The Island of Clouds

Saraph managed a small smile at her words. It seemed like an intimate action, but he kept doing it anyway. He liked the way her hair slid between his fingers as he made the rhythmic motion slow and careful. It was like he didn't want to scare her away. She then spoke of the nostalgia that came with his ministrations, and his head tilted to the side, gem earrings making soft tinks as they hit one another.

"Are your previous memories unhappy?" he inquired as his index finger twirled around a small lock of her hair. He never pulled on it or left any single strand out of place. His eyes watched the light shatter onto her hair and make broken fragments that brightened the red. It was a river of shiny crimson down her back, and Saraph liked it. It complimented everything else about her.
 
The way Saraph handled her hair showed her just how gentle of a soul he was. She liked the way his fingers twirled small locks of her long hair, shining bright in the warm sunlight. The natural golden rays also lit up her bronze irises and when she opened them again, they showed him awe at the way his violet eyes sparkled amid the perfect glen they stood in. His earrings made little tinkling sounds that simply accentuated just how much a part of him music was.
"N-not the ones you're triggering.." Lyra answered, looking away from him for a moment to distract herself from the other memories threatening to come to light. She gulped, then regained her composure, focusing on the feeling of his hand in her hair.
 
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Saraph glanced down as she stuttered and turned away. His hand in her hair slowed, but it didn't stop. At some point, his fingers had trailed down to brush the back of her neck. The logical and mostly rigid part of him was falling away. There was a rare glimpse to the soft side, the true innocence he held. He took one small step closer to her to keep his motions up. The Cloudi didn't seem to realize the effect he was having on her with his treatment of her hair.

It lasted for another half a minute before there was a rumbling growl and a rustle in the leaves of the bluish-green bushes near some of the trees. Saraph stepped away, head tipped toward the sound. A brown and white shape slithered out from the cover to reveal a wolf-like creature. It had the frame of a wolf, but there were patches of slick, green scales on its sides, back, and head. It was growling with an open mouth lined with sharp canines and a forked tongue. Behind it, another one of the same creatures cowered. This one was much smaller with black and blue fur and purple scales.

"Do not move," he warned Lyra, not taking his eyes from the strange creature. He took one step closer to it and the growling intensified, fur standing on end and quaking with the withheld motions. "Return to your home, Wolke. We are not here to harm you or your offspring. We will leave, so we do not disturb you further." The Wolke, as Saraph called it, flattened its pointed ears and faked a lunge at him. Saraph took his step back, trying again. This time, when he spoke, the language of his people spilled from his lips, the melodic words streaming together just like a song. This time, the Wolke stood up straight from its crouched attacking position and flickered its ears. The small wolf pup still cowered, but it seemed less afraid than before.

"Come," he said to Lyra, taking one of her hands even as he inched back further. Saying something else to the wolfish creature, Saraph dipped his head before he moved away, noticing the Wolke mimicking his head motions. Cloudi and Wolke turned their backs on one another and, with Lyra in tow, Saraph walked away from the clearing and back toward the entrance of the forest. He hadn't known if his Cloudi words had been going to work or not, but he was grateful that the creature had been intelligent enough to understand.
 
Lyra loved the tingling feeling his fingers left on her neck and she was glad he was becoming less shy around her. She easily slipped into a daze, enjoying the sunlight through the trees and his fingers caressing her hair and neck. But then she flinched, brought out of her little daydream by a menacing snarl in the brush ahead of them.
Saraph stepped away from her and she opened her eyes wide, watching the strange mix between snake and wolf glare at them. Venomous wolves?! how many other incredibly dangerous creatures lived in this deceptively enchanting forest? Lyra was about to yell at Saraph to fly, but he commanded her not to move. He knew better than her about anything on the Island of Clouds, so she complied, standing stock still with her eyes glued to the intimidating wolkes before her. Though she kept silent, her heart was pounding loudly as Saraph spoke to it, his soft tone attempting to appease the reptilian canine. It was then, when she actually listened to Saraph's words, that she finally noticed he wolke pup trembling behind its mother. No wonder this thing was angry. Mothers are always most aggressive when it comes to their babies. Lyra's fear filled, worried eyes flicked toward Saraph as it nearly lunged and her breathing became shallow, but he didn't look back at her. Instead he began to speak in an unfamiliar tongue, directing his musical voice toward the ferocious mother's flattened ears.
Slowly, the mother wolke straightened out of its defensive crouch and stared warily into Saraph's violet eyes. Lyra noticed that the pup stopped shivering as Saraph finished whatever he was saying. She almost thought the command he spoke in english was for the wolf-snakes too, but then she felt his hand wrap around her shaking fingers and only when he tugged her out of the glen and toward the entrance to the forest did her heartbeat and breathing begin to sloo back to a healthy pace. Her hands still shook from having to hold back any movement or screams for those tense moments that felt like hours. "H-how did you--what did you say to it?" Lyra stuttered, following Saraph like a helpless puppy on a leash.
 
