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Post by Zenjesi on Sept 11, 2023 9:52:48 GMT -6
One more step… one more… the gallor pressing back ever so subtly into the kennel door. And then Zenjesi was by her side. There was a moment of stillness. Admittedly, they didn’t expect to be successful. Perhaps this was the moment it was to go wrong, and claws were about to be introduced to the satyr in a very painful manner. One of their hands reached up and… brushed the gallor’s fur. It was such a light brush that the texture was hardly even detected. The gallor clacked her beak once. Zenjesi hesitated, then… reached up again, and stroked the gallor’s side slightly more confidently. The fur, now laying flat again, felt a bit rough to the touch, as if the gallor hadn’t been fully groomed in a time. Zenjesi chuckled despite themselves. “You are a spirited one, aren’t you?” The gallor’s beak clacked again in acknowledgement, and, as Zenjesi watched in awe, settled in on her haunches.
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Post by Zenjesi on Sept 11, 2023 9:53:01 GMT -6
Zenjesi sat for a quiet moment, petting the side of the gallor. They were lost in a near trance, watching the yellow/green fur ripple under their fingertips and… waiting to be raked with the claws, torn into by the beak, for another burst of feathers as the gallor attempted to take wing. But the gallor accepted the gesture, white empty eyes blinking at Zenjesi a couple of times. That was all. It was simple. Would it always have been so simple? In an instant, Zenjesi’s mind flashed through the years spent alone, complete solitude, near silence… And now, within days of venturing to the Labs… companionship. They chuckled a second time, then suppressed it before they began to sound insane. Or feel insane, for that matter. It wasn’t a pleasant sounding laugh, like everything else – Zenjesi was still laughing. They paused, put a hand to their throat. They weren’t laughing. Then where…?
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Post by Zenjesi on Sept 11, 2023 9:53:20 GMT -6
The sound wasn’t coming from Zenjesi themselves, but… from the gallor. Zenjesi’s head cocked again and the gallor’s beak closed, the sound stopped. A broad smile spread across Zenjesi’s face. “One surprise after another. You are a fascinating one.” Their fingers continued to work through the gallor’s fur. She rustled her tail once. “But perhaps… do not mimic me. You will not make any friends.” Zenjesi lifted the harness and began to try to ease it towards the gallor. She watched curiously and as the straps approached her face, she clamped her beak down on one and tugged. Zenjesi instantly lost their grasp on it and, much to their dismay, saw the gallor’s wings spreading once again. Once again, though this time with a delighted chittering sound, the gallor leaped away from Zenjesi, the harness hissing and clacking against the cement as the satyr dove for the trailing end of the leash.
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Post by Zenjesi on Sept 11, 2023 9:53:30 GMT -6
They managed to hook a finger through the loop, but were now once again on their hands and knees, holding on to the end of this leash while the gallor on the other end flapped around crazily like a kite in a strong wing. They felt just a moment of helplessness before realizing… the gallor was laughing Zenjesi’s laugh again, darting around, whipping the harness back and forth and making the metal bits jingle. This was no longer fear at all. Zenjesi let out a soft huff of a chuckle. The gallor was playing. Not the toy nor the place Zenjesi would’ve chosen but… who knew how long the poor creature had been boxed up? Zenjesi didn’t dare release the leash for fear of never grasping it again, but… they sat back, allowing the gallor to thrash it around. After a few moments, she tossed it in a heap on the ground.
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Post by Zenjesi on Sept 11, 2023 9:53:56 GMT -6
Zenjesi took advantage of the opportunity, scrabbling to scoop it up. The gallor flared her wings at the satyr, but this time, it was clearly playful. “I should not have let you get the idea in your head,” they chuckled. “This cannot be a game.” As they moved forward to try to slip the harness around her head again, she bucked, jumping once. This time, however, Zenjesi was expecting something like that, and with one deft movement, the gallor’s neck, at least, was wrangled. Immediately, she began to trot her way towards the outer door, dragging the loose straps behind once again. Zenjesi heaved a bit of a sigh, standing and, for clearly not the last time, working to chase the gallor down. “You are not ready.” The gallor reached the exterior door and stood up on her back legs to peer out the window. Zenjesi took advantage of that opportunity.
