[Okura]

Okura was a fine lady, dressed up in some basic clothes. A brown t-shirt, some jeans... the usual. She messed with the twirls on her scarlet pigtails, a smile appearing on the fourteen year old's rosy face.
 "A walk will you do you good, I promise it will." Okura explained to Siriuk the temple yonyuu.



 Siriuk, nicknamed as Sir, gave a little twitch. He silently walked behind Okura with his head bowed, eyes wide in the never-ending stare he seemed to had been born with. Okura sighed, then took some large tough leaves out of a pack. The yonyuu blinked it's eyes, scurrying up to nibble on the leaf in Okura's soft white hands.
 "The forest is so calm, so gentle. Try to be like the forest." Okura said to Sir, rubbing his fur as he gnawed at the leaves. The feel of leaves in the yonyuu's mouth, well, it was oddly liked and was a nice trick to calming down the ever uneasy winged creature. Siriuk then completely took the leaf in his mouth and they continued walking into the forest. He chewed it quickly, yet careful not to completely consume it. When all the juice was completely gone and the poor leaf was torn to shreds, Sir spat it out onto the forest floor.
 "That's it, Sir." Okura said calmly. "Ohh I wonder what we'll find today." Okura rarely would go to this part of the forest, but she would often read up on the forest and knew a lot about it. It was an exciting feeling, discovering the unknown, especially with her companion beside her.

[Okura]

Okura heard the sound of water rushing in the distance. Siriuk licked his lips hungrily, for he knew water mean't fish and fish mean't food. Okura smiled.
 "Let's go off path for a bit, eh? I'd like to take a visit to that river there." Okura explained, pointing her finger to the churning water beyond the trees. Siriuk grinned, and so Okura took that as approval to go to the river. Okura walked to it, staring up in awe at the series of waterfalls to the left. It wasn't one big one, but five small ones that would drip down into smaller ponds, finally ending by flowing out into the river. How great, how pure.    
 Siriuk quickly rushed to the waters edge, staring down at the liquid. It was full of fish, and thankfully his shadow didn't enter into the pond. The fish were not aware of his steady gaze, but the way he shifted his feet in the dirt was enough to scare off any fish. Okura shook her head with a sigh. "Sir, how are you going to catch fish like that? Stand back if you could. Yes, thank you."
 Siriuk stood back obediently. When all had been calmed, Okura knelt by the river. She flexed her fingers. A fish was coming towards her. The current was to Okura's advantage, causing the fish to flow right into a sort of cave of rocks. Of course, this obstacle would be easy to escape from, but it still slowed the fish down. Now was Okura's chance. She quickly grabbed the fish, taking it out of the water. It flipped and flopped viciously, water spraying everywhere. She struggled to get the small fish to high ground where it couldn't escape. Tossing it to Siriuk, he grabbed it in his maw and silenced the fish from it's wriggling.

[Okura]

It tasted juicy, delicate, warm. Siriuk gnawed on the fish, a full look of delight on his face. Okura smiled.
 "Sir is improving a lot." Okura thought aloud. "He used to gobble up all his food, scared someone would steal it from him. Now he can sit and enjoy fish peacefully, especially when I'm here to make sure things are okay. I protect him. He's learned so much from me, but no, I'm the one who's learned the most from him." she smiled. Usually she would simply think these thoughts in her head rather then say them aloud, but it seemed nobody was here to listen but the birds in the trees, and she liked how it felt to speak words out. Chuckling, she watched the slippery tail of the fish fall out of Sir's mouth. He licked his lips and bent his head down to pick it up from the floor, finishing off the last of the fish.
 Okura, however, had a snack of her own. She pulled her backpack in front of her, sitting it down on the cool grass. She unzipped it then picked out a plastic bag and within that plastic bag was a sandwich. It had some shredded chicken, lettuce, and some secret sauce she invented herself. Chowing down on her special meal, she enjoyed the morning with her winged friend.

