Losing Count... Again.

[Anonymous]

Three hundred twenty-two.
Three hundred twenty-three.
Three hundred twenty-four.
Three hundred twenty-five.
Three hundred twenty-six.
Three hundred twenty... Oh, phooey.

Sonalru, the barely 5'2" black haired little run-away servant girl, had been counting her steps since she left the previous place of cleaning and folding. Now, it was midafternoon, she had left at the crack of dawn before the houses occupants were usually awake, so she managed to steal some bread and cheese before she left to start her new life in... Somewhere in the general direction of the west. At least, she thought it was the west... Sonalru, having lost count of her last step-count, which had been the twenty-something time she counted her footsteps and the twenty-somehting time she's lost count. The short lady was quiet a sight, her hair, which was down to at least her mid-back was black, and from around her temples were two antennae like clumps of hair, they looked like wind was constantly blowing them away from her face.

Closing one purple coloured eye, Sonalru held her arm out and poked her thumb up as if she was measuring something, which she was. Hmm, not quiet lunch yet, in the distance a lone tree stood and she decided she'd eat lunch there when she got to it, motivation to keep from turning around and going back to her last 'home'. Black hair was so warm, lifting a hand, her arm swimming in the old large white button up shirt pressed to the top of her head, and then went back down, she'd have to find some shade quickly or she'd turn into a crispy fried critter! Sonalru didn't look at all like a traveller, she only had the clothes on her back and the funny make-shift bag for the bread and cheese, she also had her wit, but that wasn't very witty at all.

By the time she got to the tree she was panting slightly and wiped her damp forehead with the back of her sleeve before sitting under the shady part of the tree. Well, she'd rather it be hot outside than raining, that way she'd get to do more travelling today, and the view was nicer than a cloudy sky and fat rain drops everywhere. Purple eyes looked out to the grassy plains before opening the make-shift carrying thing for the loaf of bread and breaking off a peices before she had her small but okay lunch. Dusting the bread crumbs off her pants, Sonalru put everything back into the make-shift bag and went on her marry way. Now humming a tune her mother taught her, which usually had words to it but she didn't want to kill any bugs by singing.

While she was walking, her usually unobservant eyes caught movement in the grass about a foot away from her, crouching over, she saw a little lizard, which she scooped up and held in her hands. Now, Sonalru was walking, her funny antenne hair bobbing slightly with each step, and a sheen of sweat on her forehead, which she wiped off while still gazing at the little green lizard. Not having anyone to talk to, and it was getting out here all alone, so, the black haired purple eyed girl looked down at the lizard and decided to start up a conversation.

"And how are you today, Mr. Lizzy?"

[Rhindeer]

Ugh...human bodies.

Such a pain in the ass.

It had been theorized that, centuries upon centuries ago, there must have been a reason as to why his race could take on a secondary human form but that that reason had long since been lost. It had also been theorized that, back then, the transition between forms was seamless--the secondary form felt just as natural as the true form, and there was no risk involved with staying in the secondary form for too long. There were a million theories about the reasons and the mechanics and the whys and hows and whatever else people could conjur up, but none of that helped Ari when it came to getting accustomed to the damned thing. Human bodies were weak and frail and hairless and featherless and clawless and wingless and just...argh. He didn't like it, and his clothes were scratchy. One thing all those theories didn't say was how much being in the secondary form sucked.

Which was why, whenever he was certain that there were no human hunters around and that he was in a place where he could be naked, he shifted back. Besides, he couldn't help but be a little paranoid about that whole "getting stuck" thing that all sorts of scholars had warned against. But, alas, right now he wasn't in a place where he could prance around as a Gryphon, not because there was anyone around, but because it was bloody hot!

Panting softly and sweating like crazy, Lezzari (or "Ari" as he would tell anyone and everyone because his real named sucked) was naming off all the reasons why he hated this particular form as he walked along, grimacing at the feel of sweat rolling off his brow and soaking his shirt. Ugh. Sweat was definitely one of those things he didn't like. It was gross. He wasn't a big fan of water as it was, and the idea of water leaking from him...bleh. It was made even worse by the clothes that now clung to him as a result, clothes he would have long since tossed off in an attempt to get cooler if the sun wouldn't burn his white ass. That was one thing about Gryphons, they didn't sweat, and in the Realm there was really no reason to if they did, because the climate was nice, as opposed to this Godsforsaken spit of land. If he didn't find water soon, he'd be one fried Gry--gah, nope, bad thoughts. Right, imagine his horror at discovering the humans here ate birds. Fried chicken, they called it...

Cannibals.

In any case, the sun was getting to him, and he'd just recently discovered all the pleasantness of The Sunburn. As a Gryphon, he was protected from the sun by his fur and feathers. As a human? He might as well have lathered himself up in oil and told the sun to take him. His skin was fair, his short, spikey hair was white, and whoever said that white reflected the sun had told a horrible lie that they should forever burn for because said person was sorely mistaken. Ari was currently walking, breathing proof of that. His once fair skin? It was currently quite pink and even blistered over the bridge of his nose painfully.

How humans survived, he had no idea.

Finally, he stopped to take a break beneath a lone tree, unstrapping his heavy sword from his back and setting it down beside him. Actually, it wasn't all that heavy at all but it sure felt it, now. He wasn't even sure why he had to have it, since he hardly even knew how to use it. Self defense while a human, sure. Made sense. But if things ever got that serious, he just planned on shifting and settling the issue that way. Still, the Elders had insisted...

Reaching inside the bag he carried, he pulled out his emptying waterskin and took a swig, even though he knew it'd soon be leaking right back out through his pores. Wiping his brow with the back of his hand, he leaned his head back against the tree trunk and decided to just take a breather and enjoy the shade for now. Waiting for nightfall before continuing on was sounding better by the minute.

