[Flashback] A Better Friend (Solo)

by **Fois** on February 28th, 2011, 10:01 pm

21st Spring, 498 AV

Finally! A day without any classes or bendi. The past few days felt like years to Fois, since today was a special day. He didn’t know exactly why the day was so special, but it was. He had been told so. And Fois couldn’t wait to find out the reason. A lot of various possibilities were running though the Yasi’s head, one more exciting than the other. Fois was feeling a strange sensation in his tummy and his body was slightly quivering. He was already awake, but still lying in bed with his eyes closed, fantasizing what an amazing day must have been waiting for him.

”Hey, Fois!” he heard Mirt call. ”Fois, you’re awake? You are, aren’t you? I see you smiling! Come on!” Fois opened his eyes and turned his head towards his brother. ”Hi, Mirt!”

”What are you going to do today? Because I know this awesome thing we could do. You know, I was helping at the kitchen this week and, so yeah, I made friends with some older Yasi, you know these two boys with their hair like that,” Mirt flailed his arm around his head, ” so you know what they said, huh? They said that we should really come with them to climb on these cliffs, because it is so unbelievably cool, and they also said they could teach us some really cool game they know, that, you know, you really have to play there, so that it would really be cool when climbing those cliffs. They said, that all those who are Endal had played this game when they were Yasi and it is how they really started to know that they will become Endal, because Endal have to do these cool things to train, so that Wind Eagles would like them and that they would become great hunters and, you know, hunt food for all the Inarta, so they have to do these cool things, you know,” one could easily tell when Mirt was excited, because he could talk about the same thing, using the same words over and over again until he was absolutely sure that he hadn’t missed out any important details. All the while Mirt was talking Fois was smiling and looking at him. It was always very interesting to listen to Mirt telling what he had learnt recently. "… and then have arms and legs like that, so that, you know, you would be very strong and could hunt very well. And also Sevie and Yvro will come. And Ehan, too. It will really be fun! What do you think? So? Will you go?”

Fois pondered there for a moment and shook his head. ”Sorry, bro. I have plans for today. Very important!”
”But this is so cool!” Mirt was disappointed. ”Are you going to watch those birds again?” Fois nodded his head excitedly. ”But you always go to watch those birds!”
”But today is a special day!”
”You never come play with us anymore,” Mirt was obviously aggrieved.
”That’s not true!” Fois protested. ”I always go to play with you all. Remember when we were running around caves and got lost?”
”That was, like, hundred years ago,” Mirt folded his arms. ”Nobody will like you if you just be with the birds and you will not have any friends. And momma also told me that you never came visit since we came to live here. And you told me you had, that’s why you didn’t want come together last time. If you just go watch those birds all the time, momma will not love you. And you will have no friends. And you will just be watching those birds, you like so much, all the time.”
”But all Inarta like birds!” Fois kept defending his position.
”All Inarta play with their friends, too!” Mirt also presented a strong case.
”I play with my friends! And I play with you. And birds can be friends, too!"
”You can’t talk to your birds!”
”Endal talk to their Wind Eagles!”
”And you have to be strong to be Endal, and all Endal climb cliffs and play this game. I told you already!”
Fois was losing the argument. This, however, didn’t mean he had to admit the defeat or give up.
”Today is a special day. An Avora asked me to come. He said he wanted something to show me.”
”Avora?” Mirt’s eyes widened.
”Yes. So I have to go now. Have fun with the climbing!”

Fois stood up and ran away, leaving his brother with an curious look on his face behind. All this talk didn't matter. It was a special day today.

by **Fois** on March 5th, 2011, 3:10 pm

Fois was very excited, so he was running through the tunnels as fast as he could. Of course, because of it the Yasi was soon out of breath and had to slow down. Nevertheless he kept his pace quick. Fois was taking deep breaths and his sides were a little aching from the earlier sprint, but it didn’t matter too much. The boy wanted to be at the Avora’s place already and it was still quite a bit away. These physical constraints were unacceptable.