[Okura]

It looked as if another was to be added to the mix, a tall Dreamsnare Beetanke emerged from the brush. His name was Feather, but people would call him Ther. Ther preferred Ther better then Feather, just because it sounded more manly. He sat himself down beneath a willow tree, relaxing against trunk of the tree. The leaves of the tree drooped down to the floor, touching Ther's claws. Little did he know, Okura and Sir were not far off in the distance.

 "What is it, Sir?" asked Okura, watching Siriuk stand up after finishing his meal. Sniffing the air, the wolf hurried off towards the willow tree. He sniffed the ground, the scent led him back and forth, in and out, until it led directly to Ther. "What are you doing here, Ther?" Okura blinked in surprise. Sir sat down, staring into the glowing eyes of the deadly Beetanke.
 "Hmph, some peace and quiet." muttered Ther in reply.
 "What about Royale? I thought you were looking after him. That would be a disaster if he wasn't attended to." Okura said nervously. "It won't work, will it? You being his guardian while we're gone."
 "Huh, I'm not that stupid. I don't really care that much, but you probably wouldn't feed me all that good food if you found Royale was dead." chuckled Ther. "I made Liliath look after him, she'll do good to make sure he doesn't get into trouble. She's far superior in that kind of stuff, babysitting and whatnot." Ther snorted.

 Okura sighed. "Well at least Royale will be okay, but that means he's pushing more work on Liliath. Poor hollowheart, always working." thought Okura.

[Okura]

Ther stood up and walked over to another tree. Above him hung some apples. He stood back, giving some distance from him and the tree. Then he jumped into the air, slicing the apple's stem and sending the juicy fruit out onto the floor. With a grin of satisfaction, Ther picked up the apple and ate it.

 "What a nice day. It's just nice to be out in nature, seeing it all. It gets a bit dull after awhile, but, you know... it's relaxing." Okura was saying aloud.
 "You talking to me?" Ther said, moving his head away from the apple.
 "No, not necessarily. Just out in the open, not directed to anyone. It's your choice to listen or not." Okura said.
 "Hmph." Ther shrugged. "Well, I agree with you. I always come out here to see nature, grab an apple or pear, you know? It's nice. Nobody ever comes here. I was surprised to see you in these parts." replied Ther.
 "I know, but I heard this was such a great place. I thought it would be nice, and it would probably help calm down Sir. I think it worked." she said.

 Siriuk nudged the pack of leaves beside Okura, wagging his tail and staring up with eyes of delight. Okura shoed him back a bit so she could get out the leaves. Obediently, sir stood back. But as he did so, his foot crunched against a stick, causing a large snap to be heard. Sir let out a bark, tail moving rapidly as he twitched in fear. Okura couldn't help but chuckle and hand Sir some leaves. "Don't worry, a stick won't hurt you." she chuckled.
 "But it seems it hasn't worked completely yet." Ther said, sitting down again and putting his blades behind his back after tossing the apple. "Ahh, if only we could do something funner then this."

[Okura]

The wind picked up considerably, a silent scene of three beings relaxing in the open forest. Okura couldn't help but hope something interesting would happen. She wanted to stay in the forest, but she had to admit, it was getting boring. She shivered in the cold wind, watching as Sir nibbled on the leaves.
 "What a lucky dog, eh? Having all that fur. Poor you, covered in skin." chuckled Ther.
 "Do you think we'll gain anything from you saying that?" muttered Okura. Ther shrugged. Okura rolled her eyes and picked up a stick off the floor. It was almost perfectly straight, there was just a slight bend and one small pointy branch sticking from it, but aside from that it seemed like it would have been good as a throwing stick. That's when Okura got an idea, it wouldn't entirely cure boredom but she could try playing fetch with Sir.
 "Hey, Sir. Let's play a little game of fetch." Okura grinned, stretching her arm and aiming into the sky. Sir spat out the leaves and blinked as the stick was thrown over his head. His mouth gaped open, and he burst into the sky. Using his wings as an extra push, he managed to grab the stick before it had even hit the ground. Landing on his feet, he trotted back and returned the stick to his master.
 "Oh, how nice. Some use for those wings." Ther chuckled.

