Owner of a Lonely Heart

[Relairah]

OoC: Eh, well not really on the assuming Kai is following whatever Tala says XD Kairaesa was following Tala around because she somewhat felt obligated and such... now she is battling mixed emotions as her heart is trying to heal and renew. So she is more likely to be a bit more impulsive than before, even if it's only a little. Hope this isn't confusing DX

iC:

Kairaesa sat quietly and simply observed as Tala gathered the things she had gathered and explained each one. Somehow, it felt a little like a time long ago in her memory, sitting with her mother, listening to instruction. Not that Tala was her mother, but the lesson inspired the memory nevertheless. Besides, perhaps she could learn a thing or two in case she ever needed to recall such information in the future. It was then Tala fell silent, applying the herb combinations to her wounds. She simply assumed she was focusing on her task.

But then she began chuckling. And Kairaesa was somewhat startled, looking at Tala in a funny manner, briefly. After that, the she-wolf spoke, explaining her thoughts concerning various duties. Kairaesa wasn't really sure how to respond. Sure, she had saved her from the pike, and gathered the herbs, and watched over her up to this point... but she didn't think she was the one who should be looking after anyone else. She felt conflicted. This was what friends do... lend a paw when needed, help another out, and the same is done for you in a time of need. But what reason did she have for such?

Tala had been a friend to her. Fed her, insisted on warm sleep, insisted on bathing even. She knew it wasn't Tala's fault things had come to this. Was nature trying to test her and her newly growing hope already?

The black wolfess knew she was quite capable of all the things Tala had listed. At least moreso now than even the day before. It suddenly dawned on her that her refusal would make her just like all the ones she hated so passionately in her past - those who had wronged her, harmed her, turned their backs on her when she needed them most. It was somewhat ironic to her that in order to avoid becoming that which she despised most, she had to face her strongest fears and hurts. This was the very reason she had avoided all other living things. But deep inside, she had known this day would come. She just hadn't been expecting it so quickly. Now. Was she ready?

She knew she was. If it were any wolf other than Tala, she perhaps might not be, but she desired to keep Tala around, and if this was what she must do, she would. She gave a nod to Tala, the ends of her lips turning very slightly upward in the slightest hint of a smile, even if only for a second. "Of course... " She paused, and then suddenly wondered if Tala were hungry. After that fight, she knew she would be. "Perhaps I can start now..." she stated. "I'll see what I can track down." With that, she turned, moving off into the trees once again. She wouldn't be gone long, and with the pike gone, she doubted there would be anything to threaten Tala until she got back.

[kmin66]

When Kai started to leave, Tala yelled "Hey! I've got one more thing to say." She painfully trotted over to where her friend was standing, and looked her straight in the eye. "I want you to know these two brief things- I swear I'm not trying to use you. I swear it on my wings. I wouldn't want to make you work for me, 'cuz that's definitely NOT what friendship ought to be. Oh, and the other thing, before I'm through: be careful, please. I worry about you. And if you need me, please just call! I can still fly, I won't fall. I'll leave you now to do as you would; farewell for now, and may your luck be good!" she ended cheerily. Then, Tala turned and walked slowly back to the beach. Let's see if I can't do something to help around here. Hmmm... I doubt that I would want to make that trek back to the cave, although it makes a great sleeping-spot. She looked around, trying to find a good-looking spot. The tree which had given her the long scratch on her right side  caught her eye.  Funny, the way it leans out over the pool... and judging by how far that is, and how gigantic the tree is, I'd hazard the guess that those roots on the other side will make an excellent den. She spread her wings and flew over the pond, touching down very carefully next to the tree. Tala was correct; the tree's roots formed something like a cup in the ground, easily big enough for two, and with only some minor modifications, e.g. digging out the bottom, I'd say I've found us a den, she thought excitedly as she began to dig. The soil was soft and loamy, and she made short work of it; she was rather proud of her results. Flapping her way across the pool, she decided to settle down and take a nap on the warm sands until Kaireasa came back.

