Welcome to the CIC

[Talon StarDrifter]

||Sorry for the late reply! Gah. I've just been on a blank for this... Sorry! crying ||

Aväris let Strider enjoy the cloud for several more moments before banking around the cloud and into the sunlight. The rays of the cheerful sun warmed his back, making the flihva relax. Black hair streaming behind, Aväris angled down, toward Maar, who spiraled down lazily. The gold and white winged flihva flew opposite Maar, circling in the same manner but the other way. They drifted down toward the tall library, taking their time. Hopefully, the kitten's eyes would adjust to the brightness, but if not, it was no misfortune. Inside the library would be well it, but not quite as much as the outside of the city.

As they neared the ground, the flihvas slowly pulling in their wings. They landed with grace, even though the force of the landing would have severely jarred a normal human. Tucking in their wings, Aväris and Maar walked into the arched doorways of the building. Aväris loosened his grip on Strider, since the kitten was no longer in danger of falling a great height.

The library stretched up and up and up and up to dizzying heights, the layout resembling a square. In the center were seats and steps where relaxed flihvas read for pleasure or quietly chatted with friends. The inside perimeter was reserved for the tons of shelves lined with books of all sort. The upper floors were much the same, though instead of the lounge in the center was simply empty air. Where humans might have put railings around the perimeter of the empty spaces, the flihvas simply left it as it was. Railings were not necessary for winged races. Each floor was a sufficient distance away from the next, providing time for a surprised flihva to snap open his or her wings in time to land safely. Each floor had balconies, though the doors usually closed them off for fear of sudden rain or strong wind.

The shelves themselves were marble [not as burnable as wood], but the library was awash in color. Wings of every size and color filled the library, ranging from the darkest of colors to the merriest. Wings were usually multi-hued, often to the point of a headache. There were also solid colored-wings, though they belonged to the more modest of flihvas.

"Well," Maar mused, glancing around the library. "I suppose we'd better find a librarian who knows where to look..."

||As for Miren, she'll have to wait a while so I can figure out if a flihva would be kind enough to teleport the girl down to the human realm thing [because I would have just made a flihva throw her off the floating island... I suppose you don't want her to die? biggrin ||
 

[SpunkyOtaku]

((lol, well, okay that might be nice, but then again it won't be a huge loss, if you can't think of another way. I know how that is.
And, um, I kinda hurt my shoulder, so I'll have to use pretty short posts. Try to understand. sweatdrop ))

Strider stared, mouth agape at the ceiling that seemed to stretch to celestial hieghts. His eyes shone and sparkled at the sight of so many volumes, stretching far as his little eyes could see. So many sources of knowledge and information, all here before his very being! He ached to just skim and look and read and study... but he had a mission. But still... so beautiful!

"Yes!" Strider chirped cheerfully, "For all your reading necessities, a helpful librarian is always the best way to go! Forward!" He pointed a little orange paw to the direction he noticed where a long desk stood.  

[Talon StarDrifter]

||Oh, gosh, of course I understand! And as for Miren... I promise I'll get her down with the fraes soon; I don't want her to die, because you're trying to get a feel of her personality, right? So it would be pointless to kill her... >>||

Aväris chuckled at the sight of Strider's bright eyed wonder. It was amazing, really. Everyone on Aleah'Cim knew of the library and had lost such admiration long ago; it was refreshing to see a new reaction.

"Maar will go with you," Aväris told Strider, handing the orange bundle of fur to the blonde. "I can't be seen with him, or we'll get kicked out." Flashing the two a grin, Aväris spread his wings and launched into the air, quickly ascending several stories and disappearing into the shelves on the eighth floor.

"Well, shall we go?" Maar asked, smiling down at the tabby kitten. "Though I suggest keeping your voice down; animals of any kind are rare up here, and talking ones even more so. You'll attract all kinds of attention with that loud voice of yours."
 

[SpunkyOtaku]

((Hehe, thanks.))

