ORIGIN - Flight

Freshly grown plumage rustled in the gentle winds that whistled through the trees. Equally as fresh talons dug into familiar bark. Iokepa had since travelled from Cetus, but something drew him in, encouraged his return. He'd gathered a bit of knowledge in his short travels- he'd only been gone about two cycles, after all, and with a somewhat more matured mind he surveyed this bleak swamp through a different set of lenses.

A quiet hum, almost a purr, rumbled from his chest. He shifted side to side, just as birdlike in his movements as one could expect, crooning his head to scan the area from all points of view. A bit of apprehension still weighed on his shoulders considering his hatching experiences here, but he shook them off like one would a fly. He knew what he wanted to do.

Kepa raised the normally limp appendages at his sides- his wings, he'd come to know- and gave them an almost clinical look. He'd been practicing flapping them, lifting and stretching and whatnot, but he'd yet to even get off the ground. He wasn't fearless, but his hatred of being on the ground motivated him. The sensation of grasses, the feeling of pebbles lodged between his toes.. it was agony. Every moment his talons were off the ground was one of bliss.

Shaking their head, the fledgling flexed his wings carefully. Movements poised, he shuffled to the edge of the tall branch he sat on. He'd somehow clambered up to that point, and although it wasn't too difficult with a sharp beak and claws- the exercise was strenuous. Still, he'd waited long enough, his energy was replenished and he had to learn to do this. Kepa knew he was procrastinating.

And with that final thought, and a little shiver at the wind, the owlet dove off his perch. Eyes squeezed impossibly tight, wings tucked tight against his sides, and the air screaming in his ears, he was frozen. He felt utterly still.

In the days since hatching, the lost child had traveled. A lot. She was looking for something, she knew. But without knowing WHAT that thing looked like, it was.. well, it wasn't going that well. On the upside, though, she had seen some truly wonderful things. Like that cave with all those plants, and the pretty tree on the hill! And the cave that was SO COLD [okay, that one wasn't that good, but it had been New and Fun!] and the cave where even the air itself was as excited as they were. Going down a random tunnel had led them here. It was muddy and dank [the mud reminded them a bit of the sludge that sometimes dripped from their feathers] and it was hard to see, even with all SIX of their eyes.

Just because she had gills didn't mean she had to LIKE water. She wasn't good at swimming, anyways: it looked something like a panicked cat dropped into a bathtub mixed with a particularly concussed snake. So she was sitting panting on piece of land only slightly less wet than the literal water, looking like a drowned rat-snake, and covered with far more slime than just the stuff she produced.

She DID have wings, but she didn't know how to use those. Though the raven in her told her that it would be FAR more preferable to THIS, and that she was old enough that she ought to know, really. Frowning, she would stretch her wings experimentally. The feathers were all ruffled up and covered in mud. She didn't typically care about her personal appearance, but this was just GROSS. And also bad for flying.

She would find a rock jutting out of the mud suitably clear enough to start preening. Starting with her wings, then the feathers around her gemstone, and then really just going the full mile. It felt NICE to not have mud all in her feathers, anyways. At one point she looked up at the trees she couldn't even see the tops of- trees she would be flying among. Maybe.

It was at this point, as though summoned, a brown something flitted past. She lost track soon after, but she knew what it was- a fellow flyer! Like Herself! "I CAN DO THAT TOO!" She yowled, opening up her wings and haphazardly throwing herself into the air.

Surprisingly, she WAS able to get some lift. She stayed particularly low to the ground the whole time, but flew in a large, wobbly circled back 'round to her rocky perch. She beamed, looking to see if the brown flyer had seen what she did.

@Iokepa

Iokepa's mind was blissfully empty as he soared through the air, perfectly victorious in his first attempt at flight. He couldn't lie, this boosted his confidence. Lifted him up a bit- literally- and gave him that motivation he had been lacking. So when he heard a loud squawk from far below him, and something as simple as that absolutely shattered his peace...

Well, he almost fell out of the sky. Flapping frantically, the growing owl regained his bearings and swiveled his head around. He found this a bit difficult considering his activity, but managed to spot the messy landing of a... well. What would one say to describe this creature? Kepa didn't know what animals it looked like, but it was long.. and fuzzy? But also disturbingly sticky looking.

Stuck in his thoughts a few moments too long, he tilted his wings and attempted to do a quick 180, intending to meet the creature down on the rock it had plopped itself onto. The clearing danced in and out of view, but with some squinting and lots of hesitant hovering, Iokepa joined the serpent.

"Ahem. Hi. Hello. I'm Iokepa. Good job!" He cooed, voice almost trembling with the lingering adrenaline from his mighty feat of both flying and landing.

