Open The Simple Joys of Falconry (Trill)

[Glacient]

Timestamp: 21st of Winter 512 AV

The air was crisp out here by lake Shivias. Glacient stood in the now snow covered meadow, the hood of his Katinu protecting him from the chill. Despite the cold it was a nice day, and Glacient planned to make the most of it.

From up above came the ear peircing call of his falcon, Yuri. During winter it wasn't often that clear days such as this hapened, so he made sure to bring Yuri to stretch her wings. Her snow white body could be seen hovering in the air, occasioanly diping to fight the currents in the air. She let out another scream, closed her wings, and spiraled downward, her talons open.

A moment later he saw her swoop back up into the air and make for his direction. As she approached he held out his right arm on which he wore his sontav, a leather bracer that made it possible for him to hold a bird without the talons cutting his skin. Yuri came in fast, spread her wings, and landed on his arm, a small field mouse caught in her beak.

"That little thing? That's what you dove for?" He said. He laughed at it until Yuri finished swallowing her catch, turned around and flew off, hittin his face with her wings.

[Trill]

Timestamp: 21st of Winter, 512 AV

The Learning Gallery had delivered another dry lesson on Botany.

Trill had never held a real affinity for plants. Granted, she hadn't held a real affinity for much at all, but her touch seemed especially poisonous against things of a floral nature. In an almost vengeful act, Trill had skipped out of Extra Help and shirked her other duties in favor of something that appealed to more youthful tastes.

That is, she went exploring.

Trill'd left her Katinu at home, but the cold didn't bother her so much when she was moving around. Besides, the day was fair; the wind was nearly still, and the sun, though it was setting quickly in the short winter day, offered a faint relief from the freezing temperatures.

She had to keep moving, though, or her marrow would turn to ice.

She ran down a pathway and caught sight of a large, glassy lake. A soft breeze glided over the waters, making the reflection quiver. She smiled faintly to herself.

Oh, she thought suddenly. She braked hard, slipping a little on the icy path.

A man was standing by the lake. Trill watched him for a bit, wondering idly why he was there, when suddenly a bird's scream ripped through the air and she jumped, her eyes wildly roving the skies for the source of the cry.

A snowy owl - no, a falcon - pitched and dived towards the ground, its claws extended, snatched something up (Oh no, Trill thought, please let that NOT be a rabbit...), and flapped back into the air, making for the man's outstretched arm.

A Falconer, Trill realized. She ran forward, forgetting her place in society for a moment, and approached the man with the beautiful bird.

The falcon has just lifted off with a flourish when she arrived.

"Wow, she's amazing!" Trill exclaimed. "I mean, if she is a she. Haha!" She was suddenly embarrassed; who was she, to speak so rashly to someone her elder? He would think she was so base. Well, fine, then. Let him think that. She might get into some trouble, though.

She smiled charmingly and pointed at the falcon's vanishing form. "What's her name?"

[Glacient]

Glacient was startled when he heard the high pitched pre-pubescent voice come from his side. He turned and there stood a child, no larger then four feet (but when it came to height who is he to judge?) the ends of her bydra were tied up, which was abnormal, and the kid was bare chested, not a Katinu in sight. She was a spitting image of every other child he often saw roaming around, but this one had the guts to approach an elder so blunty.

At her remark Glacient let out a soft chuckle, this kid eas different, that much was obvious.

"Her, yes indeed it is a her, name is Yuri." He glanced over the child again, " and I couldn't agree more. She is amazing."

Still, his duties as the adult in this situatiom nagged at him. "Tell me, what's a youngling like yourself doing out here, and barechested none the less?"

[Trill]

At the reminder that she was wearing perhaps a little less than the winter air called for, Trill became suddenly and acutely aware of the goosebumps erupting across her skin.

"I guess I was being impulsive," she said, almost adding Sir to the end. Her pride would have been wounded so. "I mean, it's not THAT bad."

