The Modern Angels
[Invitation ONLY.]
The Angel Tribe--The Researchers
Modern Angels Part One
Modern Angels Part Two
Stirring in the morning light, Alvara shifted, moving her leg out from under Kap's and snuggled deeper into the feathers of their nest. It was almost as if the tragedy had never happened, although, the tear stains down her face told her otherwise.
Sensing Alvara's movement, Kapalphatau's eyes open slightly. His expression goes from content to concerned as his gaze falls upon Alvara's face, the morning light shining through the reeds of their hut and casting a soft light on her skin. "You were dreaming of her, weren't you?" He asks quietly, also shifting so that he could lovingly embrace Alvara.
She nodded stiffly, sniffling into his chest as she openly mourned for her loss. Aelis had lost her parents at a young age and had therefore been taken under Alvara's wings to train for the next Tribal Mother.
Kapalphatau covered her with one wing and stroked her hair. "My love, my love, do not take this thing to heart. Remember, Aelis has gone on to be with the Great Eagle and our ancestors. She has been reunited with her parents. Grieve not for her. Be joyful, rather, that she was spared much of the hardships in this life." Kapalphatau consoled.
It was key that the mate of the Tribal Mother help her with her emotions, so that the rest of the Tribe would not see it, and therefore not be affected. Aelis would be missed among the children, but the rest of the Bewingeds would mourn only mentally, not physically. Alvara mourned, this time and this time only, and not again. Perhaps fate would give her and Kap a child, to train to lead their people.
Kapalphatau waited with Alvara while she mourned, and let her cry. Several minutes later, when she was no longer sniffling and wiping tears away, Kapalphatau reached up and brushed a lock of hair from Alvara's face. "Are you ready? We shall have to tend to the humans today." he asked tenderly.
Cleaning her face with oil from the gland hidden at the base of her tail, Alvara produced a calm mask, "Yes... I think I will need to be ready."
In the other room, Hoktl was gone and Ryan was given a small amount of privacy as he dwelled on the last day, "Wow..." He whispered to himself, brushing back his long hair with slim fingers and stood, changing his shirt and dusting himself off.
"You shall have to preen yourself this morning. I must fish for us." Kapalphatau said as he stood up, and helped Alvara do the same. "I shall be back shortly with a fat fish." he added, then left the nestchamber, not even bothering to get dressed. Kapalphatau gazed down at Ryan as he came into the room. "Human," Kapalphatau addressed Ryan, "I will be going to catch fish. Do you want to accompany me?" he asked curtly.
He carefully kept his eyes trained on the Bewinged's eyes, "Um... sure, lets go." Ryan quickly pulled on his boots and followed Kap outside.
"Are you humans swift or your feet? Or shall I need to carry you?" Kapalphatau asked, meeting Ryan's gaze with his own piercing stare. "And if I may divert from that question for a moment, could you also tell me... Why do you humans wear so much cloth?"
"Its... we are more modest in our clothing, sometimes our weather is very cold, it is for protection." Ryan tried to explain, "And I can run, all I need is the direction."
The idea of very cold weather was alien to Kapalphatau, and he shrugged it off. "Interesting. Well, the place where I fish is about twenty wingbeats west of where you and I met. I suppose I shall see you there." he instructed, then turned and left the nest, opened his wings and took flight.
Stretching quickly, Ryan jumped to his feet and trotted in the right direction, cracking his neck while he ran. The Amazon Basin was full of life and it was just waking up, the noises astounding Ryan everytime he came here. A few hundred feet from the water he tripped on a large root, landing heavily on his chest, inches from a huge spider.
Meanwhile, Kapalphatau landed gracefully on a tree branch hanging over the water, and scanner the water below for signs of large fish.
"Humans are so slow...how do they manage to escape predators?" he thought to himself.
Kicking the spider, Ryan set off in a sprint, finally arriving at the water panting, "Sorry... got distracted..."
Kapalphatau shook his head. "Well, I didn't expect much, really." he said, his eyes still focused on the water. "There, look. See it? There is a large pike near that rock...the water is quite deep there. Do you know how to clean fish?" Kapalphatau asked.
"Yes... I can." Ryan finally caught his breath fully and took out a small pocket knife, whipping out the blade.
"Good. Perhaps you can help me then. The fish will be much lighter if gutted. When I catch a fish, if you could clean it, that would be helpful." Kapalphatau instructed. Then he returned his gaze to the water. He stared at the four-foot-long fish, his wings arched, his expression so intense that a laser might have been coming from his eyes. After several minutes of watching the fish, Kapalphatau opened his wings and effortlessly propelled himself upwards, riding on the drafts of warm air until he looked no bigger than a crow. Then, high above the water, Kapalphatau drew his wings close to his body, and came into a steep dive. He moved faster and faster, coming close to the water...he would collide with the rock, there was no way...but no! He opened his wings and tilted them at the last moment, just as his talons closed on the back of the fish, and Kapalphatau veered sharply upwards with the pike. He turned and glided over to Ryan, then set the fish down, which was dead from Kap having snapped it's spine. "Clean this. I shall catch one more." he ordered, then turned and took flight, to repeat the catch.
"Yes sir," the human mumbled, doing what he was told, but looking forward to the meal in the distant future.
Not long after, Kapalphatau was tying a cord around the fish, so that he could carry them with his hands. "You know how to clean fish well, human. Let us head back to the village." Kapalphatau complimented. This time, rather than flying ahead, Kapalphatau walked with Ryan.
"Thank you... my father took me fishing when I was a child..." He answered, cleaning his hands in the water before following the mate of the Tribal Mother, "Did your parents teach you how to fish?"
