It was with my snort that I could feel the jerking of his head. My eyes closed at first, feeling the world around me so as to not trip before they opened and met his widened eyes. They were sharp, wary, and I could only feel myself stumble for a second until the sharpness went dull, softening as he recognized my frame. He had been tight, so tense and broken - I could feel it as I had stumbled my way up. Each of his movements had been strained, as if his body didn't want him to move - it just wanted him to stand there and find a way to relax. Alas, sometimes these gifts cannot be granted, and one must push on. But, it was as I came up close to him that I notice the lines relaxing ever-so slightly upon his face.

There is the faint start of a smile curling up on his face, but it evens out in a fluid motion only allowing a line to press across his face. A small relaxation of his wings, from the shift of his bones as I give a light brush of my maw against his shoulder. And, as I stop at his side he cranes his neck around to gently touch my forehead which I lean into, glad to be near someone else who might be able to understand me. Glad to be around someone who I didn't have to totally pretend to be okay with.

But, I didn't allow myself to lean against his touch for long, my eyes peering up toward him. The questions flooding my cranium are running across my face, lighting up my eyes, and I can see that a more grimace-like gesture has tugged at the corner of his maw. He apologizes for the scare that he hadn't really given me the other meeting. It was more the phoenix that had done the terror. The idea of my hawk's death had been so fresh in my mind that almost any strange looking bird was giving me ideas as to how he might have passed and there had been a breaking point. The fire-filled death was that breaking point. He couldn't have known, nor could he have done anything to keep it from happening. A gentle bob of my head is given and a pricking of the ears as I feel him gazing directly in my eyes, an expression that wasn't recognizable to my actual sight filling his face. Had I the desire to be slightly rude and close my eyes I might have found out that it was curiosity, but the manners were ingrained in me and so my eyes were to remain open.

He is musing, the words falling from his mouth about my sight and a smirk has crossed my face, another gentle nod bouncing my forelock before he asks for what had cured my blindness. Perhaps cured was the wrong word, but I would go with it for now. It was close enough when I could not vocalize it all. Gently, I give a small kick at the rocks at our feet, a few of the stones skipping forwards as I allow my maw to open as if to speak, trying to show that I was mute. Again, I kick the rocks and then up towards the sky, where his companion had left. And, a couple of seconds and I reach to rest my maw against the glowing hawk upon my haunches. Earth God. Companion. Hawk. He probably wouldn't understand, not when I didn't have the time to go through the long list of things I could try and do to attempt to explain.

Or, at least I didn't have time at the moment. I had been pretty sure that I wouldn't be alone with Midas for long, and I had been trying to feel instinctively deeper into the caves where Alleo would emerge from. After all, we had been attached at the hip and I expected nothing less but to have him follow me out as soon as he had figured out that I was not in the same area as before. But, it was not from the caves that the being emerged. No. It was from the fire of the heart. Another winged girl laced in colours of gold said hello, and I noticed the mask that seemed to fall upon Midas's face and so quickly. He says he is fine, welcomes her, and then offers both his and my name to the young girl. He said that she would do well to join us and I could only nod my head in agreement. It was safer here then it was out there - especially if there was some darkness spreading. I may not have seen it, but from the anxiety that radiated off of the other creatures in these caves, it was definitely not something to be trifled with.