He was still resting when a hummed tune broke the silence (unless you counted the drone of insects), and his blue eyes snapped open in surprise. A human? Here? Ah! Then that must mean there was a village of some sort nearby, and settlements were never made where there wasn't a good water source. Saved! Because he planned on drinking a gallon of water and then wallowing in it.

Rising to his feet with a weary groan, he dusted off his bottom, sheathed his sword, and shouldered his bag. Ari really didn't want to leave the shade, but...ah well. Time to suck it up. He was a soldier, for Gods' sake. He could stand a little heat, even if he didn't think he'd ever get used to it.

Off he went, trudging along toward the faint sound which gradually grew louder and clearer the closer he got. He wasn't really paying attention to the melody, but something began to tug at his subconscious, some strange sense of deja vu. Which...really made no sense. Finally, as he could really discern the tune, he began to pay closer attention to it. It sounded familiar. Why the heck would something from here remind him of something from--

Shit!!

The answer to that was suddenly obvious. It would remind him of the Realm because it was from the Realm. That song! The tune sounded almost exactly like this one song that--

"And how are you today, Mr. Lizzy?"

If Ari wasn't already tense, he was now. How the hell?! Lezzy? Lezzy?! That was a nickname of his back home and one he hated! How'd she know his name? His body went rigid and his hand felt for the pommel of his sword before jerking away. Screw the sword!</I> If it was really a Black Gryphon, there'd be no point. He'd be shifting. That was all there was to it, female Gryphon or not--they still had talons and they still made things explode.

Steeling his resolve, prepared to face some Black Gryphon scumbag, Ari took a deep breath and quickened his pace, crouching down cautiously and clambering up a grassy knoll that the Gryphon was obviously on the other side of. He didn't bother with his clothes. No time. He'd just shift and they'd tear to shreds, but it was no big deal. He had extra, and there was just no ti--

...What...?

He had just poked his head up over the top of the little hill to peek down over to the opposite side, and...what he saw was not a Gryphon. It was very much a human woman who he could just view from the side.

Human? But...wait...then how'd she know his name and how'd she know that song if she was just a human?

Duh, Ari. Shifting...

Right. Unless...well, there was a possibility she really was a human. A bunch of rebels had come to Earth, so it was possible that the humans here had learned something of their culture and adopted it. But this girl had black hair. And knew his name. He didn't know how any rebels would know his name to begin with; he was no one important. Bah! The thing was, he couldn't tell if she was a human or shifted! There was no red flag that went up and announced it, which made it so damned difficult to find the Gryphons among the humans. Yet, either way, whatever the case, this younger girl would be useful. If she was a Gryphon, he would kill her. Simple as that. That was his mission, and Black Gryphons were worthless. It was only the White Gryphon traitors he had to bring back alive. If she was a human, maybe he could glean some information off of her, as she'd obviously come into contact with them.

First things first, though, because it was driving him crazy. And, hell, it would be the best way to announce his presense and figure out which option was true. If she was a Gryphon, she'd react, probably shift, and that would be that. If she was a human, she wouldn't. That was his guess.

"How do you know my name?" he blurted, shifting up onto his knees and peering down at her. He was ready to shift at a moment's notice.

[Anonymous]

The day had been hot, blistering hot and the whole five minutes of walking away from the tree, she’d gotten a bit of sunburn on her nose. Sonalru wrinkled her nose, sighed then went back to petting the little lizard in her hand, which looked like it was getting cooked. She was about to put it down back into the shady spots on the tall thick grass, but just then, someone spoke to her… At least she assumed it was her, Sonalru hadn’t seen anyone… The voice, which was as unexpected as it was loud and scary sounding, made the black haired purple eyes shortie jump, which caused Mr. Lizzy to go sailing over her head and land behind her on the grass. Of course, this was while she emitted a loud ‘Gyaah!’ which echoed across the way and even made a flock of birds fly off into the not setting sun and held a hand to her chest. Forgetting momentarily about the person who just scared her out of her wits, Sonalru turned around and looked at the ground for the Original Mr. Lizzy, who had since run away because he didn’t like flying.

A pink pout replaced her bottom lip and she put her hands on her hips before turning to glare at the other Mr. Lizzy, who was up on a little hill and looking down at her. The buzzing of bugs was louder than her rather rapid breathing and then she took in a large gulp of air before letting it out in a loud ‘Whoosh!’  and letting her arms hang down. The too large shirt clinging to her upper arms due to the sweat caused from the heat and walking without a slight gust of wind or a fan. A soft smile was given to the other Mr.Lizzy who popped out of the hill and she lifted her hand in a wave before answering his question, a small look of astonishment on her face and her purple eyes wide before slowly making her way up the small hill.

�You’re a Mr. Lizzy too? I was just calling the Lizard that because he was cute and I was lonely and needed someone to talk to, then you came along.� She smiled at him, not weary at all which was probably a bad thing with meeting a stranger, Sonalru spoke up again before the Other Mr. Lizzy could speak, “I’m Sonalru, are you heading in that general direction, because if you are you can walk with me.�

Her arm was out and she was pointing in the direction the sun had been rising from, before she looked back at him expectantly and with another small smile. Okay, so she was looking forward to having a walking buddy, talking to lizards just wasn’t like talking to another talking, walking, breathing human. At least, Sonalru assumed he was human, even though she had never seen a human with such white hair, She resisted going closer to poke it to see if it was real or her mind was playing tricks and it was really only blond. Eh, she’d look later, right now she had to make sure this guy wasn’t gonna keel over and die on her, that would be back because then she’d either have to leave it for the birds, or drag it along after her and bury it.

