Welcome Home (Felidae)

[Felidae]

Keenai chirped happily at the praise Claudius gave her. She was rarely ever praised here at St. Aegolius and it felt good to be appreciated for once.

"Care for a vole?"

Keenai turned to face the Fish Owl and her eyes widened when she saw the dead rodent. She slowly walked over and poked the vole to make sure it was real. "It's..." She breathed, "It's so big!" She immediately grabbed the dead animal and devoured it quickly. It left a satisfying taste in her mouth, and she had never felt so full.

"We never got fed like this back in the Pits..." She murmured. This was the best meal she'd had in years. "Thank you!" Keenai exclaimed, hopping over to Claudius.

But her expression changed almost immediately at the question he asked her. "Oh... Well, I did have a brother and a sister... But my brother was murdered here and... I don't know what happened to my sister, she was never taken by the raiding party." It pained her to think of her siblings but, although she had only just really spoken to Claudius, she felt she could trust him with her past.

[Gabjas]

Claudius
Claudius smiled as the little owlet gleefully devoured her succulent meal, thanking him. "You are very welcome." he churred. He felt a pang of regret tremor in his gizzard as he realized what he had asked her; most likely a very painful question for an owl so young. Her tale brought a wave of sorrow over the Fish owl; he could still remember the joking laughs of his older brother always teasing him. He still missed it sometimes.

"That is very unfortunate, I apologize for asking." Claude sighed. Claudius ambled towards a slight opening in the stone wall; peering out from between the patches of mold that splotched the crack. He acknowledged the sun, which now dipped beyond the horizon, escorted by several ribbons of vibrant color. "It is getting late." he said. "Perhaps it is time to turn in, eh?" He yawned, his old bones shuddering as he did.

[Felidae]

Keenai shook her head, "It's fine, I would of told someone else some day..." She flexed her wings, which were slightly sore from being used so much when she had never really used them at all.

Yawning, she plodded over to her new nest. As she climbed in, a small smile hung on her face. Life was beginning to look up for her, and it was because of the most unlikely owl.

"Good night..." She mumbled. It was barely audible, but she was so tired she fell asleep as soon as she had spoken.

[Gabjas]

Claudius
Claudius' eyes fluttered open and he squinted as he was met by the piercing glare of sunlight cascading from the gap in his wall. He shook his feathers and stood from where he was nestled in his soft nest. He looked around and with a yawn he nudged Keenai gently with his wing, trying to wake her. "Good light." he whispered. He was aware that this term was usually used by owls to bid them farewell before they slept through the day, but due to his peculiar schedule, it had become a waking routine.

He placed a mouse at the edge of her nest and scratched a few words into the dirt with his talon; 'I have to tend to my duties. I should be back relatively soon.' With an inward sigh, he strolled from the room and groggily ambled towards the pits to check up on the staff and assure that all requirements were met.

(OOC: Sorry, rather uneventful. I was thinking maybe Keenai could get herself into trouble somehow or something, soon. Up to you.)

[Felidae]

Keenai awoke to see the harsh sunlight filtering into the room. For a moment, she forgot where she was and wondered why no one had woken her up earlier. But then the events of yesterday came flooding back and she smiled. Yawning, she got up to see whether Claudius was awake.

She stepped towards his nest but he was no where to be seen. As she turned around she saw the mouse and the note scratched into the dirt. Deciding that she would just wait, she ate the mouse and sat back down in her nest.

Minutes past and she began to get bored. She hopped out of her nest and looked around the room for something to do. She examined the pegs going down from the wall, and decided she would try some branching again. She was good at it now and so she felt confident enough to do it herself.

Keenai flew up to the top peg and, slightly clumsily, landed. She began branching and was halfway down when she lost her footing and slipped, crashing down onto a pile of books. The books toppled over, creating quite a noise. Keenai held her breath as she heard voices coming towards the room.

"Who's there?"

Keenai shrunk back against the books, hoping the guards would just pass by. But, to her disappointment, they slowly plodded in, looking curiously around the room. Although she tried her hardest to hide, they found her in no time at all and roughly dragged her from the room. Luckily, her experience with acting Moonblinked for all this time saved her from the guards realising that she wasn't Moonblinked.

They cruelly shoved her along towards the pits, where they were probably going to find Claudius. Keenai just hoped the old Fish Owl wouldn't be annoyed with her.

(OCC: There's the excitement! ;D)

[Gabjas]

Claudius
Claudius strolled along the rims of the pits, regarding each owl within with a sinister glare before turning and continuing on. "Sir." two guards approached the Fish owl, holding a struggling Keenai. "We found this one alone in a room." The lieutenant nodded thoughtfully and eyed the owlet as if he had not before met her.

"Thank you Sorus, Karzen. I will take care of her from here." The guards nodded and obediantly shoved Keenai towards Claude, who recieved her with a fake forcefulness. "Come with me." he said through his gritted beak. He preteded to drag her away, which seemed to satisfy the two guards as they turned and strutted away.

As soon as the two had reached one of the many abandoned corridors, Claudius whispered to Keenai. "Are you alright? How did they find you?" Not pausing to await her answer, Claudius pressed on. "We must be more careful. Understand?

[Felidae]

The little Elf Owl was frozen to the spot as the Guards pushed her towards Claudius. Although she managed to keep up her façade, she was slowly finding it harder to keep looking Moonblinked.

"Come with me."

Keenai looked up at Claudius, not daring to move. The Fish Owl dragged her away towards the abandoned corridors. When they were alone, he began to fire questions at her.

