[Flashback] Eyes on the Wind

[Whisper]

12th of Summer, 502 AV OOCThe falcon is her heirloom. I just wanted to make that clear. Just want to tell how she came to have Ryek. And of course, attempting to gain some poison skill as well... xD Seventeen years in this wretched place and her disdain for it could only grow with each passing day. Her pale green eyes scanned across the slow moving water, watching current sweep whatever was small enough to be carried by its pull. Her thoughts poured from the water though it didn't quite literally do that. Water flow through the easiest way possible, the path of least resistance, and that was a lazy route for such a strong force of nature. Water could drown the strongest man alive, could wipe cities from the face of Mizahar, and could erase entire mountains and leave only a gorge deeply cut in the ground. Yet, it flowed so lazily when it felt the notion. It did as it pleased and when it pleased a not a single person could stop it. Even the strongest of nations could be erased and put below the water whenever a god, or the water itself, felt the desire to do so. It knew it was one of the top men and it went about in leisure. A small piece of drift wood moved at a snail's pace down the darkened waters past their back door steps where the red haired girl was sitting, deep within her own thoughts. A slight twinge of movement brought her attention to the drift wood now and positioned upon it was a wet, dirty rat. Her nose wrinkled up in disgust but her thoughts bade her to fill them with this new sight. Surely the rat had clung to the wood for some time, obviously wanting a break from the tiring swimming it must have had to bring it here in the canals of Ravok. It sat motionless though, its beady eyes only searching for potential danger to itself. She shook her head and told herself there was no deep meaning behind rats. They were filthy beast living off the bottom of the world; spreading diseases to man that would kill them in a slow painful death. They had no beneficial properties what so ever and only served to provide the further disgust of sewage and trash. She only wished she had the small, hand-held crossbow she saw at the darker side of the market a week before so she could rid the world of the damned thing. A squeak of the door behind her brought her attention away from the slow waters and the now passing rat. "Birdie, come in here." a soft, melodious voice called from inside the door frame. A proud woman with taut muscles and long flowing red hair stood there for a few moments to watch her beloved daughter pick herself up from the stone "dock" in the canal with her bright emerald eyes. Whisper picked herself up, long since bored at scolding her mother for continuing to use that childhood nickname, and walked inside the door without a second look behind her. She moved from the door that lead to her thoughts and peered about their small, humble home. The door gave its squeak once more and a click to notify it fully shutting and the sound of old tumblers locking into place sounded soon after. An old wooden table was positioned almost exactly in the middle of the room, a small glass jar with a clear paste inside and some half-written notes lay on top of the surface, with two wooden chairs around it. That glimpse told her that her mother was mixing without her. "You couldn't call me in to teach me?" she said with a little aggravation and a slight hint of pouting. Her mother was all she knew as family as far as she could remember and her main source of knowledge, exception of the numerous books her mother periodically "acquired" that almost filled a short bookcase on one wall. Books of everything from birds of prey to poisons to fictional faerytales that her mother read to her when she was a child lined the three shelves. There was even one about shielding that her mother never let her touch and one that she never saw her read even. It was always something about "not being ready yet" or another lame excuse. "It was a higher level poison. And plus we don't have the money to regularly buy ingredients for your lower level poisons." her mother replied curtly. “Have you been collecting moss at all? Roots? Spiders?” she added in quickly before her daughter could speak her protests, efficiently turning the matter against Whisper. Whisper grumbled and made a face before glance at the vial again, wondering who the unfortunate fellow was this time to experience one of her mother’s poisons. Her mother never killed people with her poisons though, only people who bought her poisons killed people with them. "What did you make?" "Silk Streak. And it's nothing for a novice to be handling." her mother replied with a soft smile, emphasizing a bit too much for Whisper. "Though in time you should be able to learn it, it's fairly easy." she said, her smile growing more and more into a smirk. She knew her Birdie hated to be teased, but with a life like theirs, one had to draw amusement from somewhere.

