Meadow

Shiori smiled as she grasped the woman's hand, it felt so soft in her feathered one.
In one graceful movement she pulled Sairin towards her and picked her up, holding her much like a man would carry his lover across the threshold.

Shiori expanded her wings, careful not to get them caught in the twigs and branched. She bent her knees and jumped as hard as she could straight up, she beat her wings harder then she ever had.
She had never tried to fly while holding another person before.

Well there's a time for everything. She thought, her jaw clentched.

They flew upwards only about 30 or so feet, slowly Shiori wafted towards a large limb, wide and strong enough for both of them.
She landed, gently, not wanting to scare the woman any more then she was already.
Carefully she lowered her arms until the woman was able to gain her footing on the limb.

Shiori smiled again and nodded, she patted the trunk and took the woman's hand, placing it on the solid trunk so she wouldn't lose her balence.

"Safe." She put a hand to her heart again.

Shiori wasn't yet perfect in the native tongue, but she knew it well enough to make herself understood.

"I stay with you." Shiori sat on the limb her legs dangling off. Her bright eyes following the people below.

She felt no need to get into the thick of the battle anymore. Khidivo was there and another man, fighting the gruffs.
Shiori glanced back at the woman, a twinkle in her eyes.

"They win, you see." She winked.

Shiori laughed, it sounded like the tinkling of bells.
The woman was just so happy she practically glowed.

"Go down?" Shiori smiled. She didn't really wait for an answer, looking back she probably should have.
But waiting has never been Shiori's way.
Before the women even knew what was happening, Shiori had scooped her up and slowly decended towards the mossy forest floor, though it was now stained with blood.

Shiori's nose wrinkled. "bad.." She blew the scent from out of her nose.
She landed in an area free of blood and placed the woman on her feet once more.

"Khedivo! You were excellent!" Shiori called, in the Avain tongue. She trotted up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"You didn't even leave any for me to take care of...then again I didn't have a weapon so..." She laughed again and turned to the others. "You were amazing also!" She told the tall human.

She recieved an odd look from him, her face went red under her feathers. She had forgotten that they did not understand her language. In a childish fit of embaressment she wrapped her wings around her, covering her face, praying the earth would open up and swallow her and her loud mouth.

Khedivo felt a wave of relief as one of the men he'd noticed beforehand entered the battle, quickly dispatching the smaller of the two offensive men, the one who had been preparing - or perhaps even using, Khedivo wasn't quite sure - magic. He wasn't altogether certain that the man wouldn't have used it, even if it had harmed his companion ....

Meanwhile, he ended his shoulder-top dance of the larger man and dropped down beside him. Long bleeding gashes now scarred his face, and the human male was screaming in agony as he tried to locate and remove his winged opponent's head with the sharp of his sword. The scarlet fledge was almost enjoying himself, dodging the human's blade with ease for the most part.

//These bumpkins didn't even look up ... obviously not well travelled.// Khedivo wasn't thinking exclusively of encounters with fledges, either. There were quite a few elven and faerie species who would oft launch attacks from the air or treetops.

Khedivo wrapped his plumage tight around his body and ducked as the man took another half-blind swipe at the young fledge while trying to make for the trees. //At least the fool has sense enough to know when he's outnumbered, there's another human. He doesn't seem to be angry, that's good.// He returned his attention to the fleeing human, and a quick kick to his back brought him down.

Disliking the idea of stabbing someone in the back, Khedivo stepped on his wrist, feeling the wrist bone snap underfoot. Bending, he relieved the man of his sword, and after inspecting it curiously, threw it into the bushes to rust away to a mere metal skeleton. The fledge also despoiled him of two highly decorated long knives, and added them to his own small collection.

"Anyone have ... rope?" he asked in stilted common tongue, looking questioningly towards the two conversing men. They didn't seem to have any, so Khedivo hauled the bleeding human to his feet and propelled him forward into the middle of the clearing, where he proceeded to knock him out cold. At that precise moment, Shiori dropped from the treetop with (what he now saw to be) the half-faerie woman. Everyone seemed to be speaking at once.

" .... name, sir?" The first questioned.
" .... Drake. I'm the one who threw the acorn ...." the second man to arrive was saying.

" ... not a hundred feet away!" The woman was exclaiming.

Shiori clapped Khedivo on the back, almost sending him to the ground. "Easy," he muttered.

"Khedivo! You were excellent! You didn't even leave any for me to take care of ... then again I didn't have a weapon so ...." She was laughing, her voice light and lilting as is the avian's wont, although particularly welcome to Khedivo's ears. //It's nice to have kin around,// he thought, smiling to himself.

Shiori had turned to the others, forgetting to speak in common. "You were amazing also!" She seemed embarrassed by her mistake, lowering her eyes and blushing as she turned away.

