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 Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2007 1:10 pm
It was a rather… confusing time for Aeron. In general, he didn’t like humans (except for his Mal, of course) but now there had been all sorts of humans around, most of them talking to Mal about something. The large gryphon had no idea what was going on, but he knew it was upsetting his food-provider. Aeron didn’t like it when people made Mal upset. He was far more fun when he was happy. But, the damned human would stop Aeron from chasing the other humans away! What was up with that?! After being stopped, Aeron would simply sulk and be confused about human nature.
And then, things had gotten even worse. Even more humans had arrived! And they smelled funny and made Aeron sneeze. These ones were the most upsetting of all. After they had spoken to Mal, the man had acted especially weird and started putting all of his things into a bag. At the time, Aeron thought it was a game and tried to play along. Mal had given him a smack on the beak, which he had never done before.
It was…confusing.
Even more baffling was the traveling. Ever since they had arrived in Xuan, Mal and Aeron hadn’t moved around, but now they were. Even more strange, they were traveling with a group of people and their gryphons. Oh, and horses too. And Mal was very unhappy. So was Aeron. Leaving Xuan meant leaving Sekhmet. He didn’t want to do that. He didn’t want to do that at all.
When they had stopped, they were very, very far away from both Xuan City and Sekhmet. It was a far colder and snowy place here. For a time, Aeron amused himself with the snow, but his thoughts were far too preoccupied with how fun it would be to play with Sekhmet in the snow. Mal was always busy here and couldn’t play as often. People were always talking to him, watching him, and usually annoying him too. This, in turn, annoyed Aeron, but he couldn’t do anything about it. This only made the gryphon angrier.
But today would be different… things had been confusing for Aeron for the past few weeks, but today would be simple. The complex issue had a simple solution. It had been far too long since he had last seen Sekhmet. Aeron looked back at the house; he could see Mal in one of the windows, trying to avoid someone and failing. He would get enveloped into a long conversation and wouldn’t notice anything. That, the gryphon decided, was plenty of time to start the journey. Hoping that no one would notice a giant flying gryphon, Aeron spread his wings and took off. He wheeled a few times in the sky before getting himself in the right direction. South. He had to go south.
The journey by foot had taken a few weeks. By wing, it was only a few days and Aeron didn’t stop often unless he absolutely had to. Even gryphons got tired and needed to eat. It took a few days, but his talons eventually touched down outside of Xuan City. The proud creature looked… well… the nicest word was ‘bedraggled’. Looking at himself---what he could see of himself anyway---Aeron decided that, while visiting Sekhmet was important, there was another visit that he had to make.
Once again, he started to travel, this time towards a very special place indeed. The Fountain. Humans called ‘Naiad Square’, but Aeron’s mind labeled it The Fountain. It was where he and Sekhmet had gone to when they had escaped from those strange people with soap. It was the perfect place to get cleaned up. It was also the perfect place to clean up his little gift to Sekhmet. Dipping his beak in the water again and again, he smoothed out his feathers and tried to make his bells as shiny as possible. Oh, and his present for Sekhmet. That had to be ultra-super-shiny.
Eventually, he was content with his work and trotted smartly towards where he knew Sekhmet lived. It never occurred to him that she might not be there.
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Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2007 1:27 pm
You can label us a consequence, If irritation had an embodiment, it would be the dark creature prowling around the lavish home that belonged to the Nefretiri daughter.
She slinked downstairs, making herself comfortable as she settled down into the large, fluffy mound of pillows that she called her own. The tufted Sekhmet, sick of what was soon becoming an extended absence of a dear..counterpart, placed her head upon her talons and closed her eyes. One day, for whatever reason, Aeron had..disappeared. She heard Iris mention his name to Deste, and the name of his owner, but she understood little of what was actually said. Not only that, but the human couple had also been rather sparing in their appearances as of late. Politics, she supposed. Regardless, that left her with Elrok and Lunelai, neither of which were exactly engaging companions. Elrok tried to be - indeed, any time he got flustered Sekhmet got a good chuckle from watching him fluff up like a hatchling - but often did little more than to increase her irritation. Lunelai was like her - silent, generally. So....she felt rather lonely. And rather heartsick.
She knew not why he had left. She hadn't the slightest clue. She didn't know where he went, for how long...or if he had left for another griffin.
Oooohh...if he had done that....she would eat him herself. Her talons had been itching for a hide to rip open.
Sighing, the bird stretched, strangely-colored feathers rippling above toned muscles as she lounged upon her luxurious bed. Iris mentioned something about 'home' just before she left last. That might have meant that she would be coming back soon. If Sekhmet recalled correctly, she and her companions were to accompany the woman to some function soon...perhaps Aeron would be there?