[Whisper]

"Oh bug off..." Whisper grumbled, never amused by her mother's teasing. Though, she hadn't been collecting her materials as she should, but she hated collecting. It always took too long to find stuff and equally long to harvest it well enough to get anything useful. And that was for the plant materials, spiders were something else, but she just didn't like spiders. It wasn't that she was afraid of the cursed things, it was just she didn't like them. Something was just evil about them. Her mother smiled sweetly and turned towards the one bedroom with thoughts of teaching Whisper something else later that night. The gift that she had for her daughter might take up that time though. "Just sit down, Birdie, I have something for you." A gift? While not surprised, it was a bit unusual. Maybe the person who was buying this freshly made poison paid in advance. No, that would never be the case, that's just silly out here in Ravok. Actually, that was straight out idiotic anywhere. But what would it be that her mother would actually get her? She was one of those practical moms, so maybe it was a dagger or a poison making set. Nothing prepared her for what she now saw on her mother's forearm. Her pale green eyes grew in amazement at the fine creature, wondering where in hell her mother acquired a falcon. The young falcon was perched on the leather glove on her mother's hand, which extended down her arm, and was biting happily on a small mouse. His back was a pale black which also covered his wings and his chest feathers were white with the pale black spotting down them. It held itself in a proud manner, but did not fight his master who held him. Her mother's soft smile was present which signaled stories of things dear to her, which normally related to her homeland in Wind Reach. "His name is Ryek." she said firmly, but still held that motherly softness underneath. Whisper was speechless. She never showed more interest in the cultures of Wind Reach than she did in poisons, which was quite a bit, but she never expected something like this. Did her mother aimed to teach her falconry? With her very own falcon? Ryek... the name echoed through her mind. She liked the ring of it. "M-mom! Where the hell did you get him?" "No need to know. Just know he is yours and he will give you his life in return for your respect and trust." she retorted, watching her Birdie look away at knowing her mother didn't care for her cursing. "And I will teach you exactly how to do that. But for now, he needs to observe you." she said and stepped slowly closer to Whisper. Whisper wasn't quite sure what she wanted her to do until her mother stretched her arm to her, bring Ryek closer to her. "I-..." she started and slowly reached her hand out. "Um..." she looked to her mother for assurance and all she got was a nod. The falcon's eyes watched her every movement now, studying her to determine whether she was a threat or not. But then their eyes met and Whisper was lost within those black eyes of her soon to be best-friend. They were of a proud, intelligent bird-of-prey with the instincts to take down whatever it needed to survive. She reached further and lightly stroked a soft wing. Ryek lifted his wing and took a step up her mother's arm in a slight alarm, but seeing that his current master did not recoil as he did brought him a little reassurance at this new face. Whisper hesitated to reach again, but with prodding looks from her mother, she tried again. She lightly brought her slender hand to the back of his head and lightly went down his neck. Ryek had slowly turned his head with beak open to bite if needed, but calmed as the fingers went over his fingers. The woman smiled at the sight, knowing for sure these two would be fast friends and would be for a very long time. "He now knows you mean him no harm, but still wary of you. I'm going to put his perch on the bookshelf and then we shall start on your poisons, yes?" she said as she turned towards their shared bedroom to retrieve the rough perch. Whisper's eyes still held amazement at the beautiful creature as her mother left and took a few moment to respond with renewed excited at the next lesson to be taught tonight. "I'll get your tools." she said anxiously and went to a small chest in the corner of the room to gather the tools. Her mother returned with a rough looking branch attached to a thick, heavy-looking piece of wood. A leather strap was now tied to a leather cuff which was around one of Ryek's legs. Her mother sat the perch down on the bookshelf and gently nudged the falcon onto it before tying the leather strap around the perch. She now secured the perch to the shelf with another strap and petted the falcon gently. Ryek responded as loving as a falcon could against her hand. Whisper had already set out the tools in their correct places where her mother liked them on the table. Vials, tongs, metal holders, and other various tools of a poison crafter’s lab lay about the table and behind them was Whisper, sitting anxiously like a little girl about to learn how to cook like her mother. And they were cooking, but the only difference was that this cooking was slightly more dangerous than fruitcake brought by someone's grandma to the seasonal party. Her mother took a seat next to her and produced a small pouch from beneath to folds in her clothing. She carefully emptied the roots inside onto a small piece of cloth spread in front of her. "You will learn how to make Bloodroot." she said and then proceeded to tell her daughter the ingredients needed for the poison and exactly how to make it, working through the steps and guiding Whisper through a few of them. All the while, the proud falcon Ryek stood motionless on his perch and watched the two play with their toys. It focused on it present master for a few moment but then shifted his gaze to the younger. Something about that girl, he saw, for his master to act the way she did around her. Its emotions only knew to obey to older, but they were curious of Whisper all the while. Little did the falcon know, for it could not possibly reason about its future with the girl, that he would loyally follow that girl to the death.

[Verilian]

Whisper +1 Falconry +1 Poison You Question My Logic? : Pretty self explanatory, I think. If you feel I missed anything, pm me and let me know. Lores: The Way of the Water, An Unexpected Gift, Known Poison: Bloodroot, Existing Poison: Silk Streak Notes: An interesting little thread, keep up the good work!