TP: TBS - Pt. 6 "New Threads In The Pattern"

[tanniyn]

[note: there's a char limit to thread subjects, hence the abbreviated TP name. ^_^ ]

Characters:
Karon - adult male golden eagle
Johari - female fox kit

Cluster of Fir Trees
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Though scattered throughout the forest, it is here that a large cluster of fir trees grow together, without other types of trees growing amongst them. There are probably a good fifteen to twenty firs growing here and all are roughly the same age, standing about 45 meters tall. When the wind blows through their branches, the needle-like leaves makes the trees seem to whistle softly.. or perhaps whisper to each other. The air is thick with the scent of the fir trees. It is a scent that humans seems to enjoy, and they like to come out to the forest to collect a fir or two every so often. But these specific trees are much too large for that, and so they are safe in this private domain of theirs. The ground is soft and littered with needles that have become loose and fallen from the trees, perfect for use in the building of nests or to bed down dens.
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If that wasn't wild and crazy and INSANE, Karon has no idea what could ever be called that. Carefully clutching the small bundle of fur in his talons, his strong wings beat down over and over against the air, carrying them swiftly along. That was CRAZY! Karon still can't believe he did that, swooping down at the last second in front of charging, ravenous wolves--and this /after/ the golden eagle had /just/ seen them tear apart a vixen.. presumably this girl's mother. What was he thinking, snatching her up right before the bloodthirsty lupines would have slaughtered her as well? He might as well admit it--he just /has/ to know why wolves would want to murder vulpines in the manner that he saw. What caused it? Who were those wolves? Why these particular foxes? Karon always has too many questions, and he hopes that this young kit might have some answers.

Claws, teeth and lots of blood. That's all that the poor girl could see as these unknown creatures started to rip her mother apart. Johari just stared at the horrible sight with tears in her eyes. What else could she do? Her cries of "Momma" were useless as the creatures just kept on slashing their way through her mother. She didn't know what they were, all she knew was that they had large teeth and claws. Once they seemed to be done with the poor foxes mom, they turned to her and Johari shut her eyes, waiting for the pain to come. But all she felt was this strange swooping sensation a second later. No pain at all. Johari opens her eyes and looks down at the ground below her and gives a sudden start at the sight. How did the ground get down there? More importantly, how did she get up here?

Surely he's flown far enough; the wolves couldn't possibly have tracked him all the way over here, could they? And even still, until Karon sees a wolf manage to climb a tall fir tree, he'll guess that he and his passenger will be safe from their pursuers. The golden eagle's wings beat furiously to brake his speed and allow him to hover briefly above one branch that seems to be just a bit larger than normal, providing a welcome perch for the avian. Gently, Karon releases the fox kit onto the branch, hoping that his talons hadn't hurt it too much during the flight. And with one last flap of his wings, the golden eagle settles himself down next to the young girl, blinking his large dark eyes as he inspects what he went to so much trouble to save.

Still a little confused as to how she could've suddenly escaped and was now above everything. It's at this time she notices that the ground is starting to get bigger and bigger. Johari looks up over her shoulder and sees a bird that seems to be carrying her. That's weird, how did this all happen?? The last thing she remembers is some creatures attacking her mom. Tears start to swell up in Johari's eyes as the memory comes back to her. Once she lands on the suprisingly large branch, she collapses under her own weight and breaks down crying. Why? Why did this happen to her mom? The poor fox just can't stop the tears as they seem to be pouring out of her at will. No matter how hard she tries, once she thinks she's calmed down, she just breaks down again. Poor girl :(

The golden eagle ruffles his feathers in irritation as the young girl breaks out into sobbing. This isn't at all what he had in mind.. how much longer will the girl cry? He's anxious to ask his questions! With a loud whuff of exhaled air, he shifts his weight from one leg to the other, obviously uncomfortable with the continued crying. Finally, he asks in a rather frustrated voice, "Will you /stop/ it, please?! Crying isn't going to give me any of the answers that I'm looking for, and it serves no purpose whatsoever. What's done is done. Accept it."

