They flew on in silence for a while, and then Cliija asked that he take her on a tour of his tribe's surrounding lands. It was nearly sunset by then, so even the short tour that he gave her had them flying back to the village in the cool twilight. They watched the stars appear as they flew, and Cliija said that the stars were different where she grew up.      Once again, Haaji ended up seeing Cliija to her family's cabin at her insistence, and then walked slowly home. His mind was full, though his stomach was empty; he realized he hadn't eaten since a small breakfast at dawn. After a bite to eat, he curled up in his nest, thinking hard about what Cliija had said. How would he learn how to read her the way she already knew how to read him? Practice, perhaps. He now wished he'd paid more attention to his nieces, since they might have given him a clue into a female's behavior. Oh well, too late for that now; they were old enough that they wouldn't want him hanging around them anymore, lest he scare off their prospective future suitors.      Haaji rolled his eyes at that thought. Why were they all so eager to find a mate anyway? It wasn't like that was all they had to look forward to... or maybe it was. Did they really have so little imagination that they couldn't conceive of adult life unbonded?      As he fell asleep to those thoughts, he shouldn't have been surprised that he dreamt of both scenarios, life as a pair, raising kittens together and growing old and watching their grand-kittens play in the grass, and life alone, watching others achieve their one goal in life and enjoying company while he, alone and uninhibited, continued on as he did now, until he died, alone and friendless.      He woke somewhat confused, since the last dream of his night had been his own end, and, though usually one wakes up just before the moment of death, he slept on in darkness, as though his mind didn't know what to do with the afterlife. He shook his head, dismissing the dreams, or at least, he thought he did.      When morning came, Haaji was both more rested and more restless than he could ever remember being. His sleep had been filled with images, true, but they were the normal kind, rather than his old, ever-present nightmares. Instead, they had been full of possibility. Hope and despair, friendship and loss, love and loneliness. All tinted red and gold with Cliija's fiery coat, her vibrant laughter, her flashing eyes. But this didn't actually occur to him until well into the next day, when he was once again tending that small garden. It was one of the chores he did most often, since he was unsuited for hunting, and working in the fields and orchards left him ill and exhausted from overexposure to the sun. And since tending to the small, shade-garden wasn't a chore many others would choose willingly, even as important as it was that those herbs be kept healthy, it fell to the young albino sira almost by default.      It was the first terror-free night he'd had in years. And it wasn't the last.      The next few weeks, and then months, Cliija continued to seek him out and keep him company, until they were completely comfortable in each other's presence. The days were filled with each other's company, with talk of past experiences and future dreams, flights of fancy above the canpoy, and walks through the trees. They'd go swimming on particularly warm days, but when autumn came, they dove into piles of leaves instead, looking for all the world like large kits at play. The first snow found them building snow-forts a foot tall, though they didn't last long before the weather warmed up again temporarily.      And throughout it all, every time he and Cliija were together, Haaji noticed the hint of disapproval from the others in the tribe. Especially the other males and the new females. It didn't bother him much; he'd been receiving the same for almost as long as he could remember. To Cliija, however, it was frustrating.      One morning as she approached for another flight to stretch their wings, she burst into a small tirade. Haaji could only nod and offer sympathy, since he sensed that any attempt to explain his tribe's actions (because he did have an explanation) would not go very well.      Why do they care who I choose to spend time with? It's not any of their business where I go and with whom! Neither of us are anyone's personal property, or an object to be lusted after like a saurrokk and his prey. Or to be avoided as the same! She stomped a hind foot and opened her wings to add emphasis to her words, and again, Haaji could only sympathize. Something told him that she knew exactly why they did what they did, she probably did something similar in the past, which was why she reacted so vehemently now. He had learned to read a great deal in the past few weeks.      In fact, she said haughtily as they took to the air and circled, it serves them right. The boys get to complain that they're missing out on the prettiest female, and the girls can weep over their missed chance at the best male.      Haaji blinked. What? Had he heard her correctly? The best male? What did that have to do with her and him and their friendship of late?      Cliija eyed him slyly. Don't you think I'm pretty?      No, no it's not that, he hurried to explain, but she cut him off.      Then you don't believe me when I say you're the best male out of your tribe? She laughed and did a loop around him, using her pointed wings and slight build to maneuver faster than he could react. She caught hold of his forepaws and held tight, swinging him around in a spiral, heading toward the canopy far below. It surprised him so much, that he reacted instinctively, stretching out his wings to their fullest and falling into the ritualistic air dance that pairs did when they promised each other a bonding. Would I be willing to do this if I didn't think you were worthy of me?      He panicked then, and tried to tell her that he knew that she could find better, but she silenced him with a look. He took a deep breath, then gripped her paws, returning the gesture she had initiated. Together, they spiraled down, plummeting faster and faster, until they were a mere breath away from the tall grass of the valley below. Only then did they separate, pulling out of the dive and regaining their altitude to continue the aerial dance.      So. They were promised. Back | Next