[Relairah]

The black she-wolf stopped when Tala hollered at her and couldn't help a slight wince watching her approach. "You shouldn't move around so much," she said softly, only to be answered by Tala's encouraging words. This one was definitely a sharp one. She blinked and then nodded. "Okay... thanks, Tala." She paused, "I'll be back in a while." And with that, Kairaesa took off into the forest.

She put her nose to work, moving easily through the shadows. It was funny how easily hunting returned to her, thanks to instincts. Suddenly, the smell of elk caught her and as she thought about it, she realized that she was a little anxious to test her element. Having lain dormant for so long, she had forgotten how good it felt to let what was natural course through her and she knew part of her growth was remastering this part of her too. Slinking along, she soon found them, feasting on some leaves and she slowed, eying them carefully.

It didn't take long before she made her selection and she crouched, focusing. Her eyes began to glow softly and suddenly her prey looked up, alert, searching in the darkness for the danger which was near. But it was already too late, for suddenly the elk tried to run and found its legs had shards of ice creeping up towards its middle. The rest of the herd startled and darted into the cover of the trees as Kaireasa leaped forward, making her attack and ending the creature's life with her bite. Well, she may not be back to her full former self, but this was an accomplishment, she thought.

Instead of simply waiting for the ice to melt off her prey, she caused it to shatter, unfortunately leaving sharp shards sticking out of its body in some places, but they would be gone by the time she got it back anyway. She began to drag it with her, which was no small effort and took quite an amount of time and strength. Finally, panting, she reached the bank where she saw Tala, taking a nap in the remaining sunlight. She continued, and dropped the thing, lying down for a moment to catch her breath. Killing it had definitely been the easy part, she thought.

[kmin66]

I will fix that! Sorry!!

[kmin66]

Tala awoke just after Kaireasa returned with the elk. Stretching, she winced as the scab on her right attempted to stretch with her, tugging at her tender skin. But then, she realized... it hadn't. Gasping, she turned to her right; the scratch was gone, and there was already new fur growing in its place! She whirled to her left to see how that gash was doing, but she caught herself on her own paws and fell over. Whoops! she thought. She stood up and tried again in a more controlled manner; that one was still healing, but far faster than it should. Okay, usually should, she conceded. Then she turned to look for Kaireasa, and found herself face to face with... "AN ELK?! You brought in an elk?! Now I feel as useless as a whelk! I'm so glad that you did it on your own, and that's a big one, quite fully grown! Wow," she said, quite exhausted. "Did you see my side? The herbs have healed it! It's completely astounding! Both cleaned and sealed it!" She pranced around like a pup, overcome with joy. "You should be a hunter, Kai; you killed the beast- to you there's more than meets the eye." She began nibbling at the hindquarter, and realized that she was famished. Of course; that much magic usage -and blood loss, too- must have done it. She ripped off a chunk of muscle, gobbling it down in a few snaps. At one point she looked up at Kai, her face a mess. "Thif if delifuf!" she exclaimed, mouth full of elkmeat. Once she was full up (which involved both whole rear legs down to the marrow, the tail, and part of the abdomen (organs included)), she washed off her head in the pool and then sat down with a satisfied sigh. She sat a while in silence. Then, staring vacantly into the sky, she spoke. "D'ya know, I was a bard, once upon a time; that's where I got my tendency to rhyme. I became a bard for the stories and songs; I love to gather and tell or sing along. One of my best tales was recorded by me; it's a legend from my homeland called "The Treotri". If you like, I can tell it; twilight's good for telling. It's not too long, and it won't cause tear-welling." The light was almost completely gone, but there was a full moon, and its brightness was magnified by the pond, so Tala could still see pretty well. She checked on her side-gash again, and was suprised to see that it was totally gone! It had healed in no time at all. Amazing! What is going on? Not that I'm complaining, of course, but still! She also noted that her hindquarter-scratch was nearly invisible, and she could swear that she could see the fur growing. No, that's impossible, she scolded herself. She looked up suddenly, noting that it was in fact quite late. "Whaddaya say we head home for the night? I can see, but if you can't, I can make a light." She sat and waited for Kaireasa to answer one of her questions.

Ooc: Tala being injured is no fun at all, so I decided I'd just speed
things up a bit.

