Taking steps together

CHULANE

some say kindness is a weakness

Freedom.

At least, that's what it felt like, even if only a week had passed. A week? he thought to himself. It felt like an eternity. He glanced at the woman striding beside him, smiling idly to himself. Not a bad eternity either. Kia had certainly made the time far easier to bear.

They had ventured through the township with the others, gathering what supplies they needed from the cottage - Chuy had fortunately finished the promised repairs for Lenny and handed the keys back to the landlord with both in good spirits. When he returned, he would stay at yet another cottage - this time a bit further away from the Kraai, for reasons.

They wouldn't be gone for long. At least, he wouldn't be. It was a conversation they were yet to have. But now, with the sun up, bright against a bright blue sky, they would need to have the discussion.

It was far easier to have when the portal was available to them.

"Hey, so," he began when they finally had a moment in between speaking to the group of Grounders travelling back across the snowy plain with them. "I just want to put this out there. Whatever physical distance might come between us… that doesn't change anything, right?"

They were both independent, mostly mature individuals, capable of living their own lives separately, but preferring to do so together. He could've kept talking, but he wanted to know her thoughts - hoping beyond hope that her thinking was on the same thread as his. That they would make it work, that they would make the time to see each other, to treasure the time they did get, and… to perhaps work towards living in the same region together more permanently sometime in the future.

i say it is my greatest strength

.

if through some miracle, you are granted the chance to see him again

whether in this life or the next

Finally, freedom. It feels like the chains have been broken off, stepping outside of a stuffy room with far too many folks of her home to embrace the chilled sunlight. She wonders if it’s brighter now, if there’s the sudden speck of darkness that has her blinking blindly against the light and its immense renewed strength.

But they’ve gathered their things, Auni at her heels and the backpack she’s brought slung over her as they walk with the Grounders. Chulane’s at her side, and part of her is sad to miss the mountains and everything else about this place. Most notably him. And that selfish part of her is glad that Chuy is taking these trips with her, that he’s choosing to come home with her even if it doesn’t last yet. She understands – he has a job to do there just as she has a job to do in the Grounds.

Still doesn’t make his next question any easier to swallow – feeling the worry that he has between the lines. Her head tilts toward him, iceberg gaze bright as a soft smile crosses her face. “No… Why would it?” She asks with an avian tilt of her head as Auni skitters ahead along the snowy path.

you are, and always shall be, his

KIADA

CHULANE

some say kindness is a weakness

They all deserved time, a chance for something different, a break from the intensity that was Longnight. Aptly named, he idly thought, reflecting back on their time locked away in the Academy. He was glad to be done with it, this year. He felt restless - he had the whole time through the seemingly eternal darkness, though he'd managed to sleep that final 'night', rising just before the sun finally did this morning.

Would he miss this place? Some aspects of it, certainly. But was it home?

He hadn't known the answer to that question since the portal scooped him up and delivered him to the very portal they were heading towards. There was no question about his attending the Grounds and then Torchline with Kia - there was no-one else he'd rather explore this world with, and besides, he'd only just arrived before the portal stranded him in Halo for a whole season. He was entitled to some time to explore.

He let the relief show on his face, an easy grin spreading across his mouth at her response, a gloved hand clumsily grasping at her own to give a gentle squeeze. "Just checking." Well, that was easy, though he shouldn't really be surprised - they had so far been on similar trains of thought in these sorts of topics.

They kept walking, and with each step, he felt an itch start beneath his skin. He was restless, ready to go, a bounce in his step, and yet he couldn't seem to shake the subtle, incessant something poking at him. In an attempt to take his mind off whatever it was, he looked to the Grounders strung out ahead of them, and behind them, before looking to Kia once more.

"Might be an idea to scout from the skies?" he suggested, offering to take her pack for her. He leaned in close as he did so, to press a kiss against her cold-blushed cheek and whisper "keep me linked in, yeah? Wouldn't mind knowing what it's like to fly." He winked at her, or rather poorly attempted to, ending up just purposefully blinking both eyes shut with an otherwise derpy expression on his face for an instant.

i say it is my greatest strength

.

if through some miracle, you are granted the chance to see him again

whether in this life or the next

Honestly, she wasn’t concerned about it in the slightest. She’d been in the Grounds by herself for years now since Ru’in, a few trysts with Ezra before he’d perished last LongNight, but as for the rest of them? She’d remained alone – unless of course there was something Chulane was thinking of that spurred some anxieties of faithfulness. She can’t imagine what, and it’s washed away immediately as he flashes a smile her way and a squeeze of her gloved hand in his.

