Cygnus (1): How to NOT Starve Your Chick!

Bright and early. What an annoying concept. No one should even think about getting up until around noon, it's only then that interesting stuff starts happening anyway! M'laey rolled over, feeling the Rainbow Simourv yammer on about something in her mind. But she wasn't really paying attention, sleep was clouding her thoughts and she was happy to let it. Oshaph however had different ideas. He had woken up to Geal's voice too, but was quite eager to get out and meet him properly for the first time. He crawled closer to M'laey, nosing her forehead affectionately.

It's morning time mine! His voice trembled with excitement, his behind wriggling furiously as he wagged his tail, watching his rider intently.

M'laey attempted to push the blue away with her hand, but the moment her fingers brushed his feathery head she remembered what had happened. She was a rider! She had bonded with a simourv!! Why was she was she still in bed?! She tried to leap up, but got tangled in the blankets and instead tumbled onto Oshaph, rolling with him to the ground. "Oof! Sorry!" she cried, but the little blue didn't mind. His masked eyes were glowing with joy and she could feel his pent up energy emanating from him. M'laey couldn't help but release her own burst of happiness in a loud laugh. It was all still so fresh, so new. But she didn't have time to bathe in that feeling right now, she had a lesson to get to. Her first lesson! What was it the Rainbow had said? Old clothes? Fair enough. She pulled out some of her older trousers and a worn, but clean, white sleeveless top. She got herself ready to go and raced out to the front of the Barracks with her blue, determined not to be last in line.

When everyone else gathered around their new instructors, M'laey got a chance to see all the winglets together properly for the first time. They were a very colourful bunch! She noted the three other blues and naturally thought Oshaph was the better. She swelled with pride. But Oshaph had looked around the class for another reason, he wanted to know where that blasted red was. He felt an anger boil inside him every time he thought of Galleph. He nor his rider weren't about to be attacked again by that monster.

But Fa'le was speaking now, and both M'laey and Oshaph turned their heads to listen to her. They too heard the grumbling stomach of one of the chicks and M'laey smiled a little at it. Oshaph had to agree though, he was starving! He'd never felt so hungry in his life! Or maybe he had and just couldn't remember. But that wasn't the point, he was hungry now, his stomach growling in protest. He and his rider began walking alongside the rest of the group after Fa'le and Geal. He hoped they were leading them to food! Oh they were, that was good. They reached the corral and stared at the butchers and cows all lined up and waiting. It took a lot of restraint on Oshaph's part not to just rush over to start eating one! But he wouldn't know where to start, so he had to wait. His tail was swaying back and forth with anticipation as M'laey listened to Fa'le talk about the Bay Nut Paste. It looked disgusting, but also attractive in a way that made her want to feel it's texture.

A partner! We need a partner and a cow! Oshaph exclaimed excitedly at the last words.

M'laey grinned, "We also need a butcher", she reminded him as she made her way over to one. "Ask around for a partner would please Oshaph?" The blue chirruped with delight and flared his little wings. Would anyone like to be our cow?? he asked, Oh oh wait! I meant partner! We need a partner please!

A'ria woke to the sound of the rainbow's voice chiming in his head. He hadn't slept very well, despite the comforting presence of Charmaph curled up against his chest. The room they had been given was so large and so empty. A'ria's own spare possessions barely filled one corner of the room, and while a few pieces of furniture had been provided to him they did little enough to make the room feel less empty.

As the boy shifted, waking, the tawny woke as well, lifting her fluffy head and yawning. She nudged at A'ria's arm - it felt strange, and she had been using it as a pillow. A'riaMine, I didn't hurt you, did I? It feels all tingly. The tawny put her little fuzzy ears back, nudgine his arm again.

The blonde boy made a face, turning onto his side and pulling his arm away from the simourv. It felt boneless, numb, but as he began to move it he could feel his fingers tingling as blood began to flow. "It's... fine, Charm."