[Relairah]

Kaireasa, once again, was taken aback at the amount of cheer and energy Tala suddenly expressed. It was like such radiated so naturally from this wolfess. She was a little jealous, but then, she knew she just wasn't there yet. Another small hint of a smile reached her lips and if she had been human, perhaps even a faint blush might have reached her cheeks at the compliment. "Well, it wasn't all easy and stuff..." she murmured, "You make it sound as though I killed it with no sweat." Heck, she was still getting her breath back after carrying the darn thing back.

She watched as Tala dug into the elk meat and then followed suit herself. Killing it had taken a lot besides their recent fight with the pike. She was quite hungry too, she realized, and between the two of them, it was pretty much devoured. Not much for any vultures who might come around later. It certainly was very delicious, as Tala had stated. Kaireasa licked her lips and also washed off in the water, returning to lie down in the setting sun's light before it was almost gone. Then, Tala was speaking again, telling her a bit of her past. She wondered why she quit being a bard, if she liked it so much. But perhaps she had to, so that she could help Kaireasa out.

"Sure, I think a story would be nice," she murmured.

Before she got started, Tala decided this would be better to tell in the warm comfort of a den. But home? "Home?" she questioned, looking at Tala and tilting her head slightly. Did they have one? The mere word felt odd on her lips. For so long she had wandered and drifted, never calling any place home. Not since... she pushed the memories aside. As she looked at Tala, she also noticed the speed at which she had healed, and was quite impressed. Those herbs truly were quite astounding, and she was perhaps even more impressed at Tala's knowledge of them. She was glad, though, that Tala had healed so quickly. She had truly been worried about her.

[kmin66]

"Of course I'd call that nice cave home; to me, "home" is just a place to sleep while you roam. I've never had a real home, pack, or mate, but I want the RIGHT one, so I'm willing to wait," Tala said as she started trotting in the direction of the cave. It wasn't much of a walk, so they were there pretty soon. As she settled in, she yawned, and then began her tale.

Tala took a deep breath, then began, "Once upon a time... The end." She laughed. "Just kidding- I really will start now. I can't rhyme an entire story; this is one of the very few times I speak normally," she explained.

"The Treotri, recorded by Tala the Breeze; Loremaster, Tunesmith, First of the Wingfriends, Seargant Major in the Third Regiment of the Great Army of Khazak, She Who Wears Fire, Royal Bardess to Ashau, Balladier of the Great Jidona Tribe, Mage, and Last of the Hakeihs*. (Sorry to be bore-y; it's required before telling a story.)

"Long before the great Shinkou/Akeru vs. Giaku war in a land far from the one we know, there was a land known as Y'kar. It is now known as The Free Lands; my birthplace. In Y'kar at the time, there were no army sized packs (like Shinkou), or any packs at all for that matter. The land had many caves, lots of prey, and had been overrun by trolls. These weren't the mildly annoying kind that stole your leftover prey (I hate those), the kind that guard bridges, or the kind that only fight to guard their homes, families, and lives; nay, these trolls were purely, entirely corrupted with evil. It was rumored that they had been spawned by demons and Genis himself, but nobody could stay alive near them long enough to discover whether or not this was true. Anyway...

"In a cave far from any known troll camps, an omega wolf, previously thought infertile, miraculously gave birth to three pups. One was pure black, black as the moonless night sky; he had the power to call upon the forces of darkness. Black spirits, small demons, and some orcs, giants, etc. would answer to him. His heart was good, though, so he did not use his powers to better himself, but rather for the welfare of others, and his name was Erebos.

"The second was pure white, like the newfallen snow on the mountaintops; she had the power to summon the forces of good and light, such as light itself, low-ranking angels like cherubim, and healing. She was bestowed the name Fionn.

"The third, and smallest pup was... uh... complicated. See, he was a rather murky brown, the type you get when mixing a rainbow, except that his front left paw was green, front right blue, the back left was reddish-orange, and the back right, light blue-grey. He had control over the elements. As you can probably tell, his paw colors corresponded with the element they controlled. His given name was D'mitri, but all he knew called him Dimi.

"All three pups had wings, and loved to use them. The other, very special thing about them was that they shared a profound mental connection that reached for miles upon miles.