Sonalru blinked her big purple eyes before blowing her black bangs off of her slowly pinkening cheeks, her eyes were still on the white mans hair but her cheeks poked her face to measure how bad the sun-burn was compared to his. Her face didn’t tingle but it was warm, and his was probably cooking, Sonalru wished she had brought some of that cream stuff with her that the lord and lady of the house used on their brat-son… The one who tried to put his hand up her dress, the one who’s the reason she was out here in this hot dry place. Sonalru puckered her lips and looked at his sun-burn.

�You should probably be wearing a hat, do you have a hat? You can use this bandana if you like but you’d have to carry the food because this is all I have to carry the food with… You’re sunburn looks bad, does it hurt much?�

Reaching out a hand, she quickly tugged it back before actually getting anywhere near him, remembering how the cook lady had told her not to pet dogs before she knew them… Maybe that was like this? Sonalru could pretend that this man was a dog that she didn’t know! So, she would act cautious around him until she knew what he was up to, and if he bit… Then, she’d pet his head to see if it was actually white or not.

[Rhindeer]

That wasn't really the sort of reaction Ari was expecting. Sure, he expected surprise since he had kind of popped up out of nowhere, but he didn't expect her to yelp and throw whatever it was she'd been holding, which--wait, was that a lizard? Yep, that's what it seemed to be, some sort of little green creature that skittered away as soon as it hit bottom. Finally, the girl's attention turned onto him with a...pouty glare? Ari blinked and shifted on his knees, which were protected by the scratchy brown material of his breeches, and stared blankly back down at her. This right here was the moment of truth; he'd gotten her attention, now it was just a matter of seeing if she was what he thought she was. Blue eyes squinting in the sunlight, Ari watched her face closely, searching for anything that would indicate recognition, or fear, or surprise, or...something. Anything that would give away that she was what he suspected she was.

Instead, the girl waved. Waved. And then she started toward him. Quickly, Ari stood and brushed the dried grass off of his knees, utter confusion playing within him. By some miracle he managed to keep his expression completely blank and neutral as he watched her. She wasn't acting afraid of him...so, she couldn't have been a Black Gryphon. Right? Or maybe she was and she just didn't know what he was. But if that was so, how would she know his name--wait, maybe she was mistaking him for someone else. That was entirely possible.

Or maybe she was trying to trick him.

...Or maybe he was being overly cautious.

When she finally spoke, that answered all his questions perfectly. Or...almost.

"...The lizard?" Ari repeated quietly, hooking his thumbs in the pockets of his breeches and tilting his head to the side a little, bird-like. She was calling the lizard that she tossed that? Talking to the lizard? Why would she call a lizard "Lezzy"? that made absolutely no sense and sounded like a rather lame excuse to him--

Wait a minute...lizard. Lizzy. Lezzy.

Augh.

Realization clicked into place, and Ari's eyes lit up as the truth dawned on him. He shook his head. "Oh! No, I'm sorry, miss, I misheard you. Never mind that...it's nothing. I thought you were saying something else," he explained with a sudden, relieved laugh, scratching the back of his spikey-haired head before letting his hand rest on the back of his neck. Which was also burned, hot to the touch and painfully sensitive. He wanted his fur and feathers back. "See, my name's Lez--well, never mind that. I just go by Ari." Now that he was finally speaking sentences that included Rs and Ss, his accent was painfully obvious, the Rs lightly rolled and the Ss more pronounced and drawn out. It was the typical accent of his homeland, though of course he hardly noticed it.

Glancing toward where she had pointed, Ari smiled at the offer and gave a nod. Perfect. "I'd like that...I'm afraid I'm not really familiar with the area. And no thank you, miss...Sonalru, was it? No thanks. I wouldn't wanna  take that bandana from you. Besides, I've been out in the sun so long that it's already too late for me," he said, reaching up to feel his own cheek and wincing. It did hurt bad...he'd never had a sunburn before, and it didn't feel good at all. And oh, but would he be sad when he his skin blistered and started to peel...

Human bodies sucked.

"Why don't you use it, though? I could carry the food. You're starting to turn pink yourself, so you might want to use it before you start to burn, too," he suggested with a genial smile, nodding toward her makeshift bag.

Then, as though as an afterthought, he asked, "By the way...what was that song you were humming? It was really nice."

So, maybe she was a human. Maybe. She didn't act like a Gryphon, that was for sure. Still, he could possibly get some information from her, if nothing else. Noticing the way she reached out a hand to him before jerking bac, he blinked and extended his own hand out to her, thinking that maybe she'd wanted to do that whole human handshake greeting thing. "Pleasure to meet you, by the way, miss Sonalru."

[Anonymous]

This Mr. Lizzy, Ari he said was his name. Was very pink, very pink indeed. Looked almost like a beet! Poor guy. While listening to him politely, which her mother taught her to do when talking about anyone, she noticed his accent, and it was familiar. It sounded nice, for a moment, she closed her eyes and pictured her parents. They had accents like that, and so did Sonalru for a few years after her parents died, until she lived with the family for a long while, then she lost it. Once she was doing remembering her parents, Ari was going on about how she should wear the bandana instead behind it was far too late for him, she pondered this than smiled slightly. Reaching a hand up, Sonalru ran a hand down the pieces of hair that resembled antennae.

