The Statue of Death

Ye Ying and Silverwind finally reached their destination. Ah yes, the Festival of Death. The name was strange for it was not truly to celebrate only death, but also life. Much like a human would for Easter for their new beginning. Or at least that is what Easter meant. But the Festival of Death was the the kukuri’s tradition. This celebration invited all kinds of races from around the globe, not just kukus.

Currently, the festival took place around a statue that was imbedded into the mountainside. Stalls and games were set up around the area. As for the area, it was mainly a grassy field with a bit of rocky terrain closer to the cliff side. Handlers, Kukuris, and other entities roamed between all of it, causing a hectic scene.

Ye Ying took a look around the busy festival in hopes she could find something to do, but all her instincts told her to stay with her handler, Silverwind. To her surprise, Silverwind had approached a small bird-like creature. Its feathers were as brown as bark, and it had purple feathers that extended at the top of its head and base of its hindquarters. Beside her was another Kukuri. His fur was a sandy color with folded ears, rhino horns, and deep blue eyes. Ye Ying seemed fascinated that she got to see another amber.

She watched as the two handlers spoke, gaining the names of Aktey the Skrawku, who was the weird bird-dog; and Sayo, the male amber kuku.

It did not take too long when the handlers had ushered the two kukuris into exploring the rest of the festival. Ye Ying did not seem to pleased, nor did it seem like Sayo was either. The two decided to stick beside one another as the two walked through the bustling area. It overwhelmed poor Ye Ying. Being very skittish, she would have bolted into hiding.

The two had just so happened to approach the statue without even noticing. She looked it over a bit. “Have any clue how it was built?” Came an unexpected voice, causing her to jump with fright.

She looks over to Sayo. “O-oh… I-I do not know,” she honestly said, looking back to the statue that was covered in floral and bones. It was shockingly stunning. Even to the point she did not want to leave the statue’s side for she felt safe around it.

“You feel it too?” Sayo asked with curiosity. “The calm, soothing feel that radiates off it?”

She looks over to him to see he was focused on the monument on the rocky wall, then looked at the statue again. Its stoney feathered wings looked as if they would move at any moment, encasing the two in a protective stoney barrier. She breathed in a the scent of spring and rocks. This was something she would not mind returning to. “W-why not o-offer a tribute?” She asked with curiosity. “L-like… I-I do not know… a bouquet of flowers?”

Sayo looked as if he was thinking it over. “That actually sounds like a wonderful idea.”

With that, the two made their way to a nearby flower field. Seeing the flowery field, and barely no one amongst the grassy land with colored specks made her feel at ease. She was glad to be out of the bustling festival. Sayo walked off to another spot of the field to start with his collection of flowers. Following suit, Ye Ying proceeded to collect the ones that she thought looked best in a bouquet. It took her a while before finding the best flowers she liked. Mostly they were purple with blue and white flowers. Adding a bit of green foliage in the mix added the the beauty.

As she finished the flower bundle, she looked it over, fixing bits here and there. Sayo came along not too long later holding his own. It was not as nice as her’s but she did not want to say anything. It was his perspective on his own bouquet. “Wow,” Sayo breathed out. “Your flower bundle looks great,” he looks at his own, feeling quite disappointed about his own now.

“Bouquet,” she pointed out the name of the bundle of flowers, “and yours looks nice too.” She may have not liked it so much, but she saw the envy and how it brought him down when they compared their bundles.

The two soon had went back to the statue to find it had been desecrated. Who had done it, they do not know. It hurt her heart to see how bad the statue was ruined with all the red paint. What stuck out the most was how there was writing in big red paint. It read, “SAYO WAS HERE” in a quick mannered pace.

“Sayo,” she got the attention from the sandy amber, “did you do this?”

He seems to look it over with confusion. Shaking his head, he looks at Ye Ying. “No, I was with you this whole time. How could I run here, and run back in just the little time?” He pointed out.

“Then I suggest we get on the search~” Came a new voice.