@Laika

She managed to regain sight of the brown flyer just in time to see his flight go wobbly and frantic. She might've felt bad if she connected the dots and realized SHE had been the one to startle him. She'd watch as he landed, hesitant and lacking the confidence [and mild bruises] of Laika's.

The closest comparison Iokepa may have to what Laika looked like was a shifting mantis wearing a hallowed caller's skin. She stood like a mantis, with wings in lieu of claws, and was coated in a sleek, oily coat of feathers accented by the orange glow of her too-many eyes. She was longer than either mantis or bird, and significantly bigger- roughly two feet at top of her head, when standing 'straight.'

However, right now she was bending down to examine the funny brown flyer. He didn't look like birds she'd seen before- his face was too flat, and having one two many eyes. Those eyes intrigued her- vivid red with a whorl of green in the centre, reminding her of a berry bush. His feathers were mottled like the bark of said bush, with a face as pale as a tree's flesh.

She would blink, realizing that she'd gotten caught up examining the bird and that she was being talked at. She reared back, clacking her beak once as though embarrassed. "Oh! Hi-hello Iko- Ick- ouh- ....Kepa." Her excitement diminished slightly as she caught up on trying to pronounce this weird word. "You should get an easier name. ANYWAYS, THANKS! Also you flew really cool!" Her wings opened with flourish, perhaps hitting Iokepa if neither were being careful [Laika certainly was not.] "You went like- Woosh! And SO fast! And-"

A soft glow would emit from her gemstone, and a blurred shape of light [resembling moreso an arrow than an owl] would flicker and flit, soaring easily until went out of Laika's [admittedly small] range. "Like THAT!"

If Iokepa showed any signs of being overwhelmed Laika wouldn't react. This was her first real interaction with anyone who could talk back and it most definitely showed. "Anyways! I'mmmmmm..... Laika! Yeah my name's Laika." said with the tone of someone who came up with this on the spot.

@Iokepa

It took a few long moments before Kepa deduced that this thing was really, truly not a threat. At least not as of right now, she wasn't. She seemed to be an explosion of words and excitement, renaming him- although he didn't mind too much- and staring intently.
Into his eyes.
For far too long.
He did mind that part.

Once the tense examination was over, he shifted from talon to talon, trying to get a good look at her as well, hopefully without being as creepy. Although, of course, this was kind of unavoidable with the eerie nature of.. well, him. He was awfully curious anyways, pleased with this creature he'd never seen before. The owlet carefully catalogued it in his mind, and let out a dulcet little noise when the gem embedded in their chest glowed.

The magic that ensued absolutely delighted Iokepa, and he allowed himself a few excited hops as he watched the light figure soar before fizzling out. Magic. He knew what that was. And he knew how to do it! Er, on occasion.

"Laika. Very good to meet you, mhm.." He hummed, nodding quietly to himself as his face scrunched up with concentration. He had something to show her as well. With a little extra push and some stinging of the skin along his back, out sprouted various mosses, watercress, and very small, barely budding pink flowers. (think rose mallow !) He swiveled his head- of course, to a scary degree- when the plants settled. If he could smile, he would, but instead decided on a wide eyed look that more matched 'macabre bug' than happy.

@Laika

Being Laika's first interaction with another creature [other than the lessers she occasionally harrassed and hunted] she had no idea how to socialize 'properly'. This was evident in both the way she acted, and her lack of reaction to anything that could be considered 'creepy' about Iokepa. If anything, she was just happy to meet someone who could talk- and fly- like her!

She'd mimic Iokepa's little hops of excitement. Yes, light was good! It made the plants live and your eyes see and everyone see! It was life and being known and wanted and good. Pride bloomed in her like the now-faded glow of her gemstone.

Laika's head tilted to the side as the owl's face scrunched with concentration. She clacked her beak once, opening it as if about to speak, before pausing. She would watch with awe as some baby plants sprouted onto his back, emerging between feathers. She leaned her head in close- close enough to smell the flowers if they had bloomed. Disappointingly, all she smelled was bird-smell. She would lean back, returning Iokepa's person space, eyes glimmering and bright. "Woah! You made plants!" She noted, as observant as ever.

"Why're you in this cave? You're cool, but this cave is kinda muddy and gross." She commented in an off-hand manner. "I've been through a BUNCH of caves! There's 'nother one that's gross, but it's cold instead of muddy." She would adjust how she stood on the rock, sort of coiling around it in a way that made her resemble a serpent more than a 'taur. "You'd like the first cave! It has a lotta plants in it, like the ones you made." She'd hum, head tilted skyward as if thinking. "The second cave had a lotta plants too. And those had a BUNCHA colors."
@Iokepa