OPEN picture a place where it doesn't hurt

[KNOX.]

Knox's ears pinned back a moment in confusion, the voice she heard not quite traveling in a manner that was normal. No, it appeared quietly among her own thoughts. But it was easy to distinguish the source was the child and not her own mind. Her expression settled from the brief moment she was caught off guard and she nodded carefully, "Okay, Little Miss. I am Knox. Your basket has made it here to the territory of the Descendants of the Departed..." 

The lioness trailed off as the cub's voice filled its mind again, watching as her attention darted off again. It followed her gaze to the sky, then quickly dropped back down to look at her. She extended her paw in order to support the cub in case she fell from all her nerves.

Telling Little Miss the bird would not eat her wouldn't be the entire truth, that was for sure. Knox could not grasp the worry itself, it could only hope and pray it would be eaten by its fellows upon death. But given the way she spoke about her brother, she had to only assume omitting some of the truth would continue to calm her nerves. "Vale will not eat you, Little Miss. Xe are bringing you something to eat, if you are up for it." 

[VALE]

graphic gore ★ genderfluid ★ gyrfalcon

The raven caught a wind current and swooped out of sight. However, xe didn’t actually leave the Obsidian Island’s airspace. In a wingbeat, xe shed xyr black feathers and molted into a new form: a gyrfalcon.

Xe figured the kid was freaked out because she feared small and/or black birds. So, why not try a bigger bird with distinct white and black markings? Besides, for catching a live meal, a bird of prey was a more useful vehicle for the soul.

Vale circled above the island, then caught sight of a flash of red on the rocks. Then xe dived—and came up with a wiggling red crab in xyr talons. The tiny thing was nothing compared to a coconut crab, but it was meat! This would do for a friendship offering, right?!

The gyrfalcon banked right and drifted back to the lioness and the cub. From high above, xe shrieked. Wordlessly. They probably wouldn’t be able to make out any words, anyway, but xe supposed it was better to let them know to look up.

Then, from way up high, Vale dropped the wiggling crab.

Five meters from the two, it shattered upon obsidian stone.

Vale swooped down with a cackle. Xe perched the gift basket’s handle again, still cackling, while xe gestured to the cracked-open crab with all its edible meats displayed. “I have good aim, eh?! Personally, I hate crab, but it’d take me, like, wayyyyy longer for me to find a rodent for the scared lil child!”

YOU NEVER TRUSTED ME ★

BUT I’M OVER IT NOW

[W]isker

[little miss]

as soon as she saw a bird in the sky the cub attempted to scramble under Knox once again. "go away!" the tiny voice whimpered at the black and white bird, before the crab was even dropped. the little one didn't quite understand that this winged-creature was the same bird as before... the one that found and terrorized her in the comfort of her sweet sweet basket. shapeshifting simply was not something that she had ever been exposed to, let alone any sort of powers (aside from her own, of course). all she had known was her very ordinary mother, and her equally ordinary brothers.

after the initial shock, little miss looked up at offered a very weak smile. "knox! what does that mean?" and then she was distracted again, this time by her own thoughts. vale. vale. knox said vale would be back with food, and that was the black bird? but this was not the same bird, but xe brought her food? "vale is the black bird, i thought? who is this bird?" her curled ears would flick, dark eyes shifting between the bird and the maned lioness, her voice only being projected to knox, nose scrunching.

in almost an instant she was at the open crab, slurping its meat as if it could be her last meal. the worry that the bird would eat her shot off her back as her senses were overwhelmed by food. especially crab! mother had never offered her such a yummy food. it was also a lot cleaner than her other meals. she didn't even bother to lift her head as she hollowed whatever bits of the crab were still somewhat intact.

when she finished was the only time she would look up at the bird, a big grin spread across her face. "thank you scary bird for not eating me, and bringing me this yummy crab." her mouth was still salivating at the meal, and even a little bit of it dribbled out of her mouth before she ran her tongue across her lips.

[KNOX.]

Knox sighed, leave it to Vale to be the most chaotic around a child that absolutely did not need it. At the very least, Little Miss wasn't too put off by the crab shattering in front of them and more concerned with the bird. Again. It looked toward the gyrfalcon perching again, looking not quite amused. "Vale is the black bird, Vale is also this bird. Xe... change xyr form. From one inconvenience to another." She glanced back over as the cub bolted toward the food, which was a relief. Bringing food would definitely work in easing this child's nerves. "Mhm, thank you, Vale," she finally directed at the chaos bird.

The maned lioness stood, the smallest smile tugging on her face at Little Miss's own smile. "Now, Little Miss, are you willing to come back to the Big Island with us? It is... a little more comfortable than this." Sitting here for much longer was definitely not on her wishlist, not for her backend. "Plenty more crab, as well." Not quite true. But she didn't need to know all the intricate challenges they currently faced. One more mouth to feed? Yes. However, that also meant one more in their ranks to bring up with some real strength. "We could speak more there. I can help you across the water." She glanced at Vale...no, absolutely not she did not trust xem to safely fly the child to the shore. Nevermind that thought altogether, it would definitely be the one that needed to help Little Miss.

[VALE]

graphic gore ★ genderfluid ★ gyrfalcon

The gyrfalcon tilted xyr head. Confusion flashed in those black eyes. But then the child overcame her fear by the power of hunger. Survival instincts! Knox’s explanation of xem was amusing, too. Vale chuckled to xemself, half-assed hiding that fact by tucking xyr face behind a speckled wing.

However, when the child attempted to speak to Vale, the shapeshifter didn’t hear it. The child might’ve been able to hear the reason why: Vale’s mind was a cacophony of bird calls and hawk shrieks.

Even so, Vale’s cognitive empathy was high enough to understand her wide grin meant gratitude. “No problem, kiddo!”

When Knox spoke, Vale squinted one eye at the lioness skeptically. “Kiddo spoke to you? Wow, you are the child-whisperer! I could never!” Then Vale looked to the not-quite cub, not-quite adult and bobbed xyr head up and down. “Knox is right. This slab of rock is boring!” Xe gestured with a wing to the tropical island next door (though, clearly, the forests were still flattened from the ecological crisis) and nodded again. “Way more food. Rest of our people are there, too, so you’ll get to meet plenty of not-birds!”

Vale had almost said you’ll get to meet the rest of us cannibals, but that seemed real fucking stupid to say, huh? Vale was proud of xemself for not fucking up that bit of trustbuilding!

However, then xe blinked. “Wait, Knox, did you call Kiddo little miss?! What kinda name is that?! That’s like calling me gore thing?! RUDE!”

CAUTERIZED AND ATROPHIED ★ THIS IS MY UNBECOMING ★ NOW I WAIT FOR THE