Kala Ree

Kire couldn't help but feel sceptical about Karah's relationship with wild animals."Are you sure you don't have a rampant imagination?" Kire asked. Karah's intelligence wasn't lost on her, but she was still a child. And children had a great sense for imagination."I've seen many wild predators out there who won't even accept some of their own cubs. I mean no disrespect, but I simply can't see a dangerous animal accepting a different race as their own. Animals need to survive, and they will do so by any means neccesary. I simply come prepared." She seemed to have a bit of a prejudice when it came to wild predators.

Nira's comment caught her attention."No, of course I don't pick fights with animals. I'll be the last person to give them reason to kill me. It just pays to come prepared, just in case."

She listened closely to what Nira had to say, and her confusion was reasonable."Well, I just wanted something ... different, I guess. I feel like I can do more good by protecting my family and community rather than catching fish for them. There's enough Blackwaters for that. I don't want to be remembered as yet another Blackwater who chose the river rather than the sky, you know?"

Kire too realized how long she could be sitting here, waiting for the eggs to hatch. She could only hope they'd hatch sooner rather than later. She couldn't sit here forever. Her family would surely find out where she would be headed. If there was one thing Kire didn't want it was having to have an awkward bout of shouting in front of these people who'm she was coming to like.

"Nice to meet you," Lesa'ah says, as the group around her offers their introductions. "I'm Lesa'ah." She'd missed the first part of Nira and Kire's conversation, so she's a bit confused as Kara breaks in with her questions, but her eyebrows quickly wrinkle with concern instead, poorly concealed, at the child's words. Do Kyriders let their children just run wild? She assumes the girl is a Kyrider child, since she doesn't seem to have a parent around, and surely no responsible mother would bring such a young girl here and leave them. She'd heard the Kyriders raised their young differently, but....

Kuka jumps backwards and squeaks when Squiggle makes to bite his nose, but is quick to race after her, trilling happily. He stops short just in front of the Sillari, though, pausing to look up at her with very wide eyes and waving antennae--his expression seems almost admiring, though that may be anthromorphizing the little beast. He squeals at Tiki, a warbling sound that rises almost to a coo, leaps up with wings fluttering to try and bump her nose with his, and then turns and darts straight back towards Karah, throwing a quick look over his shoulder at Squiggle as he runs to see what she thinks of his stunt.

"Kuka, stop that," Lesa'ah says automatically, alarmed by what she takes as an attempt to provoke the Sillari, and sits forward in her chair. Kuka comes immediately to a stop, looks around thoughtfully, lowers himself so that he's huddling over the ground, and then starts creeping towards Karah again, changing to a quick scuttle as soon as Lesa'ah looks away and squeaking hopefully at her as he tries to hide beneath her.

Lesa'ah gives Kette a pained look. "I'm sorry about that. They're cute, but they're brats. I'm trying to train him, but he just...." She makes a hissing, exasperated sound between her teeth. Looking towards Karah, still fascinated and disturbed (and also wondering if Kuka is making a nuisance of himself around her, too), she can't help but add in her own two cents about wildlife. She might not have become a hunter herself, but she'd seen some of how her family went about it when she was still a child. "Maybe they're peaceful with you when their stomachs are full, but you can't be too careful with hungry animals. Even if they aren't hunting you, if they think you're a threat to their meal, they're dangerous. The adults here let you play with wild animals?" she adds, almost blurting the question out as she beocmes unable to bite it back any longer.


((Sorry this took so long, folks! I've had family at home and they're rather occupying my time.))

Kette cranes her neck to peer at Squiggle, but eventually opts to scoop the little Tenki into both cupped palms and, if allowed, cradle the little thing in her lap. Attention is laid on thick as honey. The Serra actually looks content for once. "I don't think she's annoying. I think she's great. Where did you find her?" she asks of Amirr, dark green-gold eyes practically aglow.

The excitement of the second Tenki doesn't go unnoticed, however Kette isn't as phased by Kuka buzzing around Tiki as she had been when Karah stroked her. Kette shrugs off Lesa'ah's apology. Tiki meanwhile is as stoic as ever, returning the attention of the flittering reptile with a mild-mannered snort and a side-to-side shift as she moves her weight to her other hindleg. Kette bends forward to release Squiggle onto the ground before standing up and brushing the crumbs from the front of her long tunic. She then goes to untie the wadded up bedroll strapped behind Tiki's saddle. It's an old thing, ragged and fraying from being handed down from sibling to sibling, but it looks well enough padded. Laying on the hard ground might not be very comfortable, but it would be better than sitting up to sleep. The Serra unrolls it in a sheltered nook against the wall they're all gathered near, but doesn't lay down just yet. The sun is still yet to set, after all.

