Solo Free Bird

[Aidara]

Timestamp: To be determined
Where: Wind Reach, The Forward Camps
Tagged: Aidara, solo.

“Why is it always a battle? Why?” Staring sadly at the saddle that lay upside down on the floor, Addy balled her little hand into a fist and propped it against the curve of her hip, which she had cocked to one side, bearing her weight on one leg while the foot of her other tapped an annoyed staccato. Sira was seemingly unconcerned, her head curved around under her wing as she pretended to not notice Addy or the saddle she had just finished flinging from her back. It seemed to be a standoff between the two women, Addy waiting until the Wind Eagle turned to look at her and acknowledge a mistake while Sira was content to take a nap where they stood. It wasn’t her that needed the flying practice.

Almost as though Addy could read her lovers mind, she growled in frustration and spat, “You know, it’s not my fault I never get in as much flying as I need too. We spend petching bells here trying to get you geared up. You realize that if you let me learn and get better, one day we wont even need the saddle…. Right?” Though Sira tried to hide it, Addy could tell that she had garnered the woman’s interest with her words; the slight movement of her head as she ran her beak through her soft under feathers had stilled. Sira was listening… for once.

“Yeah. And we get laughed at, you know. It’s already not okay that you chose me as your rider in the first place and now I have to strap myself into the saddle whenever we go out so I don’t go flying off.” Addy felt her cheeks inflame at the thought. Though she had tried to ignore most of the hurtful words the other Endal whispered behind her back, it was impossible not to hear, and extra impossible for Addy not to take to heart. Ah, the plight of those desperate to prove themselves. "I know you want to impress them. You can’t lie to me.”

Sira knew it was true, her great head swinging around until that deadly curved beak was only inches from the tip of Addy’s nose, amber eyes flashing with determination as the Wind Eagle accepted the challenge that the little woman had so tauntingly laid out before her. Get the saddle. The command was laced with a hard sort of determination that produced a wicked smile from the healer. She knew that if Sira had lips, their vicious, determined smiles would match.

Bending to scoop the saddle into her arms, Addy heaved it onto Sira’s back, smoothing the golden feathers down so that nothing pinched or rubbed the wrong way while they flew. A few quick buckles was all that needed done, a quick cinch here and there before Addy slid her foot into the stirrup and hoisted herself onto Sira’s back. Ready? A shuffling hop towards the ledge that opened their Aerie to the sky, Addy sat herself deeply in the seat and wrapped both her hands around the pommel of the saddle. It took only a glance to check her leg straps, a habit that made her eyes glimmer with determination, detesting that such a thing had become a habit in the first place. Her voice was fierce when she responded, nodding though Sira wouldn’t be able to see it. Yes.

It was hard to catch a breath at first, failing to do so prior to the dive Sira took from the edge of the Aerie. The wind whipped up and slapped what air remained from her lungs with brutal efficiency; her bond mate and lover liked to shock and awe, refusing to leave their home like a normal Eagle would, hopping from the ledge and winging into the sky until a thermal could carry them higher. No, Sira preferred to do something stupid right off the bat, scaring the shyke out of her rider before even attempting to get wind beneath her wings.

This time it was a straight dive down the side of the mountain, her wings tucked back and against her sides, completely covering Addy’s legs. Having put Sira in such a mood, the healer had expected some kind of stunt and had hunkered down even before they left solid ground. Lucky for her too, or else the force of their passing would have ripped her from the saddle, leg straps or not. Sira would have been left with half a healer strapped to her back, and not even the good half.

With tears blinding her, Addy was unable to tell how far they plummeted before Sira spread her wings slightly to the side, angled so that they sliced the wind rather than catching it beneath them; Addy recognized this movement, shifting her weight in the saddle and her grip on the pommel to compensate for the sudden drag of gravity once Sira began to fight against it. They must have been getting close to the ground, or else the Wind Eagle wouldn’t have bothered slowing.