Kapalphatau smiled at the memory of his father, who had passed away a few years ago, just a few months after his mate died. "Yes. My father, Zebuul, was the greatest hunter among our people, and he taught me well...Though my skills pale in comparison to his. He could snatch small bats from the sky, at night...just by listening to them." Kapalphatau reminisced.
"That is amazing..." Ryan answered, thoroughly awed, "My father and I fished for... for fun. How did you come to be Alvara's mate?" This question might be borderlining snooping but Ryan wanted to sate his curiosity.
"I have known and loved Alvara since she was a fledgeling. I danced for her when she came of age, but when we were younger, she was focused on becoming the Tribal Mother. I, having been given certain gifts by the Great Eagle, became the Tribal Prophet. So Alvara naturally came to me for guidence, so our bond grew. Then one night, I danced for Alvara, and she accepted me." Kapalphatau explained, not at all bothered by the question. "Are those other humans your mates?" Kapalphatau asked.
He blushed heavily and muttered "No," Before he got a hold of himself, "They are my travelling companions, I have no mate." They continued walking, Ryan focused on the Bewinged's taloned feet, "Your species is very beautiful Kap."
"You do not mate with your companions? Your species is very strange." Kapalphatau said with a rare grin. "And thank you." he added. He found himself suddenly thinking about the one human, Laura...and this was a mistake. As his innocent thoughts took a fast turn to lustful fantasy, a certain part of his anatomy sprung to life. His wings were already sheilding him from Ryan's veiw by the time it happened.
"What was that all about?" Kapalphatau thought as he took a deep breath to calm himself.
"Well a lot of us do... mate... a lot... But some like me, do not, we are more, um, patient." Ryan noticed him moving his wings, surprised, but not about to ask, "How long have you and Alvara been officially... mates?"
Kapalphatau's body returned to normal quickly once he regained control, though the unexpected reaction had left him feeling a bit shaky. "About two weeks now."
"I noticed that there aren't many children in the tribe, is there a reason for that?" The human asked carefully, trying not to appear so studious in watching the Bewingeds.
The pair approached Alvara's nest. "We fledge quickly and have only a few children." Kapalphatau explained, before stepping into the nest...
Laura blinked awake, aware of the light hitting her eyes. She was also remotely aware that she was curled around a strange person she hardly remembered, her fingers entangled in strange-colore
d hair. Yes, this was very strange. Her eyes shot open much wider and released Zusoir, turning red very quickly.
Zusoir shifted slightly, moaning gently. He was wedged between both of the female humans. His right hand rested on his stomach, rising and falling with the breath from his diaphragm.
Annah awoke slowly, unwillingly. She was quite warm where she lay- curled on her side and nestled almost directly on whoever lay next to her. She closed her eyes again sleepily.
Laura smiled at the scene, getting out of the bed quietly enough to not disturb the other two. She wanted to pretend like it hadn't happened... Then again, there was a camera in her backpack. Laura looked back and forth between her bag and the bed, wondering whether or not to do it.
Two seconds later: click. A small flash went off in the room, Laura standing there with her camera grinning mischievously.
"Who's there?" squawked Zusoir, bolting upright.
Annah blinked sleepily, "Who's got the camera?" She murmured, sitting up and blinking, "Laura?"
Zusoir looked at Laura, puzzled. He crawled towards the edge of the bed, his eyes not leaving the strange contraption in her hands. Slowly, he stood, enclosing her hands within his, his gaze fixated on the camera.
Laura smiled. She was lucky it was a Polaroid, although she wasn't sure if he would burn her for being a witch. Laura moved her hands from under his so he could hold the camera and pulled the picture from it. She began waving it in the air, motioning for him to wait. "And be careful with that," Laura said, pointing at the camera with a warning tone. "I don't think it could handle being dropped another time."
Annah stood up as well, "Laura, what did you take a picture of?" She questioned, moving over to the duo quickly, almost positive that she already knew the answer.
"Just enjoying some scenery," Laura said defensively, automatically sticking the still-developing picture in her pocket. "Don't worry about it." She was unable to keep the grin off of her face, however.
Zusoir looked up at the two women. "What...is this?" He didn't even signal his words. He held the camera gingerly, afraid of what it actually did, yet completely engrossed with it.
"It's like drawing." Annah indicated her sketchbook, "But it's not drawn by anyone..." She moved closer to Laura, "I want to see it." She said.
"It's like the things on her papers." Zusoir chittered in a low tone to himself. He held it up, looking at it from every angle, fascinated by its complicated nature. His finger moved, just so perfectly, and there was a sudden flash. Zusoir squawked from surprise, nearly dropping the camera. All he could see were spots.
"Ah!" Laura exclaimed, taking the camera from him. "Careful!" She took the new picture out, mourning the waste of film, but shaking it anyway. An outline of Zusoir's head was slowly coming into focus. "Are you okay?" she asked Zusoir, waving a hand in front of his face.
Annah took the distraction to pull the photo from Laura's pocket. She stared at it blankly for several minutes, her face red.
Laura snatched the photo back and handed it to Zusoir for him to look at. "Don't worry, it's adorable," she said to Annah, smiling widely and still shaking the newer close-up of Zusoir's face.
Zusoir took the picture, his eyes widening as he saw what it portrayed. "Aannaah..." he looked to the young girl, then back at Laura "we are mates?" He mimed as best he could.
Laura's eyes widened and she suppressed laughter. "Um, no," she said, shaking her head. "Friends." She accompanied that with miming, also as best as she could.