�I would, but this hair doesn’t like going down, ever, I could even get it wet and it’d stay like this.�

A soft smile, again, towards her new friend and she reached out her hand to shake his. A light shake since she didn’t know him all that well and than her hand was back down to her side and she was looking around, unsure of what to say. This was one of the few times she met someone other than people at the market, and it was an interesting thing. She personally loved meeting new people, even if it was a little scary at first and they all ended up thinking something was wrong with her mentally, when here really wasn’t… And if there was, she didn’t know about it. Than, forgetting her manners she looked down at the makeshift hand bag and shook her head, as if only realizing at that moment that she should have continued on with her sentence.

�Oh! No, it’s okay I’m only pink because it’s hot out, I stole some stuff from the cook where I used to… Live and it helps with sun burns, it’s in one of my pockets… Would you like some?�

Than, another question caught her off guard. The song? If she remembered correctly, her mother told her to be wary of people who knew about the song, or was it stay close to them? Ah well, the cook lady had asked where she had learned it when she hummed it in the kitchen or when she was wiping off the table or dusting or something, but Sonalru never gave her a straight answer. They’d probably all surprised if she told them she actually had had a family and wasn’t born from underneath a turnip or something. So, Sonalru looked back at Ari with her big purple eyes before giving a polite smile and spoke, slowly walking back down to her spot in the grass.

�My mother and father taught it to me, there were words, but I can’t remember them and I don’t have the right accent to pronounce the words anymore, anyway. They sounded like you do.�

Grinning she kicked lightly at the grass before looking back up towards Art, the bandana in her hand still holding the bread and cheese. Than, the greeting, though very late, came.

�Oh, right… Nice to meet you too, Ari.�

Her gaze went down to the bandana in her hand and she looked at it for a moment before something clicked in her head. Maybe he was hungry? Or thirsty? Sonalru looked down at her belt and lo-and-behold there was a waster flask, blinking twice owlishly at it, she was surprised she’d forgotten about it. Looking back towards Ari she tilted her head slightly in the way he did and smiled, it wasn’t a creepy smile, more of a cute innocent smile you’d see on a six year old.

�…Ari? Would you like something to eat or drink? It’s only bread and cheese, and I’ve only got water, but it should last until the next settlement or clean river.�

At least, she thinks it would, but it wouldn’t matter, there was plenty of stuff out here, like rabbits and maybe some other edible thing. Sonalru didn’t know much about traveling, other than food and water was a good thing and so was having lots of it, she could have done a better job with carrying her items of choice. Moving her head back she looked towards the direction she was heading, was there even a settlement that way? She hadn’t brought a map with her, so that wasn’t exactly the best choice she’d made so far, and what happens if that direction didn’t lead them anywhere? Oh well, she now had someone to get lost with her! At least she wouldn’t be alone when she walked off the face of the planet.

[Rhindeer]

Ah! Something to help with the sunburn! Really? Ari heaved a sigh of relief and ran a hand over his sore, achey face. He couldn't help it! It might be stupid to take stuff offered to him by strangers without really knowing what he was being offered, but he was kind of desperate and he felt like he was being deep fried by the sun. His skin felt achey and itchy all over, and even with the heat beating down on him, making his clothes cling to him with sweat, he was seriously wishing he was wearing something with a hood and sleeves long enough to cover up his hands. Even the tops of his hands were red! "I'd like that very much...this really hurts," he admitted as he followed her down the hill toward wherever it was she was going.

Shade! Even better. Even though they'd walked only a short distance down the hill and toward that tree, Ari found himself panting softly amd sweating even more. Which, while he'd learned that sweating was some kind of weird thing that happened to humans to keep them cool--whereas Gryphons just panted to cool down--he really couldn't see how it helped. It didn't help cool him off! It only made him feel even more uncomfortable, sticky, and miserable, and he could imagine that he looked pretty pathetic right now, because he sure felt it. Maybe he was also getting dehydrated. Because he was losing a lot of water. In any case, once he'd reached that tree and its lovely shade (amazing what a little shade could do; it was probably ten degrees cooler there!) he plopped down in the grass and folded his legs, unbuckling his sword and sheath, he laid it down on the ground next to him.. He wasn't exactly invited, but he was too hot and tired to really care at the moment.

Ari was busily mopping his face and neck with the sleeve of his shirt when Sonalru answered his question. And man, did he really answer it.

"What? Your parents?!" Ari suddenly sat up straight, his body tensing and blue eyes widening. He forced himself to relax again, though, and quickly sat back with his back against the tree trunk. "Your parents sounded like me?"

Gah! The questions he wanted to ask. However, he tried not too look too interested and bit the inside of his cheek. Take it slowly, Ari. He wanted to ask if the accent was common here, if her parents were still alive, what she remembered of her parents, but he bit it back. Too many questions would rouse suspicion, and he didn't need that. Yet, after a moment's thought, he figured out a way to propose the question without it sounding too weird, a way that could explain away his own interest and, perhaps, get some answers without sounding suspicious. The girl seemed trusting enough...

Nodding distractedly at her belated greeting, he offered up a small smile at her offer. "Thank you. If it's not much trouble, I could use some water. I'm almost out. Listen, Sonalru, about your parents and their accents...are they still around, or do you know anyone else who sounds like me? I don't mean to pry, it's just, I've been looking for my own family, and the only thing I have to go off of is that song you were singing and the accent. That's all I remember." He gave a small, sad smile and shook his head, plucking at the grass absently. "You're the first person I've met who seems to have any sort of connection. My family probably isn't even alive anymore, but they were part of a much bigger group, and...I just want to find them. You know, just to know my roots and all. It's good to know where you came from, right?"

Hopefully that planted at least one little seed. Damn. Was she what he thought she was? Augh...with his luck, maybe his accent was just similar to another native accent...

He gave a little shrug, then smiled more brightly. "But enough about that. Where are you off to? And I really appreciate this. With my luck, I probably would have headed off to some desert and dried up."