Sure enough, within a couple ticks Addy felt more than saw Sira’s wings snap out on either side, turning slightly so that one wing dipped lower than the other as she angled her nose upwards and caught a draft that kept them from slamming directly into the unforgiving ground. Just like she expected, Addy felt the sudden force of the earth below tug at her, slamming her into the saddle as the weight of her body doubled and crushed what breath she had managed to grab from her lungs. It hurt, the sudden change in pressure as Sira’s speed abruptly decreased. I hate when you do that. I swear I get shorter each time. The pressure was acute around her spine, a sharp pain forming where her butt made contact with the hard leather of the saddle.

Sorry, but it’s fun. Not sounding sorry at all, Sira coasted for a moment or two more only a hundred or so feet from the ground; surprisingly low considering the height at which they had started. Addy took the moment to wipe the tears from her eyes and resituate herself as her body adjusted from the free fall. It was early morning and the animals would have normally been scampering around and throughout the trees at the base of the mountain, in preparation for Winter but everything mysteriously disappeared when Sira came pelting into view.

[Aidara]

After the moment was taken for the two of them to recuperate, Sira began to wing her way back up into the sky, her gigantic wings sending little cyclones of air down towards the ground that rustled and flung the fallen leaves too and fro, one uncovering a cowering rabbit that immediately dove for cover into a small bush. Addy couldn’t help but smile at the sight. She didn’t really like the thought of the cute animals dying beneath her lover’s talons but at the same time… Sira was so fierce and deadly that it was hard not to feel the passions within her stir in response. But now wasn’t the time.

Are we going to go out on our own or stay here in front of everyone? Addy had assumed that they would fly off to one of the less used Forward Camps and use it as their private practice area. It was true that as long as an Endal could successfully hunt and bring home food for the city, they were a good Endal. However, most of the Endal were men, and where you found groups of men you also found fierce competition. As much as she hated it, she and Sira were forced to compete with the men if they wanted respect.

And they did want that respect. And perhaps bragging rights as well.

They need to be put into their place. Sira seemed to be in the same mindset as the healer, answering her thoughts almost as if she had heard them. If I have to get stuck with the fledglings and the new riders for one more hunt… It was true. Sira had been suffering through failed hunts for most of the season, alone while Addy took care of the Infirmary. Normally it didn’t bother the Kelvic Woman but lately they had been coming back from their trips with no kills to show for it. The new Endal followed Sira’s every move like lost puppies, trying to learn everything they could from her while effectively ruining her chance of making any sort of kill as they bumbled around. That in turn got her stuck with the newbies for the next hunt, where the vicious circle repeated itself once more.

Having reached an elevation equal to that of some of the smaller peaks around the mountain, Sira had found a warm thermal to carry her upwards as she coasted and considered their options. Addy could almost hear the thoughts ricocheting around her head as she tried to decide if it was with showing off at this stage in their training. Much to the healer’s relief however, Sira agreed only a few chimes later that it would probably be best if they went to one of the camps instead. Perhaps we can get some hunting done while we are there? Sira’s agreement was more of a feeling within her mind than any actual words, the picture of her bow, arrows and traps flashing briefly through her mind by way of question. Yeah, I got them. I always pack them just in case. The packs on the back of the saddle were indeed bulging with their equipment. I figured wherever we went we could take the opportunity to set up a few traps to come back to later.

With their choices made, Sira dipped her left wing and altered their course with a graceful arc through the air, angling upwards once more when the turn was complete and beating those great wings to gain them higher altitudes. Addy always liked this part the best as she felt the ground beneath them tugging at her, not wanting to let her go, the freedom of being up so high making her heart quicken in her chest. The wind was the only downfall, as it liked to rip her hair from whatever restraint she tied it in, sending the locks whipping and stinging across her face, obscuring her vision. It was one of the reasons why she was glad that Sira had such better eyesight than she, since she would have been useless as a navigator with her vision obscured so.

Take the straps off. They had been flying for a few chimes before Sira voiced her suggestion, turning her head only slightly so that one of her giant golden eyes met Addy’s own gaze. She anticipated the look of shock and poorly stifled fear that flashed across the healers face, interrupting Addy’s panicked thoughts before they could take seat in her mind. It will be okay, I promise. We need to do it sometime, don’t we?