She lets her hand linger in his, mimicking the smile and growing it a bit wider, leaning into him briefly before she’s looking at the path they take ahead again – toward the Portal, toward her home with the rest of the Grounders and she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t both anxious and excited at the idea to learn what had changed. She hopes Deimos and Amalia had made it out okay, hopes everyone else has too.

As he tugs her toward him, his head angling near her ear, she leans into the soft kiss. “Sure.” She agrees with a nod, moving to drop her small bag with Auni to trot along and hold. “I suppose I can share.” She teases him lightly, an arm swooping around his middle to squeeze close briefly before suddenly the woman is replaced by the vulture – wings pumping to take her toward the sky.

And she does leave her link open for him, sharing the feeling and sensation of the wind beneath her feathers, the currents and dips and curves of each pressure changing that float her this way and that. She circles languidly, moving toward the edge of the Grounders in the lead, before swooping back toward the back to ensure they hadn’t lost anyone. So what'cha think?

you are, and always shall be, his

KIADA

CHULANE

some say kindness is a weakness

He was a traditionalist, at heart. Though he was rather carefree and open with his communication (and getting better at the whole feelings thing), he was also very clear about his expectations of a relationship. He personally, would not deviate. His heart was set on her, and he couldn't even fathom bedding another being while that was the case. As for her? He'd never think to dictate what she could or couldn't do, but he'd be lying if he said he wouldn't be crushed if she found herself drawn to another. He trusted her though, and trusted in the relationship they had that they could weather the storm that might separate them in the future, near or far.

He laughed as her hug captured him, squeezing back a moment before releasing her and seeing the feathery form of the vulture take hold. It was thrilling for him, as she opened the link, the bond almost descriptive enough for him to feel like he was actually there with her, sitting astride the thermal currents.

His attempt to distract himself from that something though hadn't seemed to succeed with this effort though, as he watched her fly above him, he felt goosebumps rise along his skin beneath the many layers of clothing, a small frown creasing his brow at the sensation. "I don't…" he began, shaking his head, unsure if she could even hear him. "…feel well," he raised a hand to his head, pressing the cold glove to his forehead - it felt cold against his skin, as he tugged at the hood he wore to release his head from its covering. Something was within him, itching, poking, prodding, fluttering? against him, seeking release, but how?

Suddenly he found himself kneeling in the snow, a familiar Grounder stopping beside him with a concerned look, as he tried to catch his breath from a sensation he just couldn't seem to grasp, as he fought against whatever it was - Kia's bond still going strong within him.

i say it is my greatest strength

.

if through some miracle, you are granted the chance to see him again

whether in this life or the next

He’d be correct in assuming that she can’t hear him. But she can watch him from her vantage point above the crowd – her body in the avian form hovering from the back of the grounders toward the front, then slowly and languidly back again, only to return and circle around him as soon as she notices the shift in him and he drops to his knees. Her eyes remain on him, scarlet and attempting to find out what’s wrong.

A Grounder moves to stand beside him and help, and she hovers lower, circling until she lands in the snow beside him – hopping closer and shifting into herself to kneel in the snow as well – cutting off the bond and the open link between them. “Chuy, what’s wrong?” She asks, hands reaching out to wrap along his arms, trying to ensure that he’s okay – brows furrowing in large concern.

She’s not a healer, not a doctor or anything. The fact that she doesn’t know what to do to help him is frustrating. Sure she’d learned basic first aid for healing those affected in the thick of battles and everything, but this? This she has no idea. “Talk to me.” She says to him, iceberg eyes bright and concerned and worried immensely.

you are, and always shall be, his

KIADA

CHULANE

let's set the world on fire

It hadn't been like this the first time. The first time, he'd been so strung out, so anxious and wound up after having been thrown into this world, that he hadn't registered that there was a leopard within him, just waiting to come out. And when he had finally tapped into that, had finally embraced the shift, he felt complete, like he had discovered all that there was to discover about himself, like he had grown into something that fit Caido even if it was just his first night in the realm.

