Gala awoke to a loud fanfare that was coming from her wrist. 'Wait... what?!' She stared at her wrist. She saw the white watch on her light purple fur. 'Whoa, I thought it had all been a dream...' Gala stood up, stretching out her knotted muscles. Not used to how comfortable the bed was, she had slept on the floor which was still much more comfortable than what she was used to, thanks to the soft, plush carpet. She walked into the bathroom, taking in the familiar scent of fresh bamboo. She cleaned up a little, taking the time to get the knots out of her fur and hair. She quickly put her long hair, which had stayed black, the same color as her stripes, into a simple braid, which hung down her back. She checked her watch. It was only 7:15, and she could probably get in a short nap if she wanted to, but she felt no desire to laze around her new home. She walked back into her bedroom and pawed though the clothes in the Long Drawers (she had found, last night, that it was full of any article of clothing she could desire). She found a cotton shirt with a picture of Fyora on it and paired it with a pair of jeans. Pocketing her wand, Gala walked out the front door of her flat and glanced at the stairs. 'Hmm, I wonder what it's like to fly...' Gala flexed her new wings, and nearly fell over because of it. "Must... learn... balance..." Gala muttered to herself as she stood. She carefully walked up the stairs, wondering how she made it all the way up 5 flights yesterday without falling. She (finally) reached the door to the roof and opened it, her fur turning pastel yellow with relief. Gala looked around. The roof was relatively plain, devoid of all furniture except for a rather tattered, but comfortable, looking couch. Gala chose the edge just above the avenue that led to the building, and wondered how to start out. 'Run and leap, or just jump?' Gala looked down. 'Definitely run and jump, I'd rather have alot more momentum to help me get flying.' Gala backed up from the edge, and began running, piking up speed. She could feel the wind under her wings, and felt a rush of exhileration as she leaped from the edge and began to pump her wings...
...And began to fall. Gala yelped as she rushed face-first toward the ground, which suddenly looked alot farther, but was rapidly closing in. She shut her eyes as she felt she was about to hit the ground, her fur turning an almost transparent shade of white...
...And was caught by something soft and furry. She opened her eyes and looked up at her saviour. A white uni with kind blue eyes stared down at the pale white kougra. The uni, a female, alighted on the ground gracefully, stretching her wings gracefully as she dropped Gala onto the ground. "What do you think you were doing, Kitten? Free-falling five stories?!" Gala's fur blushed pink.
"W-well, I j-just g-got a pair of w-wings..." Gala stammered, looking down at the ground.
"And you thought you'd try them out? Tsk, you would've been severely hurt or worse, killed, if I hadn't been out here!" Gala nodded, looking forlornly down at the ground. The uni sighed and smiled.
"Sorry, I was just scared. I was just leaving my little neohome when I saw you jump. I live there." She waved at a extremely pastel (almost white) blue house which, Gala noticed, had no door, rather, a unch of windows.
"How'd you come outside?" Gala looked at the uni curiously.
"Oh, there's a trap door on my roof. It's my front door. I don't get alot of chances to exercise my wings during the day, so every day I fly down rather than just walk out. By the way, I'm WindDancer, but call me Windy. You must be GalaLeFey, Dewdrop already told me about you. I'm an air element. Watch this." WindDancer knelt on the ground carefully, as though afraid she would jostle something. She began twirling her hand gently in the air, moving it in circles. Gala noticed the wind pick up around her, moving in the same direction as Windy's hand. It got stronger and stronger: Gala soon was crouching on the ground, digging her claws into the dirt, trying to keep the wind from tugging her into the air. The uni glanced at Gala and began making movements with her hands, as though stretching out a rubberband. The wind began receding, buffeting just outside a small circle which held Gala and WindDancer. Gala stared around her in awe: the wind had picked up a little dust and she could see the small, low power cyclone being held in check by Windy. Apparently there were others who weren't amused. Dewdrop and Bramble, apparently leaving their homes right now, noticed the whirlwind and walked over in annoyance: as Bramble marched through his garden, the plants shied out of his way, receding from his footsteps. Dewdrop's entrance was a bit more spectacular. Her water, already rough from the winds, was immediately calmed and a path opened through the center, like a miniature version of Moses' grand miracle. The duo stomped up to WindDancer, who, with a snap of her fingers, called of the winds. Everything grew eerily calm once again, so suddenly.
"What do you think you're doing? You could've ripped my plants up by the roots! You scared them out of two years growth!" Bramble growled in annoyance.