I did it, didn't I? I hurt you. The little tawny's ears flattened, and she made a soft, distressed noise. A'ria shook his head quickly, pushing himself up with his other arm. "No, it isn't... isn't your fault, Charm. It just happens when I sleep on it. Or... when you sleep on it. It'll be back to normal in a minute." He held his arm to his chest, flexing his fingers to restore feeling to them. Charmaph didn't look particularly mollified by this explanation, however. She leaned in and licked his arm. I'm sorry, A'riaMine.

"Don't... Don't worry, Charm. We need to get ready. I... need to get ready. Where are my...?" A'ria pushed himself out of bed, trying to move around the tawny. He spun about, trying to find the chest containing his clothes. He couldn't remember where he had put it - it wasn't where he remembered it being, but what he remembered was his old room, the cramped quarters he had shared with Alonso.

By the time A'ria finally found the chest and dug out appropriate clothes - a plain shirt and breeches, and an oil-stained leather apron he had kept from his apprenticeship - he had heard many of the other new Winglets moving past the doorway. The blonde and his tawny were among the last to arrive, the boy shuffling his steps and ducking his head to try to avoid notice. He listened, Charmaph a silent presence beside him, pressed against his leg. He could feel a vague sense of confusion coming off of the little tawny - meat and butchers, nut-paste and feathers, cows and partners. Food? she made a soft noise, looking up at A'ria.

"We just... we need to find a partner, and then we'll get you some food, Charm."

Once again early-riser T'ryn's breakfast was interrupted by a mental voice in her head - but this one was rainbow instead of the green she had become accustomed to. And this time she had left her room only long enough to snag a bowl of porridge, drizzled more than liberally with honey and sugar, and a chunk of hot buttered bread before returning to eat while watching her new bondmate sleep. Galleph had chosen the floor beside her bed last night - only because it became quickly clear that the big red hatchling was not going to fit on the narrow bed while His was in it. At the moment he was curled up in a ball of red and gold fluff, beak and head nearly lost under the poofed end of his tail.

The redhead used the heel of the bread to scoop the last chunk of porridge out and crammed it in her mouth before turning to her closet. All of her clothes were working clothes of one type or another, and what she had already thrown on this morning was no exception. With a shrug she turned back to her simourv, who had only buried his head deeper into his tailfeathers at Geal's cheery introduction. T'ryn knelt down, running her hands through the downy head feathers and giving a good, hard skritch behind his ears. A muted trill of contentment emerged from the feathery bundle, and the woman grinned, sliding her strong fingers down, behind his jawline, and then under his chin. The red's head rose from its hiding place, a look of pure bliss on the round little features that was downright comical as he leaned into the continued scratchings. T'ryn stopped her work for a moment, contemplating her partner with a grin. "Alright, lazybones! Up and attem! You heard the instructor!"

One large eyelid opened a bare slit to grant her a look of utter disdain. You go on ahead, Mine. I'm sure you need all the lessons you can get. Don't make a racket coming back, either. The eye closed again in a determined fashion and Galleph tried to tuck his head back down, but T'ryn had a solid support beneath it, and he found he couldn't force past her strength.

"Galleph..." she said warningly, an undertone of pure mischief coloring her physical and mental voice. "Lazy and fat, I see! You spent too much time lounging about in that egg!"

The hatchling stiffened, his orange-red eyes flying open to glare at her with affront. Her grin, half-fond, half-mocking, only made him less inclined to listen. He jerked his head from her grasp and determinedly buried it beneath a tightly clamped tail. I am going back to sleep,[/color] came the icy reply, immediately followed by patently false snoring noises. T'ryn only clucked her tongue in disappointment and stood, giving her back a quick stretch.

"If that's the way you want to do this, boyo..." In a moment she had straddled the large hatchling and reached down to dig her hands underneath his ribs, right behind his forelegs. Galleph's initial reaction was to curl more tightly into a ball, but T'ryn already had the grip she'd been seeking. With a bunching of muscles along arms and back, she straightened from her crouch, heaving the hatchling into the air, although he remained held firmly against her chest. Her right leg twinged warningly, but she had braced accordingly and it continued to support her without further complaint. Six feet of outraged simourv let out a startled squawk and his legs suddenly scrabbled for purchase. His bonded set him down carefully, and Galleph immediately whirled to stand glaring at her with wordless indignation. There was the faintest of spluttering sounds in the back of her head, which T'ryn took to mean that the hatchling was speechless for a change, and her grin widened until it threatened to crack her face. "Now then, my dearest Gally...you can walk with me to the courtyard like a big boy, or I can be carrying you like a helpless babe. It's up to you."

