Chapter 10: Friends, or more…

(Outillisa's P.O.V.)

The warmth that was surrounding me was extraordinarily powerful. Even after I had woken up it managed to keep me drowsy enough so that I didn't want to move. I opened my eyes and pulled my head back as much as I could so I could look at Tyler. His head was resting along his white stripe, and the light brown under his wings were hidden since they were wrapped around me. The black dots seemed to swirl, yet I know that wouldn't be very likely. When he breathed in, his chest would push against mine harder, which would warm me up more, but when he breathed out; I felt the cold air rush in between the empty space between us.

As the cold snuck in the fifth time, I couldn't stand it anymore and I moved closer to Tyler. I felt him shift a little bit, but I didn't see his eyes open, which was enough relief for me. As I turned my head, I could see it was early night, but not late enough where anyone would be out anytime soon. I turned my head back towards Tyler, careful not to hit his beak with mine since we are closer now. He still seemed to be asleep, so I laid my head on his shoulder, wishing for Gluax to let me sleep again, even if only for a little bit. It wasn't long before my wish was coming true, I could feel myself starting slowly relax even more… but…

"Hmm…" I heard Tyler mummer, and then heard him yawn. I guess it's time to get up, guess I can train him how to make a nest… or maybe enlarge one. I pushed the thought aside when I felt him tighten his grip on me and pick me up. I couldn't help but giggle as I felt his primaries tickling my sides.

"Heh. So how was your sleep Outillisa?" Tyler asked me.

I pulled my head back from his shoulder and replied, "Ok, except you wouldn't stop moving and kicking me…" I donned a serious look.

"U-u-u-uhh, did I r-really do all that," his face showed signs of guilt all over it.

"No, I just felt like having a good smile. Thanks for keeping me warm last night." He had set me down as I said this, and I gave him a hug, and he returned it.

I tightened my grip a lot and went stiff. Since Tyler's back was to the entrance, he didn't see what I saw; the smug looks of Soren and Gylfie staring right into my eyes.

"O… Outillisa, you're starting to hurt me n-now." I gasped and released him, and saw him fall back and out of the nest.

"Oww…" Tyler said, but then he saw who was in the entrance to her hallow and said, "oh, hey Soren, hey Gylfie. What are you two doing here?"

"We could ask you the same thing." Gylfie replied.

(Tyler's P.O.V.)

I suddenly felt my feathers rise up in a blush, and connected the dots. They were the reason Outillisa had squeezed me, and they didn't know we were just hugging. I tried to play it casual and said, "We were just getting up. I didn't know how to make a nest, so… yea…"

I saw Soren and Gylfie grin, but I'm hoping they liked my version of it. "So, if you 'didn't' know how to make a nest, why were you in Outillisa's nest?" Gylfie asked.

'Dang, she's smart… must be payback from before…' I mentally smacked myself and replied, "I meant don't… I don't know how to make a nest." I have to get out of this situation, before they ask more, "So, what are you guys doing here again?"

I saw Soren grin while Gylfie said, "there is going to be milk berry tart and milk berry tea." She looked squarely at Outillisa, "and I knoooow how much you like it, and they had 'extra' milk berries this harvest." Gylfie put extra effaces on 'extra'. I turned to look at Outillisa and she had wide eyes. She looked ready to explode; I could even feel her energy radiating from her aura.

Her voice was strained, but she said with a calm voice, "Thank you Gylfie. You two can leave now."

I looked back at Soren and Gylfie and saw them smiling, they waved and then took off, gliding down slowly, I faintly heard Soren say, "so… do you think they will ever get tog…"

The rest was lost to me, since I felt a feathery mass pick me up and squeeze me with her wings, "You have NO idea what you are in for. Milk berries are absolutely wonderful."

"Umm, I'm guessing… their… your favorites?" I said in between gasps for breath.

"You have no…. sorry." She finally released me after I wiggled into a painful position.

"Thanks… a lot. So are you ready to go?"

The smile she gave me answered it all, but a bright feather caught my eye and I chuckled. Outillisa's smile dropped just a little as she walked towards the entrance, and she said, "What is it? And yes I'm ready."

