Completed Work in the Aviary

[Syveris]

56th of Fall, 513 AV

As she walked the very familiar path through the Inner Warrens, Syveris felt anxiety grow inside her. Lavira had told her that she could do some volunteer work in the Aviary to learn more about the birds, but she was a little apprehensive about it. The Avora wasn't exactly sure why. It could be because she was afraid they would turn her down, or because she was afraid she wouldn't be able to do it right.

Well, she would try her hardest. It was what she could do. One time, she would learn. The Avora only hoped this time would come soon, since she truly didn't want to be a bother for the people working there.

Before the path that would go down to the Edge of the World, Syveris turned, and eyed the narrow stone staircase. It looked long, and it looked dangerous. Not that Syveris minded, but she would rather reach the Aviary in one piece, so she began the climbing slowly, paying attention to where she was putting her foot.

Now that she was near, and the last thing she would do was to return, Syveris began to feel more excited than anxious. She loved birds a lot, and to have the opportunity to work with them was amazing, even if she still didn't know whatever or not she would be allowed to do the volunteering. But nevertheless, she was happy, and if she could be useful in taking care of such amazing creatures, she would do so gladly.

After twelve chimes, the Avora reached a stone platform, panting a little. She had spent the whole morning walking around the Glass Reverie, helping Virat to do some plates, and it had tired her. She leaned against the stone wall, as she watched the birds perched in a metal railing. One raven turned to look, the black eyes clearly focusing at her. It was a little disturbing, and Syveris shifted, uncomfortable by the birds stare. The raven let out a cawing sound, and Syveris jumped, feeling foolish for being startled by it.

The raven didn't stop, and the Avora entered the Aviary, under the impression the bird was laughing at her. It was a stupid thought, but she didn't mind. It wasn't like she would tell anyone that.

The Aviary was a large chamber, full of mews accommodating a wide variety of birds. There were ladders carved into the stone, and Syveris saw a few people climbing up, reaching the platforms and doing something. She couldn't see very well from where she was. There were some workers in there, but not as many as she had thought it would be. Maybe it was a not so busy day, or maybe it was like this always. Well, she hadn't come here to watch, although it certainly was a very nice idea, to just sit and watch all the birds and the people caring for them.

Her anxiety forgotten, Syveris looked around, trying to search for someone with whom she could talk and ask if she could volunteer herself to work with them.

x Poppy

[Syveris]

Syveris finally found an Inarta man giving orders, who had a beautiful falcon on his arm. At least Syveris thought it was a falcon. She spent a few ticks just looking at the black and white bird, until she finally snapped back to reality, and walked to him, waiting until he had finished doing whatever he was doing before talking.

"Hello. I wanted to..." before she could finish, though, the man walked away, leaving the Aviary. Syveris stared after him, blinking and asking herself if she had spoken too softly. The falcon on his arm, however, turned to look at her, before loosing interest. The Avora wondered if the birds had something against her or if she was just being paranoid.

"Hello. I'm Burl. How can I help you?" Syveris turned to the voice, seeing a man very similar to the one who had just left. Twins, probably. This man, however, wore a kind smile on his face, and he was willing to listen to her.

"Ah, hello." Syveris smiled back, although she was a little nervous. "I'm Syveris. I, huh... Well, I wanted to help. Do volunteer work here, I mean." very smooth. The Avora sighed, feeling stupid. Burl didn't seem to notice or mind her nervousness, though.

"Oh, that's wonderful! Help is always appreciated. Specially when it's free." his smile was kind, and Syveris didn't feel like she was being teased, so she relaxed a bit. "Why don't you start by feeding the birds?"

The Avora tensed again, and looked for the right words to tell that she didn't know anything about the birds. Or close to anything. "The problem is... I don't know much. I was told that by helping here, I could learn more, so..." she was a little embarrassed by her lack of knowledge, but Burl's smile didn't falter.

"Well, that's nice too. Why don't we start by having a look around, then? I can explain some things to you, how we work here, and then you can help to change the water of the smaller birds, how about it?" Syveris nodded, not really in place to disagree. Besides, the offering didn't seem bad at all.

