Land of the winged

(Lol. That made me giggle c:)
Audrey was sweating, her wings may be beautiful but Azora was right when he/she said they weren't good for much. They just barely kept her off the ground. She flew through the beautiful sunshine, carrying her savior to the closest building she could find. The sign was labeled with not words, but a picture of a leaf. Audrey carefully set the lilac-haired fairy on the sidewalk and propped the door open before carrying her into the small shop.

(Sorry for short post I have to go somewhere.)
 
((Come on, folks. Don't run ahead and shove me out like that :/ .))


The strange Audrey girl emerged, looking prettier in Azora's white tunic than she was before. She seemed eager to leave, but it would be against Azora's job and morals to just let the girl wander about aimlessly. Azora had planned on taking her to the village down the Mud Path first and then into the city if help could not be found in the village.

"Don't thank me yet, hold on a moment," Azora mumbled as Audrey began to express her gratitude.

Before Audrey walked off, Azora breezed back into the cabin and came out a few minutes later, looking around expectantly. The smooth, pale face of the ambiguous Feathered scrunched in disdain and worry. Audrey was vulnerable in this world, and in this part there were many dangerous things to avoid. Azora gazed around the clearing, hoping that Audrey had gone to sit against a tree. But that was not the case. With an annoyed grunt, Azora turned and ran back into the cabin.

When Azora emerged, the black pants were the only part of the outfit remaining. The face of Azora had not changed; it was still golden-eyed, soft, and beautiful. But with the upper half of Azora's body revealed, it was clear that Azora was male. Although it may have been noticed, had anyone seen him, that his muscles seemed somewhat larger than previous, from his arms to his torso and back. Azora had tied his long white hair into a tight bun where it was less in the way. A sheated sword, long and broad, was strapped between his yellow wings.

He crouched, wings unfurled, and then beat his wings gently to get himself airborne. It was difficult to do without a running start, but there was no unobstructed place to run. The only way out was up, really. After a moment he was high enough to truly fly, he soared over the forest with eyes locked on the path. Where had the girl gone?

His blood cooled when he heard a scream. That was her; he was positive. About one other thing he was positive; Faylen's aura was unmistakable. Now his blood ran cold. It had been a long time since he'd dealt with Faylen, and times had been so peaceful as of late that he had ceased practicing anything but flying. If it came down to magic... well, Azora just hoped that it didn't come down to that. First he had to worry about locating Audrey.

It was dark now, and his eyes took longer than most to adjust to changes in light. By the time he located where Audrey's voice had come from, a figure burst out of the trees. Faylen. She was gone before he could challenge her at all. He clenched his teeth but knew his job was not to challenge a retreating enemy, but to help the ones that needed helping.

Azora tucked his wings and dove straight down into the village where he saw Audrey and Naoki. His wings snapped open to soften his landing and created a small whirlwind of dust and leaves, temporarily blinding him. Then the dust settled.

There she was, right outside the shop. An angry twitch developed under his right eye, giving him the appearance of a pissed off effeminate angel when he strode towards Audrey. His voice had not changed although he looked a little more buff. The potential for a masculine effect was also probably destroyed because of the way his wings kept fluttering like they were angry as well, shedding downy white fluff that rained everywhere along with one yellow feather.

"You! You assume that because I want you out of my hair that I want you to just leave abruptly?? I informed you that I patrol these skies even for ones such as you. My job does not end just when I find outsiders or those that need help. It ends," he growled, standing in front of Audrey and glaring into her eyes, "when you are back in your own world and safe from danger."

He didn't even seem to care that Naoki was konked out for some reason; he didn't even give her a second glance.
 
((No kidding... I hate my timezone XD ))

As the girl fluttered off, Quinic could finally... not spy in peace. As the her being moved out of the cabin he saw that she was dressed in the manner of feathereds. He had to admit that she looked prettier now.
Again he quietly followed her and even as the event of the dark one unfolded he could not interfere - the last time he had tried something similar he was thought of as the bad one and was chased off. Still, the one who had accused him of spying had intervened and the her being was safe.

He had followed them to the nearby village at a safe distance and noticed when the uppity feathered flew past towards the small group. When they had entered, he realised that now he was stuck. By day he looked alright, but his coat had a way of changing to a much darker shade as if to blend in with the night, the stripes would become lighter too. Entering the village would be a terribly bad idea... at least, entering through the front gates would be. With a snort he scouted about for an oppertunity. It was presented to him by a gap in the wall, where some wooden beams had fallen over through time just behind a building.
Well, he had to try, right?