"Obviously, these pups were quite special. They were sent to a wise wolf, and he trained them in a secret place outside of Y'kar. (The pups, in fact, believed he was their father.) Their took many years. Over this time, they did not know true sadness, or real pain, or anything outside of the elder wolf's territory.

"While they worked, played, and laughed, the trolls enslaved all wolves of Y'kar and used them - but only the strongest, fittest, and healthiest- for hauling, food-bearing, and sustenance. Yes, they "picked off" the weak, disabled, or young wolves- and slowly tore them apart to hear them scream, and only then proceeded to eat them, bones, pelt, and all. It was a cruel world, and it stood to reason that those who survived were always in fear, often in pain, and barely ever hopeful.

"So, one day, Dimi was flying around alone. He accidentally flew outside of the old wolf's territory, and when he looked down, he realized that he was not over land he was used to. Being the curious sort, but not the strongest alone, he called up his brother and sister. They flapped around for a bit, and then started flying straight in the opposite direction from home. They flew over many trees before the ground dropped away from them suddenly and steeply to reveal a large troll base camp. This was when they got their first taste of all the things they had been protected from: fear, pain, hatred, loss. The pups were stunned, and hovered, unable to avert their eyes. They were mortified[/u].

"When the sun began to sink low enough to appear only a pawsbreadth away from the treetops, the three young wolves headed on home, speechless with sadness and fear and a feeling that they had never felt before: thirst. Not thirst for water, but the dreadful thirst that, when filled, only makes you emptier. These pups thirsted for revenge. They thirsted for vengance. They knew by instinct that these were family members and old, long-forgotten friends, enslaved by the trolls, and they were not about to let this brutality continue. Suddenly, all three wolves felt the need to land. They swooped down into the pines, and landed in a triangle around a rock. This was no special rock; it was quite plain, your average sandstone boulder sitting in a long-gone riverbed. The pups felt, though, that under this ordinary shell, the rock was something special. (What was actually inside? Nothing but sandstone. The difference to them was that they believed it was special.) So, it became the K'esik F'on'ea, meaning Landmark (we don 't have a word for rock) of Vows. It was also the place where the Treotri was officially formed, and where the pups made their secret oath: they would not die until their people were free. Then, they shook themselves off and headed for home, where they continued their training in earnest.

"Three years passed- three years of sweat, muscle-building (both physically and mentally), and growth for the Treotri; three more years of pain, starvation, sorrow, and little hope for the enslaved wolves.

"Then...

The Treotri said goodbye to their master tearfully. (After all, who in their right mind would want to leave peace, abundance, and happiness for the darkness of war?) They set off towards Q'yot, the place where the sun arises, planning to camp by the K'esik F'on'ea and then move on to the troll base. Really, the only thing they didn't plan for was meeting a sentry group- and, naturally, that was exactly what happened.

"The Treotri had collectively decided to walk, so that they could save their wing muscles for their grand plans. They walked into a clearing, and (quite literally, in Erebos's case, and that of the head scout) bumped into a party of three trolls. There wasn't much of a fight to be had; the three wolves captured them before they could even growl. They interrogated the trolls, and then Dimi proceeded to shackle them in place by growing rocks around their ankles. 'We may need further information,' he replied when the other two questioned his motives. Then, they began planning their first attack. Erebos called up his demons and spirits, Fionn her cherubim and low-ranking angels (all armed for heavy battle), and Dimi created rocks made so that the Treotri could easily carry them, but they were heavy enough to destroy an enemy's skull. He ended up with a rock that was hollow while you carried it, had spikes all over, and became increasingly solid as it fell. (Fionn suggested Dimi as general of a combined dark and light army, but all sides politely declined.) The very next night, they attacked.

The army came from all sides, confusing and isolating the enemy. The Treotri dropped small boulders on the trolls to further increase confusion. When there was so much chaos going on that nobody even knew where they were standing, Erebos stopped dropping boulders and sneaked under cover of darkness (quite literally) to the pen where the slaves were kept. He took the contents of the slave pen out of the camp. Thank the gods, their plan had worked. The Treotri had saved the day, and freed their families!