After yet another turn Fois nearly ran into a couple of grown up Inarta men. They had fit bodies adorned with occasional scars, they had longbows and arrows behind their backs, and talon swords were resting in the scabbards by their sides. Their Brydas were embroidered with variations of glass beads and so were the scabbards and Sontavs. Both men had interesting hairstyles, of which the main features were obviously the feathers of the Wind Eagles. These two were definitely Endal. Fois stopped immediately, managing to avoid the collision, stepped aside and slightly bowed his head. The Endal didn’t stop their discussion about a hunt and didn’t even look at the Yasi. One of them pushed the boy aside even further as he passed, so it can’t said that they hadn’t noticed him at all. Fois respected and admired the Endal, after all, the whole community depended on their hunting skills and if there ever was a threat insane enough to try to conquer Wind Reach, they would be the ones protecting it. However, in his mind Fois also had doubts about the fairness of how Endal were treated in comparison to the rest of the community. Of course, some Chiet's output may not be as crucial for survival as the food that Endal bring back, but still the Yasi didn’t think it was sufficient justification for the complete authority they can exercise over the lower castes and the arrogance that often stems from that. Fois though that common residents of Wind Reach should have been more equal to Endal in status. Except for the Dek, of course, who were the useless creatures relying on the community’s goodwill to share the food and let them live in exchange for the pitiful mindless labour they could provide.

At last, the destination was right in front of Fois. He knocked on the door and soon a man opened it. Looking down on the boy were the green eyes of a seemingly strong man. Several wrinkles furrowing his sharp-featured face signalled of the man’s experience though did not make him old. And old he wasn’t. Upon seeing the Yasi, his face lit up and a smile exposed his teeth. ”Come on in, Fois,” a low and a bit raspy, yet friendly and warm voice invited. The falconer stepped away from the doorway letting Fois in. ”Good morning, Lepei,” Fois greeted the falconer cheerfully as he entered inside. The room was quite big, though it wasn’t vast. There were a couple of tables with various tools, scraps and pieces of leather laying on them. Near them were three chests in at least one of them, Fois knew, the falconer kept an assortment of equipment required for his job, such as jesses and hoods, most of which the Avora crafted himself. Resting against the back wall were a few bags of seeds. Nearby another wall was a perch upon which a big hooded hawk was sitting. There were also two doors leading to other rooms. In one of them Lepei had three mews constructed and it was the place where he usually kept the birds. But the Avora motioned to the other door and Fois followed him. The Yasi had been to that room before, too. In there the falconer would train his young birds and provide some exercises for all of them during winter. The room was as big as the first one, but with less inside it, making it appear larger. Among the few things that were in it, were several perches scattered around the room in various places and at different heights and two small tables.When boy’s eyes saw them, he noticed a few details that were unusual about the room. Or rather, objects that weren’t previously there. The first, and less important, one was a small filled bag on the ground near the table. The second one, however, was of much more interest to Fois. On one of the small tables was what appeared to be a small wooden box with three small holes drilled in it and the top covered with a dark grey cloth, which was one of those pieces of cheap fabric that probably had no original purpose and could have been used for practically anything.

Lepei saw that Fois noticed the box and smiled. ”You are correct. This is the important thing I wanted to show you.”

by **Fois** on March 15th, 2011, 9:12 pm

”Go on, uncover it,” Fois heard Lepei say. The Yasi carefully approached the box as if he was sent on a dangerous mission to disarm a complex trap that had taken many lives of those stronger and more perceptive than him. His body was shivering a bit, because he didn’t know what to expect. Or perhaps, because at some level he did. Fois extended his arm, which at this moment was cursed with a slight tremble, grabbed onto the corner of the cloth covering the box with his childish fingers and swiftly removed it. His action was met with a loud scream of protest. It might have been not a protest, but a complaint or maybe a cheerful greeting, but still, Fois could not understand the language, so he assumed the worst. The boy jumped a step back, frightened, if only for the smallest moment, by the unexpected noise.