Carefully stepping through the gap and having to squeeze a bit, he stood in a short alleyway where he could just see how the uppety had arrived and was being angry at the her being. Again. At this he snorted loudly and shook his mane...
... and as luck would have it, the sound attracted a child who came to investigate. At the sight of Quinic with his dark coat and almost glowing cyan eyes the child screamed, attracting even more attention. Quinic gave a deep throated neigh as he reared up and his wings got caught up in some laundry ropes as he flared them. The child's parents and their neighbours rushed out to the child's aid and when they saw the spawling equine things went from bad to worse.

"Guards! GUARDS! HELP!!"
"DEMON! GUARDS!" the cries went out. More and more people took notice and panic struck.
Quinic knew he had to get out, and on instinct his hair lit up in flames in defence as the side of his father took hold. Adding to the show the stripes on his body glowed brilliantly. Now he really did look like a demon, a ranging, flaming, stomping demon. Unfortunately it didn't help to get the tangled ropes off of him and by now the guards had him surrounded, and they looked ready to strike with their polearms.
 
(Sorry about that guys XD)

Audrey gazed at Azora, or more his muscular body. She felt foolish, but she couldn't understand how he could be so angry, she could take care of herself, sure she might not be accustomed to the land, but there would be other more hospitable people who could help her. She was about to protest, when a child's scream rang around the village. She turned around only to be faced by an enraged animal being attacked by guards. Audrey saw the anger in the animals face, but she felt emotions of scared weakness from his heart.

Audrey shoved the Lilac-Haired girl into Azora's arms and flew towards the poor creature, moving more quickly and higher without the extra weight. Their eyes met and Audrey recognized a human-like aura surrounding the animal. She descended the sky as weapons flew, grazing her skin and leaving streaks of blood on her unblemished skin. Audrey could feel the heat radiating off of the animal, sweat dripped down her face, but she still dropped in front of him and created a barrier between him and the guards.

The guards stared at Audrey, some shouted for her to get out of the way, but nobody would dare step around her, she was nearly as livid as the ‘demon’ appeared "He's not</SPAN> a demon you fools!" Audrey shouted. The commotion of the crowd drew quiet; they were all straining to hear Audrey's vocal explanation. "Shame on you for being so discriminatory!" She yelled, louder.

The guards lowered their weapons, but Audrey saw white knuckles all around. "When somebody is unfamiliar you have to be kind to them. Give them the benefit of doubt before you murder them and feed them to your children." She called, her eyes connecting with Azora's. She looked away and scanned the crowd. They seemed no less hostile, and Audrey felt her confidence waver. </SPAN>
No one seemed touched at Audrey’s speech, as she had intended. Nobody dropped to their knees to beg the animal for forgiveness, it appeared that she was going to have to put up a fight. </SPAN>
 
"WHAT IN THE SEVENTH TWILIGHT IS GOING ON HERE?"
A powerful and curt voice cut through the silence. The crowd seemed to part to permit a slightly-older-than-middleage woman with silver hair forward, dressed in a silver shirt and dark slacks. At first glance, she didn't seem to have wings, but as she moved forward, a rainbow of light blues, mild roses, and soft purples seemed to follow her.
 
Faylen perched on a nearby building and watched the brave jeweled stand up to the men with weapons. Now wouldn't it be nice to have her on the dark side..? Faylen sighed.To bad. Faylen giggled. All good things must come to an end, and that was exactly what Faylen planned to do with the Jeweled Fairy. It would take time, precision and a little magic, but it would happen.

Faylen noticed Audrey's gaze lingering on Azora. Azora. That little dweeb could cause some issues in Faylen's plan. Quite a snob on the outside, but with a heart of gold, he wouldn't imagine leaving Audrey with Faylen in pursuit. Or maybe it wasn't so much a heart of gold, but a burning hatred towards Faylen. Whatever the reason, Faylen knew to make herself scarce until Azora left Audrey on her own..
 
Audrey recognized a sense of Authority within the Silver Haired woman. She was beautiful, but her slightly wrinkled face gave a sense of wisdom. Nobody spoke, and Audrey found herself approaching the woman with a pleading look on her face. "Th-these people, they were trying to destroy this poor creature, and he hadn't caused any real</SPAN> harm." She said, feeling meek in the woman's presence. Audrey waited for the woman to reply.</SPAN>
 
She looked from Aubrey to those gathered around and gave the lot a sharp look. Reaching out a hand to Quinic, her face and voice softened.

" It's alright. Auntie Cordia's here."

She rubbed hybid pony's nose lovingly, while turning to Aubrey.

"You have a good heart, my dear. Praytell, what is your name?"
 
All of the yelling and screaming managed to pierce through the tranquility that Faylen had forced upon Naoki. She stirred and opened her golden eyes right when she was tossed at Azora. Blinking once when she realized where she was, she gasped and scrambled to stand up on her own. Her cheeks were lightly tinged with pink as she took a few steps back, struggling to stutter out an apology. "I.. um.. I should p-probably.. Sorry.. and.." she managed before she couldn't speak any longer. She turned and ran off quickly out of sight, feeling disoriented and unsettled. A long time ago she had a huge crush on Azora, and apparently she wasn't over it yet. How frustrating. She sighed and rubbed her cheeks to get rid of the awful blush, looking around the town as she took in what was going on. That girl she had seen with Faylen was causing quite a commotion it seemed.


