Title: The Canary That Ate The Cat
Authors: TehOpheliac and Mako
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 10,770 words.
Summary: Two cultures collide and make way for a better future. The cat people of the desert are forced to seek refuge in the cool, sleek shelter of the forest in the mountains when their supply of food and water run dry. There, they stumble across a dying tribe of mentally regressed (from lack of  mental stimulation) bird people with years of inbreeding forcing their newer generations to insanity and death. Should they choose to work together, they could survive, thrive and create a better future for all involved using the knowledge gained from past experiences.

-

The tribe did not really have a name. Oh they called themselves the Cats sometimes, but it was rarely needed. It was them against nature, and though nomadic they'd had to venture into new territories. Territories they hadn't ever entered in the memory of their people.

As such, the entire tribe was on high alert. Everyone had their weapons drawn, and were watching the shrubbery around them carefully. Unfortunately their people had not been under the cover of trees for quite some time, and like most beings, they never quite bothered to look up.

Xhaiden was next to the women, though his bow was drawn, arrow already placed to the string. He was never a front range fighter, and as such could actually defend people much better from further back. He was on alert though- his partner had already let him know that they smelt birds... and bird flesh might be a nice treat to the tired tribe.

Yamir was in front, it was a dangerous position, because it was assumed that in the case of an ambush or trouble, he'd be the first to be hit. Even in his half healed state however, he could take a few hits still. Thus he didn't even hesitate to be in front, claws twitching menacingly. At his side a large tiger was keeping on high alert- the creature could all but tell something was wrong.

Blyte, dressed in little more then a pair of pants with a colored loin cloth, his usual shirt tossed over his arm. He wasn't nearly so alert as everyone else, actually lagging behind slightly, tired from the day long hike. As the lowest male in the tribe he got less meat then many children, and it meant that he was almost always hungry. His eyes looking at the plants and such, they landed upon a berry bush, growing under a particularly large tree. Remembering that it was quite edible, he quietly broke slightly away from the rest of the group, first placing a tooth with some carvings at the base of the shrub, before he started to strip some berries away.

Popping one of the red fruit into his mouth, he sighed deeply. Sweet, though not as tangy as fresh meat, it was still something to help ease the ache in his belly. Working quickly, he picked as many berries as he could fit into his carry bag, all the while keeping half an eye on the movement of the tribe. He didn't have much longer left, maybe less then a minute.

*

Hala was soaring through the sky, low on the horizon and trying to find his way back to the village. He'd been lost for several days now (not that that was anything special, he liked going on an adventure and it wasn't like anyone ever noticed that he was missing) and he had the odd feeling that maybe he'd gone farther then usual, that he'd been drawn deeper for a reason.

'Maybe the trees are lonely and looking for someone to play with them,' he thought. Or, to be more precise, it wasn't really a thought since he didn't actually have a language. His people communicated through telepathy and the few odd grunts (or whistling tweets, really). His mind was an abnormal combination of colors, emotions and images. It was twisted and broken, only half developed and quite insane.

Due to hundreds of years of inbreeding, he was one of the unlucky few who had been born unhealthy and sick in the mind. His brain processed abstractly and made him difficult to deal with among the tribe. Few had the patience or the knowledge of how to deal with him so they mostly left him on his own to explore and discover, certain he'd come back eventually. That was how he found himself in his current situation.

The woods had called out to him a few days ago and pleaded. 'Come play with us. We have a surprise for you. We need you. Come out and play.' Hala had never been able to resist the call of the forest before, so it wasn't a surprise that he'd immediately dropped what he'd been doing and tore off into the woods. The tugging in his mind was stronger and far more urgent then usual, though, it tore at him and sent a new sensation dropping through his stomach, dread.

A series of abnormal noises flickered at the edge of his hearing. Hala frowned and swooped in low to perch himself on a nearby branch. 'Why is the ground crying?' Huddling low on the branch, he frowned and chewed on his lower lip as he looked into the distance. At first, Hala stiffened in surprise at the semi-familiar form. What were his brothers doing trooping through the forest so far from the village? And then he noticed the lack of wings, the large cats and the subtle differences between the two tribes.

A happy trill fell past his lips as they approached and he shifted from one leg to the other, watching with wide excited eyes. 'Friends! My friends have come to play and eat the sun with me!' he thought, a small thread of hope swelling inside of him.

A large man with golden brown hair wrapped up in a weird, rough looking hair style wandered over, just under his tree. Hala clapped a hand to his mouth and snickered into it, his eyes bright and ecstatic as he watched the man peel some berries off a bush. What a silly friend! Those berries were dangerous if too many of them were consumed. He was going to make himself sick.

Hala rolled his eyes and ignored the flutter that bounded around in his chest as he drew his eyes over the tribe. 'They will help the forest be happy and make the sun cry.' The thought made him giggle loudly, a sound that was a mix of a whistling trill and a soft hoot. He was so distracted by these people, his thoughts, and the man below that he lost his footing and fell out of the tree. He laughed all the way down and didn't stop, even when he bounced off of Blyte and into the tree.

The bark of tree scratched up his back (his wings flew up over his head to avoid being damaged) with the impact and left a series of cuts that immediately bleed and stain his feathers red. Hala barely even noticed it though. His people had an insensitivity to pain and, well, physical sensation in general. With a large grin and a chirp, Hala scuttled over to Blyte and licked a strip of flesh from his elbow to his shoulder.

*

The tribe, as one unit, twitched when they heard the sound of a bird call... It was not a bird call that anyone recognized, and more then that, all of their cats ears had twitched.

Blyte had just enough time to register laughter when suddenly someone had fallen on him. He scrambled, and ended up on his ass on the ground, just staring at what had landed in his lap. A... man? Any thoughts about being attacked were broken off as he was licked.

All around them, tribe members had turned, weapons at the ready, hungry cat eyes watching them, though most were confused. Xhaiden had his bow drawn fully, his eyes narrowed.

Blyte however, was slowing his heartbeat, and a few primal urges. He was the male with the least respect as a warrior in his tribe, but much more then that, he was their healer. He knew what was safe to eat, and what was not.

