(Miriam)
"Come on Vince. Just one dance?"
"I said no."
"Please, for me?"
"I said no, Aaron."
No matter how many times I see it, the sight of Aaron Shardae trying to drag Vincent Cobriana onto the dais at the back of sha'Keyi will never cease to amuse me. From what little I know as fact of avian and serpiente society you'd think it would be the other way around. But here, in this nest, where nothing is as it is in avian or serpiente society, the hawk is attempting, and failing, to drag the cobra into a dance.
"Come on. Just one little dance."
"No, Aaron. I'm really not in the mood."
The hawk let go of the cobra's arm and put her hands on her hips, "Well then get in the mood."
"As amusing as the first hour or so of this argument always is, it's getting rather old. Would one of you just give up already?" Maverick, the resident lion, calls from the corner where he's whittling away at a piece of wood.
Aaron and Vincent look his way for a moment before Aaron grabbed Vincent's arm again and the argument continued as it always did. The two of them would continue until someone took Aaron's side and told Vincent that one dance wouldn't kill him or took the cobra's side and told Aaron that she was being annoying. I mostly ignored them after the first five minutes.
"Hey, Miriam." Maverick called me from the corner.
I stand and walk over to him, "Yes?"
"You think you can paint this?" He holds out the half-finished small statue he's working on.
"Yes. But haven't we already done a viper?"
"But not a white one." He points out.
I blush. Being a white viper and not realizing this is slightly embarrassing, "I asked Chase if he could pick me up some more ivory paint from Wyvern's Court while he and Kayi are sightseeing."
"Another contribution to our lovely home."
One of the things I love most about sha'Keyi is the history, every person who has ever lived here has left a piece of themselves behind. Teresa once told us that the founders of sha'Keyi left us the nest itself, the fountain around the spring, and some of the original rugs and pillows that still cover the slate floor. Everyone who has ever lived here has made something and left it, whether a new cushion, rug, blanket, or the little statues the Maverick and I make or something bigger like when we all helped rebuild the dais after the old wooden one collapsed.
"We have fish!" The exited cry drew the attention of everyone currently in the nest, all five of us. "And Meari threw one at Tristin." Tessai, the little albino tiger, came bouncing into the nest carrying the basket of fish over her head and run through one of the curtain-covered doorways into the kitchen.
I turned to the three remaining people at the doorway, "Threw a fish at Tristin?" I inquired to Meari.
The violet-eyed wolf laughed and nodded. I was relived to see Tristin smile too.
"Yeah and it was really funny." Rin said practically jumping up and down, "'specially 'cause Tristin threw it back at her and hit her in the back of the head." The little viper girl was nowhere near as hyper as Tessai but somehow much more talkative, "I gots ta' go now 'cause Terry told me ta' help him an' Lilia in the garden." Rin scampered back outside and then poked her head back in the door, "An' Brian says ta' watch out 'cause one a' these times he's gonna get you." She vanished again.
Meari laughed, took Tristin's arm, helped him over to his usual spot by the fire. The blind raven made it there all right but Meari managed to trip over Rona's sewing basket scattering its contents amongst the floor pillows making the crow incredibly angry because she had to stop embroidering the top sheet of the padded blanket she was making and find it all. Aaron, finally giving up on getting Vincent to dance, came up behind Tristin and whispered the scene in his ear, Maverick and I started laughing our heads off, and Trixie and Tessai poked their heads out the kitchen door. Even Vincent smiled and getting that crazy emotionless cobra to smile was quite a feat. He had been stolid ever since his sister had left sha'Keyi, abandoning her two kids. Rona gathered all her things back into the basket and got back to work triggering everyone else to do the same.
"Hi everybody." Anacona came in followed by her mother, A'shega, and father, Chris. The falcon family, save four-year-old Anacona, had lived here far longer then I. Little Anna was currently learning how to control her magic from her parents and Akiro and Tris, our other two resident falcons… who seemed to be missing.
"Where are Akiro and Tris?" I asked Chris after A'shega went to help Trixie in the kitchen and Anacona went to play with the dolls that Rona made her.