Perhaps not. The griffin hissed in disdain. Of how much you have to learn.
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Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2007 1:40 pm
Aeron blinked at the large house, his beak tightly clamped around the shiny, shiny gift that was his offering to Sekhmet. It wasn’t to appease her anger, of course. It was simply… a gift to show that he cared. She would understand, he was certain of it. Besides, he rather liked her when she was angry. His tail swished several times as he stalked along the grounds, trying to find her. After circling the house several times, he realized that she could be inside. A distressed noise left his beak, slightly muffled because of the present. Talons couldn’t operate doors. He had tried many times and then had been yelled at for making all those talon marks on the wood.
Continuing to circle the house, Aeron emitted a series of chirps and squawks, trying to find Sekhmet as soon as possible. If she wasn’t here, well, he would have to wait until she was. Or go looking for her. Whichever one seemed faster. For now, he continued his calls, making as much noise as he could. With all those bells attached to him, it was quite a lot of noise indeed. His wings were spread to display how lovely his plumage was and to accentuate his size. Everything had to be as impressive as possible.
Hmm… he probably should have brought her a meal or something… well, too late for that now. They would go hunting together later.
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Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2007 1:52 pm
You can label us a consequence, An ear swiveled in the direction of some commotion outside. Hmm? Iris?
No, this sounded different...but it was hard to hear. It kept moving, and the walls separating her from whatever it was muffled the sound. Well, if it wasn't Iris, it was a threat. She didn't like threats. Especially not now.
The front door was only feet away. Lifting herself, she stalked over to the large piece of wood. It was abnormally large for a door..but then, behind it awaited three griffins, so it was understandable. A special piece of leather hung from the knob - all the birds would have to do is pull, and the door could be opened. But they knew not to use it unless they absolutely had to. Violating this rule meant no treats, and that was a fate that Sekhmet wished on no one.
The griffin pulled on the strip of leather with her beak, and the door clicked open. She used her head to push it open and spring out, spreading her wings and screeching loudly. No one threatened her home! Unless they liked death, of course.
.....AERON?!
She blinked, startled, as she landed directly in front of the slightly larger bird. This was not what she was expecting. Anger gave way to confusion.....aaaand then back to anger. She pinned her ears back and screeched again, beating her wings in fury. Oh, so NOW he wanted to show up?! As if she wasn't already feeling odd - despite irritation, of course - and angry, now he decides to show up and confuse her?! That-....male!
Handsome male. Very handsome male.
She hissed, ears still pinned, talons clawing at the earth. He had better have a good explanation. Of how much you have to learn.
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Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2007 2:07 pm
Aeron trilled happily when Sekhmet sprang out and started making his way towards her, making happy little purry noises. They stopped immediately once she seemed utterly pissed; like every other male on the planet, Aeron knew that a pissed off female was just about the most dangerous thing in the world. His ear tufts went back, not as a show of aggression, but to show that he was simply confused.
Well, yes, he had been gone for a while… but, he was back now. Shouldn’t that make her happy? Admittedly, he didn’t have a chance to say goodbye before leaving, so that would make anyone unhappy. He knew that he would have been upset if Sekhmet had fallen off the face of the earth. He trilled again around the present in his beak and approached again, now that it seemed that Sekhmet wasn’t going to rip his head off immediately. He had a few moments before she decided to do that. So, it was best to give her the present now.
Very delicately, he placed the shiny object at her feet and then stepped back. It caught the light and rolled a few inches until it came into contact with her talons. As it rolled, it made a tiny little jingling sound. No surprise, Aeron had given her one of his bells. His tail swished slightly as he tried to think of something to say.
“I miss you.” It sounded much, much better than ‘I’m sorry’. He hadn’t actually done anything really wrong, had he? “I had to leave. I had to be back here again.”
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 5:21 am
She looked incredulosly at the little rolling, tinkling ball. Now that a bit of her anger had subsided - he was here, after all - the fact that maybe he hadn't meant or wanted to leave hit her. After all, it was his owner who moved them, it seemed. Aeron had been talking about his odd actions as of late. So....
So his apology was to offer her one of his bells?
That, actually, was huge.
His words were sweet and calmed her down a bit more, but she was still skeptical. Her wings lowered a little, ears swiveling forward to catch all the sound offered by the bell as she dipped her beak to touch the object. Did he....? No way. That couldn't be one of his bells. Her dark eyes lifted to inspect the front of the other griffin. Nothing missing. She gently grabbed the bell in her beak and moved forward, walking around him to find the missing bell. Hoping to find it, anyway.