He knew, though he wasn't quite sure how, that whatever had landed on him, was safe. More then that, it was something to be protected. His eyes landed upon his tribe, all ready to attack (and possibly eat) what had landed upon him, and something... perhaps the spirits, perhaps the very trees, suggested to him that... probably would not be a good idea.

So he stared at his own tribe, his family in more ways then one, and narrowed his eyes, and hissed softly, his lips pulling back from his too sharp teeth.

Xhaiden stared at this, and just when Yamir was about to move forward to rip both of them a new one, Xhaiden just held out a long arm, his eyes narrowed. The shaman was not well respected- but he was still their religious leader. None knew what he knew, and he was not having such a valuable resource killed just because of Yamir's hurt pride.

More then one large Cat was making soft sounds to suggest they wanted to attack. It sounded like a bird, moved like a bird.. it even smelled like a bird! However more then the people of the tribe, the Cats respected Blyte.

Blyte, taking several deep breaths, took a close look at the winged figure in his lap, and finally spoke, "Hello, where did you come from...?"

*

Hala laughed again when his "friends" all jumped and pointed sticks with threads and pointy things at him. 'My friends want to make a fire and eat sunshine?' His eyes gleamed with an innocent light and he made no move to remove himself from Blyte's lap. In fact, he was rather comfortable there and he had no desire to leave. Usually his brothers and sisters would shove him away if he so much as brushed against them (it was instinctive and they usually apologized for it afterwards, but it stung, nonetheless). But this one, this new friend of his, didn't seem to mind the contact (which served to make Hala all the more joyful).

When a hiss sounded, Hala started in surprise and glanced over at Blyte with wide eyes. What a strange sound. It was so different from any of the ones his people made and the meaning it carried eluded him. Licking his lips, Hala noticed the oddly pointed teeth and leaned forward to lick the length of one. It was smooth and sharp... and the strange man's tooth tasted funny. He shrugged to himself and let out a small whistle of amusement.

Hala didn't notice the scene that took place or even realize that a silent discussion (about him) was being made. He did notice when Blyte turned his full attention to him (which made him puff up his chest and preen softly), opened his mouth and made a series of weird sounds. Hala cocked his head to the side with a confused expression, furrowed his brows and pursed his lips. 'Why is my friend making such weird sounds? Maybe he wants some of my food?' A questioning trill sounded from his lips as he reached up and patted Blyte's head.

*

Blyte had been concentrating so fully on his tribe that he didn't realize what the strange man did until one of his teeth got licked. The shell shocked look on his face made more then one female snicker softly, despite the sudden tension.

Blyte had his hands (and lap) quite full, by what seemed to be a preening, rather pleased with itself bird man. Though races that had a Great ancestor, it was his first time seeing one who had been with birds.

However he narrowed his eyes slightly as he was patted and trilled at. He just huffed at the soft pet. He started to run his own hands through the man's hair, and over his skin, brushing off any dirt (and parasites) that may be clinging to his skin. The youth wanted to groom? Then they would groom. But he had already determined that the youth was below him, and thus he took charge.

With ease he did it, finding a surprising amount of dirt and the like.

Meanwhile the tribe just watched bemused, and more then one child was smiling warmly, and trying to get over to them to try to take part in things... despite their mother holding them back.

*

Hala squeaked when Blyte abruptly began to reciprocate and run his finger's through his hair. His eyes widened for a moment before they fell shut and he leaned heavily into the touches, nudging against Blyte. If he had the ability to purr in contentment, Hala would have sounded like the engine of a boat. As it was, he did not. Instead, he cooed quietly with an almost drunken expression of pleasure on his face.

It had been so long since he had last been touched so sweetly. Actually, now that he thought about it, he wasn't sure if anyone had ever been so nice to him. Most of the touches from when he was a child had been sympathetic and full of pity. When he aged and the people in the village began to notice the distortion in his mental status, they'd drawn away and only touched him when it was necessary. But this strange man he had just met was grooming him (it had taken him a surprisingly short amount of time for him to figure this out, but by all the dirt and twigs Blyte was picking off him, it was obvious- even to Hala). No one had ever groomed him before.

Hala's chest felt tight and his stomach shifted in an unnerving but not entirely unpleasant sort of way. He wondered absently if he'd eaten the wrong berries off one of the bushes earlier or if the trees were mad at him again and throwing another temper tantrum. They would have to learn that Hala didn't want to play all the time, just most of it.

*

Blyte had been utterly appalled at how dirty the bird man was. Didn't his own people groom him? Weren't birds supposed to groom almost as much as cats? He'd been about to start on the bird man's wings when his hands came back sticky with blood.

He was actually ashamed of himself that he hadn't smelt the blood sooner, and his growl was almost feral. Instead, he started to dig into his side bag, withdrawing some bandages and creams to help the clotting. He knew it may sting at first, but then he'd quickly sooth any pain the creature might be feeling.

He dipped his fingers into the medicinal cream that smelt strongly of herbs, and started to smear the cream into the bleeding wounds, before trying to awkwardly tie bandages. But between the wings, and their positions, he was having a hard time of it.

The tribe folk slowly relaxed. It was obvious their healer had found something interesting, and though Xhaiden wanted to speak to him as quickly as possible... he knew better then to try to interfere with the healer when he was healing.

It was bad luck, and more then that, he would probably end up with a nasty cut or two from said healer... It was never a good position to be in.

*

Hala pouted when Blyte stopped grooming him, whining with a higher pitched chirp as he shifted around anxiously on his lap. 'Don't stop, you'll make the day turn to night and the stars will sigh.' His back didn't really hurt but the pain was much more noticeable when someone was touching the open wounds on his back.

When Blyte pulled out some pale creamy stuff and poured some of it one his fingers, Hala squirmed and gave a few grunt like trills in an attempt to communicate. Blyte didn't have to be worried about his cuts (well, assuming he was, Hala wasn't actually sure but the strange man did seem to be interested in them). If he just left them alone and remembered to soak in the river that day, he'd be fine. It would just leave another series of scars on his back (which was nothing new, considering the vast amount of scars that littered his body).