As I finally picked myself up off the floor, I took her wing and turned her until she was facing me, and then let go, "look down at yourself."

When I saw the quizzical expression, and her head looking down, I saw her facial feathers puff up. I reached a wing out and pulled a white feather out from the center of her chest, and held it up and said, "I wonder what this is, or who it belongs to?" I glanced over at Outillisa and saw her feathers go down slightly, "let me help you with those, so you won't get too embarrassed.

I reached over and started plucking any of my darker feathers from hers, and was humming a song to myself as was working. Ten feathers later, her coat was consisted of only her lighter, yet not to light brown feathers. When I looked up, I saw her smiling at me with a strange tint in her eyes, but it quickly disappeared when she registered I was looking at her. She quickly faced the night air, and asked, "Are you ready, because I am?"

"Sure, let's get going."

As we jumped out of the hallow, we started to make slow circles as we glided to the dining pavilion. I was enjoying the sight, but out of the corner of my vision, I saw Outillisa keep taking small, but noticeable, glances at me. She twirled her wings in a weird way and next thing I know, she flew in front of me, and it took as much control as I could to not fly into her.

She hovered in front of me, and that strange glint was back in her eyes. She opened her beak, but closed it after the glint in her eyes did as well.

I don't know if it is just me, but she was acting weirder than usual, which I can only tell from the fragment of memories the sparks gave me from Soren and Outillisa; speaking of which, I don't know why I haven't been seeing them as much anymore.

Later that day

The day had slowly gone by, and Outillisa had shown me how to successfully make a nest, we had made it in her hollow, but throughout the time, I got tree sap on my wings, so we had flown back down to her shallow bathing area. Before we had taken flight, I had found some milk berries, and had an idea for making a type of 'shampoo'. I was placing the mushed mix of berries and water all over my feathers, and slowly moving the mixture into my feathers and over my white facial feathers. It left a sour smell when I first mushed it up, but had a sweet aroma after I had mixed it with water.

I decided that was enough lathering, and dunked my entire body under water and quickly moved my wings around to wipe the 'shampoo' off of me, I then dunked my head under the water and repeated my actions on my face. When I lifted my body out of the water, I shook my head, and slowly opened my eyes, and was met with the sleek form of Outillisa standing in front of me. She looked beautiful, and seemed to glow.

Crazy how now that I'm an owl, I have these thoughts; It's like my version of a beautiful human, is what a beautiful owl is. She reached a wing out and tapped my wing and asked, "Could you get my back again?"

I just nodded and as she turned around, I leaned forward and started to preen her back. Every time I reached the bottom of her wings, I could feel a shiver run through her back.

As I finished, I asked her, "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes…"

As we took flight, I looked at her and saw her looking at me as well; that glint was their again. I turned back forward and saw her hollow not too far, and we were now in the jungle of branches. I saw a brown blur approach me from the side, and next thing I know, I was hovering in mid-air, beak-to-beak, with Outillisa. I barely heard her, but she spoke loud enough so that the wind didn't completely block her voice out, "Are we a couple Tyler? How Soren and Gylfie are?"

Her question shocked me, and I looked away. I had thought about this myself the previous night, right after she had kissed me. I had seen how other female owls had looked at me, and I could only guess that I was handsome, since I would see even other species of owls looking at me, but without the glint currently in Outillisa's eyes. I faced her again and saw how her eyes were starting to water up, and I felt the urge to hold her close.

I knew the answer, and I didn't trust my voice at a moment so precariously fragile like this. So I followed my heart, and leaned forward and closed my eyes; which felt strange to do while hovering. I planted my beak on Outillisa's and felt her lean into it. Flying was a blissful state in its own, but if you mix that with a passionate kiss, there is no way to describe it.

I started to pull away, but I felt Outillisa lean grab my wings and pull me closer to her, even if it meant we now started to fall. I didn't believe it until now, but it felt like time had slowed down, but when she opened her eyes, she saw how far we had fallen and she released me and we both took flight.

