Timestamp: Spring 57, 504
Bright sunlight shone above the valley between Wind Reach and Water Reach, a cloudless sky of breathtaking beauty painting a scene unparalleled to anything else the Inarta could find. They were surrounded by the awesomeness of a wilds so immense and unrelenting that the only name for it was “Unforgiving”. It captivated and hypnotized, and for many it was where they went every day to help feed the people of this quiet mountain home. The mighty mountains stretched for leagues beyond the volcano and the echoing rumbles of a wild, wild world were thrown their way. It was, beyond a doubt, thrilling.
And Vira had the awesome privilege of seeing it from one of the many cliffs that covered the mountain the Inarta lived in. She had a small kestrel on her sontav, her mentor having sent her up here to practice flying it in the warm updrafts that swept up the cliff-face. Though only nine, the girls exemplary skill with all birds had quickly become apparent when she had befriended a young crow last year. The crow had stayed with her even into the present day and now sat comfortably over her bed on a makeshift perch she had made from various stones.
While not as intelligent as ravens, and smaller, crows were still ideal when it came to young falconers in training and that one had simply bonded with her for no other reason than a bit of extra bread she’d given to it last summer was a promising sign. All of her teachers had hopes that this child would prove herself an ideal candidate for Endalship. One of the hatchlings must surely be interested in her one day!
But today was not that day and Vira had exercises to do.
The treat bag on her hip was fished into with one hand, a morsel removed and presented to the small falcon-type to encourage its attention on her. “Hey girl, you ready?” The child said excitedly, extending her arm before her and giving the verbal command, “Fly!” then tossing her straight up. The kestrel took off from the sontav easily, the leash she was being worked on rising with her as Vira held the other end with her free hand. The kestrel rose to the length of the leash and then swooped to the child’s left, screeing softly as she landed on the rock wall nearby.
The little girl rolled her eyes at the bird, tugging gently on the leash to encourage her back to flight. “No pretty girl, you’re supposed to be flying right now. Come on, now, Fly!” Again, the kestrel took to wing, circled a few times, then landed nearby once more; this time, however, the bird bent and picked at the leash’s bindings and the jess she wore. “Huh? You okay little girl?” She asked, holding her arm back out. The kestrel rose again and flew straight for her, landing lightly on the girl’s arm, holding its foot out in discomfort.
Vira saw the problem immediately: the jess had become tangled with the leash and was rubbing at her leg in a way that could have chafed it raw. “Well that’s no good.” With tongue in cheek, the girl used her free hand to pick at the leather of the jess, gently loosening it and then unwinding it until it had loosened from the leg and disentangled from the leash. “There we go!” The kestrel just screeched at her and took off with her guidance command once again.
.
During the birds flight practice, Vira watched how her wings bent and turned and how her tail turned to keep her flight proper. It made her think of the fledglings just starting to test their wings and how the winds would fill them, helping to lift the birds from the rocks before gently lowering them back down. Fledging was an exciting time in Wind Reach and for the young wind eagles too. But it was not that which the girl contemplated; it was the leash that held the kestrel back.
“What a silly thing you are, leash.” She said off hand. “You keep that which should be free restrained, holding them back and controlled. It is most unfair, you know. All they want is to be free! But you must hold them back. And you don’t even know that you’re doing it, either! If I were to let you go, yon kestrel would be let to soar as she was meant to.” She paused, glancing up to the young bird doing her exercises, sometimes landing to preen at something before taking off again.
“But I guess you keep them safe, too. What if a larger animal came to try and gobble her up! If not for the leash, she would most definitely be eaten if she couldn’t get away. And then I would be in trouble. You’re still a troublesome thing. If I were in her place, I would just chew you off and be done with it. You are far too restrictive for anyone who wants freedom. This is what belongs on a dog, not a bird, and certainly not a person!”
Her head tilted curiously. “I wonder if you’ve ever been on a person….haha, what am I saying, you’re a falconry leash, not a bird leash! That would be silly, haha!” She turned the leash over in her hand, studying the worn hide it was made out of It was soft yet tough, made to endure the sharp nips of a birds beak and the tearing tips of their talons. “I couldn’t imagine being on a leash…it must be very frightening to those that have been. To be mastered by someone. That’s really scary.” Vira fingered the leathery material and frowned sadly.
“I heard there’s a god that rules over that kind of thing. Slavery, I mean. Nakala…Nysali…Oh, I know! Nikali! She rules over something called lust too, whatever that is.” Her finger rubbed against the kestrels chest, thoughtful as she continued talking about (or was it to) the leash. “I bet if we stopped using you altogether we could bet better at training these pretty birds. They’re too smart for the likes of you.” She had never been one for philosophy, to be honest, so the odd comparison of containment and freedom created via the twenty foot long strip of leather she held in one hand was out of the ordinary. But spring did weird things to people. Perhaps that was all it was…
Bright sunlight shone above the valley between Wind Reach and Water Reach, a cloudless sky of breathtaking beauty painting a scene unparalleled to anything else the Inarta could find. They were surrounded by the awesomeness of a wilds so immense and unrelenting that the only name for it was “Unforgiving”. It captivated and hypnotized, and for many it was where they went every day to help feed the people of this quiet mountain home. The mighty mountains stretched for leagues beyond the volcano and the echoing rumbles of a wild, wild world were thrown their way. It was, beyond a doubt, thrilling.