It was at that time that a scratch sounded from the door, and a low whistle followed soon after. Alvara had finished preening herself, dressed in the green skirt again with Hoktl on her shoulder.
"Hello," Laura said carefully, in the Bewinged language.
"Can I come in Zusoir?" Alvara twittered from the otherside of the door, puzzled at the voice she did not recognize.
"I ...uh...yes. Please, come on in Alvara." stammered Zusoir in odd pitches. The image the girls had shown him had thrown him off.
Opening the door, Alvara eyed the two woman before striding over to Zusoir, preening his feathers in a friends greeting, "I hope they slept well and were comfortable?"
"Oh yes..." Zusoir preened his friend's feathers in return, "we all slept...very well." He stood back, smiling timidly. "What brings you to my humble nest?"
"Just coming to see the humans, and how they have fared. Kap has gone hunting with the other human for breakfast... can... you communicate with them?" Alvara glanced again at the other woman, the markings on her skin nearly glowing in the morning light.
"Uhh...well. Sort of." Zusoir shyly preened his hair. "We know a few words each. We can communicate if we act things out."
"I see, good work, do you think you can tell them that my mate is bringing fish, that we will meet at our nest for breakfast?" The Tribal Mother asked, smiling at the women now.
"Anything for the Tribal Mother." Zusoir turned to the human women and began his miming as he spoke, "Kap bring fish. Go to Kap's home to eat." He looked expectantly at Laura and Annah, hoping to show off the communicating skills amongst the three of them.
Annah nodded in understanding, patting her stomach hungrily, "Thank you for informing us," She gave a slight bow to both Zusoir and the tribal mother gratefully, "Guess we're having fish, eh Laura?"
"Hehe, fish," Laura said, saying the word in Bewinged and mimicking Zusoir's mime.
Zusoir smiled wide, letting out a laugh. "Yes, Fish." He mimed out "fish" again, making fun of himself.
Alvara chuckled, motioning for them to leave, Hoktl leaping from her shoulder to proceed with his own hunt.
"Let's go." Chirped Zusoir, still laughing cheerfully.
Laura followed them from the hut after pulling on her shoes hurriedly. She looked around wide-eyed, eager to explore the social dynamics of when the people were more likely to be awake.
Annah was quick to grab her sketchbook and camera before following them all quite eagerly. It was a new day, in a new society, and she was in a fantastic mood.
There were a few Bewinged about, two cooking around their own campfire in the morning light, another weaving the same long skirt that all the females wore, another working on a spear. Loud squawking was heard and a male and female chased each other in the sky, both naked, obviously involved in a mating ritual. Alvara whistled at them and they glanced over, proceeding to mate in a shadowed corner. The hut that the Tribal Mother lead them to was off the ground on poles, but only about six feet off the ground and had the same markings that Alvara wore painted in natural hues amongst its walls.
Kapalphatau came in shortly after them, holding the two very large fish in a bundle. "Alvara, I am home." he chittered, showing her the fish. "How are the humans?" he asked her.
"They are well, but hungry my love, did the hunt go well?" She nuzzled him and fanned her tail before falling silent when Ryan climbed up, dirty, but not unhappy at his state.
"Hi, Ryan," Laura said. "How was your sleep? Ooooh, fish."
Ryan let out a small laugh at Laura's last statement, "I slept well, did you both get enough sleep?" He looked from Annah to Laura, then to Zusoir.
Laura raised an eyebrow at the look and laughed. "Well, I did," she said. "I'll have to show you something later." Her eyes twinkled as she grinned mischievously at Annah.
Annah gave a respectful bow to Kap, "Thank you for going out to hunt for food." She murmured before turning to Ryan, "Did you have fun out there then, male bonding over hunting and all?"
"I've caught two pike, my love, and the human has cleaned them already." Kapalphatau said, displaying the four-foot and two-foot long fishes to her. "I shall prepare them. Would you entertain our...guests for a bit while I do so?" he asked, pointing to the doorway, indicating that he would be preparing the food outside.
Alvara nodded and looked to Zusoir to help translate, "My mate is going to cook the fish, is there something that you all wish to talk about?"
The human male however took out his notes and wrote down what he had learned from Kap and told his companions what he had learned.
"I want to know more about their social structure," Laura said, thinking of a way to communicate that to Zusoir. "It's obvious they're more physical and communicate through touch a lot... But it would help to see them rearing their children." Laura sighed. "You can tell a lot about a culture through that."
Zusoir stood nonchalantly to the side, just listening to the humans speak. How he wished he could speak their tongue like Kap could. "They are so fascinating, no?" He cooed towards Alvara.
"They are... interesting." Her face continued to be emotionless but she met Zusoir's gaze, "They are not so different from us," She whistled, "They are just grounded and have a different culture."
Outside, Kapalphatau cut the fish into chunks and strips, the strips for drying, the chunks for salting and eating right away. Using a sharp knife, Kapalphatau cut the raw fish into thin slices. He also shelled brazil nuts, and sliced up mangoes, then set them on raised clay dishes. After several minutes, he reurned to the hut, holding the dishes, and set them down on the square rug on the floor. The Bewinged were accustomed to eating on the floor (hence the raised dishes) and eating their fish raw.
Laura noticed this and sat in seiza, mimicking the Japanese form of sitting, smiling up at Kap. "Thank you for the food," she said to him, knowing that at least he would speak English. She definitely longed to learn more of the language.
Alvara nodded to her mate and sat as well, moving her tail feathers to accomadate the floor and refolding her wings. She tucked her sharp claws out of the way and waited for everyone to be seated.
