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WARNING: Gore happened.



Nawinalá Tilíwal (Melomar)_____________________________________________________________________Kiva (CryptidCat13)
"Thunder Blood"
"Nawi"


Kindred (Cryptid) & Kognate (Melo)
twin wolves


The wild flame followed the crane with tight turns and the booming sound of thunder. Terror-stricken, it was all the poor bird could do to keep even an inch ahead. Finally, gashes burning and blood staining its feathers, the bird lurched into the trees, where it unceremoniously bounced from trunk to trunk, until it fell to the ground in a heap of long legs and feathers. But it could not stop there, and scrambled to its feet and gathered itself up to leap into the air. But the crane was met with a crushing mass of talons and feathers. Then it knew true pain under the thunderbird walker's beak. But the pain did not last long before the walker ate its meal.

He could hear the approaching wolves and fox as they stepped on twigs and whooshed past low-growing leaves. It was not a loud sound, just part of the background noise, but it was there. It made the bird fluff up, wondering if he would have to carry or give up his meal. But when the fox called out to him, there was a glimmer of hope. The voice tremored as if from fear. Was a fox not the bird's enemy? Would the fox not eat the bird? The thunderbird peered around behind him, blood and meat dripping from his beak. A terrible shriek followed by the rolling thunder of growling escaped his lungs. "SCHHTRRR...RORRK. Err. Hch. Hello."

One of the twin wolves, Kognate, Poofed up completely and jumped in place. That was the most horrifying sound he had ever heard. OMG He's going to eat us! he thought, terrified. Please, no! The only thing that kept him there was his own brother, and their best friend, Kiva. They were a pack, and if Kiva was going to try to talk with this scary bird, Kognate would back him up.

The fox walker received stony eyes. Yes, the blood would be from a fresh kill. Was he hoping to steal it? They looked hungry. "It's a crane. There isn't much to feed one of our size." He did appreciate that they had been so loud. If they had come in unannounced, he may have run off without his meal, certainly not stand and fight. One walker and two wolves, all hungry, would have scared anyone off, in all honesty.

"Beauti...?" The thunderbird blankly waited for the wolves to attack him as he processed what Kiva was saying. Wait, was he... flirting? It was just too much to process after the hunt followed by possibly fleeing... then being hit on. The thunderbird turned away, keeping half an eye on the trio, and licked the blood from his beak. Then he approached the foxwalker at his full height, which was easily as big as the fox, if not a little bigger. He wasn't sure. Then he stopped and addressed him formally. "I am Nawinalá Tilíwal, which means, 'Thunder Blood.' I am a Thunderbird walker. And yes, I do hunt using my wings to fly." He looked down at the foxwalker's shoulders, noting the lack of wings there. "It is a shame you do not have wings, as well. There is nothing like flying, my friend," he sighed. He glanced back over his shoulder. "I have left you a little of the crane. It is not much but quite delicious. When you are done, then we can chat."

Kognate was a little more nervous a personality than his twin, Kindred. He did not eat until the thunderbirdwalker offered his meal. They could have demanded a piece, but knowing they would not, he offered anyway. This gesture of good faith convinced Kognate that this bird was safe, at least for now. The lack of a gem anywhere forced him to keep an eye on the bird at all times, but he was much more relaxed than he would have been otherwise, and he started to forage for berries. Let their walker friend have the crane. Bird was hard to catch, and definitely a delicacy to enjoy.

"Nawi is fine." He tilted his head and nodded to the wolves when they were introduced. "I will remember your names. I eat lightly and often so it will not be necessary to catch something right away." He was not sure how to receive a kill from others. He had not been fed by others since he was a chick. Even then, he had to be vicious at mealtime. He watched as the wolves were fed even that meager bite of the crane, sharing. It was a new concept for the thunderbird, but one he could appreciate. "If we are to be friends, I will share more birds with you." It was not out of kindness that he would share. It was more out of respect for an equal. "I appreciate that it be known that I am a friend. I will learn of your territory and not hunt there unless I am intent to share." He glanced at the wolves, then watched Kiva, a most interesting and attractive specimen of a fox, to be sure. "How many are in your pack?"