Strider stared after Avaris as he flashed his grin and flew high onto the... looked like the eighth floor.

...Did her even want to know? ... No, probably not.

The kitten turned his little head to look up at Maar curiously, and sunk his head between his paws, feeling very embarrassed. His loud voice was actually one of the key traits he was supposed to be working on.

"Oh yeah. Oops." He let out a quiet mew to see if he could still pull off an animal sound. Which he could. Good.  

[SpunkyOtaku]

((You know, if you're still stuck, you can just reply to Strider)  

[Talon StarDrifter]

||I know, I'm so sorry! I have no excuses. D;||

Maar patted the kitten on the head. Good. It could meow like a normal cat. Which was good, because of the other flihvas heard Strider talking, they would 'Ooh' and 'Aah,' and they would never get anything done. And then Strider would attract the attention of the higher ups, which would only lead to trouble. For Strider, at least.

Maar approached the desk quickly, keeping his wings wrapped about him and Strider in an effort to shield him from prying eyes. The librarian shut his book and stared at Maar.

"Where's Aväris?" he said bluntly. Maar grinned.

"Left him at home," Maar answered easily. The librarian raised a skeptical eyebrow but didn't push it.

"Well, what do you want?"

"I need books on transformations," Maar said quickly.

"Top floor," the librarian answered lazily, reopening his book.

Maar nodded and headed back to the center of the library. There he opened up his wide wings and flew up, stopping on the eight floor. He quickly located Aväris.

"Tenth floor," Maar said, motioning for Aväris to follow. Aväris put back the book he was reading and flew up after Maar to the top floor. There, Maar set Strider on one of the bookshelves.

"Help us look," he instructed.
 

[SpunkyOtaku]

Strider nodded, safe on the bookshelf. His teeny paw went up to his furry forehead and shot out in salute.

"Yosh!" he acknowledged. In his own language of course.

Now, to hurry and find just what he was looking for. His new goal in mind and time already pressed, he bounced along the bookshelf to the very end. Movement was easier to get used to than he expected. It was quite a distance mind, but he was willing to make it. The second he reached the end, he actually skid for a few moments before stopping completely. Immediately his blues eyes scanned diligently along the test of the spines, only to frown slightly. Sky writing? He could recognize sky writing, though hardly actually read it. Wait sky writing...

These were the ooccoa?! He blinked at Avaris and Maar for a moment before turning his attention back. Whoa, the ancient race of sky beings, here? But they called themselves flivha? Maybe they were descendants? So confusing.

He padded along, trying desperately to make sense of the script language. Come on, something, anything.  

[Talon StarDrifter]

||I'm so sorry, Otaku! I've been at home, and I haven't had much time to post... SO SORRY!||

Maar strode down the aisle, red eyes on the books and one delicate finger to his lips. His face was screwed up in concentration, creating tiny lines on his face. Wasn't there anything like this? There were many books on transformation and such, but nothing mentioned Hylians or humans. This was going to be harder than he thought.

Aväris scanned the page, brows creased as he read. His wings gently rubbed against each other in a way similar to a human rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Several loose feathers fell gently to the floor, instantly being whisked away by magic ingrained into the building.

Sighing, Aväris shut the book and returned it to its place on the bookshelf. He glanced to his left at Maar and the tiny Strider. Maar was scanning through a thick book, and Strider was staring at the spines of the books.

"Are you able to read it?" Aväris asked, slightly puzzled. How could he? He wasn't of this world. Maar looked up and stared at Aväris. The blonde rolled his eyes. Why hadn't he thought of that?
 

[SpunkyOtaku]

((Whoa, you're back? 0_0 I thought you had given up on this thing.))

Little furry Strider plopped his little rump on the shelf, and swished his tail back and forth impatiently. His tiny face was scrunched in a pout and his head was slightly lowered over his shoulders.

"No..." he grumbled. "the one dead language I can't study, and it turns out to be the one I need." his head tilted back and let out a whiny meow. "This bites."