She returns to the padded pouf-styled chair she'd been curled up in before and catches the grown-ups questioning little Karah. Kette doesn't add to their questions, but she does find herself wondering. Perhaps Lesa'ah was right and she was the daughter of a busy Kyrider, allowed to run rampant through the tunnels.

(Feel free to advance time a little bit in each of your posts. )

Karah was surprised to be barraged with so many questions from the adults which made the fur on her ears as well as her tail raise with surprise as she wasn't used to so much attention from the adults. Then only after a few moments had passed did she start to answer them.

"My parent's aren't Kyriders, there tailors. Mom and dad spend most of their time either working or doing adult activities that I'm not allowed to join...tho I did overhear them saying that they wished they had been more careful seven years ago. When I asked them what they should have been more careful about, they just said I should stop making things up and go play somewhere. I still don't understand what they meant and I know that I didn't make it up. So since the other kids don't like playing with "Tooth Girl", I played with the animals instead and I never steal from them. Why would I want to steal from them when there is plenty of food at home? It took me a while to make friends, but I just kept my distance and listened to what they told me. Animals talk too after all, just not like we do. Tho one time a few kids found me when I was with Wisun. They started yelling and Wisun didn't like that so he scared them off. After that they left me alone which was really nice. I'm not friends with all the animals, some still don't seem to like me very much, but I keep my distance and listen to them so I don't get in trouble with them....I don't know why all the adults I talk to think I'm lying. Why would I want to lie? You can't lie to animals, so why should I lie to other Serra?"

She then turned her attention to the Tenki's antics unaware of the possible repercussions of what she had said. In her mind, she had told the truth and didn't really realize that she had said something that she might have been better off not saying.

(Yeah that was a hint that Karah hadn't been a wanted child. Her parents don't abuse her and provide the necessities. Tho when it comes to food, they just left food in the house for Karah to make do with once she became old enough to feed herself. Aside from that however, they really don't pay much attention to her. They are more interested in living their own lives, rather then make the effort to spend time with their kid. I wasn't originally going to go that way, but it really does make the most sense.)

"Well, ya can't argue with that logic, really," Nira says in response to Kire's explanation. "There's one or two in every family who will break the mold, and I say let 'em! The world would be certainly boring if we all kept to what we thought was proper to do, wouldn't it? I tell my own littles to pick for themselves what their life will be, it seems to make 'em happier than forcing a tradition on 'em. There's gotta be a reason you want to do something different than the rest of your kin, and a couple of hidebound blood relatives shouldn't sway you if that's the case. The 'you' being in the general as well as, well, you," she adds with a grin. When she catches sight of Kette besieged by tenkis and loving every moment of it, her grin widens. Trying to catch the other young woman's eye, she wiggles her eyebrows. "She can smile!" Nira exclaims with a clap.

When Karah responds to her questioners, Nira frowns in thought. The girl is young, almost painfully so, to be swiped aside by her parents and left to trot out into the woods all alone. Granted, Nira knew her youngest would probably be perfectly happy if turned loose in the forest. Eneesh would assuredly toddle straight to the biggest, most ferocious creature she could find and hug its leg, she thinks with affection. But a youngster at the mercy of wild creatures does not sit well with her, Karah's friendships with the animals notwithstanding. However, there is little she can do for it now and the child is presently within the walls of what passes for civilization, so worrying over it is rather pointless. If need be, she'd keep an eye on the girl as she knew the others would surely be doing. And if the child did secure herself a Kyrka, why, her lifelong safety was certainly ensured.

Shrugging away her concern, she follows Kette's example and begins to settle in. While she doesn't have a sleeping mat, she robs a few nearby chairs of their cushions, arranging them on the floor and pulling her traveling cloak from her pack to act as a blanket. A low growl from her midsection prompts her to wince as she realizes that she had not packed more than a mouthful to eat on the assumption that perhaps they would feed any hopefuls come to stay. As it was now nigh on dark with no sign of another Kyrider, it looks as though her assumption has gone amiss. Looking around, she wonders idly if anyone else had been as lacking on forethought as herself. "Wonder if they've got a kitchen 'round these parts," she murmurs to herself. "Or a way to get a fire going. Or a place to get a fire going." Glancing at the others, her smile is pure mischief. "What say you lot? Anyone want to come with me and have a poke around? Boat's leaving on the offer now." She gets up and heads toward one of the tunnels, looking back over her shoulder and flicking her tail invitingly.