Zusoir seated himself, repositioning his wings and fidgeted until he was seated comfortably. "Looks great, Kap! You always knew how to hunt out the good food."
Annah sat as well and nodded her thanks to Kap, "You've done more than enough for us." She murmured, "I only hope that we can repay you in our gratitude."
"Just keep your promise when you leave, and I will be content." Kapalphatau replied as he sat down beside Alvara, his voice somewhat sharp, and began to enjoy the meal.
Laura waited until the other Bewinged had started and began herself, following their cue. "Kap, how do you say 'thank you' in your language?" Laura asked, leaning toward him. "I'd like to be able to say it."
Eating only half of her portion, the Tribal Mother began to think back, remembering certain things that she hadn't taken the time to before. Without her realizing it, her face had slid into that calm mask of her leadership.
Kapalphatau looked at Laura and smiled slighty. "This is thank-you." he said, than made a sound like two clicks and a high "fweep" like a contented parakeet. Without thinking, he found his gaze wandering again, wanting to look her over. He found ideas forming in his mind, ideas that were taking the shape of a plan. Kapalphatau righted his gaze and made eye contact again. "What would you like to see here before you leave?" he asked curiously.
Zusoir echoed the "fweep" sound happily. He had nothing to say, but found it amusing to mimic Kapalphatau anyway.
Laura responded with another thank-you, doing much better than with her hello. "Uh, well, I was hoping to see the other people of the village," she said, trying not to squirm under his gaze. Even though she was still taller, something in the way he carried himself made Laura want to choose her words carefully. "If I could interact with them, I'd learn a lot more about your culture... Plus, they seem nice." She smiled a little at Zusoir and Alvara.
The Tribal Mother, oblivious to Kap's actions smiled gracefully back at the human, not understanding her words, but her tone and body language said enough and she looked to Kap for translation.
Kapalphatau nodded to Alvara. "She thanks you." Kapalphatau said, then turned back to Laura. "Perhaps you would like to walk to the temple?" he suggested.
Laura paused as if something had hit her in the face. When she started talking, it was slow, almost strained with excitement. "You... have a temple?" she asked, a broad grin breaking out on her face. Laura looked at Ryan, her eyes sparkling. "They have a temple," she repeated to the fellow scientist.
His eyes, which had previously been eating and looking over his food, taking notes, flickered to Kap and then Laura, "Oh... oh wow, we can enter your temple?"
The last word was repeated by Alvara, slightly muffled as she recognized it as the human word for 'temple'.
"Only the prophets, preists, and tribal mother are allowed to enter the temple, but they may escort someone." Kapalphatau explained. Only the antechamber of the temple was open to the public.
"I'd love to see as much as you're allowed to show," Laura said, smiling at Kap excitedly.
"What are you telling her?" Whistled Zusoir, "Anything I can help with?" As always, he was eager to please, especially the humans.
"I shall be giving this human a small tour of the temple, since I can't bring them all in." Kapalphatau explained. "If you could find something else to interest the other humans, that would be helpful." he suggested.
"Something else..." cooed Zusoir, wondering aloud to himself. "Annah!" he squawked, "go walk?" he mimed walking to her, "and Annah draw?" he mimicked what he had watched Annah doing ever since she laid eyes upon the Bewinged.
Laura tilted her head, watching the exchange but not understanding it. When Zusoir invited Annah for a walk, Laura frowned internally. "Is Annah not coming with?" she asked, a little disappointed that the girl could not see the temple.
Kapalphatau weaved his fingers together and rested his chin on his hands. "There are rules. I'm pushing it even bringing one human into the temple. But if there is any way for you to learn the ways of our people quickly, it is there. And you appear to me to be the most studious of your group." Kapalphatau said. Inwardly, knowing what he was planning, he felt a tinge of guilt for it because he was in the presence if Alvara.
Laura bit her lip a bit uneasily. If she didn't want to go so much, she would let Ryan go... But he might not share with her, not if he was unsure if she would reveal everything to scientists at a later date. "Let me get my notebook," Laura finally said, just unwilling to give up such an opportunity. "I'll take plenty of notes," she added to Ryan as a promise.
He looked bummed but nodded, "Thank you Laura."
"Should I go with you?" Alvara asked Kap, smiling sweetly at him while one wing stretched out to touch his.
Annah looked up a few moments after Zusoir had spoken to her, only just registering that she had been addressed, "Hm? Oh... oh yes, that would be lovely!" She nodded excitedly, just barely managing to remember that she needed to sign some to Zusoir.
Zusoir nodded that he understood Annah. Then, he turned excitedly to Alvara and Kapalphatau. "Oh! That would be an excellent idea!" He squawked, "It's not everyday that the Tribal Mother will take one on a tour of the Temple!"
"Well, the prophet will be sufficient enough to guide her, I do happen to have matters to attend to, although, I regret on not being able to give her... a tour." Alvara stressed a smile but turned away, standing gracefully while one claw clicked the wood, "Kap," She said softly, "I need to speak with you after, please find me?" With that said, she stepped outside, breathing in the fresh air with a sigh.
"Very well, my love." Kapalphatau said, though her stressed smile unsettled him, and for a brief moment he reconsidered his intentions...but his conscience was quickly overpowered when he looked over at Laura again. "Very well. Zusoir, perhaps you would like to show the others some of out ancient literatures?" Kapalphatau suggested as he stood up. "Laura, are you ready to go now?" he said in English.
"Yes," Laura said, standing up and absently straightening her clothes. "Though, let me grab my notebook." She hurried out, smiling quickly at Alvara as she sped to Zusoir's hut to find her notes. She wanted to remember every detail.