Saraph felt the trembles travel up his arm, but he held her fast. There was no reason to be scared, especially as they left the forest. They were on the expanse of an open field with orange and yellow grass, the blades reaching Saraph's calves. A wide and shallow river of purple-red water flowed farther out, but there were threads of blue and silver swimming around in the colored water. It was only when they were standing there, watching a breeze ruffle the grass, did Saraph answer her question.

"I spoke the same words as I did in your language, but she understood our language. I have forgotten that they do not respond kindly to your words. However, only a few of us speak the Cloudi language. It is... a lost art," he said, though he seemed to somber up at the thought of his ancient language dying. "It is why we often do not venture into the forest. Many of the hunters who gather our meat cannot calm the animals they do not wish to kill. We reduce our meat to only fish." Pulling her along through the soft grass, Saraph sat her down in front of the shallow river. It was roughly three or four feet deep, and there were silver and white fish darting around in the depths. There weren't large schools, but there was enough to sustain the small population in the town.

"The animals are intelligent, but they do not speak. They are very much like your animals, but you hunt for sport, not to survive."
 
Lyra slowly calmed down as Saraph pulled her through the grassy plain with yellow and green reaching up to her thighs. From here, the area seemed endless and perfect for screaming at the top of your lungs just because you can. Lyra breathed in the scent of fresh air, flowers and sunlight in the breeze as they stopped at a shallow and colorful river. Then the handsome Cloudi answered her question and she listened closely, looking up at him as little black wisps of his hair waved in the air. His violet eyes caught golden rays of sunlight as they grew somber for the slow death of an ancient language. He seemed to her to have been born in the wrong centuries, trapped in this time as a perfect representation of an innocent, intelligent, gentle, caring soul. She couldn't help but admire him..nearly all the time.
Lyra sat beside him willingly, again distracted by the swirling colors of the water by her feet. Little silver fish glistened beneath the surface like coins in a flowing fountain. It seemed everything on this entire island could be turned into a famous piece of art on earth. If she were any good at painting, she would be able to paint here for the rest of her very short life.
"Yeah. I don't like it...The human race kind of sucks doesn't it?" Lyra frowns a little, staring into the shallow brook and sighing. Of course, she didn't mean it to be very serious. She didn't want to delve into the topic in this moment as the soft blades of grass waved in the wind and short pieces of her bangs obstructed her view of the fish. She blew a strand away from her face, but more followed, so she rolled her eyes and continued to stare down at the water. It was only then that she noticed her hand was still in Saraph's, warm and cradled like her fingers were treasures he couldn't bear to let go of. Her cheeks grew pink just the slightest bit, but she didn't pull her hand away. The contact was sweet and she didn't want to let go unless he wanted to.
 
"It does not... suck," he said, the slang sounding strange on his tongue. "It is just different, like everything else in our worlds. Differences are not so bad. It is when one gets... stuck on those differences and brings them to light and mocks them. That is when it becomes obvious and painful. If you all chose to respect differences rather than mock them, your world would be better. But... not everyone thinks the same way. Your unique state of mind is often your downfall."

After he finished his words did Saraph seem to realize she didn't want to dwell on the topic. His eyes caught her lips as they formed an o to try and blow her hair from her face. When that failed, the strands tumbled back down to bring more with them. There was a soft chuckle as he released her hand. He leaned, one finger curling and twisting around the short strands to almost braid them into one singular lock before he pulled it back and pushing it under the rest of her hair so it stayed back. "Is that better for you?" he asked, the ends of his lips curved into a smile.
 