[Okura]

"I never knew how much of a jumper he was. But it's not just his legs, it's the mix of legs and wings that make for a quick jump." Okura said in awe. Siriuk had spread out his wings, pushed in his front legs, then pushed off the floor with his powerful legs while at the same time flapping down quickly. It was a nice sight to see, Sir twisting through the air like some sort of acrobat.
 Okura retrieved the stick from Sir's gaping maw, wagging his long fluffy tail. Again Okura thrust the stick into the air, but she aimed it higher rather then further away. She wanted to know how far he could jump, and her thoughts were answered as he leaped up into the air. He didn't go much further, but he flapped his wings again while midair to get another boost to finally catch the stick in his mouth. Landing like a stealthy cat that had fallen from a tree, on all fours Siriuk trotted over to Okura proudly.
 "Good, good." Okura awarded him with words and gentle pats.
 "I'm sure I could jump just as well, if not better." Ther snorted, standing up and stretching. Okura laughed.
 "You want to play fetch?" she replied.
 "No! I just want to practice, you know, jumping because it makes my legs stronger and all that stuff. It's not like it's fun or anything. I'm just training, yes, that's it." Ther said.
 "Okay then. Why don't we have a jumping competition? I see a stick over there, it seems quite close in looks to this one. Surprised there was another so good as this, you know. But anyways. I'll put one in one hand, and then one in the other. Sir will catch the one on the left and you'll catch the one on the right. I'll fling them both up really high. Deal?" Okura explained.
 "Yep, got it." he said.

[Okura]

Okura held two sticks in the air, she stood straight and made sure both sticks were at the same height. The trick was who could go higher, and Okura's eyes were prepared to judge.
 The following scene went in slow motion it seemed. Ther was first to leap into the air, Sir following soon after. Siriuk went high into the air, flapping his wings to allow himself to gracefully catch the stick. Flying down, stick in jaws. Ther, on the other hand, had also gone up considerably high. He landed faster then Sir, landing before Siriuk could plant his paws on the earth. There was a grin of satisfaction as Ther handed over the stick to Okura.
 "How did I do?" Ther asked.
 "Good, very good. You were quick, indeed. However... you didn't go as high as Sir." Okura said.
 "What? How is that possible? I obviously grabbed the stick before him and went to the ground." he said.
 "I know, but the stick had to fall a bit before you caught it, and then you're naturally more heavy then Siriuk so you would faster fall. Sir just glided down, you know? That's why he was slower to fall. But he did catch the stick before you, leaping the highest. I know it's kind of complicated but yeah. He did use his wings a few times, so that's probably what let him win. But don't worry about it, nothing could probably beat wings." Okura chuckled.
 Ther frowned, simply staring at the two of them. Folding his arms he shrugged. "Whatever, I'm still faster then he will ever be."

[Okura]

"That could be so, Ther." Okura chuckled.
 "Hey, where's jumpy-dude going?" Ther said, staring off to see Siriuk trot off into the forest, guided by his black button nose. Led off into the brush, they could no longer see the sight of the playful pup. Okura shook her head, and quickly dropped the sticks to go after him. Perhaps not to necessarily take him back, but to see where he desired to go. There had to be a purpose for wandering off after all. To deny one's curiosity... well, there might as well be no freedom.
 Ther followed from above. He had climbed up the trunk of a tree and passed his way through the treetops with strong arms, legs, and jumps. It was an easy feat because of how close each branch was. Some trees even hugged against each other almost, entwining their branches like a couple holding hands for a tango.  
 Sir led them onward, now in view and quite well observed by Okura and Ther. What the winged creature led them to was no other then a well. A well, a simple well, right in the middle of the forest. Sir put his paws up on the rim of the stone well, peering down into it's depths. Okura peeked over observantly as well. Ther was the last to land, hitting the ground perfectly as he leaped from the tree-tops.
 "What is it?" Ther asked.
 "A well." chuckled Okura.
 "Well duh, I knew that but why are you staring at it so much?" Ther spat.
 "I don't know. It's just interesting to find one out here. Plus I can't see any water. It just goes down and down forever." Okura shrugged.
 Snout peering down at the well, Sir took a sniff in. Licking his lips, he jumped. Yes, he jumped into the well, falling into the tube-like rock area. Okura let out a gasp, and Ther's eyes grew wide.
 "Siriuk!?" Okura shouted.

