AN: Yes, there must be tons of these floating around, and I was bored, and was feeling a little fluffy. If you want me to write any other oneshots, just review and tell me. This takes place before they tell everyone that they're together.
It was just another warm summer day in the palace, golden sunlight streaming in the windows as everyone bustled and moved, carrying all manner of things. Children ran around, playing some game they had made up at the spot. Dogs stood dutifully beside masters, occasionally twitching as a cat or two ran by chasing their next meal. Mice skittered and squeaked, evading both irate bakers and hungry felines. Ouna was in the stables, grooming out a bay horse when she heard the sound of laughing and running steps. Numair ran, his hair streaming out behind him. Daine, giggling profusely, ran away, holding his leather hair tie in one hand. "Magelet, give it back." He shouted, but amusement ran in his tone.
"You can have it if you manage to catch me first." Daine teased him. Ouna shook her head in amusement as she kept watching. Those two were real children sometimes.
Numair appeared to have the advantage, with his long legs, but then Daine kicked off her boots and gave herself long horse legs, grinning impishly when he cried out, "Not fair!"
Numair sighed, as he kept running after her. Suddenly, he began to morph, shrinking and growing wings. Within seconds, a glossy black hawk swooped up and then dived, aiming for the hair tie. Before he would reach it, Daine laughed and also morphed into a hawk, horse legs shrinking and becoming coated with yellow scales, feathers sprouting. She had brown plumage, and was speckled with white.
Ouna couldn't help but laugh as the two swooped around in the sky, looking as if they were in an aerial dance, whirling perfectly in beat, first swooping up, shrieking and then flying right beside each other, wing tips touching. To her amusement, it seemed the hair tie was all but forgotten. Gently, they settled down on the pasture fence, perching on one of the posts that spaced it. Daine gently dropped the hair tie onto soft green grass, and began to preen him. Suddenly, Ouna's laughter vanished, replaced with confusion. Wasn't preening an action reserved for mates? She was quite sure that it was. And if it was... well, she didn't want to think about that.
But Daine kept on preening, and then Numair returned the favor, gently running his beak through her soft feather, both chirping contentedly. Then it clicked. They had both been disappearing randomly throughout the month, always reappearing, looking not quite themselves. Both had been perpetually happy. Everyone had gossiped, but it had been nothing new, so Ouna had never suspected a thing.
She expected to feel a rush of anger, or sadness. Something that set her off and made her want to slap Numair for taking advantage of Daine. But she didn't feel a thing. Deep down, she already knew that the age wouldn't matter, and that Numair would never do that to Daine. Daine was too mature to be taken advantage of anyways. She cared for Daine, but she also trusted her judgment. And, there was always the fact that she could turn into a tiger and had a baby dragon. Then the bay gently moved so his long mane concealed the view of the two birds. His eye gazed at her sternly, as if to say, Shame on you for spying. She chuckled, then dutifully picked up the brush and groomed the horse. She knew she wouldn't confront them on this. They would tell when they were ready. She was content with the fact that Daine, one of her best friends. There are happy endings in this world. She thought wistfully.