When the cream first touched his back and a sharp sting emanated from the area, Hala yelped and attempted to crawl away from the touch, hissing (a crackly, almost melodic sound) and trilling at him. It wasn't that it hurt a lot, he just wasn't used to physical pain of any sort and the shock of it scared him. His wings fluttered anxiously in the air, spreading out to their full length (which was about three times the size of his arms spread outward). His wings brushed against the people closest and he looked distinctly like he was about ready to take off into the air and fly away.

*

Blyte had just given up on bandaging the cuts, and instead sighed, and gently pulled the bird creature closer. He returned to the grooming, applying some massage techniques his teacher had taught him if he found any muscles that were obviously cramped.

A kind of outrage was budding in his stomach. Why had no one taken care of this youth? Why was he so scarred? He purred deeply, under his breath, trying to sooth the youth. Finally he gave into an instinct, and actually licked the bird man's temple, cleaning off a smudge of dirt in the process with his rough tongue.

Xhaiden watched all of this, and with a soft grumble, he stepped forward, and spoke. "Healer. I know that you are enjoying yourself, however we must learn things from him."

The healer frowned. "I do not know if he even speaks our language... Do you speak our language?" He directed the question towards the bird man, confusion in his eyes.

*

Hala stopped struggling when Blyte's hands settled on his hips and pulled him closer, he allowed himself to be settled back onto the strange man's lap, albeit stiffly, muttering soft trills under his breath and glancing around suspiciously at everyone nearby. 'The trees want me to be careful and the grass and sky are nuzzling my belly. What do my new friends want?' It had never occurred to him earlier that maybe these people did not have his best intentions in mind- that maybe they would try to hurt him. It was a thought that was sluggishly slipping into his unconscious (triggered by the pain Blyte had caused), making him suddenly weary of this new tribe.

Blyte interrupted his revelation and shoved it back into the depths of his mind when he lifted his hands and began to groom Hala again. He relaxed into the comforting touches, his eyelids dropping halfway shut as he leaned into the cat man. This time it took longer for Hala to begin cooing in satisfaction from the touches, but as he began to, he reached out and took one of Blyte's hands in his own.

As Hala glanced down to study the hand with a small smile, he was startled to feel the gentle touch of a rough tongue at his temple. No one had ever licked him before. He was always the one who did the licking- despite the fact that no one actually appreciated it. None of his people had ever understood the significance of the gesture or what it meant to him. Maybe this strange man did? Hala's stomach twisted and flipped over at the idea. Maybe this man was special.

Another series of noises with oddly shaped and repetitive sounds alerted Hala that one of the people from the tribe was communicating with Blyte. He looked over at the man with a frown and noticed for the first time all the people surrounding them and staring (some were even smiling softly!). Hala grinned at them and trilled a happy greeting in their direction, stretching out his wings to brush gently against their ankles. 'More friends! I have so many friends now. I wonder when I will get to play with all of them?'

Hala's attention flickered back over to Blyte again at the sound of his voice. It was with a flash of excitement that he realized that the cat man was attempting to communicate with him. He beamed up at him happily, trilled questioningly and licked his hand again, trying to soothe the confusion on his face. "Hala," he said, his musical voice forming the words with an odd accent as he patted himself on the chest.

*

Blyte was quietly soothing the bird man, though he was watching him. Hoping, praying that they knew the same language... Though it seemed rather unlikely. For all he knew this race was as intelligent as their partners. The thought chilled him, though he couldn't quite place why or how.

Then the bird man actually said a word, instead of just trilling, or making soft bird like sounds. 'Hala'... While patting himself on the chest. It could mean the name of the people, his name, the name of his species.. but whatever it meant, it was good luck. They could communicate.

Blyte looked up to Xhaiden, "... Well they obviously have a language... though I doubt it is ours. Do you wish me to try to convince him to bring us to the rest of his tribe...?"

Xhaiden was watching with his bright eyes, and he suspected that something was... off about the bird man. Were the rest like that? Perhaps. However any allies they could find would be a blessing, and more then that, if this was the territory of another tribe, they should make themselves known. His face blank and unreadable, he nodded once, firmly.

With that, all of Blyte's attention was on the Hala. He smiled gently, "Hello, Hala." Just tasting the name, trying to figure out the pronunciation that his mouth wasn't quite used to.

*

Hala frowned at Blyte when he looked away from him to focus on that man who'd stepped out of the crowd of people. He liked being the center of his attention- he wanted to continue being the center of his attention. Instead, he made that strange series of sounds again and Hala wondered what it meant, if it even had a meaning to it.

The man from the crowd nodded at Blyte and suddenly Hala found himself back in the cat man's favor again. And then he spoke his name and it was perfect. 'Hala, he said Hala. My friend has blessed the sky!' He perked up at the odd way it sounded from his mouth and grinned at him. Finally, a name! He had his name now.

Shifting around on his lap happily, Hala brought a hand to the man's chest and tried to properly pronounciate his name. "H.. Hel..lo? Hello?" He brought his hand back to his own chest. "Hala!"

*

Blyte blinked widely, wait... did he think Hello was his name..? No no no... He shook his head no, praying that the motion was universal. He then placed a hand upon his own chest, "Blyte." Much easier to just stick with single words for now... Hopefully it would be enough.

He allowed a smile, though he noted that in the background his tribe was making camp, getting comfortable and otherwise resting a bit. He dismissed it then. It didn't matter right now, so that was fine. He carefully threaded his fingers over each feather, loosening dead feathers, cleaning dirt out of some, just gentle touches and soft smiles until the Hala was ready to move on in trying to understand one another.

*

Hala frowned for a moment as Hello suddenly changed his name. Or maybe he'd misunderstood and gotten the wrong name? Nonetheless, he wet his lips and tested the new name on his lips, "Bl.. Bly... Blyte?" There was a short trill to the name between the l and y that he couldn't control. He placed his hand on his chest and patted it a few times, "Hala." He reached over and patted the cat man's chest, "Blyte?" It was a good name, different from any he'd heard before and much harder to pronounce.