[Okura]

An utter face of dismay. Siriuk had jumped. He really had, and it was hard for Okura to comprehend. Bellow she heard the barks of Siriuk, and a fowl stench entered into Ther's nose. Something strange was happening. Okura sat and waited for awhile, wondering if Sir would ever come back up. He was a great jumper after all, was he not? Ther folded his arms impatiently.
 "Are we just going to stand here all day? I for one, am certainly going down here to get the mutt back up. I don't know what he's thinking, and I want to know what's going on right now." Ther said.
 "Fine, but don't take too long." Okura shrugged. But she was nervously glancing down now. It seemed rather steep. Ther hopped down. After a few seconds, the sound of feet hitting the floor could be heard, as well as a gasp of amazement.
 "You have to see this, Okura! Come on down. I'll catch you." Ther shouted.
 "Uh, what, okay." Okura blinked. She hesitated for a moment, nervousness crawling through her. But she had to trust Ther. She leaped, a bit of fear in her eyes at the fall. It had gone a second or two longer then she thought, but she was caught in the arms of Ther who quickly let her down. Looking up was the first thing Okura did, seeing the small light drift down upon her from the opening. There was no way they could jump back up there, and yet, maybe they didn't have to. Looking around, Okura saw a place covered in blue crystals. The entire area opened up before them, and neon blue streams swished around tiny islands.
 Siriuk was picking fish greedily from the shallow streams, gulping them up joyfully. He had gotten what he wanted. More fish, and these ones were so calm and lazy too. They were easy to catch. "How much fish can you eat?" Okura gasped. "Enough, enough! Just because it's so easy doesn't mean you can have as many as you want. You're gonna get sick." Okura muttered, shaking her head and pulling him away.
 "Okura. What do you think we've found here?" Ther blinked.

[Okura]

The air was getting hot. Okura knew that for sure. She could have thought about how this came here and whatnot, but her head was somewhat dizzy.
 "We found a cave of crystals, that's what." Okura muttered. "But to be honest, I'd prefer leaving, you know."
 "What? Why?" Ther blinked in bafflement. This wasn't like Okura to just leave after finding something amazing and brilliant. It was almost like Ther was switching places with her, for a moment.
 "I'm tired, and I feel hot and yucky." she said. Ther shook his head but there was nothing he could do. He didn't feel the hot sweat she did, or the dizziness the sight of the blue crystals caused. Something about humans, maybe. Sir was also having quite a nice time and not even feeling discomfort. It was just kind of weird.

 Okura collapsed in front of Ther, unable to stand and gasping for breaths. It was worse then he thought. "Oh great, now I have to worry about you." he muttered. "Come on Sir, let's go." And Ther leaped into the air. Just before they reached the top, he fell back down, unable to reach his destination. Giving another final leap, he went about the same height, maybe a bit further, but this time he used his back feet to thrust against the wall, giving him the final height and enabling him to land safely on the grass outside. He laid Okura down, then searched the bottomless pit of the well to see if Sir was following.
 "I hope that stupid dog doesn't stay forever. Took too much time getting myself back up here. Isn't he full of fish already?" Ther streamed a line of complaints. He hated being soft, and to be honest he had felt a bit of pity for Okura. But who wouldn't? She was just laying there helpless, sweating... possibly dying.