________________

The owl dropped the mouse and tilted her head. "You do not eat mouse? What do you eat?"" she asked.

She couldn't possibly imagine another bird not wanting to eat a mouse, but to each their own, she decided. She could eat it herself as soon as she found the other bird something to eat.

________________

Adeyemi stared at the dropped mouse in mild disgust, toeing it towards his companion with a huff. "I do not eat... mouse," he decided, wracking his brain for what, exactly, he did eat. It couldn't be anything they'd come across so far - the leaves on the trees looked better for nest building than food, and the rodents of Eridanus looked more like toys than meals. Crowing in irritation, Adeyemi scratched at his head with his gem-formed talon, thinking.

post roll:
An image formed in his head slowly, one of round, brightly colored objects, flesh tender and unable to fight back. He peered at the owl, trying to explain. "I eat... ah... small things," he started, holding up a foot and curling his talons together in demonstration of the size. "And they're bright colors, like me," he added, flapping his multicolored wings. "And they don't walk," the bird finished, still eyeing the offered rodent with distaste.

________________

"Very well," said the owl. She wasted no time in dipping down to pick the mouse back up in her beak, tilting her head back to swallow the entire creature down her gullet.

She paused and waited for the bird to figure out what he actually wanted to eat, head tilting before she lifted her head to the trees. "There," said the gentle voice. "The fruits cling to the trees. Some fall."

The owl turned and sauntered off once more, gaze lowered to the tree trunks. It didn't take long for her to stop in front of a juicy, orange fruit. She watched Adeyemi closely, waiting.

________________

Adeyemi watched the owlet as she swallowed her prey whole, shuddering at the sight. Ew, ew, ew, he thought, grimace only lightening at the mention of 'fruit.' Perhaps she actually knew what he was talking about? Bolstered, the turaco straightened up, following after her eagerly.

When she stopped at a tree trunk - which looked no different from any of the other trees, he noted sullenly - he almost crashed into her, long legs just about swiveling him out of the way. Adeyemi came to a stop in front of the fallen fruit, and without a second thought, speared it through with an eager beak, ripping it to pieces and gobbling them down. Within a few moments, only the object's core and stem remained, and the bird sighed happily, finally feeling strong enough to puff up his feathers, posture returning back to its prideful and pompous state.

Turning to his companion, he settled his wings with a grin, this one the closest to a true smile that he'd had yet. "Thank you." The words were soft, as if they hurt to say, and he quickly croaked to cover it up, scratching at the ground with sharp claws. "For the fruit, I mean." He cocked his head at the girl, curious. "You mentioned... purpose. How will you find it?" How will I? went unsaid.

________________

The owl was silent for a moment before a gentle sigh escaped her throat, more like a whisper than anything else. "I do not know," she said softly. She seemed to be admitting a defeat. "Some do not ever find their purpose."

She lifted her head to the trees once more, silent, before she looked back down at Adeyemi, silent and waiting.

________________

"When I speak"
When I think,

The answer seemed to bother Adeyemi, who let out a sharp kraw! and shook his feathers to settle them. "That cannot be," he said, glare flicking from the ground, to the trees, to the owl, and back again. "I am here for... something. As are you," he added after a moment, keeping the I suppose to himself. "If not, why would we be here at all? No one would willingly live in this place."

The bird clenched his burned claws, wincing at the lingering pain. "There is nothing here except us. We must have a purpose." At that, he spread his wings, gesturing to all of Eridanus. "This place. It is... quiet. Empty. Weak." The last was said with contempt, tone harsh and croaking. "We must be strong," Adeyemi added, thinking to his agonizing birth. "The... mouse. It is weak. It dies to feed you." He nodded, satisfied at having made his point. "Our purpose, our right, is this strength."

________________

The owl was silent once more, watching Adeyemi for a moment, before she turned. "Come," she said, though it sounded more like a question than an order.

She began making her way through the trees once more. "You are correct, Adeyemi. Perhaps," she said. "No one is placed here without reason. This is true."

She stopped by a shallow pond, looking to Adeyemi expectantly. "The water will soothe the pain."

________________

Adeyemi stood in his previous pose for a moment, continually baffled by his feathered companion. With a disgruntled sigh, he trudged after her, perking up at the notion that he was, in fact, correct. "Of course I'm right," he replied, chest and crest feathers puffing up. Still, the true reason for his existence escaped him. Perhaps the key was his fire? The thought made him glance down at his lightly grilled feet, and he grimaced. The fire was, indeed, powerful, but at what cost?

The owl's abrupt stop by the waterline shook Adeyemi out of his thoughts, and he eyed the pond carefully, uncertain. He glanced from her to the water, seeming to summon up his courage before hopping in, feet stinging fiercely on contact. After a sharp kraw! and a few moments of flailing about uncontrollably, the bird relaxed. She had been telling the truth - though at first his burns ached at the chill, the water soon began to dull the pain, and he sighed, content.

Chest-deep in the pond, he turned back to peer at his companion. "You were placed here too, yes? I mean, here," he added, gesturing to Eridanus with an errant wing. "And we are alike. Perhaps we were meant to meet, as part of our purpose." He chirped at the thought, fixing a bent wing feather and peering down into the pool.

His legs were burned up to his knees, the uncontrollable fire doing the most damage to his toes. His talons seemed brittle, excusing the one made of his gem, and the bird idly thought that the wounds would probably scar. Good. Scars were proof of strength, to have survived when others would die.

________________

She tilted her head slightly, standing by the water's edge. Who knew what was really going through the creature's head, but at length, she nodded.

"I broke out of the stone, with considerably less difficulity than you," she said quietly. "Perhaps there is more, somewhere."

The owl looked around once more, before she carefully settled herself down, apparently deciding to remain here for the time being. She turned her head to look at Adeyemi once more, before looking at his injured legs.

"Fate," she said simply, but did not elaborate further. Instead she stared off into Eridanus once more.

________________

The prospect of others being in the forest unsettled Adeyemi, and he pinched at a feather a bit too hard, glaring at its now bent state. "Perhaps," he muttered, hurrying to straighten it and moving on to the next of his pin feathers. "But if there are, they may know something of our purpose." The bird raised his head at that, peering at the owl thoughtfully. "We could search, yes? You and I, we can use the trees. They will not be able to." At least, he hoped not - the prospect of something being able to outwit or sneak up on him sent a bolt of hot nausea through his gut.

Adeyemi followed her gaze down to his legs, and he twisted a foot experimentally, wincing at the tug of the burns. "Yes. Fate." The words were muttered, but thoughtful, and he took his time wading out of the water to stand next to the owl. "Do you... the fire. Do you have it too?" His tone was hesitant, bordering on nervous, and he stared down at his talons anxiously. "It is... power. Great power. Perhaps too great."