He sighed and let his head fall forward again.  

[SpunkyOtaku]

"This requires a new plan." he muttered to himself suddenly.
His paw lifted up and lightly rubbed at his furred chin and whiskers in thoughtful habit. Though it was usually meant as a means to try to focus his energy, the new sensation of fur and wiry whiskers and had him oddly interested and entranced. He twitched his mouth and nose and watched the short white feelers move about with interest. He rubbed the back of his paw under his chin, reveling in the odd sensations of fur against fur. He looked down his whole body, admiring his orange and yellow shades in his coat. He still couldn't believe he wasn't actually wearing clothes.
That's right, he was naked.
Nude.
Dear Lord.
Ultimate freedom!
Well, then he remembered what happened earlier, and he scowled and Maar and Avaris.
"You perverts!" He pointed and accused. "Give me back my virginity!"  

[Talon StarDrifter]

Aväris stared at Strider a moment, wondering what was going through the tiny kitten's mind. He seemed to at least recognize the script, which meant that their worlds were somehow related. The kitten then muttered something, though Aväris wasn't really paying attention. He was too busy raking his eyes over the spine of a particularly large book on the other side of the room, reading the small script with ease. Untransformations and You. Well, the first part was promising, though the remainder of the title seemed questionable.

Maar patiently scanned the spines of books, looking for one that might help at all. Transforming That Unsightly Thing! Strider wasn't really unsightly. Was he? Transforming 101: How to Get Started. No, Aväris knew how to transform things. Transforming for Dummies. Hm. No, no, no...

Then, "You perverts! Give me back my virginity!"

Maar and Aväris snapped their attentions back to Strider, eyes wide at the sudden and strange outburst. They exchanged confused glances before staring at Strider.

"What was that?" Aväris asked. He glanced around, checking for anyone who might have overheard. Nobody was around. "What are you talking about?"  

[SpunkyOtaku]

"Molestation." the little kitten growled in the little kitten voice.

Furred baby Strider shook his head and shuddered at the thought his own warped dramatic mind had conjured, then leered in affronted determination out of the adorable blue eyes. Standing on all four weak legs, the bruised-ego male pointed with a paw.

"You touched me and entered my personal bubble without permission! And then you disregarded my dignity and looked at my body!" He closed up his legs and turned away to the side at the mere thought. "A creature of free thinking shall not stand for this." he warned. "I may be an animal, but I shall have my respect." he swore. He began on a marching campaign across the bookshelf (what kind or what destination he had not considered yet. He was taking this step by step) as he ranted. "I will fight for my rights and dign-"

Still unused to this body, he tripped on his two front legs and plopped to skid on the slick shelf. His hind legs reared up from the momentum and he stopped momentarily as he opened his eyes again. He noticed his hind legs, when curled and crunched over his tiny spine to hover over his own head, nearly reached the marble.

"Hey, I'm pretty flexible." he noted as he tapped his toes against the 'ground' right by his head.  

[Talon StarDrifter]

Giant burgundy wings streaked with gold stretched out as far as they could, dwarfing the figure they kept aloft. The enormity of the wings caused the very air to tremble. Or perhaps it was simply the very presence of the woman, who exuded a sense of nobility and timelessness. Her eyes, shifting into a different kaleidoscope of colors with every movement, slid over the grassy plains, taking in what there was to see. Of course, she knew these lands by heart and did not notice anything different, not even at a subtle level.

The flihva angled her wings toward the ground, causing her to drop altitude rapidly. Within moments, her dainty feet were skimming the green blades of grass. She folded her wings against her back, either not noticing their immense, feathery weight or simply not caring. Although her wings were twice her size, she moved with an exquisite grace that could never be rivaled by the greatest of dancers. Her hair, of purer white even than the white marble of the nearby city, fell down her back in a plait down her back to the backs of her knees. Several wisps of hair of varying lengths had escaped their binding and framed her face, contrasting against her smooth golden brown skin in a lovely way.

