ORIGIN

________________

The owl twisted her neck to look behind her, briefly, before she turned her gaze back to the throne and Adeyemi nestled happily on it. She wasn't sure how he found it familiar - especially when, to her, it looked like something silly. Something to be ignored. Her friend's interpertation of 'power' didn't even cross her mind once, she struggled to find a reason why he came to that conclusion.

Very strange.

She shifted briefly, before her wings sprawled out and she attempted to lift off the ground. She had already grown a full set of flight feathers by now, but she was unsure if she could even use her own wings.

The result?

'Sort of.'

Shakily, she flew up towards the throne, wings beating in complete silence. The only noise that came from her was a brief clacking noise as she landed next to Adeyemi, nearly hitting her face off against the throne. She chirped a little, turning to peer over Orion as she tucked the wings away.

"... A view point, perhaps?"

________________

Adeyemi watched as his companion flapped and fell until she was by his side, and he held back a laugh - for one, it would be poor manners, and for two, the display was actually kind of... adorable. He cooed in response to her question, shifting his gaze back to the sights of Orion, surrounding the throne like a sea of crumbled buildings and shining quartz. "A viewpoint. Yes. That seems reasonable," the turaco offered, eyes narrowing over the landscape.

Finally, he struck upon the prints the owl had seen earlier, and crowed, worried despite himself. "Perhaps a viewpoint that has already been claimed... whatever made that," Adeyemi said, pointing to the pawprint with a wing, "would have to be big. Very big." The nerves didn't seem to stem from any self-preservation - the turaco glanced at the owl and back to the prints. No, he was worried for his companion. She was older by a few days, wiser, but she had yet to show the same viciousness he knew he, himself, capable of.

________________

She looked down, tilting her head. "They are not here," she said. "Perhaps they have left."

The owl wasn't particularly sure of this, of course, but she'd like to hope. She twisted her head to look at Adeyemi. "What is it?" she asked quietly.

________________

Adeyemi met her gaze evenly, a bit of rare fear darkening his eyes. "I... don't know," the turaco admitted, shame wilting his crest. The tiny bird huffed, rustling his wings, unsettled by the thought of something so gigantic lurking nearby. "Perhaps we should stay up high. Something so large would not be able to reach us, at least not quickly," he reasoned, hopping from the seat of the throne onto one of the arms, talons screeching against the stone.

The firebird couldn't see anything lurking in the ruins of Orion, but that didn't guarantee that whatever had left the prints was gone. He let out a sharp kraw! and waited as the sound echoed about, bouncing off of rocks and half-crumbled buildings. Nothing replied, and his chest and crest puffed up again, reassured. "If it is here, it is quite deaf," he murmured, turning back to his companion with a flare of his blue and green tail feathers. "But we should stick together, yes?"

________________

The owl seemed to think for a moment before she nodded lightly, looking back out over Orion. "I doubt it is deaf. It would have seen or smelled us by now." She wasn't sure what exactly told her this, it had simply been information that was already in her brain.

She shook it off, and then ruffled her feathers calmly. They were safe, for now. She watched Orion intently, the only movement she could see below were rats and bugs scuttling along, perhaps oblivious to their presence.

The owl begun to grind her beak together ever so slightly, glancing up to Adeyemi in silence again.

________________

Adeyemi shrugged at the owl's words, satisfied that whatever had been there had either left or was no threat, after all. "Then perhaps we should explore further, yes?" Without waiting for a reply, the turaco hopped up to the very top of the crown, gazing out over Orion, the feeling almost as good as being up high in a tree, to the tiny bird. "Or I suppose we could head back to the tunnel...?" The query was open-ended, casual, but Adeyemi was peering down at the owlet as he spoke, cocking his head to one side. "I don't fancy running into the beast that made those prints, myself."

The wounds on his feet itched, the dried blood crusty and the burns below pulling with every movement of the turaco's toes. He sat on the stone chair, nipping and pulling at the scabs, muttering to himself. "Bloody fire... couldn't even bother to hurt the egg, not me..."

________________

The owl leaned over to gently rub her beak against the back of Adeyemi's head before she nodded slightly, moving to flutter down off the throne. She only briefly looked back to the turaco before she began making her way towards one of the many exits of Orion, assuming the bird follows her.

A last time, she craned her neck upwards to peer at the glimmering ceiling with an inward sigh, before the owl tilted her head back down and with a soft 'click click click' hobbled into the tunnels.

________________

Adeyemi stilled at the feeling of a beak on his neck, and relaxed just as quickly, cooing softly. He followed after his companion after a moment spent dazedly staring after her, talons snick-ing on the stone throne as he descended. The turaco hurried to waddle after her, finally reaching her side, determined to keep track of his one and only friend in this strange, silent world.

With a huff, he headed out of Orion, disappointed that he hadn't been able to help the owlet find her name. Still, it somehow seemed worth it, the phantom sensation of preening on his neck carrying him through the journey.

[ Exit Adeyemi ]