But we’re so high up! If I fall now…. Addy left the sentence hanging, the image of her body plummeting through the air, torn this way and that by the wind, her arms and legs flailing uselessly as she fell. A shiver took her, and she shook her head vigorously back and forth. I can’t. I’ll fall and if I call then I-

If you fall from up here then I will have more time to catch you then if we were closer to the ground. Sira’s voice held a measure of practiced patience, speaking softly into her riders mind as she tried to get the little woman to see the logic. Unless you want to be a pancake faster, and then by all means we can do this lower. It'll just take me a second to.... And Addy was flashed the image of them only chimes before, plummeting from their Aerie.

Ha-ha. Unwilling to admit at this very moment that Sira had a point, Addy chewed over her decision for a few moments more. Mostly, she didn’t want to fall at all and it didn’t really make a difference how far or close to death she was, since the fright of the fall would probably kill her anyway. But there was no way she was going to admit that to Sira. All right…. Alright.

Sira loosed an earsplitting shriek of satisfaction as her rider consented, swooping quickly to the right and then the left in her excitement. Yelping and fumbling for her hold on the pommel, Addy removed her hand from where it had been unbuckling the strap. Nope. Nope. I’m not gonna do it. I..I would have been a goner from just that. Nope. Shaking her head vigorously and repeating the negative to all of Sira’s pleas, Addy closed her eyes against the hair that whipped wildly about her face and held firm to her decision.

I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have done that. When the healer didn’t answer, Sira mentally sighed and slowed their speed a bit. The wind let up and Addy was able to open her eyes once more. You need to do this Addy. Your legs aren’t going to gain the strength they need if you simply depend on the straps to hold you down. IT’s going to be really hard to start, but I know you can do this. Sira paused before continuing. We’ve been through a lot worse, after all.

It was true. They had been, and it had begun to drive the women apart in ways that they hadn’t really even come to fully realize. Addy had gone flying with Sira less and less and it was one of the main reasons why she suffered so in her riding skill. IT was one of the reasons why they all made fun of her. An Endal who couldn’t fly? Really?

The moment of silence stretched between them for long chimes, the ground and it’s blanket of trees, the usual dark-green spotted now by a myriad of beautiful colors as those trees who shed their leaves started to change color. Addy spotted the clearing below them that marked the camp before Sira even had a chance to point it out. Okay. Sticking to the simple answer, Addy reached down and finished releasing the buckle that held her left leg in place, letting the straps fall to hang down Sira’s sides. The feel of the leather with the hard bit of metal couldn’t have been comfortable as the wind sent it slapping against her side and chest, but Sira didn’t complain; her silence was a comforting sort of reassurance.

Addy had to take a deep breath, but she followed through and unclasped the right strap as well, immediately bringing her hands back up to grasp the saddle’s pommel. She felt naked all of a sudden, as if death was close, only a lean too far to one side away. With her heart pounding painfully in her chest, Addy took a deep breath before sending her thoughts towards Sira.

Okay, I’m ready.

[Aidara]

It was easy at first, Sira taking gentle swoops and dives that barely lifted Addy from her seat. It was not hard at all for her to hold on, though she mostly just gripped the hard nob at the front of the saddle as if her life depended on it… and it did. Sira was impressed at first, until she realized this is what Addy was doing.

You need to stop that. If you have to be doing something with your hands, say… shooting a bad guy in the face or holding an injured something-or-other onto your lap or behind you, you won’t be able to rely on that pommel to keep you down. Your legs, Addy. The little woman could almost hear the smirk in Sira’s voice. I know you know how to use your legs.

Addy could help but laugh, tossing her head back and forgetting the nerves that ate away at her for a moment. Without even thinking, she lifted both her hands and swept her hair back into a ponytail in what she assumed was a useless attempt to keep it from her face as they practiced. Whether Sira knew this is what she was doing or not, she couldn’t have picked a better time to test the little healer.

They had passed over the Forward Camp, flying over it as Addy fought with her decision, so now they had to turn back before they went too far in the wrong direction. Sira dropped a wing, shifting her entire weight to the side as she also turned herself downwards to begin their decent. It was a complete shift in her balance that Addy hadn’t expected and was forced to compensate for, or fall.

With her hands tangled in her hair, there was nothing else to do except lean the opposite way Sira was leaning, clamping her legs down against the Wind Eagles side while also leaning forward so that the wind wouldn’t rip her right off of the saddle. It all went rather smoothly, actually, the little healer responding to the shifts of her mount without any hesitation at all. In fact, it would have been something she could have bragged about later had she not been screaming her head off the entire time. That made it decidedly un-cool.

