"Pst."
"PST!"
"Shush! Are you trying to wake the whole nest!" came a furious whisper.
"Well, it's not my fault she sleeps like a rock." was the grumbled reply.
The voices belonged to two of the serpiente dancers. They both stared at their sleeping friend, not knowing how to wake her without disturbing the others. Gently, they shook one of her shoulders; then a little less gently when she still refused to wake. Carefully, the first dancer reached behind the girl's head to where the feathers and hair met, and yanked on a feather. The other dancer quickly put a hand over her mouth to muffle the shriek. The rest of the nest simply murmured in their sleep, or shifted slightly.
Seventeen-year-old Calandra, the formerly sleeping avian, glared from her spot on the floor at her two friends. It was impossible for her to get up at the moment, for she had at least three other sleepers resting against her. She looked around, noticing how dark it still was.
"What time is it?" she hissed angrily.
"Just a little before dawn." was the giggling reply. Calandra groaned and laid her head back down. She was famous for her ability to sleep well past dawn, sometimes into the late morning. She closed her eyes, thinking that maybe they would just go away.
"Hey. Don't fall back asleep!" a voice, Rasha, whispered.
"Go away."
"No, we need your help with something."
"No. Sleep."
"Get up, or I'll pull another feather!" the other voice, Taima, murmured urgently.
"Why?"
"It's the only way to get you up."
"No, why do I have to get up at all?"
"I don't know, you'll have to ask Salem. He told us to get you."
"Tell him it can wait till the sun actually rises." Calandra answered with a yawn, trying to go back to sleep.
"He said it has to be done before it's light out." Rasha responded matter-of-factly.
"Then he's doing something he shouldn't, and I'll get in trouble ag--ow!" Calandra sat up, glaring and rubbing the back of her head.
"Get up, Cala, and let's go!" said Taima. Calandra carefully extracted herself from the pile of sleepers, once again cursing herself for not making lazy friends. She tied her long black hair into a ponytail before stretching, and finally rising to leave. Her limbs felt like they weighed a ton and she moved rather slowly. Rasha handed her a funny-smelling drink, saying it would help her to wake up. Cala gasped at how cold the drink was, and figured it was more the temperature, not the ingredients that woke people. She then changed into her raven form and rode on Taima's shoulder until they got to wherever their destination was.
Cala opened her eyes once she felt the other girls stop moving. She then saw two more figures detach themselves from the shadows and come toward them. Salem and Kiran. Calandra leapt off of Taima's shoulder and changed back into her human form, glaring at Salem.
"What is so important that I'm not allowed a few hours of beauty sleep!" she snapped angrily. Salem, knowing her early-morning mood, simply smiled at her.
"Good morning to you too, oh-feathered-friend-of-mine." he answered, casually throwing an arm around her shoulders. "We are in desperate need of your great avian abilities." he finished with a smile. Cala glowered up at him.
"Why? Did your mother put the cookie jar up too high?" she snapped. She was in no mood for joking.
"Well, yes, now that you mention it. But that's not why we're here. Remember that old lady in the market today?" He asked, suddenly serious. Cala nodded, how could she forget? The old crow had seen her dancing on a dais in her demi-form. As she came down the steps, the old lady had began berating her, demanding to know where her alistair was. After replying that she had none, the lady demanded in a much louder voice, to know where her parents were. When Cala pointed to A'isha, claiming the dancers had raised her, the old lady left abruptly, refusing to look at her. Lacking the avian reserve, she wasn't able to hide the hurt expression. It had taken Salem and Kiran an hour to make her laugh again. Now, they were outside the old crow's home. A slow smile dawned on the young raven's face.