[Anonymous]

Well, at least he was trusting her. Should she mention that the stuff stung on already burnt skin? Biting her lip, Sonalru reached into her pocket, which was very roomy because the pants didn't fit in any way, shape or form. Noticing him sitting down in the shade, she shrugged stopped and knelt beside him, half-listening to him and half working on getting the lid screwed off. His sudden outburst  made her jump slightly and fumble with the small jar and stare at him, twice he's scared her and made her fumble, she suddenly could only think of the poor little lizard she threw over her head. Nodding her head slightly, as if to say 'yes, my parents'. Sticking out her tongue, and resting it at the corner of her mouth, she didn't look at him in questioning before she got the jar open and lightly put it on the bridge of his nose and cheeks. Needless to say, Sonalru hasn't really had much contact with many other people than the cook, and this is what she did, so Sona assumed everyone did this to one another, thus, Ari would get Sonas fingers on his cheeks and nose messageing the stuff in.

"It might sting a little... But it won't hurt as much afterwards..."

Once she was done Sonalru smiled at him slightly and listened idely while putting the stuff on his hands and than wiped it off on her pants and putting the jar on the ground. Undoing the water flask from her belt before holding it in her hands and listening to Ari talk. Blinking her purple eyes she listened, her face going from confusion to sympathy back to confustion... It took a few moments for his words to sink into her brain and she just stared at her hands for a moment. Whoa, her parents were from some clan thing? She vaguely recalled them talking about something called 'The Realm' but she was never there, at least, not really, sure she was born there at least thats what her parents had told her. Tilting her head to the side, she quickly put the flast of water into his hands before starting to speak. What first?

"My parents are dead... They've been dead for about ten years, too. Umm, I remember them telling me that they were form a place called 'The Realm' but I don't know where that is, or what it is... The song is from there... I think... If it helps my mothers name was Italonu and and my fathers was Sonotek... I ... Don't know how it would help.. But thats all I know...  I suppose it's good to know where you came from... I don't really remember what the place looked like... But maybe that's where you're from!"

A helpful smile was on her face and she didn't really know she was setting herself up for disaster. Since her inner 'feelings' didn't work all that well and the 'BAD MALE' radar just wouldn't go off for some strange reason... Possibly her instincts were stuck in a small corner of her brain that just never grew up.  Aris next round of questions made her srunch up her face and think... Where was she off to?

"..Where... Am i off to? I.. Don't know... I just wanted to get away from where i was.  And.... The desert if nearby if you still want to go there... but I think theres a forest or something in..." Sonalru took the time to blink and look in all directions once before point to somewhere behind her, " that direction... I'm not heading anywhere specific."

Another smile and she patted down her hair and wiped her face with the back of her sleeve, the neck of her shirt falling forwards slightly to show the black tattoos which contrasted greatly with her slightly pink skin and off white shirt. Than, she ran a finger on her cheek and winced, ah well... She'd survive, she was a touch cookie and didn't need anymore of that stuff than she already had. Looking at Ari for a moment, she tilted her head and blinked at him than pursed her lips.

"Where were you headed, Ari?"

[Rhindeer]

Ow! Oh yeah, she'd warn him about the sting after her hands were already on his face! Which he also didn't appreciate much...considering what she could be. Ari winced and knitted his brow, biting his lip to keep from barking at her and holding perfectly still even though he wanted to pull away, lest she...rub off on him. Ugh. But he sucked it up and only smiled pleasantly after she was done, and...wait. She was right...already the sunburn felt a little better. He raised a hand tentatively and poked his nose experimentally, then smiled a little and inclined his white, spikey-haired head. "Thank you...it feels better already!" he told her, then glanced at his hands. They were still red and angry, but at least they didn't feel so raw.

Ari took the offered water flask gratefully and tilted his head, bringing it to his lips and taking a few long gulps. Which was a bad thing, because that was when Sonalru started talking.

And what she said made him choke, turning his body to the side and spraying water onto the ground. Which was better than spraying it on Sona's face! "W-what?" he asked when he'd caught his breath and stopped hacking, plugging up the flask and wiping his chin off with the back of his hand.

The Realm?! Her parents were from the Realm?! Holy crap!

With an effort, Ari managed to reign in his emotions.

"Sorry, ah..." Cough. "Went down the wrong...tube. Anyway...the Realm...ah...really...hmm..." Ari glanced up toward the tree branches thoughtfully, then shrugged and reached for his sheathed sword, pulling it into his lap. A moment later, and he had the blade bared, sliding it from its protective case with a soft hissing of metal against leather, the sharpened steel glinting in the sunlight that managed to filter down through the gaps in the tree branches and leaves. "The Realm, huh?" He glanced over at Sonalru briefly, his expression blank for a moment, as though he was considering something...and then looked back down to his sword and started polishing the blade off with his shirt, as though to keep his hands busy. Because that was when she finished her explanation, and he had to look down in an attempt to hide his utter shock, try and mask the sudden jolt the coursed through him.

Including fear.

Italonu and Sonotek...

Dear Gods...those were her parents?!

Ari swallowed a little, studying his sword as he ran the cloth of his shirt over it. "No, that helps, actually. I think know of your parents; they were quite...famous...in their time. Is that right? I think I vaguely remember hearing about them...it really rings a bell," he said quietly, thoughtfully.

