Closed Short Flight Hunting

[Lavira]

Once done with the moment, Vira leaned back and looked to Azira cleaning up, giving a loud bark of a laugh in return. "I don't hold much value in the gods, Azira. I mean, look at me? You're not the first to think I was a Dek, and to be honest? There are times that I felt more like one. My whole life has been just one big series of unfortunate events."

Moving away from Mohya, she too went to the lakeside and began rinsing the mess off of her. Handfuls were scooped and washed across her clothes while she continued speaking. "In three years, I went from the opportunity of a lifetime to nearly worthless, and then right back to where I knew I belonged. I was supposed to join Master Meera as her next apprentice before the accident that lost me my eye. When I finally met with the Valintar after that, I was lucky to not be placed as a Dek. How many half-blind Chiet do you see around? Not many; Wind Reach preaches survival and teamwork and cooperation to get through life, yet too often it kicks the ones who may be just a little less capable of body but beyond capable of mind down to the bottom where it is impossible to climb back up. They may prove their worth over and over again, but it's rarely enough to elevate.

He made me a Chiet, you know, Valintar Kaden. I was to work the aeries, care for the birds and all. Good work, hard work, steady work. But it was a Dek's job. I was Chiet by title..." Vira paused in her washing, her face now clean, to look over at Azira, her face friendly but empathic. "Then the storm came. So many birds died, many who I had watched lain, hatch, and grow. Many who I taught and loved. I was friends with the mothers and sometimes their mates, but I was never one to be chosen. When the first birds after the storm began to fledge, as always, I was forgotten. Day in and day out I cared for them, loved them, knew their needs inside and out. I can tell you the names of every single eagle that was born and raised in the aeries in the last five years; I can tell you the names and riders of the ones who fledged in the last three and whether they had eggs this spring too."

"Then summer came and that quake hit. I bet you didn't know that I was the one who fell, Azira. All those rumors that went about after the 53rd?" Vira raised her hand and waved it, smiling still. "So I don't really hold much faith in what they think is or is not funny because if they think doing what they've done is funny? I'd hate to know the gods at all." The teen shrugged and then got back to her feet.

"I knew Mohya before the storm, though. She'd had a nest of fledglings when I first joined the aeries as an attendant. She had a second when the storm hit, and every one of them died, crushed when the world went mad. I've spent the last year trying to help her move past it. She's doing really well, to the point that when I was at my lowest just before Fall started, she actually asked me to ride with her. It took such courage." Vira was staring at Aizra now. "So I dunno, I'm not much of a godly person. I think life is more a series of circumstantial events instead of unfortunate events. Like you said, being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's not bad luck; it's just circumstantial."

The teen took a breath then laughed shyly. "Oh...sorry, you probably didn't care to hear all that, heh. I get carried away sometimes; so uhm...the wolves, right. Mohya will carry them, she says. After that, I would be content to return to the city, heh."

[Azira]

   

Lavira didn't seem to notice the Avora's reaction to the intimate moment between rider and eagle, she just continued their conversation as if it hadn't even happened. Azira had to agree with the Endal on the point of not having faith in the gods; she didn't care for them much herself and the feeling was mutual. When the woman brought up the incident when they'd first met, however, the huntress froze, her expression becoming curiously blank.

The girl listened in silence as the girl began to list off everything that had happened to her, about losing her apprenticeship, about becoming a Chiet only in name and about her fall. She knew the fall that the woman referred to. It was something that she had only heard about towards the end of the season, an old rumour and one she hadn't particularly cared to hear about either. The girl wasn't one to listen to rumours but she did remember hearing that one. It was not her fault that she hadn't taken an interest in something to do with the Endal because she hadn't known her then.

It made Azira sad to hear it all. The woman had opened up and told a practical stranger a good portion of her life story. The teen could be so open about it and also sound so calm as she recounted it all. The incidents in the huntress's life paled in comparison to the Endal's but yet she could not discuss them. The pair were so different that it was amazing that they were even standing here together.