"Yes, great idea!" chirpped Zusoir. "We walk, draw and I show you ...eh... books?" Zusoir mimed to both Annah and Ryan. "Yes? Go?" He beckoned the two of them to the door.
Kapalphatau stood and folded his wings snugly against his back, and followed Laura from his own hut. He avoided eye contact with Alvara as he passed her, though he did reach out one wing to stroke her back with his wingtip as he passed. He caught up with Laura at Zusoir's hut, which was on the way to the temple anyways.
Laura leaned out of the hut just a little bit and flashed her camera on Kap, grinning as she disappeared once more with a picture of the winged man. She emerged a few seconds later, her hair a little less bed-head and a notebook and pencil in her pocket, along with the polaroid of Kap.
"I'm only taking you to the temple so curiosity doesn't bring you back after you leave." Kapalphatau said in a sort of growling tone as he turned and began to lead Laura down the dirt path. This was a lie, but he did not want to appear TOO eager to be kind to her, his pride would not allow it.
"Fine by me," Laura said. "Do you mind if we use the time for questions? I'd really like to learn the language better, and you're... Well, sort of an official translator."
"Ask away. It will be a long walk... Our path to the temple is made by markers we set in the trees, for flight. So walking to the temple is quite a hike." Kapalphatau said as they left the boundaries of the village.
"I don't mind," Laura said. "Alright, so I know how to say 'hello,' but how do I say 'goodbye'? And what's a standard greeting? How do I say 'yes' or 'no'?" She continued to pepper him with questions surrounding the language and was soon able to form crude sentences that any one-year-old could make. She seemed rather pleased with herself.
Kapalphatau taught her all he could in the hour it took to reach the temple. He taught her that a slight bow was customary between strangers, the importance of whistle pitch, and how to make the warbling, cooing and chirrupping sounds with her throat. "There it is, the Temple of the Great Eagle." Kapalphatau said proudly. Though the structure was made of stone, a tree with massive roots had been planted on the top, so that tree roots had, over time, consumed the structure. Skilled artisans over the years had coaxed the growth of the roots around the doorways and windows, so that the roots formed a sort of living frame. The rest of the stone was blanketed in rich mosses, brightly colored ferns and entangling vines. Kapalphatau led Laura up the worn steps, to the torch-lit entryway to the temple.
Laura stared, open-mouthed, trying to draw a basic structure and stare at the same time. She was utterly amazed at how huge it was... and how much time it had...! Of course, these people could have been around over 2 and a half million years--they looked anatomically modern, but the wings must have... She shook her head and tore herself away from the evolutionary quandary that had been giving her a headache for her entire stay there. "This... is amazing," she whispered, her hand moving frantically across the small notebook.
"The outside is but the tip of the iceburg. Most of the temple lies underground." Kapalphatau informed her, his voice a little less harsh. "Let us go inside." he insisted, and as he walked inside, he stretched a wing behind Laura, coaxing her to walk with him.
Laura fell in step next to him, looking around with wide eyes, stunned into silence and her attempts to write everything down at once. "Oh this tour is going to be interesting," she muttered. If her pencil was moving any faster her notebook would catch on fire.
"If you're pencil moves any faster , your notebook will catch on fire." Kapalphatau commented. He led her up to what appeared to be a dead end hallway. There was a circular dial with ten holes, like on an old telephone, on either side of the hallway next to the end. Next to those was a small shelf carved from the rock, holding five stone pegs each. Kapalphatau inserted four pegs into four of the holes in the left side, then did the same with two pegs on the right. When they were all in place, there was a loud, rumbling clunk-clunk, clunk-clunk, clunk-clunk, and the dead end of the hallway slowly lowered with a stone-on-stone grinding sound; it was a door. The room inside was solumn and took one's breath away. It was a cylindrical room, a hundred feet in diameter, and they were at the top of the staircase that spiraled down to the bottom. Intricate stone pillars lines the stone-brick walls, and a beautifully crafted wrought-iron stair railing gave them a place to rest their hands. This room was not lit by torches, but rather by a huge sphere mounted in the ceiling. It had the look of blue marble, and glowed brightly with a magnificent blue light. Kapalphatau took Laura down the stairs. At the bottom of the room, the floor tiles were made of the same glowing stone. There were seven doorways along the walls, and in the middle of the room was built a stone altar. On the sides were carved images of birds, of an Eagle holding the earth in its claws, of trees and humans and eagles embracing humans, and of bewingeds. "Welcome to the Doorchamber." Kapalphatau said in a hushed voice. He let Laura walk about to examine things in the room, and as she did, he watched her with a keen interest, studying the way she moved, the fastenings on her clothes....The feathers on the back of his neck and along his spine rose as he readied himself to make his move.
Laura hurried about, oblivious to his attentions. She could see the beginning of this religion carved into the stone, and with a start realized that she was even entertaining notions that they had actually begun that way... A magical mating between bird and human. She knew that was genetically and physically impossible... Then again, it might make more sense. No. Of course not. She looked back at Kap to ask him a question and felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. He was watching her like... a prey item. "Kapalphatau?" she asked, suddenly and immediately aware of her precarious situation. If he decided to attack her now... "Um... I just have a few questions..." Laura's grip on her pencil tightened without her knowing.
There was a loud rumbling sound as the gears powering the stone door (which was evidently timed) moved into action and the stone door slammed shut. None of the other doors had any obvious handles or knobs or means of opening them. Kapalphatau's breathing was a little heavier than before. "Ask me anything you like..." Kapalphatau said quietly, taking a step closer to Laura, a hungry look in his fierce eyes.