Amirr blushes deeply as Kette lavishes affection on the happily-churring Tenki in her lap, and he smiles sheepishly as he answers the woman's question. "I was hunting one day and I came across a Tenki nest that had been trampled by large beasts; maybe Nuru, since there was a herd in the area at the time. It was a mess... bits of eggs and nest materials were scattered everywhere, but off to the side one little egg remained, untouched. I really didn't think that the Tenki inside would survive, but it wasn't more than a month before Squiggle was born. I've slowly been going gray ever since." He grins and takes another bite of jerky. Squiggle seems to be perfectly content to sit in Kette's lap, her eyelids drooping blissfully, so Amirr relaxes a little since she was in good hands.

It was getting later, and though on a normal day Amirr would be setting up camp for the night, this day was anything but normal. Despite the prospect of a long wait looming ahead, he still felt fully awake and energized, no doubt riding on the adrenaline and excitement of a new clutch hatching soon. When Nira stands up and announces that she's going to go explore the cavern, Amirr practically leaps to his feet and strides over to join her. "I was hoping someone would ask; I didn't want to be the only one poking about. I'm Amirr, by the way." He smiles and glances back over his shoulder at the others. His eyes fall on Squiggle, who was nearly asleep, but a single cluck of his tongue snapped her back to attention, antennae flaring inquisitively. It took her a moment to locate her master, but once she found him she squeaked loudly and lept out of Kette's arms, darting across the floor and zooming up Amirr's leg to perch on his shoulder. She peered forward into the darkness curiously as Amirr stroked her cheek with one finger. "Good girl, Sqiggle." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a flake of jerky for her to nibble as they explore.

Lesa'ah's brow wrinkles further as Karah spills out her explanation, hearing perhaps more than the girl had actually said in the tale. To the young woman, her protests sound defensive, like maybe she's expecting to be shouted at. "What about your aunts? Your uncles?" she asks Karah, distressed at the thought of a child being so disregarded. Even if she spent all that time out in the wild--well, especially if she'd spent all that time in the wild, Lesa'ah knows that her own parents would have stepped in if something like that was happening with a cousin, and vice-versa. "I didn't say you were lying. But I don't think your 'friends' are as safe as you think." She bites her tongue, literally, sharp canine teeth catching the edges so that she can keep herself from issuing more argument. Children aren't reasonable about these things, she reminds herself. She's young, and she probably needs to think someone cares before she'll listen to them. She'll work on that before she argues more, maybe.

Having reached his safe haven under Karah, Kuka eels around her legs, long tail curling to almost circle her ankles, and then leaps up onto her thigh and clambers upwards from there, clinging to her forearm and shoulder with his forefeet and resting his hindfeet against her chest. He trills happily at her, makes a quick leaping movement, and settles again entirely on her shoulder, one hand in her hair and his neck twisted around to survey the room around them. He makes a low chuckling sound in his throat that turns into a repeated hiccup-y noise.

The movement among the others as they start to settle in for the night catches Lesa'ah's attention, and she quickly joins in on that task, pulling a bundle of blankets out of her bag. "This is where we're sleeping?" she exclaims aloud, then hears the faint whining note in her voice and frowns. She knows that Kyriders live in the caverns; her instincts want a nice high-set treehouse, but she'll just have to get used to stone floors and closed-in walls. "They must have rooms for people who have bonded, after the hatching." At Nira's invitation, she frowns. But she's not certain she wants to go poking around someone else's living space. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" she asks, but stands when Amirr does. She doesn't want to look timid, or like a shirker, and she sets out into the tunnel after them, her tail low and twitching uneasily behind her. "Kuka, stay."

The Tenki, who'd been about to leap off of Karah's shoulder, hunches back down with a disappointed croon, then squeaks eagerly in Karah's ear. If he stays on her shoulder, he's staying! Technically! It doesn't mean they can't do something fun!

Karah's tale saddened Kire. She sometimes felt like she was lonely as a child, but she never quite experienced it at such a young age. Then again, Kire had been an overly emotional teen."I'm sorry to hear that. I didn't mean to open up old wounds. I hope you at least had caring neighbors." She now kind of hoped Karah would manage to bond with a Kyrka more than anyone else in the room. At least the Kyriders would take her in that way and she wouldn't have need to get close to dangerous animals.

Never having been a curious soul, Kire did not follow her new friend in her exploration."You go on ahead." He answered with a slim smile."I'm still tired from the walk over here. Do tell what you have found, will you?" If there was a cooking area, that'd be perfect. Kire didn't pack for weeks of waiting. Just a few days. She did bring a rawhide tent and a sleeping bag, so sleep would not be much of an issue.