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The way he repeated her slang made Lyra smile. And she agreed with his view of earth, but she didn't like the way he included her when he spoke his last sentence on the topic. She never liked the way society thought in general. Maybe that's why she always seemed to be alone down there. Her smile faded until he asked his next question, having let go of her hand to twirl her bangs back into place so she could see better. She returned Saraph's soft smile and nodded, again marveling at the sheer beauty of his hair, ears, eyes, nose, lips... She didn't want to look away. What did it matter if her heart fluttered when he smiled at her like that? If she felt so much more content with him than anywhere else? It's not like he would ever feel like she did. She's just a human he's supposed to take care of. For all she knows, he brought her out here because all he wants from her are opinions and knowledge about her world down below.
She didn't want to believe that of course, because everything Saraph does seems so sincere, but having trusted and been betrayed too many times, her mind couldn't help but come up with reasons why he would be using her
 
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Saraph had turned his head back when she nodded, looking out over the water and the rest of the field. It truly was a magnificent sight, one that Saraph tired of often. While there was beauty in the island, there were so many different things that he wanted to see and never would, if his life kept up like it was. It was made him look back down at Lyra, but she was no longer smiling. His head canted to the side as he looked her up and down.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, worry threading through his voice like a wrongfully woven string. "You are not smiling anymore." He thought back to what he said. Maybe he had offended her without thinking. She certainly didn't lump in with other humans as he saw them, but they were all so much alike that he had a hard time un-generalizing them. "If I spoke of something false, I apologize. I am not used to speaking to humans about themselves."
 
When Saraph noticed her thoughts delving to dark corners, and pointed it out, Lyra grit her teeth and looked away from him. "You are not smiling anymore." He said, tilting his head to the side like a curious puppy. But of course he was anything but. He has lived for so many years, which must have made him far more mature than she could ever be. "If I spoke of something false, I apologize. I am not used to speaking to humans about themselves." He said, trying to make up for anything he did wrong. The side of her that wanted to refuse the fact that he cared about her said it was because he only wanted to learn from her that he would apologize for anything. That made her frown at herself. She didn't want to be like that, silently judgmental and closed off to any sort of affection. She should be able to rise above any pain inflicted upon her below the Island of Clouds, but she...couldn't let go. What a child she was! She glared at the ground, still looking away from the feathered man beside her.
"No need to apologize. You didn't say anything you need to be sorry for." Lyra mumbled, directing he words to the ground instead of to him. But she refused to seem rude, so she composed her features and turned back to face forward. Her face was a blank slate, something she had to learn if she ever wanted to be an actress. She cleared her throat and bit her lip slightly. "Hey, Saraph.." she blurted, keeping him from bringing up any more about her emotions. Her eyes stayed dull. "Do you ever wish your life would end sooner? That you could just..disappear?" Lyra's voice was quiet, as if it wanted to be carried on the breeze and never returned to its owner. She blinked as the sun shone in her eyes, then clenched her fists, as if holding something back. She didn't know what, but whatever was lurking inside her, it wasn't good, so she'd restrain it. Like everything else she never wanted to share.
 
She seemed incredibly sad. Maybe depressed was the correct word. Saraph wasn't entirely sure what she was feeling, but he didn't like it. There was something dark underneath her words as she began to speak. The violet eyes opened just a little wider at her question, and there was a quick shake of his head. He didn't have to think about his answer. "There is too much to learn about the world for me to wish something like that upon myself. I would not want to die at a young age. I would miss the knowledge and the changing of the world. I would not experience all that I have."

He shifted and turned so his cross-legged position was facing her. "Why do you ask me this? Is this something you have wished upon yourself? If you had disappeared, I would not have met you, and my life would be going on the same it always has. Dull and uneventful." Her face was so closed and blank, and it almost pained him. Her features were completely void of any emotion or feeling. It was not an expression that suited her, in his opinion. "I would not have wished for you to disappear. I would not wish that now, either."
 
