What Was That?

Shika's head tilted to the side at the mention of this 'Palus'. She had never heard of such a place and was rather curious in what it was like there. Although she kept herself quiet and still as Aegis stood and spoke, feeding her the information she asked about. Settled comfortable between his shoulder blades, Shika's sight followed his paw as he pointed in each direction of the warring Kingdoms. More questions started to bubble up inside her as he spoke, confusion and curiosity in her violet gaze.

Much to stuck in her own thoughts, Shika didnt protest as she slid down back onto the sand. She stared up at Aegis, her smile replaced with a small frown. "War?" The word was extended, dragged out as she pronounced it. "Whats that? Is it a game? Can I play?!" The smile returned at the notion of playing this 'game', tail kicking up grains of sand as it beat against the dunes. She gave a small giggle at his display of aggression, moving to stand up at Aegis turned away from her. He would easily pick up the sound of the sand shifting under her claws as she followed behind him. Although her voice was the telltale sign as she spoke. "I wanna come, I wanna come! I dont wanna go back, I wanna explore!"

She had to walk rather quickly to follow along with the Dorulumon and, even if he attempted to shoo her away, he would find her behind him at all times, always giving a bright smile whenever he turned to her. It appear shes gotten attached to him rather quickly.

Aegis did attempt to shoo the curious digimon away several times, for the next ten minutes. He even attempted to run and hide but she was a lot quicker then she looked, easily staying on his heels...until Aegis fell into one of his own sand traps.

"Omph!" He said as he landed with an audible thud. He raised his head and looked around, "Seriously? How lame do I have to be to fall for such an old gag?" Aegis placed his paws over his eyes as he lay there in an annoyed embarrassment.

"Feathers....why are you following me anyway...you don't need me to explore." He calls from his sand pit. He didn't bother to remove his paws from his eyes and lets out a large sigh of defeat. It was then beaten out by the echoing growl of Aegis stomach.

"This is where I die..." He sarcastically said. "Maybe I've already died and this is eternal damnation where I am harassed by a quirky kid and forced to eat sand." He whimpers.

"Feathers...are you a hell spawn?" He asks.

Although the sand shifted with every step she took, slowing her down compared to her full speed, Shika was easily able to keep up with Aegis. She continued calling after him asking questions about where he was going or why he was running. However, she slid to a stop upon watching the wolf's front paw hit false ground. She tilted her head as his weight broke through the sand and into his own trap, landing with a puff of dirt and a loud oomph. She couldnt helo but giggle at his mistake.

Slowly making her way over to the hole, Shika leaned over onto jer front paws, small spotted head looking down at the stuck wolf. A small noise of curiosity came from her although she wouldnt respond to his questions. Instead she looked up and around her at the expansive desert in every direction. Aegis eould hear her stepping away from the hole, sand tumbling down onto him with the movement. She crawled on all four, snout to the ground as she tried to scent out some kind of animal. At some point, she breathed in to hard, bringing grains of sand with the air. It tickled her snout and the small digimon couldnt help but sneeze at the sensation. Sparks burst from her horns as she sneezed, before shaking her head to rid herself of the feeling.

She would be gone for quite a couple of minutes, Aegis most likely thinking she had left him for good. However, after a few more minutes, he would hear high pitched humming, not unlike the whistling he was doing when she was in his position. Her head poked out over the side of the hole, about 3 small lizards hanging in her maw. They were a decent meal for her, but for him, it would barely be a snack. Either way, she would stop humming and drop the lizards down onto Aegis's head. If he looked up, he would see the young raptor smiling brightly from above, her tail beating up sand. "I brought food! Eat, Eat!" She seemed rather proud of her feat, even if it would barely be a snack for the larger adult.

Aegis looked curiously at the small feathred digimon as she decided to leave. He frowned at her disappearance, "Sure...leave right when I need help." Aegis sighed.

Children were so fickle in nature, they were your best friends one day and annoyed with you the next. Aegis stood up and looked around the sand pit he had dug. He sniffed at its walls and looked up when he heard the humming of Shika.

He cocked his head as the child dropped down a trifecta of small reptiles.They hit him in his head, one after the other and he clenched his eyes tightly with every bounce. Shaking his snout at the end. He looked at the small reptiles and then to Shika.

