Author's Note: Hi everyone! Thanks to all the people who have reviewed! I love you all. Those reviews really make me happy. Sorry this one took so long, but it's a little longer than usual to make up for the wait. Hopefully I should have the next poem, chapter, thingie ma-bob up Sunday or Monday. BTW, this one is written in past-tense. I usually write in a tense of my own, using "would do" instead of "is doing" or "did." In doing this, I feel like I'm keeping the poem-feel to my narrative, and suggesting, that this sort of situation had happened more than once (as situations often reoccur in childhood.) However, this one felt more like a story than a poem as I was writing it, so I chose past tense. I hope this doesn't confuse anyone too much...I should stop talking now.... Okay, without further ado, here's 6.

Age: 3 (4 or 5)

Koari's Age: 5 (6 or 7)

6-Meeting

Crack!

Mirian whipped her tail,

with its blade, against the tree

who groaned in protest for

being used as a young girl's

practice target

Crack!

Success!

her tail hit the same mark it had earlier

May I join you?

a polite, quiet thought asked

it belonged to a young boy

a few yards away

shaking with excitement

and nervousness over

finally speaking to her

Who are you?

Mirian asked, leery over

anyone her own age that would speak

to her (for most other children

were forbidden to talk to such

a savage, uncivilized child)

My name is Koari-Naful-Naparaken

I am Mirian

What do you want?

To play with you of course!

I want to be your friend

Mirian didn't know what to say

to his sentiments

Koari surveyed her

marks in the wood of the tree

Good

his tail flew into the bark

precisely where she had hit

Good

Mirian said shortly in return

who was this stranger

who thought that he had a right

to come into her secret game

and take it over?

Can we run?

Koari asked suddenly

I have seen you run before

and I have always wanted to come with you

Fine

We can run

hopefully away from

the odd boy

whom Mirian wished

would go away

just like that

she ran

as fast as a bolt of lightning

from a stormy summer sky

the blew hard

rustling the grass

and creating tumbleweeds

fast as the wind was

Mirian outraced it

pounding hoof on

hard dirt ground

Wait, Mirian!

Koari ran

older

stronger

bigger

the male caught up to her

their hooves beat

the blue-colored grass

their rhythms became one

as his hearts

pounded in time to hers

two Andalites

running the plain

as it had been

for a millennia

just

the sky

the ground

and the hooves

somewhere in between

they slowed down

to a more leisurely run

and, panting,

they came to a stop

had they been running for

minutes or hours?

but Mirian

from now on

would always carry

the image of Koari

white tail blade

flashing in the sunlight

running beside her

I want to be your friend

Mirian remembered

his words as she caught her breath

and said

So you can run

after all

And so they made arrangements

to meet the next day

and the day after that