Burl smiled on last time, before motioning to her to follow him. She did, and he took her to the platform outside the Aviary.

x Poppy

[Syveris]

"Here is the platform, with a metal railing for birds to perch. They also land in the portal, see?" when Syveris nodded, Burl continued. "I'm showing you this so that you understand that this space is for the birds. You shall not bother them and do not annoy them. If you ever see a bird you think is hurt, do not try to approach it. Instead, go fetch me, Opolo or Phack. Actually," he motioned to her again, and they went back inside. "If anything out of the ordinary happens, go tell one of us. Do not try to handle it on your own. You may feel like you are bothering us, but this is better than you try to do something you are not apt to do and end up hurting a bird."

Syveris nodded again. "So, if I'm unsure about how to handle a bird, or..."

"Yes, you search for us. And not for anyone else here, either. If you see Meera, it's fine to ask for her help too, but that's it." well, Syveris didn't know who Meera was, but she would keep in mind that she shouldn't be asking other people in the Aviary. She supposed it made sense. Many of them were probably not much more experienced than her.

They walked until they reached the mews, and Burl made a wide gesture, as if presenting them to her. "This are, as you probably know, the mews. Each one is specifically designed for each type of bird. They have at least one nest, two hooks for dishes with food and water and a perch. They can be small, medium or large, depending on the bird size, and we use them mostly for falconry birds. The other smaller birds, who do not require too much space, can be housed in cages, specific designed, too. Transport and housing cages are completely different, of course." Syveris nodded once again, to show that she understood.

Burl opened one small mew, and Syveris saw a very cute bird inside. She smiled, wondering what was the species. Burl saw her smile, and she quickly tried to hide it. The Avora felt stupid sometimes, smiling like a fool to a bird.

"This is a kestrel. A male one. The birds in the small mews are easy to handle, so you won't have trouble with them." Burl pointed to the hooks, where an empty dish and another one half-filled with water were. "You can feed them later, when I walk through it with you, but for now, just change the water, and be very careful not to wet the mews. Most of the birds here are trained, so they won't escape. Even if they do, do not panic, they are tied with leashes for safety. So just..."

"Call you." Syveris said, and Burl smiled, nodding. The Avora glanced at the kestrel once more, before asking. "Who... Who is Opolo and Phack? Just so I know..."

"Opolo is my twin brother. And Phauck is the nurse. He takes care of the birds." Burl pointed to a dark haired man in a corner. "And there is also Tez. If you ever see a problem in the Aviary structure, which I doubt you will, just tell him. He is the Drykas reimancer."

Syveris nodded once again, and watched closely as Burl explained how to change the water.

x Poppy

[Syveris]

It wasn't very hard, actually. She just needed to take the plate off, throw the old water away on a bucket, fill it with water again and place it back on the hooks. Nothing that demanded much attention, except on the last part, since she couldn't drop water inside the mews. But, even so, it was easy.

Syveris couldn't say she was enjoying the task, but sometimes it was nice to have something easy to do. That way, she could focus on the birds. All of them turned their heads to face her when she opened the mews, but each one had a different way of doing so, and a different time their attention was focused on her. After the kestrel, she changed the water of a raven, a red-tailed hawk and a black and white bird she didn't know the name of.

The work wasn't tedious, but it was certainly repetitive, and, after exchanging the water of ten mews, she was beginning to feel tired of doing the same thing. It wasn't challenging in any way, but she tried not to mind too much. It was obvious that, since she had absolutely no experience, Burl wouldn't give her a difficult task to perform. Safety of the birds were in the first place.

But even if the water changing wasn't very nice, the mews certainly were, and Syveris certainly liked to look at how the things were placed inside. Each bird's cage was different, although it had the same things. The Avora wondered if, one day, she would learn everything there was to learn about birds... Probably not. But it didn't matter, anyway. She would be happy with knowing enough.

Humming in a very low tone, she kept working, exchanging the water of the smaller mews, just focusing on the task in hand.

x Poppy

[Skerry]

Grades

Syveris

Skill	XP
Animal Husbandry	1
Observation	4

LORES :

• Location: Abelu Aviary
• Burl (basic)
  
• Opolo: Burl’s Twin
• Phack: Bird Nurse
• Tez: Drykas Reimancer
• Animal Husbandry: How to change a bird’s water

Notes:
Short and a bit of an abrupt ending but good all the same. Changing the birds’ water doesn’t get you much in terms of skills and it fits animal husbandry better.

Remember if you have any questions or problems with your grade then feel free to PM me.