He glanced around when he noticed people moving around and setting things up like his people did at the village. He glanced over at Blyte and gave a questioning trill as he waved his hands in the general direction of his people as if he were explaining something. When Hala realized that his meaning had gone on without understanding, he sighed softly and pressed his forehead against Blyte's. As he gazed into his eyes, he lifted his hands and pressed the tips of his fingers to his temples.

A flash of white light and Blyte was momentarily blind before a moving image settled in behind his eyes. There was a village of bird people surrounded by unfamiliar woods. The people moved around, trilling, chirping and generally communicating with each other as was usual. Hala pulled back with a small smile and looked very pleased with himself.

*

Blyte had been quite encouraged when the bird man seemed to catch his name, and understood it... though he seemed to have a bit of trouble actually speaking it. That was not unknown, there were some words his people used that tended to run the "r" sound a bit, and many other peoples had trouble pronouncing them. It was why many names did not have that particular sound in it.

He indeed did not understand the question, but was noticeably startled when suddenly they were head to head, staring into one an others eyes. Then.... images. It was otherworldly, and he jerked back with a surprised hiss, his eyes very wide indeed. After a few moments it clicked. What it meant. With a grin, he licked the bird man's temple once more, rumbling with a purr, before speaking up to his tribe. "... There is a Tribe of bird-men!"

He then turned his attention back to Hala, "... Hala..." He then pointed in the vague direction that Hala had first pointed to, before showing him the images. "Show us?" He murmured hopefully.

*

Hala watched him silently, absorbing the way Blyte had startled at the abrupt flood of images flowing in his brain. Maybe it shocked him because these strange people couldn't speak the way they could? Maybe that was why they made so many strange sounds all the time- it was the way they communicated it. Hala considered the idea with his own warped logic for a long moment.

It was around then that Blyte licked his temple once again (which resulted in Hala let out a small coo of happiness) and called out to his tribe loudly before turning back to Hala, his name on his lips. Hala smiled at him, enjoying the way it sounded from his mouth. It was so rare people spoke to him, even rarer that they said his name. Blyte held out his arm randomly then and spoke directly to Hala.

Hala frowned at him and pursed his lips. What was he trying to say? Did he hear the trees speaking to him as well? Was the grass singing his name? Maybe... that was what they called whatever his people were doing? Hala's features lit up and his lifted his arm up in a sweeping gesture, "Sh... show... us. Show us?" he asked hopefully.

*

Blyte was watching Hala carefully, his eyes bright and intense as he watched him. Was he understood..? He wasn't totally convince though, and instead reached out and tapped Hala's wings. "Show? Hala..?"

He hoped that it would get the message across. He was terrible at such things, just terrible. He almost wished he could put his head to Hala's, and just let him KNOW what he wanted to see... but he didn't have that kind of ability.

It never crossed his mind that perhaps Hala could 'hear' even if he didn't speak out loud. Meanwhile Xhaiden had come over to them once more, and was frowning deeply. "So there is another tribe?" His voice was low, and soft.. though almost rusty from lack of use. Xhaiden was never one to speak when he could get by without it.

Blyte looked to his leader, his chief, and nodded firmly. "I... I am going to try to get him to lead me to his people... I'm not sure how well it'll work."

Xhaiden nodded, with a frown, thinking. "Only three of us will go- Myself, yourself, and Yamir." Yamir may have been the former leader, slightly injured, and not very trustworthy... but still the best warrior of the tribe when it came to close fighting.

The group made sense, and had the greatest chance of survival without risking too much.

Blyte nodded, and looked back to Hala, looking deep into his eyes, and hoping, almost desperately, that he could make himself understood.

*

Hala watched Blyte speak excitedly with the strange man from earlier. The cat people's method of communication was weird and inefficient. Suppose something happened to one of them or they were rendered unable to speak? They would die so easily. His own people's communication rendered them able to gain help and understanding (well, if they were sane) on a deeper level of understanding. 'It's like how water is in love with the moon,' he reasoned to himself with a small smile.

Minutes full of conversation that Hala could not understand passed until abruptly both of the men's attention was on him. Hala's eyes widened and he swallowed thickly, wondering what they wanted from him (Blyte obviously did from the pleading look on his face).

Chewing on his lips thoughtfully for a few minutes, Hala gazed at him with complete incomprehension. It was wrong to read someone else's mind... but how else was he supposed to understand what Blyte wanted? Perhaps... he could find a way to ask for permission first? Hala leveled himself up so he was eye-level with Blyte and bumped their foreheads together. His fingers came up and rested on his temples as he opened a link between them.

For Blyte, everything went black this time and a sudden surge of emotions swept over him. Curiosity, incomprehension, an eagerness to please... There was a pause to allow him to absorb these feelings before they started up again. A flash image of the two of them with their foreheads pressed together, their minds melded followed by a questioning trust. Almost unbidden from the back of his mind, the words, "Do you trust me?" floated forward to the front of his consciousness.

Hala hesitated briefly and licked his lips as he waited for an answer to his question. There had to be some way to show he meant well. Some way to prove he was trustworthy. Then it occurred to him, how could he ask anything of Blyte that he wasn't willing to give him in return? Hala would show this man some of his life, first, before expecting him to allow him into his mind.

He was four years old and sitting with his knees tucked up to his chest (and his arms wrapped around his legs) in his current home. His tiny wings fluttered absently, aching and bruised from being mishandled earlier. Hala was hungry, tired and lonely but he was unable to properly communicate this with his current foster family. They didn't understand- didn't want to understand.

* * *

Laughing. There was laughing and freedom coursed through his veins making him feel high, almost giddy with the feeling of it. Hala hopped from branch to branch, fluttering his wings and soaring only when the breeze helped to guide him. This forest was his home, the trees his friends and the animals his family. They loved him- he loved them. They understood him. Not like his people who had given up trying to take care of him.