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Though she didn't look back at him, Lyra listened to his words carefully. It was definitely expected of him to want to stay so he could learn and experience the world as long as he could. She repeated hie last sentence in her mind before he shifted positions. "I would not experience all that I have." All that I have. What does she have?
His next words struck her heartstrings like arrows. She gulped, but left her features unchanged. She'd..changed something at least. She'd ended the monotony of an angel's long long life. In her peripheral vision, she could see him grow worried for her. "I would not have wished for you to disappear. I would not wish that now, either." His voice brought her back from her frozen state. Cold...that was the right word. Saraph makes her warmer.
Lyra bit her lip again and pulled her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her knees. It may have made her seem incredibly small in such a perfect and open space, but she didn't care this time. Her throat tightened and emotions slowly made their way back into her eyes. He didn't want her to disappear. Lyra let out a shaky breath as her eyes grew misty. She turned toward him then, widening her shiny eyes at the unexpectedly small amount of space between them. "Thanks." She whispered. "There've been dark days, I'll admit." She sniffed, refusing to let her tears fall. "I'm glad I landed here...I'm glad I met you." Lyra gave him a soft smile, trying to get rid of any concern he might be feeling for her.
 
Saraph realized why her face had looked so... wrong when she wasn't smiling. It had been cold and unkind, but the smile had lit up her face and made her seem happy to be alive. He liked her with that expression. He didn't want to see the dark and depressed Lyra anymore. He watched her, carefully calculating her position, her emotions, and most importantly, what she was showing in her eyes. She sniffled, the first sign of awaiting tears, and her irises glistened with water.

"It is okay to show a sad emotion," he said, his head lowering slightly to make sure to look her in the eye. His hand came up to her cheek, thumb swiping along her skin, as if he was already wiping away the tears he expected to come. He was careful to make sure his claws didn't scratch her, as that would have defeated the purpose of trying to make her feel better. "I am glad that you landed here as well. Even if I do not like the way in which you landed." Crashed was a more appropriate word, but he didn't say that.
 
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Violet met bronze when he lowered his head so he was level with her. Lyra held back with all her might, but then he brought his calloused fingertips to her cheek. The ends were slightly rougher than his palm because of playing the lyre and other such instruments, but she hardly noticed. "I am glad that you landed here as well. Even if I do not like the way in which you landed." He said, his harmonious voice causing her tears to fall, cascading down her cheeks in a stream she couldn't pull back any longer. No one had shown her such kindness in years and she never realized how much she missed it. Her cheeks grew red and she tried to look down but his hand kept her weeping eyes locked to his and she couldn't lower her gaze. "Saraph.." she mumbled, trying to say something, anything sensible, but it wasn't going to work. Lyra cried and she couldn't hold it back anymore. She smiled wide, not sure if she was happy or sad, but she leaned her cheek against his hand anyway. She wanted so badly to simply sob in his arms or something stupid like that, but she wasn't going to push if it made him uncomfortable.
 
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Saraph had never really comforted anyone personally, but Rexia had always done it for him when he was sad. She would take him into a hug and let him know that life was going to get better and not to dwell on past wrongdoings. So that was what Saraph tried to do for the poor, sobbing girl in front of him. He shifted his legs and wrapped his arms around her before settling her in his lap. "It will be okay, Lyra." This time, his thumb wiped away real tears. However, she had smiled, meaning that she might have been happy to have someone to release her emotions in front of.

"It is easy to think about how someone may have wronged you in the past, and it is easy to worry that it will happen again in the future. If you put the past behind you, where it belongs, and you leave your future to chance, you will have a peaceful life. You exist in the present, not the future. So live and enjoy where you exist. Wishing to disappear is not a way to live."
 
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Saraph brought her closer to him, telling her it would be okay. How long had it been since someone told her that? How long had it been since someone wiped away her tears? He spoke as if he'd read her mind, holding her in his lap and comforting her the best way he knew how. Lyra let her tears fall freely now, taking his words to heart and repeating them in her mind so that she'd never ever forget them.
That was when Lyra decided she wouldn't want to leave this place of wonders and beauty and wings ever again. Even if the plane was rebuilt and guaranteed safety to earth, she wouldn't want to board it. She felt safe here for the first time in forever. So, without voicing her silent decision, she simply nodded in agreement with Saraph's wise and healing words. She didn't move from his embrace even when she felt her well of liquid emotion dry out. She was warm there. Cared for...It was so unfamiliar, but she loved it.
 