Kindred gladly accepted the piece of crane. Being their spokesman of sorts, he was ready to allow Kiva all of the bird. But this was nice. Perhaps wild walkers were not so bad. Or perhaps this one was just abnormally formal in their address. Yes, that must be it, Kindred decided.

"What chatting did you want to do? I am not familiar with that sort of talk." Nawi was not familiar with any sort of talk, hence the broken throat noises initially. The shriek and roar had been his clearing his unused throat!

All of these promises of territory and food were strange. The fox was bribing and complimenting Nawi and it blurred his focus and fogged his mind. He wondered if this was a trap, to get the thunderbird into a false sense of security. Perhaps they wanted to kill or eat him for using their territory without asking. Fine. He would talk some more with this fox, and keep an eye on his wolf counterparts, but he would do it from a perch in a mighty old tree. Without a word, he leapt into the air and flapped his way to the tree tops before transforming into his feral form. As a bird he could stay out of reach indefinitely. "I will speak with you, but from the tree branch. You seem nice but I do not trust your flowery words." A certain beaky lisp had become his piercing voice. "Not yet, anyway," he hissed.

Kognate watched the bird transform. His jaw dropped. From gorgeous soquili to gorgeous bird. Wow! But Nawi did not trust them. He was not surprised, honestly. Who trusts walkers anyway? It was unfortunate, but true. He spoke then, for the first time: "Do not worry, birdfriend. My brother and I will stay away so that you can rest easy in that tree. Won't we, Kindred?"

Kognate nodded back. It was like they were passing a ball between their heads but instead of a ball it was a thought, a promise.

Nawi considered what the twins had said. He watched them for a moment but they made no move at him. He sensed no malice or trickery from them. They meant what they said. Then he watched Kiva lay down and lick his paws. He recognized this behavior as something submissive or at the very least neutral. He accepted that. "You may look at me, though you may develop a cramp in your neck if you continue at this rate." He could have felt very uncomfortable under the foxwalker's gaze but he did not. There was something about it that put him at ease. At any rate, he was not going to trust them quite yet. He would wrestle with himself over it, but to be truly safe and wild he must stay in the tree. "I am comfortable here as we are," he added.

Nawi watched the fox's antics. With his belly in the air, he looked like he needed a good belly rub or some tickle torture. Neither of those things would Nawi do, however. He listened to their preference to treat soquili humanely. "I do not agree with your ways. Soquili provide meat that I need to sustain my body. They are like anything else. However, I do not kill for sport. I will only kill what I am sure to eat. If I eat a soquili I will try to remain until the kill is gone, or I am forced by someone else to leave it. For your sake, however, if given the choice between a deer and a soquili I will choose a deer, from now on."

He puffed up a little. Kiva's honeyed words made him feel weak. Perhaps it would not be good to stay for much longer. "Kiva, you are an unusual looking fox. You are beautiful."

Nawi's crest rose in alarm when Kiva invited him to put a claw to his throat. What a careless individual. The bird frowned slightly and after some careful thought, fluttered down from his branch. Keeping an eye on all three of them, Nawi hopped two hops and placed a claw to Kiva's outstretched throat. "Like thiss?" How easy it would be to slash it open, letting the fox bleed out. He smirked and wrapped his claws loosely around Kiva's throat, pinning him to the ground. "Kiva, what if I were to tell you that what I want iss you?" He transformed back into his soquili form, careful not to crush Kiva's throat. He loomed over the fox, grinning wickedly at the two wolves. "What do you think of that, Kiva?" His head swooped low, eyes mere inches from Kiva's. "You are mine."

Kognate was equally shocked by Kiva's behavior and words. Was he nuts? This bird was without a gem! Then he watched helplessly as the bird took Kiva by the throat and transformed. There was no way the wolves could reach Kiva in time if the thunderbird walker twitched or squeezed. Those talons could shred Kiva's throat instantly. "Kiva!" he snarled. "Don't move!" he added helplessly.