But this was different. He felt something within him, fighting to escape, and he couldn't what it was, so he resisted it. But when the sensation of wind rustling feathers and the awesome feeling of flight had been communicated to him (something he had asked for as a distraction) he instead found the sensation growing stronger, fighting, clawing, crying against his sheer will to contain it.

Abruptly, he realised she was back, the bond cut off (and the thing within him raged all the more for losing its link to the sky), her arms around his. He took a steadying breath, managing to murmur "I don't know," which was all the more alarming, because knowing was something he sought to do about most things.

Then it came, a wave, a feeling of succumbing to whatever was trying to claw its way out of him, he dropped the pack he was carrying, hand reaching to cling to hers - only suddenly it wasn't a hand but…

Feathers.

Golden and brown and black, a mixture of the three - they stretched out from his fingertips, and crawled up his body. His nose and mouth transformed into a sharp pointed beak, his hair seeming to rise and then fall back into a slick line as feathers encapsulated him, so much so that in one moment a man knelt in the snow, in another, an eagle stood with wings spread and eyes far keener (but still that icy blue hue) than his pierced the surrounds. As best he could, he looked over himself, always the vet, always the animal enthusiast, seeking to identify, to name and know this change, this shift.

And when he realised what it was, he couldn't help the sheer happiness that rose up within him, that leaked over the bond, for it was a shift from his home, a bird that ruled the Australian skies: A wedge-tailed eagle.

'I think my next shift arrived,' he offered, looking to her as he shuffled his wings, more easily leaning into the instincts this time, letting them tell him how to stand, how to protect one's feathers - how to look to the skies above with a yearning clearly present, before flicking the hard avian stare at Kia, softened only by the simple joy he happily flooded the bond with (to reassure her as much as express how pleased he was by this).

we can burn brighter than the sun

.

don't worry mother,

your daughter is a soldier

”I don’t know.” He says and her brows furrow immensely, concern lashing out through the bond despite cutting off the feeling of flight and feathers, and everything else she’d sent down. She keeps her arms around him, trying to keep him still as he drops the pack, his hand moving to try and cling to her when before she knows it, he’s shifting into a form she hasn’t ever seen before. At first, it worries her, until all of him fully shifts into an eagle of sorts and the barrage of happiness that drowns the bond between them.

And a small smile begins to replace the worry and concern, a light awkward laugh replacing the air as she realizes what’s happened. “Looks good, Chuy.” She chimes to him as she breathes a sigh of relief, reaching down to run her fingers along his feathers before she shifts into her own avian version, scarlet eyes meeting ice blues, a wing popping out to boop him in the side. You scared me, you know. She croons through the bond to him, hopping away a bit as she spreads her wings wide.

Want a flying lesson? She doesn’t give him time to answer as she moves to take up the distance while Auni works to grab the pack that Chuy had dropped, the cold winter winds filtering through Kiada’s feathers as she circles and sees how well he’s done.

KIADA

Kiada has a large X scar on the right side of her neck.
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Kiada, without killing her <3

CHULANE

let's set the world on fire

Avian features tilt and lean into her touch, enjoying the feeling of her fingers amongst his feathers even as he might enjoy them running through his hair. A crooning sound is beckoned from him, an odd, eagle's version of a purr, a song one might not expect from a bird so big and fierce. He is relieved too - now that he has allowed the shift to happen, he feels right, natural, in the correct skin.

Before he knows it, scarlet eyes have taken the place of the blue he knows, and he beholds Kia in her vulture shift once more, pleasure evident as their bond links up and they share their thoughts and emotions openly. 'Sorry about that,' he murmured as he hopped after her, wings shifting as they tested the air.

Amusement and laughter bounded through the bond as she posed her question and leapt into the air without waiting for an answer, his enthusiasm in following her answer enough. He stretched his generous wingspan out, pumping against the wintry breeze, hopping and 'running' (inasmuch as an eagle can run) to push more air beneath his wings, to cup it and let it lift him.

And lift him it did - he relied on the instincts of the eagle to fly, relishing in the sensation, letting it lift him, looking out over the horizon, tilting his path to behold the mountains, tilting again to view the people below, and again and again, until eventually he found the form of the vulture, of his lover, his Kia on the wind.