The source of this disturbance, of course, was the one who was disturbed – the current resident of the box. It was sitting in the masterfully crafted throne that was the interior of a small mew. For now, happy with how its initial message was received it was waiting quietly, with its beak closed, and its black curious eyes looking at Fois. ”It’s a young raven,” Lepei spoke. ”He should fledge quite soon. For now, however, you will have to feed your bird every bell or so.” Something in the falconer’s words sounded strange. In his mind Fois went through what he had just heard and then, surprised, turned to the Avora. ”My bird?” Lepei laughed at the boy’s surprise, clearly happy that his words had the effect he had wanted. ”Indeed. I see that you have an interest in birds, but I also see that you’re a Yasi who has only lived away from his mother for a few seasons. Kids that young, their interest change every year at best, every day at worst. I do not take apprentices simply on the basis that one likes birds, because every Inarta likes birds. Instead, I test them in my own little way. One gets to see a lot, one gets to do a lot and if one is smart, one gets to learn a lot. This way, once I decide on the apprentice, I get one that does not try to put jesses around the birds neck.” Lepei laughed at his own joke. Fois listened carefully and could understand the words that were being told to him (at least he thought they were being told to him), but could not really grasp what the Avora was trying to say. Nevertheless, the boy nodded after each sentence and smiled when the falconer laughed. He decided that it will be something to think about tonight in bed before sleep.

The conversation was soon easier to follow. ”This raven is now yours. I will keep it here, but you will have to come over to take care of it. As I already said, for now the bird has to be fed every bell or so. Obviously, you have classes and bendi, so you won’t be able to be here all the time, so my apprentice or myself will feed him then. After all, we might need to bring it up all by ourselves anyway. You wouldn’t be the first Yasi who runs away once he experiences how much work falconry really is,” Lepei paused to remember what he was saying. ”But apart from that, you will have to come here every free moment you’ll have to feed and take care of your bird. Until he will be old enough to eat only twice, maybe three times a day. That, however, will not mean you would have to spend much less time with it. As I said, falconry is a lot of work.” The realization that this bird was his finally made itself at home in the Yasi’s mind. Fois didn’t know what to say, so he kept it short: ”Th-thank you.” The falconer smiled at the boy.

The raven requested for attention from the two Inarta. Lepei went to the small sack and opened it. ”Now then, why don’t we begin. Here, take a small handful of these seeds. Put one of them on your finger move it close to the raven’s beak and let him find the food. Feed him this way. One by one.” Fois buried his left hand into the bag and recovered it with some seeds in it, which he put on the table. Then he took one of them and through the application of great precision put it on the index finger of his right hand. Apparently, precision wasn’t that great, or maybe the excitement was still making his fingers tremble, because the seed soon fell on the ground. With Lepei’s encouragement the boy tried again a few times, until he managed to send his finger with the food on it to the raven. The bird, who had already complained a few times, now seemed happy with the service and accepted the delivery in one quick snatch. ”Ravens eat everything that is edible,” the falconer spoke as Fois was feeding the bird with a slowly improving proficiency. ”And also a few things aren’t. But you better keep feeding him with what is, so that the bird would grow up healthy and strong. Birds like falcons, hawks, eagles, for those you need some meat ready. They too are opportunistic birds, but they are predators for a reason. Ravens are less picky.” Lepei was interrupted by another scream of criticism towards Fois, who was taking his time with producing another seed. ”Ravens aren’t exactly like those birds of prey, but you can learn a lot of the skills necessary for falconry by raising one. In time, I’ll see how you deal with the task, how you learn, and decide if you’re worth the full extent of my time and teaching.” Suddenly Fois retracted his arm from the box. ”Ouch! He bit me!” The Yasi was holding his finger. ”That might happen,” Lepei laughed. ”Try scratching gently just below his beak. Sometimes they tend to like it.” Fois carried on the instruction with caution, trying to avoid another bite. The raven raised his beak signaling his satisfaction with the current procedure. ”He likes that,” Fois smiled. ”Talking to the bird is also a good idea. Let him get used to your presence, to your voice. Become close, and he will rely on you for the safety and food." The Avora watched the Yasi proceed with the feeding. ”How should we call him?” Fois wasn’t very good with names. He thought about his father, Endal, that his mother used to tell his brother and him about. He also thought about his father’s Wind Eagle. Fois liked that eagle’s name. It was a nice name. ”Rapon,” the boy answered. ”His name will be Rapon." Lepei nodded and the newly named Raven made a noise, which Fois decided to interpret as an agreement.

