The day they had begun their bonding ritual, few in the tribe had actually realized he and she had become so close. Some, however, had noticed that the petite, fiery young female was hardly ever seen away from Haaji. They, of course, had not approved at all. Especially the other males around his age who had not already paired up themselves.      As they landed, Cliija looked positively jubilant, striding at Haaji's side, head held high. As though she had just won some great prize. As though she had actually just secured herself the best male of the tribe.      Haaji didn't understand it at all, but he wasn't going to tell her that. In the time that they had been together, Cliija had managed to raise his self-confidence somewhat. In her eyes, he had incredible value, and right now, she was really the only person worth believing.      The two of them returned to the souhae'deik, Haaji lost in shock and amazement, Cliija glowing with pride. Neither of them suspected much of a reaction from the rest of the tribe, though Haaji might have been worried had he actually stopped to think about it. So it was with some confusion that he looked on the hostile, disapproving body language of his tribe. Something at the back of his mind went through his list of chores for today, wondering what they could blame him for having done wrong, or not done at all. Cliija's presence at his side was so natural by now, and his tribe had seen the two of them walking together so often that he didn't even consider her to be a factor to be considered.      The fiery female, for her part, found it easy to ignore those poisonous glares sent their way. In fact, she just smiled all the wider for them. Haaji was hers now, and nothing they could do would change that fact. All that was left for them to do was have the Elder perform the bonding ritual, and then no one would dare separate them.      The spring sky was just darkening when Haaji left her at her family's hut, once more feeling her wash of appreciation as she lingered at the door before disappearing inside. As he walked home, he wondered what the rest of her family would think of the decision she had made in choosing a mate. Would they be jealous and full of approval, as she always insisted they were, or would they demand she rethink her future plans, and beg the Elder not to perform the bonding ritual, as Haaji imagined?      There was a storm on the horizon, turning the sunset a rich red. Hopefully it wouldn't be too bad a storm, or the bonding ritual would have to be put off, no matter how much Cliija might want it to proceed. Haaji smiled at that thought. She was full of light and life and strength; she was his pillar of support, and the thought of life without her now was all but unimaginable.      Years later, Haaji would look back on those days and months and remember the delirious happiness that he knew would never end as long as he had Cliija. It was as though the two of them had been made for each other, one filling in the other's lack, though at the time he never could quite understand how or why they seemed to get along so well. She was beautiful, lively, reckless, charming; he just didn't see how she had been drawn to his quietly sulking form that first day. Or why she had stayed with him long enough to reach the point where they were actually promised.      Neither of them could have foretold what the day would bring. It all happened so fast, even the Elders could not have predicted the outcome.      The next day dawned, but little light filtered through the heavy cloud cover, flashes of lightning casting momentary illumination where the sun couldn't reach. Haaji peered out at the rain, glumly considering the day's possibilities. Bonding ceremonies were always performed at dawn, and spring bondings were the most auspicious (many of the pairs that had met when Cliija's family joined the tribe elected to wait until spring, rather than bond in the fall or winter). However, this storm wasn't likely to dissipate before dawn tomorrow, so the bonding would indeed be postponed. Well, at least they could inform the Elder of their intent.      It was a cold rain, and his fine, colorless fur did little to keep the water off his skin. Soon he was soaked through and dripping, but still determined to at least see his promised today. Haaji intended to meet Cliija at her door and walk her to the Elder's hut, but found she had beat him to the chase. Her father said she'd left only moments before. Hurrying to catch up, Haaji reached out with his mind, searching for hers. But when he found her, his fur stood on end.      Cliija's mental signature had always been like a pyre to Haaji's senses, bright and strong, full of life, bringing warmth and joy everything around it. Now he hardly recognized it; the fire had burned down to a mere candle flame, and it flickered fearfully.      Racing ahead, Haaji paid absolutely no attention to the forest around him, focusing instead on the direction of her guttering mental presence. His throat was nearly closed with terror, so that he nearly choked with every breath, but he still managed to run at full speed, until he almost plunged into the river. It had overflowed it's banks sometime during the night, rainwater from the mountains to the west flooding what had once been a small stream. He turned downstream without more than a slight pause.      To Haaji, this was all too much like his nightmares. It was as though they had returned full force, invading his waking hours. It felt as though he were moving in slow motion, that time had sped up around him, and though he was moving as fast as he could, he was still being left behind. She was moving farther away, was almost outside his range by now. Cursing light and dark, Haaji took to the air. It was dangerous to fly in a storm, but Haaji was beyond caring for his own safety by this point. The rain as it fell seemed as though it were made up of stones rather than water, though this too was beyond significance.      All that mattered was finding Cliija.      Once again, time passed on without Haaji, and once again, he felt himself losing the touch of her mind. He was so close now, though. She should be just below him, though he could hardly see anything through the cover of the trees, much less the churning water. Gritting his teeth, Haaji tucked in his wings and dove through the canopy, straight into the raging river.      There was no thought behind it, no sense of self preservation holding him back; she was his reason for living.      It didn't take long for him to loose himself in the rush of water. It was too strong to fight, and he was too frail to do much of that anyway. Eventually, the world went dark, and the last thing he felt before oblivion fully engulfed him was the soft mental brush of his promised. Confusingly enough, she seemed happy, and her presence no longer trembled with fear.      Comforted, Haaji slipped into unconsciousness.      When he awoke, the storm had passed. A new day was dawning. For a moment, Haaji though the events of the previous day were indeed just a dream. Until he realized that instead of waking up in his soft, dry nest, he was piled up against hard rocks, his wings bent at uncomfortable angles wet and bedraggled. And no sign of Cliija. Back | Next