"They said they were going to find Audra, which probably means that she's off getting into trouble.
As if on cue loud laughter could be heard outside the door of the nest however it was not Akiro, Tris, and Audra, though Audra was still there but with Ali and Kia. The hawk and the cobra were laughing so hard that they were leaning on each other for support and Audra was leaning over with her hands on her knees sputtering out, "Did you see the look on her face?" between bursts of laughter.
"What's so funny?" Tristin asked from the fire probably thinking about how he was always the last to know anything.
"You'll find out in a minute." Audra managed before she started laughing again.
A burst of falcon magic threw the curtain on the doorway open and knocked the three laughing girls off their feet and a rather wet Akiro burst through the door. "You scum sucking toads!" The white-haired peregrine falcon shouted, "You malignant little fiends! You accursed little-" Tris came up behind her partner and clamped a hand over her mouth.
"Come on, let's go before you break something," Tris grabbed Akiro's arm and started dragging her toward the staircase at the back of the nest, "or someone." Tris muttered.
"Brian, I know you're over there." I shout. My irritating little brother dropped the pillow he was using to try to conceal himself from view.
"When's Keyi comin' back? You never find her." Brian stalks off toward the central fire and sits down.
I walk over and put my hands on his shoulders, "That's because Keyi has better hiding spots." Brian just sits there and pouts. Little brothers are so annoying.
(Rin)
So, I'm workin' in the garden with Terry an' Lilia. It's a pretty big garden or maybe a real litl' field or maybe a farden or a gield.
Anyway, I was workin' in the garden with Terry an' Lilia when Lilia freaks out. She dropped her waterin' can an' started runnin' back toward home, which is real weird 'cause normally Lilia's the last one ta' leave the garden or farden or whatever.
"Lilia! Lil!" Terry starts shoutin' after her but she keeps goin' an' then Terry runs after her an' I run after Terry. People are so weird.
(A'shega)
Trixie, Tessai, and I came out of the kitchen to eat something for ourselves. The circle around the fire is nearly full. David finally came back from where ever he was and the cobra hugged Trixie and said something along the lines of never leaving for so long again. Mari and Allen are back from their 'romantic outing' and the hawk and the sparrow and are sitting together on the far side of the fire. Ali and Kia are leaning against each other's backs with plates of food in their laps occasionally tossing food over their shoulders onto the other's plate. Tris and Akiro have returned Akiro is much drier and seems to be over the whole thing. The only people missing are the three in the garden and Teresa.
Suddenly Lilia bursts through the front door with a horrified look on her face, "Where's Teresa?" The white viper-falcon demands.
Terry and Rin come through the door next, "Lil, what's…"
"Where's Teresa?" Lilia demands again.
"What is it, Lilia?" Teresa appeared at the top of the staircase.
(Akiro)
"Chase is hurt." Lilia whispered.
"What!" I, along with everyone else in the nest, shouted. Tris had to grab my arm to keep me from charging out the door right then and there.
Lilia started crying. "It's alright." Teresa whispered crossing the room and pulling Lilia into her arms, "It's alright." She looked around at the rest of us, "Here's what needs to happen. I want you," She stroked Lilia's hair, " Audra, Tris, and Akiro to fly to Wyvern's Court tomorrow morning, a group of traveling dancers, and see if you can figure anything out. Look for dancers, they're always a good source of information. Audra, no goofing off." The falcon-python nodded guiltily, "Akiro, Tris, be careful. There may very well be falcon criminals hiding in the court, the magic of two of Araceli's former Mercy might stand out to them.
"Remember everyone, we are the ones who dance with hope. We are sha'Keyi. We were living in peace before anyone else thought to try to make it. We must be sure that Keyi and Chase are safe."
I would like to thank my reviewers, I would like to thank my reviewers, I would like to thank my reviewers. That's for this chapter and the past two where I hadn't thanked you wonderful people.
Warning: Ali and Kia are both girls and they're together. You got a problem with that, tough, it's my story.
I think I at least mentioned all twenty-seven members of sha'Keyi. If you need help figuring people out or pronouncing names feel free to let me know.
Thanks bunches everybody.
-Ebony-