She groaned inwardly. Great - now she'd have to keep her word. Well, it was her fault she hadn't brought her Katinu in the first place, and then told him she was just fine. But really, who in their right mind would be 'just fine' in this sort of weather? He must think she was crazy.

"Nevermind me and the weather," she said with finality, waving her hand in dismissal. "When did you first get Yuri? I mean, she is yours?" She watched the falcon circle in the sky. "I've always wanted to learn falconry, but my teachers are more interested in teaching me things like planting and flower taxonomy." She shrugged and shifted her weight from foot to foot, feeling the cold air beginning to penetrate her bones. Why hadn't she just taken her Katinu? "I used to take care of the falcons as part of my duties, you know? They're such elegant creatures." She smiled, feeling like she was digging herself into a deeper and deeper hole. Is there anything else I can say to remind him I'm a Yasi?

Calm down, she told herself. It's not like he's going to get you in trouble for missing out on extra help, right?

Well, not the extra help, certainly, but perhaps for talking to him so rudely. She glanced at him briefly then looked back at the sky. Was it really worth it, to act so impudent just because of her pigheadedness?

Well, yes. At least, right now she certainly thought so.

She met eyes with him and grinned.

"Do you think they'll mind if you show me just a little something about falconry? Please? Anything?"

[Glacient]

Glacient looked the kid over. The excitement at the sight of his bird was apparent. "Of course she's mine," he said. " She belonged to my father, and he gave her to me. That's the only reason I can let her fly out here like this without a leash, she's been in the family quite some time."

He stared off into the sky and watched Yuri fly, her snow white feathers blending into te clouds above her.

"Learning about the plants is good for you kid. It doesnt hurt to know a thing or too about the local plants," he said as he continued to stare into the sly. "But I understand. There is something truly exilirating about being with the birds. ."

He looked down at the kid. How could he deny helping aomeone who shared such common interests.

"Now I'm no expert keep that in mind. Matter of fact There is a ton I do not know, but i'll tell you what I can. What would you like to know?" He asked the kid. "Oh, and the names Glacient, and yours? I can't imagine you'd like to continue being called kid."

[Trill]

He seemed to find her at least worth talking to, and he didn't seem to be yelling at her yet (thank goodness), so he was a pretty okay guy in her book.

"Well, I guess they're useful so you don't eat something poisonous, or if you're a cook or something," Trill conceded, not wanting to insult the man. "But you're right, birds are ex-hil-a-ra-ting!" She felt the larger word around on her tongue and released it slowly in monosyllabic chunks.

And when he told her he would be willing to teach her a few things, happiness eclipsed her common sense and she bounced up and down excitedly on the balls of her feet, her braided hair flouncing almost rhythmically. She clasped her hands together in a fit of girlish anticipation, then realized what she was doing and quickly regained her composure, but just barely.

"Okay," she agreed, unable to fight a wide smile crinkling her eyes. "I already have an idea of how to take basic care of falcons, but I don't really know what makes them fly, you know? I mean, I've watched people, but... how do you tell the falcon to fly? How would you still be respectful to her?" In her babbling, she nearly forgot to answer his question. "Oh, my name is Trill, but you can call me kid if you like, I really don't mind." Her excitement bubbled and burst through the surface of her face again as her eyes lit up with more questions, and she struggled to repress them out of politeness. After all, she wouldn't want somebody she just met slinging questions at her like some interrogative madwoman, would she?

[Glacient]

Glacient let out a quick chuckle as he watched Trill practicaly prance up and down at his agreement to answer her questions. Her first one though, how do birds fly. .
"Well you see, how birds fly is still some what unknown. We know that their bones are hallower then ours, and that they use the air currents and their wings to carry them selves. In order to descend the bird will bring it's wings in closer to it's body, and free fall most of the way down. . ." He trailed off, unsure of what to say next. He himself still doesn't know."but as for the bird listening it's more of a bonding thing. You see, that's why they have leashes and perches, or places designed for enclosed flights. This way your bird can fly, but it's still retrievable. But there will come a time kid, when your bird will trust you. You'll be able to tell. It won't peck at you as much when it's de-hooded, and it'll allow you to groom it without attempting to fly away. The bird will respect you, and you have to respect it."