The young fox tries repeativly to calm herself down, but to little avail. Every time she tries, the picture of her mother comes through her head and more tears follow. It's clear that this poor foxgirl is going to have nightmeres about there for many days to come. It's then that the bird's comment is heard and she again tries to stop the seemingly unstopable flow of tears. As much Johari would not like to beleive it, she knows that the bird is right. What's done is done and nothing can change it. She looks over at the strangely colored bird and says, "W-Who're you? Y-Y-Your n-not g-gunna eat me, are you?" It's at this time the foxgirl stats to shy away from the bird, afraid that it'll gobble her up too. ;_;

Oh, for..!! The fact that the girl is several dozen feet above the ground insures that she won't be able to escape Karon by any means, should he desire to eat her. And in fact, the thought has indeed gone through the avian's mind, particularly now that more and more it seems as if this girl fox is going to be more trouble than she's worth. Resisting the urge to snap at her with his curved beak--maybe some pain would convince her of the seriousness of the matter!--he instead slowly shakes his brown-feathered head, still keeping his sharp gaze fixed on her. "My name is Karon, second-hatched to my mother. If I wished to eat you, there is nothing you could do about it either way, so please stop your stammering. I only wish to ask you a few questions, and then you can be on your way." Her way? Whatever /that/ is now that her mother is dead...

At the bird's comment, Johari instantly stops crying and shys down to her stomach. She looks around her, seeing that Karon is indeed right when he says there is nowhere for her to go. She takes a look over the branch to see how big the tree is. O.O That's a big drop!! Instanly turning back to the bird, Johari answers, "I-I'm Johari. W-W-What do y-you mean by q-q-questions?" The foxgirl headtilts a bit, wondering what the bird could want...

Finally, he's getting somewhere. Assuming a more relaxed position on the branch, Karon begins with a few basic questions, "First of all, what is your name, and who were your parents?" He's already introduced himself, so he might as well find out who exactly he's talking to. A little squeak of a girl, but at least she seems /somewhat/ capable of intelligent response. When she's not sobbing and crying, that is. -.-

As the foxgirl sees the bird become more relaxed, Johari dares to get up from her somewhat hunched-over state and stand up on her paws. She thinks for a moment before responding to the bird. "Well, I'm Johari, as I said. Ummm, my daddy was called Crimson and those /things/ called momma Zuri before..." she trails off there, knowing the bird can guess what she meant. A shiver runs up Johari's spine at the mention of those /things/, those monsters! "What /were/ those things anyways?" Another headtilt is given by the foxgirl, staring at the bird with those dark black eyes she inherited from her father.

"Those 'things', little fox, are wolves. Larger in size and fierceness when compared to dogs, but they share a lot in common otherwise. A wide variety when you look at multiple packs.. some with honor, some with a strong distrust of strangers, and some with... bloodlust, as it seems the wolves you encountered had." Karon ruffles his feathers again, glad to be away from /them/. "So. Johari. Why do you think those wolves were so intent on killing you and your parents?" As usual, it's all about questions and answers, with little or no thought given to tact. The girl's /parents/ just /died/, and there's barely even a hint of empathy from the golden eagle. He's not /trying/ to be rude or anything. He's just... focused.

Wolves, huh? So that's what those monsters are called. Johari listens to the bird explain the different types of wolves out there. She lowers her head when he's done, feeling sad again. So now it just seems that it was bad luck running into the bloodthirst wolves. She feels tears starting to show themselves again but she suddenly stops, remembering something. Daddy always told her to be tought and to not show others see her sad. He always said that crying didn't solve anything and was a waste of time, so Johari foces the tears to draw back. Then something clicks and she suddenly snaps her head up. "Wait! They didn't get Daddy. He wasn't there when the...wuulves" she stuggles to pronounce the strange, new word then continues, "showed up. He was somewhere else when they came. He's still out there!!" She almost jumps for joy but rembers, suddenly, that she's very high from the ground and stops. Still, she's smiling now. The knowing that her daddy is still alive is a great boost for this little foxgirl.

Blinkblink. He didn't ask if the father was still alive--he wanted to know why the wolves attacked in the first place. The golden eagle gives a great, longsuffering sigh. Kids. His question wasn't /that/ hard to understand, was it? "Okay, okay, so your father is still alive. Wonderful. Now can you please answer my question?" This is not difficult! "Why did the wolves attack you?" He's glad the girl remembers that she's near the top of a tree -- if she falls off before answering his question, he's going to be really annoyed. Well, at least she could provide his next meal if that did happen...

