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Post by Xenon on Jul 3, 2006 23:28:49 GMT -5
"I've.. never felt so open." she continued to look at him, offering a slight smile. "I'm not entirely sure what it means, but I've never felt so comfortable around anyone."
She pressed against his side slightly, rubbing her head against his shoulder. Beneath her soft feathery tufts, he would feel a slight point beneath the large shoulder fluffs, almost like.. bone? "I guess I just wanted to thank you."
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Post by sera on Jul 3, 2006 23:35:05 GMT -5
Samir flushed abruptly at her words, even as one part of his mind was distracted by that strange, hidden protrusion. But he spent years keeping kids distracted, and taking care of their hurts and injuries, and he knew better than to break the moment by asking. Perhaps sometime Sobriquet would trust enough to tell him.
So he blushed and smiled down at her, feeling that sense of pleasure settle more fully over him. "I'm honoured," he admitted quietly, voice low and deep with his happiness. "I'm very pleased to have met you. . ." He hesitated for a long moment, but he trusted her further than he did any other adult. "It seems we have known each other before we even met," he said softly, eyes dropping beyond to the ground as he fought not to flush again. He -never- blushed this much!
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Post by Xenon on Jul 3, 2006 23:46:32 GMT -5
Sobriquet's eyes were shining when she looked at him, almost as if by moisture. She looked so happy! "Indeed, it does." She murmured, moving her head to keep in his line of sight. She was, truely, beaming. It showed in every aspect of her, especially the lightness of her voice.
"I want to know more about you, Samir. Tell me about your home... Tell me about your horn." she purred. She glanced at the horn again, looking absolutely enthralled. She could feel that there was a story behind it, as it did not look to be a part of the male's natural structure. When she looked at him, she saw something proud, strong, and noble.
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Post by sera on Jul 4, 2006 0:06:43 GMT -5
Samir couldn't look away when she moved to stay within his line of sight and he couldn't help but blush again at her words. That deep sense of peace and happiness was seeping further into him and dancing around his heart.
"I'll tell you about my horn," he said quietly, head rising in response to her look and with remembered pride. "I am a Hunter," he spoke with quiet dignity. "I protect and provide for the quads within my territory. One night I walked the rounds with fatigue; there had been two births that day and the newly born hatchlings were hard to calm for their mothers. I went to assist them, as I often do in such situations.
"The night was cool and dark; despite a full moon, the cloud cover was heavy. The air felt restless, but it was hard to remain focused. Nevertheless, I was the only Hunter remaining in the area, so I had to continue through the night. The nights are not lonely, but there is little to distract one's mind. Into this void, I was left contemplating the births and their impact on the quads. I don't know wot warned me, perhaps a shift of the breeze, perhaps a soft sound, but suddenly I knew I was no longer alone.
"It crept towards the newborns and their mothers and it seems pure chance that I saw it. It was as large as I, creeping in the shadows. It hid in the greyscale of night and seemed to vanish and reappear before my very eyes. It looked evil; long, curving claws protruded from it's 6 legs, and its long tail looked like a whip. From it's forehead, a long, golden horn curved slightly. And it's glittering yellow eyes were focused on the newly born Air."
His voice fell off as he relived that night; the terror as he realized the intent of the Poisontail, the darkness, the fear. He had been frozen for several long seconds, trying to place it with certainity. His eyes went distant, and for a brief moment he tensed up again, body remembering the adrenaline and encouraging him to hurry, hurry, strike quickly, save the swie, save them now!
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Post by Xenon on Jul 4, 2006 0:11:18 GMT -5
She listened, enraptured by the sound of his voice, beak open slightly with wonder. As he spoke, images flowed through her mind of the scenes he spoke of. It was as if she was watching him at the time. Her eyes looked over the horn on his forehead once more, suddenly very aware of how dangerous it really looked.
She found herself leaning on him again as he paused, very gently, almost reassuringly. She could feel the anxiety flowing through him, and she felt him tense. Her feathers were soft on his fur, and her body was warm.
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Post by sera on Jul 4, 2006 0:26:18 GMT -5
Samir blinked, startled by her touch, then he relaxed again and smiled softly down at her, thankful for her reminder of the present. After a moment he continued, "It was difficult to place, difficult to watch, but I had to survive the encounter or I would leave all of the quads open for attack. I quickly began to stalk it, and it wasn't long before it realized I was there and watching it." As far as Poisontails went, it had actually been rather intelligent. "It turned and in a flash of speed, came at me. It wanted to take me by surprise and it had." His voice trailed off slightly when he remembered that fight, remembered the shock of the golden horn that even now graced his forehead, had slammed deeply into his chest, ripping the muscles and skin with surprising ease. And then it had begun to burn. His chest spasmed slightly with the remembered pain; he would bear that scar for eternity. "It was a swift fight, despite its desperate nature," he admitted softly, taking comfort in the feel of those gentle feathers, of the warmth of her body against his. "It seemed to last forever, but it made the mistake of thinking that injury would prevent me from fighting further. It moved away and I took that time to attack it myself." It had hurt to attack, hurt desperately, but the baby gryverns were awake by then and shrilling their terror. He couldn't have left them.
After another brief pause, pregnant with wot he did not say, "The fight was soon over and I collapsed." He admitted this without embarrassment. "I was fortunate that their was a Healer near at paw. She came and closed my wounds. The next day a Mage came to visit, only by chance, and he took the time to remove the horn from our enenmy and attached it to me."
He was still proud of his horn, but he wasn't entirely certain whose idea it was. He had been a little delirious at the time and had not yet seen him again since then. He smiled down at Sobriquet, still glorying in the feel of her pressed to his side. "And that is how I got my horn."
