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Kismet of a Changechild

Chapter II

By Aura Kage

"I'm Snowsong," the Tayledras boy said – muttered, really – as he gazed avidly at his feet, one arm held straight to his side and the other at a perfect, if uncomfortable, angle that served as a perch for a bird that glared fiercely at the Changechild. "I found you in the forest."

"Thank you for bringing me back," the Changechild replied politely, leaning against her soft pillow, eyes half-closing in bliss. Was it only yesterday that she had allowed that female Tayledras to patch her up? It seemed like years…she had been treated so nicely! She never remembered being cared for as if…well, as if her well being mattered.

Then again, she didn't remember much of anything, so the meaning in the feeling was only reaction to something new and nice, in her opinion.

"You're welcome." Snowsong looked up, and the Changechild was granted a flash of icy blue eyes before the Tayledras looked down again. The fierce bird on his arm shifted as if in irritation.

"So," the Changechild said, attempting to make conversation, "who is that?"

"Who? Her?" Snowsong's head jerked in the direction of the bird on his arm, and at the Changechild's nod, the Tayledras smiled weakly and continued. "That's Kestri, my bondbird. She's a kestrel."

"Oh," the Changechild replied, trying to sound as if she knew what a 'kestrel' was. 'Kestri' fixed a further intensified gaze on her. "What's a bondbird?"

"They're…birds that bond with people," Snowsong explained, weight shifting from foot to foot. She shrugged, making Kestri lose her balance and chirrup in indignation. "It's hard to explain."

"I see. Why does she look so angry…?"

"Angry?" Snowsong echoed, looking confused. His brow furrowed, gaze lowering as if listening to something, and then he glanced up at the Changechild again. "Kestri says that she isn't angry."

"She says…?"

"Bondbirds can Mindspeak," the Tayledras scout explained, his idle hand lifting to stroke the kestrel's crest. "You know what Mindspeaking is, right?"

"Um…" the Changechild scratched her head, lost for words. Mindspeaking?

:It's like this,: Snowsong said. The Changechild looked up in alarm; Snowsong chuckled a little and continued. :It's Mindspeaking. Understand? Can you do it?:

The Changechild bit her lip gently, not wanting to draw her own blood. Could she Mindspeak? Maybe…

:Like…like this?:

:Yes, exactly like that!: Snowsong exclaimed in her mind, giving the Changechild a mental pat on the back.

:Well,: was all the Changechild could answer. So that was why there were so many large birds around this Tayledras-place – they were all bondbirds. And they spoke – that in itself was interesting.

"Could you tell me more?" the Changechild asked. "More about the Tayledras, I mean, like with the bondbirds?"

Snowsong blinked. "What do you-"

"Like the deer yesterday," she interrupted. "He was able to make me do what he wanted…tell me about him."

"D-deer? No, that wasn't a deer, that was a dyheli – they look like deer, but they're not," Snowsong explained. "They can only talk by Mindspeaking. But the hertasi – those look like lizards – talk out loud…and so do the gryphons, except gryphons can also Mindspeak if they want to."

The Changechild felt herself grin. So that was what those odd lizards were called. They seemed to thread carefully around her, like prey about a panther, and the Changechild had pretended to be asleep so she could watch them. Everything about the Tayledras was so – exotic, new, interesting. Even though she couldn't remember anything – well, almost couldn't remember anything – she knew that there had been nothing as fascinating in her past life than the Hawkbrothers.

"What are gryphons?" the Changechild asked.

"They…they look like monsters, but they aren't," Snowsong answered. "They-"

"Snowsong, are you in there?" Nightwind demanded from outside the door. Snowsong turned quickly, making Kestri give another chirrup as she flapped her wings and tried to regain her equilibrium.

"Yes."

"Well, you need to leave," Nightwind said, opening the door. "The Changechild needs her rest, not you bothering her."

"It is fine, Nightwind," the Changechild said, leaning back into her pillow after realizing that she had sat up while talking to the Tayledras scout. She felt slightly light-headed. "He was telling me about gryphons."

"Well, when you get better, you can see the gryphons face-to-face," Nightwind said impatiently, waving Snowsong and Kestri out. "Kel, in fact, would absolutely love that. Now, however, you must rest."

"Yes," the Changechild agreed flatly, shifting in her blanket to a new position. She watched Nightwind fumble around the cabinet for something, and when the Tayledras woman turned to leave the Changechild stopped her.

"Nightwind?"

"Yes?"

"Why do all the Tayledras have such…ah…nature-related names? Like you and Snowsong?"

"Well…oftentimes use-names are given because it describes someone, or because something special happened. Like Starfall, for instance."

There was a pause. The Changechild wondered who Starfall was.

"Is that all?" Nightwind asked.

"Yes…no…"

"Make up your mind."

"Well…Nightwind, could I have a Tayledras use-name?" the Changechild asked, trying to sound humble to increase her chances of agreement and failing.

Nightwind tilted her head a little, looking unsure. "I…don't see why not. What kind of a use-name would you like?" she said a little awkwardly.

"One that describes me," the Changechild told her, letting a touch of eagerness creep into her voice. Nightwind frowned – a frown of thought, not one of unhappiness, she noted brightly.

"I honestly can't think of one at the moment, Changechild-"

"Then just any one!" the Changechild said, sounding suddenly desperate to Nightwind's ears, rather than rather cheerful and eager. "The first that comes to your mind!"

"Dawnshadow," Nightwind said promptly. When the Changechild lifted an eyebrow in bewilderment and possibly woe at Nightwind's choice, Nightwind explained: "To be truthful, Changechild, you have the most drastic…changes of emotion…I have ever seen. And you know, some Tayledras change their use-names-"

"Oh, no!" the Changechild exclaimed, horrified. "I do not wish to change it! I love it! Dawnshadow…"

Nightwind suppressed a smile and chuckle as she left the Changechild muttering her use-name to herself repeatedly while staring off into space, and left to spend some time with Kel.

