Welcome to Gaia! ::

Observing the sky above him, Cloud laid peacefully in the tall grass of the plains, holding his brown foofoo plushie close to his chest. Over the summer, the feline child ended up relocating to the tundra temporarily to escape from the heat. Being grateful to be able to return home after a long summer, the kitten boy took a detour to visit his favorite area of pass time, the plains.

Midnight too, was grateful to return from their ‘winter wonderland’ trip. While she did end up bonding more with Cloud, she was growing bored of seeing brown grass and snow on a daily basis. The former tiger creature was much more at peace in the warmer climate.

Perking up his sensitive cat ears, Cloud pushed himself off the ground. ’…there is someone approaching….’ the child telepathically murmured to his guardian. Bringing his stuffed animal into a tight embrace, the Zahdl was mentally preparing himself for the worst. He wasn’t sure what to expect, was this creature a friend or foe? Suppose the approaching force was indeed not intending harm, what would they need from him? He already had the fear of rejection happening once more paralyzing him from talking, what if this new being was going to reject him? On the other hand, there could be a monster. Cloud never had to battle anything in his short few months of life, so that could possibly prove a problem.

Sensing Cloud’s fear, Midnight searched through her brain for a way to comfort him. ”It’s alright, Cloud. I’m here with you...” the guardian weakly announced. She wasn’t exactly sure how that could bring comfort to the anxious child, especially since she lacked a body of her own. Though, it was worth a try.

Giving a nervous grin, Cloud pushed himself to walk in the direction he heard the noise coming from. There was no point in staying in one area, as if he was a sitting duck. At least if it was a monster, he wouldn’t need to be surprised. Clutching the toy against his chest harder, he moved forward slowly. Keeping his eyes peeled for the creature that made the noise.

Cloud continued pushing himself to go forward, his feline ears pricked up high to pick up any sudden sounds. The child’s anxiety seemed to be at an all time high, and slowly increasing with each one of his careful steps.

Midnight, on the other hand, seemed to be more relaxed than the child. Though she still wasn’t at ease, the guardian needed to at least put on a ‘strong face’ so to speak, for Cloud. With each one of Cloud’s steps, she was right in front of him, keeping her vision peeled on any sudden movement. To her success, she managed to spot a figure approaching them. If she still had her face, her lips would’ve curved into a smile. ”Kiddo, I don’t think we are dealing with a monster….” Midnight’s voice snickered, a hint of amusement lurking within her words. It appeared another Zahdl was lurking in the plains, a pretty female child to be specific. ’This is going to be interesting…’ the previous tiger creature mused mentally.

Tilting his head to the side, the cat Zahdl focused his vision before him. There was indeed a figure approaching, which, as Midnight stated, was far from a monster. The female approaching had beautiful dark brown curly hair, and also sported some kind of ears, similar to his. This discovery caused one part of his growing anxiety died down, while the other seemed to kick in. What if this new Zahdl was going to reject him for not speaking? Or what if she just was going to reject him for no apparent reason? Inhaling deeply, he raised up one of his arms, giving a slight wave to the newcomer. Cloud just hoped she picked up this waving, as a sign that he is friendly.

Cloud cautiously observed the deer girl before him. Sensing the female’s fear before him, the kitten calmed him down slightly. ’…Midnight….please….introduce me….’ Nodding his head at the mention of Isabelle’s name to make clear he was listening, he gave an anxious smile in return. His grip on his toy loosened slightly, while his tail gently swayed behind him.

”Nice to meet you, Isabelle!” Midnight chirped, her vision focusing on the deer Zahdl. ”My name is Midnight, and this is Cloud. Cloud hasn’t actually….er…spoken aloud yet. He can communicate to me, so I usually, well, speak aloud for him.” The guardian declared, hoping her explanation would be alright. Isabelle seemed friendly, and this was already bringing the guardian excitement. Shifting her focus onto both of the Zahdl at once, Midnight observed both Cloud and Isabelle. This was going to be interesting to watch.

”Please to meet you too, Skit!” Midnight declared, causing Cloud to nod in agreement.

Izzie’s words pierced at Cloud’s heart, as he turned his head to the side staring at the grass below him. He wasn’t offended by the deer girl’s worlds, but simply, more embarrassed at himself. A slight flush spread across his face while he rattled his head for answers. Sure, he knew he could speak physically if he wanted to, as he did end up making weird noises when he had gotten startled in the past. He knew the main reason; it was his fear of rejection. In his mind, if he didn’t speak words, then no one could reject him. After all, how can anyone reject someone who doesn’t speak their opinions? If he didn’t speak, he could also be easily ignored with others around. Though, did he even want to be alone? Cloud’s whole reason for not speaking was beginning to contradict itself.

Taking his eyes off the grass, and staring at Izzie once more, the cat Zahdl offered a nervous grin to Izzie. His reasons were personal, and he didn’t even want to share them with Midnight. There was a nagging thought in the back of feline’s mind. He sensed Izzie’s fear from looking at her when he approached. Maybe her fear was similar to his. ’…tell her…it….is…because of fear….and…I’ll leave it at that…’ his ‘voice’ quivered. If the girl was feeling the same fear as he does, then perhaps she would be able to understand his short meaning.

If Midnight still had her physical form, her facial expression would be a frown. The tiger admired Izzie’s question, a question she has been afraid to ask her “child” for some time now. Cloud’s answer didn’t seem to appeal to her nerves. What could he possibly fear from talking? Observing Izzie’s reactions asking her question, she felt sorry for her. Hoping she did read correctly the doe’s body language, the guardian chose to break the uncomfortable silence. ”Isabelle, don’t worry. Cloud’s not upset at all over the question.” she cheered, hoping that was the actual reason why Izzie looked at the ground. ”Cloud says, he doesn’t speak out of fear. He didn’t really go into detail…” her voice trailed off.