A faint orange glow appears down a dark corridor in the caves, easily visible to Nira's eyes which are still adjusted to the dim caverns. The faint echoes of distant footsteps bound from stone to stone, growing louder with every stride until after a minute or so, when Kirryllu appears carrying a flickering torch. "Welcome to the Sanctum," he says cordially, "I am Kirryllu Dewroot, Kyrider of Kala Ree." Kirryllu pauses for a moment to eye up the Serra in front of him before continuing, "I beg you, Miss, are there many more hopefuls here for the hatching? I beg you rest here in the Gathering Hall, along with any others roaming these caves. I am sorry none of us could be here to greet you sooner, but as you must be aware, we Kyriders are stretched awfully thin these days."

Kirryllu steps forward a bit more to greet Nira with a handshake, but also peers over her shoulder as if to scope out if there are any others behind her. Offering his open palm, he quickly adds as an afterthought, "Oh, forgive me, Miss... to what name do I owe the pleasure of this company?" There is more than a hint of aloofness in Kirryllu's speech, rendering most unable to determine if his tone is genuine or coy. In fact, Kirryllu himself isn't sure how he means his speech; his mind is often too preoccupied with distant thoughts to worry about such things.

Waiting for a response, Kirryllu excuses himself, steps a few paces away and kneels to light a nearby firepit with flame from his brand. A fine coating of dust rests on the logs, indicating a long passing since its last use. The dry wood flares up quickly, casting a bright light on the gathering hall and its furnishings. The room is large, big enough to easily fit a hundred Serra inside, but bare save for a few dozen various seats: cushions, benches, couches, as well as some long tables, presumably used upon a time for feasts. Kirryllu urges his guest to sit, "Please, make yourself home here in the hall, but be aware that the rooms further on are reserved for Kyriders only. Here is where you will stay the night."

Kette narrows her eyes when Nira, Amirr, and Lesa'ah head off towards one of the tunnels. The young Serra isn't so sure about their actions--it feels like trespassing. Normally she wouldn't care about trespassing, but Kyriders are fairly intimidating to her. To have one angry at her for wandering around where she shouldn't... Kette shakes her head, glad that Kire is staying behind as well. She strokes the back of Squiggle's spine as the little Tenki uncurls and trots back to her owner. Kette is already thinking of places to look for wild nests, just like Amirr had.

Kirryllu's arrival throws orange torchlight across the gathering hall. Chairs and Serra cast long, frightening shadows across the walls, flickering and looming strangely. Kette briefly considers moving her bedroll closer to the firepit--she hadn't even noticed it when she arrived!--but is far too stubborn to do it. Instead, she just draws herself up a little higher and stares at the Kyrider. She wouldn't be one to go mooning over the fellow! Though she's thankful for the light.

[Would Karah be able to see Kirryllu? I am not entirely sure. xD]

(Yes. He would be visible and audible from across the room. And he went to the middle of the hall to light the fire. )

Karah turned to Lesa'ah and said. "I don't have any aunts or uncles. My father was an only child and my mother's older brother died in a Darayn raid before I was born. I know better then to to try making friends anywhere near the mountains, but you never can be sure about those things."

The young serra girl then happily enjoyed having Kuka climb up on her and started laughing with delight as it made his way onto her shoulder. She managed to get another berry to offer the Tenki and then pulled a strip of leather our of her haid that was holding a blue feather in her locks. She tucked the feather away and then started waving it in front of Kuka to entice the Tenki to play.

Only after a few more minutes pass did she finally reply to Kire. "They are nice, but their kids were mean. They liked to pull on my tail and make fun of my teeth so I tried to avoid spending much time with them."

Then once Kirryllu entered, she turned to face him slowly so as not to disturb her new friend. "Can I see Kaarikai before I go to bed? I cleaned part of the Kyrider Caverns as asked earlier. You can go check even!" She gave the Kyrider a very hopeful and pleading expression as visiting the Kyrka was something that she truly lived for.

(I thought it would make sense for Karah to know Kaarikai's name since she has been cleaning the Kyrider Caverns in order to spend time with the Kyrka.)

Leading the way for her impromptu explorer's band, Nira stops after only a few steps at the sight of light coming down the tunnel toward them. Her ears perk up as footsteps follow the glow, taking an extra few steps herself to meet Kirryllu. "Hello, Kirryllu Dewroot," Nira says formally, wondering for a moment if she should bow or something. Was there etiquette for encountering a Kyrider? The one she had met on the docks didn't particularly stand on ceremony, so she figures she's better off without the bowing. "My name's Nira Reed, and there're some others here, to be sure." She looks back over at Lesa'ah and Amirr as Kirryllu passes them. Shrugging, she follows the Kyrider back into the main cavern. "Guess our explorations got cut a little short," she says to them with an apologetic shrug. "Another time, eh?"