"Shiori!" he called quickly, hoping to divert her attention. "No weapons? We can fix that. Catch!" He gently tossed her one of the two daggers, which were keen-edged and well-balanced enough for him to appreciate. He then turned to the men, and the faerie-woman who were standing only a small distance away. He was careful to speak in the foreign, harsh-sounding (to him) tongue.

"I am sorry for surprise ... surprising you. I am Khedivo, from the tribe A'Perrin." As he pronounced his tribe's title, his voice regained its musical quality. "And this is my kin, Shiori. And this - " he gestured to the unconscious man at his feet, " - was ... is ... unfriendly. He surrender ... unwilling." Realising how clumsy he must sound, Khedivo bowed his head, letting his gold-edged crest rise out of respect. "Thus ... greetings?"

Khedivo brought his head up in surprise. The elf had made no attempt to attack, or even frowned. In fact, he seemed to be either quite happy, or to be displaying some form of elven emotion that the fledge could not recognise.

//He says it's a pleasure to meet me - that is, if I understand him properly - but what Outsider has -ever- been pleased to meet a fledge? After that last village ... // Khedivo allowed his thoughts to trail off as he sought for the appropriate words. "Many thanks. You are an ... elf? Why ... why are you out in the forest?" //Perhaps that is the wrong question to ask. He probably lives here,// Khedivo thought with slight bemusement. "I am a friend." He didn't know if that was the right thing to say, either. He didn't even know if it was the right time to say it. So instead of feeling confident in this meeting, he glanced sideways at Shiori, hoping that his facade of courage had not failed him.

//She must think me an idiot,// he thought somewhat sadly. //She always must have.//

Shiori snatched the daggers out of the air, her mind however was following the conversation.

Khedivo's so good at talking with them. She sighed inwardly. Wish I could.

Khedivo motioned to her while talking, she could understand the language more then she could speak.

Shiori stood beside Khedivo and lifted her chin.
"I friend too!" She stated proudly.

She smiled at the group, everyone seemed to accept them. Then again Shiori had never faced prejudice before, and so, didn't expect it.

Shiori, who had been currently playing with the daggers placed them in a small thin belt that she kept around her waist but hidden under her feather.
"Thank you." She said quietly to Khedivo, with a bob of the head.

She patted her stomach, and her face twisted with concentration.

"who--is--food?" She shook her head that didn't sound right.

"Khedivo, I'm hungry, how do I ask if anyone else is?" She couldn't keep the slight whine out of her voice.

Khedivo was being constantly surprised as Shiori continued to assert herself in the conversation - in Common tongue. That she was envious of his fluency in it was completely unapparent, mostly because she was doing pretty well for herself. He hoped that his admiration and envy of her confidence among strangers did not show - after all, he was a fledge, and not accustomed to fighting along side with Outsiders, much less to being friendly with them.

Khedivo was also surprised by the politeness of the elf. //Perhaps they are a fickle folk? Or maybe they have a greater variation of attitude within their culture than we do in ours ....// He acknowledge the compliment with a slight tilt of his head, and a spike of his crest.

"I friend too!" Shiori was smiling happily, her eyes catching the sunlight and reflecting it, seeming to be huge pools of liquid gold and molten flame. Khedivo was hard put to keep his face unsmiling - it would be unseemly for a male fledge to do otherwise - when looking at her in such company. She was so naive in the ways of the world, so quick to accept ... and yet, she had never yet been hurt by it.

//Perhaps there is something to being open to strangers, after all ...// Khedivo mused, glancing over at where the male elf and the faerie - //Ruin and Sairin, he'd said they were// - were standing. //But then, she's never been set upon by six fully grown male elves all at once ....//

Shiori thanked him for the daggers, and then, seemingly determined to utilise her entire limited Common vocabulary, continued:

"Who ... is ... food?" When she only got confused looks in response (aside from one of amusement from Khedivo), Shiori abruptly turned to Khedivo and demanded in seeming puzzlement, "Khedivo, I'm hungry, how do I ask if anyone else is?"

Trying to keep the laughter out of his voice, but not completely succeeding, Khedivo responded, "Shiori, you seem to have implied that we are going to eat one of our present company ... let us hope they understand we are not cannibals. If you wish to know more of the language, perhaps it would be wiser to ask me before you try and speak in Common." Returning to the Common tongue, he turned to Drake, Ruim and Sairin with a barely repressed grin.

"I ... apologise ... she meant to say ... she is ... hungry. And she also asks if anyone else is." He raised an eyebrow at Shiori, hoping she'd assimilated the different sentance structure. "We are both ... new to your language."

Shiori's eyes went wide and using a very human gesture, smacked her hand against her forehead. Even though it was barely a scolding, coming from Khedivo it really hurt her pride.

Great, now they must really think I'm stupid.

She gave a little sheepish grin before hiding behind Khedivo's large wings.

Shiori remembered doing the same thing when they were younger and an older fledge would try to disipline them. She would hide behind him and be so thankful for his stong form to protect her.