"And my fish! They're all quiverring at the bottom of my pond from fright of the storm you whipped up for them!" Dewdrop hissed in annoyance. Gala perked her ears: she hadn't realized there was anything living in Dewdrop's pond, though it seemed quite normal to fill a pond with fish petpets. Walking away from the squabbling pets, Gala made her way towards the water. She knelt by it, and placed a paw in the water. She felt something similar to the feeling she got while touching a plant yesterday: an awesome awareness of life. A bunch of aquatic petpets surfaced and began nuzzling her paw. Gala smiled and stroked a Cubett. A Frillabon wrapped itself around her wrist, rather like a full body hug. A Cheerlub nearby began making loud, squeaky "Meeeeeba meeb" sounds. Gala winced, her ears twitching from the high pitched sound. A Ramosan squeaked at her a gave her a friendly static shock, causing her fur to stand on end for a moment before settling. A red Ghoti gracefully wafted to the surface, followed by a few more of the other colors. Dewdrop looked up from her verbal sparring, and noticed Gala kneeling by the water.
"What are you up to, sweetie... by the Healing Waters! Look at this!" The other elementals walked over, and glanced over Gala's shoulder.
"What's up? Your fish seem to like her, don't they?" Windy said, unimpressed.
"The Ghotis like her, which is weird. They're REALLY shy. Gala, can you understand what they're saying?" Dewdrop looked excited. Bramble frowned, nonplussed.
"They're saying something?" Gala strained, but all she heard was the same whisperings she got from the plants the day before. Dewdrop's face looked rather crestfallen. Bramble took her aside and explained what had happened yesterday. Dewdrop looked rather confused and awestruck at the same time.
"She has earth AND water abilities? That's rather peculiar, isn't it?" Dewdrop frowned. Bramble jut shrugged. WindDancer looked rather interested.
"Think she may have air abilities as well? I mean, she DOES have wings, after all." The others shrugged in response, and Gala just blinked and wondered what was going on around her. Windy gave a low, lilting whistle. A rather large Cirrus flew down from her roof where it must have been resting. A few winds picked up nearby. "Cirrus are good focuses for air magic. Gala, can you put you paws on him please?" Gala complied. A different awareness surrounded her, one more of movement rather than life. Small breezes tugged at her, beckoning her to fly into the air. Gala began floating in the air slightly, and Windy giggled with delight. "Air abilities as well! How wonderful! Though I assume, as was with the others, you haee no strength with this? You can't control this?" Gala shrugged. "Well that's a no, I think." Gala gently removed her paws from the Cirrus, which whistled and flew back up to Windy's roof. A small beep came from the watch at Gala's wrist.
"Oh, I have a class in..." Gala glanced at her watch, "eep! fifteen minutes!" Gala gulped.
"The door to the outside is straight on this road. Here, all roads lead to Ren." He grinned.
"I think I'll go with you. I think Ren may want to know about all this." Windy said, toying with her wand.
"I'll go to. I have nothing better to do. My door shift is being taken over by Bramble today, isn't it?" Dewdrop smiled pointedly at Bramble, who jumped.
"Oops, that is the rule, isn't it? Call someone to take your spot and you do theirs. Then I better get going. Later, everybody!" He jogged off with a wave to his friends and his plants. Gala glanced at his garden: the plants were waving back. She smiled, until her watch beeped again. 'Ten minutes left to get to class, yipe!' She, Dewdrop, and WindDancer all ran down the road, quickly reaching the red door and even more quickly reaching Ren's caravan for Gala's morning class.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Author Notes: I know I gave WindDancer hands instead of hooves. Hooves don't work as replacements for hands while paws do. If it makes any difference, she has hooves for feet.
...And began to fall. Gala yelped as she rushed face-first toward the ground, which suddenly looked alot farther, but was rapidly closing in. She shut her eyes as she felt she was about to hit the ground, her fur turning an almost transparent shade of white...
...And was caught by something soft and furry. She opened her eyes and looked up at her saviour. A white uni with kind blue eyes stared down at the pale white kougra. The uni, a female, alighted on the ground gracefully, stretching her wings gracefully as she dropped Gala onto the ground. "What do you think you were doing, Kitten? Free-falling five stories?!" Gala's fur blushed pink.
"W-well, I j-just g-got a pair of w-wings..." Gala stammered, looking down at the ground.
"And you thought you'd try them out? Tsk, you would've been severely hurt or worse, killed, if I hadn't been out here!" Gala nodded, looking forlornly down at the ground. The uni sighed and smiled.
"Sorry, I was just scared. I was just leaving my little neohome when I saw you jump. I live there." She waved at a extremely pastel (almost white) blue house which, Gala noticed, had no door, rather, a unch of windows.
"How'd you come outside?" Gala looked at the uni curiously.
