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 Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 2:38 pm
Biti was one of those smaller things. The avian was growing, he no longer looked so pitiful but he was far from being grown up. He was getting faster at hopping around after insects but he still hadn't quite managed to fly. And that was the aim of the afternoon.
"Come on, Biti," Ally called up to the little bird who was perched on the lowest branch of a tree, "It was hard enough getting you up there, you can do it, just.. spread out your wings and jump." Being a lioness, she didn't know much about flying, but she was willing to put test what she had observed. Flying, it was the one thing Biti had not yet improved upon and he was only as worried about it all as Alcmene was. The more she worried, the more he worried and the harder it became for him to just relax. It had taken much of their time already to get him on the branch, a combination of Alcmene giving him a boost and whatever climbing abilities he had. He had forgotten just how high the trees were after spending so much time near the ground with the lioness, he found he was almost afraid of the height.
"Just jump?" he called back down in his shrill little voice, taking a moment to look skeptically at his wings. Would they really be able to catch him in thin air?
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 3:20 pm
He had spent a good portion of the morning looking for her, and now that he could hear her voice in the distance, his feet had become glued to the ground he was standing on. His stomach turned, his heart was thumping a million beats a second, and he was trying hard to find the courage it would take to propel him forward. Finally, he let out a deep breath and moved into view of them, trying hard to stabilize himself against the blow to his gut he felt as he saw Ally for the first time in what felt like ages. He let his gaze fall over the scene - the bird (the one Baddie had mentioned), and Ally. She was so different, and so familiar.
"Ally," he spoke up, forcing the words out before he lost the courage. He steeled himself, planting his feet where he stood, as if he were afraid he might turn and run the second she looked at him.
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 3:34 pm
"Yes!" she cried back at Biti, laughing at him as she watched him stretch out his wings and examine them so carefully, "We won't be able to figure this out if you don't just try something! I'm right here, if you fall I'll catch you." She sighed and took a step back from the tree, trying to estimate roughly where Biti might go if he did manage to glide from the branch he was at. She hoped he wouldn't just plummet like a rock right to the ground below where he was, he had to get somewhere, not just straight down.
"Jump!" she instructed, but her voice nearly broke at the end. She heard her name from a familiar voice. Her heart skipped a beat and she felt a familiar flutter in her stomach, which only made it more upsetting. She turned around sharply, stopping and only staring when her eyes confirmed what she already knew. Fafnir was here. The smile she had when helping Biti had disappeared, the expression taking over mixed and hard to read. Why was he here?
Biti was skeptical, and while Alcmene lectured him he hid his face under a wing. She was right, he needed to learn to fly and they had to try stuff to figure it out. This would just have been easier if she were a bird too, but Biti mostly figured she might not be so smart if she was. To that little bird, she knew everything. Everything that mattered anyway, she couldn't tell him exactly how to fly but she could tell him how to figure it out.
He sighed, puffing up his chest and getting ready to try. His head poked back out from his wings and he was just ready to jump as Alcmene searched out the best spot to stand-- but his attention was caught by an approaching lion. Not one he had seen before. He stared from his spot on the tree branch, only looking away when Ally's attention shifted. Her reaction was so weird, so different.. he didn't know a lot about the situation with Fafnir but he didn't need to know much to guess who this was.
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 3:53 pm
He hated to ruin this moment, he could see that they were having fun, or enjoying themselves at least. He couldn't back out now though, not since he had made his presence known and had come so far besides. If he didn't continue with this now then he would never get the courage up again to come and find her, to apologize, to do any of it. His life would go on miserable and heart-broken. He did consider just turning and walking away, though, once she finally looked at him - nothing could have prepared him for that look on her face. Nothing.
"I came to talk," he said, lowly, almost croaked out. He cleared his throat, his eyes straining as he forced himself to keep her gaze. "You don't have to say anything, or answer me, because maybe I don't deserve that," he was growing a little more confident with his words, but his face still looked terribly distressed, "all I need you to do is listen to me, hear out what I've got to say." He stopped there, gaze searching hers as he waited.
He hadn't realized just how much he missed her until he was right here standing in front of her. Sure, he had been miserable, but now it was like a stabbing pain right in his heart. He wanted badly to go to her, comfort her, but he knew that the reason for his discomfort was he himself. That, more than anything, hurt the most.
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 4:05 pm
It took her a moment to realize she had stopped breathing, and she did her best to hide the sigh that resulted. She didn't move, she didn't want to talk to him, she wanted to yell at him, to make him go away. He'd made his choice, not just through his actions but through conscious and determined decision-making. Perhaps it was her fault, but he had been back and forth, saying and doing different things at each turn in the conversation they'd had.. he'd made his choice, and here he was again. She didn't know what to expect, he came to talk- but what was there to talk about? Had he changed his mind? If he had, would she let him?