Laura's eyes were wide and she backed off, trying to look fierce herself. Her voice failed her, though. "I... I just... The carvings, they... Kapalphatau, can I ask you to back up?" she said, clutching her notebook to her chest.
Kapalphatau looked both sensual and menacing in the blue light, the light angles casting black shadows on his dark skin, though his golden eyes were like fire. He spread his wings slightly, relaxed, holding them higher than his shoulders. As he walked towards her, Laura was forced to back towards the altar. "I cannot comply to that...." Kapalphatau said quietly. He stepped quickly forward and grabbed Laura roughly by her shoulders and pressed her back onto the altar, his black wings arched over her, and he kissed her on the mouth.
Laura was more shocked than anything, which caused her to freeze. She had been half-expecting him to pull out a knife and... Her brain almost shut down as she half-relaxed into the kiss. It had been a while... Then she pulled away, the smarter part of her brain tapping her on the shoulder indignantly. "Alright, Kapalphatau, thank you, but I really don't think Alvara would like this," Laura said once her mouth was free, trying to still be diplomatic about this. She wasn't sure, bu she was willing to bet they mated for life, and she definitely remembered him mentioning the Tribal Mother as his mate.
"Perhaps not, Laura, but I like you... greatly." Kapalphatau hissed. He grabbed her chin and kissed her again, this time pressing his body against her and slipping his tongue into her mouth. This kiss was short, and when he parted lips with her, he brought his mouth close to her ear; "Undress for me, human... Or I shall do it for you." he whispered.
Laura brought her hands up and pushed against him, trying to slide past him and escape. All aspects of her usual diplomatic approach disappeared. "No," she growled, putting all of her emphasis on that one word, sounding a little panicked. "Stop. Kap, you don't even like humans... let me go."
A deep growl emanated from deep within Kapalphatau's chest, and he wrapped a taloned hand tightly around her throat. "Your lack of compliance displeases me greatly." he said, then roughly threw her to the side and onto the glowing blue floor. He walked up to her, and as he did, he unclipped his loincloth and tossed it to the side. "I shall tell you again; remove your coverings." he demanded.
Fear made Laura froze, along with the wind getting knocked out of her. She wasn't a fighter; the last fight she had been in was in the sixth grade, and it was a tie. Now she was staring up at a muscled, naked bird-man who did not have good intentions in the least, and for once in her life, her brain failed her. She could just stare up at him, her hands shaking.
Kapalphatau waited a few seconds, staring down at her, until he lost his patience. He stepped forward, his razorlike talons tapping sharply on the stone, and in the blue light his sharp features really made him look like a vicious bird of prey. "I shall do it for you, then." he hissed, and he pounced on her, and he lashed out and tore her shirt open as easily as though it were paper, making deep scratches on her chest with his talons as he did.
Laura screamed then, stabbing the pencil at him like it was a knife, lashing out with anything she had, kicking and clawing as she struggled to get up. The pain tore into her mind and woke her up, spurring her to fight. Oh God, Laura kept thinking, her eyes wide and panicked. I don't want to die.
"Stop that, human!" Kapalphatau snarled as her pencil cut across his forearm. He grabbed her wrists and transferred them to one hand, then held down both her wrists above her head while he cut her bra off with his talon. He positioned himself so that he used his knees to hold her legs down. Holding Laura's wrists in one hand, he scooted down her body and cut her pants loose, then pulled them down. He forced her to curl up a bit so that he could slide her pants over her feet. "You humans wear a lot of coverings..." he said amusedly as he sliced either side of her panties, so that they were easily removed. Now that she was completely naked, her clothes scattered in scraps around them, Kapalphatau forced her legs open and held Laura down by her shoulders. Positioning himself, he grinned in triumph. "Are you ready, human?"
Laura buried her face in the crook of one of her arms, sobbing, internally cursing herself for her weakness. "Eat shit and die, Kap," she forced out, trying to fight her feeling of helplessness and overexposure. She would much rather die than just give in to this utter loss of control.
"Hush now, you will like it in the end." Kapalphatau said with a dark smile, and pressed his body against hers as he smelled her neck, taking a deep draft of her scent. "You come to 'study' us, I doubt you expected to mate with us." he said quietly, then forcefully thrust himself inside of her...
A while later, Kapalphatau pulled out, spent. He released his hold on Laura (who now lay on her stomach), leaving black bruises where he had held her down. He reached back and plucked one of his own coverts, and using a string from Laura's tattered clothes, he wove the feather into her hair, the symbol of a bewinged mating. Despite his physical gratification, his facial expression said otherwise; he looked as though he had realized what he had done. He slowly stood, and clipped his own loincloth back on, and started walking towards the stairs, when he stopped. "I'm sorry." he said simply. Without another word, Kapalphatau spread his wings and launched himself up to the top. He opened the door using the dial, and left, leaving the door open.
Laura didn't move a muscle for a long time. After a while, she lifted her dirty, tear-stained face, looking around as if to make sure he was truly gone. Slowly, hurting all over, she pulled herself and found her pants, pulling them on, her shirt still hanging on shoulders, torn open. Laura bent down to get her notebook; she felt a pang in an unfamiliar region and fell pack onto her knees, emptying her stomach on the floor, sobbing between heaves, the pain of her chest coming to the front of her consciousness as her mind numbed itself. Laura sat in the dark for a while, holding her arms and shaking as she focused all her attention on the cuts across her front, using that feeling to block everything else out. She barely saw anything as she finally stood, grabbing her notebook and stumbling to the door, holding her shirt more or less closed, her pants loose but staying on. She looked up into the sky, feeling a slight rainfall, and let out a ragged sigh. She knew she needed to hold herself together, get back to the place, get Ryan and Annah, and... get out. Laura bit her lip so hard it bled. One thing at a time. She had to keep moving.