And Vira had the awesome privilege of seeing it from one of the many cliffs that covered the mountain the Inarta lived in. She had a small kestrel on her sontav, her mentor having sent her up here to practice flying it in the warm updrafts that swept up the cliff-face. Though only nine, the girls exemplary skill with all birds had quickly become apparent when she had befriended a young crow last year. The crow had stayed with her even into the present day and now sat comfortably over her bed on a makeshift perch she had made from various stones.
While not as intelligent as ravens, and smaller, crows were still ideal when it came to young falconers in training and that one had simply bonded with her for no other reason than a bit of extra bread she’d given to it last summer was a promising sign. All of her teachers had hopes that this child would prove herself an ideal candidate for Endalship. One of the hatchlings must surely be interested in her one day!
But today was not that day and Vira had exercises to do.
The treat bag on her hip was fished into with one hand, a morsel removed and presented to the small falcon-type to encourage its attention on her. “Hey girl, you ready?” The child said excitedly, extending her arm before her and giving the verbal command, “Fly!” then tossing her straight up. The kestrel took off from the sontav easily, the leash she was being worked on rising with her as Vira held the other end with her free hand. The kestrel rose to the length of the leash and then swooped to the child’s left, screeing softly as she landed on the rock wall nearby.
The little girl rolled her eyes at the bird, tugging gently on the leash to encourage her back to flight. “No pretty girl, you’re supposed to be flying right now. Come on, now, Fly!” Again, the kestrel took to wing, circled a few times, then landed nearby once more; this time, however, the bird bent and picked at the leash’s bindings and the jess she wore. “Huh? You okay little girl?” She asked, holding her arm back out. The kestrel rose again and flew straight for her, landing lightly on the girl’s arm, holding its foot out in discomfort.
Vira saw the problem immediately: the jess had become tangled with the leash and was rubbing at her leg in a way that could have chafed it raw. “Well that’s no good.” With tongue in cheek, the girl used her free hand to pick at the leather of the jess, gently loosening it and then unwinding it until it had loosened from the leg and disentangled from the leash. “There we go!” The kestrel just screeched at her and took off with her guidance command once again.
.
During the birds flight practice, Vira watched how her wings bent and turned and how her tail turned to keep her flight proper. It made her think of the fledglings just starting to test their wings and how the winds would fill them, helping to lift the birds from the rocks before gently lowering them back down. Fledging was an exciting time in Wind Reach and for the young wind eagles too. But it was not that which the girl contemplated; it was the leash that held the kestrel back.
“What a silly thing you are, leash.” She said off hand. “You keep that which should be free restrained, holding them back and controlled. It is most unfair, you know. All they want is to be free! But you must hold them back. And you don’t even know that you’re doing it, either! If I were to let you go, yon kestrel would be let to soar as she was meant to.” She paused, glancing up to the young bird doing her exercises, sometimes landing to preen at something before taking off again.
“But I guess you keep them safe, too. What if a larger animal came to try and gobble her up! If not for the leash, she would most definitely be eaten if she couldn’t get away. And then I would be in trouble. You’re still a troublesome thing. If I were in her place, I would just chew you off and be done with it. You are far too restrictive for anyone who wants freedom. This is what belongs on a dog, not a bird, and certainly not a person!”
Her head tilted curiously. “I wonder if you’ve ever been on a person….haha, what am I saying, you’re a falconry leash, not a bird leash! That would be silly, haha!” She turned the leash over in her hand, studying the worn hide it was made out of It was soft yet tough, made to endure the sharp nips of a birds beak and the tearing tips of their talons. “I couldn’t imagine being on a leash…it must be very frightening to those that have been. To be mastered by someone. That’s really scary.” Vira fingered the leathery material and frowned sadly.
“I heard there’s a god that rules over that kind of thing. Slavery, I mean. Nakala…Nysali…Oh, I know! Nikali! She rules over something called lust too, whatever that is.” Her finger rubbed against the kestrels chest, thoughtful as she continued talking about (or was it to) the leash. “I bet if we stopped using you altogether we could bet better at training these pretty birds. They’re too smart for the likes of you.” She had never been one for philosophy, to be honest, so the odd comparison of containment and freedom created via the twenty foot long strip of leather she held in one hand was out of the ordinary. But spring did weird things to people. Perhaps that was all it was…