Cloud, giving a quick shake of his head of approval, tried to smile wider, hoping to bring comfort to other Zahdl. ’…Midnight…ask her and Skit what they are doing here….maybe….we can…extend going home for a bit….to stay with them….

Now this was the kind of attitude Midnight enjoyed. ”Cloud wants to know what the two of you are doing here in the plains, and if you guys would enjoy some company for a bit” she excitedly proclaimed. Perhaps being away from everyone else for a bit was giving Cloud a much needed push into socializing. Despite his fear, he seemed to be slowly, but surely conquering it.

Staring at her charred finger tips, Cloud’s bronzed ears flexed flat against his head. The child has never seen anything like that before in his short life, but he could presume it was painful because he could pinpoint the injury when his brown eyes focused on his companion. He felt empathy for the other Zahdl’s possible pain, but seeing as the female started to grin, he too smiled.

”Thank you for letting us join you!” Midnight cheerfully exclaimed, keeping her vision focused on Izzie. This was going to be a new adventure again, and the two Zahdl already seemed to be hitting it off to good a start.

Upon feeling the sensation of Izzie’s hand touching his own, Cloud tilted his head to the side, baffled at the situation. When he tried to help Myu back in their quest awhile ago, she slapped his hand back. This perplexed the feline, not sure what the ‘normal’ response would be. (OC: Oh man…this sounds so wrong how I’m going to phrase this… *bricked*) So, was touching another good or was it bad? Izzie seemed excited, so perhaps it was a positive way to show emotions. Breaking into a grin once more, Cloud clutched her hand tighter, quickening his pace to keep up with the skipping deer girl.

Midnight, on the other hand, snickered quietly to herself. Despite some of the differences between children on her planet, and children here, it was becoming very clear to the guardian that the children acted in the same matter. Being carefree, and unaware of what holding hands meant to teenagers and adults, was a completely different meaning to them. To kids, it showed security, and friendship. This was the kind of Cloud she wanted to see, smiling and not secluding himself.

Flexing his brown cat ears up, the child Zahdl kept his eyes peeled as they traveled. This “Lavender” was seemingly hard to come by. Cloud knew they’d find it eventually, and he was determined to help his knew companion in any way possible.

Upon the tugging on his hand, Cloud stopped instantly, turning his head and giving a wide smile to Izzie. Food…that thought didn’t pass into his mind until the deer child just mentioned it, who was now holding the sandwich up to him. Nodding his head gratefully as he accepted, he too sat in the grass. Cheese… he never had that before, but if she enjoyed it, he had a feeling he would too. Taking a big bite out the sandwich, the child’s eyes lit up with joy; quickly shoving the rest into his small mouth.

Midnight laughed slightly, before focusing her attention once more on the deer Zahdl sitting next to Cloud. ”I’ll take that as a yes, he likes cheese, Isabelle!” the guardian spoke quietly, trying to keep from laughing at Cloud’s behavior. ”Hey Skit, if you don’t mind me asking, how long have you been a guardian for now?”, the former tiger creature started, hoping to learn a bit more of Izzie’s silent guardian. ”I’ve been a guardian for almost…a year now I believe…It’s been a real great experience…”

((sorry for the long wait, school=stressful D: *bites it*))

Accepting the water with haste, Cloud swallowed the liquid, bringing a sudden refreshing feeling rush through his throat. As quickly as it took ingest the fluid, the feline child’s attention once again swiftly shifted to focus on the area around surrounding him. A frown crossed his face, He wasn’t seeing any hints of this lavender his new friend needed to cure her burns. His focus was once again shattered when Izzie quickly pulled him to his feet. Tilting his head to the side, her words rang through his head sharply. ’…Tag?’ This was a new word in his dictionary.

Just as Midnight was about to respond Skit, her concentration focused on Cloud again. Amusement rushed through out her aura. Now this was interesting sight, a kid that didn’t know how to play tag. ”Kiddo, go chase Isabelle! If you can catch up to her, touch her gently, and then it’s her turn to chase after you.” the guardian spoke softly, trying to keep herself from laughing.

Cloud’s pupils widened, as his brown cat ears pricked upward in this new knowledge. His frown quickly cracked into a wide grin, as he too, started darting with the wind after his deer companion. A few of his stray hairs blew from his head, as he tried his best to push his legs to max speed. He never felt this way before. It was if for a moment, he could fly away joining his stray hair and fur in the breeze. His normal fear of rejection was placed out his mind for now, as the kitten enjoyed this moment of life.

”It means a lot to me, as well Skit…” Midnight beamed delightfully. ”I’ve never seen Cloud act like this, as he usually isn’t the one to socialize with others…It…It’s a great feeling to see him like this.”
The guardian paused, trying to come up with the right words. She was at a loss, Midnight was feeling like she was on Cloud-Nine seeing how her little Zahdl was acting, but Skit’s slight mention of the past…How does one comfort someone on that?

”I…I understand what it feels like getting caught up in the past. So don’t worry about it…” her voice shook slightly, trying to gather up how to continue her sentence. ”I haven’t even told Cloud my own past yet, so…I understand completely…..Now…let’s get back on happy discussions shall we?” Midnight’s voice coaxed, while her attention once again shifted to the two children playing in the field.