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Post by Xenon on Jul 4, 2006 0:36:28 GMT -5
Sobriquet pressed even closer against the male that she was feeling now more than ever was someone beloved as he spasmed, eyes closed tightly. He wouldn't know it, but she was a very empathetic Gryphon, and the emotion in his voice affected her more strongly than she could ever let on. She knew, all too well, the pain and terror accompanied by injury and fighting for one's life.
"You are amazing, Samir." she whispered, eyes wide to take in every bit of that smile. The horn on his forehead had new meaning to her, one that she would likely remember until the end of her days. "So brave... Not like me."
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Post by sera on Jul 4, 2006 0:41:41 GMT -5
Samir gave a small shake of his head, bending his head down to brush his nose lightly along her jaw in a subconscious, yet somehow natural movement. "You have climbed to the top of a tree to sing your song," he teased her gently. "I have done only that which must be done." Nevertheless, he was still quite proud of the accomplishment. He nuzzled her again before realizing the move might be too forward for their acquaintance.
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Post by Xenon on Jul 4, 2006 0:45:28 GMT -5
Sobriquet did not, however, recoil from the touch. Instead she seemed to relish in it, moving closer to him. She felt comfort being close to him, a new sense of security gained from the knowledge of his prowess. "Not at all..." she whispered softly, looking at the Gryvern, eyes soft with sorrow. There was obviously a story, and the meaning behind his shoulder spikes seemed likely to surface.
"I was not nearly so brave as you when my siblings were attacked. I could not find that courage."
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Post by sera on Jul 4, 2006 0:51:21 GMT -5
Samir felt his heart thrill when she didn't pull away from him. He held a quick stab of intense curiousity, nevertheless, he was reluctant to push the topic if it would even slightly make Sobriquet uncomfortable. He didn't question his response at the sight of sorrow in her eyes, he nuzzled her again, trying to offer her his stalwart comfort. "Would you like to talk about it?" he asked very softly, not wanting to pressure her, yet not wanting to leave her devoid of care.
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Post by Xenon on Jul 4, 2006 0:53:40 GMT -5
"Only if you would like to hear it." she offered another smile, but this one seemed almost strained. It hardly made her eyes, instead relying heavily on the movement of her headfeathers. She had shrunk against him, holding herself close without being in his space somehow, looking as small and insignificant as she could. "I... feel that it would do me good to get it off my heart."
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Post by sera on Jul 4, 2006 0:57:25 GMT -5
"I would always love to hear about you, Sobriquet," the words came fervently, and he stared earnestly at her, willing her to believe him. "But I never want to be one to cause you pain." She looked so uncomfortable and unhappy, it made his heart twinge painfully. He carefully arced his neck over hers, twisting his head slightly so he gently held her against his chest; a move he used with hatchlings when they were upset, though he didn't realize he had done so.
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Post by Xenon on Jul 4, 2006 1:05:19 GMT -5
She found herself settling against him, the position far more comfortable than the simple leaning against his comforting body. She could feel his body heat radiating from him, and her heart sang with triumphant joy. Surely, he felt whatever it was that seemed to race through her every cell..
"My family was... At odds with a group of Sin Tsumes." she began quietly, but as she spoke the words seemed to gain the flow that so commonly accompanied her speech. "We lived in a large Aerie, everyone was so close.. I was the oldest, and in charge of protecting my younger siblings. They were all so small, Samir, I was terrified I would step on their little tails.." her eyes seemed to glimmer at the memory, taking on the sheen of one deep in the past.
"Most of the time, I'd just curl around them and hold my wings over them and purr to keep them sleeping and warm. I really adored them, I do." she hesitated, however, pressing close to the larger Gryvern. She seemed unable to continue, then choked out, "Please, Samir, don't think of me less for what happened. I could not bear it."
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Post by sera on Jul 4, 2006 1:14:00 GMT -5
Her wings? The little detail caught his attention and caused his heart to pulse with a sudden ache. This story likely would not be a pleasing one, but he had known that. Nevertheless, the sound of her voice at that moment caused his heart to clench and pulled her closer against him by slipping one large foreleg on either side of her. Her pain was causing his own heart to break and he kept her held tightly against him, unwilling to let her even consider retreating from him.
"I could not think less of you, Sobriquet," he murmured softly to her, gently rubbing his head against hers again. "The past only shapes who we are today, it does not define us." He was quiet for a moment before saying, "If you would rather not tell me now, I understand." He left the statement open-ended so she could do wotever she desired.
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Post by Xenon on Jul 4, 2006 1:23:22 GMT -5
Not as if she wanted to retreat from his side, finding the Gryvern's proximity calming to her aching heart. "I do want to tell you... I want to tell you everything I ever had to tell. It's inexplicable." she smiled, a true one for a moment, nuzzling his neck and purring. Her purr was a very comforting sound, it didn't take a lot to imagine kittens sleeping soundly to it.
"...The Sins came upon us when the adults were on a hunt. I was old enough to be considered capable, but I was not quite that." she shivered slightly. "The Sins came upon me. I was young and scared, so I ran. I couldn't.. control myself. I saw them, and I bolted." she looked at her own paws, sighing. He could feel the bumps at her shoulders very well now, and she twitched one subconsciously, almost as if hoping to spread a wing over his back.
"They followed. I am unsure of what happened to the kittens, I wasn't able to go back." her voice sounded strangled and sorrowful. "They broke my wings and left me for dead. I was aided by another Tsume at a later date, but it was too late for the wings. They were amputated to keep infection from spreading." She spoke almost analytically, distancing herself as much as she could from the pain, though it filled her mind. She could smell the bitterness of blood in the air, the memory stayed so strongly with her.
"I.. do not know what became of the kittens. They were my responsibility.." once again, her voice had choked, and her breathing was ragged.
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