Beginning Again (Cont.) }{ {Meeting a Night Elf}

[Summerchika]

Noting Reixou's sad demeanor and his long look at his red-skin, Ainutsa could conjecture on what had happened. "I'm sorry." she said quietly. She said nothing more to pursue the subject, but she did answer his question.

"When my grandmother was alive, she taught me the beauty and importance of the natural order of things." She remembered one of the lessons in particular and shuddered.

Continuing, she explained, "I would find my grandmother's thoughtful gaze on us when Faolán or Ciar and I interacted; she did not openly disapprove, but I could feel her worry." She paused and looked down at her hands. Trying to communicate her worry was difficult; she had not tried to communicate it much before as Ciar and Faolán would not hear of it.

"Mainly, I am afraid that their changes will keep them apart from their clans. I guess... I am afraid that they will become alone because of me." Speaking it aloud made it sound silly to her, but the worry was still there. She was glad for her friends' company, yes, but she did not want to destroy their own lives for her comfort.

There was also a nagging feeling that there was something else at play that Ainutsa did not understand. She could not put it to words; she could not even begin to explain it to herself. It seemed menacing and she had learned long ago not to ignore that feeling.

Faolán did not stop her from explaining; in fact, she seemed quieter than usual. Looking at Faolán curiously, she wondered if Faolán was alright, but Faolán did not meet her eye. Instead, she was watching Reixou attentively.

[Reixou]

Still looking at Faolán, but listening to every word Ainutsa said intently; Reixou nodded, then looked back at her.

"I understand now...And Ciar and Faolán do not realize this; they only care about you, and your safety." He smiled at the bittersweet truth. "Truthfully, you will not get rid of them. They have committed to you; and they will stay with you. Unless you convince them otherwise."

Reixou did not know the full extent of their connection, but he knew that when he had formed a bond with the charming, playful sea dragon, it was not something that could be easily severed. Krade was his best friend, and at the time, Reixou was only 12. He had noticed that animals seemed to like him more than they liked other people, but he did not know that he possessed the power to manipulate their feelings towards him until his life was threatened.

Propelling his small canoe across the great lake that he had played in many times, Reixou felt his craft bump something under the surface. A great tremble stirred the water; and the head of a young red sea dragon emerged, teeth bared at the elven boy. All I remember was thinking, "What an amazing creature...I wish we could be friends somehow..." And so they were. The dragon changed its' demeanor almost immediately after laying eyes on the boy, and anger became curiosity.

Reixou sighed, and smiled at the thought. He realized he had been lost in his own thoughts for a while. "Oh, I'm sorry...I was just reminiscing. I didn't mean to ignore you." He grinned sheepishly.

[Summerchika]

Letting out a rather large sigh, Ainutsa put her chin down on her hands that were laying flat against the earth. It was not like she wanted to get rid of them; she simply wanted to stop affecting them in such a manner. Ciar was the strongest of his kind; he ruled over the skies. He had a duty to fulfill. Likewise, Faolán had a duty as the first daughter of her clan. Her people respected and feared her; she was a leader.

Ainutsa was changing the natural order of the forest, and it felt wrong to her.

Glancing up at Reixou's silence, she recognized the look on his face. She watched as he smiled at a memory. Waiting until he came back, she wondered what fond memory had resurfaced. She wanted to ask, but was afraid to bring up a different painful memory instead.

"No need to apologize." Ainutsa replied, smiling. "It seems that the memories of your own experience with the animals were exceptional." she stated, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. She did not ask, but her curiosity begged her to. Fighting for a bit with it, she finally gave in.

Sitting up on her elbows again, her words rushed out of her mouth as if escaping a prison. "I tried to not ask, but you know how strong my curiosity can be." she said by way of an apology. Laughing a little at how she must sound, she continued, "What were your animals like? Were they as stubborn as Faolán?" she asked, winking at Faolán in jest. Faolán merely chuckled in response. She knew her own pride.

[Reixou]

"No, don't apologize. It's completely fine; I understand that this must be very exciting to have met someone with similar abilities."

"Krade was...different. I wouldn't say less stubborn, just a bit more of a softie, which was probably surprising, considering he was a dragon. Well, of sorts. He was a sea dragon; a young one at that." Reixou smiled, then thought aloud. "I wonder if he's still there..." He looked at his skin again. "Or, more importantly, I wonder if he'd recognize me...There's no question that he's there still. Sea dragons live thousands of years."