She seemed content to settle in his arms, and he left her there. Her weight was of no issue, and while his arms twitched in protest after some time of holding them still, he ignored them. She probably could have fallen asleep there. Still holding her carefully, Saraph's hand threaded through the tips of her hair as he'd done before, finding the sunlight still made the strands shiny and very much to his liking. However, the moment was not to last. Saraph heard rustling in the grass and noticed a few winged shapes coming toward them. Saraph stood up and set Lyra on the ground beside him, finding Erith leading a group of four other Cloudis.

"What is the meaning of this?" Erith demanded as he came upon Saraph and Lyra.

"...What is the meaning of what? You act as if I've committed a crime, something I have not done."

"You're fraternizing with a human!"

For the first time since the humans had landed on the island, Saraph showed a sign of displeasure and even anger. He glowered at Erith, the violet eyes growing darker. "I am doing nothing of the sort. I was comforting her. There is a difference, though it does not seem that way to you. Perhaps if you spent more time learning about how to speak, you would know." Erith stalked forward, the sharp and glinting sword pointed at his neck. Now one could see that the sword was made of an assortment of gems, crushed and melted together to create a thin, fine edge. The hilt was painted wood, but what mattered was the sharp end. However, Saraph didn't move, even at the threat.

"Watch what you say to me, Wobble-Wing. Pallick trusts me, not you, and if I tell him you were doing something with a human, he'll punish you. So be careful." Erith sheathed his weapon, smirking at the fake warning and turning to walk away. Saraph was gritting his teeth to keep himself from saying or doing that he would regret, and he watched them until they disappeared from sight, and that was when he finally released the breath he'd been holding in.

He hated that nickname. He would have thought Erith beyond such petty things, but it was clear that he wasn't.
 
Since her tears had been long dried to her cheeks by the warm sun and Saraph's fingers, her moved his hands to her hair as she fell asleep in his arms. Had she been awake for the threatening exchange, Lyra's fiery attitude would have caused her to do something she'd later regret. But her eyes only fluttered open just as Erith and the other Cloudis were walking away. Lyra sat up, watching the tense muscles of Saraph's wings from behind him. He was watching the group of Cloudis walking away and Lyra could just about make out one of the wings of the men at the head of the feast table. Had that been Pallick or Erith? Lyra furrowed her brow, noticing Saraph's low hiss when the other winged beings were gone. Lyra cleared her throat with a cough and looked up at him from the ground, her ribs aching. She rubbed at them absently and squinted up at him, her voice slightly raspy when she spoke. "What happened?" She asked, in reference to the confrontation that seemed to have occurred while she was unconscious.
 
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Withheld anger swirled in his gaze, and he didn't immediately turn his head down to give her an answer. He let the negative feelings dissipate, but there was still some bitterness in his eyes as he dropped back to the ground beside her. "Erith was not happy with me," he said, watching her from the corner of his eye. She seemed to be in pain again, but he didn't bring it up. He only kept looking at the riverbank in front of him, watching the water swirl the dirt and mud before disappearing into the clear depths.

"He believed me to be... fraternizing with you." The word sounded heavy and disgusting as he spoke it, and he bit his lip to halt the flow of thoughts. "I... I made a mistake." It was the first time he'd ever admitted openly doing something wrong, and it seemed to hurt him, causing the rare lapse in voice. "I insulted him, and he insulted me in return. I said something I should not have. I fear that he will relay what I said to Pallick, and the situation will only grow worse."
 
Sitting beside him, Lyra took note of the anger in his violet eyes, something completely foreign to her until now. She became more and more nervous as he continued to explain to the the situation. Erith seemed to be the crux of all of their problems. Lyra bit her lip, then placed her hand on his shoulder. Did fraternizing mean something different up here? Because down on earth it means friendship (most of the time the relationship isn't approved of, but why would the fact that she's friends with Saraph cause him to get in trouble with the government officials?
"For now, everything's okay. Alright? What's the worst they could do? And why is it bad that we're friends? Why it Erith so against that, anyway?" Lyra questioned him, keeping her voice soft and soothing so as to keep him from getting too overwhelmed with negative emotion. She tried to keep a positive outlook, and it wasn't too difficult, but that's only because ignorance is bliss. She doesn't know the consequences yet.
 
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