He was nine now, so they let him come and go as he pleased. He had to find food and shelter for himself and if he disappeared for day or two and came back pleading (and they happened to notice), they would instruct him to bathe in the river because it would help. So he did and surprisingly it did make him feel better. The wounds closed easier with less of a risk of infection. He was a big boy, he didn't need them anymore.

* * *

"Go clean up and report to the pyre pit for Abneiel's funeral," a woman he'd only seen from a distance told him.

Hala smiled at her and tilted his head to the side shyly, "The tree's pets think you're pretty," he told her. "The berries will do as you please."

She stared at him for a long moment, an expression of frustration on her face. "You're thirteen years old, Hala. Isn't it time you grew out of this defiant stage and became a real man?" Hala swallowed heavily and ignored the heavy pit in his stomach. He didn't understand what she was talking about but he could tell from her tone and the emotions emanating from her that it wasn't anything good.

Maman came up behind her, gave Hala a pitying look and rested a supporting hand on her shoulder. "You misunderstand, Laudiel. He has the madness. Hala will always be like this. You must not blame him for something he was born with."

* * *

Hala was desperate for attention. Any kind of attention. He didn't even mind if he ended up being beaten again (last time, others with the madness had attacked him) so long as someone touched him. He shifted guiltily, shuffling over to the group of boys his age that was playing some sort of game.

They glanced up at him when he approached and he gave them a hopeful lopsided smile, wishing desperately that they would include him. "The shiny has swallowed my heat," he told them, a hand reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. The boys stared at him for a long moment before abruptly turning around and ignoring him.

Hala faltered, his shoulders slumping and devastated dejection beginning to set in. "Camnal?" he called out to the closest boy, stepping closer and tentatively resting a hand on his shoulder. Camnal jumped to his feet and stumbled backward with a fearful look. He muttered something to the other boys who were also backing away but Hala only caught the words, "madness" and "contagious" before they were gone.

Hala pulled Blyte out of his memories with a sad smile as they settled into the comfortable gray dullness. Their connection was still established and their emotions could easily be picked up between the two of them. Hala knew that showing the other man these memories may have been stressful to his mind. The other man hadn't been simply "viewing" them, he had experienced them as though they were his own and unless he managed to get amnesia, they would always be there. 'Maybe Blyte will still play with me and the moon of the blazing stars.'

When Blyte seemed to understand what had happened, Hala repeated his motions from earlier, asking the man to trust and accept him into his mind so he could find out just what it was they were asking of him.

*

Blyte almost cheered to himself as Hala rested his head against his own. He relaxed into the darkness. He was... unfamiliar with this form of communication, it was almost alien to him. However he felt the feelings, and before he could think of how to respond he was whisked off into.. chaotic thoughts.. almost memories.

In fact, the loneliness and hunger were so common to him, so... part of him now that he had trouble spotting the first memory for what it was- one of Hala's memories. Only when memories of the joy that came with flight that he started to catch on what these were. They were not emotions of his own that were being drawn forth- no. Instead they were memories of Hala...

He almost pulled away then. This felt... intrusive, to Hala. His people had always had the sanctity of their own minds, and rarely got much privacy other then that of their own thoughts.

When the images finally faded to a peaceful gray, he fought with his anger and rage, the thought that ANYONE could be so cruel to a child... However he calmed himself, and tried (with some trouble.. his thoughts kept getting surprisingly violent...) to visualize the village that Hala had shown him, and then an imagined image of his own people in that village.

However, in doing this, his mind opened, turbulent emotion roiling in his mind. Anger, empathic hurt, bone deep loneliness...

Meanwhile, in the realm of the physical, Blyte's arms were holding Hala close, ever so close, and Xhaiden was confused.

The sudden motion, and stillness the two exhibited bothered him. What's more, he could smell Blyte's agitation, and it was only the fact that Blyte was not showing any signs of being in pain that he did not intervene- with a well aimed arrow to the bird man's head.

*

Hala was confused by the feelings he could sense (that alone proved he had no experience in telepathy) bubbling just under the surface of Blyte's mind. He was full of a righteous rage so unlike anything Hala had every felt before. He squirmed uneasily and nibbled on his lower lip, wondering just what he'd done that had made Blyte so furious.

A feeling of despair welled inside of him at the thought that perhaps he'd lost a friend who could actually understood him. Why did everyone turn him away when they realized he was different?

Hala was unable to further investigate this thought as the gray surroundings flickered a few times and showed a fuzzy image of his village. He glanced over at Blyte curiously, his eyes wide and amazed. People who were not telepathic should not have been able to do this with such little effort. It was unheard of and distinctly reminded him of the strange friends he'd made with an odd series of trees when he was younger.

The image flickered again and the cat people where in his village. Sudden and abrupt understanding dawned on Hala. He let out a soft trill of surprise and would have severed his connection at this point if Blyte's mind hadn't burst. Garbled emotions sped up and flooded Hala's mind, unchecked and out of control. The anger, hurt and desperate longing familiar and yet so very different to his own.

Hala yelped and jerked back against Blyte's physical hold, his mind overwhelmed from the unchecked feelings. Hala was curved backward as he strained to get away from the emotional barrage. It took everything he had to find the strength to rip his fingers away from Blyte to break the connection.

There was a moment of silence disturbed only by heavy breathing as Hala slumped backwards off Blyte's lap, unconscious.

*

Blyte fell back with a gasp as the communication was broken, Hala's pain and confusion leaving him breathless. He realised numbly that he'd let go of Hala, and he couldn't figure out quite what was going on. His very mind felt disjointed and raw and confused and... he closed his eyes, and started to breath deeply, reaching for the peace he had to use to speak with the spirits.


Xhaiden had been watching them carefully, and was shocked and very confused when the strange creature suddenly gasped and started to struggle as if in pain, as if Blyte was causing the pain. Yet there were no visible wounds, other then the ones on his back. He drew an arrow taught and moved closer to them, "Blyte! What has happened?" He hissed darkly.

Blyte struggled to answer, before managing, "They... speak. Mind to mind.. and.. something..? Went wrong..."