The foxgirl is still rejoicing about the news of her father being alive. At least he's still here. Even if Momma is gone, Daddy can make it feel better. She is so happy at her thoughts that she almost misses the bird talking. Oh, ya he had a question. Pausing a minute to think over the question, she says. "Ummmm, I'm not really sure. I think one of them said that they did /that/ becasue of something Daddy had done. I think one of them said something about their kid but I'm not sure, I wasn't really paying that much attention." And how could she be with the sight that she saw next?!?! The sight of her mommy getting torn to shreds. That would live with Johari forever, no doubt about it.

Very interesting... something about a wolfpup? Karon makes a mental note to check this with his other contacts closer to the local wolfpacks. Hmm. Maybe he could go speak with at least one particular alpha that he has in mind--she might know what the incident was about. Or maybe if he... wait, the young girl is still staring at him with those almost-creepy darkish eyes. What does she want? Maybe some food or something? Karon tries to think if she's potentially useful for any more bits of information. Hmm. "Did your father ever speak of any interactions or encounters he had with wolves? Anything you can think of that might have triggered this... attack?" Surely there must be /something/.

If Johari is making the bird uncomfortable with her eyes, she doesn't know it. She still doesn't know of the power the dark eyes hold. Johari, however, is only looking at the bird to try and size him up. She's curious about why the bird is asking so many questions. Usually that's her job!! Plus, she's never seen a bird of this color before. It looks almost funny to her. She lets out a small, playfull giggle at the thought but stops when the bird speaks again. She takes a minute to think again before responding. "Ummm, not that I know of. I know Daddy said he hates...wuulves and something about their blood singing to him but, other than that, I don't know anyting." Johari is still trying to figure out what her father ment about the blood singing to him. Can blood sing? She knows her's doesn't. Or maybe she's not listening for it... Ahh who knows.

The golden eagle is taken aback at what he hears. Sounds like at least one vulpine in the surrounding forest has both a vendetta against wolves... /and/ a psychological disconnect of some sort or another. O.o Blood... /singing/? If that isn't disturbing, Karon doesn't know what is. He shifts his weight to his other leg, talons making scratch marks in the tree bark beneath him. Swiveling his head to one side, he fixes the girl with a one-eyed stare. "Do you think that your father.. killed that wolf pup? Would that have been sufficient reason for their attack?" Sounds reasonable to him, at least. Though... why a fox would want to kill a lupine pup is beyond Karon. Hatred of a species is one thing, but... this? Another thing to possibly ask the alpha about. Surely an answer to this question can be found somewhere--Karon just needs to do what he loves--seek out the information and connect the pieces together.

To say that Johari was shocked would be an understatement. At the bird's words, Johari goes wide-eyed and backs up from he bird, staring at him with a mixture of confustion and something close to anger. Finally, she gets the strength to speak. "NO!! Daddy would never do that!! NEVER!!" Even though Johari is saying this, it's said with an almost uncertain tone. She knows that Daddy is away most of the time and usually comes back in the dead of night or early morning always looking very happy. Sometimes there was even some blood on him but he always said he just went hunting for a snack. Even though she doens't want to think about it, it's all starting to add up in her head. Still, she refuses to beleive that her Daddy would ever do something like that.

The sudden outburst catches the eagle by surprise, startling him out of his thoughts. Why can't this kit just stay calm and stop being so frustrating! "I do not appreciate loud yelling like that. Please...! I am trying to think!" Karon almost--almost!--wishes that he hadn't saved this kit in the first place, as she's quickly becoming more of a hassle than she's worth. But even still.. knowing now about this particular feud between wolves and this fox.. this information surely could be useful somewhere, someway, and somehow. To the right creatures, of course. But if there's one thing that Karon has learned through the course of his lifetime, it's that information is /always/ valuable. The only question is... how to use it properly.