Even Mohya, the Endal's bird had suffered. She had lost her young, an incident that could drive many mothers, Inarta or eagle, mad. Yet the bird had survived and now she had an opportunity to heal as did Lavira. They both had someone to share their burden with. Azira had no one. The Avora felt terribly selfish for even thinking that way but she knew it was true. It was her own fault though that she wouldn't share. Perhaps that's what the woman expected her to do now but she would say nothing more if she could help it. One simple sentence and she had sparked that whole speech so it was just better if she said absolutely nothing.

"That's all right," she managed before lapsing into silence once more. The girl busied herself picking up her hunting knife and bow, bringing them both to the water to wash them. The knife was easy to wash but the bow required care to ensure that the wood didn't swell. She hoped that Lavira would just leave her alone for a little while and be quiet.

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[Lavira]

Vira took note of Azira's general silence and the change in her energy, the teen looking askance at the young woman. It made her frown in concern but at Mohya's urging, she let it go and moved off to retrieve her own bow and knife along with the quiver of arrows (its contents now laying across the ground from where the wolf had got her.

At that point, the raptor settled down comfortably between the two women, her fierce golden gaze locked upon Azira, her mind reaching across the space between them to speak privately with the Avora.

~It does not take an owl to see you are troubled by something, dear.~ The eagles voice was strong and maternal, an essence that sung to trust her. That she could speak freely and unafraid.

OOCEh, kind of super short.

[Azira]

   

The huntress could feel Lavira's gaze on her but she didn't look up. She wondered what she'd done to receive the woman's scrutiny. Was she supposed to have commented on the Endal's story? Was she supposed to show sympathy towards her? Or perhaps it was just her sudden silence, her lack of any real response at all. Whatever it was, her companion said nothing and Azira found herself breathing a quiet sigh of relief at her escape.

Mohya's voice seemed to come out of nowhere, making the Avora start. She looked at the Wind Eagle warily. Although her voice had sounded kind, the girl could not help feeling uneasy. The eagles usually took a dislike to her but for one to actually seem to care about her feelings was bizarre to say the least. Plus somehow she'd picked up on Azira's mood, something she'd hoped hadn't been obvious. She'd been wrong obviously.

The girl didn't really know if she should answer the bird. She didn't know if she could talk to the bird mentally like Lavira or if she'd have to speak out loud. Neither option was appealing because the Endal would know. She had a feeling that a mental conversation would be relayed to her without the Avora's knowledge.

I'm fine, thank you, Mohya. Nothing to worry about. Just thinking, she thought at the raptor, wondering if the bird could pick up on it or not. She doubted it.

x

[Lavira]

The eagle continued to stand there, protective of the two women, staring at the huntress. Though her presence was power and often compelled other Inarta to compete for attention (common of all wind eagles in a humans midst), Mohya's was a presence that also sought affection. Her maternal instinct was strong and Vira had barely shed light on what all had happened since the Djed Storm.

However, it was not Azira that she was bonded with, so the girls thoughts were not her own. The raptor lowered her head closer to the girl and one could almost swear that she 'smiled'.

~You know, humans give off unusual smells when they are feeling something. Vira? She always has the air of excitement when we fly, like a lover fresh from the nest. And that silly man she is with, he exudes confidence. Of course, those wolves could surely smell much more about the two of you than I, but it does not take such a sense to see that something bothers you. If you are concerned that she will hear, look?~

The eagle shifted her body slightly, one giant orb directed in Vira's direction where she had now moved to the first wolf, a foot on the animals shoulder to hold it down as she pulled the arrow out.

~She is too focused on her work. Now is the perfect time to speak. And perhaps...that is all you need? Someone that will listen. She will too, you know, but perhaps the stranger appeals more than the colleague.~

Mohya wasn't so rash to think that Azira and Vira were friends or she would have said as much.

~So what troubles you, child? You will need to speak; I am not omniscient.~

[Azira]

   

The bird was still exuding a maternal and protective air, trying to encourage the huntress to talk. The raptor began to tell her about the way that humans smelt which gave away their emotions. Azira paid close attention to Mohya's description of Lavira and Kovac's emotions and she realised just how difficult it was to fool the bird.