[Summerchika]

"A sea dragon!" Ainutsa exclaimed. Her grandmother had told her of dragons, but she knew very little about them. She had never seen one nor dreamed of seeing one.

"I am sure Krade would recognize you. This sort of link, as you said, has committed him to you. You would be hard pressed to get rid of him, right?" she replied, using Reixou's own words.

"A sea dragon..." she mused, trying to picture one. "How does it feel, Faolán, to know your personality is tougher than a dragon's?" she asked aloud, taunting her with a smile. In response, Faolán gave her a wolfie grin. "It feels great, my dear. The bragging rights are officially mine." Chuckling, Faolán stretched her front legs then stood and paced around the small clearing.

Returning to the topic of Krade, Ainutsa spoke. "I am sure he would recognize you. He would have to. The connection is between souls, not physical appearances. Even when I change my form, Ciar and Faolán still recognize me. I am sure the same goes for Krade." she assured Reixou from a different perspective. "This link is too unique to forget, I gather."

[Reixou]

"That's true...it's a psychological recognition, not physical." He smiled, then thought again.

"Wait...change form?" His eyes lit up. "Are you a shape-shifter? My, my, you're just full of surprises!"

This girl was definitely an interesting one; her curiosity never stopped, and neither did her ability to amaze Reixou.

[Summerchika]

"Ah, no, no. Not a shape-shifter, per say..." She had forgotten to mention that power. She did not use it much and it seemed almost routine. No one had seen her change besides the animals of the forest, so there had been no one to tell her it was different or surprising.

At his surprise, though, Ainutsa felt she had to explain. "It was something my grandmother only touched on before she passed away. I do not use it much; there is not much use for it in the forest. I do practice, though, so I do not forget the ability."

"But I only know how to change hair length and color, eye color, or skin color. Like I said, we only touched on it before..." She had tried to further her skill in it after she was alone, but her necklace would interfere. Bad things happened when her necklace interfered, so she took it slowly.

"Is it... not something common?" she asked, almost afraid of the answer.

[Reixou]

"Well...some people have it. Some don't. It's more common than magic itself, I suppose, but it's something most people would like to have." He sensed that she was again hesitant to ask if she was different.

"I suppose it would be something that I would like to have, as well." He chuckled good-naturedly.

Reixou placed a hand on her shoulder. "Be glad for your differences. They do not separate you from others; they only give you something to amaze them with."

[Summerchika]

The feel of his reassuring hand on her shoulder made Ainutsa glad to have such a good friend. "I should be glad for my differences, you are right." she said, looking down at her hands again.

"However, amazing people with your differences can be dangerous." She did not know how that sentiment came from the depths of her heart, but she knew it to be true. Her mother's necklace grew warm, reaffirming her belief that it came from the darkness of her past.

Holding her necklace as it warmed her own hand, Ainutsa knew she had to think of something else before her necklace grew warmer. Releasing her necklace, she placed that hand over Reixou's hand on her shoulder.

Looking up at Reixou, she smiled. "You are a blessing as a friend, Reixou." she said sincerely. "Thank you." She thought that might be odd to say, but she felt it honestly. She had never trusted someone like this since her grandmother had died. It really was a blessing.

[Reixou]

Reixou looked on as she held the necklace, and knew that something haunted her.

"Yes, but that does not mean you should hide them from everyone. There is always something good that can come from them."

As she placed her hand on his, she noticed it was very warm. He decided it might have been his imagination; but his thoughts kept wondering why it would have been so warm, when she spoke.

"You are a blessing as a friend, Reixou. Thank you."

He smiled. "As are you, Ainutsa. I believe we shall be friends for a very long time."

His thoughts raced, and he decided that sitting here and mulling over the past would not make their thoughts lighter. In one smooth action, he flipped his hand over to grasp hers gently, stood, and waited to help her up.

"Let's go outside; I'll show you something that should brighten your spirits." He looked at Faolán. "You, too." Still smiling.

[Summerchika]

A warm feeling spread through her. They would be friends for a very long time. She could not help the smile that came from the warm feeling that sentence gave her. Perhaps this one would last.

Reixou still had the grace of the Elves. As he smoothly turned his hand over to hold hers and then stood in one fluid motion, Ainutsa looked up at him in surprise at his sudden movement, then stood as he helped her up.