Laura stopped to check the markings Kap had told her about. She wrapped her shirt more to cover her front, shivering and soaked to the bone, then headed off more towards the village.
She tripped and fell into a clearing, right at the feet of a tall, brown man.
Laura gasped in surprise, jerking up and clutching at herself. "Wh... who the fuck are you?" she spat, hands shaking at his presence.
He held his hands up. "Another American?" he asked, sounding concerned. "I am Cras. You... you are hurt." His eyes drifted to the bruises over her body, then to the blood still slowly dripping down her front, staining her pants.
"I'm fine," she snapped, snatching her arms away as he came close. "Get... get away!"
"You... I have camp nearby, you must--" Cras started, grabbing her arm.
Laura jerked her arm away and swept it out, pushing him off balance and running away.
Cras jumped up to follow her. He knew he didn't have much time before the rain covered her tracks and she would be impossible to follow. Suddenly, something white caught his attention. He frowned, pulling a polaroid out of the mud, only its corner showing. As the rain washed the mud away, all thoughts of pursuing the strange, injured woman washed away as well. "O... Meu deus," he muttered.
A distant bird cry sounded in the air as Hoktl called to Alvara.
It was answered by the Tribal Mother, who had spotted Laura running, injured through the forest. She was confused, concerned and did not want Laura to come to further harm. Landing up the trail from her, Alvara spread her wings out, drooping them in a peaceful position and her arms open, "Laura..." She tried to say in the humans language, her face sad.
Laura almost choked at the sight of the wings, only calming slightly when she saw who it was. "I'm fine," Laura whispered, only just managing to say it in the bewinged language. "Goddammit, I just..." She jerked from Alvara, pretty certain of the location of the village, running past the Tribal Mother, taking cares not to touch her.
Leaping back in her path, Alvara insisted on grabbing her shoulders gently, "Laura," She repeated, looking her over quickly, "By the great Eagle, I was never good at signing..." Instead she glanced down at the human's injuries, "Sweetheart, you are hurt, you need to settle down."
Laura freaked out. "Don't touch me!" she shrieked, wrenching her shoulders from Alvara's grasp. Her eyes were wide open and it was obvious she was at least starting to hyperventilate at the simple gesture. She didn't wait for Alvara to attempt to calm her down before she took off in a sprint towards the village.
Alvara froze, letting Laura wrench away from her as her eyes watched the small feather inlodged in the humans hair. Slowly, her eyes, those black emotionless eyes began to seethe with anger. Screaming, Alvara's arms grabbed at her hair before slamming them open, her fingers curled like claws, "KAPALPHATAU!" An erie sound erupted from her lips, the screech sounding oddly like an owl. The sound echoed through the basin like a crash of thunder.
Laura gasped at the sound combined with the pain in her torso. She fled through the village until she finally saw the small, land-bound hut, bursting into it and quickly rifling through her things. She looked around numbly for who exactly was making the whimpering sound and realized that she was alone. Laura's hands flexed open and closed before she found her bandages, rags and anti-septic, splashing the anti-septic on her chest like water before taking the rag to wash off roughly and began to bandage herself up, cursing under her breath at her cold finger's clumsiness.
Annah stood up finally having finished her meal, "Are we ready then?" She questioned in excitement, "Ryan, Zusoir?" She had unwittingly brought her sketchbook with her to breakfast, but she still needed to get her pencils from Zusoir's nest.
Shrugging into a sweatshirt, Ryan dug around in his pockets and pulled out a few pencils, one without an eraser, "Here, Annah. We don't know when they plan on kicking us out, we should probably fit in as much as we can."
Annah nodded, "Yes, I would certainly like to be able to fit into this place as best I can... I want to learn everything I can!" She said in excitement, accepting the pencils with a grateful nod.
"Such is a privilage for us..." Ryan muttered, wiping some mud off of his pant leg.
"Yes... a privilage that we will not be able to share with our colleagues for fear of destroying this civilization..." Annah said.
"Great! Let's go!" Zusoir chirped. His wings twitched in excitement as he led the two humans outside. He didn't understand the conversation of the humans, but he figured he'd just move along with their day. He acted as t our guide for his guests. "That over there..." he pointed to a collection of Bewinged trading goods, "is our market. Our eh..." He paused a moment, deciding how to convey the concept. Zusoir bent down and picked up a rock. He stared at Annah's pencil. Zusoir offered the rock, indicating he wanted the pencil. "Trade...eh...bartar?"
Annah smiled in understanding and played along, holding out one of her pencils, "Trade." She said in a clear tone, nodding as she turned her gaze over the bustling marketplace, "Wow... this is great!"
"Trade." Zusoir parroted in the human tongue. He laughed joyously as he shuffled the two along. "And over there is ... learning." Zusoir tapped his head after he indicated the young Bewinged listening to an elder lecture. "Knowledge." Then he tapped his chest, tapping his tattoo.
"Can we stop for a minute?" Annah questioned, idicating the group and then her sketchbook, "I'd like to draw the young ones learning."
"You want to stop?" Zusoir asked Annah. "Okay?" He turned to Ryan, confirming the fact.
Annah settled herself to drawing, crouched down as Zusoir and Ryan stood nearby, she was putting in the finishing touches of her shading when she noticed a small child wandering away from the others. Curiosity took over, and without really thinking she started to follow the child, realizing that he was leaving the village, "Hey!" She called, knowing that the child would not understand her, "You probably shouldn't wander!" She picked up her pace somewhat, leaving the bewinged village behind.
