Aida pranced around in a large circle, trying to burn off some excess energy. She had been out exploring but honestly had been feeling pretty lonely and out of place lately. It was extremely odd to her, but sometimes other Soquili could be weird about her skull markings, apparently believing them to be a sign of ... something or other. Aida was tired of never knowing when she'd run into such a strange attitude. Her smattering of skulls was cute, dammit! And while her familiar had a skull on his front leg, and none of her immediate family (parents, full siblings, stepmother, and half siblings) gave her grief about it either, she just wished she weren't the only Soq she knew with "spooky" marks from the spirits. Her brother Benji with the ghost necklace could at least take it /off/ when others were bothered. Ugh. She just wanted to know someone else who would never think twice, someone who wasn't part of the family she was born into.
Aida raised her wings partway and felt the breeze ruffle her flight feathers. It was tempting to go for a short zip through the air. She'd left her familiar back at her temporary home and maybe sailing through the air would help settle her overflowing feelings? And perhaps she'd see her next destination as she explored via the sky. But just as she gathered her muscles to take off, she heard a soft, unidentifiable noise nearby. Was it something moving in the underbrush, or something low in the sky, or something in the branches of a tree? Aida paused and relaxed her muscles, nonchalantly peering around and slowly circling the area to see if she could find the source. [286 words]