"I brought food! Eat, Eat!"

Aegis gave her a small smile, "Thanks for the warning, and the snack."

The canine took the lizards into his mouth with ease, swallowing them down one at a time and without cheweing. Their leathery taste complimented the sandy grains. He didn't enjoy that at all as his expression displayed.

He looked up to Shika and focused his stare. He reared back on his hind legs, gahering pressure into them.Then he launched himself up towards the top, barely reaching it. His paws clampered on the edge. The sand nearly giving way, the firm stones that kept the sand from filling back in were coming loose. Aegis growled as he tried to pull himself up until with one last push, he climbed to the top.

Aegis walked safely from the hole and shook the grains from his coat. He lifted his hind leg scratching some lodged behind his ear.

"Well, lets not do that again anytime soon." Aegis chuckled and turned to face Shika and sat down on his rump.

"So...why are you following me Feathers, or are you hoping I actually decide to eat you?" He asked, his tail swaying against the sand makinga noticeable groove.

She watched him curiously as he swallowed down the three dead lizards she had brought for him. Another giggle can from her upon seeing the face he made. It obviously didn't taste very good to the sand - covered wolf. Shika stood back up and was about to turn around and go find him some more. He was a big digimon and would need big food! Just as she turned away from the hole, the sound of claws digging into the rock surface had the small raptor turn back around.

Her smile grew wider at seeing Aegis's paws and upper body clawing at the sand and rocks for some kind of grip. "Oh oh! I'LL HELP!" She ran over to his left paw, claws wrapping around it as she pulled with all her body weight, which really wasnt that much. Her feet slid in the sand, her usual smiling face contorted into a small snarl as she tried her best. With Aegis's last push, Shika tumbled backwards as his paw came forward to pull the rest of his body out. Landing on her rump, Shika shook out the sands from her feathers... only to be covered by the sand that Aegis shook off himself.

She mimicked the Dorulumon, shaking the rest of the sand off before using her back foot to scratch at the underside of her jawline. Shika giggled at the question, a small hum of contentment as she scratched a certain spot along her neck. She dropped her foot and looked up at Aegis, thinking on his question for a second. "Aegis is nice! Shika likes Aegis. Shika and Aegis should stay and explore together!" She scooted herself closer to him, purple sparks of electricity traversing her silvery horns at her excitement.

Aegis watched as she scooted closer, her electrical energies sparking as she did. He could only wonder if her sudden showcases were a sign of her emotional standing. How curious she was. He gave her a smile and brought his snout down to her level nuzzling her. The small electrical shocks he felt were tolerable and still sort of felt nice.

"I appreciate the food Feathers, but I'm not really the exploring type. My place is here in the desert. Where the food is scarce and the water is my urine..." Aegis lifted his head and arched his brow as he thought on his words. He chuckled and looked back to her.

"That sounded a lot less depressing in my head. My point is this is my home and despite the hardships, I don't really have a desire to leave." He arched his brow again and thought.

"I just want to be clear...I don't really drink my urine...all the time..." He nudged Shika and gave a toothy grin. His drill that he wore on his head, easily attracted her electric energy giving him a jolt or two every time they made contact. He was starting to get used too it.

Aegis stood up and turned heading again in a direction unknown, "In any case Feathers, if you want to hang around me, I don't particularly mind but don't expect me to leave the desert. Also, stay out of my way when I'm on the hunt and stop asking a million questions. Okay?" Aegis turned to look over his shoulder at her to see if she would follow or not.

"If you can't follow these simple rules, then I guess I'll catch you later."

Shika tilted her head as his own snout lowered to her level. She broke out into a laugh, high pitched and cheerful, as his wet nose nuzzled against her feathery body. Her small arms wrapped around his head, nuzzling her face against his as she made a sound akin to a purr. More sparks came to life, transferring over to his horn as it arched and crackled across her silver parts. It felt nice to be near someone who didnt run away when she shocked them. It was so nice that, when he pulled away from her to speak, Shika let out a childish whine, wanting to hold onto him for longer.