It was several minutes before the child seemingly vanished into the foliage, "Hey kid!" She called, worried that perhaps the young child had fallen into a ditch or something, and she began to run, though warily.
Suddenly Annah was looking into startled brown eyes.
A tall, dark man jumped back. He had heard something crashing through the underbrush and was just anticipating something... less human. Especially this deep in the forest. "Senhorita, é você aprovada?" he asked in a deep voice.
Annah jumped back in surprise, once she'd managed to calm her heart she spoke, "Do you... perhaps speak English?" She questioned hopefully.
"Ah, you are American!" the man said in a thick Brazilian accent, smiling sexily and acting like he knew exactly how hot he was. "What is American woman doing in forest? Many tourist, get lost twenty feet in basin... You are near middle. Are lost?" He hoisted a gun to his shoulder, appraising her with a questioning look.
"Oh! No, no, I'm not lost!" Annah shook her head quickly, able to decipher his thickly accented English easily through experience, "I came here with several fellow researchers, I merely wandered a little farther than I should have... May I ask why you yourself are so far out here?"
He looked at Annah as if realizing something, then his gaze shifted from her to his gun, then back to her. "Scouting," he said confidently, his brown eyes shining. "The name is Cras. And your?"
"Annah." She said simply, gazing at his gun, though she refrained from looking back in the direction from whence she had come, "Where are you headed, scout?" She questioned.
"Wherever," Cras answered. "I scout for no one specific. Annah, it is still dangerous. I say, unless you grow up here, much too easy to get lost. Relatives four, five years gone, come for visit and lost themselves in backyard. Please, do not stray from your guide, make markings if do. All trees look alike." He looked at her closely, getting a little closer to make sure she was alright. "If you not lost, get back to camp. Maybe we meet again." He tapped her chin teasingly, trailing a finger down the side of her neck just briefly before turning and striding off, disappearing silently into the foliage within a few seconds.
Annah simply stared at where he'd vanished, her hand immediately snapping up to touch her neck where his fingers had trailed in surprise, "Who was that guy?" She murmured, blinking and turning to get back to the village, "Now then... I'm pretty sure it was a straight shot... hope I didn't turn..."
Cras crouched behind a few overhanging ferns, watching her until she turned to go with more or less a measure of certainty. It would go against his nature to just leave her unprotected for at least that long, but there were dangerous things in this forest. Speaking of which... Cras loaded his gun, hating to abandon such a pretty girl but knowing he had to eat this month and that the animals weren't going to bag themselves.
"Hm..." Annah frowned uncertainly, looking around. She couldn't help but feel that she was being watched. After a few minutes she began walking slowly, simply shaking off the feeling.
A hiss sounded from above and a camoflaged Bewinged appeared, dropping down next to her. His coloring was much like a golden eagle, and the Bewinged was easily one of the tallest of his clan. He whistled softly, briefly and took a hold of her arm, surprisingly gentle and led her back to the village. The child that she had followed was behind the elder, his coloring marking him his child.
Annah sighed once she'd been returned to the village, "Thank you..." She said softly, trying to make it obvious that she was showing gratitude, "But I think that you should have let me find my own way back- there was another human out there... someone who I doubt wouldn't think twice about shooting you, or something similar..." Though of course she didn't sign anything, she was more talking to herself than to him.
She knelt near the child to see if he was okay, and once she assured herself of the fact she stood, "Now to find Zusoir and Ryan again..." She murmured.
Off in the woods, the Tribal Mother sat cross legged on a huge bough, the long material of her skirt hanging down and her breasts bare as usual. Taking a deep breath, Alvara remained in a trance, breathing once every minute. With a loud jolt, Hoktl landed next to her, his crest erect and his voice desperate. The harpy eagle cried again and Alvara's black eye opened, "What is it?"
Hoktl screamed and clawed the tree before lifting off into the sky. Hesitating, Alvara lifted off as well, following him in the direction of the temple.
"Annah? ANNAH!" Zusoir called out through the village. "Unbelievable...I get the humans for a couple hours and I already lose one!" The Bewinged shook his head. "Ryan...Ryan see Annah?" He mimed out searching for something.
Ryan ran back to the Bewinged after searching down another section of the village, "Uh, Annah? I don't know where she is." He held up his hands in defeat.
"I thank you." Annah bowed to the bewinged, "Now I must go, goodbye!" She had heard Zusoir's voice not too horribly far away and began running in the direction that it had come from.
Zusoir kept searching through the crowd, finally spotting Annah. "Annah!" He shrieked. "Okay?"
"I'm fine." Annah assured him with a nod, "Sorry... for vanishing." She signed quickly.
Ryan shook his head then snapped it up. A loud, piercing sound drifted over them, and the villagers each stood and cocked their heads at the sound, "Something tells me, that the sound we just heard, is not anything good..." Ryan remarked, looking to Zusoir.
Zusoir looked to the sky. That sounded like Tribe Mother...but he couldn't be sure. He shrugged to Ryan.
Annah stood, an uncertain look on her face, "Do you think that... we should go back?" She said slowly, signing for Zusoir.
"Ah...no, no." Zusoir chittered. "Let's continue on the tour. Library!" He pointed a finger in the air to signal that he was ready to move on.
"Ah, okay... the library it is then..." Ryan replied, a little puzzled at why that sound had occured, though, he followed the bewinged anyway.
Modern Angels Part Four <= The Library...
Stumble!