Welcome to Gaia! ::

The morning sun peeked through the curtains, falling on her face. She lifted her head and threw a leg behind herself, stretching her body. The movement caused her mate to stir, but he fell back to sleep. Opening her groggy eyes, she carefully stepped over the edge of her bedding and hopped down the shelves in the kitchen. Her human had left a container of cool water in the sink and some fruit on the counter top.

Matilda stretched her midnight black wings and flapped a few times before nibbling on some breakfast. She dipped her beak in the water to drink. The cool water was refreshing and just what she needed to wake up. She looked up to Conner to see him happily sleeping the early morning away.

Fluttering up to the window sill, she nudged a clasp to unlock the window. She jumped out and spread her wings. A light morning breeze lifted her into the air. The sunrise was beautiful, with oranges, pinks, and purples spreading across the horizon. Conner was certainly missing out.

A series of caws and squawks sounded from the garden. Concerned, Elza threw open the curtains in the living room to search for the one making such a distressing noise. There, hopping back and forth on the fence, was Conner. He was screaming at Sullivan over something, again. The dapple-gray was pawing at the ground, turning up grass, while throwing his head in every which direction. He sometimes punctuated a violent head bob with an agitated whiney, as if he was trying to make a point to Conner.

Whatever was going on, Conner wasn’t going to have it. Sullivan was easy to get along with, but sometimes his mischievous side would upset the crows. Whether it was pulling on and suddenly releasing a branch a crow was perched on, breaking into a full run while intentionally setting them in his path, or nibbling their tail feathers.

A moment later, Conner stood tall and opened his wings in a threatening manner. Sullivan reared up with an aggressive whiney. They were challenging each other.

Elza opened the window and noticed Matilda laying on the lid of a nearby rain barrel. She was watching the commotion while resting in the shade. “Are you going to stop them?” Elza questioned. The female crow slowly turned to the red head and ruffled her feathers. “That’d be a no then.”

Both creatures would take turns backing up and suddenly move towards the other but would baulk at the last moment. As often as they agitated each other, the horse and crow never harmed each other, they were simply loud. After watching for a while longer, Elza returned to her previous activities. She wanted to leave them alone to finish their business.

It was early spring and the overhead sun warmed Elza’s chilled face as she bent down to plant yet another seedling into the freshly tilled soil. The winter air seemed to linger for a bit longer in this region, compared to others, but planting season had already begun.

The red head had just begun to plant some lettuces when a deep voice spoke from beyond the fence. “Why, hello there, lil lady? Is this lovely spring day treating you well?”

Elza stood and turned towards the voice, wiping her hands clean on her apron. A rotund man in his mid-fifties, standing nearly three feet tall, stood on his tip toes to peer between the rails of the fence. “Gunther!” she cried cheerfully, “I haven’t seen you in two years. How’ve you been?” Elza ran to open the gate to let the gentleman through.

Gunther was a gnome, a hominid species known for their short stature, white hair, and love for dirt and nature. He strolled through the gate and tipped his cabby hat to Elza. “I’ve been well, dear, but it’s that season again. I’ve noticed some of the growth is a bit sparse in these parts, so I was concerned about your garden. Did you have a good harvest last season?”

“For the most part.” Both walked towards the garden. “Compared to the year before though, the plants were a little thin. I tried adding some supplements to the soil, but they only did so much.” Elza knelt and gently lifted the leaves of a seedling. “The seedlings this year are not doing as well as previous years.”

Gunther squatted down and pinched some dirt, rubbing it between his thumb and middle finger. “Hmm, the water content is fine. Not too dry, not to wet, considering the season.” He placed his middle finger in his mouth to taste test the dirt. “Hmm.” He removed his finger. “The soil is quite acidic. That’s why the supplements didn’t work well last season.” Gunther stood and looked to Elza. “Mix some wood ash or lime into the soil. That will help. You understand companion planting well enough, so the nitrogen levels are fine.”

“Thank you, Gunther.” Elza stood and looked over to the porch, where Matilda and Conner were resting. “The fruit will be much better this year.” The two crows cawed in acknowledgment.

The red headed woman, standing just over two feet taller than the smaller man, turned to him. “Would you like to come in for some refreshments?”

“That would be quite lovely, thank you, dear.”