Eggs...?

[GBE]

Taking the egg of the youngsters, he places the webbed strap around his neck, and tighens it, just in case the strap wasn't strong enough to support the egg. He then takes the sleeping child, and holds him in his lower two arms so that his upper two arms have much more freedom. He looks at the other two children, "I don't intend to let your mother go anywhere alone. Go with her. I need to get these young ones back to the cave for saftey."

Walking up to the runt girl, "You may have a useful gene. Where I come from, this makes you fit. I'll help you back to the cave, while your mother catches up with your older brother..."


The eldest turns his head slightly and sees Harpy ready to take off after him. Turning back to face ahead, he suddenly takes a nose dive into the thick of the forest, the sound of several branches snapping and being pulled out of place for a few seconds, echoing throughout the foret...

[Swix]

The girl and boy both nod at Kafka, opening their own wings they both take off after their mother and their older brother.

Harpy takes off, the two children follow closely behind her. The giant golden eagle looks down at the trees as the eldest dives, enhanced sight picking up the slightest rustle made. Her bright green eyes begin to carefully track the eldest.

The runt girl stops, and looks back up at her father.

"I am... okay then? You won't do anything, will you?"

[GBE]

A few more branches are rustled as the eldest child lands in amongst the dense forest. Looking right at him is a Pantheresk. Neither of them show any fear what so ever. They continue staring at one another as his ear twitches slightly to the sound of the second Pantheresk stood behind him lips curled back ready to bite him. Still showing no fear, having known they were both here, he folds his arms, standing defiant.

For a brief moment, the light filtering through the leaves to warm the ground had partially disappeared as Harpy glided in the path of the sunlight. Not one of the three moved, carefully keeping one another eyed up. The Pantheresk behind him swayed its tail out of annoyance, slighly bristling across the sparsely spread plants. The one ahead of him visibly wrinkles its nose taking in the boys scent. Not one it recognizes, and not one to be feared.

It can't be seen if the eldest actually has a plan at this point in time, or if he is simply offering himself as food source, either way, the deadly serious look on his face amplifies the strength of his defiant posture. Unsure or whether or not his mother knew his exact position or not, he still hopes she won't interfere.


Kafka looked at the little girls big eyes, and something inside him for some reason pushed itself forwards as the over-riding factor. "Your mother would kill me if I tried to consume you..." he says half-jokingly. "You have a useful gene to my family. Wings. Although they may be a little dismayed with your mother being an Avian Morphffer. Now we should leave for home, in case your mother and siblings arrive before us. Turn around so I can carry you..."

Making sure the sleeping child was firmly attached to his back, and the egg carefully held in front of him, he offers his lower two arms to the girl. He'd have just two free arms to get about with, especially the weight he'd have to carry. But determined to get them all to safety before something else attacked them....

[Swix]

Harpy's eyes scan the ground, she can just make out shadows upon shadows... Two Pantheresks with her eldest in the middle. He wasn't moving much, just enough for her to pick up. She guessed that he must have known and have some sort of plan, otherwise flying off would have been the best thing to do.

Harpy circles, unsure of what to do. The other two accompanying lack the enhanced sight of their mother so they were relying on her at the minute, although they were both at a loss as to why she was flying around in a circle.

The runt pauses, considering her options. Run away, and probably get attacked again. Or go with her family, one of whom had only made a half-joke about consuming her and her mothers genocidal tendencies.

The silver haired girl takes a deep breath, as if to gather her courage, and turns around fully.

"Okay, I'll go with you"

She walks towards him, her four small arms grasping the two he'd offered her, though she was slightly biting her lip.

[GBE]

Kafka seemed to lack the ability to see the worry on the runts face, and just assumed she was daydreaming or something. Although he was pleased she hadn't tried to run away, that could have gotten nasty, for him at least. Taking her two arms, with his lowest two hands, with her facing forwards, he lifted her up so that her feet were just of the ground. The weight was more than he was used to, having to carry three children well, two and an egg. Exactly when was that egg going to hatch at all he wondered.

Using his free two hands, he shot two lines of webbing at the top of two trees, and held tight. Taking a few steps backwards, he made the two lines taught and ensured there would be enough fling power withing them. Again, he took a few faster steps back and then leapt with all his strength backwards. The weblines unable to take much more strain, and the trees having bent the furthest that they possibly could, he was suddenly propelled forwards through the air, however, not very streamlined. Successfully clearing the tops of the trees, he could see the direction he needed to go.

As he came flying back down towards the trees, enjoying every moment of it, he fired out another webline, and bringing it tight swung himself forwards through fortunately clear path of trees...
__________

The eldest continued to watch the Pantheresk front of him as it suddenly charged towards him, teeth bared, growls as standard. Just as quick as it moved he leapt backwards, possibly his first mistake. The Pantheresk behind him leapt forwards, and somehow seeing it from the corner of his eye, he ducked, but as it 'glided' over him, it managed to grab hold of one of his folded wings. His mouth wide open, he was thrown forwards into the trees by the strength and speed of the movement.

