[PRP] The park (Tule/Blackfell)

[Basil Brett]

Tule loved the park. She liked the outdoors in general, but the park was a wonder. Giant gardens full of flowers, a playground with lots of kids and toys, and plenty of open space, dotted with large trees.

The pale youngster loved trees. Something about them drew her. They were so old and had seen so much. Plus she liked it when she and Artie would sit under them and he would read to her. That was the best!

Since she had been a good girl and had eaten her whole breakfast, Artie said they could go to the park! She had been so excited! But then Artie got called and had to go to work. Tule was really sad, she had wanted to see the trees in the park and show Artie how she could flap her wings!

Luckily, Van agreed to take her. Van wasn't as fun as Artie, but he did draw really pretty pictures! So they had gone to the park. Tule wanted to play, but Van was sitting and drawing a duck that was out on the lake. So Tule sat a few feet away, toying with a dandelion and wishing for someone to play with.  

[Jiuu]

Blackfell slowly made his way to the park, wearing black board shorts and a simple white t-shirt, his wings hidden away by the power of the necklace from Darksong. It made clothes so much easier, not having to cut holes in the back for his wings.

As it was, he had actually come to the park to try and find Walker, perhaps to thank him or maybe ask him about the new baby that his mother mysteriously received during his absense. He doubted he'd find the weird green-eyed man, so instead looked around the small playground. The monkey bars.

A small smile came to the raven's face, and he climbed up the bars, though it was hardly challenging in the least. From there, he stood on one of the bars on his toes, bent in a crouch with his hands dangling between his knees and holding the bar between his feet, looking around at the children nearby. His "people sense," as it were, he pretty much ignored. He already knew they were around, though there was one little girl that "felt" slightly different then them. A little blond girl playing with a flower, sitting under a tree near the playset.  

[Basil Brett]

Golden eyes gazed around her, a bored pout on her face. Tule wanted to play! She looked back over at Van. The picture he was drawing was pretty, but she didn't want to watch him draw right now. She frowned lightly. She'd just have to do something by herself.

She slowly teetered toward a standing position. She and Artie had been working on walking and she was able to do it without falling over! Well, most of the time. She brushed the grass and dirt off her white sundress with her equally grass-stained fingers and decided she would go flying.

She couldn't actually fly yet, but she was able to flap her wings, and if she skipped, it almost felt as if she was flying. So off she went, jogging awkwardly, her wings helping her keep her balance. Until she tripped over the rock. She hadn't seen it jutting out of the grass and down she tumbled, landing in a tangled lump on the grass.  

[Jiuu]

He couldn't help but smile as the little girl started a stumbling walk, fluttering her wings and jumping. Still didn't know how to fly then, did she? He murmured "fly" under his breath, and his wings appeared in a flash of swirling black, gold, and pink feathers. Jumping down from the bars, he landed with an almost silent thud, controlling his weight so that it was on his heels and rolling to his toes. Almost complete silence.

Blackfell walked over towards the girl just as she tripped on the rock, and immediately he dove and caught her under the belly before her face came too close to the ground. "Gotta be careful where you step. Your wings aren't quite big enough to save you yet." He said with a grin.  

[Basil Brett]

Tule blinked in surprise at the older boy, unable to say anything at the moment. So instead she worked on regaining her balance and then, chewing lightly on a knuckle, looked over her savior.

He was older than she was, but not quite as old as Artie or Jay. Maybe around Van's age. He looked nice enough, but it was his wings that caught her attention. Black, gold and pink wings that looked similar to hers in shape, though his were bigger. She stared at them.

"Thank you, mister," she said, remembering what Artie had told her about her manners. She pointed a small finger at his back.
"Pretty wings. I have 'em too!" she pointed out proudly, forgetting that he had mentioned them just a moment ago. Her face fell slightly.

"But I can't fly yet. Can you?"  

[Jiuu]

He grinned at her enthusiasm, crouching down on his toes, his wings curling down his back and running along the ground, the primaries slightly dirtied from the grass. She was certainly a cute little girl, not that he really had met many babies or toddlers to compare her to.

"I can see. They're pretty wings." Blackfell nodded in agreement; they were almost a pure white, quite different from his dark ones. Pale skin, blond hair and white wings. Dark skin, black hair and black(ish) wings. Only similarity he could see were their gold eyes.

"Mmhm, I can fly. Not super well, but yeah. My wings aren't quite big enough for long flight, though I can get up in the air for a little at least." He said with an encouraging smile. "Have you managed to glide or anything?"  