However, despite her needy behavior, she sat and listened to him respectfully, giggling as he joked about drinking his own pee. She nudged him back, quickly standing as Aegis did. Shika continuously nodded to his orders and immediately started to follow him as he moved, much like a lost puppy. "Okay! I promise! No more questions!" Once he turned to her, she would use the opportunity to jump onto his back, climbing up a leg to get to the spot between his shoulder blades.

As long as he didnt mind, she would settle down in his mane like fur, using the metal spires of his shoulders as a buffer in case he turned. She would bury her face against his fur, curling up and wrapping her feathered tail around herself. She would stay like this as Aegis traveled, speaking to him if he started a conversation. True to her word though, she would not ask any more questions. If fact, if Aegis choose to travel in silence, he would soon hear her breathing become shallow and quiet. She had fallen asleep on his back.

Aegis chuckled a bit as she made her way onto his back, "You're such a curious birb aren't you? Hmm....are you even a birb? You're more like a raptor birb. Oh, birb is an endearing name I heard a few human children use. I thought it was funny, and you fit the bill." Aegis started to walk as soon as she was comfortable.

"Well Feathers, here's to our future adventures! I sought out this morning looking for a meal, instead I made a friend. We can't eat our friends can we? Birbs are friends, not food." Aegis still had to deal with his current hungry belly. Those awful lizards didn't do much.

"I best get back to hunting though...now I have two mouths to feed. I suppose we can head back to my home and snack on whatever carcass I haven't finished." Aegis then gave it a thought, he turned his head up to look at Shika on his back.

"I guess you eat meat right Feathers?" Aegis asked.

It appeared that Shika couldnt stop giggling at whatever Aegis said. Her tail continued to sway back and forth along his spine. Her smile was wide, giggling as he suggested the 'birb' name. "Birb! Shika is best birb! But..." Her gaze went down and her smile faded, turning to a small frown. "Birbs can fly and Shika cant fly..." She stretched her arms outward, looking to the small feathers that couldnt carry her body weight. However, like she had flipped an emotional switch, her smile returned. "But I can run real fast!"

She nodded as he mentioned that he couldn't eat her. "Birbs are great friends! Cant eat friend, no no, friends are good friends! And Shika eats meat! I had sharp teeth for meat! See?" She opened her maw wide, slowing up her silver teeth that shown in the sunlight. "Ahhhhh" Electricity sparked as the teeth slid against each other as she closed her jaws. "Shika sometimes bad at hunting though. Shika eat greens sometimes."

Aegis noticed the angst in Shika's expression when she thought about not being able to fly despite her body development of feathers. He joined her in her frowning and turned his head. He listened to her express her interest in meat and he chuckled.

"Well then you'll enjoy my home. Plenty of scraps. Best thing about humans in this world is the fact they bring their planets animals over. Sometimes I travel to a nearby W.A.D.A. farm and catch some of their livestock. Ever have a chicken Feathers?" Aegis asked. He turned, heading in the direction of his home.

"I'm pretty sure the agents want to arrest me but I know these sands better then they know them so I always get away. I once managed to eat an entire thing called a cow. It was to big to take so I ate it on their lands, they found me and I darted. I had about five humans chase me into the sands and I still got away. One day, I'll have to take you." He looked back to her and smiled.

"Another thing. You shouldn't be worried about not being able to fly. It's overrated. What's so great about soaring thousands of feet in the air? Nothing. You fall asleep while flying, you'll crash and die. Fly with your mouth open, bugs find their way inside. If it starts raining, you get all soaked and that's no good. I'm telling ya Feathers. We land folk are better off." Aegis tried to make her feel better about her inability to fly. He hoped it worked.

He approached a cave on the side of an impressive canyon wall. "It's just through this passage."

Aegis would feel her tail beat harder against his spine at the mention of the extra meat at his home. She hadn't had a good meal since before she left the mountain. And, with Aegis being so much larger than her, she was sure any scraps would fill her up plenty. Her head tilted to the side and her eyes lit up with curiosity as he mentioned the humans and their animals. "Chicken?" Like before, she extended the syllables, tasting the word on her tongue. "Whats a Chicken?" She wondered if it was different from Digimon.

