In the silence we meet (Absynia)

[Faera Amakara]

70th of Summer 512 The day had already been long and tiresome, and it was only midday. Faera sighed deeply and ran her fingers through her hair; She needed some stress relief. Returning to her quarters, shecollected her bow and arrows to set out for the range. The focus required and the quiet of the range, save for the thumping of arrows hitting their targets, was soothing. She had a few hours to herself - hopefully that would be enough to get her through the rest of the day. Leaving the caverns she blinked in the bright sunlight outside, and once adjusted to the light, looked to the sky. She always looked to the sky whenever she went outdoors - looking for Amakara or Kiimra. Amakara, her father's Wind Eagle, pretty much did as she pleased nowadays. Unbonded via the death of her father - which Amakara barely survived - she had discovered a new freedom. Or perhaps she too needed some time alone, to get away, to revel in the quiet of the skies. Kiimra, Faera's pet Osprey, was given free reign of the skies when the two weren't hunting or practicing together. Faera knew she enjoyed the freedom, and Kiimra always returned by nightfall. Spotting neither bird soaring overhead, Faera heaved a sigh once more. Although she understood the birds' needs for flight and freedom, Faera envied them. She wished she could be with them soaring above the earth. Or if not soaring, then just in their presence. Having dead famous Endal parents and having been raised two years by Deks and having an unbonded Wind Eagle yet being only an Avora herself and having no siblings, made Faera somewhat of an oddity. Not many people, Avora, Chiet, or even Deks - who were too busy anyway to pay anyone mind - really bothered to get close to her. So much of her time was spent alone - when she wasn't tending to needs of Wind Eagle riders. It was rather ironic and disheartening. To "own" a Wind Eagle, yet be unbonded to it, and then to be required to tend to the needs of the riders day in and day out. It was a constant reminder of all she had lost, at the young age of 6. Young though she had been, she remembered it all, and often. Which was why she spent so much of her free time at the range. It took her mind off of her present circumstances - which were no where as bad as they could be, yet they were still painful and disheartening. She missed her parents dearly. She missed her home in the Aeries. Amakara still resided with the rest of the Wind Eagles - there being no room for her in the Commons. And unbonded though they may be - Faera missed her proximity. Faera lowered her gaze to the ground once more, adjusted the strap of the quiver at her shoulder, clutched her bow tight and set her features into one of resolve. She began the process of emptying her mind - something that had taken years of practice - as she walked toward the range.

[Absynia]

TWACK!

The arrow hit the target on the second circle, but not the center, golden eyes studied the other arrows embedded in to the target with a sigh. The target looked like a pin cushion, but only two were even close to dead center. She turned away running a hand through her hair, her servant was pulling the arrows out while she waited. Granted she could have done it, but the poor girl had insisted she do it, she figured she was bored. Syn did most of her own things, save for laundry and food, so while she was easy to tend to Lana often found ways to do other things just because she wanted to do so. She didn’t work her to exhaustion, no person deserved to be so ill-treated regardless of ones station in life. She had remembered her former status, would never forget and because of that she refused to abuse the power she had. Lana was only thirteen, but because she didn’t learn as fast she had been put in a simple station, though she was highly intelligent. She just wasn’t good with switching from task to task, she also was very anxious when dealing with large groups of strangers.

When she had first seen her she was sobbing quietly as she worked, one of the outsider merchants had abused her, but she hadn’t said anything. When she asked the girl had had no choice to tell her, from that point she simply took her under her care. When Lana took it upon herself to do something she did it with a focused intensity that had no room for switching, she liked being able to stick to things she started. Syn always kept that in mind and was very patient with her in regards to her limitations, few in her place would be. When all the arrows were returned to her she ruffled the girls hair smiling at her, Lana was close to her, she thought of her as a younger sister.

“You’re getting better mistress, don’t be so unhappy…”

While Lana didn’t meet her gaze Syn could tell the girl wanted to cheer her up, she gave a nod turning to face the target again. Lana watched her mistress wondering what she’d have said if she had had her eagle nearby. The intense gaze her mistress always had used to unnerve her, till she got to know her, she was always so kind and few ever took the time to see past the fact she couldn’t speak. She was sure her mistress would shock everyone someday, she had such strength, she just knew good things would come because of her.

[Faera Amakara]

Faera noticed immediately that she wasn't going to be alone at the range. Another unmistakenably Inartan woman was already there shooting away. She must have been Endal because she had another girl with her, who was retrieving arrows at the moment and thus must have been the woman's personal servant. Quietly so as to not disturb the two, she traipsed down a soft slope to the more level ground where the range was placed. Choosing a target that put a little distance between herself and the pair, she set about stringing her bow. She stuck the bow between her legs, putting one end of the traditional recurve - that her father had left behind when he died - behind her left ankle, pressing the middle of the bow behind her right knee and pulling the other end of the bow toward her to slip a loop in the string upwards and into it's notch so that there was now tension in the string. Stepping out of the now strung bow, she pulled on the string testing it. She glanced toward the other pair, waiting to see if she would take a shot soon. Faera had this unspoken thing with anyone else that might be at the range at the same time she was. Regardless of whether the other person knew it or not, she always waited until they were setting their next arrow before shooting her own. That way the thwack of her arrow would not distract the other person. It was an etiquette thing her father had taught her when he used to bring her down to the range to watch. Faera noched an arrow and waited, watching the other pair quietly.