...there it was.
The winds changed. She emitted a purr matching his, though decidedly more feminine. She pushed her head into the fur around his neck, tail swishing happily.
"I miss you too. I don't know why you left, but I'm glad that you're home. It's hard to function when part of you is missing."
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 12:25 pm
Of course it was huge. It was shiny and it made pretty little noises. Aeron loved things that were shiny and made pretty noises. It had been a pain in the neck quite literally for him to remove one of the bells that was on his collar, but he had managed it eventually and now there was a space of red leather without a bell. After removing the bell, he realized that he should have snagged one of the more easily accessible bells, like the ones in his tail or paws. But, the ones around his neck were the biggest and shiniest ones. And Sekhmet deserved the best. His thick fur and feathers helped hide the missing bell, but… well, there was no way that Sekhmet could have missed it, since she was currently nuzzling him.
Aeron purred happily, a far deeper noise than hers, and nuzzled her back. Preening her neck feathers, he admired their colors; if anything, she had gotten more beautiful since he had been gone. It felt like forever since he had left, so this was no surprise. It wasn’t as if she could have gotten uglier or anything. Of course not! That would be like… like… like the sun failing to rise. It just wasn’t possible.
Spreading a wing, Aeron let it casually fall across Sekhmet, snuggling her close. “I know what that’s like, Sekhmet. I had to try to function without the best part of myself.”
It didn’t make very much sense to Aeron, but it felt like the right thing to say.
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 6:43 pm
You can label us a consequence, Her feathers involuntarily fluffed when he draped a wing over her. Well, that was an odd feeling. Sensation, rather. Not unpleasant by any means. But then, not pleasant either.
She closed her eyes, listening to the low hum coming from deep within his throat. It was soothing, but she now felt a different sort of soothing running through her mind. Faint whispers asked her to stop being so lubby-dubby. Play with him a little, make him chase you...see how flustered he can become, or how rabid he can be over a little game of keep-away. Rabid over her, obviously. Bells were nice only when not dealing in matters such as these.
Matters such as these? What kind of matters WERE these?
Well, the kind that wanted her to play with him, she supposed.
The female with the uniquely beautiful coloration and passionate temper suddenly, slowly, moved away from him, taking a moment to circle the slightly-larger male. She looked him up and down - saying nothing aloud - stopping at his side to pass him a side-glance. She moved forward, gracefully, gently letting her tail run underneath his beak until the fluffy tip flicked over his face.
It was flirty. It was coy. It was...very mean, in a sense. But it was fun. And she felt another motive behind it all creeping into the back of her mind. Of how much you have to learn.
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 7:50 pm
While the motive was merely creeping up in Sekhmet’s mind, it had been at the forefront of Aeron’s for quite some time now. It usually was, lurking around in the background, just waiting for the right moment. Was this the right moment? Normally, Aeron was completely sure of everything. Now he wasn’t so certain… he was almost one hundred percent certain that she was really interested, truly interested, but it was so difficult to tell. Females were very confusing sometimes.
As far as Aeron was concerned, these times were day-time and night-time. As her tail flicked under his beak, he gripped it gently and gave it a little tug, just enough to get her interest. Fine. She wanted to play hard to get? Aeron had no interest in such games. Things like that tended to wear down his patience. He didn’t mind playing games of tag or contests, but ‘catch me if you can’ simply confused him. Did she or did she not want him? Maybe she didn’t. If that was the case, then the trick was to get her to want him.
Once he had her attention, Aeron dug his talons into the earth and looked up at the sky. While it looked like he was doing nothing at all, he was actually calculating exactly how to impress Sekhmet. This would be far more difficult than anything he could remember, even his first hunt alone. This would make that look like an easy glide, he was sure. With a few flaps of his wings, he left the ground to soar over Sekhmet, executing the most elaborate flying moves he knew.
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 8:31 pm
You can label us a consequence, Hmph, well, he was no fun. So much for making him chase.
She raised her eyes to the sky as he darted this way and that, turning and looping and spinning around in the air. Really, in any other sort of situation, he might look rather silly. Silly and impressive at the same time. But right now, there was nothing silly about his display. She figured out moments before his takeoff that he was expecting this sort of thing - a bit of a downer on her part..oh well - and her mind simply took over from there. Ma'at had experienced this sort of thing not too long ago. Her and Kalei had, at least. They made their nests, had their chicks, and all was well. It was natural, and no one had to tell them how to do it. In that respect, Sekhmet had nothing to really concern herself with..except watching him.