Infamous was the better word to describe those rebels, those murderers. Black Gryphons...there was nothing good about them. All they did was destroy, kill...they couldn't create, couldn't do anything useful, and those two, this girl's parents, they were the prime example of everything a Black Gryphon was and why they needed to be destroyed. Ari paused in cleaning his sword and bit his lip thoughtfully. He should do it. He should just do it now and get it over with, because that was the only fate fitting for this girl and any other Black Gryphon. She probably deserved it even more, being their offspring...but that also meant she was probably strong in her ability. Oh well. No matter, really. She seemed pretty clueless, actually, and all it would take was one quick swing and it would be over and done with and he'd have his honor. Because surely taking out someone like her would be worthy of praise.

One quick swing. She'd never have time to react. Or at least he hoped.

"The Realm, too, sounds familiar...hmm." He raised his sword. "Maybe we can find it together?"

And slipped it right back into its sheath.

"I have some memories of my home...you must have some clues to go off of. I'm sure we could find it if we tried, at least, if you're interested in finding it," Ari said, setting his sword aside and smiling over at her pleasantly. "If you have nowhere else to go, that is. Like you said, it's good to know where you came from. But what I say is that it's even better to see it for youself. Anyway, to answer your question, that's where I'm headed. Home. You're more than welcome to join me, miss Sonalru. You've done so much for me already, and I'd love to repay that...maybe I can help you find your familiy just like I'm trying to find mine."

No...he couldn't do it now. And it wasn't out of the goodness of his heart, either. If he killed her, their only connection to those infamous rebels would be lost forever, and there were likely things she knew that she just wouldn't say, perhaps even valuable information that could be learned, such as the location of other rebels, other traitors. It was best to consider that option first, milk the captive of information, and then...well, then she wouldn't be needed anymore, now would she? No, as easy as it would be to just end it, he decided then and there that, instead, he would deliver her to The Realm. He didn't like the idea, but duty wasn't about what he liked and didn't like.

Not that he was too worried. She didn't seem very smart, or she at least was pretty oblivious. Obviously, she hadn't caught on that he was a White Gryphon and his and her kind were blood enemies. Her parents might not have told her; after all, they were of the class that believed that Black and White Gryphons should just get along. What bull. What blasphemy...there were probably Silver Gryphons around here, too. Disgusting.

That would certainly make things easier.

If that was the case, he wouldn't have to worry about her not trusting him.

[Anonymous]

They were famous? Sona blinked a few times owlishly when that statement left his lips. Whoa. That was… Cool. With her pretty big purple eyes she blinked at Ari while he told her more about her parents than she knew. Famous. Hmm. Sona put her head in her hand and wondered what they were famous for. Taking mild note of Ari cleaning his sword while he talked, wild childish thoughts still prancing about in her empty head. Forgetting for a quick few moments that he had nearly chocked to death on her water, which she was still holding onto with her other hand in her lap. Ari was completely pulling the sheet over her eyes, which wasn’t all that hard because well, she was pretty damn dense to begin with and half blind to ‘the ways of the world.’

�Well, that’s an interesting coincidence! It was fate, Ari.� Sona took this pause to nod a few times and tie the canteen of water around her belt again. “Of course we can! Though, I don’t know anything about it… my parents never told me anything really, or about them being… famous… You can tell me about it!� If Sona had any idea what thoughts were going through Aris head at the moment she would have been shaking in her boots and hiding behind a tree and probably trying to climb it, because she’s just that smart. Though, she didn’t so she just looked at him with a slight smile on her face and watched as he sheathed his sword again, patting off the dry grass and dust from her bum.

Wiping her forehead with her sleeve Sona then looked down at Ari and smiled at him. Putting her hands behind the shoulder straps of her backpack she began to walk around the tree, stepping through the dry grass and ignoring the random lizards that skittered across her path as she took slow steps looking at the ground. Since she was looking at the ground Sona didn’t notice the branch that was going to crack her on top of her head, so, that’s what it did. Mr. Branch cracked Miss. Sonalru on top of the head, which made her fall on her bum with a slight squeak. Instantly her hands were on top of her black haired head and rubbing away the pain.

�Owwiee.� Sona squinted then crawled over to where Ari was, her hand still on top of her head, rubbing the spot that bashed into the branch. “Sorry but... Ari, am I bleeding? It really hurts!� Her voice was a little higher than usual and her head, though not actually bleeding, had a red bump where the branch met her head. Sona wasn’t crying but her head did throb like there was no tomorrow, and it wouldn’t be good to have an owwie on her head for infection to get to while out in the middle of no where, she could get sick.

(*whines* DD8 It's so... boring)

[Rhindeer]

Fate? Something like that.

"Yeah, I guess it was fate," Ari agreed, absently brushing a hand through his spikey white hair to get his bangs off of his face, since it was still all sweaty and gross and now even more sticky from the stuff Sonalru had put on him. Ew. Well, it dd make the burn go away, he had to say. And he guessed that the moisture on his face did serve a purpose. When the breeze blew slightly, it felt pretty good...so maybe it wasn't just a messed-up thing humans had where the water randomly leaked out of their bodies. Ugh. Still a really gross thought, either way.

Waiting patiently as Sonalru gathered up her canteen and got situated, he couldn't help but smile a little when she agreed to go with him. Heh. As if he'd had any doubts. She was curious, he knew about her parents...so of course she'd cling to him. Yep. Obviously she was pretty damned ignorant, and his guess on why was proven correct. Her parents had never told her anything.

Excellent.

This would be so easy it almost seemed...embarrassing.

"I'd be glad to fill you in. At least, tell you what I know. My parents told me about them when I was younger, I think...I kind of remember it. Kind of like a fairy tale, I guess. It's all a little rusty, though." Ugh, he could hardly believe he was saying that. Then again, it wouldn't be a good idea to tell her that her parents were like...murderers and destroyers and stuff. A fairy tale. Ahaha. Well, she seemed simple enough. As long as he fed her little sugary lies, it would probably placate her. After all, he wasn't really afraid of her...really. Except...she only had some of the most imfamous and powerful Black Gryphons for parents! Ahem. Still, she didn't know a thing, it seemed. She probably didn't even know she had magic, she seemed dense enough. Could she even shapeshift? Or had her parents stayed in human form? There were a lot of questions, and he was slightly curious.