Both Pantheresks still collided with one another, and spent a few seconds arguing over the few feathers spread about the ground. Sitting up, he stared at the two Pantheresks. They both stopped bickering and turned their attention back to him and charged forwards simultaneously. One snapped at the other however, causing it to take a wide route, but kept pace. They both leapt at him.

Leaping with everything that he had, one of them managed to tear at one of his legs, slamming him down chest first into the ground, a few bloody scratch marks along his left leg. Lifting himself up, taking a deep in take of breath, he rolled as one of the Pantheresks came bearing down on him, landing and turning almost in one smooth movement.

Getting to his knees, he leapt again as the other charged him from behind this time missing. Unable to spread his wings wide enough in the dense trees, he landed where he'd jumped from, and stood up, one arm holding his chest, slightly out of breath, with one of his wings bleeding slightly. Again, the two Panthersks charged at him and he leapt over them both, but not before kicking one squarely in the face, which was a bit of a mistake as he'd misjudged just how tough they were and the fact that his foot was bare.

No enraged, it charges at him before he's even landed and still hobbling around to face it, before he realised what was going on, it had impacted into his chest, his own arms outstretched attempting to push it away with all his strength. Snapping at him and trying to claw at him, the other begins to stalk around the eldest coming to where his head lay. The boy falls into a blind panic and seems to pass out so to speak.

Needless to say, only moments later, a slightly bedraggled eldest comes flying out of the trees, with the two Pantheresks in tow, one of them missing a face, its head strung around the eldests neck. He looks at his mother and the other two, his wing bleeding, his face bleeding, leg running with blood and a few tears in his top revealing yet more bleeding scratches. Not giving anyone enough time to speak to him, he flaps towards home silently....

[Swix]

The runts tiny hands grip Kafkas arms tightly as they move haphazardly through the forest, her eyes wide with fear at her fathers means of transportation.

But she was already exhausted, being a runt with a high metabolism wasn't helping her at all, and Kafka scared her. The runt was in fact, pretty much scared of everything.

~Do we have to go so fast?~

She spoke into Kafkas mind again, this time not realising it.
_____________________________________________________________
Harpy and the two children winged it after the eldest, though the giant golden eagle caught up to him far easier than the two trailing her.

Harpy turns her head towards the Pantheresk carcasses and looks as though she dips her head in a nod.

While she hadn't seen what exactly had gone on down there, the undergrowth being too thick, she had seen enough to know it was a vicious fight.

The two that had followed their mother move up near the eldests postion, the grey haired girl looking a little confused and annoyed.

"What happened down there? Why did you go down there anyway?"

[GBE]

The eldest regards his mother briefly, she had a bigger wingspan than him in this form, and looked like she could do some serious damage with those talons. He looked at his siblings, not one of them had talons or large claws of any kind.

He sees the two others slowly catching up, but remaned focussed on his flight path. When they eventually caught up and asked him exactly why he went down into the forest, he just gave them a completely blank look. He may have even shrugged his shoulders given half a chance...

[Swix]

The girl and boy both stare at the older brother for a few seconds, then deliberately turn their heads to keep an eye on where they were going. Neither of them knew why he didn't seem to want to speak to them, or anyone.

Harpy screeches, her enhanced eyesight picking up Kafka and the offspring he was carrying on the ground as they neared the caves entrance. Even from here, she could see the expression on the runts face, one of fear. It seemed as though they were going to reach the cave first, and she wanted him to know that she was watching him.

[GBE]

Kafka had refused to answer the girl on the grounds that she was speaking in his head. He wanted to believe he was mad, with all that had happened so quickly. Hearing a loud screech, he looked up briefly and saw Harpy and the others. He wasn't sure if the screech was a warning, a welcome or just general screeching. He turned back to where he was going, swinging through the trees, he could see the cave just ahead now, and had taken to faster and longer swings.

The next swing was delayed, as he held onto the previous line of webbing, and had swung himself backwards, before using that reverse momentum to propell himself forwards at a much faster pace. Flying through the air free like that was just incredible, so he could imagine his offspring enjoying it too. He lands in the cave mouth awkwardly, the weight still not distributed properly. He'd had to fire additional web-lines in order to stabilize himself and prevent himself falling over.

Standing uright on his own now, he places the runt girl down carefully, before placing the egg back into the nest, and then removing the sleeping boy, and placing him inside the nest too, albeit carefully. He then looks at the girl, "Tell your mother I'll be back shortly, I'm just going to get our food." He turns and runs and leaps out of the cave, much much faster than before, now he was without weight...