In truth, the redhead was quite certain she could not carry the 'little' simourv any such distance...but he looked too shocked at being manhandled to read her mind quite that deeply just yet. And she was quite serious - even if she couldn't carry him, she would find a way to drag his fluffy butt out there. Galleph couldn't help but read her determination, and had no doubt that she'd follow through on the threat. He growled at her, tail lashing his displeasure, but T'ryn only folded her arms and glared right back. The deadlock continued a few more moments, until the sounds of awakened Winglets filled the hall outside. Having had time to pull on clothes, they were now headed out. T'ryn dug deep and pulled out her trump card. "That blue Oshaph is going to beat you out there..." she pointed out with sugary sweetness.

The look Galleph bestowed on her could have frozen the heart of the sun. How stupid do you think I am? he grumbled, turning away from her with a dismissive flick of his tail and stalking over to the door. Well?[/color] he asked impatiently, Don't stand there all day. We're going to be late.[/color]

T'ryn wisely said nothing as she came up beside him and opened the door, but she did reach down to give his ears a fond skritch as they headed out, the young red leaning into it and grumbling wordlessly all the way to the courtyard.

They were not, alas, the first to arrive, but neither were they the last. T'ryn looked around but still didn't see K'ai - always a late riser, that one - nor Khealin. It was a wonder either of them had made it to any of the morning Candidate classes remotely on time. A'ria, for a wonder, was up and about, although Er'nei was still missing. The tall redhead frowned slightly. Was she going to have to go back in and get the girl? Galleph's imperious head-butt to her unprotected side was far from gentle, almost knocking the breath from her and she grabbed at the feathers along his back with a wince as the shock ran down her injured leg. Don't worry about her, Mine, they...oh! I'm sorry! the young red was instantly contrite, nosing at the bandage under her pants leg with concern. His ears flattened as he looked up at her with soulful eyes. Are you alright, Mine? I didn't...think...[/color] he trailed off, all traces of proud temper vanished at the thought that he had hurt His...again!

But T'ryn dropped to her good knee and wrapped her arms around the apologetic hatchling's neck, giving him a fierce hug. *I'm fine Gally, honestly. You just caught me by surprise. Let's just take it easy today, okay?*

Yes, Mine,[/color] came the unusually meek response, accompanied by a gentle nuzzling at her hair. The redhead smiled and set back, scruffing the feathers between his ears with a wink to show that all was forgiven.

"That's my boy," she said fondly, giving his nose a final pat. Before the conversation could proceed further, however, Fa'le began speaking. Galleph shifted to move under T'ryn's grip, taking her weight again as she carefully stood and began the walk towards the corral. So far everything made sense, and she already knew how to gut, skin, and clean meat from a carcass. T'ryn began whistling a low tune, confident that the morning would hold no further challenges for her. Galleph, still chastened from the results of his earlier roughhousing and realizing just how hungry he was, kept up the pace at her side, looking eagerly ahead for the promised meat-meal.

As they were released to their stations, Galleph immediately leapt towards the largest of the cows, although the sharp tone of his Bonded's voice brought him up short. "Wait, Gally! We still need a partner!" he turned to glower at the other chicks, and T'ryn stifled a groan as she 'heard' his under-impressed opinions of the lot.

Oshaph, of course, was right out of the question - but he was already partnered with the little rainbow, so that was alright. The redhead turned to A'ria next, but even as she opened her mouth the little drama-queen - Mo'tor? Mu'mu? The one who moped about in eyeliner all day - beat her to the punch. Looking a little vexed she looked for her buddy Rekima...and then remembered that he had not been bonded either. Her spirits feeling a bit dampened, T'ryn finally sighed and put out an open invitation. "We've got room over here for--"

Not too much room,[/color] Galleph broke in rudely, sending his thoughts to all and sundry. I'm hungry! You![/color] he tossed his head commandingly at Mothiph and S'ra, You look small enough. You'll do.[/color]

Now it was T'ryn's turn to glare at her bonded in wordless outrage at his high-handed behavior. Galleph, of course, merely looked smug.