"But it doesn't end there; the three young wolves knew that now that they had destroyed one camp, they must destroy them all. So, after a short "family break", the Treotri continued to go out and liberate those held captive, until Y'kar was freed from the bloody maw of tyranny. At this point, Y'kar became The Free Lands.

" 'Are they still alive?', you ask? I believe that they are. Not in flesh and blood, though; I think that in every one of us, there is a Treotri, and that whenever we are kind to the young, the weak, the old, the meek, the Treotri smile down on us from the heavens."

I hope she liked it, Tala thought. It is one of my favorites. "You certainly didn't make a peep! I hope it didn't put you to sleep," Tala joked. She yawned, and blinked her sleepy eyes open again. She wanted to stay awake in case Kaireasa said anything.[/color]

Ooc: *pronounced huh-KAY-eez

[Relairah]

The black she-wolf gave a brief nod to show she understood Tala's explanation. Perhaps she had gotten ahead of herself... after all, they both were lone wolves at this point and she supposed it made sense. She followed along as Tala showed her the den beneath the tree roots and found that she was yet again impressed at Tala's ability to make something grand out of something simple. She moved in easily, looking around and finally making herself comfortable, lying her head over a paw as Tala began to prepare to tell her story. Kairaesa couldn't help but be a little anxious. It had been a long time since she'd been able to listen to some sort of adventure.