"Demon?" she murmured to herself, shaking her head. Some people. She looked up at a sudden voice, brushing her light lilac hair from her eyes. Cordia. That was a name she recognized. Well, it was obvious that she wasn't needed around here anymore. She tiptoed away from the crowd and looked all around, wondering where Faylen went. Seeing her old friend had reminded her how much she missed the girl, and she longed to attempt a real conversation with her. For now, she didn't see Faylen anywhere. Perhaps she had given up on the new girl and left. She sighed and hopped up, flying back toward the field that would hopefully be empty so that she could have some thinking time alone and figure out what to do now.
 
The last thing Quinic had expected was for the her being to come to his rescue and defend him. He was still thrashing about, even more so when a polearm had grazed him on his flank. When the older woman arrived he felt unsure of what to think and as she reached out to him he drew his head back, ready to rear up again. He felt calmer though, looking into her eyes and something about them told him it was going to be alright.
His hair returned to normal, and he tugged at the remaining ropes over his wings, winnying softly. He could finally make contact with the her being, and like any curious horse, sniffed at her. She smelled really nice up close and his face and perked ears showed his delight.
Finally he said, "Thank you, rainbow woman, and her being. You are second to have shown Quinic kindness."
 
(( Edit 1: #$%@ guys! Bahaha let me fix this post since you guys speed-posted.
Edit 2: Fixed it.))

Azora could have protested or forced the odd girl to stay and listen to his speech about how important it was for her to stay out of the eyes of the public, but Naoki was suddenly in his arms. It wasn't her weight that startled him; she didn't cause him to strain. But it was the instant click of recognition in Azora's mind, like a puzzle finally completed and turned rightside up, that gave him a moment of stunned immobility. This was Faylen's... or it was Faylen's friend. Azora deduced that the two were no longer friends, what with Faylen's dancing with evil and darkness while Naoki giggled and skipped around merrily. They all had known each other as children, though Azora arrived in their town at a later age when his cabin was first built. He was never very close to either of them, though he saw them frequently due to his weekly excursions into town for food or other supplies. No one there really knew his secrets, though they probably thought they understood his power.

Naoki awakened, muttered incoherently, and skittered off. Azora shook his head, staring after Naoki with an eyebrow raised in annoyance and bewilderment.

Remembering his duty, Azora's eyes ripped away from Naoki's retreating back to locate Audrey.

Of course she would be causing a spectacle. The girl had no sense, none whatsoever since she seemed to put on a public drama play at all times. Danger was relative, however, and luckily the situation was hardly dangerous compared to Faylen or much more formidable foes. But the guards did appear frightened by the Odd hybrid, and they tended to be rash when they were afraid.

This drama would never end. Azora rolled his eyes and shoved his way into the guards around Audrey and the Odd. He got a few annoyed looks, but the guards soon recognized him and began to look even more fidgety. It was too late for them to run at that point. Azora turned his back to the semi-circle of guards and dropped into a crouch. They just stared at him for a moment. When his wings exploded out of their tucked position so near to the guards' feet, though, they realized that he was trying to trip them, perhaps to make them retreat or perhaps because he was an unpredictable Feathered. They never knew what to expect from Azora.

Some guards fell, but most just stumbled back, trying to keep their footing.

Like nothing had happened at all, Azora was suddenly standing, wings tucked away innocently. He stood idly watching Cordia, and his face said that he was not worried over her presence at all. He trusted her, for the most part. For now, Azora merely observed the situation calmly.
 
Cordia glanced sideways at Azora's actions, a bemused smile gracing her face. She returned her focus to Aubrey and Quinic.

"You're quite welcome, dear one." She laughed lightly, the sound like an audible equivalent to a refreshing rain on a hot summer's day. As she moved to remove the ropes from Quinic, she awaited the girl's answer.
 
"My-y name is Audrey." Audrey's thoughts suddenly caught up with her, and she realized she'd done it again. She was already so different in this world; did she have to show it off? The crowd diffused until it was Cordia, Quinic, Azora and herself left. Audrey did a double-take; she hadn't expected Azora to stay yet again to deal with her. Feeling the need to explain her actions, Audrey lowered her head. "I'm not sure what came over me, I just couldn't stand seeing the poor animal being hurt." Audrey's hair fell over her face and her wings drooped in shame, but she managed to keep herself upright.

