Welcome to Gaia! ::

Ai smiles sleepily and curls about him, allowing herself to drift off at last. Life was good right now, better than it had been for most of her life. Almost she'd give up her angellic existence to keep it this way, but only almost. Responsibility and duty were still there, the geasa upon her still held, they were simply set aside on a shelf in her heart somewhere, behind a door that wasn't locked but certainly closed. She really didn't have a choice in the matter. It might appear as though her life was her own to control, but that was just a fallacy. The mandates which drove her were still in effect, but for now the powers that be were allowing her time for herself, time with someone she loved, time to grow and change. And for that she was eternally grateful.

SNORE.......

Not surprisingly Ai's dreams are of flying and she soon pulls the cat in, sending them both sailing over her mountainous homeland, but in her heart life is good, so he gets to see it as she once did, at the height of summer so very very long ago, green and growing, streams tumbling over massive cliffs into mind boggling waterfalls, hidden meadows tucked amid the tangled growth of trees, sun drenched and inviting. In the winter of her soul, all this was buried beneath layers of ice and snow, but now that the warmth has returned, he's finding it teeming with life and promise. Surprisingly there are animals here, deer and other small creatures populate the meadows, a bear fishes at the edge of a waterfall, and birds of all sizes and color, flock through out the skies. None fear them and most appear to welcome their presence.

Oddly enough there is no sentient life here, only the lower forms. Either this is the world she is truly from, which predates the rest of creation, or they are truly adapt at hiding.

And so it goes, until nightfall and his growling stomach awakens him and it seems Ai as well, for when he cracks an eyelid, she is sitting at the opening of the cave grinning at him with amusement. "You better find something quick to fill that pit... keep yer strength up.... we've company in the area... you may have to defend you manliness, Taro. I haven't seen him yet... but his scent is in the air. There another male cat in the region. He just hasn't taken it upon himself to climb this high. I think he's scoping out the area first."

Ai meekly follows him out, but one look at her eyes shows there is nothing meek about her in the least. sidling up to Kero she sniffs the deer and digs in watching him do the same, once she is certain his thoughts are on his belly and not her she teasingly leans over and licks the blood from his muzzle, nuzzling him and twining her tail about his simultaneously.

"Eat up, dulcha... you need it more than I..." she purrs invitingly.

Ai sighs and dines leisurely on the remaining half of the deer. She should have realized that male pride would take precedence over her. Chuckling to herself, she slowly finishes off the meat then begins to crack the leg bones, not even realizing what she's doing, then scraps them clean of marrow, storing up iron and nutrients.

A deep coughing roar sounds from the forest below the ridge, no doubt the female panther's mate, who has come to see what this delicious scent he caught on the wind was all about.

She looks up from the bone she is polishing off and blinks. Then she gives a self conscious laugh. Pushing it back towards the carcass, she stands and walks to his side, nuzzling him fondly.

"The aiming part need not be so important, iffin ye'd only remember to be gentle." she tells him in a teasing tone. "Perhaps a little less concentration and a little more tenderness would fit the bill, hmmm?"

Then she flicks him gently with her tail and bounds off along the ridge line, a clear invitation for him to follow. She's not going at an all out run and he can easily catch her, but she doesn't seem to be inviting that in the least. She heading for the edge of a cliff, quite a bit higher up, and the sun is beginning to set. Knowing his guardian as well as he does, Kero suspects she's trying to find a good vantage point in which to take in the sunset.

Ai sighs, rubbing her head gently against his. "Kero, this probably doesn't mean anything to you right now... but someday it will. I want to thank you for the opportunities you've given me... it... it means so much to me. You've reopened the world to me. You have set me free of the madness. And... and if ever in the future you seem lost and afraid, don't you ever ever ever fear calling on me... I would be most hurt if you don't."