"Oh, there's a trap door on my roof. It's my front door. I don't get alot of chances to exercise my wings during the day, so every day I fly down rather than just walk out. By the way, I'm WindDancer, but call me Windy. You must be GalaLeFey, Dewdrop already told me about you. I'm an air element. Watch this." WindDancer knelt on the ground carefully, as though afraid she would jostle something. She began twirling her hand gently in the air, moving it in circles. Gala noticed the wind pick up around her, moving in the same direction as Windy's hand. It got stronger and stronger: Gala soon was crouching on the ground, digging her claws into the dirt, trying to keep the wind from tugging her into the air. The uni glanced at Gala and began making movements with her hands, as though stretching out a rubberband. The wind began receding, buffeting just outside a small circle which held Gala and WindDancer. Gala stared around her in awe: the wind had picked up a little dust and she could see the small, low power cyclone being held in check by Windy. Apparently there were others who weren't amused. Dewdrop and Bramble, apparently leaving their homes right now, noticed the whirlwind and walked over in annoyance: as Bramble marched through his garden, the plants shied out of his way, receding from his footsteps. Dewdrop's entrance was a bit more spectacular. Her water, already rough from the winds, was immediately calmed and a path opened through the center, like a miniature version of Moses' grand miracle. The duo stomped up to WindDancer, who, with a snap of her fingers, called of the winds. Everything grew eerily calm once again, so suddenly.
"What do you think you're doing? You could've ripped my plants up by the roots! You scared them out of two years growth!" Bramble growled in annoyance.
"And my fish! They're all quiverring at the bottom of my pond from fright of the storm you whipped up for them!" Dewdrop hissed in annoyance. Gala perked her ears: she hadn't realized there was anything living in Dewdrop's pond, though it seemed quite normal to fill a pond with fish petpets. Walking away from the squabbling pets, Gala made her way towards the water. She knelt by it, and placed a paw in the water. She felt something similar to the feeling she got while touching a plant yesterday: an awesome awareness of life. A bunch of aquatic petpets surfaced and began nuzzling her paw. Gala smiled and stroked a Cubett. A Frillabon wrapped itself around her wrist, rather like a full body hug. A Cheerlub nearby began making loud, squeaky "Meeeeeba meeb" sounds. Gala winced, her ears twitching from the high pitched sound. A Ramosan squeaked at her a gave her a friendly static shock, causing her fur to stand on end for a moment before settling. A red Ghoti gracefully wafted to the surface, followed by a few more of the other colors. Dewdrop looked up from her verbal sparring, and noticed Gala kneeling by the water.
"What are you up to, sweetie... by the Healing Waters! Look at this!" The other elementals walked over, and glanced over Gala's shoulder.
"What's up? Your fish seem to like her, don't they?" Windy said, unimpressed.
"The Ghotis like her, which is weird. They're REALLY shy. Gala, can you understand what they're saying?" Dewdrop looked excited. Bramble frowned, nonplussed.
"They're saying something?" Gala strained, but all she heard was the same whisperings she got from the plants the day before. Dewdrop's face looked rather crestfallen. Bramble took her aside and explained what had happened yesterday. Dewdrop looked rather confused and awestruck at the same time.
"She has earth AND water abilities? That's rather peculiar, isn't it?" Dewdrop frowned. Bramble jut shrugged. WindDancer looked rather interested.
"Think she may have air abilities as well? I mean, she DOES have wings, after all." The others shrugged in response, and Gala just blinked and wondered what was going on around her. Windy gave a low, lilting whistle. A rather large Cirrus flew down from her roof where it must have been resting. A few winds picked up nearby. "Cirrus are good focuses for air magic. Gala, can you put you paws on him please?" Gala complied. A different awareness surrounded her, one more of movement rather than life. Small breezes tugged at her, beckoning her to fly into the air. Gala began floating in the air slightly, and Windy giggled with delight. "Air abilities as well! How wonderful! Though I assume, as was with the others, you haee no strength with this? You can't control this?" Gala shrugged. "Well that's a no, I think." Gala gently removed her paws from the Cirrus, which whistled and flew back up to Windy's roof. A small beep came from the watch at Gala's wrist.
"Oh, I have a class in..." Gala glanced at her watch, "eep! fifteen minutes!" Gala gulped.
"The door to the outside is straight on this road. Here, all roads lead to Ren." He grinned.
"I think I'll go with you. I think Ren may want to know about all this." Windy said, toying with her wand.
"I'll go to. I have nothing better to do. My door shift is being taken over by Bramble today, isn't it?" Dewdrop smiled pointedly at Bramble, who jumped.
"Oops, that is the rule, isn't it? Call someone to take your spot and you do theirs. Then I better get going. Later, everybody!" He jogged off with a wave to his friends and his plants. Gala glanced at his garden: the plants were waving back. She smiled, until her watch beeped again. 'Ten minutes left to get to class, yipe!' She, Dewdrop, and WindDancer all ran down the road, quickly reaching the red door and even more quickly reaching Ren's caravan for Gala's morning class.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Author Notes: I know I gave WindDancer hands instead of hooves. Hooves don't work as replacements for hands while paws do. If it makes any difference, she has hooves for feet.