by **Fois** on May 26th, 2011, 3:09 pm

35th Spring, 498 AV

Fois would spent every moment he had away from classes, bendi and sleep at the Avora’s place feeding the raven, talking to him, cleaning the box (a task which involved finding ways to acquire clean pieces of fabric to furnish the interior). Fois would usually feed Rapon with the seeds that Lepei gave him, however, sometimes he would take a vegetable or a piece of meat from his meal, cut it to small bits that would be easy enough for the bird to eat and bring it to his new friend. Rapon was growing up nicely.

Now Fois was nearing to the place that had become his primary everyday destination. He was very looking forward to it the whole day, like any other day, whether the Yasi had been cleaning the roads or helping in the Communal Kitchens for his bendi. Excited, Fois knocked on Lepei’s door and opened them before waiting for a reply or invitation. Inside he saw the Avora standing in the middle of the room with a young falcon perched on his Sontav. The bird quickly turned her head and looked curiously at the intruder. ”Ah, Fois! Come in,” Lepei greeted the boy. ”I just came back here myself. I’ve been out in town with little Pauk here. I am trying to get him used to the environment, people and anything else that she might come across. A pretty stressful period in life for her,” the falconer smiled. ”It’s a beautiful bird,” Fois admired the light brown plumage of the falcon. ”Indeed she is,” Lepei took it as a personal compliment. ”Will I have to do the same with Rapon?” the Yasi wasn’t sure if he wanted to cause so much stress to his new best friend. ”No, this is a different approach than we’re taking with Rapon. There’s no need to hurry with your raven. We can unveil the people environment to him bit by bit. For Pauk, on the other hand, I want some quick results in manning department, so I take a more aggressive approach by exposing her to a lot of activity around and keep her from sleeping for long periods of time. After that she will be rock steady around anything unusual.” Lepei’s fingers went gently to the feathers of the bird and got buried underneath, fondling and caressing them. ”Granted, there is a chance that she might develop a fear of one or two things this way, but, well… You have to make trade-offs everywhere in life.” The falconer’s fingers emerged from beneath the feathers and dove into the pouch hanging from his belt. From there he recovered a treat, which the falcon gladly and quickly devoured. ”I think it’ll be enough for a while, Pauk. Let me get you Rapon, Fois. Go wait in that room,” Lepei motioned towards the room where bird training usually took place. The Yasi nodded and followed the instructions.

The training room looked the same as always. The only change that had happened recently was when Lepei moved the raven from the box into a regular mew that had freed up. Fois strolled around the room aimlessly for a few chimes before the Avora entered carrying a crate. ”Oh, this is not Rapon’s box,” the Yasi noticed. ”Ah, an observant one,” the falconer laughed. ”Yes, it is different. More convenient to transport birds, especially once you train them to get in it by themselves.” Lepei put down the crate on the table. ”We will train Rapon today?” Fois’s eyes widened. ”Well, something basic for the start. And it’s not “we” but “you”. Today I’ll tell you what to do, but from there you’re on your own. If you’re good, you’ll get some tips for better progress.” The Avora opened the crate and stepped aside. ”Well, here you go.”

by **Fois** on May 28th, 2011, 2:24 pm

The surprise still hadn’t left Fois’s face. His eyes were moving back and forth from the open crate and Lepei. ”Go? But… But I don’t know what to do…” The Yasi felt the anxiety rise inside him as he was desperately begging his mind to come up with a plan, a course of action, an idea, anything… He had to do something. Fois had to show the Avora that he really had a talent. And not just any talent, but one that could turn him into a great falconer. It was a moment of truth. If he failed, Lepei would see that he was not worth the time and opportunity. The Yasi was determined to prove these doubts wrong, and yet he was paralysed, unable to think of anything. The boy didn’t expect to be caught so off guard.