Audrey peeked out towards those around her and noticed that the lilac-haired girl had flown away. Audrey felt a wave of disappointment, but quickly returned her attention to Cordia. Her first guess about her was that she was a queen of some sort, but she saw no crown or emblem of royalty, whoever she was, she held great power in the village. </SPAN>
 
Faylen watched Naoki dart away from Azora as quickly as she'd been thrown into his arms. She shook her head, chuckling at her shy old friend. Nevertheless, Faylen felt herself being lured by the distraction and followed Naoki over to 'The Golden Field' as they'd called it when they were little. They'd used to meet each other there and play games or just sit and talk for hours on end, picking flowers and staring at the clouds.

Naoki was the kind of friend you only found in your dreams, she was faithful and trustworthy, sweet and loving, and Faylen had given it all up for the few 'perks' of the shadows. Faylen sighed, and sat down some distance away from Naoki. The sunlight hurt her eyes, she was used to the dull sparkle of the moon, and it made her skin itch, but she managed to sit still, close enough to Naoki that she could pretend they were together.

She considered revealing herself to Naoki, but she had no real explanation. For why she was here, for why she turned towards the darkness, for anything. She knew there was no backing out of the life she'd chosen for herself, heck, she liked being a shadow charmer, but she wished her best friend could be there by her side, just like old times.
 
Naoki relaxed once her bare feet touched the soothing grass, her lips curving into a sweet smile. She was tempted to just throw herself down and roll all around like she used to do with Faylen all those years ago, with the end result always being screeching from their mothers from all the grass stains. Probably not a good idea when wearing a white dress, she reasoned with herself now, but it was still tempting. She sat down on top of a small rise instead, resting her chin on her knees. So much had changed since she was a child. It was awful, really. Her friends had all separated and spread to different parts of the world, off 'exploring'. The only people that were around that she had known back then were Azora and Faylen. Azora clearly wasn't a conversation choice since she couldn't do much more than squeak in his presence - plus, she was fairly certain that he didn't know she even existed. Faylen was so close yet so far, and Naoki felt like she would never get her best friend back now.


She frowned at the thought and let one hand drop to the ground, absently drawing swirls through the grass with the tip of her finger. Golden sparkles followed the trail for a few moments before fading, the same gold of her irises. Oh, the games they used to play... She forced her mind from that and tried to focus on other things. The fact that she had no purpose in life other than spreading smiles and finding things to be curious about, for one. It was like she had no reason to be here. She sighed and slid her forehead down to rest on her knees, silver tears filling her eyes. Despite the power she had shown to help that strange girl earlier, she was powerless to help her own friend. She quivered and started to cry, not bothering to be silent about it since she thought that she was alone.
 
It was to much, Faylen couldn't stand it. She used to be able to brush Naoki's tears aside and make her laugh, what had they got to giggle about now? How stupid Faylen was? She sat up on her knees, and crawled over to Naoki, she didn't speak for a long moment, she was unsure whether or not Naoki knew she was present. Faylen combed the shadows her legs created and made a heart. It was ugly and black, just like her own. Faylen realized that sometimes the only thing you can do to change a shadow is to move the things around it... would regaining friend status with her former best friend be enough for her to fully want to be 'good' again?

Taking a deep breath, Faylen placed her pale, white hand on Naoki's back. "Don't cry.." she whispered, a few tears of her own leaking out, despite her words of comfort.
 
As the silver haired woman, Cordia he remembered when he could think clearly, removed the ropes Quinic took a moment to shake his mane and folded his wings properly. People were still staring and it made him uncomfortable. His ears twitched constantly as his eyes darted about. The other feathered male didn't look too pleased either. Then the her being spoke.

Ah, Audrey... so that was her name. Seeing her sad posture, Quinic nuzzled her a comfort. It was strange, but being close to this girl made him feel peaceful.
 
Cordia reached out a gentle hand and pulled Audrey's chin up. Ancient aqua blue eyes looked into young emerald green. A reassuring smile adorned the older face.

"Audrey. You should never be ashamed for coming to the aid of another. Whether Winged, Beast, or Human."

She noted something in the girl's eyes. A question.

"Is there something you wish to know, dear?"
 
Audrey glanced down at the animal nuzzling her, she pet his head and looked deep into Cordias eyes. "A-actually if it's not to rude to ask, I was wondering, well who are you? I mean I got that your name was Cordia and all but..." Audrey trailed off, leaving the question hanging in the air like a spiderweb in front of everyone's noses. She rubbed Quinic, it soothed her and she was sure it soothed him as well. She couldn't even understand how anyone even thought he was a demon.

((my turn to apologize for mistakes given on my phone))
 
Cordia nodded in understanding. "But you wish to know why they let me pass. I am a member of the Horei-Iches," She noticed that Audrey seemed confused. "A member of the Ruling Class if you will." A smiled graced her face, as she held up a hand to stop Audrey from showing respect. "Please, don't. I'm not that high on the list."

(Sorry it's so short. Couldn't really think of much to say)