The eldest was nearing the caves, and was about to bank back around so that he could approach carefully with the two Pantheresks when he saw his father leaping out of the cave and disppearing into the trees. Completing his turn, he comes back to the cave, back-flapping in order to slow himself and as he landed he folded his wings behind himself neatly. He drags the two Pantheresks into the cave, leaving them in a corner, and then dropped the head that was strung around his neck onto the pile...

[Swix]

The runt opens her mouth to answer, but her father had left before she could say anything out loud.

~Okay~

She sent, sure she'd be able to hear that. Or at least, that's what she hoped. She sat down just as the eldest entered, and watched him as he brought the two Pantheresk carcasses in with him.

"Hello again"

She said, as behind him the other two landed, folding their wings down on their backs. Harpy landed behind them as they moved inside, her large wings sending gusts of air throught the cave as she slowed herself down enough to land on her outstretched talons.

Harpy changed back to her human form, her slightly larger green eyes watching all of her offspring. The runt girl stood up and looked back with her own silver ones.

"He said he'd be back when he got us our food"

She announced to everyone, Harpy's mouth slightly tugging upwards as she found she wanted to smile.

"His name is Kafka, and he's your father. I am Harpy, and I'm your mother"

Harpy was happy and rather relieved everyone was all in one place, she moved towards the nest to look at the unhatched egg and the sleeping boy, then sighed.

"Still not hatched yet..."

[GBE]

The eldest walks over to the fireplace, and points at the unburnt sticks, trying to signify the fact that he wanted to know how to get a fire started.

The egg vibrates slightly, and then stops, as if nothing happened.It's shade of colour is too dark to make out anything inside apart from one slight point near the top, but considering the positioning of the egg, and the light, it remains unnoticable.

Kafka is relieved to be moving through the forest without the excess wieght, enjoying the freedom he has. He reaches the carcass quite easily, and de-webs it. Hoisting up the pantheresk into his loer two hands, he runs and leaps back into the tree canopies, swinging quite quickly back towards the cave. He returns rather quickly, having only left the cave about five minutes ago...

[Swix]

Harpy looked over to where the eldest stood and pointed at a pile of unburnt sticks, her enhanced eyesight picking him up even over her preoccupation with the last egg.

The avian mutant walked over to her son and looked at him intently.

"What is the matter? What is it that you want?"

She asked, not understanding why he was just pointing at them.

~You could tell me and then I can tell mother. She said she can't do this~

The runt girls mind-voice intruded upon her eldest brothers mind, as if this was the most natural way for her to communicate. Her young and pretty face contorted as Kafka re-entered the cave with the other pantheresk carcass. It seemed as though she was trying to decide whether or not she liked him, and was constantly swinging between the two.

Eventually she smiled warmly at him, silver eyes watching him.

"You're my... father?"

The grey haired girl and the brown haired boy gathered around the last egg and their sleeping brother, watching them both. Although the boy kept glancing curiously at Kafka.

"How do you test us to see if we can do what you do?"

He eventually called out, overwhelmingly curious about it.

[GBE]

The eldest glares at the runt, an image of flame entering his mind as he narows his eyes. He's not quite sure he wanted her to be in his mind. He was young, but, was well aged for a hatchling under a day old. He crosses his arm as he continues to stare at the runt.

Kafka turns and looks at the brown haired boy, "Scientific equipment where I come from. I would be able to learn much. We would be seen as the first in a step towards survival." Kafka stops there as he wonders how everyone back on his home planet might be getting on without him.

As Kafka spoke, the egg rocked very slightly, almost as if it were the faintest tremor of the hand.
Kafka looks over at the runt girl, "Yes, I am your father."

[Swix]

~I think he wants this~

The runt spoke in her mind-voice to her mother, then projected the same image of flame into Harpy's mind.

Harpy's confused look cleared as she took up a smooth looking stone a sharp one, and piled the thinnest and brittlest of twigs together.

"This is how you make fire"

Harpy said as she began knocking the stones together close to the twigs, sending sparks flying until one of them caught in the pile and created a small flame.

The runt stared back at her older brother adter turning back to him with her silver eyes.

~I was only trying to help~

She sent to him, a sulky undertone in the mind-voice.

The brown haired boys eager face fell, but he persisted in asking Kafka questions.

"Can we go there? What's it like?"

[GBE]

The eldest takes the head of the Pantheresk he'd killed, and pushes a stick through its neck, forcing it, until it exits the mouth of the creature. He places it above the fire, making sure both ends of the stick are balanced on the two upright sticks either side of the fire. Shortly afterwards, the smell of cooking flesh begins to flow through the cave.

Kafka turns and looks at the brown haired boy, wondering why he was still asking question, "I don't know how to get there. There's technolgy involved, and only the aquarians know how to create what we need." is his reply. He sits down next to the egg, and places a hand on it, looking at all of the currently hatched offspring...