[PRP-Yael] Feeding Flowers (Kiunyki and Akeldama)

[DraconicFeline]

Kiki was trying to make herself useful, as usual, trying to build up her credibility among the Exiles. It was an uphill battle. Most still thought of her as an outsider, or as a handy proxy for the Alkidikes back on Chibale - someone to bully or take out their frustrations on. She was certain that everythng she did was both watched like a hawk, and falling short of whatever they wanted. She had to come to terms with that. But she tried anyway, because she would show them what she was made of, and one day they would respect her.

Today, she was (almost as usual) alone, grinding roots into flour by the fire. She kneaded water into the mix, a few spices, and stuck a patty of it on a hot stone to test it. "Bam!" she said, pleased as the mixture sizzled, releasing the aroma of crisping starch into the air.  

[Heras Box]

DraconicFeline

She had heard about the yellow skinned cousin that had come late to the island. Her mother had moaned and groaned about it, thinking that the girl had to be a spy. Akeldama was prone to believe that as well since no other Alk had made the trip to Zinris since the exile.

Still, the youngling found the newest member of their village and watched her. With her eyes narrowed in suspicion she tried to determine if there was something malicious about this girl. Did she come to harm Elzira? Or the Elaria? Of course she couldn't find anything vicious about what she was doing right now. Cooking was hardly a dangerous thing. Unless there was poison in it. So when the bread-like mixture was set to sizzling she sniffed at the air to check for any odd aroma.  

[DraconicFeline]

Heras Box

Keratna was wandering about. There was so little color, here, and that made the nondwa less than energetic. He crawled about the ground near the Alkidike he'd attached himself to, searching for something to eat or a warm place to rest.

But he found something better - one of the colorful things! Not realizing that he was, effectively, mimicing her actions, he approached and tickled her with his antennae, fluttering his dusty purple wings as he sniffed her.

Kiunyki tried the flour cake experimentally, and smiled. "Not bad." she remarked to herself, putting a few more dollops on the hot stone to cook. She moved some marinated roots into the depths of the coals to roast and, hopefully, not be as chewy and fibrous as the usual cooked roots. There was no meat to use at the moment, but she was sure that someone had gone hunting, and when they came back... well... at least a few of the exiles would eat well...  

[Heras Box]

DraconicFeline

With the.. thing... crawling on the ground she had to stare at it. Akeldama wasn't exactly sure what it was. When it got closer she had a slightly disgusted face on but allowed it to sniff at her. However, once the wings started to flutter she snorted and took a half step back from it. "What IS this thing?" The small Elarian asked.

Moving her foot out Akel poked it with one of her toes, though she was surprisingly gentle with it. "It's... odd." She wasn't exactly sure what else she was supposed to say about it. After all, it wasn't like it was ugly. It had some pretty colors on it. The wings looked cute. But it was still an odd thing and definitely not from Yael. Until it had spotted her it seemed to be moping around. Most creatures from the toxic island behaved in entirely different ways.  

[DraconicFeline]

Heras Box

Keratna chirped as he was poked, antennae drawing back and then returning to investigate with even more enthusiasm. Maybe this meant food?

Kiunyki looked up abruptly from her cooking at the cry. Of course, she was often watched, sometimes from hiding, but rarely was it by the children. She smiled. "He's a nondwa - they're from Jahuar." she said. There were a few Radaku about - mounts brought by exiled guardians - but few other Jahuaran animals had accompanied their mistresses. They simply hadn't had the chance to bring them. Kiki counted herself lucky, at least in that respect. "He's little odd, but he won't bite." He couldn't really bite more than a pinch, to be honest. Or scratch more than a welt. Other than the toxins in his wings and body, and the armor of his chitin he was pretty defenseless. And harmless. "Here." she held out a small hard berry - safe to eat, of course - and tossed it towards Akeldama. "Give it to him."  

[Heras Box]

DraconicFeline

With the creature seeming to inspect her with more enthusiasm she cringed. Akel wasn't so sure she wanted the thing to be so close to her but she said nothing. Instead she tried to think of whether or not her Alk mother had told her about Nondwa.

"A little?" The youngling commented. This thing was far more than a little odd. Just then she saw something flying toward her and automatically caught it. As part of her training she reacted on instinct. Seeing it was simply something for the creature to eat she relaxed and held it down for the Nondwa. Of course she didn't know how well it could sniff so she basically stuffed it into the thing's face. "Here."  

[DraconicFeline]

Heras Box

"Just a little." Kiki said. She supposed so, indeed. But Limbara were stranger still - skeletons visible through their skin! And how they slithered... ergh. So strange!

Kera reached forward with his spindly forelegs, giving out a long, vibrating churr in thanks as he manuevered the thing to his mandibles and devoured it happily. He wiggled his antennae, and then pushed at her hand, clearly seeking more.

"I think he likes you." commented Kiki, pitting a few coarse berries as she watched them. "His name's keratna, by the way."

"You know, theres another bug in Jauhar, just like the nondwa. It's called a kipepwa and they're just like the nondwa, but they're more colorful and live higher up. More wings, too." she commented, experimentally.  