Xhaiden scowled, and lowered his bow. The creature seemed to be unconscious, but he still reached for his rope, and then pulled Hala away, tying him up. Arms, legs, and wings all bound. He did not trust this creature, and until Blyte was in better shape to explain what in all the hells he was talking about he would not trust the creature, and kept him at arrow point.

Blyte was slowly collecting his thoughts, weakly... never mind the agony his head was in. He lay there, in a very awkward position, his eyes half closed and unseeing.

Yamir moved over as Xhaiden was tying up the bird creature, and sneered down at it. "Why are you tying it up and not eating it? It is prey, it is not able to fight, and it is dangerous."

Xhaiden looked up, scowling, "So you have no honor? To take advantage of someone who is helpless? Prey deserve the right to try to get away- if there is no hunt there is no honor in it's death. Think of something other then your belly for once."

Yamir growled lowly, and left in anger.

*

Hala came to consciousness slowly, unaware of what was going on around him or why there was a dull throb pulsing around in his brain. He frowned and began to move one arm up to massage his head when he found... he couldn't.

With a small trill of confusion, his eyes popped open and revealed that hard woolly things were wrapped around his body - and wings - were constricting him! Hala's heart jumped into his throat and panic began to claw at his stomach. What was going on? Why was he all tied up?

Hala glanced around the small campsite with an overwhelming sense of fear, suddenly seeing these creatures who were not friends in a new light. Not even the deranged or the insane had so easily taken away the ability to move. What type of people were they if they had no problem paralyzing someone so?

A nauseated churn of his belly made him squawk louder yet, the sound a mix of a trill and a screech with a touch of hysteria. Hala's wings fluttered, straining desperately against the bonds. There was a creaking sound, but he ignored it. He forced more strength into the muscles of his wings unaware of the growing pain it was causing in his adrenaline rush until abruptly it snapped and his wings were free and fully extended.

Hala's wings flapped once, twice and then he was seven feet in the air, attempting to fly away. He couldn't though, something... had been damaged in multiple areas of his wings and they sent a flair of agony through him and sent him tumbling to the ground.

*

Blyte was lost in the delirium of pain and aching when he heard a sound. Just a small trill, but it was a sound that he only had ever associated with one thing, even in such a short time- Hala. It lurched him, and he managed to come back to himself, sitting up stiffly, and staring at the sight of a bound bird- a bird straining against bonds.

Within his mind he cursed Xhaiden. It was such a typical reaction for their people but one that could bring so much... harm! He was struggling to his feet, even as Hala managed to get into the air-- and then those beautiful wings gave out.

He wasn't fast enough to catch Hala- but he was certainly there within seconds of Hala hitting the unfeeling earth. He didn't even hesitate to slash the bonds on Hala's arms and legs, and started to try to sooth him, whispering non-sense words and trying to project comfort, unknowing of if Hala could even understand it.

Xhaiden had been watching the strange bird man, when it awoke, and apparently panicked. He backed away quickly, bow taut with his arrow, ready to fire if needed. It never happened though, as the creature managed to come to the earth once more. He was also.. well.. shocked. He'd NEVER seen Blyte move that quickly. Not even when his very life was on the line.

Xhaiden lowered his bow, with a deep sigh. Somehow he had a feeling that more was going to change. While he didn't mind it, he did have to sooth the rest of the tribe, who were now quite upset, some reaching for weapons. Obviously he had made a mistake. He would allow Blyte to treat the creature, before making his apology. Perhaps it would be enough.

Yamir was sitting with his children when the particularly tasty looking bird made a strangled noise, and fell to the ground after trying to fly. A sneer touched his lips. Xhaiden had messed up, again. How was it honorable to make something suffer, instead of ending it? Either way, the creature would NOT get near his children, or wives.


Blyte hummed softly, trying to remember ANYTHING he could to sooth the hurt creature, hot tears in his eyes.

*

When Hala hit the ground, his wings cushioned his fall (they'd wrapped around him instinctively) and left him with minimal injuries (nothing he would normally even feel) to his body. His wings, on the other hand, didn't fair so well.

The left wing had sustained most of the damage, the most prominent being the top of it. It was obviously broken in half and hanging on by just a few tendons and muscles. It flopped forward uselessly, the skin broken and blood leaking at an alarming pace. The rest of the wing just had the few odd broken bones while the right wing had only a few fractured bones.

Hala whimpered and writhed in a pain so intense it choked off his lungs. Then Blyte was there, freeing him from his bonds and trying to soothe him. Hala shoved him away wildly, needing desperately to get up and remove the pressure from his wings. He sat up and hunched over, his wings drooping over his form, blood from his left wing soaking into the feathers and skin. Hala reached up with shaky hands, his stomach churning at what he might find there as pained little whistles dribbled past his lips.

Fingers brushed gently against the tip of his wing, felt it swing uselessly since it was almost completely severed. Hala yelped at the pain that coursed through him, his body flinched and he was unable to stop himself from emptying his stomach all over the ground in front of him.

*

Blyte, as the 'healer' had seen the worst wounds. The ones that people took defending their families. He had seen men holding in their own entrails with half whole hands. He'd seen fevers and infections that left others begging for death. He'd seen maggots writhing about in a still living woman's brain.

Despite all this horror, the sight of those broken wings chilled him to the bone, and he carefully backed away from Hala. He had caused this- well. He and Xhaiden, and they were going to have a very interesting conversation about that very soon.

He felt helplessness well in his throat. What could he do? How could he help..? "Hala, Hala..! Please forgive me, please... let me help."

He knew he had some herbs that could help one sleep, that could help deaden the pain that probably was rife in his friends mind. His anger was bone deep, but it could be dealt with- later. Right now, Hala needed him. Or perhaps he needed to help Hala.

Xhaiden felt his stomach churn at the broken sight of broken wings. He'd seen similar things, on smaller birds.. birds that could not cry tears- birds that he could put out of their misery without fear. He closed his eyes tightly, and felt his stomach contract and fight against him, angry at what he had done.