"What do you want, Fafnir?" she said, finally, her voice more even than expected, more angry.
Biti chirped nervously. Attention was no longer on him and he was fine with that, except now if he fell or something, nobody would be able to catch him. Besides that, he didn't know enough about whatever was going on here and he wanted to be able to help somehow. If he wanted to be with Ally now, though, he'd have to jump and hope for the best. For now, though, he stayed on his branch, his eyes moving back and forth between the two of them.
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 4:33 pm
He grimaced slightly as her voice rung out, the anger in it almost enough to make him want to flinch. He knew his purpose though and he knew he had to do this. Her father had helped him see things clearly, and so too had his stupid brother, even if he had just riled him up more than anything else.
"I came to apologize, as stupid as that sounds," he said with a sigh, letting his gaze fall to his feet, his pale eyes staring them down. "I know what I did was wrong, even though I thought it was right, and it took the least likely lions in the world to help me see that." He sighed, clenching his jaws in that terrible new habit of his, before he finally looked up into her eyes again. "I don't expect you to forgive me, but I need you to know that I'm sorry."
He floundered, trying to find the words to express this, but he could only sigh and look away again. His brows were furrowed, his mind jumbled, and his tongue tied. What was he supposed to do now?
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 4:47 pm
Alcmene watched him very carefully as he spoke, her expression becoming less uncertain and more angry. It was subtle, but it was there. Particularly when the word 'apologize' came out of his mouth. She didn't know if she wanted to yell, cry or laugh at him and the only thing she managed was a quiet, strangled sound. She didn't know what to make of what he said, how he looked. He certainly looked upset, but something about the way he was apologizing didn't feel right. He sounded sincere enough but not convinced or certain of himself. He needed to look at her, to show as more certainty than he had before, to convince her.. and he was doing none of that.
"No," she said finally, quietly at first before raising her voice, "No. You aren't here because you're sorry, you're here because because you feel guilty and want me to make it OK to stop feeling that way. Just go away!"
Biti hummed quietly, anxiously to himself as he watched. He noticed how sad the fuzzy blue lion looked, but he also noticed how his little lioness looked rather.. mad. He inched his way along the branch towards the leaves, trying to get somewhere safer but also somewhere closer where he could see and hear better.
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 5:00 pm
He tensed as her words rolled over him, shutting his eyes as he listened to the anger in her tone. He hadn't expected this to go well, that was for sure, but he supposed nothing could really prepare him for actually having Ally telling him to go away. It hurt that she didn't believe him, but deep down, he knew he deserved it. All he could do about it was try harder to convince her.
"I'm not going away," he said with a shake of his head as he looked back up at her eyes, "I can't. You don't believe me, and that's fine. I'm not afraid of the guilt, of hurting, or spending the rest of my life miserable and alone." He swallowed, fighting the urge to look away, fighting to keep his gaze on hers. "I hurt you though, and I was willing to accept that if I thought it was helping you, making something easier for you." He sighed deeply, shaking his head again, sending the full white mane tossing gently about his face. "It didn't help though, I see that, what I did was stupid and cowardly."
He glanced up again, briefly sparing a glance for the little bird as it hopped along the branch, before turning back to look at her.
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 5:21 pm
Telling him to go away seemed the best defensive move she had, technically he should not disobey but that was not going to stop him this time. Just as it had not stopped him from making her stay before.. just so he could tell her they should no longer be together, be friends or.. whatever it was she had started to imagine.
"Why did you come back?" she demanded finally, her voice struggling now as she tried to hide increasing sadness with anger, "Why do you care? What changed?"
She was doing just fine now, she was getting over this, she was handling everything that needed handling and she wasn't worrying about herself because that wasn't what mattered right now. Now Fafnir was back, he was apologizing, explaining himself and admitting he was stupid.. but none of it was processing properly in Ally's mind. She couldn't make sense of it, she couldn't accept it. She didn't need his "help" before, she didn't need his apology now. Why bother?
Biti murmured a quiet sound, now interested but most decidedly staying out of the whole thing. There wasn't much a small bird like him could do in a situation like this, he was here if Ally needed him but, while she was sounding more and more upset, she didn't really need him to jump in. He didn't understand the full meaning of what was going on, he was confused and worried. With another quiet mumble, he looked around them. Would anybody else show up? It didn't look like it... there wasn't much left for him to do but sit, watch and wait to see what happened.
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 5:39 pm
He frowned again at the tone of her voice, sighing as he tried to find some way to explain this to her. She was just growing increasingly angry with him, not that she didn't have the right to be, but it was frustrating to say the least (not to mention upsetting).