I looked down and we were a few dozen feet about the roaring coast… good thing her hollow is near the top of this tall tree. I looked back at her, and saw that she was rushing to her hallow, faster than my newly acquired skill of flight could carry me. I started to fly after her, yet I couldn't seem to catch up to her. I saw her enter her hallow, and I was just reaching it when I heard a sound of twigs and leaves compressing.

When I flew into the entrance, I saw Outillisa facing away from me, and I saw small drops of liquid leading to her nest. I slowly and quietly walked towards her, and when I reached her, and laid a wing on her back and heard her sniffle. I tried to turn her around, but she wouldn't budge. I started to walk around her, until I was in front of her, but she had been turning her head the other way. When I stopped, I put both my wings on hers, and said, "Outillisa… please… face me."

I felt her shiver, and felt her slowly turn her head towards me, and saw that there were tears running down her feathers. I felt a pang hit me in the heart, and I lifted her out of her nest and set her down in front of me. I then pulled her close to me and whispered gently, "shhh, shhh… what's wrong Outillisa? Why are you so upset?"

"I almost got us… you killed, after e-e-everything you d-did." She gave a loud sniff at the end, and she tried to pull away from me, but I only gave her enough slack so that I could pull back from her to tell her something I hope will give her some form of happiness, "its fine by me, it was worth it… and to your question earlier; yes."

She gave me a quizzical look, and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Yes, we are a couple… and always will be." I told her, and that glint in her eye disappeared, but was replaced with a radiant one instead, and she wrapped her own wings around me and pulled me into a tight hug. "We should be getting to sleep; the sun will be coming out soon."

After releasing her, I started to walk towards my nest, and while the day hadn't been as long, it was more emotionally draining. Outillisa and I had made my nest bigger than hers, if not too big, since I was larger than hers. As I stepped into it, I was surprised when I felt her get in right after me. I started to open my beak to say something, but she beat me and said, "If we are a couple, shouldn't we sleep in the same nest?"

I just stared at her and nodded, but what she did next, not only relaxed me, but quite literally stunned me. She rubbed her feather slowly up my white stripe and, and then she started to rub in one spot. I instantly went limp and fell on my back, and since I had my wings wrapped around her, she laughed as she also fell on top of me, and I was surprised to see the sparks return, even if it was only a brief flash.

I saw her lift her beak from my feathers and her beak was slightly opened, I could only look at her, and I laughed and then said, "Oh, I also mixed milk berries into my feathers while I was bathing. I know how much you like them…" I finished with a smirk.

I saw her smile even wider and she buried her face into my chest once more, and I heard a muffled, "I love you Tyler."

I chuckled and said, "Come here. I want another kiss."

She just laughed and pulled herself up and planted a kiss on my beak with hers. She slowly pulled away and when I opened my eyes, I saw her staring straight at me, and I stared back. With what little strength I still had, I wrapped my wings around her and said, "let's go to sleep…" she closed her eyes and laid her head on my chest, "…and Outillisa," she just sighed, "I love you."

She lifter her head, beaming, and pecked me on the beak, and then buried her face into my chest again. I started to fall into dream land, knowing I had just made a certain owl extremely happy…

(Soren's P.O.V.)

I turned away from the sleeping owls of Tyler and Outillisa and looked at Gylfie and said, "Yea, they got together…"

A.N.: HAHA, I am finished, so tell me what you thought, and what you think I can improve or change. And from last chapter when I left a thing about 'intimate' I thought that was why no1 was reviewing at first. I was reading 'life after the jump' in the Rio movie archive, but the author changed the rating a while ago to 'M' for obvious reasons. I won't be making this a long AN, but I will say this, I might be good at writing humor and adventure, but I didn't know I could write good romance, considering how I don't have a GF, or haven't had one for a long time, guess it's in my blood. And also, I'm jealous of Tyler, just if life made it easy to have adventure like that with romance after all the excitement. Lol, so now review, since you have read…

Tic: thanks for the review

Airmen: also thank you for your review, and I've been having ideas for a sequel of my own. What if a dog-fight took place above St. Aggies and one of Tyler's friends was shot down over it and had to escape to the Great Tree himself. That could be an idea for you ; D.