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Post by Zenjesi on Sept 11, 2023 9:54:07 GMT -6
Working quickly, Zenjesi pulled the rest of the straps where they ought to go and buckled them in place. Whether or not the gallor understood this, she dropped back down to all fours, looking back at the satyr hopefully. Zenjesi spared one glance back towards the door they had entered through. Nobody was watching. They could only pray no one had been. They drew a deep breath, wrapped the leash an extra time around their wrist for good measure, and eased the door open. The instant a gap opened, the gallor shot forward like a bolt of lightning, jolting the satyr’s shoulder off of the doorframe as she lunged for freedom. Her wings flapped in the open air, a movement purely done out of excitement rather than function. A security light buzzed overhead, granting a bit of a strange orange glow that caught on her lighter plumage. Zenjesi could only imagine the brilliance of those feathers in daylight.
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Post by Zenjesi on Sept 11, 2023 9:54:18 GMT -6
Zenjesi could only stand idly by and watch as the gallor launched herself back and forth, clambering up fencing easily with her claws, throwing herself across the gap to another fence, rattling, banging, flapping, clacking, all while the satyr stood stock still in the center, only ducking the leash as it became necessary. They managed another weak huff of a laugh. Alright, yes, the appearance of this gallor had first drawn them to her. Then it had been the gallor’s mysterious abilities. But this… well, this was a bit of a deterrent, wasn’t it? Zenjesi watched as she clambered up to the top of the fence, letting out an echoing chirp-like cry into the evening sky. They felt as if they were shrinking into themselves, once again praying that didn’t draw any attention to the two of them. Well, if they didn’t want attention, maybe they should reconsider adopting this creature.
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Post by Zenjesi on Sept 11, 2023 9:54:32 GMT -6
But how many others had had the same thought? How many had been enticed by the gallor’s unique colors only to close her back in the cage when they saw – The gallor squawked, pushing off of the fencetop, bounding onto Zenjesi’s slightly hunched shoulders, and onto the ground. Zenjesi staggered, catching themselves on the chainlink and glancing back at the gallor who was now itching herself idly. They heaved a sigh, recalling back the food-summoning trick, the curious glowing fur, the mimickry… No, this would be worth it. This gallor just… needed an outlet, perhaps. Some regularity, some training… She wasn’t scared of Zenjesi, and maybe that, in itself, was enough to start with. “What would I call you?” Zenjesi mused aloud, dropping a bit lower once again and extending a hand towards the gallor experimentally. They reached out within a couple of inches before the gallor bounded away, mimicking the satyr’s hissing laugh once again.
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Post by Zenjesi on Sept 11, 2023 9:54:52 GMT -6
“I think you have a bit too much energy,” Zenjesi chuckled, straightening back up. Ah well, perhaps later they’d be able to get closer again. The gallor’s tail swished happily, back and forth rhythmically as they picked their way off towards the more open areas. To the satyr’s delight, she even glanced back to ensure they were following. That was it. This would work - Zenjesi was sure of it. They reached into their pocket while they walked together, fishing out the folded up adoption form that they had been given upon entering the building. They held it for a quiet moment, considering the blanks that needed to be filled in, and – the papers disappeared. The gallor had them in her beak and was shaking them around, the pages rippling. A moment of panic hit the satyr. Please don’t shred those. If you do, I’ll have to do the unthinkable: ask for more.
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Post by Zenjesi on Sept 11, 2023 9:55:15 GMT -6
Zenjesi fell back into an easy crouch, extending their hand hopefully. “That is very humorous, indeed.” The gallor set the papers on the ground, planting her clawed paw over them. “But if you want to be free of this place… I need them.” A tearing sound. A small strip of the first page became airborne as the gallor tossed it with her beak. Zenjesi winced, but took advantage of the gallor’s momentary distraction to quickly scurry forward on hands and knees, spooking the gallor off of the papers. She flared her wings with a delighted chitter at Zenjesi’s perceived playful gesture. And so… Zenjesi remained hunched on the cement, scrambling to fill out the form on the bumpy ground while the gallor clambered onto their back, plucking her own feather out of the satyr’s braid again. A few moments later, Zenjesi approached the purveyor of the agency, hair disheveled, gallor doing laps and wrapping their legs with the leash, and offered the form. It was partially shredded, poked through with the pen, rumpled, but… it was complete.
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