Paori

Paori was so pleased with her prize. The beautiful blue bird who she had named Aiwë, fluffy and a little bit salty with her after her initial capture of him. She was not a mean spirited child, but she had a small streak of unwavering determination within her. And that determination lead to her need to have this beautiful blue bird whose feathering was the color of the sky and whose singing voice was so sweet. Of course, he was not singing for her now, but she knew with time he would sing again.


Pomona

Pomona had taken her time, wandering along the pride's lands. She was old enough to be on her own now! Though Daddy always fretted when all of them wandered too far, even if they were old enough. She figured he would be like that until after they all had their own children. Still, Pomona had to find someone to bother - it was lonely on her own, if she was honest. Perhpas she could find one of her sisters - they were not as boring as her brothers after all!

So the pink lioness wandered towards one of the more common places she normally found her siblings, hoping to snag one of them for some entertainment.


Paori + Aiwë

"Aiwë, Aiwë. Sing me a song," Paori mused, patting the bird's head with one of her paws and smiling.

Aiwë was not nearly as happy as Paori was at the predicament the two were now in. But Aiwë was also for the better part lame after a run in with a wild dog almost resulted in him being someone's dinner, so captivity with a lion was not as horrible. Still, he was still very surly about the predicament. He was his own bird, and being his own bird he wanted to fly away and do his own thing. Even if that meant he could only fly ten feet off the ground for a short period of time.

"You have me mistaken for a pet. I am a bird. A FREE bird. I don't sing on command," He chirped, plucking at one of his feathers to groom it.

"But you sang so pretty, Aiwë. So very, pretty." Paori cooed, noticing a pink lump off in the distance coming her way. Considering the smallness of their pride, and their family's unique markings amongst the others, she knew it was her sister Pomona. "Sister is coming. You should sing for her."


Pomona

Pomona wasn't terribly surprised to see Paori, but she was quite surprised to see a bird with her sister. "Paori?" She asked, peering at the bird. "Who's this?" She asked as she approached. It wasn't often that she found a bird - especially an injured one, being held captive by her sister.


Paori + Aiwë

"Sister, this is Aiwë. I found him and made him mine. Isn't he so pretty, like the sky? He sings very pretty too, but he is not wanting to sing for me right now," Paori said, pursing her mouth and giving the bird a dejected look.

"I am not yours!" Aiwë squawked, stamping his little feet on the dirt below him in frustration. "You plucked me from the tree, and said that you were claiming me but that does not make me yours!"


Pomona

"Aiwë, huh?" she asked, though rhetorically. She turned her attentions to the avian for a moment. "Paori is being kind to you, I hope?" she asked the little bird. She wondered if Paori accidentally hurt the bird. Not many in the pride knew healing skills, though she was sure Daddy, with all his mother-henning probably knew a thing or two about healing little creatures like this.

She turned her attentions back to her sister. "He will sing when he feels like singing, I'm sure, sister! He looks a little distressed right now, but all birds sing again in time," she gave her sister a smile, trying to cheer her up as well.


Paori + Aiwë

"She pulled me from the tree," Aiwë repeated, as if his statement was proof enough that she was not being kind to him.

"He is injured, he tried to fly and he didn't make it and he fell into the tree. I saw it. And then he sang, and it was pretty so I decided I wanted him," Paori shrugged, not particularly seeing the problem with making the bird hers. Besides, she'd take care of him good. Find him the nice seeds and fruit, maybe dig out those gross bugs from things for him. Then, THEN, he would sing for her.

"I...I COULD HAVE MADE IT." Aiwë screeched, fluffing up a noticeable size bigger at the mere suggestion that he, a free bird, could not fly.