Eyes wide with curiosity and eagerness, Ainutsa smiled, grateful for the change in pace. Looking down at Faolán's reaction, she could not help but giggle; Faolán's wolfie grin still looked funny, no matter how many times Ainutsa saw it.

"Come on, my dear, let us go." she urged, trotting up to them. "I am tired of sitting and his proposition is interesting." Faolán paced around them eagerly; she was a wolf of action. Sitting and waiting did not suit her.

"My spirits could use a lift." she admitted. "And Faolán needs it perhaps even more than I do." she joked with a grin. She was becoming excited at what Reixou would show them.

[Reixou]

A lift, hm? Reixou smiled, and began running. He nudged Ainutsa to run before him. This way; she would not see his wings before she was caught up in his arms, now moving as fast as she was before, but a few feet off the ground.

He carried her for a few seconds, and then alighted again, slowing to a walk, and then stopping. He released her from his arms, and smiled widely, waiting for her reaction.

"A lift." He glanced at Faolán to see what she thought as well.

[Summerchika]

As Reixou began to run, nudging Ainutsa in front of him as she ran beside him, she became quite confused. The thrill of running always excited her, but she could not help but wonder what they were doing. With a wide grin -- she really did love running -- she turned her head to question Reixou, but at that second something very unexpected happened.

Caught up in Reixou's arms, Ainutsa found herself suddenly soaring in the air a few feet off of the ground. Shocked and amazed at the same time, Ainutsa clutched at Reixou in surprise. "Oh!" A high-pitched sound of surprise and wonder escaped her lips. Were they really flying?

Then all too soon the flight was ending and they were slowing to a walk back on the ground. She was grateful that Reixou's arms still held her; she was unsure she would have been able to adjust properly from flying to walking so soon after the shock.

As they stopped, Reixou released her and she whirled around to face his grinning face. Feeling so many different emotions at once, she was unsure what was showing on her face. Shock? Joy? Amazement? She could only find one word that seemed to explain what that had been like; exhilarating.

"Was that- were you- that was-" She tried several different sentences at once, her words as jumbled as her emotions. She then saw the large black masses protruding from his back. "You have wings!" she exclaimed. That seemed to put together her words. "That was absolutely amazing." she said, then reverted back to her original sentence. "You have wings!" she repeated stupidly. "Oh, Ciar would even be jealous of those." She looked into Reixou's mischievous and joyous eyes for an explanation, her own eyes wide and amazed.

"A lift indeed." Faolán laughed her wolfie laugh, having watched the air affair from the ground as she ran underneath them. "You are right, Ainutsa. Ciar will be very envious. But do not tell him now. I do not want to listen to it." She said, a large grin still on her wolf face.

Faolán brushed up against Reixou's legs, flicking him with her tail. "Good show." she told Reixou.

[Reixou]

Reixou could not stop smiling at her reaction; as a high pitched "Oh!" escaped her lips on the ascent.

As they landed again, Reixou braced her as she found her footing once again on the earth below. Not wanting it to be too much at once; he waited to see if she had liked it, or was scared.

Her face showed many emotions: awe, shock, exhilaration; they all said basically the same thing.

"You have wings!" Well, yes. He thought, laughing a bit at the statement.

As Faolán commented "Good show." he turned her. "Would you like to go as well? I can show you both a view you have never seen before. It is quite breathtaking; but I don't believe I could bring you both at the same time...unless you have something you could both sit on for me to carry."

[Summerchika]

"Absolutely not." Faolán said stoutly. "I am not some bird; I like my paws on the ground, thank you." She sniffed and Ainutsa laughed, knowing the real reason why she said no.

"That and Ciar would never let you hear the end of it, would he?" she asked, eye brow raised expectantly.

"Yes, that, too." It was Ainutsa's turn to get a tail flick. "Go on and have fun. I need to check on the clan's rebel cubs anyway." Faolán told her as she disappeared into the dark trees.

Watching her go for a minute, she turned to Reixou, still not over how amazing the first flight was. "That really was amazing. You are right; this is a power most would envy." she said with a smile.

Struck with a sudden thought, she worried. "I'm not heavy, am I?" she asked, concerned that she might tire him out. She had never been carried by anyone but by her grandmother and that had been when she was eight. She hoped she was not heavy; her curious nature was taking over as she thought about the view Reixou had mentioned.