Sira leveled out only a few ticks later but by then Addy had already swallowed her heart and her pulse had returned to a more normal pace, the initial jolt of adrenaline still racing through her veins. With her legs still clamped down as firmly as she could manage, to the point where they were shaking and bumping against Sira’s sides, Addy finished tying off her hair before collapsing against Sira’s neck with a relieved sigh. You’re trying to kill me, I swear you are. You just want another rider that isn't broken and stupid and can actually fly and help you hunt and and and.... Rambling as the fear she'd experienced still gripped her, Addy kept on going until Sira interrupted.

What are you even talking about? That was the gentlest of turns I could possibly make! Sira sounded a bit affronted with her choice in rider put on the line. The beating of her wings had stopped and they glided slowly down towards the empty camp site.

I wasn’t ready! I was trying to put my hair up and… Addy knew how stupid it sounded. Even while hundreds of feet up into the air she was worried about her hair. She could feel Sira’s smirk even though her eagle face had no way of actually holding the expression. Instead she clacked her beak and simply, literally shrieked with laughter; a flock of songbirds erupted from the tees beneath them as they passed over, frightened away by the sound. Shut up…

The rest of the decent was uneventful, the wind fitfully playing with Addy as she practiced her balance using only her knees; for some reason as they got lower, the gusts got stronger and it was an actual challenge for her to sit upright and not grasp for the saddle to steady herself. Already she could feel the difference in her seat as she allowed her body to move with the surge of Sira’s every wing beat, bending with the wind so that it sliced by her rather than tugging at her. It made a difference for the Wind Eagle too, the flight much more comfortable when the rider flowed with the motion rather than sitting stiffly and immovably above.

When we go to land, try not to grab on either. It’ll be good practice for if the skies ever get bumpy. Multicolored leaves rained down upon the pair as Sira broke through the canopy of the forest, the tips of her wings brushing against the changing trees and shaking the foliage from them. Her talons thrust forward as her wings opened wide and beat backwards to help buffet the wind away from them, slowing them so that when she touched down she only had to hop once or twice before the momentum slowed enough that she was able to regain her balance.

Addy meanwhile sat deep in the saddle in preparation for the impact, clenching down with her knees and extending her legs as far as she could to wrap around Sira’s sides. It was harder to land without holding on than anything else she had experienced, as Sira stood more upright now than when she was flying. This meant that Addy tipped backwards, sliding a few precious inches backwards before she managed to catch herself. A grunt of effort accompanied the action and she leaned forward, away from the ground, so that she wouldn’t simply just slid off the back.

Pleased with her lover, Sira quickly sank down so that the little woman could easily slide from the saddle. The effect of the effort she had employed to stay mounted was immediate, her knees wobbling and giving out as soon as she set foot on the ground, her over worked muscles unable to support her. Sira had changed at the same time that Addy fell hard on her ass in the dirt, the effort to not laugh clearly painful for the Kelvic woman.

Bright red and too tired to argue, Addy tossed Sira a glare before collapsing backwards onto the ground. “Oh, Petch off.”

[Aidara]

After catching their breath, Addy and Sira had set about reading the camp. They weren’t planning on staying overnight but it always seemed that whenever they tried to slack and simply leave everything how it was and thus lessening the amount of work they had to do was the time that they needed whatever as at the bottom of the packs the most. Addy insisted that they spread everything out, tie up the most valuable of their belongings in a nearby tree and perhaps eat some lunch before they continued.

With the saddle slung over a tree branch and the rest of their stuff scattered bout their feet, Addy sat munching on some dried meet while they tried to decide what to do. “I think we should set the traps out first and then go back and hunt the other way. We won’t have to lug the traps around if we do it that way.”

Sira, who was hopping from one foot to the next as she shimmied her bryda up over her hips and reached for her vinati, sighed and shook her head. “I think you forget how much noise those traps make. You’re going to have to set them out and wait at least a full day before the critters even start coming back to the area. Setting them up now or setting them up before dusk doesn’t make a difference.” Pausing as the shirt was pulled over her head and down to cover her nakedness, Sira tossed Addy a lopsided smile. “Plus, we can just leave them here. It’s not like anyone is going to take them."