Which....hmmmm. He was doing a stunning job, but she would make him work harder than that. She coo'd up to him, urging him to try a bit harder..before she lost interest. Of how much you have to learn.
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 8:52 pm
As he realized his plan was working---or at least Sekhmet was watching him---Aeron tried even harder, flying in loops and swirls in the sky. It was a good day for flying in some ways. Good clear weather, very little wind… absolutely nothing to interfere with his performance for Sekhmet. Only one thing could possibly go wrong and that was Sekhmet leaving. And that would not happen…
…
Right?
Aeron spared a moment from the task at hand to glance back at the ground and was shocked to discover that Sekhmet wasn’t there. With a confused noise that was not, in any sense a word, but was very much a question, he stopped midday. Since there was no wind, hovering was difficult for the large gryphon and he had to flap his wings desperately to stay in the air. Ignore him, would she?! His first instinct was to swoop down and demand attention, but he had learned in the past that such a tactic generally earned him a few very nasty nips---and Sekhmet, being the creature she was, wouldn’t stop at a n**---so he listened to his second instinct instead.
This second instinct told him to try harder and ask Sekhmet to join him. So he did, sending out a series of low-pitched chirps and calls down to the dark-colored female.
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 9:04 pm
You can label us a consequence, She had moved so that she was harder to spot, and it looked as if her movement had caused the intended result.
She chuckled inwardly, finding slight amusement in his confusion. She chirped softly to herself as he called to her, pondering whether or not she should answer. Play too hard to get and she risked putting him off. Play too easy, and...well, that just wasn't in her blood. Her tail flicked back and forth, muscles ready to pounce into the open and rise into the air. His acrobatics kept her attention, and his calls refused to be ignored...mmmppph....
The dark griffin responded to his calls and thrust herself into the air, pumping her wings so as to gain altitude quickly. She did not fly to him - he had not earned that yet. Instead, the crested female coo'd quietly and fervently, still encouraging him to do better. Sekhmet was always at a distance, either above him or below him, refusing to yield until she was satisfied. Of how much you have to learn.
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Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2007 1:25 pm
Aeron was relieved once Sekhmet finally swooped upwards to join him in the sky. For a moment there, he had been worried that she had gone away for good… it was a stupid worry, really, considering how attractive he was, but he couldn’t help but wonder. With a flick of his wings, he speed towards her; she easily swooped away like a swallow, further confusing Aeron.
He trilled and made anther move towards the female, but with easy swift movements, she evaded him. It took the male a little while to understand what was going on. She was still waiting to be impressed. Just because she had come up here didn’t mean she was actually ready. Well, that made sense to him. No one wanted to end up with a lazy mate who wasn’t willing to go all out for this ritual. Continuing his calls and acrobatic air-stunts, Aeron tried to impress her with everything he had. It was amazing that such a large creature could move so gracefully in the air. Aeron on the ground was impressive enough; Aeron in the air was almost elemental.
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Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 6:02 pm
You can label us a consequence, Sekhmet chirped softly, forced to slow her movements as he practically danced circles around her in the air. Well, she had expected him to work a bit harder, but this was...well, impressive.
The dark griffin rose higher into the air, coo;ing at her suitor just loud enough to catch his attention. When it seemed as if he was slowing she swooped down and pulled up sharply just in front of him, fluttering in the air. She made soft little twittering noises as she looked him over, mentally making herself sure that this was what she wanted. Heh, silly - of course it was. It was Aeron, after all.
"Well done, my dear," she said quietly, giving the only vocal acceptance that she would ever give to a male. Of how much you have to learn.
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Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 6:23 pm
Aeron’s wings turned sharply, making him stop so that he wouldn’t bowl Sekhmet over. It was amazing how just one twitch of a feather could make a creature of that size stop so abruptly. His feathers puffed up with pride at Sekhmet’s trills of approval and, just as importantly, her words of approval. He cooed at the female, sidling a little bit closer towards her. It was a dangerous game, really; if she decided that she didn’t want him after all, well, he had no doubts that she could hurt him badly. His wing had only just healed from the trauma before. He didn’t want to get hurt any more.
Wings flapping wildly, he leaned forward just enough so he could nuzzle at her neck feathers once. His mind spun. He felt that he ought to say ‘I love you’, but it didn’t seem like enough. Not for Sekhmet. Someone had once said ‘actions speak louder than words’, so that would work here. His talons reached out to clasp hers and, together like one creature, they flew up a little higher so they could go into the spiral dive that ended gryphon courtship.
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