"I think I'll just stay silent now." She said quietly in Avain. "I'm only making a fool of myself."

She shuffled her wings, and stared at the ground, praying that her reputation amoung the other's weren't compleatly ruined.

I just seem to be doing everything wrong, maybe I am too young to be free yet.

Shiori subtly studied the faces of the humans. They weren't humans she knew, but she had not yet been told of their race yet.
They were as foriegn to her, as she was to them.

She was always surprised at how animated their faces were. Avains were known for hiding their emotions behind their feathers, even she did it...not as often as others, but sometimes. The only Avain she had seen compleatly without the mask of confidance and pride was Khedivo.
True, he was more traditional then herself, but he helped her rememeber that the world was not perfect all the time.

//It's nice to have a friend.//

Khedivo shrugged his wings at the elf's words, taking care that his feathers didn't brush the damp ground. //Cursed damp,// he thought, but aloud he simply said: "I don't know - this area still strange. What should we do with ... him?" He gestured to the unconscious tough who was lying at his feet. "We can't just ... abandon him, even if he is ... evil."

Shiori looked down at the unconcious man. She opened her mouth to speak, then shut it again quickly.
She shuffled her wings in annoyance..//what is that word..law?..maybe...judge! yes that's it.//

She spoke very quietly, barely above as whisper. "give bad man--to judge man?" It was a harsh sentance and she knew it, but she also hoped that they would get the drift, or at least Khedivo would.

The best option to Shiori would be to hand over the man to whatever law governed this land. That's what avain law said anyway.
Only special people could actually judge whether a person was wrong and needed to be punished, so when there was a problem, any avain could hand over the 'bad' one to the law to be judged and sentanced.
A horrible thing to have happen to you, but peace needed to be kept.

Shiori's nose twitched, she smelled meat. Her stomach rumbled.
It wasn't a winged thing, so she could eat it...whatever it was.

//I'll be right back, I think I smell food.// She said quietly to Khedivo in Avain.

Shiroi folded her wings againt her back tight, so as to not get them caught.
She ran quickly and softly, the scent getting stronger.
Suddenly she dropped to all fours, and hid behind a large low growing tree.
An animal jumped out from the undergrowth somewhere, it was furry and had whiskers and long ears.
Shiori grinned, she had seen animals like that before..they had just never been alive, which was why she couldn't compleatly recognize its scent.

"Forgive me." She said quietly.

The rabbit stood on its hind legs scenting the air, it didn't even feel the blade of the dagger hit it.
The rabbit dropped dead.

Shiori grabbed the rabbit by it's long ears and cleaned off her dagger in a patch of clean grass before making her way to the others.

Khedivo grinned at Sairin's question. "Bury a live man? The Fledge are a ... quick race ... hot blooded ... but we try not to kill ... unecessarily or in ... cruelty. I agree with Shiori, this ... man ... " he quickly checked to assure himself that it truly was a human male. " ... should go to your ... chief." He wasn't quite sure they -had- chiefs, but he assumed that there was a governing body of some kind to determine the unfortunate tough's fate.

Almost in response to these words, the unconscious man stirred, partially opening his eyes. Before the man could speak or even groan, Khedivo stooped over him with a crooked grin. "Don't say a word ... unless we ask you to," he growled harshly. "Or I will give you more ... scars to add to your ... collection." The man gave a most unmanly whimper and then subsided into silence at the sight of Khedivo's face four inches from his own.

The fledge grinned happily up at the rest of the group, as Shiori returned from the trees with a rabbit dangling from her hands.

"There are too many of us for one rabbit," he said in Avian. "If you will keep an eye on this rogueish fellow, I will go find more while you get that one -" he gestured to the rabbit, "-started." He then turned to the others, speaking in English. "I am going to get more food, feel free to give this ... man any punishment you feel necessary while I am gone."

Shiori nodded and looked after Khedivo's quickly retreating back.
She looked down at the man and crouched beside him, she pulled out her dagger and began to methodically skin and clean the rabbit.

Shiori looked up at the faerie and the elf. "Fire..to cook." she said and shrugged. She did not have any matches, as she was hoping on Khedivo having some, and if, she wasn't able to find Khedivo, she would have eaten the rabbit raw, as the Fledges were known to do when young.

The man shuffled a bit surprising Shiori, her crest flared as she stared at the man, and a she made a low threatening sound deep in her throat.

I don't want to have to hurt him, but I will if he moves again. She decided.

Her red eyes scanned the trees, she could feel Khedivo's presence faintly in her mind, he had run a fair distance it seemed.

I hope he brings back something with more meat on it.

She pulled the skin compleatly off the rabbit and spread it out, she then took the carcass and laid it on the skin so it would not get dirty, and began to quarter the meat.
The rabbit's fur was thick and golden, she would keep it and clean it until she could make another belt or sheath with it.