Why had he thought that he could do such things? Why had he even DREAMED that binding the wings of a bird was even slightly intelligent...? He knew, almost in his heart, that the tribe this creature belonged to may never forgive them. He certainly wouldn't if one of them had crippled his people. His mind was already moving, trying to see of ways that they could possibly avoid war... and to his great distress, he could not think of any.

All he was glad was that most of his tribe was out of sight, unable to currently see his shame.

Blyte stared for a long moment, before moving forward. He might get covered in vomit, but... he had to help. He couldn't let this guilt hold him any longer, so moving carefully, he got to Hala's side, and gently grasped his hands. Holding Hala's wrists, he put their heads together, and placed Hala's hands onto his temples. His grip was gentle, insistent, but not binding. Obviously binding wasn't exactly the best idea with these people.

Xhaiden knew his face was covered in tears, and that his tribe could just barely see what was going on- they'd moved slightly away to make their camp, giving the crazy creature that smelled too much like prey some space. He wasn't sure quite WHAT to do, just then his partner filled up his vision. A large leopard, beautiful, majestic... and the huge creature moved forward, and with it's large tongue, rough enough to strip flesh from bones, cleaned his face.

A quiet reassurance, and with it he squared his shoulders. Blyte would need help, to remove the broken limb. Running a callused hand through the leopards thick fur, he finally moved forward, as Blyte was trying that.. strange head to head thing. Not that it worked all that great last time... He had to be ready, he knew that the healer would know what needed to be done. (Assuming the healer was in his right mind of course...) and he knew the signal. Had seen it too many times as the healer distracted or drugged some poor soul while he did the painful part.

The healer had to be trusted, and one never trusted those that brought pain.

*

Hala was lost in his own mind. It flickered through memories, sensations, and rapid thought patterns about completely unrelated things. The moon, the trees, Blyte's worried expression, flying, the deranged attacking him, the taste of berries on his tongue, pain, the look of horror on Xhaiden's face when he'd first sat up. He moaned, rocking a little and ignoring the flicker of increased pain that burned like fire in his veins, his wings.

Distantly, Hala heard the sound of Blyte's pleading voice but it didn't register in his mind. Nothing really did except for the thought that he'd never be able to fly again because of this. Sorrow welled up inside of him, deep and cutting. Flying was the only thing that brought joy in his life. Now he was imprisoned and weighed down to Earth. It was the only defense he'd had against the deranged and now... now his people wouldn't even want him anymore. Now he was different inside and out. There was nothing left for him. Not even his friends, the trees, or the berries could help him through a despair so deep.

A buzzing started in his brain, tugging at him, warming him. Hala turned his back to it and delved deeper in his mind. He was falling into the sky and grasping at the clouds. He wondered vaguely if he could swing off of one and soar up into space to see the stars. The buzzing became louder, mixed with a genuine earnestness and plea. It begged him to come back to Earth and face it.

The stars were gorgeous in the darkness of space. They burned brightly like the sun and coaxed him closer, luring him with affectionate giggles and promises of freedom. Hala hesitated, his breath catching in his throat as a feeling of wrong swept through him. There was something wrong here that he couldn't identify, something permanent and final.

The buzzing in the back of his head became more urgent and desperate, pleading with him, 'Please, please. Come back.' Hala's eyebrows furrowed as a tugging sensation twisted at his navel. The star's offer was tempting- so tempting. And yet... something deep inside of his distinctly cringed at the idea of taking it. Something told him that he would regret it if he did.

Hala sighed, floating backward and away from it with unsteady wings. And then suddenly he couldn't breathe. His hands flew up to his throat and clawed desperately, trying to find the much needed oxygen to fill his lungs. And then he was falling again. Falling down out of space and hurtling towards Earth. The buzzing in his ears was deafening and painful. He cried out and tried to steady himself, to use his wings to slow down and glide to the surface gently. Except he found his wings were gone. Without them, there was nothing he could even hope to do to save himself. He hit the ground.

Hala flew up through the floor of the gray room he'd been in earlier that day with Blyte. His butt cushioned him with a slightly painful bounce on the floor. His hands flew out to the sides to steady him and he slumped sideways panting. His heart was pounding and fear leftover from his fall to Earth coursed through him. What had happened? Why wasn't he dead? Where...?

Hala looked up then and found Blyte standing across the room six feet away. A moment passed before it occurred to him that the buzzing from earlier had been Blyte. Blyte who had somehow managed to start this mental exchange between them without his help.

*

Blyte was sure- so very sure that this gray emptiness meant something that he really didn't want to consider. He didn't want to consider that he may have killed Hala's very soul with his inept attempts at communication. However the moment that Hala appeared in the room- even if it was a bit of a rough landing, he gave into his instincts.

The following pounce-hug was probably very new to the bird people, especially considering that Blyte was holding on so tightly, and of all things, singing softly. It was a melodious sound, an old lullaby that his mother had sung to him ages ago.

It was a song he sung whenever he was hurt, or afraid, or the loneliness got to be too much. He crooned the words softly under his breath, just holding onto Hala tightly. It was a song that meant all the comfort to the world to him, and in this mind scape, triggering such memories was almost as good as sharing them. The vague remembrance of being warm, held, and safe, knowing that someone was there to take care of you.

Outside of the mental, his hand twitched in a specific way. To someone who hadn't worked with him before, it was just a spasm, nothing to be noted.

To Xhaiden it was a signal. He drew his razor sharp bone knife and without a sound or warning cut the last thread of flesh that connected the damaged wing to the bird creature he'd so wronged.

He did not flinch away from this duty, nor did he close his eyes while doing the deed. He would face his shame with honor. He would do things right, and he knew that Blyte could not do this alone.

*

Hala was taken completely by surprise when Blyte abruptly pounced on him and tugged him into a hug. So much so, in fact, that he'd flinched and would have rolled away from Bylte if he'd had the time to do so. As it was, he'd cried out with a hollow little trill and expected to be pummeled.