"A fire, wonderful!" She exclaims as Kirryllu sets the logs ablaze and bids them closer to the flames, explaining their arrangements. "You wouldn't happen to have any extra food about, would you? Some of us came ill-prepared, you see." Gathering up her impromptu bed of seat cushions and blanket, she plunks it down closer to the fire. "Are you here to explain to us what's what about these Kyrka? I've only ever seen one. Is yours someplace about?"

Kire had lazily laid back, trying to shrug off poor Karah's tragidy regarding her life. Surely this was a happy and exciting moment, waiting in suspence on your very own chance to bond with a Kyrka. The past remains where it belongs; the past. Karah didn't seem troubled by it all. So why should Kire?

She quickly got back up when Kirryllu entered the room. Though her facial expression wouldn't give it away, she was excited! She instantly knew this was a Kyrider even before she got a good look of him. It was like being in the same room with a celebrity. Kire got all giddy.

"Thank you for the hospitality." Kire spoke as she got closer to the fire. Caverns did get cold quickly, and the world outside was getting nippy as well. The fire was surely a welcome addition.

Kirryllu looks up from the fire as the other hopefuls gather around. He looks a bit weary as if wanting badly to be anywhere but here at this particular moment. Nevertheless, he looks at Karah and speaks plainly, but not unkindly, "Kaarikai is not in the caverns right now, sorry to say. Even so, I will check the caverns if you would so kindly point me in the direction of your cleaning." A hint of a smile appears on his lips as he continues, "If you speak truly, you may brush her when she returns in the morning." Kirryllu looks very pleased with himself as he studies each of the Serra before him, his attention now focused on this group of hopefuls.

"As for food," he adds, glancing at Nira, "I believe we have some dry rations down here in the tunnels: stale bread, tough jerky, that kind of thing. Make yourselves comfortable here in the hall, I'll be back soon with provisions." Kirryllu turns to walk down one of the nearby tunnels, not far from the main hall. He turns a corner a little way down and is out of sight for just a minute or so. After this little while, Kirryllu returns to the hall balancing a few big plates laden with salted meats, hard breads, and smoked cheeses. He sets them down at a nearby table, built between a long bench on either side for feasting, and beckons everyone to sit.

"Is anyone thirsty?" he asks as he slides out of his tattered cloak to get a bit more comfortable. Resting it on the back of a chair, he grabs one of many small glass bottles from a rather impressive bandolier across his chest, uncorks it, and throws it down the hatch. After a sigh of contentment, he continues, "We have wine and ale available, but if you want water we'll need to go to the cold spring. I wouldn't want to serve you the water we have in storage, seeing as it hasn't been touched in quite some time. The wine and such is just around the corner, there," he adds, pointing to where he got the food.

(Before I post, around what time would it be in the rp?)

(Getting on later in the evening--around 7 pm.)

Karah looked awfully disappointed when she heard that Kaariaki was not in the caverns, but she quickly perked right up when Kirryullu said that she could brush the Kryka in the morning if she had spoken true. "I did clean the caverns like I said. I cleaned the hallway west of here...tho it wasn't that long ago so it may still be a bit wet tho."

Once he came back, she walked over to him and said. "I'm not hungry, as I ate earlier. Instead I'm going to the spring for water as I'm not old enough to drink those adult drinks. I know the way since I sometimes help carry water in, but can you show me where to get a cup? I never had to get my own before as the kyriders often brought me a snack while I worked if they were in the area."

Kirryllu looks toward Karah, trying unsuccessfully to hide his annoyance. "I suppose cups are needed for drinks, aren't they? Very well, if anybody else is thirsty, please follow me to the kitchen." Kirryllu starts heading for the tunnels nearby the storage room. As he passes the food stores, he points to two large kegs and says, "There's the wine and ale I mentioned, if anyone's interested."

Kiryllu stops for a moment to let everyone catch up, but also to gain his bearings a little. Truth be told, he has not been in this part of the Sanctum for quite some time, and still isn't sure which wooden door before him led to the kitchen. The tunnels aren't particularly long or complex, but Kirryllu doesn't want to open the wrong door and look like a fool. After a moment, he decides to drink another of his little potions.

After a quick gulp, he heads toward one of the doors and opens it with confidence. Plates, bowls, pans, pots, and most importantly - cups, line the racks in front of him, placed carefully among more unused cooking equipment. "The kitchen," he lets out with a sigh of relief.