[Garden of Concubines] Mouse and Minuet

by **Khida** on October 16th, 2012, 8:54 am

Spring 74, 510 AV

She angled tail and wing for minute course corrections, sweeping down with talons outstretched, gauging the distance by eye; not consciously, but at a deeper level, somewhere between intuition and instinct. She thought there was still a chance --

Just ahead of the raptor's claws, the mouse darted into a crack, a fault between the building's granite foundation and the smooth rise of its marble walls. The falcon who followed very nearly on its tail flared her wings wide and flapped rapidly to slow her own forward rush. She managed not to collide with the wall, if only just; thwarted, she turned away, laboring beats bringing her up towards the building's roof.

Missed, again. It was hard, catching these things on her own, but her parents required she go out and try. If the young falcon came back hungry, they'd feed her -- but she had to go out first. As far as Khida was concerned, it wasn't fair... not that they asked her opinion, or relented when she expressed it.

Reaching the top of the building, Khida considered that since mice didn't tunnel through stone, maybe the crack would run all the way to the other side. Or... she glimpsed greenery on the far side, which suggested the possibility of more mice. She wasn't picky -- any old mouse would do. Expectations and optimism high, the young falcon lofted up over the intervening building --

And felt a pang of disappointment as she found not the rustlings of mice in the courtyard, but only a human woman.

by **Kaley** on December 30th, 2012, 11:39 am

Kaley sat quietly mediating, on the green grass. The sun stroked her face as the warmth passed over her body. Her emerald silks lay lapping in the wind, gently brushing against her fans. She was contemplating a new routine for the The Festival of Makutsi. Somehow she had envisioned being able to set her fans aflame without burning them or herself. "There must be some sort of elixer I can use in order to prevent complete catastrophe." she thought to herself, smiling at the image of the Pressorah's beautiful locks set aflame.

She suddenly recalled a certain concoction from her childhood, aptly named Devil's Wine. Memories of dancing shadows and her father drinking the fiery beverage in the darkness flooded back to her. Perhaps, she could find a way to harness it and channel it into her dancing.

Wildly taken by inspiration, Kaley grabbed her fans and settled into her first dancing position. Her toes sinking into the greenery, curled up grabbing at the grass. She began to loosen her limbs by performing her basic movements. Some were combinations of kicks and spins, while others she would gracefully use her fans to manipulate action. Kaley wanted to dance as water does. Gentle as a brook. Bubbling and graceful she used her fans to imitate long, lapid movements with her arms. Her wrists leisurely contorted, waving along her body. Then suddenly, she would be fierce and crash into the ground, kicking and fighting gravity in a motion of blurred spins, twirled her body into ways that would deceive the eye, much like the crashing of the ocean.

Kaley collapsed, her body exhausted. As sweat trickled down her chin, a shadow passed overhead. Using her fan to shield her eyes, she gazed into the sky seeing a bird flying above. Kaley let out a sigh, whispering " I wish I had wings"

by **Khida** on January 2nd, 2013, 2:31 pm

The woman leapt and spun around, and finally fell down to the ground, gazing upwards at the sky. The falcon above regarded these actions dubiously, mystified as to their purpose. But it didn't really matter what the woman did, as long as she did it over there; she was looking for mice.

There was an abundance of greenery in the courtyard, which to the falcon's mind suggested plenty of water and plenty of food -- both for mice and, in turn, for a small predator like her. It was probably better than the dry earth outside the building, at any rate. Khida let air spill from beneath her wings and descended down towards the courtyard's bounded space, debating whether to perch in one of the palms or on the building edge. The best perch would depend on where the prey tended to be...

Maybe she could ask the woman. She looked old enough to know something; certainly older than the Kelvic.

The peregrine brought her wings in and dropped abruptly down to the earth a bit beyond the woman's feet, where she was comfortably out of reach but still close enough to ask questions (and hear the answers). She then shifted in a flash of light, a dark-haired girl appearing crouched in the falcon's place. Her age might have been estimated at around ten years -- if she were as human as she appeared.

Khida looked curiously over at the woman. "Hi," she said, if only because it had been impressed on her to give a salutation first. "Have you seen a mouse in here?"

by **Kaley** on January 7th, 2013, 7:53 pm

As the wings circled closer towards her vibrant prison, Kaley closed her eyes and said a silent prayer.

"Oh Yahal, mighty one, please look down on your child with kindness. Please let me too have swift wings so that I can leave this wretched city and bring honor to those who still carry your name in their hearts."

Kaley was blinded by a great light when she opened her eyes. She felt for certain it was Yahal come to her to answer her prayers. She quickly fell to knees and extended her hands up to the sky. A proper Benshira bow to the Great One. Excitement flooded through Kaley's veins. She was going home! No more tangled arms groping her and bidding her to do thus. She would be free as the bird in the sky.

A few moments passed, and she did not hear the great boom of the Yahal's voice. She gently rose her head and took a quick peek with one eye. Standing before her were small, delicate feet. Cautiously, she dropped her arms and took a good look at the vision standing before her.

It was a child! Dark hair freely flowing down her back and tiny features. Kaley shook her head vehemently, side to side. Her curls bouncing everywhere. " You are not the one they call Yahal. You are too small" She accused the young the girl.

Kaley was heartbroken and confused. Having never seen a Kelvic, she assumed that Yahal had heard her prayer wrong. He had turned the bird into a girl instead of giving Kaley the bird's wings. She wanted to shout up to the heavens, " You buffoon, clean your Godly ears! Come closer so you may hear me correctly!" But, she bit her tongue in angry obedience.

Kaley gave a loud sigh, now on top of her chores, she would have to teach this bird how to be a human. "Little one, you no longer need to eat mice. Come with me, kuseret. Let's get you something to eat." She extended her hand out to once bird-now girl.

by **Khida** on February 15th, 2013, 10:47 am

"Why are you doing that?" Khida asked when the woman finally looked up from her odd posture. The woman seemed... angry? Angry that the girl wasn't someone else, someone expected. Yahal was a name she'd heard before, but the young Kelvic wasn't quite sure of the significance. "Who is Yahal?" she asked, undeterred by the woman's seeming ire -- given as she made no actual threats towards Khida herself.

No mice. Khida canted her head and pursed her lips as she considered this, craning her head to look around the courtyard, seeking those nooks and crannies where a small rodent might shelter. She was pretty sure they were around... but wait, the woman had said no eating mice. If she was going to give the Kelvic something better -- well, Khida wouldn't turn that down. "...Do you have any fish?" the girl asked, perking up with sudden interest.

The extended hand, she considered long and hard before tentatively accepting.