'This is fucking awesome,' was all he had to say to summarise the feelings of awe and rapture that otherwise filled the bond.

we can burn brighter than the sun

.

don't worry mother,

your daughter is a soldier

It’s okay. She croons to him, meaning every word of it, the evidence in the way it seems relieved coming through the bond. The rest of it? She takes to the skies, lets him figure it out for himself – hoping he follows the same tracks of thought she had offered him before. Of letting go of his control, letting him feel the shift, feel the instincts, and going from there. For the rest of it, however, it comes second nature to her already, shifting and spinning in the air around him as he starts to take flight.

And then he’s in the air, her larger form coming beside him but still far enough away that they don’t get their wings trapped together, the winds taking them higher and higher until the mountains are seen above the edge of the misty cloud cover that hid away much of the sky from them. She slips ahead, diving this way and that way, until his voice croons in her mind and she offers a hum of a bubbling laughter in response.

It is, isn’t it? A softer question, a beaming sensation as she focuses on lowering themselves back toward the Grounders toward the portal for an aerial view of what path they took, of any dangers that might follow on either side. Do you know what you are? She asks, her avian head tilting toward him, scarlet gaze focusing on him with one eye.

KIADA

Kiada has a large X scar on the right side of her neck.
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Kiada, without killing her <3

CHULANE

let's set the world on fire

He lets go. He had been practicing, been working on embracing the instincts, on letting them guide his movements, his intentions, when he took his attuned form. Forms, now, for this one of feathers and keen sights and talons had revealed itself. He looks to the landscape offered to them, to the clouds that linger so close now, to the mountains that look both nearer and further away, as his vision brought them into focus and out again. He could look at this view for an age, he could forget that they were heading towards a goal - he'd not seen this world this way before, not been able to appreciate it before the blizzards buried it all with their snow, wind and cold.

But he could not get lost, could not forget his way, for she beckoned to him, anchoring him in the present, reminding him of their purpose - he watches as she dives and plays in the air before him, mimicking the motion, letting his wings tuck close as he picked up speed towards the ground, opening them again to catch the wind in his feathers once more and feel it lift him. She was larger than he, her avian form that of a vulture, a ferocious and hard beast who ate bone and carrion of fallen prey.

"Yes," he confirmed, he knew what he was, and he let the feeling of warmth and rightness fill him, let it colour the bond, even as they flew side by side, scouting together for the way ahead, ensuring the safety of their charges. "A wedge-tailed eagle," he supplied, flourishing his flight to show the tail this great bird of prey was named for, the clear arrow-head shaped wedge of the feathers apparent. "They are a bird of my homeland. I treated a few who found themselves injured on the roads near my hometown." The eagle was him even as he was the eagle - Australian, determined, keenly focussed on that which interests him.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to walk anywhere again," he said with soft laughter, as he beat his wings and relished in the sensation - he'd flown in planes before, he'd even gone skydiving before, but this, this beat all of that into dust.

we can burn brighter than the sun

.

don't worry mother,

your daughter is a soldier

A wedge tailed eagle, huh? I think Deimos has an eagle shift too. She comments, looking over toward him as she lifts herself a bit higher to try and slower her movements a bit to end up at his side again. And once she’s there, she’s lowering herself toward him, easily sliding in beside him. From Australia, I’m guessing? A quiet question, poised through the bond toward him with a small bit of amusement – trying to remember that it wasn’t just called Oz as much as she wants to call it such.

There’s a pulse of love, too, for caring for the creatures nearby when they were hurt. Always admiring that softness and gentleness about him. Still, a chimed laughter leaves her when he mentions he’s unsure if he would be able to walk again after this, a bit of understanding on her part. I’m afraid you’ll have to. She hums, diving a bit lower to give him a bit more room to follow her toward the ground.

The portal comes into view as well as Auni down below with the bags, trotting along with the help of another Grounder before everyone started to pool before the Fangs. And once she’s touched down, she shifts into herself, grabbing the bags from Auni, prepared to let Chulane spend as much time in this newfound form as he wished to, before slipping through the Portal toward home with the rest of her people.

- FIN <3

KIADA

Kiada has a large X scar on the right side of her neck.
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Kiada, without killing her <3