Looking skeptical, Addy nevertheless aquesqued and stood, brushing off the seat of her pants and grasping the large linen bag full of the traps to drag them over to where the rest of their packs hung strung up in a tree. Leaving it at the base of the trunk, Addy stooped and retrieved both her and Sira’s bows and both quivers. “You know I don’t like doing it this way.”

“I know.” Taking the well used and well loved weapon, Sira threw the quiver over once shoulder and began to bend the bow, bracing it as she looped the string up and over the end. “But it’s good practice. Even if you don’t shoot to kill out there, you’ll be learning an invaluable skill…. You never know when you’ll have to defend yourself… or Natalie.” Both women’s minds flew back to the platform that hovered far above Mizahar, the peril that they had been put in and the fact that Addy had already found need for her bow. Simutaniously, they shuddered.

Taking a few more strips of dried meat apiece, Addy set to stringing her bow as well while Sira scouted ahead. Bracing the bottom of it on the top of her thick winter boot, Addy carefully, yet forcefully, bent her short bow so that she could take the string and hook the loop around the top. It took two tries and a lot of grunting and swearing, but the little healer managed it eventually. “I’m out of shape.” Puffing as she caught up to her lover, Addy held the bow in her hand rather than stow it as the Kevlic woman had.

Unlike Sira, addy couldn’t see as well once the shadows of the forest enveloped them. Nor could she hear or smell their prey like the other woman seemed to be able to do, even in her less blessed human form. Keeping only a few paces behind sira and trying her best to step directly in her footsteps, Addy concentrated soly on not making any noise; it was a lot harder than it seemed to avoid snapping twigs or rustling branches on the way past.

I think there might be a deer ahead. They did have one advantage, their telepathy allowing them to properly communicate while not tipping their prey off to their whereabouts. Sending back a silent conformation that she had received the information, Addy reached back to pull an arrow from her quiver, Sira’s bow already nocked and drawn at her side.

Motioning the healer forward, Sira knelt behind the trunk of a fallen tree, resting her hip against the rough bark and lifting the bow in front of her. Addy mimicked the postion, using the tree to brace herself so that she could properly control her arms and therefore her aim. The bow was raised so that her arms were level with her shoulder, fingers gently grasping the arrow right behind its fletching as it was drawn back to her ear and held there. Breathing slowly like Kovac had taught her, Addy attempted to sight down the arrow and concentrate on the otherwise still forest before her. If Sira hadn’t told her that here was game ahead, Addy would have never guessed.

After a few chimes that feel like endless bells, there was a rustling from one of the huge bushes ahead and a doe stepped from the leaves, her head lowered as she grazed. Having convinced herself that Sira was wrong and there was nothing there, Addy found herself a little over excited and, with a sharp intake of breath, drew her bow back sharply and loosed the arrow without taking careful aim. The doe looked up when Addy released her breath, its ears pricked forwards towards the two Inarta while it’s whole body quivered in fright. One tick, two ticks the doe stood, frozen as the arrow whistled towards it before bolting into the gathering shadows, leaving the arrow to clatter uselessly against the trunk of a tree.

“If it makes you feel any better, you wouldn’t have hit it anyway.” Trying to keep the irritation from her voice, Sira stood, offered Addy a hand up, and stalked off into the trees without another word.

It was going to be one of those days. Fighting back a sigh as Sira completely disappeared into the shroud of trees, knowing her lover would be able to easily hear such a noise, Addy pressed her lips into a firm, determined line and marched right after her with her bow clenched firmly in her hand.

She wasn't going to relent to one simple mistake.

[Warhawk]

Aidara

Skills	Lore
+5 Riding (eagle)	Flying with out restraints
+2 Weapon (short bow)	Landing with out holding on
+3 hunting	The feeling of free fall
+1 survival	Trusting her bond-mate

Warhawks thoughts

Great flying thread, I like the imagery you used for the flight, and the thoughts of Aidara as she had to learn to fly with out her hands. I would like to see it have a timestamped date, but other then that all's good.

Shot me a PM if you have any questions, concerns, or thoughts.