She'd been right though, the bird could 't read her thoughts. If she was to talk then she'd have to speak out loud. Despite the fact that the eagle couldn't read her thoughts, she'd picked up on her reluctance to talk in front of Lavira. Still to talk to the bird would be strange. Mohya was being very understanding now but could she ensure that the Wind Eagle wouldn't repeat anything to her rider? She'd just have to hope really.

"If I tell you anything, will you keep it in confidence? I mean, you won't tell Lavira, will you?" she asked anxiously, her voice low despite the fact that the Endal was otherwise occupied. The teen continued on regardless of whether the bird agreed or not.

"I didn't know about her. I didn't expect her to come out with that, didn't think that so much had happened her. Nothing that has happened to her has been her fault, she's blameless. I always thought that what has happened in my life has been bad but for me...a lot of it has been my fault. I've been naive at times so I brought it on myself but now...I feel bad for ever having thought I was badly off," she whispered. Her gaze had become distant as she stared out over the lake.

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[Lavira]

The bird laughed when Azira hesitated then asked if she would keep her confidence from her rider, the sight of the giant raptor cluck-clucking in humor somewhat funny in itself. Mohya shook her head until her feathers stood out then smoothed them flat again and placed her beak (easily larger than Azira) very near the girl.

~Lavira does not tell or show me all of who she is and what she has done or experienced; likewise, I do not tell or let her feel all that I have. It is a relationship in trust, child, and faith that if the need came we can tell one another. But she does not need to know this. If and when you choose to tell her, you may.~

The bird then settled in, resting over long legs and listening to what the girl had to say. It was not a lot, truthfully, but it was an understandable burden that Azira felt. So perhaps the eagle could surprise the girl as she tucked her head over the smaller human and let her feel the warmth of her neck. It was not an intimate thing, but equated to what a mother might do to a child whose skinned their knee or dropped their candy or spilled their juice. She simply hugged her in as close a way as the birdly body could manage (without crushing Azira).

~The thing that you must remember is that one, bad things happen; the lesson isn't whose fault it is or is not, but what you do to keep that from happening again. Lavira was pulled from the aerie by one of the other birds. Was it her fault the mountain trembled and we eagles were frightened and took flight? Of course not. She was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. And my eggs were simply lain at the wrong time. We could not have anticipated His release, and yet should have been more aware. Perhaps there would have been fewer losses for us all.~ The eagle appeared to shrug, screeing softly to the girl.

~Azira, it is not healthy to be so resistant to camaraderie. I understand that whatever happened in your past has hurt you deeply, but do not let it fly you in the wrong direction. Let it go. Find a way to let it go and live. I am sure life will give you bounty then.~

The bird plucked gently at a piece of the crimson hair of the other huntress then raised her head up, that shadow of a 'smile' visible once again.

Nearby, Vira had finished gathering up their gear and weapons, dragged the two wolves to a larger stone, and was now sitting on it, gutting the smaller of the wolves that Azira had killed. She had half the guts out (though she set aside the kidneys, liver, and small intestine) and was working on loosening the heart and lungs from their place in the cavity. She hadn't said a word since starting the labor, the rhythm of the work keeping her focused to the point that she hadn't even noticed the quiet conversation going on between bird and Inartan.

[Azira]

The huntress was glad that the eagle had to her that she wouldn’t tell Lavira. While the girl knew plenty about Wind Eagle history, she knew very little about the bond between eagle and rider. Her conversation with Mohya was certainly enlightening. The bird seemed to find the idea of betraying her humorous though so Azira realised that she had nothing to fear. If Lavira found out about it, it would not be from the raptor.

The girl gasped when the raptor suddenly tucked her head close to hers. It was as close to an embrace as the bird could get without crushing her. It was obviously her way of trying to comfort the huntress but Azira was stunned by the bird’s closeness. Being close to Wind Eagles had always made her both awed and terrified at the same time. There was always the terror because they usually took a strong dislike to her and so she was always on her guard but to have one come close to her of its own volition was shocking. She could barely concentrate on what the bird was even saying to her.