As if on cue Yuri let out another ear peircing cry, and headed in Glacients direction. He unpinned the leather add on of his sontav, and placed in onto his hand, ready to handle the razor sharp claws of his magnificent bird. He prepared the Jesses, and stuck his arm out for Yuri to have a clear place to land. She landed, Wings out stretched to their fullest, a full six feet which is taller then him. He attached the jessess, and bent his arm inward so that Yuri was level, in front of him, and facing Trill.

"Yuri, I'd like you to neet Trill."

[Trill]

Trill listened to Glacient's explanation, enraptured by the mechanics behind the bird's flight. "So their bones are much hollower," Trill echoed, absorbing the thought. "And when they fall - oh, this is so cool, doesn't it make you want to go cliff-diving?" She smiled eagerly, imagining plummeting hundreds of feet into the cold rush of a deep lake, then swimming back out, face pink from the exertion, but wildly happy. "It would be like flight, except... um, messier." And then he told her about the management of birds, how she could tame a falcon into trust by keeping it on tight reins as the creature grew more comfortable around her. The thought was bittersweet, that of a familial relationship of sorts. She shook herself to clear her head and returned her full focus to Glacient, who had just concluded his explanation. At that moment, Yuri's voice sang out from high above, and the falcon - seemingly from nowhere - rushed onto Glacient's extended limb, with a massive wingspan that was nearly double Trill's height. She watched him tie the jesses onto her elegant leg then turn her so she was looking down on Trill. "Yuri, I'd like you to meet Trill." Trill gazed on Yuri with a sort of reverence. She reached out a hand to brush her finger along the top of Yuri's head, then hesitated. "Is it all right?" she asked, her voice softening. "I know she's familiar with you, but she won't bite me, will she?"

[Glacient]

The girls finger surprised Glacient. It's not often you found someone so unafraid of an animal. This girl, her eagerness to learn of birds, reminded him of when he was younger. Her fascination mirrored his when he was that age, imagining gliding in the sky along side his fathers birds, and even with the endals and their massive eagles. Oh how he envied them. . .

Still, he stared at the finger. He had never had a problem with handling Yuri. His father had taight him from a young age, and true her talons had left him plenty of cuts, but that was from his mistakes of not wearing gloves, or trying to touch her as she was eating. But never had a stranger come in contact with her.

Glacient extended his arm, Yuri standing on it to her full height. She stared at the finger, and as if Glacient was going to groom her, she bowed her head.

[Trill]

Trill watched as Glacient considered her question. He seemed wary of letting her touch the animal; perhaps Yuri was a bit of a biter. But then he proffered his arm to her, with the bird never losing sight of Trill's extended finger. The falcon lowered her head. Trill fought back a gasp - she was afraid of scaring the falcon - and gently rubbed the tip of her index finger up and down the bird's silky feathers. "She's so soft," she murmured. The realization that she might never have a pet falcon of her own, except when she would practice Falconry in her school, suddenly hit her squarely in the chest. She just didn't have the talent. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, but she swallowed them away and fought back her self-pity with a smile delighting in the present. Who knew, she might develop some kind of talent between now and when she turned fifteen, right? She still had six years or so. "Glacient," she said suddenly, ceasing petting the falcon for a moment, "when did you decide to study Falconry?" Maybe he would have some tips. Falconry wasn't her number one goal in life, she could tell that already, but she certainly loved the subject. Maybe if she worked hard enough at it, she could fake studiousness for talent... maybe. Well, if she didn't, then she would just have to leave. Strike it up with the plainspeople, whatever they were called. She giggled a little. She'd have to study the maps a bit more in order to show more intellectual promise, wouldn't she?