When warm arms wrapped around him and pulled him close, he'd stiffened in surprise. Wha- why was- what was going on? And then it occurred to him that this was a hug. He'd never had one of those before but he'd seen the people in his village give them to each other. It had been something he'd always wanted but never been able to ask for.

Hala leaned into the comforting embrace, his own arms hesitating before tentatively reaching up to wrap around Blyte's waist. His emotions swirled around the two of them dimly in the background, controlled and only noticeable to those perceptive enough to want to know them. Surprise, fear, wonder, happiness, pain.

What was that sound? Beautiful, haunting and loving all at once. A quiet melody floated around them encased in a thick swath of feelings that he couldn't help but revel in. Is this what it felt like to be loved and cared for? What it meant to be safe and warm and knowing that someone was always there for you? Hala thought that if it was, it was something he never wanted to stop feeling.

Hala crooned along to the melody as he rested his head on Blyte's shoulder and wrapped his legs around his hips. He pressed himself as close to the other man as possible, almost as though he were attempting to be a part of him. More, more. Please more.

In this gray room, his wings were whole and undamaged. They stretched out to their full length absently and wrapped around the two of them. The feathers were warm and soft, shivering lightly from the overload of emotions.

And then suddenly: pain, a hollow ache where there should have been more. A burst of grief clawed at his throat and Hala choked. He knew without having to be told that the top of his wing was gone. The same despair from earlier threatened to consume him. His wings- his wings...!

Hala burrowed closer to Blyte for added comfort, turning to the only person who had ever given him (literally) feelings of safety and love. In the back of his mind (so deep that it couldn't be picked up even in the gray room), a dim hope flickered. He could survive the loss of his wings if something new replaced it- something he'd always wanted. Something like Blyte. Without even realizing it, Hala's hidden away sanity decided that he would have Blyte- even if it was the last thing it ever did.

*

Blyte was almost surprised at how strongly Hala was reacting to the simple act of affection. Then again, the warmth and simple joy of the touch of another was almost overwhelming, and though he felt the startle and pain that meant that Xhaiden had finally done something correctly, he instead just focused on the comforting warmth, though he did sing a few querying notes, begging for forgiveness.

He hadn't realized how harmful his attempt at showing such images would be, and he'd take care of Hala. He'd make sure he healed, that he was OK. Even if it meant he had to leave his tribe... they had abandoned him first.

Xhaiden watched the blood flow sluggishly, and sighed deeply. Good. The creature had jerked, but not too badly. Now.. Now Blyte could take care of the rest... for now. He didn't know how long they'd be in their strange trance, but with a hand on his partner, he moved over to speak with his tribesmen. To apologize for the noise and trouble.

*

The pain from his lost limb haunted Hala. It was always going to be there at the back of his mind. He knew this and yet he couldn't help but hope that one day it would disappear. That perhaps he'd find a way fly again- even if it wasn't for long periods of time. Just thinking about this made him long to feel the wind caressing his face and wings.

Hala shook his head and sighed deeply, nuzzling into the crook of Blyte's neck with small whimper (a mixture of a low trill and a wheezing chirp). He could feel the cat man's apology in the song but was unable to comprehend why he would be apologizing. He hadn't done anything wrong that Hala could think of (except, perhaps, not being telepathic- but that was a biological factor, not something he could really be blamed for).

Cocking his head to the side in confusion, Hala attempted a more direct form of communication with his telepathy. Under normal circumstances, he would never even fantasize of attempting this type of communication. It was difficult for even the bird people to do among one another... but for some reason Hala had always had a talent for it.

Instead of sending him images, he placed his own thoughts directly into Blyte's mind. The telepathy and the intellectual power allowed the incoming thoughts to be converted and translated into something that would make sense to him (along with a small set of very basic instructions - and not to worry if it didn't work - on how to do this with Hala). 'Why are you apologizing?'

*

Blyte had been happy to lose himself in the haze of mental healing- even if it wasn't all Hala that was doing said healing. No. He was healing a little himself, though most would not know it.

He blinked when he could have sworn.. words..? He stared at Hala for a long moment, his eyes confused, before he finally broke the almost spell like trance of the song, and tried the same thing back. 'I should have protected you from this pain. It is my fault.'

He answered back, though he was not entirely sure if the message even got across. He was concentrating hard to keep himself calm, not letting his own gnawing despair effect them both.

The guilt and despair were almost tangible, though he tried to keep it back. All that mattered now was Hala, and Hala feeling perhaps a little better.

*

Hala knew almost immediately that his attempts at direct contact had succeeded from the confused, almost amazed expression on Blyte's face. He smiled brightly and felt a bit of pride well up inside of him. Even if he did have the madness and was now useless when it came to flying (something which hadn't really hit home yet since he was blanketed by all of Blyte's cozy feelings of security), he could do something none of the others could.

As Blyte processed his instructions, Hala found himself waiting eagerly for a response. Would it work? It would be even more amazing (and impossible) then Hala speaking directly with him since today was the first time this man had had contact with telepathy.

Blyte's mouth opened, his lips moved and he seemed to speak to Hala in the same manner of communication his people used (which he knew was really just his perception since the translation was working). Hala grinned and clapped his hands together once.

'Let the sky cackle and the trees weep. It worked,' Hala said aloud. 'My friends. I wish to share the secrets of this day to them. No one from our tribe has ever succeeded in such a direct form of communication before.'

Hala reached out to Blyte and, as though realizing just who he was a split second before he made contact, hesitated. 'You have no reason for guilt. Like the animals perching in the forest, you were oblivious.' Hala sighed a little and chewed on his lower lip before swallowing thickly and ignoring the depression that suddenly bore down on him. 'I do not blame you, my friend.'

A small surge of suppressed emotions roiled in the air beside Blyte and it took Hala a moment to realize that this was an attempt to protect him from them. He smiled softly to himself (and shivered as a warm tingly sensation spread inside of him) and sent another set of directions. He explained that Blyte should not attempt to suppress his emotions, but rather set up mental barriers (which were only somewhat difficult to put up and rather effortless to maintain) to block unwanted thoughts, feelings and memories from slipping out.