~

"Ssso, herrr ussse-name isss Dawnssshadow?" Kelvren replied, sounding interested, as he settled himself down in a comfortable position to allow Nightwind to tend to his broken feathers. The gryphon, apparently, had tried to take down a dyheli doe and realized what she was only at the last second. He swerved out of the way, landing on the ground perhaps a hands-width away from her, but his rough landing had injured his bronze plumage.

The dyheli doe had taken off as if the hellhounds were chasing her.

"Yes," Nightwind said, opening up the feather-healing kit and squinting as the sun reflected off the bright utensils. She shrugged. "I couldn't think of much else to describe her, but really Kel - conversations with her are rather confusing – one second she's happy, the next she's begging and desperate for a use-name."

"Then I will make surrre I will get a firrrssst-hand view of one of thossse converrrsssationsss," Kel answered, chuckling. Nightwind sighed and began running her fingers through the gryphon's plumage, searching for broken shafts.

"And scare her half to death in the process."

"If what you sssay isss trrrue, then ssshe will only be ssscarrred forrr a moment beforrre becoming verrry impressed," Kel said, while Nightwind rolled her eyes. "Hmm."

"What do you mean, 'hmm'?"

"Jussst wonderrring…how ssshall I make my appearrrance?" Kel said. "It mussst be fancssy, yess, but how-"

"Oh, stop preening, you vain bird," Nightwind interrupted. "She's not out of bed yet, nor will she be for a while."

"Yesss, but afterrr that while-"

"You truly are obsessed with this, aren't you?"

"Well, what can I sssay? I mussst make sssure that I get my dossse of worrrssshipping," Kel replied coolly. His tone changed to one of terror. "Jussst think what an awful worrrld this would be if people lacked prrroperrr fassscination for gryphonsss!"

"A horrifying prospect, I'm sure," Nightwind said dryly.

"It isss, it isss," Kel agreed, nodding his head. He looked over at Nightwind. "Arrre you almossst done?"

"I would be, King of All, if you could have broken your feathers more obviously," Nightwind said. "Looking at these, I wouldn't say this was merely a 'rough' landing."

"Well, no, it wasssn't," Kel admitted, chagrined. "I lossst my footing a bit and crrrassshed thrrrough a busssshhh."

"I thought as much," Nightwind said, lifting out a leaf that had somehow stuck in the gryphon's feathers. She sighed and shook her head in mock-chastisement. "Gryphon, gryphon, you must learn to identify your prey before you dive at it!"

"I wasss hungry," Kel said. His beak gaped slightly in a gryphon-grin. "Motherrr."

"Quiet, you," Nightwind said, slapping the gryphon's beak lightly. "Speaking of families, where's Moonshadow?"

"I gave herrr to Keisssha beforrre I went hunting," Kel informed. "I did not want herrr tagging along, afterrr all."

"But you know Keisha needs her rest as well," Nightwind chastised. "Keisha will be ready to have her baby in within a few weeks, give or take a little."

"I know. But jussst meansss ssshe will need the exxxperiencssse ssshe can get," Kelvren said, nodding all-knowingly. "You would not want Darrrian to eat himssself of worrrrry if something orrrrdinarrry happensss that he is not awarrre of is commonplacssse, yesss? Thisss way, he knowsss how to take carrre of thingsss."

"What does Darian have to do with giving Moonshadow to Keisha?" Nightwind asked, finding another broken feather and carefully tending to it.

"What, you did not hearrr what happened?" Kel said, gryphon-grinning with the intent to keep whatever he heard from Nightwind as long as he could.

"Tell me, vain bird, or I will stop fixing your oh-so-pretty feathers."

"You arrre such a fun-ridderrr," Kelvren said, giving a long-suffering sigh. "Fine. Keisssha has been sssummoned sssomewherrre– to Lorrrd Brrrreon'ssss, I think – becausssse hisss magesss arrre sssufferrring frrrom sssome sssort of sssicknesss…orrr ssso they sssay."

"His mages?" Nightwind said. "Do you think they could just be suffering from some reaction-headache?"

"That isss why I sssay 'orrr ssso they sssay'," Kel said. He shrugged. "Then again, perhapsss it isss sssome disseasse."

"Gods, hopefully not," Nightwind said.

"Yesss," Kelvren agreed. "But if it isss not a dissseassse – Nightwind, don't magesss only get rrreaction-headachesss when therrre hasss been ssstrrrong magic working? Asss farrr asss I know, no one hasss been meddling about."

"Well, if someone was meddling with magics near here, everyone would be able to sense it," Nightwind said, dismissing the idea.

"Yesss…you arrre rrright," Kelvren agreed, though inwardly, he was not so sure.

Better to leave out the fact that he had not merely lost his footing while missing the dyheli – he felt as if he had been pushed through the bush by some force behind him.

And also better to leave out the gruesome details of a true deer he had found after crashing through that bush, its body slashed and torn as if it had been mutilated by a gryphon.

And maybe it was also good not to mention that he had made sure to wake up the earliest of the any of the gryphons so that he could hunt alone in that special patch of forest, and even made sure that absolutely no gryphons were awake to follow him…

~

The Companion paused, huffing and walking off the path to lie down in the shade of the tree. He was tired – he had been traveling through the rest of yesterday, and through the night in hopes he could make it to his Chosen the next day. Not going to happen…he needed to rest.

He crumpled under the shade, nuzzling into the lush green grass before drifting off into weary sleep…