Shika listened to Aegis's story about nearly being caught, giggling as he mentioned always escaping. Her head moved up and down quickly, nodding to the notion of taking her there. "I wanna go! I wanna go! I wanna see the humans and cows and chickens!" She only knew a little about the humans, the usual legends on the first that came to the digital world. Meeting one sounded like a fun adventure to the young raptor.

Shika gave a big smile towards the Dorulumon when he tried to make flying unappealing. Although She would still love to have the ability too soar above the land, Aegis comments cheered het up. She wrapped her small arms around his thick neck, nuzzling into him. "Plus, if Shika could fly, Shika would have never met Aegis!" She stayed against his mane, humming lightly at the softness.

Once he mentioned that they were close, Shika looked up at the dark cave that passed through the sheer cliff. Her feathers floofed outward a bit, a clear sign that she was frightened. "Aegis lives in a scary place."

Aegis chuckled at Shika when she commented about his home being scary, "Scary? What that? The big dark dank hole in the side of a crumbling old cliff? Pffft, nah it's completely safe! I only died once here!"

Aegis chuckled as he walked into the cave, it was pitch black which made his teasing seem a bit cruel before. His ability to see fairly well in it though didn't stop him from though and he even hummed.

"By the way Feathers, no electricity in here okay? You'll wake the Feathers eating dragon." He said, whether or not she believed him didn't matter as he approached a collection of gemstones and uncovered them from a black sheet. The cave immediately illuminated to a beautiful color of blues and greens and soft reds.

The gemstones themselves were even more beautiful. A small fire was underneath them that was making them glow. Inside was a soft pile of pillows the was big enough to fit Aegis, a wooden box with water inside for Aegis to drink and the remaining carcass of a calf he had killed on a human farm. It was rotting but the smell didn't bother Aegis and the meat was still edible.

There was a simple hole in the back for restroom purposes and no noticeable water to wash ones appendages with and no bath or anything for cleaning either. Shika would notice plenty of drawings in the stone. Very detailed and well drawn images of Dorulumon.

"Welcome to casa de Aegis, make yourself at home Feathers!" The Dorulumon chuckled, heading over to his bed and leaping onto the soft pillows. "Ah...such nice shade inside here no?" He looked to the carcass and then to Shika.

"You get first dibs! I'll take whatever's left okay?"

Although she found his small jokes rather funny, a whine still escaped the young raptor as they were plunged into darkness. She buried her face against his mane, hoping that any illusions in the blackness wouldnt appear if she didnt look out into it. She made a small nod at his new rule. "Ill try..." Although, as she made her promise, a small spark arched its way across her horns. It quickly dissipated as she realized it was there.

Through the softness of his mane, colorful light danced across her vision. A hum escaped her throat as she raised her head to see the beautiful array of colors providing light to the darkness. "Wow!" Her tail beat hard against his back at the sight, a spark or two coiling its way from her body. "Its so pretty!" Her smile was wide as she jumped off his back to take in the cave. She lowered her head to the floor, sniffing at the ground before looking up at the drawings. She pressed a claw against one lower to the ground, giggling afterwards.

She turned to him as he made himself comfortable, smiling brightly as he mentioned that his home was hers. She followed his gaze to the carcass and, suddenly, the small raptor registered the smell of meat. Despite it being rotten, she could feel her mouth salivate, a low rumble coming from her belly. Before he even mentioned that she was allowed to have it first, the blue feathered Digimon ran over to the food and started to dig in. As her teeth slid against each other, sparks were seen cooking the meat ever so slightly as she ate. Her claws and muzzle were soon stained red with the blood of the carcass. She ate until she was full, sitting down with a small burp. Her tongue lapped at the redness of her muzzle, humming happily.

Turning back to Aegis, she gave him a wide smile before looking to her claws them to the wall. An idea came to her and Shika jumped up, making her way over to the drawings and picking a blank spot. Using the blood from her claws, she started to draw on the wall. She continued for a few minutes before being away and stepping to the side to show Aegis. "Look Look, its me!" A rather crudely drawn red raptor with stick arms and legs was what she had made. It wasn't very good but, the way Shika smiled at him showed how proud she was of it.