Still trying to recover from her outburst, Johari pants a little heavier than she needs to. For some reason, it's just always helped her whever she feels like this. That and Mommy or Daddy being there always made her feel safe and protected. Once she's calmed down, she walks back to where she had just been standing and stares back at the bird. When he's done with /his/ outburst, Johari gives a small, appologetic yelp and says quickly, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just...I never would think Daddy would ever do that. But he does sometimes come back in the middle of the night and always says he was hunting for a midnight snack." Her tone is truly appologetic towards the bird. She knows he's not /that/ bad. Even though he doesn't seem to care very much abotu how this talk may be effecting her, he /did/ save her life from those mosters. She headtilts again at the bird before saying, "Why did you save me back there? You didn't have to but you did...why?" That just baffles the foxgirl. He didn't know anything about her yet he swooped in and saved her. That had to have ment something...right?

"I deduced that you might have some information that I could obtain." Nothing complicated about it--Karon figured she might be useful, and acted accordingly. No pity, no sympathy, no heroics. She might as well be a tool for his information-gathering purposes for all the golden eagle cares. It won't make him lose any sleep at night if she fell off the branch right here and now. It's not that Karon's mean-spirited by any stretch of the imagination. He's just independent and completely focused on his own motives. "Thank you for what you have been able to tell me thus far. I will appreciate any further details as you think of them." Giving her a simple nod of dismissal, he turns away and seems to settle down on the branch, almost as if about ready to go to sleep.

"Oh." is all the foxgirl says. She thought there had been some other motive behind it, not just for information. The way he said it makes it sound as though she's a tool of some sorts just for information. She hangs her head, a little disapointed. She snaps her head back up again when the bird talks to her. "Umm, your welcome I guess." She then walks over to him and gives him a small lick on his cheek. "And thank you for saving me back there. I guess I owe you my life." The thought that her tounge might be a bit big for the bird's head doesn't cross her mind, she just wants to show her thanks. She then goest and walks over to a more thicker part of the branch and lays down. This whole day has worn her out and she just needs to sleep. She gives another look at the ground below her and just hopes that she doesn't roll around in her sleep. She sets her head in between her front paws, gets comfy, then falls asleep there. Who knows, Karon might turn into a friend of hers. Maybe this whole situation isn't as Johari first thought.

[tanniyn]

The next morning. . .

It's been a tough night for Johari. She had a tough time sleeping and when she finally did get to sleep, she had nightmares the whole time. The memory of her mommy being torn apart like that just kept coming back to her, no matter how many times she tried to get rid of it. It wasn't until she remembered that Daddy was still out there and the bird resting next to her that she was finally able to drift asleep. Starting to wake up, Johari lets out a yawn and looks to where the bird was resting, or at least where he /was/ resting. Quickly jumping to her paws, Johari walks to the spot where Karon had been sleeping the other day. He's not here. Johari starts to look around for the bird, starting to panic. She's still stuck up in a /very/ high tree with no way to get down. Starting to lose control of herself, Johari raises her head and yells at the top of her lungs, "KKKKKAAAAARRRRROOOOOOOOOONNNN!!!!!" Next to her tree, some birds who had been resting, suddenly shot out of the tree and took off, obviously startled by the yell this early in the morning. Johari just keeps looking at the sky, hoping to find the golden colored bird coming towards her.

The sought-after golden eagle is indeed on his way back to the tree, having spent the last hour or so seeking out several creatures in particular that he figured might know more about what happened. But to his disappointment, either they really didn't know anything... or else they were frightened into silence. Regardless, the lack of answers has put the big avian in an annoyed mood, and, as he flies back toward the tree, he's busy trying to determine an alternative course of action. Banking his way around several trees, he finally spots the fir trees off in the distance... and several different birds in the middle of scattering from their perches. Odd. They seemed to have been scared off /before/ he came within sight -- what was that all about, then? If there was a predator coming after the fox kit, Karon's /not/ going to be happy.

Panic is now starting to turn into fear. If the bird /did/ leave her here, then how was she supposed to get down?? Certainly jumping was out of the question. Maybe wait for another bird to come by and help? All of these worries are soon put to ease as Johari soon sees the golden bird coming into view. The foxgirl lets out a sigh of releif then looks back at the bird with those black eyes and gives him a friendly smile before yelling up to him, "Hey Karon!!" She again feels like jumping for joy at seeing the bird again but again realizes that she's /still/ up in this tree. She looks over the branch again only to immediatly look away. It's still a big a drop as it was yesterday.