It was obvious from the way he jumped, A'ria hadn't expected the sullen new blue-rider to speak to him, let alone ask him to partner up. The boy blinked, wide-eyed at Mo'tu even as Charmaph turned her own attention to the pair; the tawny's gaze was blank, although A'ria could feel a sort of reserved curiousity in her. She didn't understand why Hers had startled, although she felt somewhat cautious because of it.

"Oh, um, me? Of-Of course!" A'ria managed a quick, nervous smile for the other boy, tentatively moving to stand nearer him. Charmaph followed, looking from Mo'tu to his blue, and back. The blue wasn't one of her siblings, but they had been on the sands together. Hello. Unlike A'ria's voice, the voice the the tawny projected to Mo'tu and Espeph betrayed no nervousness - rather, her voice was bland and unemotive, giving little hint to anything going on in her head.

The tawny settled herself beside A'ria's feet, finally turning her gaze away from the blue-pair. The neutrality left her eyes as they turned up to her rider. Why do we need partners, Mine? Her head tilted slightly to one side and she blinked slowly up at Hers.

A'ria's nervous gaze flicked down to the tawny, and he stammered when he spoke to her - uncomfortable speaking seemingly to himself infront of this stranger. "It-It's part of the lesson, Charm. We need to- We need to b-butcher this cow..." Why? "... so you can eat!" Oh. I am hungry, Mine.

A'ria wasn't sure if he should laugh or sigh - the noise that escaped him was a mix of both. He looked back at Mo'tu, offering another of those nervous smiles before gesturing toward the butchers and their cow-carcasses. "Um, shall we, then?"

Mo'tu nodded as the boy with the Tawny- what was his name again? A'ria or something, accepted his offer, albeit sounding a little nervous. The Tawny by his feet showed less nervousness, greeting the two cheerfully. Espeph nodded politely to the Tawny he had seen on the day of his hatching, but stayed by Mo'tu, weaving in around his legs. Mo'tu blinked, then looked down in delight. It had been the closest the blue had been to him since the Bonding. He smiled before he knew what he was doing, then quickly caught the Tawny rider's eye and immediatly replaced the smile with a scowl, blushing at himself for being so obvious.

"Well. Let's get on then. Espeph is hungry. that Tawny looks hungry too, not that I would admit it!. Espeph gave His a glance of amusement, projecting to the other simourv Let's get our Mines to start butchering, then we can share the food, okay?. Mo'tu, hearing that, gave his simourv a flash of annoyance. No one- especially not some random Tawny- was as important as Espeph or as deserving as food. He would consent to the two sharing food, of course, but if there wasn't enough, Mo'tu would make sure no one would let his Blue starve.

He strode ahead, Espeph quick on his heels, to the nearest butcher and cow. The butcher was a tall burly man with a bloodstained apron and a wash of brown curls that hung sweatily on his forehead. The man immediately began explaining how to quickly kill and guy the cow, and Mo'tu fought against a wave of revulsion. If Espeph hadn't been feeling so hungry, he probably would have turned around and left right then to enjoy a -normal- breakfast of his own. As it was, he couldn't quite bring himself to look as the man slit the cow across the throat, then handing a knife each to the two boys for them to give it a try.

For a few minutes, Mo'tu stood still, unable to quite bring himself to get near the bleeding animal. A light nudge form Espeph (One that almost sent him sprawling into the cow!) roused him from his stupor, he hesitantly stepped up to the cow. Flinching lightly, he raised the knife up, slowly pressing the tip into the skin, past the fur. Espeph, what was the first step again?. You need to skin it, Mine. Cut along the stomach and peel the skin off, like the butcher told you Mo'tu tried not to gag as he presses the knife a little farther in, looking towards the tawnyrider. "You can join in any day now.


(Shrimpy post, sorry :3 The next one will be better)