She listened intently, indeed not saying a word as images flashed before her mind with each description Tala gave. She could see why the wolfess had been a successful bard; she was quite good at the story telling. Finally, the story was ending, and the corners of her mouth tipped in a light smile at her friend's joke. "Of course not..." she murmured. "It's a very good story, Tala... thank you for sharing with me." She glanced out the entrance of the den toward the night which had fallen, thinking about what Tala said about the wolves looking down from the heavens. Who knew. She glanced back toward her friend, "Who knows if they're up there... but," she paused, letting out her breath slightly, "they certainly would smile on you for all you've done for me." Another pause. "Goodnight, Tala," and with that she closed her eyes, soon drifting off. It had certainly been a long day for them.

~~~~~

((hope you don't mind me skipping))

Kairaesa awoke, blinking in the rays of light coming in through the den's doorway. She yawned and stretched, looking around somewhat groggily. At last she laid eyes on her friend. She wasn't sure what it was, or why, but somehow she felt a little different from the day before. Like something had changed. Well, she knew she had been changing, little by little, ever since she had met Tala. It had been two days now.

She was still rather stuffed from the elk they had consumed the previous evening, but she could do for a drink and so she moved out of the den toward the lake's surface, also glad they wouldn't have to worry about anything trying to attack. There, she sat, hardly noticing the fact that in all the commotion in the water the day before, the bath she had been so needing had somewhat taken place and her coat had a somewhat sheen, partially due to the sun's rays directly reflecting off of it, bringing out the bluish tips on the black beneath. She certainly looked a lot better without being all matted and mangled. It was a start.

Despite the newness, there was still a sadness about her, perhaps from her eyes which still hadn't returned to the same light they carried before. That would simply take more time and healing. But she certainly did feel better... there was something, and it was growing. She wondered what today would hold for herself and Tala...

[kmin66]

((Ooc: Nah, skipping's fine. (Plus, I just did it to you in To Catch a Leaf.)))
Tala had certainly gotten a good night's sleep. She woke up, stretched, checked out the places where her wounds had been (there wasn't a trace of either) and then panicked. "Where's Kai?! Where'd you go?! Should I look high, or rather low?" She circled the den, frantically sniffing until she caught her friend's scent. "Kai?" she yelled as she shot out of the den, vaguely feeling something odd on her head but not really registering it. Tala quickly scented the ground, and picked up the trail again. She galloped in its direction, finally able to see what she figured might be her destination: the pool. Tala put on some extra speed, and flew (for once, NOT literally) into the clearing, dragging several small branches, three confused earthworms, multiple weeds, and a whole lot of dried leaves with her. "Kai?!" she yelled as she spun in a circle, trying to find her friend. In the small, logical part of her brain, ((ooc: You know, the part that stays calm when everything else is freaking out.))she thought, I must look ridiculous right now. She finally saw her friend, who was sitting calmly by the water and appeared to not have noticed Tala's embarassing display of panic. "Hi, Kai, how long have you been up? I swear, I haven't slept that well since I was a pup!" She stretched, and -trotting to the pool- lapped up more water than would have seemed to fit in her small frame. She shook off the leaves, branches, and other foliage attached to her pelt, and was about to say something when a walnut, bounced off its branch by her crazy shaking, hit her on the head, bounced, and landed on her nose. She almost began speaking again, but she figured she ought to do something with this walnut sitting on her nose. So, she tossed it into the air and, as it flew up, rolled over and bent her legs so she could balance it on the back of her left front paw. It spun there for a bit, and then she tossed it back into the air and flipped to catch it on the top of her head. She rolled it down her back and tilted her hips so it would roll down her right hind leg. As it rolled, she moved her head down by her right hind paw, so that as the walnut rolled off her paw, it fell right onto Tala's head. She did this a few times, and then, when it rolled onto her nose, she tossed it into the air and bounced it off her head. She moved forward and caught it on her nose, and flicked it into the air as she moved back to bounce it on her head again. Tala passed it back and forth like this multiple times, and then, as the walnut bounced off her head, she flicked it really high into the air, and jumped up as if to catch it, but actually went under it and landed on her stomach, sliding under the walnut so she could just catch it on the end of her tongue. Flicking her tongue, she moved the walnut to the top of her head, and then tossed it high into the air again. This time, she did something even more special: tensing her back legs and stretching her wings out for balance, Tala propelled herself into a handstand. Having correctly judged the walnut's descent time, she put her back paws together in something resembling a platform just as the walnut dropped. It landed and would have bounced off, but she anticipated this and angled her paws to cup the walnut. Tala held this position for a good ten seconds, and then she let it roll off the front of her paws and onto her shoulders. Lowering her head, Tala rolled the walnut onto her nose, stood up, and took a bow, still with the walnut balanced on her nose. She tossed the walnut off her head, and when it landed, she kicked it into the pool. "How 'bout that? Juggling with a walnut hat!" she said with a smile. "Advanced juggling is pretty hard, but it's one of those things that comes with a bard," she explained to Kaireasa. "So, any grand plans for today? I haven't got anything more to say."

[Relairah]

As Kairaesa sat, she had hardly meant to worry Tala. She was quite surprised as her friend suddenly burst out before her covered in twigs and leaves and whatever else and she blinked a few times, not sure what to say. "I'm glad you slept well... I have been up for only a small while. You missed the sunrise..." Before anything else could be said or done, Tala was suddenly paying attention to a walnut on her nose after which she proceeded to perform some sort of juggling act with the walnut. Needless to say it was rather impressive... and couldn't help the small chuckle, if only brief, which escaped her once Tala was done and that mere fact she had actually laughed, even in small form, was shocking to her. How long had it been since that? Once again Tala amazed her. "Well you definitely make it look easy..." she murmured.