His excellent vision easily notes every detail of the fox kit as soon as Karon sees it in the distance--most importantly, the kit's joyful expression. That means that it hasn't detected any predator or any other immediate threat, and within a few seconds, the golden eagle swoops past the branch, snatching the kit off on the way by. It's time to be moving along. He doesn't offer any word of explanation to the girl, either because he doesn't deem it necessary, or maybe he's just too deep in thought. Or, quite possibly, both are true. Large wings beat against the wind as they travel now above the treetops, heading east.

As the bird starts to get closer and closer to the foxgirl without slowing down, Johari is instinctivly nervous. She's no expert on birds but shouldn't he be slowing down at least by now? As the bird gets closer and closer, Johari takes a step back, a bit worried. When the bird is right on top of her and she sees the talons reaching down at her, she closes her eyes tight shut. A slight "Whoa!!" is given at the familiar swooping feeling as she feels her paws leave the tree. When she opens her eyes, she's again looking down at the ground and goes wide-eyed again. It's not everyday when you see the whole land from atop eveything. Even though it's her second time looking at everything, she's still scared about it. She looks up at Karon as best she can and asks, "Where are we going Karon?"

Gradual Incline
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The rocky, grassy ground eventually begins to escalate, turning into a large slope up into brush and trees, mostly confiers, but dotted with the leaves of oaks and birches dappled throughout in plentiful numbers. The soil is not as rocky as below, but considerably rough, with small to sizeable boulders lying about like large plates and cobbles stamped into the ground by giants. A large set of old, weathered boulders jut at a small peak out of the incline, creating a small lookout-like area, sturdy enough to hold most creatures. Burrows of small animals lie around it and the other boulders, likely homes to ground-dwelling rodents. The ground here is also constantly covered in a layer of dead leaves, needles and tiny plants. The slope moves upwards, and a noticable worn path extends out from a multitude of smaller ones, the smaller ones running down into the wood like tributaries.
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It's not until the golden eagle has landed atop the large boulder and dropped off the fox kit that he answers: "We were headed here." Obviously. His answer is given with somewhat of a distracted tone, and not even a glance at the girl, as he's intently staring off into the distance... looking for something? Or some/one/, perhaps? He stretches his wings to their full length again, then folds them closed and ruffles his feathers. "Hmmmmmm... now why...?" It's said in the same distracted manner. Finally, after several minutes pass, he finally turns his head to look down at the young fox. He asks a single question--not if she was thirsty, or if she would like something to eat, or if she was tired--no, it's nothing in consideration of /her/. "Where did you live, before the attack? Do you think your father may still be there?"

Even though she's being suspended many feet above the ground being held by only a pair of tallons, Johari can't help but gape at the scenery below her. She never realized how beautiful it all looked. You really can't when your only on the ground. Even as she lands on the rough terrain, Johari is still in awe at what she just saw. She shakes her head back into reality as the bird speaks, then walks over away from her. Johari is about to say something but then sees Karon deep in thought, and holds it back. She walks up next to him and sits down and waits for a while till Karon speaks again to her. She has to pause for a while this time but then replies, "Well, me and Mommy and Daddy didn't really have a set place to live. We just wandered from place to place. Before those monsters came," shiver, "we lived out somewhere over that way." She waves her paw in the direction where they had just came from. "I'm not really sure, though. I never really paid attention." Now she's wishing she had.

Wanderers... indeed? Most intriguing. Karon is silent for another several minutes, mind racing, trying to connect pieces of this particular puzzle. It's as if the fox kit has ceased to exist as the golden eagle pays no attention to her whatsoever... eyes just staring off into the distance. Every once in a while he'll mumble something to himself. "Wouldn't he /want/ to, then?" ... or "But she said..." and at last, "I really /must/ find out!" Coming to whatever firm conclusion (or resolution) that may be, Karon at last seems to remember that he's not alone atop the boulder. Blinkblink. There's a fox kit right next to him. ... Oh. Right. /Her/. Blink. "Yes.. so.. Thank you for your information. You have been very helpful." He nods. "Farewell." And abruptly, he spreads out his wings and leans forward as he prepares to launch off into the wind.

