At first he wondered where he'd live after moving out, but he needn't have worried. Siran tribes fluctuated with the coming and going of members as they found mates in other tribes or brought their bonded home. It was pure luck that had one of the older, un-bonded adults leave to find his mate elsewhere. Naturally, he left his small dwelling to whomever happened to claim it, and, as no one else seemed inclined to move in, Haaji leapt at the chance.      His brother said he was sorry to see him go, but Haaji had felt that ever since he'd been able to sense their presences, if not the very moment they'd taken him in, he'd been something of a nuisance to his older brother. Sure it may not be true, but that's the way he felt nonetheless.      So it was that Haaji moved his few possessions from the small room he shared with his nieces into the relatively spacious home. It was a small dwelling, compared to his brother's, but that was partly because it was built for one person, and never added onto. To the young sira, it was as close to perfect as he could have hoped for.      Time passed, and, though the young sira had grown into his full adult plumage and status, things were still not quite right. Then again, he doubted they could ever be 'right' for him. It made him sad sometimes, as he lay curled in his nest at night, when his only company was the moonlight streaming in through his window, and the only sound he heard was his own breathing and the wind whispering to him from outside his little cabin. He would remember his childhood and try to shed a tear for his parents, but he had no tears left. He would think of his present situation and wonder what the future held. And then, when he thought of the future, all he could see was an endless cycle of days and years, continuing forever and never changing. The days circled each other and spiraled down and down into a blackness that swallowed any light of hope that might have existed.      It was during those lonely nights that he began to lose faith in his people's traditions, though he didn't realize it at the time.      Several months later, his little tribe found itself with new blood suddenly, when a tammaky family decided to settle with them. What made the event worth noting was the fact that there were a few pretty young females with them. Haaji's tribe was chock full of healthy adult males, but all the girls their age were either related, or already Kalun'shaisa J'Nuulorji, forever bound, and off limits. That was why so many of their tribe left, or never bonded. Now, however, all of the boys Haaji's age were scrambling all over each other to impress the new girls.      Haaji himself watched from the sidelines, never really one to make a spectacle of himself (not that he need actually try; his white coat and feathers did that for him, though it wasn't a sight that generally attracted the right kind of attention). Invariably, as the family settled in, the young, unattached girls paired off and began to ponder possibilities of bonding.      One morning, while the boys of the village threw the newcomers a welcome feast and celebration, Haaji sat and sunned himself behind his cabin, minding his own business as he usually did when not helping around the village. A small noise at his back startled him from his half-doze and he perked an ear and looked around. Approaching timidly from the direction of the open forest to the side of his personal space was what he assumed to be a kit from the new family, wandered away from her parents during the party. Until, that is, he noticed that she did indeed have her adult plumage and there was nothing left of her kittenhood ridge except a slight lightening of the stripes along her back. She was a slight, delicate creature, all red and gold like the sunset. He'd never seen a sira with colors like hers before. She wore gold and silver jewelry in her long, slender ears and on her paws and tail. Even some of her feathers were bejeweled. Haaji couldn't say anything for a long moment, so bedazzled was he.      "Mai'tsanau," she said, and bobbed her head timidly. She switched then from verbal speech to mental, and continued her introduction. My name is Cliija'shhralii, from the tribe that just settled here. Why are you not joining in the festivities?      Haaji, finally jolted from his wondering daze, flicked an ear to the side in a gesture of some discontent. I may have gone if I'd been invited, but then, maybe not. When Cliija tilted her head, he elaborated. That celebration is really nothing more than a way to call attention to the males who host it. They want all the pretty young girls to notice them and say 'Oh, what a nice thing for them to do, throw us a welcoming party.' He stopped and shrugged, closing his eyes and turning back to his sunning position, almost certain that she would leave now, but he felt her amusement beating against his senses and blinked. He turned back to her, only to see a completely straight face and cool expression, even though he could still feel her amusement, as warm and bright as the summer sun, as her fur.      Confused, he laid his ears to the side and tilted his head in a gesture of polite inquiry. He, too, kept his expressions under control, though he was sure she could feel his own curiosity; he was doing nothing to hide it from her.      She did not, however, answer his unspoken question, instead asking one of her own, switching back into verbal speech. "What is your name, sir? We can hardly remain strangers when we are neighbors." When he answered, she nodded. "Well, Haaji'hashmel of the inland clan, tribe of steppe and stone, would you please accompany me to the celebration of the joining of your tribe and mine?"      Startled yet again, Haaji blinked, and could not respond for a moment. Then, he stood slowly and bowed low, bathing in waves of pleasure emanating from the new female. Silently, he led the way from the back of his modest cabin to the large meeting area that had been set up for the occasion. As they walked, Cliija kept close to his side, so close that he had to lift a wing over her back or have it pinned at his side. The effect was apparently exactly what she wanted, as he was blessed with a wash of approval from his companion. He was still somewhat confused, but that was alright, he'd figure it out later.      At the celebration, she refused to leave his side, even when he tried to sit out the commotion on the sidelines, she sat with him. And of course, brought all sorts of attention with her. He signed inwardly, but couldn't help but feel a lightness of spirit that he had not enjoyed since he was a kitten in his parents' arms.      That night, as the festivities were ending, she insisted that he walk her to her family's new living space, a newly built cabin (even though all siran buildings were little more than small, one- or two-room huts) large enough for several sira at once. She said not a word as he stopped outside, but sent him a gentle wash of gratitude as she disappeared within. He walked back to his own small home in a state nearing delirious, though he was even more confused now than he had been when she'd appeared seemingly out of nowhere and whisked him away to the party. It had been a very, very interesting night. And, though he had no idea at the time, the first in a long string of continuously more interesting days and nights to come. Back | Next