She paused, a moment of silence lasting as Tala asked if there were any grand plans for the day which Kairaesa hadn't really thought of any. Except that the same question had only recently wandered through her own mind. Up till now, it seemed either chance circumstances or Tala had somehow found way to turn the last couple days into some sort of adventure.

"Perhaps we could test out your strength to see if you've healed all the way... I'm sure your wings need a bit of stretching..." she offered, though she had a feeling such was hardly a concern considering the way Tala had just moved with such agility for her balancing act. Still, she had said it so she waited Tala's response.

[kmin66]

"You LAUGHED!" Tala burst out, unable to help herself. She had made the other wolfess chuckle! She was so proud of herself, she pranced in a circle and then jumped into the air with a hoot of victory. Settling down after that, but still grinning, she said, "I think you're right about stretching my wings. I'll just check them quickly on a couple of things. I'll be back in just a few; be careful, now, or I won't know what to do!" she yelled over her shoulder as she began to trot off down the beach to a clearer area. There were too many trees around their den for her to take off easily, although she could have, with only minor difficulty. Once she found a good spot, she backed up three wingspans and sprinted forward to make for an easy takeoff. (Of course, she could have started from a standstill easily, but she didn't want to strain herself.) She glided around in the sky for a bit before trying some sprints and turns. Before long, she was satisfied with her condition and landed near the den. "I'd like some food; it would improve my mood," she commented to the air. "Kaireasa, I'm going out to find some prey. I'll be back before too long- I say!" she interrupted herself (yet still somehow managing to rhyme). Her eyes had fallen upon a chunk of pikemeat impaled on a branch of the tree near her. It was free of ants and rot (because it had been frozen). Who knows? I've never had fish before... or I don't remember, she thought before taking a chunk out of the fish. Man, was it good! She found a second, decently-sized chunk nearby, and directed a passing breeze to blow them to the den, please and thank you. Then, using her seeking spell, she rooted out four more chunks and sent them to the den. She trotted after the flying pikemeat, and when they reached the den, she began digging a cache for the extra meat. Tala tossed in the four pieces she'd just found, and left the other two out for breakfast. She took another bite of her piece, and chewed thoughtfully. "First a cougar, and now a pike... who knows what other odd foods I may like," she remarked, partly to herself and partly to Kaireasa. She continued to eat the pikemeat, meditating on the exciting two days she had just been a part of.

[Relairah]

The dark she-wolf watched her friend's excited behavior and realized that Tala's enthusiasm was quite contagious. There was simply no way one could be around her without somehow feeling happier, or at least encouraged. It was something rather astounding to Kaireasa... and also comforting. "Be careful..." she called after Tala as she pranced off into the forest to test her wings. The other wolfess was not gone long, though upon her returned announced she was going to find food.

She shook her head to herself, rising and shaking out her fur. The couldn't help but notice that the blue tips in her fur were more distinct than before - perhaps to to with her bath the day before and her good night's rest as of late. She didn't dwell on the matter, however, as she might have in far gone days... but rather made her way closer to the den, curiously observing some of the nearby plants. In fact, she became quite focused on a particular bush with strangely colored leaves. In her focus, her awareness of her surroundings dimmed slightly, and at the arrival of several chunks of meat, she only saw them from the corner of her eye and she jumped, her eyes growing quite large and then she released her breath, having suddenly been hold it.

"Oh," she murmured, glancing down slightly. How silly of her. Once a wiff of the meat caught her nose, however, she realized how hungry she really was and swiftly moved toward it, eagerly sinking in her teeth. It really was quite good. She turned her gaze toward Tala as she mused about what other foods might be good out there. "Hmm..." she said aloud, her mouth rather full. "I don't know... but thanks, Tala, for the food." She paused, and had she been human, a very light pink color may have briefly touched her cheeks as she continued, "Thanks, again, for everything." Her mind once again thought of Tala's cheery influence and how had she not met this wolfess, she would probably be the same matted, dazed wolfess she had been only two days ago.

[kmin66]

"Oh, no worry, no worry at all! I'd never have passed up a chance to heed a call. Here's another thing you should know to be true: if I were asked "who's your best friend", it'd be you." She finished her speech and her meal, only then noticing the odd bush. Its leaves were colored in an unnaturally multicolored swirl, and it seemed to bear no fruit. Tala stalked up to it, head lowered, wings slightly outstretched to shield Kaireasa and allow for an easy takeoff, and ears tilted back in a " "what-is-this-strange-new-thing" position". She sniffed it, and then moved a step closer. Nothing happened. Two more steps, and she was close enough to nudge it. Still nothing. She carefully reached out a paw to tap it, then jumped back, growling. Of course, nothing happened. (After all, it was a bush.) Tala moved in again, and swatted the thing. Unsurprisingly, it still did not react. She turned to Kaireasa, and with a grin, stated the obvious: "I'm fairly certain, aftert giving it a push, that this is only a simple bush." She wagged her tail at her friend, and then continued, "I shouldn't try to eat it, though, for what it does I do not know." She settled back in her eating spot and stretched. Then, she got up again, and scratched her ear as she thought. What can I do to distract her? We gotta do something, otherwise she'll- no, be honest with yourself, Tala, you'll get bored. Wait! I know! We should go exploring!! That's going to be LOADS of fun! "I mentioned "grand plans" before, didn't I? Well, I think I have one that'll definitely fly. Why don't we go exploring today? That will wipe the boredom away!"