slowly, and let the swirling energy around them clue him in as to what was going on.

"Ahhh... here..." He murmured, taking a couple steps back as the other fact down in front of them, trailed by a miniature avalanche, "See that, Rae? I did it!" He said, clapping his hands together in a delighted manner. He really was liking this ability more and more as he figured it out, it would, one day, allow him to be a normal and helpful member of the tribe... though which tribe he wasn't quite sure yet. He knew the day would come when he would have a choice to make and at the moment he wasn't sure which way he would lean, toward the Wind Tribe or would he chose to stay in Zena. He wasn't sure as of yet... but it wasn't something he should worry about, instead he should likely worrying about whoever it was that had fallen down the hill, huh? Tilting his head, listening for the sounds of breathing, he asked, "Are you still alive?" He sure hoped so or else they would need to see about dragging the body back home so that someone else could identify it.

There was a long, drawn out moment where Makani was starting to wonder if the one that had fallen down the hill hadn't made it. It wasn't exactly something that he was equipped to deal with though. How did one go about dealing with someone falling to their death in front of you? Before he had to consider going to get his father though he heard the sound of shifting snow before the person seemed to pop up out of it all of sudden, something that seemed a little odd to Makani. This one was rather resilient, wasn't he? A bit like the rare plants that popped up every now and again through the snow. As the other guy exclaimed about how much fun he'd just had in his fall of sorts Makani couldn't help but to wonder if maybe he'd hit his head? Probably not though, he didn't smell blood after all.

What he did smell, especially as the other guy got closer did interest him though. He smelled of the Wind Tribe, didn't he? There was something else there too, something that suggested the guy was of mixed heritage in the same manner that Makani himself was which only made him that much more interesting to the boy. When Ogbonna as he called himself held his hand out there was no reaction from Makani, but Rae was quick to take Makani's wrist in her mouth, lifting it so that his hand would brush against that of Ogbonna, "Oh! Sorry." He said, clasping the other boy's hand, giving it a shake, "It is nice to meet you Ogbonna, my name is Makani and this is Rae." He said, gesturing with his free hand to where he could sense, as well as hear and smell, that his big Raptrix was standing.

Rae released her hold on Makani when she was sure he was alright and gave a little 'wuff' sound to greet Ogbonna. She sensed no malice from him so she saw no reason to growl, bare her teeth, or otherwise try to chase him off. So long as he was nice then she would allow him to play with 'her' Makani. The second he tried to be mean though she'd give him a good biting!

"Maka? Sure, I don't see why not." He said, giving a little chuckle at what a joke to him given that he really couldn't see anything, so it made the statement amusing to him. The other guy wanted for Makani to call him 'Oggie' which was an interesting sounding nickname and one that he didn't mind using when referring to this new comer, "Oggie it is then. It's nice to meet you Oggie. Are you alright after your fall?" Best that he made sure the other guy didn't hit anything vital on the way down since he wouldn't be able to see it himself and without any blood drawn he couldn't smell it either.

As Oggie moved away from him, to show Rae just as much affection, giving her all manner of compliments he couldn't help but to laugh a little, "She really is wonderful, I agree. I got her when she was just a tiny ball of fluff like this." He said, holding his hands up with just a small distance apart from one another, "Even her wings were fluffy back then, it was before her feathers started to come in." He was so happy he'd found her, he'd needed a friend and the time and she needed a family since she was orphaned. All of the compliments seemed to be pleasing Rae, making her tongue loll out and her tail wag like mad. Yes, she definitely liked Ogbonna.

It didn't take too long for the guy to come back to Makani, making him think that he was almost as excitable as Rae had been as a pup, "Ahh... yes, I am... and I was wondering what it was that you were. Wind Tribe I could tell but I have never crossed paths with a member of the Leaf Tribe. What are they like?" He asked curiously, then gave a slight jolt when he asked where Makani was from, "Ohh... umm... here at the moment, though I used to live in Sauti before my mother passed. It's where I plan to return once I am older and better able to care of myself." He explained, while he loved is father and sister he would much rather return to the home of his mother's people one day.

"Rolling? Really?" Why he would want to roll down the hill was beyond Makani if only because he'd never done such a thing before. It wasn't exactly the safest activity for someone like him so that meant that he was better off not knowing exactly what it was like. He'd have to take Oggie's word on it when he said that hills were for rolling since he didn't plan to try such a thing any time soon. He'd leave that up to braver men them himself he thought to himself before giving a smile, "I am glad to hear that you aren't in pain. I would hate for you to get hurt doing something that you enjoy doing." He'd prefer that Oggie was safe.

