Chapter Five
"I'm Sorry, Bree, Cooro's busy at the moment." Said the pretty woman, coming back through the gate, She had long shining gold brown hair, and hazel eyes. "Would you like to come in? I'm Nana. Hsuky will be back in an hour or so, I'm sure he'd like to meet one of Cooro's friends."
Nana, Husky. The two names rocked through Bree's mind like tidal waves. Husky, the maverick Prince, Myrrah's new name...His wife Nana, and the second in line to the throne of Sailand...Cooro... Bree looked up again at the large whitewalled cottage, with it's large, well-tended rose gardens and apple tree, full of just-ripening fruit. THere were also a variety of other flowers, ones that she knew came from hte mountains, poking their little bright heads out across the path. At the back of the garden were thick green shrubs, mysterious, making the rest of the garden seem brighter, and slightly unreal, like a storybook. Cupped within the enigmatic green shadows was Cooro, watching her. From here, she couldn't see his expression. She felt the power of her Anima unfurl automatically, as the world shifted into the grey spectrum that Tawny owls saw in. It was bright for her eyes, but her puils narrowed to pinpricks, and she could now clearly see Cooro's expression, only she didn't understand it.
His hands were buried in his snowy hair, his wings stiff and agitated, His golden eyes were changing from one expression to another so fast that she could barely keep up; Disdain, disklike, friendship, hostility, welcome, anger, fear, and then, hope.
"A +Anima..." Breathed the pretty woman, and Bree stiffened. What had she been thinking, allowing this woman to see her Anima? She backed away, ready to run, but Nana jsut kneeled in front of her, brushing the thick brown fringe away from her face, and exposing the black cresent around her right eye that it had covered.
"Hey Bree! How did you find me?" Asked Cooro, bouncing up. with a practised flick of his wings, he launched himself to the apple tree and picked one of the half-ripe fruit, chomping it in half with a single bite.
"Cooro! Don't eat that!" Snapped Nana, stranding up and letting Bree's fringe fall to cover her face again.
"But I wannaaaa." Cooro said, or at least, that's what Bree thought her'd said through all the apple.
"It's not ripe yet. You'll get a stomach-ache."
Cooro shrugged, still chewing. He grinned at his mother, and then gestured to Bree to join him. Bree glanced at Nana, who smiled good-naturedlyandwaved her on.
"You'd better fly up, some of the lower branches are damaged." Feeling slightly off balance, Bree nodded, letting her speckled wings slide out of her back as she flew up to join Cooro on silent wings. Cooro grinned at her, swollowing hi mouthful with some effort.
"Your feathers are so nice and soft, like a Pillow!" He said, giggling. Bree poked him with a wing-tip.
"Well you have weird clear wings, so you can't talk."
"Huh?" Cooro asked, with an adorable look of innocent confusion, "Yes I can." The confusion was replaced by a shadow of doubt.
Bree shook her head, and started to explain, but stopped, when she saw the emotional turmoil in Cooro's eyes. This time Cooro's face shifted into seething anger and hatred, but there was a hint of fear underlying it.
"Go away. I never want to think of you again. This is my existence, and you will not interfere." He hissed, his wings standing out stiff behind him.. Bree flinched back in anticipation of a blow, a reflex bred from having been a slave for most of her life, and lliving in the dangerous slum areas in between masters.
"Cooro, what's-?"
"Get away from me!"
Bree didn't understand what she had done to make Cooro angry as she flew away, biting her lip to stop the tears until she was out of sight of those golden eyes - the same colour as the wide orbs watching the land below, seeing myriad shades of grey, and the tiniest movement. It wasn't till that night that she began to wonder about Cooro's phrasing.
*
I watched her disappear over the horizon, still tense, building up my defenses against th other one. I would not be subjugated again, and as long as Cooro had the capacity for doubt, learned after death, I would remain dominant. The barest whisper tendrilled through my mind.I'm sorry Bree...
*
I actually did some research on tawny owls, so that I could get Bree's anima better. Owl's can see in the day, it's like cats, their pupils dilate in the dark, and shrink in the light. Also, they see in black and white. The only problem is that I think tawny owls are the only ones without golden eyes - all the pictures I saw had completely black eyes - except by the time I figured that out, I'd already said she had golden eyes when she used her Anima. AH well, its fiction, I ca do whatever I want. ~Ratpigeon