Really, what was the worst she could do if she found him out? Pitch a fit, maybe. Unless...unless she really did have the same traits her parents did. Then...he'd be screwed.

It was like playing a dangerous game of chance. Best to just keep her happy. Besides, it would be easier to just lead her along than it would be to knock her unconscious and haul her around. Cause less of a scene all around. And since he was pretending he didn't know a thing about the Realm when, in actuality, he of course knew exactly how to get back to it (er, kind of; he was lost right now, but...once he got his bearings straight again, he'd know where to go!)...he'd just...pretend he could "sense" it. She'd probably believe him.

Not the brightest star in the sky...

Following after Sonalru, he called after her. "Hey! Where are we headed, anyway?" Hopefully to a water source. Or nice, green land. He just...wanted to dunk his head in a lake or something, and swim around a bit...

That train of thought was cut off when a loud cracking sound made him look up from the path beneath his feet to Sonalru who--was no longer there. Blinking, and lowering his eyes, he spotted her on her rump on the ground before she was crawling over to him, rubbing her head.

"Uh..." He really, really didn't want to have to look. Looking would mean touching. But...but if he didn't, she'd think he hated her (which he did, ahem) and then she'd be uncomfortable around him and this whole thing would fail. She seemed a simpleton like that. A puppy. Maybe she'd follow him even if he did express disdain, but...best not to chance it. "Er...move your hand, let me see..." he said quietly before, taking a deep breath, he reached out and moved her hand with one of his before using the other hand to part her hair. He did it all really quickly, wanting to get it over with fast, because she was a Black Gryphon and he didn't want...Black Gryphon...stuff on him. At least, not when the Black Gryphon was still alive.

His shudder could have been interpretted as a shudder at seeing the angry red bump, and he withdrew his hand and ruffled her hair briefly to cover the bump again. "No, not bleeding. It's just a bump. Do you feel dizzy, though? Light-headed?" he asked concernedly.

[Anonymous]

If Sonalru knew what Ari was thinking of, she'd be down on all fours laughing stitches into her sides. She didn't though, so instead of laughing stitches, she was rubbing her head, wincing. "It feels like it's an open wound." Sona stated, letting out a pathetic whimper before sitting back, her legs at her sides with her butt on the ground ignoring any possible pebbles and sticks that would poke her. Her hand was burried in her hair rubbing at the bump, of course it hurt, but the self inflicted pain hurt just a little less than the constant throbbing. "Stupid tree." She muttered darkly, shooting a violet coloured glare towards the evil tree. Her eyes shot towards Ari when he asked her if she was light-headed or dizzy.

"No, but I might be if I stand. Just let me... Sit for a minute.." A few more fast paced rubs at the spot on her head and she glanced up at him, "Are you sure it wasn't bleeding? I think it's bleeding. Maybe my skull is showing, is it infected?" Sona gasped and let her hand fall to her side. "Oh no! My brain is going to start bleeding and I'll die of.. of.. Too much... Brain juice!" Her hand was once again on her head rubbing at the bump, but in one swift movement she was on her feet. A little wobbly, mostly because of how fast she stood up, but other than that she was fine.

"I don't know where we're going. I've never left here..." Sona looked around and sighed walking towards the tree again, giving it a good five feet away from the branch when she got to that point. Clearing her throat and tossing her hair over her shoulders she went at a steady pace. Casting a look over her shoulder she 'ahemed' politely, and stopped walking, remembering that she didn't know where she was going, and it'd be safer to be at least a grabbing-and-pulling-down-a-cliff distance. Stealthily, Sonalru looked around for any possible cliff problems. Sure it was a large deserted drying up plain, but those cliffs could really get you out of nowhere. She didn't see any nearby. That meant she could keep walking!

"We can head to the forest. It might take the rest of the day though, or an entire day... Or maybe two..." One hand on the bump on her head, which still throbbed, and the other fanned her neck. "I don't know how far, I guess we'll walk until we see a nice green thing in the distance." She moved her hand and pointed in some direction or another, "I think it's that way. Either way, we'll find a river, and have water!" Sonalru nodded at her statement and flashed him a large happy smile. " And that's all we really need to survive, right?"

Then she frowned and looked at her new traveling companion. "How old are you? And why is your hair white?" The only person she knew who had white hair was the old people, and he didn't look very old. Sonalru eyed him suspiciously, her violet eyes squinted and her lips pursed in thought.

[Rhindeer]

Ari let out a sigh. What was she doing out here all on her own if just a little bump on the head was making her panic? "I'm sure it's not bleeding, it's just a little red right now and it'll probably turn into a bruise. That's all. If you hit yourself hard enough, you might have a minor concussion at the most, but..." He cleared his throat to cover up the chuckle that wanted to bubble up, finding himself precariously balanced somewhere between aggitation and amusement. "You're, uh, not gonna bleed to death and your skull certainly isn't--guh!"

That was when she gasped and climbed to her feet, babbling something about brain juice and it took every bit of self control he possessed not to burst out laughing at her--though he couldn't quite help sinking his face into his palm. Was she for real?! A bloody Black Gryphon, epitome of destruction and death and doomy destructive death and...brain juice? Ari coughed into his fist and cleared his throat when he felt the self control slipping.

Gods above you have got to be kidding me.