A headtilt is given to the bird as he seems to have forgoten about the foxgirl right beside him. Johari knows this because he starts to mumble things to himself even though she's right next to him. Johari desides to let him be with his thinking, though the urge to ask what's going on is getting stronger in her. After a while of staring out into the scenery under her on the ledge, she brings her attention back to the bird as he speaks. Suddenly, her heart drops to her stomach as her brain processes what he just said. He's leaving?!?! NOW!! Johari is rendered speachless as the words sink into her. Just as the bird seems to be taking off, Johari regains her ability to speak and yells to him, "Wait!!" She doesn't want him to leave just yet. Why? She doesn't even know herself...

The girl's cry is just in time -- the golden eagle catches himself just before takeoff and looks down at the kit with an annoyed glare. "What is it, young fox? I have important business to take care of! What do you want of me?" He gives an irritated shake of his wings before folding them up to their normal resting position against his body. Impatiently, his talons tap against the top of the boulder, leaving little white scratch-marks. He really should just take off and ignore whatever plea this girl might have. That's what her parents are for, isn't it? Well.. her father, at least. Too bad about her mother. That's life, kid. Deal with it.

As Karon stops in his apparent mid-flight, Johari lets out a mental sigh of releif. That was close. But, wait, he's talking. Johari shifts uncomfortably on her paws and becomes very interested in this one pebble on the ground shapped like the moon. "Ummmm, well....I uhhh....." She doesn't exactly know how to say this. She sees the bird is getting annoyed so Johari takes a deep breath before saying bluntly, "I wanna go with you!" As she says this, her head slightly raises but then again becomes very interested in the moon-shapped pebble. Even though she already half knows the answer, it can't hurt to try...right?

There's a very long, very awkward silence. Karon stares at the fox kit, absolutely still as he slowly replays the girl's words in his mind. Surely he didn't hear her right. Surely she meant to say something else. Surely she was joking, or.. or /something/! "Ahh, young one..." he begins, not really sure how to say this, except to be direct and to-the-point. "You cannot fly, and I do not plan on carrying you around. Therefore, no. You cannot come with me." That was simple enough. Nodding another farewell at the girl, he spreads his wings once more, preparing to take off. "Oh, and another thing," he adds quickly, not even looking over at her, "If you see your father anytime soon, advise him that I am seeking conversation with him at his earliest convenience."

A sad look is plastered on Johari's face as the bird replies to her. She knew that was coming. She doesn't exactly know why she's feeling so sad but it's just a feeling that she can't let go of. She raises her head again as the bird speaks and can't help but feel annoyied. She stares at the bird and says, "And exactly /how/ am I supposed to do /that/?!?! Saying I even /FIND/ Daddy in the first place, how in the world am I supposed to find you again?!?!" Honestly, he said it himself, Johari can't fly and, therefore, it would be next to impossible to find the golden bird ever again. You would at least think he thought of /THAT/!!

Karon very nearly reconsiders his earlier decision against eating the fox kit--at least now it would allow him some relief from this bothersome girl! Turning his keen eyes yet again to peer down at her, he says briskly, "/You/ have no need to find /me/, unless you want to become my next meal. If by some chance I require information from you again, have no doubt that I will find you. In the meantime, I assume that you would be searching for your father anyway--my simple request was that you alert him to my desire for communication with him. Really now, is this that difficult to comprehend?" Huffing again, he mutters something about 'young kids' and launches himself off the boulder, wings quickly lifting him up and away from the fox kit. Karon doesn't look back, and soon the girl is out of his mind. He has more important things to think about. Of course.

As the bird replies to the foxgirl, Johari suddenly feels that strange feeling in her being pushed away by something very close to anger. It's like he doesn't care for anyone; only his stupid information. Honestly, why doesn't he just marry it if it's so important to him!!!! Ahh, the mind of a kit. Johari gives a scowl to the bird as he takes off. Stupid bird and his information. Still, she can't forget that he /did/ save her life but whenever that thought comes to her head, it's quickly pushed out by what situation the bird just left her in. She's up on an almost cliff with a long way down. Plus, the ground is pretty rough and there's bound to be other monsters down there as well. She's scared to even move from this spot but knows she has to keep moving. Giving a sigh, she starts to try to make her way down, all the while muttering 'stupid birds'.