”Don’t fret so much,” Lepei laughed when he noticed tiny drips of sweat on the boy’s forehead. ”Relax. It’s not a test or exam. You will get one when I will be deciding whether to take you as an apprentice.” The man went down on one knee beside a sack of seeds and poured some into a smaller pouch. ”I’ve told you I’ll give you some instructions today, so that you would know the basics of how to do it on your own. Or at least to try doing it on your own. Catch!” Lepei threw the pouch at Fois. The boy, who had been calmed down just a brief moment ago, was once again caught off guard, but this time managed to act appropriately by grabbing the bag before it could hit his face.

”Alright. Now, try to lure him out of the crate.” Fois looked at Rapon, who was inside his safe house, unwilling to leave it and enter the dangerous world outside. ”Lure him out?” Lepei just nodded in response. The boy glanced at the pouch of seeds that he had just been given and back at his raven, while his mind was identifying the connection. He raised the bag. ”Do you mean I should give him some of these?” ”Well, not just give it to him. Lure him out. Come on, use some of the thinking thingies in your head,” encouraged Lepei. Those words were enough to spark an idea in the boy’s mind. He slowly moved closer to the crate while untying the pouch. ”Hello, Rapon. How have you been? I’ve missed you.” Fois fished out a seed and put it in front of the open crate. ”Come here, Rapon. Come on out,” the Yasi tried to persuade the bird. The raven just looked back at the boy, but didn’t pay too much attention at the offering. ”Tap with your fingers near the treat a couple of times, make him notice it,” Lepei offered an advice. The Avora was leaning against the wall and watching the Yasi from a few feet away. Fois followed the guidance and pat on the table with his fingers. Rapon’s eyes followed the action and the bird suddenly grew interested in the little delight that was left there for him. The raven slowly turned his head sideways as curiosity and desire were overcoming the feeling of insecurity. ”Come on, Rapon,” Fois urged the bird.

It took a while, but finally Rapon decided that the spoils were worth the risks. He advanced towards the target in a few short hops and snatched it from the table. That was clearly not enough to satisfy his hunger, so the bird looked at Fois and screeched to express his demand for more. ”Hi, Rapon,” the Yasi chuckled. ”Good work,” Lepei complimented the boy. ”Also, it is very useful to make some kind of sound each time the bird does what you want along with giving him a treat. Over time, he will learn to associate that sound with a reward, so you wouldn’t have to give him something every single time. It’s unlikely that you would run out of seeds, but that’s hardly the greatest treat for a bird. And it would certainly not work with real birds of prey like falcon or hawk. So if you decide to give something fancier to Rapon, it will last longer if you would only reward him with a treat every second or third time he successfully accomplishes the task. Though try to avoid nuts or at least use them sparingly. You don’t want to get your bird fat, do you?” Lepei paused for a while. ”Where was I? Ah, yes. So pick some kind of sound that you would use consistently as if to say “good job” to your bird. A short whistle usually works just fine. Try it.” Fois made a short high pitched sound, which made Lepei laugh. ”Why don’t you try again?” the Avora offered through his chuckle. ”Why? What’s wrong?” the sudden laughter left the boy a bit confused. It was slightly embarrassing that he had managed to screw up something as simple as a whistle. ”Nothing’s wrong, Fois,” the falconer collected himself. ”Zulrav knows I will not explain that to a nine year old Yasi. Try again, why don’t you? Something different.” The Yasi focused as if presented with a serious task and tried again, this time producing a short double-whistle in a slightly lower tone. ”Good, good. Remember this whistle, so that it would always be the same. This way Rapon will be able to recognize it.”