When Oggie started to describe the Leaf Tribe to him Makani couldn't help but to feel a touch down about it, mostly because it was explained in terms he couldn't understand. 'Brown' hair and 'green' eyes, those were things that were lost on him since he didn't know colors, but at the same time he felt that it was significant. There were those who cared about the coloration that a person carried upon their person, something that Makani had always found to be a bit strange. Given that he was unable to perceive superficial things such as looks he was left to learn about people in other ways instead. As he spoke of his uncle who was also a halfbreed, sounding proud of him, as well as proud of himself, Makani liked him that much more. There were those in his village that didn't like Makani because he was also of the Wind Tribe, yet another reason that he looked forward to moving one day.

"It's alright, it's been many years since I lost her and the pain has dulled son. Besides I still have Papa and my sister Eira, so I am not alone." He said, not wanting to worry Oggie, "Ah! Careful, don't hit the spikes on my shoulders." He warned Oggie, to make sure the other guy didn't accidentally jab himself with one of them. At the invitation to a place called Mez he nodded, "I will look for you if I end up there." It would be even nicer to go there knowing someone who lived there after all. That way he wouldn't be completely on his own in a new place.

Wow, it seemed as though this young man had a big family, didn't he? He sure made it sound interesting, as though visiting his family would be something worth doing, especially when he mentioned all of the fun, "It sounds like it would be fun to experience all of that." He said, giving his new friend a smile. All that stood between himself and that now was his likely his Papa, the man wasn't going to just let Makani wander off as far as Sauti, even if Rae was with him, "Games? Oh, well there are a few that are nice but... some are a bit harder for me though, Hide and Seek for example, I am terrible at that one." He said jokingly. It was a joke that had Rae giving a snort, as though she was unamused.

Makani chuckled again before he tilted his head to one side as Oggie asked him about his eyes, something that had him perking up a bit, "You needn't worry about them, I am alright, my eyes have always been like that." He explained, not wanting for him to worry. This was how he was, how he'd always been, and how he'd always be, "I do hope that it doesn't bother you?" He needed to work harder to keep others from noticing... maybe he should get a mask or something he thought to himself idly. He rather be treated normal after all even if he was far from normal.

"I promise that it's fine." He said again, lifting a hand out to rest it on Oggie's shoulder, able to sense where he was from the sounds he made, the warmth he gave off, and due to the ability that he was slowing honing, that being the ability to 'see' through the magical energy around them.

If he were able to do so Makani likely would have starred at the other boy in an shocked manner, the fact that he just took Makani's word for it that it was fine and asked nothing else. He gave another little laugh before he said, "Well, they aren't sick exactly." He wondered exactly how it was that he should explain, especially when a part of him really just didn't want to. The idea of having a friend that didn't know that he was blind was kind of nice. At the same time it probably wasn't something that he shouldn't be hiding from him... Oggie had been nothing but kind so far, right? He'd even invited him over to his place were he to stop by his village in Sauti.

After a moment of thought he lowered his hand from the other boy's shoulder to instead rest it on Rae's head, ruffling her warm fur, "Ahhh... I am not good at Hide and Seek because of the... umm... seeking part." He murmured, his coloring a little, "I don't seek too well with these eyes you see." Though he wasn't exactly sure if the other boy did see. He seemed as blind as Makani was in this instance.

There was a long moment of silence from Makani whose normally fox like eyes went rather wide... before he started to laugh in a hearty manner, "Ahh... ahahaha... you are funny, Oggie." He murmured, amused by how the boy didn't seem to care even in the least big that Makani was blind. If anything he seemed to be interested in the fact that he was able to meet with a blind person. That was far better then having to deal with people who pitied him or felt as though he was someone who would never be useful to the tribe because of his eyes. He wanted to prove them wrong and find more people who were like Oggie. How he wanted to give the other boy a big hug at the moment... something he'd resist though since he didn't want to smother his new friend.

"See with my soul? I... suppose that could be a way to describe it." He murmured, then leaned in closer and whispered, "If you can keep a secret? I... think I am learning to do just that. Before I had to move around with the help of Rae as well as by taking in the sounds and smells around me. Now though it's different... it's as though I can sense things around me in a different way as I used to. I am still learning though so I don't want to tell anyone or worry my Papa." The man was a very serious and protective sort and Makani doubted highly that the man would really believe him if he said that he was learning how to see without his eyes. If anything it would cause the hunter to fret, something that Makani didn't want to be the cause of. He meant to keep the secret until he was certain that he could manage himself without help... not that he'd abandoned Rae or anything, he still needed the help pretty pup and felt he always would. She was his best friend after all.