The flihva, Lyra, Goddess of Creation, surveyed her surroundings. She had created this floating island and there wasn't one nook or cranny that she did not know like the back of her perfect hands. Nothing changed. Nothing had changed for millenia. But something would happen. Soon. She could feel it in the very essence of her being.

True to the feeling, a distortion in the very fabric of her reality suddenly appeared, feeling like an itch she couldn't reach. But her perfect body never itched, so the feeling was uncomfortable and strange. With a furrowed brow, Lyra scanned the plains surrounding her. She couldn't pinpoint exactly where the distortion had happened, but it was close by. Then, with her sharp eyes, she spotted the abomination. It was green and cream-colored, with long black fur erupting from its head and big brown peepers. Its eyes squinted, as if it could not behold the majesty of the gleaming white marble in the near distance. Lyra felt her blood boil. What was this monstrosity? It was not human; she could tell. At least, not the kind of human she was used to. But just because it was not familiar itself did not mean it couldn't be dealt with in a familiar way. She watched it, waiting for it to notice her presence.  

[SpunkyOtaku]

((Well, you know how I said this was experimentation? Well, a few changes are bound to be made, as we learn. I say that because I realize (after a year of writing and changing stuff)... well, types of clothes that don't exist in a world don't... well, exist, right? I didn't want to bother with that before, but now I figure, eh, what the hell. I don't think you'd really care (Or Lyra for that matter) just figure that you don't need to bother with describing clothes, if you know what I mean.))

Why did everything feel so hard? Almost with resigning, the tired, exhausted human fell to her knees, her legs shaking and failing her for a reason she could not understand. Like a newborn's limbs still learning how to work.

With relief her eyes took in the cooler color of the green grass instead of the searing white. Curiosity got the better of her, and her clean hand hesitantly touched one of the perfect blades of grass. Nothing seemed out of place. There was not even a speck of dirt on her.
Not one. Only the fresh mud and dirt on her hands and knees from this land.

...I'm dead, aren't I?

That could be the only explanation. The lack of clothes could not even bother her since she was alone, and the strange city had felt more of curiosity than anything, but here, as she finally looked at her clean and fresh young hands did she finally realize the only explanation to this whole picture.

I'm dead.

She had died and gone to the Realm of the Souls. A beautiful realm unlike anything she thought or imagined. She should have been happy.

I'm sorry Ilia...

Her eyes watered with hopeless tears as she thought of the people she left behind. Ilia, and the kind old woman. She sniffed as she rubbed her eyes. She looked up to the city she could not even rest eyes on, and looked around the grassy plains, to the isolated land that she supposed was her home now-

She froze, wide eyed and shocked. She should have been in awe, she should have been shy and awkward of her state, she should have hesitantly asked if this woman was the carrier or messenger of Death. Maybe it was the sheer size of the crimson wings, or maybe just the wings themselves but Miren's manners failed her. After all, the woman's odd coloring was nothing new or strang- she had much stranger.

She gawked, forgetting the tears on the rims of her eyes and sneaking down her cheek.  

[Talon StarDrifter]

Aväris blinked. Strider was only angry about this now? He was surprised. Strider’s thought process was even slower than most other humans. Well. That would explain some things.

“Ah, but you forget! I did not know you were actually a human at the time,” Aväris said, a small smile gracing his face. “Besides, there really wasn’t much to see.” He shrugged. “Besides. Would you rather we left you in the pool?”

Maar grinned, amused by Strider’s reaction. Were all humans such prudes? Flihva had no real sense of modesty. What was there to be modest about?

Both flihva watched in amusement as the kitten went sliding across the bookshelf, heels over head, literally.

“You’re rather easily distracted,” Aväris noted, making no move to help the hapless kitten. Strider had made it quite clear that he was averse to being touched. “Would you like to continue to march for your dignity over to the other side of this room, or shall we take you? I saw a book that may be helpful.”