She wobbled on her feet a bit, but suddenly as though by magic the bump on her head was forgotten, because she was already on a different subject. And look at that! She was walking just fine, too. What was she, some kind of freaky hypochondriac? He shook his head and followed after her, smiling faintly when he saw how wide of a berth she gave the evil tree that had attacked her and just as amused that she seemed to magically recover so randomly. "Mm, I see," he murmured, reaching up and poking at his sunburned cheeks. It was obvious she didn't know what she was doing but he couldn't really complain. He'd been travelling for a while and had lost track of where he'd been and where to go and about the only thing he did know was there was at least one more gateway to the Realm somewhere in the mountains.

That helped a lot.

"Well the forest is a start, certainly," he said with a smile. "But I daresay we'll need more than water, though that was close! That was an excellent guess!" He was like a proud teacher praising a struggling student, smiling and nodding at her effort. "But we'll need food, too, won't we? Unless of course you don't eat." He winked at her. "It's not a problem, though; I can hunt." Hopeully she wouldn't object to him snaring a rabbit or two or cry when he had to break their necks. He stole a sidelong look at her, a calculating glance. Erm, on second thought, he'd do any snaring and killing out of her line of vision.

Of course, that was if they found a forest, and at the rate they were going...

Wait, what?

He froze at her question and then just stared at her. Well. That was random. It never occurred to him for a second that his white hair might be viewed as a sign of old age since among his clan it was perfectly normal. He had seen humans with white and gray hair, though, and they had looked pretty...decrepit. It was only for that reason that he understood what the heck she was even getting at. "Uhh...twenty four..." he answered slowly, eyeing her. "White hair runs in the family, I guess. Premature whitening or something, lack of pigmentation I assume," he answered dismissively, waving a hand. Subject change!

"Is your head still bothering you?" he asked, squinting at her. She kept rubbing at it. "Look, you want I can heal it? Because if it's still troubling you I can." And hopefully it would stop any future complaints about it, too.

Brain juice...for the love of the gods.

[Anonymous]

A silly pout played on her lips and Sona looked around calmly for a moment. Hmm... Okay okay, so she was over playing the head wound. While it throbbed with her heartbeat, it couldn't be all that bad, it was just a tree. Then her head snapped up. "You can heal stuff?" her voice was quiet with wonder and her eyebrows were high on her face, clearly speaking of her surprise. "Like.. Poof! Healed?" She demonstrated by making hand motions then smiling at him. "That's so cool! I can't do anything neat like that."

Another pout and she looked away for a moment. Shoulders hunched and defeated. Not one of the happiest childhoods, being raised as a servant left much to be wanted. Sona shook her head and offered Ari up a smile, wincing at the sunburn on his face. Who would be silly enough not to go out with the salve? Tsk tsk. Oooo, hunting.

"You can hunt!?" Sonalru said happily, the leered at him. "Untrue! As long as we have water our bodies can function. Well.. For a few days. I guess we do need food." She rolled her eyes the smiled at Ari before rubbing her hands together. What to do? Sona put her hands behind her back and looked around, letting out a large breath of air before walking on. Surely Ari would follow her. Sona didn't look back, it'd be pointless. If he wanted to follow her that would be great! If he didn't well... Then she'd be lonely and he'd be lost.

At least she assumed he was lost, she wouldn't know for sure. Sonalru couldn't remember if she'd asked him. It was nearly sundown before she stopped and looked for a relatively dry-grass-free area of the ground. Dropping her backpack to the dusty ground and setting up a ring of rocks before she wandered about and found dried grasses reaching up and snapping small branches off of long dry dead trees.

In no time at all, Sona had created a little fire and was sitting looking at the rocks around it. "Hmm." Blinking Sona looked around and tapped at the ground. "Do you miss your home, Ari?"

[Rhindeer]

It was obvious the girl had probably never been outside much, or missed many meals, if she thought you could function well for days with only water. Ari kept his expression deadpan, his voice too, and gave a slow nod. "Right. You can function without food much longer than you can function without water, but I wouldn't recommend trying either. Ever missed a meal or two? If that made you feel lethargic and light-headed, imagine what going days without would be like." He smiled a little. "And there's no need to go without when yes, I can hunt."

And once night came, if they still had no clue where the frick they were or where they were going, he was going scouting while she was asleep. Ari shifted his bag from one shoulder to the other and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows, the fabric moist and clingy and his skin needing some air. Hopefully it wouldn't be so hot once the sun started to go down; he was dying as it was in human form, but it would be excruciating being in Gryphon form if it was still this hot. He'd probably pass out. All that thick fur, dense feathers...Ari shuddered. That was the only thing that had kept him out of Gryphon form. Human bodies at least had one thing going for them--minus the sunburn.

Finally they came to a stop at a little area Sona seemed to find suitable, and by then the sun was close to setting--thank gods. It even felt like the temperature went down a couple degrees, but maybe that was wishful thinking. With a long sigh, Ari dropped his own bag down next to Sonalru's and plopped down onto the ground (more like collapsed), legs drawn up and resting back on his hands. It felt good to finally be able to sit down and catch his breath. Ugh. This climate made him feel so out of shape, but dammit, he was used to cold weather not this blazing hell.

He watched Sona set up a fire ring and then work at getting a fire going, feeling a little like he should be the one doing that, but he just let her do her thing. Taking a deep breath, he ran the back of his hand over his forehead, smearing some dust across the skin in the process, and looked over at Sonalru as she spoke, then smiled at her question. "If I didn't miss it do you think I'd be looking so hard for it?" he asked, wiping his hand off on his breeches.

"What about you? You said you wanted to get away from where you were, eh? Why's that?"