Startled, Keenai blinked. Then, the questions registered in her brain and she replied, "I'm fine, they found me in your room. I was bored so I started branching but I fell and they heard the noise I made," She looked down guiltily, "I know I need to be careful, I... I was just... I don't know."

She once again felt alone and lost. But she recovered quickly and turned to face Claudius again, her expression normal.

[Gabjas]

Claudius
Claudius clucked his tongue against the roof on his beak and gave Keenai one last stern look before releasing his grip on her. "We have to avoid being caught at all costs. For your sake. You want to avoid laughter treatment especially." he whispered, shuddering at the memory of his treatment. He had once stolen some extra mice for a few of his pit companions, which had resulted in a most unsettling punishment. He knew one thing though, it was effective. He had never stepped a talon out of line since then.

He shoved Keenai lightly, though making it look as if he were angry with her, and the two shuffled alon past several members of St. Aggies'. whom all either gave him a quizzical look or bowed their heads in respect of the Lieutenant.

Once they had reached a relatively private area, Claudius began to speak, relieved to be able to speak at full volume. "So, Keenai. What was your job before our little arrangement? Picker? Eggorium?" He thought that it would be a nice break for her to show her the parts of these vast canyons that she had not yet seen. Perhaps it would take their minds off the more important matters for a while.

[Felidae]

Keenai looked down, ashamed. She was upset with herself for being so clumsy, but it couldn't be helped now.

Claudius herded her along to a quieter part of St. Aggies, and she was relieved when they were able to speak normally again. She looked up to face the older owl at his question, "I was a Picker," She replied, shuddering at the thought of the horrible job, "I hated it."

[Gabjas]

Claudius
Claudius nodded at her disgust. "Yes, I myself was an early assistant in the Inventorium. A very hush-hush area where monblinked owls could never be found. The things are too stupid to truly understand. And as I got older and gained the position as Lieutenant, I was allowed in the Library." the fish owl realised he was babbling somewhat by this time, so he clamped his beak shut.

"So, Keenai. Is there any particular part of St. Aggies that you would like to see? Nothing to difficult please." he churred at the end, knowing it would be much to hard to sneak an owlet into one of the more secret areas. He may have gotten the Elf owl this far, but by Glaux, he was no miracle worker.

[Felidae]

The little Elf owl listened intently to Claudius. Hearing how his past was so much like hers, lonely and deprived, she once again felt friendship for this owl that she had never felt before.

"Well," Keenai said, thoughtful, "I would like to visit the Library, but I doubt that will happen..." She looked a little downcast, but picked herself up again when she spoke, "Where do you suggest we go? I don't know of any good places here."

She hadn't really been to many places in the Canyons, mainly because she didn't want to see more of this horrible place. But, now that she was free, she wanted to see more of the place she had been held captive in for all these years.

[Gabjas]

Claudius
"The Eggorium..." Claudius murmured pensively, stroking his facial feathers with his talons thoughtfully. "Yes, we will go to the Eggorium first." Claude glanced around, absorbing his surroundings, creating a mental map of the canyons in his head.

"If memory serves me, it should be this way." the Fish owl smiled and sauntered off in the direction he believed would lead them to the immense cavern they called the Eggorium.

Claudius stepped into the all-to familiar cave, barely batting an eyelash at the immense amount of eggs held in their captivity. Moonblinked owlets sorted through them, which varied greatly in size. A Spotted shuffled past the Lieutenant clutching three eggs in his wings, Claude guessed he had been told to bring them to the broodies at the Hatchery.

"By these eggs we set a store, we set them out and ask for more. Pygmie, Elf, Spotted and Snowy make our gizzards get all glowie. Barn Owls, Great Grays, Barred and Screech give our hearts an extra beat." the voices of the owls mingled as they went about their task.

"The work's top secret, that is true, but we are the best -- the eggorium crew! Don't give a hoot that no no one flies, for upon these eggs the future relies. Such is is our noble destiny. To guard St. Aggie's through eternity!" The old Fish owl hummed the tune to himself along with them, having memorized all of the hymns of St. Aggies' by heart many years before.

He churred and peered down at Keenai, curious to see the Elf owlet's reaction.

[Felidae]

Keenai followed Claudius towards the Eggorium, staring around the great corridors as they went.

When they arrived, she was immediately startled to hear the singing. On instinct she immediately tried to shut out their chanting voices, screwing her eyes shut and covering her head with her wings. These voices were the ones that haunted her dreams and after having spent so many years hearing them she couldn't bear to listen to the hymns any more.

The small Elf owl sat huddled near the older Fish owl, desperately trying to think of home and happy times to stop her nightmares returning. "I'm... sorry, Claudius," she managed to get out, although it was only a whisper, "I can't stand to listen to this any more, can we go?" She opened one eye and looked at him pleadingly.

[Gabjas]

(OOC: Sorry I took so long to post. It will take me a while to get back into the feel of posting as Claudius, but I will get the hang of it again sooner or later.)

Claudius
Claudius ceased his humming and turned his eyes to the owlet that huddled at his side. "Of course." he gulped, and led her with his wing from the large cavern filled with singing owlets. "I am sorry."

Claudius hadn't the faintest idea why, but he felt a stirring in his gizzard for Keenai that he had not felt in many moons. He cared about her, like a father to a daughter. This little Elf owlet meant quite a bit to the peculiar old Fish owl, and it aggrieved him to think that she could ever be so frightened.

"Come, let's go outside." he said and beat his ragged wings, a cracking ran up his spine as his ancient bones flexed. His haggard eyes set on the stars that shone above.

[spice]

(Is this an open topic, or should I not post here?)