CAMEO

A tall pure white bird came flapping into the marsh. A crane, to be more specific. He had just recently been here a short while ago, before going off with a couple of unusual creatures. They seemed to have left him now, but forever keeping their words in his mind, he had come back to the marsh. He preferred being here above all over places, for this was the type of land that his kind mostly happened to live at. Suddenly swooping down above the water, he reached out with his spindly black limbs and touched the warm liquid, giving a small yet prefect splash as he hit bottom. He didn't stop there, though. He danced around just a bit to finish off his entry, wings flapping at his sides and legs carrying him as he lightly tredded through. Yes, this was the ideal place for him. He figured he could stick around here a while until those two deer-things came back, as he first thought of them. So then, he halted and dipped his slim dial to the shore and began to dig through the dirt with his beak for any roots that might be around.

Akahi

The albino alligator had been basking in the sun when she saw the odd bird. She was on the other side of the marsh from Cameo, but thought she'd get a better look. She could not see him very well with her weak, pink eyes at her current position. So she silently slid into the water and stayed near the muddy bottom. Suddenly, she raised her eyes and nostrils above the surface and watched the crane. "Boo." She growled playfully.

CAMEO

Cameo dug his beak deeper and deeper into a hole he had created, finding a few wet roots here and there as he went along. He plucked them with a quick flick of his neck, gobbling them up like he hadn't eaten in years. As a matter of fact, he hadn't eaten in a while.
At first, he was oblivious to the alligator as she slid through the water. He was almost to the clay texture beneath the dirt, when he suddenly realized the presense of another. Flinging around at the word "boo", as unexpected as it was, he flung around while he struck out at the sides with his wings, causing him to hop as he spun to face where the unknown voice had come. Once his beady eyes landed on Akahi, he thought he could feel his heart jump in his throat, as skinny as it seemed. "Who are you?" he blurted out, his white wings extended out, giving light flaps to the air as though he was ready to fly off at any given moment. He didn't need such heart attacks.

Akahi

A wide grin was spread across Akahi's pearly face. She stuck her whole head out of the water to display her teeth. It wasn't a threat, really. It was more like an invitation to play. She swam closer and looked up at Cameo. "I'm Akahi." She replied loudly. "Who are you?" Her features displayed happiness, but a smaller animal might think otherwise.

CAMEO

Cameo kept those dark eyes fixed on the alligator, looking her over, searching for any sign of attack. She may seem quite out of place with that 'fun' personality of hers, but he wasn't too sure. He couldn't be just yet. When she first came closer to him, he used those long spindly limbs and hopped backwards, farther from the water. He couldn't recall having ever met one of these things, and though the white color was eye-catching, he didn't think it was anything unusual.
Giving his wings a couple more flaps, though staying to the ground, he eyed her through narrowed slits. "Cameo," he simply replied, not trusting her, let alone that big mouth of teeth. He stayed a food couple yards away from her, making sure that space was between them the whole time. What a great way to start things off, not.

Akahi

Akahi slowly made her way to the shore. She clumsily stepped onto the dry land and gazed up at the bird. "Well, Cameo, what brings you to the marsh?" She asked pleasantly, enjoying the sunshine.

CAMEO

Cameo stood there stiffly, feeling his legs tense up quite a bit. He watched her intensely with those dark eyes of his, wondering what she was planning on her agenda for the day. To eat him, of course. But what animal wouldn't think that at one point?
Taking one final step back as she reached the shore, he slowly began to fold his wings back into his sides. "I live here," he stated, and then made a shrugging motion with his wings. "Or I do now." he then added, remembering that he hadn't always lived here. Oh, those humans had taken him to a place filled with mean-looking preditors. He was forever to be on the sharp lookout around here, especially if it had these strange creatures.

Akahi

Akahi was oblivious to Cameo's fear. She only wanted to have fun. Eating was not on her mind at the time. She crawled back into the water and stared at the crane. "Want to have a race? You can fly if you want. We'll go from here to the other side of the marsh." She said playfully.

CAMEO

Cameo continued to watch this strange creature, ready tp spring away. He was as oblivious to her playful intentions as she was to his fear, it seemed. He was slowly beginning to loosen up a bit, but that was all. He wasn't exactly what you could call 'used to' talking with an animal that appeared as though they could snap you up in one bite and have you gone by sundown with no scraps left behind. This thought made him shudder.
"Race?" he then asked, a bit unsure. He had never really raced before, since he had never liked to test his speed against others. He especially wasn't sure with this animal. "Sure," he then answered, almost feeling as though his legs would buckle beneath him as he did. How could he say such a thing? He almost made himself faint. But he watched anyway, forcing himself to have good thoughts, or at least better ones than what he had been thinking of the whole time.

Akahi

Akahi grinned playfully. She loved to play, even if her playmate was what most gators would consider lunch. Anybody was good enough to be her friend, she thought. "Okay! Great!" She exclaimed, then turned around to face the distant shore. "Whoever gets there and back again first is the winner." She explained, preparing herself for the game. "Ready? GO!" Then she was off. She propelled herself through the water towards her destination...

CAMEO

Cameo was still quite unsure at first, but then he could feel his courage rising. Slowly, but steadily. Flinging his wings out to his sides, he readied himself for flight. Then she said the 'go' word, and he was off, sailing through the air. At first, she had the advantage. He still wasn't loosened up enough to fly very efficiently, and anyone could probably tell. It wasn't until about halfway through that he finally was able to pick up enough speed, and he was flying just above the water, eyeing the shadowed form of the gator just below him. Finally, he reached the shore, without even a glance behind him. Not knowing whether or not he won, he flapped around and hovering just above the shore. "Who won?" he then asked, not minding if he lost or not. His wings were a bit shaky, as he finally drifted to the ground and stood there. Of course, he was still a couple yards away from the gator.

Akahi

Akahi raised her head above the water when she reached the opposite shore. But she was too slow, and Cameo was already there. "I guess you won." She replied with a grin. "What now?"

CAMEO

Cameo was breathing deeply but smoothly now, and then gave his wings another thrust in a shrugging motion. Too much observation of the humans?
"I don't know, what do you have in mind?" he then asked, moving his head around to get a better look of her unusual frame. A long and slithery looking thing, almost like a snake. Easy to move through the water, just like a snake and fish. If only she were smaller, she'de be his prey. He had eaten little reptiles before.
"How about we look around the place? I'm sorta new around here, anyway." he stated, wondering if she was new as well. Then maybe he wouldn't feel so, out of place.

Akahi

A grin spread across the gator's face once more. "I'd like to explore." She replied happily. Then she began to swim around the shoreline. "Maybe we could see what other water sources are around here."

CAMEO

The crane arched his neck slightly and gave a nod. Exploring seemed like the right thing to do, and with how she was acting, he figured she must be new too. Good, at least he wouldn't be the only one, or at least he thought.
Readying his wings for takeoff, he looked around, but made sure she didn't try to snap him up or anything. He was still quite wary of her, and it'de be a while until he actually thought of her as a true 'friend'. "Which way should we go?" he then asked, peering around the marsh. Each way looked the same to him, though he could recall seeing some other water areas on the way here. He was eager to get going and check things out as well.