"I came back because a wise lion showed me the error of my ways," he said softly, "because I'm too stupid to see them by myself." He frowned and looked up at her again, hesitatingly taking a step closer before he faltered and stopped again. How did he express this to her, how did he tell her he cared? This would have been difficult under normal circumstances, but under these it was just downright impossible. He glanced down at his feet, wracking his mind for any answer, any at all.
"You never forget the one you love," he said, quietly, but trying his best to sound confident as he glanced back up at her. It was quoted directly from her father, and it was the only reason he had for coming back, it was the reason he had for caring. Her father was a wise, wise lion.
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 5:57 pm
"Stop looking at your feet."
Her voice was shaky but it was firm, he was not helping himself but continually looking away and she wanted it to stop. She made no other comment on how he moved, his hesitant step closer and decision to stop. She was angry, she was upset, she was confused. More importantly, she had been hurt and she didn't know if she could trust him. Her ears turned forward and her body froze when he spoke again.
"What?" her voice had lost it's anger, the grief she'd been trying to avoid showing having nowhere to hide. He said.. did he?
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 6:17 pm
He frowned as she ordered him to stop looking at his feet, and though he wasn't one to take orders from her just because she was a queen, he didn't want to disappoint her or upset her anymore than he already had. So, he simply forced himself to concentrate on her face, despite the overwhelming need to look away and protect himself from having to see the emotions on her face or letting her see the ones on his own.
"That's why I care, that's why I came back," he continued, bulldozing through the dread that was settling over him. He saw the look on her face, a look that nearly broke his heart. It was enough to make him take a few more steps towards her, but he faltered again, afraid that she'd shun him if he tried to comfort her - he knew he deserved it. "I thought I was looking out for you and I was wrong, so wrong. I'm here to tell you that I'm sorry, that I love you, no matter what you thought, no matter what I did."
He stared into those pale eyes, holding them, "I'll do anything to prove it to you, I swear." It was desperation that was creeping in now, because he was beginning to fear that she wouldn't believe him no matter what he said.
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 6:52 pm
She almost immediately regretted the decision to yell at him to stop looking at his feet, the only logical place from there was to look at her and while that had been her original intention, it was harder. Even for her. Eye contact was important, though, and it was something she's always been able to maintain, something she'd been taught to do no matter how awkward. This was different, but as he continued, she knew it was better tha the was looking at her. The words meant more when she could see his face, his eyes. It made it more difficult and she had to fight the urge to step back when he moved closer.
"You can't," she started, stumbling over her own words, frowning and now fought her own desire to look away, "You never asked what I thought, what I wanted. You can't make decisions about me without me. I have to have a say, too."
Ally didn't know exactly where she was going with this, but she knew what hurt most was that he hadn't spoken to her before deciding it was just better that he not be around. None of this would work if he didn't talk to her. She'd told him what she had felt at the time, but it didn't stop him, didn't worry him or change his mind.
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 7:29 pm
"I know what I did was stupid, you don't have to tell me that," he said quickly, though there was a touch of heat in his voice over that, "I've lived every day with everyone I know telling me I made the wrong decision. My parents, my siblings, my peers." He sighed and shook his head lightly, shutting his eyes briefly as he tried to collect his thoughts into some form of order. "You're right, I didn't ask you, I just assumed it would be easier, and that was wrong."
He swallowed, opening his eyes to look at her again, wishing he could just comfort her until this all went away. He knew he couldn't though, he knew she wouldn't let him, or at least he assumed the worst. "I understand now, though," he said softly, nodding slowly, "and I'm asking you now." He took another step towards her, close enough now that it was in her personal space, and enough to make him feel like he was invading. He had to look down at her, but he didn't turn his gaze away. "Tell me, Ally. I'm here, I'm telling you I was wrong, but if you still want me to stay away, I'll do it." It would break his heart, but he would.
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 7:59 pm
It was alarming how much Fafnir had grown since they last spoke, especially considering she had also grown. She was definitely smaller than him, she often blamed some of her size on their misadventure with the plant. She didn't move when he stepped closer and closer, but she was tense and less than inviting. He was agreeing with her, admitting he was wrong, that he understood she needed to have a say.. she had been feeling so calm, so cheerful before he showed up and now she was just overwhelmed and uncertain. She was struck with sudden panic when he said he would stay away if that was what she wanted, it wasn't what she wanted.
Very suddenly, very quickly, she jumped forward and nuzzled into his mane, clinging to his side. She snapped, she couldn't do it, she didn't want him to go anywhere. She was shaking and she was crying, but it was something.
"Don't go," she murmured into his side.
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