[Basil Brett]

Tule's eyes widened in wonder when the boy said he could fly. She wished she could. Maybe when she was older. She pouted slightly when she answered him.

"No, I can't. Not yet. I really want to though. It must be nice flying. Like a birdie!" she said, determination showing in her voice. She wasn't one to give up.

"My name's Tule! What's yours?"

She peered up at him and pushed her bangs out of her eyes.  

[Jiuu]

Blackfell laughed softly at her little determination to master her wings, and he shifted slightly so he sat down on the grass, one knee pulled him with an arm resting on it.

"Mmhm, it's pretty handy. Easier to get to places." He said with a laugh, his gold eyes gleaming. "And my name is Blackfell. Nice to meet you, Tule." Blackfell held out a hand for a shake, a friendly smile on his face as he folded his wings in close to his back.  

[Basil Brett]

Tule looked at his hand before offering hers. She didn't quite understand the concept of shaking hands. It seemed rather silly, but Arthur said that it was nice and adults liked it if you did it.

"Blackfell.... That's a pretty name!" she said with a grin. She plopped down unceremoniously onto the grass and plucked at a nearby weed.

She looked at him again and frowned slightly. How was he able to do that with his wings? Tule couldn't tuck hers like that. She could flap them, but otherwise they just kinda sat there.

"How do you make your wings do that?" she asked. Maybe he could show her!  

[Jiuu]

He sat down next to her, his primary and secondary feathers trailing along the ground behind him. Blackfell couldn't help a small smile coming to his face, as he ducked his head a little. "Thanks, though honestly I like Tule better."

At her question, he raised an eyebrow critically. "I should think it'd be easy. You know how to spread you wings, right? Like this?" He asked, his wings opening behind him to demonstrate. The span was certainly large, particularly compared to the toddler, though not as big as his mother's, despite his being taller then her.  

[Basil Brett]

Tule blinked and watched in wonder as Blackfell spread he pretty wings. She marveled at his wingspan and wondered if hers would ever be that large. But for now, it was time to try what he had suggested.

Concentrating, she focused on the right muscles. Like learning to walk, it was all about practice. With a little bit of effort, she was able to spread her wings out. Tule gasped, surprised. She'd never been able to do that before. She beamed up at Blackfell, proud of her accomplishment.

"Look, I did it!!"

Furrowing her brow, she focused and intently waited for his next instructions.  

[Jiuu]

He smiled at her delight, her bright expression infectious. "Yeah, like that. Good job. Okay. So, you just extended your muscles, which made your wings spread out, right? Well, now you need to retract your muscles in. You're basically pulling them in close, so your wings will be close to your shoulders."

Blackfell showed her again, pulling his wings in slowly, letting the feathers shift over each other as they folded neatly along his back, looking like an oddly shaped cape of some sort behind him. "Think you can get it?"  

[Basil Brett]

Tule furrowed her small brow further, dismay creeping into her eyes. That looked hard. She was used to them just sitting on her back. But if he could do it, so could she!

With renewed vigor she focused and slowly but surely tucked her wings as he had, one feather at a time. Small fists cleched with concentration, she opened one eye to see that she had done it! Success!!

She giggled with glee and turned around in a circle, marveling at her new ability. This would make sitting in the car a whole lot easier. And Artie wouldn't pinch her wings when he picked her up now, either!!

"I did it, I did it!!!"  

[Jiuu]

Blackfell applauded the little girl, a wide grin on his face as he leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and his fingers dangling in the grass. "Yeah, that's about all there is to it, really. You just need to practice it so it's easier to do, then you won't even have to think about doing it. Makes flying and such significantly easier, especially if you want to do fancy stuff in the air."

She was certainly and energetic girl, full of energy and eager to learn about flight. It was kinda cute, but then the only girl child he'd really been around constantly was Aqua, and Tule's enthusiasm was reminding him of the elemental.  

[Basil Brett]

Tule beamed and stumbled about, unfurling and folding her wings over and over. She was still clumsy at it, but getting better quickly. She'd be a pro in no time. Some of the words Blackfell said caught her attention though.

"Ooh, fancy stuff?!"

Her eyes were wide and full of wonder.

"I seen birds who do tricks in the air. Like loops and, and going way close to the ground and flying up again!!"

She demonstrated with her chubby hands as she spoke, stumbling over some of the harder words. Still, even for her age, her speaking was remarkable. Words seemed to hold a special meaning for the young girl.

"You can do fancy stuff too? Can you show me? Pretty please?!"