The teen stiffened when the topic turned directly to her. How was the bird so perceptive? She’d could usually fool people, they didn’t pay much attention really and her usually irritable manner also stopped them from looking at her to closely. The raptor she couldn’t trick. The bird could pick up on a number of her true feelings and she must have seen through her hard and fiery exterior. Mohya made it sound so easy though. Just let it all go, just like that as if it wasn’t a problem at all. How could she share that with anyone? How could she ever trust anybody enough to tell them her most intimate secrets? She couldn’t see it happening.

”I don’t know, Mohya. I don’t think it’s that easy but I suppose I could try. I don’t... have anyone though. To tell stuff to I mean. I don’t...I don’t have any friends,” she whispered, her voice so quiet that it was almost as if she didn’t want to hear her own words. It was something that she just didn’t admit out loud. It was painful enough to think it in her head without having to say it out loud as well and share it with somebody else.

The Avora glanced around the bird at her companion. The Endal seemed totally oblivious to what was going on between them. She was glad that the woman hadn’t realised that she was doing nothing to help her though Azira felt bad for just standing around and conversing with the Wind Eagle. It didn’t help that the conversation was making her uncomfortable either. She was eager to escape now though she couldn’t work out how to go about it. She wasn’t sure if the raptor would allow her to just drop the subject. It didn’t seem likely but it was worth a try.

”Did you want anything else, or can I go and help Lavira now? I feel a bit useless standing around and talking.”

x

[Lavira]

The bird did not seem outwardly surprised when Azira told her she had no friends and that it might be harder than Mohya thought it to be to let things go. Instead, she just clucked in laughter again, shuffling her wings a little before answering.

~Well, dear, if it were meant to be easy, it would not be called a burden, now would it?~

Repositioning in front of her, the raptor turned to put an eye in Lavira's direction before continuing.

~You know, the friends she has are the ones that realized she was more than just a laborer, quiet and devoted to the job she had? Kovac, Alori, they saw something more than a broken girl. And she saw more than an angry bird in me. Give her a chance; I bet you'll find her more receptive and persistent than others you may have pushed away.~

The raptor fell silent now, lifting her bulk up and walking in that funny bird walk to the lakeshore in order to drink from the freezing water. Her mind closed away from Azira's, leaving her to decide for herself what she wanted to do. Afterall, the only one who could make the decision in the end was Azira and Azira alone. She could take the advice of the bird for all that it was worth and use it or cast it aside.

Vira, on the other hand, would look up when the eagle moved away from her colleague, eyebrows raised in curiosity and a smile given towards Azira. "So, Azira; what do you wanna do? We can stay a bit longer, if you want, but it's pretty sure that if there were any other game in the area, it's gone now since the wolves made themselves known. Do you wanna head home?"

[Azira]

   

The huntress managed a faint smile at the eagle's laughter. Though what the bird was true, it wasn't in anyway funny, not really. It was just one of those things though where you either laughed or cried. Besides the sight of the raptor laughing was somewhat funny, even to the preoccupied huntress. Mohya's comments about Lavira made her feel guilty once more and the Avora found herself nodding sadly at the bird's words until the end of the sentence, then her head shot up.

“You keep hurting all those that seek to help, and none will be left when you need them most.”

Marrin's words echoed in her mind. It was like a prophecy, it really was. She'd hurt so many, pushing them away from her and now, she had no one. And she needed someone. She had needed someone for a while now. Strange that the bird should know that about her as well. Was it really that obvious that she pushed everyone away? She wouldn't have thought so but apparently that was the case. Perhaps the raptor was right though, perhaps Lavira would listen.

With her speech complete, the bird walked away, heading towards the lake to drink. The Endal looked up in curiosity when she saw Mohya walk away. She smiled at the Avora and Azira wondered again why the woman was being so nice to her when she didn't deserve it. It was probably because she was willing to give other people a chance. Even though people wouldn't have extended the same chance to the Endal, she was different and so she would. She knew how it felt to have people make up their minds about you from first impressions.

"We should probably go. It's doubtful that anything's around now. Do you want a hand before we go?" she asked, smiling tentatively at the young woman.

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