[Heras Box]

DraconicFeline

Her eyes dropped to watch the thing take the treat from her hand. Akeldama was still very unsure about the creature and when it sought another bit of food from her hand she pulled it away gently. Of course she did offer the winged bug a pat on the head.

But then her attention went back to the new Alkidike in the village. "So it's a boy then?" Akel looked back at the Nondwa before tilting her head. "It's colors would suggest a female. Interesting." Of course she didn't think that the color really mattered.

Hearing that there was another bug in this.. Jauhar, made her lift a brow slowly. "Aren't bugs.. you know.. everywhere?" Akeldama was doing her best to not appear interested but she had to admit that if a Kipepwa had more wings and more color then it surely would be something to see. "Have you seen some of the creatures here that we have tamed as pets?"  

[DraconicFeline]

Heras Box

"Yep, he's a boy." she said. "There's lots of animals where the boys are more colorful." She remembered her Mama telling her that, once. She hadn't believed her - clearly, she'd thought, females should be the strongest and the most colorful (her Mama certainly had been), but the hybrid (curse his name) had explained that duller colors helped them blend in better, for safety and stalking. He had, also, been bright blue.

So, she supposed that it actually worked either way - you could be pretty, or you could be practical. "He can be colorful because he doesn't have to blend in or anything - nobody tries to eat a nondwa back home, so he doesn't have to hide..."

"Do you have one as a pet?" she asked. She'd seen some of the Yaelean pets. The Tintural was interesting, the limbara was also interesting. The Keldari were big and tough, but as mounts they would never be the same as a Radaku in her mind. The imps... She'd like to have one, maybe, but so far, no luck.  

[Heras Box]

DraconicFeline

So the males were the most colorful in some animal species? Akeldama tilted her head. Shouldn't it be the females? Males were an odd concept for her to really grasp though she knew the difference clear enough. "Hmn, it's odd to think that males would be more attractive."

When she was questioned as to whether or not she had a familiar she shook her head. Akel hadn't expressed a desire for one so her Alk mother never bothered and she had never tried to catch one on her own either. "Nah, I don't need one right now. Taking care of them would only get in the way of my training." The little one gave another look to the weird Jauharian animal. Akel wondered if it was useful in any way other than to simply look nice.  

[DraconicFeline]

Heras Box

Kiki was of the opinion that pets were themselves good training, but she wasn't going to speak over an Elaria, the chosen children of the goddess. She was trying to make friends here, not waves. Even if her mother's heritage called her to make waves.

"Eh, every beast has it's own rules." she said with a shrug. "With those animals, the males come together and the females judge them and pick the prettiest to be their mates." It was sort of sad, actually - the poor males got all dolled up and put a lot of effort into their appearance, and some would end up rejected and alone. Her Mama had always told her that that was why it was best to look good and take care of one's appearance for one's own sake - if you didn't look pretty for other people, you'd never be disappointed when someone else was prettier. Or stronger. Or faster. Or more skilled. Her Mama had sometimes been very wise.

"How is your training?" she asked. It was an odd question to ask a child she didn't know, but she was curious and they had brought it up, after all.  

[Heras Box]

DraconicFeline

So the males had to look pretty for the females. Well she supposed that made sense. Males were useless otherwise. Or at least that was what her mother told her. When Kiki asked her about her training she shrugged her shoulders. "Alright I guess. Ciriet makes me run a lot. Something about endurance." Akel knew that she was supposed to be able to fight for long periods of time but she wasn't sure how running was going to help that. At least not yet.  

[DraconicFeline]

Heras Box

Running, huh. "I've heard that too." she said. Her Mama hadn't had her train, and apparently did very little outright training herself, but she had said that running was good for such things. Which is Ciriet? she wondered. Obviously, an Alkidike, one of the older Sisters who had been exiled (and probably one of the more deep into the cause). It was not, however, a name she knew.

But to ask would be awkward, and she was trying so hard to avoid awkwardness. "What about sparring?" she asked, curiously, "What else does she have you do?"  

[Heras Box]

DraconicFeline

Sparring? Akel wrinkled her nose a little but then gave a slow nod. "I practice with a mini spear. Ciriet doesn't fight with me. She says I'm too little." Her shoulders lifted up slightly at it, as though it was nothing.

"I wrestle with Tos sometimes." Tos was another Elaria just like her. Since they were of the same age and size they often play fought and ran around together. Though lately Tos was getting more and more busy with her alkidike family. Something that left Akel with a lot of spare time.  

[DraconicFeline]

Heras Box

"Oh... that makes sense." She supposed, anyway. Her mother had sparred playfully with her when she was a youngling. It had been fun and Kiki had learned so much from her. They'd stopped after the battle... Mmph... "Wrestling is great training, too!" she said - she didn't know Tos, which was no surprise. Considering.

"Spear, huh. Spear's are nice. You can do a lot with a spear!" she said. Her mama had used a spear, and what a beauty it had been to see her spar with it. And dance with it. ... And fight with it. "I'm a blade user, myself."