Completed Stay Henry!

[Rayt]

Spring 36, 517

Rayt gripped the tool he was given to rehabilitate his grip strength. He could barely move the tong shaped apparatus a centimeter and hold it for but a few seconds before his grip failed him. It had been weeks since his unfortunate mistake while practicing his archery. His hands were coated with sweat and minor bleeding lacerations which caused his already unsteady hands to slip and with just enough power the arrow flew right into his forearm and split through to his thumb and index finger. It was an incredible and painful sensation and caused him to bleed out and faint in the surrounding wilderness. Luckily a kind woodsmen, who he still did not know the name of, carried him to a medical center in Alvadas. He wished he could thank the kind man for his selfless act. Without that hunter I would have probably died. Rayt tested the splint that made his wrist immovable and put on a falconer's glove on his right hand so he could hold Henry. Rayt found it incredibly difficult to tie the straps around his hand but eventually he found a way. By holding his right arm down and maneuvering his fingers around his right arm to secure the ties he could tie the glove around his arm. He found his dexterity woefully declined after his accident. I really hope I can regain my strength back Rayt thought as he flexed his fingers. It hurt him to do so. He worried that he would not be able to wield his bow, but the doctor seemed to think it wasn't permanent. Why would she give him the tongs to regain his grip strength if it was hopeless? He could not make a fist any longer, the best he could do is what he could only describe as making a talon-like gesture, his fingers only closing half way.

Rayt wrapped the long leather leash around Henry's jesses, whistled to Henry and raised the glove. With little hesitation Henry flew onto the glove and Rayt and his friendly little barn owl made their way out into the wilds once more. Henry was smaller than a regular adult barn owl. He was born the runt of his nest and Rayt remembered his falconry master saying that Henry wouldn't make it. Three years later and Henry was as healthy as any owl, and alive for that matter. Rayt had never trained owls, he had only started training ospreys and falcons before he had left Wind Reach in order to broaden his horizons. Owls were often more difficult to train and bigger than falcons. However, Henry was barely an adult owl and he was smaller than most adult barn owls. Rayt was not confident he could train Henry but Henry was the only bird he had at the moment and Rayt feared he would lose his skills at falconry if he did not practice them.

Rayt let Henry fly to a nearby tree branch, the leash long enough for Henry to be about ten feet away. Rayt dropped the backpack near his feet and dug through it finding the few chunks of meat he had made from the pair of rats he had trapped yesterday. Holding a chunk of dried rat meat in his hand he tempted Henry with the unappealing morsel. "Come on Henry, I know you're hungry. Nice piece of rat here for you." Rayt whistled and held the rat up so Henry could see and smell it. Henry paid no attention to Rayt's continued cries of a free dinner. Instead, Henry looked around from his perch and stood completely still, only the wind whistling through the leaves of the trees and Rayt's desperate calls for his barn owl to obtain the meat. After what seemed like a bell Henry flapped his wings a few times, eyed Rayt's glove, and dove for the chunk of rat meat. Henry landed harshly on Rayt's gloved hand, sinking his razor sharp talons into the leather as he bowed and picked up the chunk of meat. Rayt smiled and stroked his left hand across Henry's head, petting his owl and using his command sound for coming on command, a quick sharp single whistle.

[Rayt]

Once Henry was on the glove he tried to make Henry stay by giving him another chunk of rat meat and saying, "stay Henry". Henry ate the rat chunk and looked at Rayt while he stroked the owls head repeating the command, "stay Henry". Henry seemed to acknowledge this and Rayt smiled. The training was going significantly well. Suddenly Rayt shook his arm rapidly and shouted another command to Henry, "Fly Henry" he shouted and Henry took off in a fury of feathers to his previous perch on the tree limb hotting back at Rayt. This would be his release command from the stay, at least Rayt hoped it would be. Henry hooted and cleaned his feathers on his tree limb perch while Rayt prepared the final two chunks of rat wondering if it would work just on command now. It was a long shot, he only had four chunks, two from each rat. It would be a short training session for Henry and Rayt before they could get established in Alvadas.

Rayt used the quick sharp single whistle which was his come command. Henry shot a look at Rayt and stared for a moment but went back to cleaning his feathers. Henry shot the whistle once again and the same result occurred. Rayt sighed and took one of the last chunks in his hand, his impatience palpable as he held up the rat chunk and let out the whistle once more. This time Henry looked at Rayt, saw the rat chunk and dove for it. Rayt let out the whistle to solidify the command and waited a moment before issuing the command to stay while giving Henry the last bit of Rat and stroking his head, "stay Henry" he commanded and as if on direct defiance Henry nipped the rat chunk into his beak and flew off for the tree. Rayt thought if the owl could stick out his tongue he would indeed do so.

Rayt was about to call Henry to him to go home when he heard an angry shriek somewhere nearby. Thinking for a moment he thought it sounded familiar before it echoed once again. Rayt watched as a large hawk swooped forward and side swiped Henry. Rayt went wide'eyed and callaed out for Henry to come. Rayt knew that Hawks were predators to barn owls and this Hawk was twice the size of Henry. Rayt cried out as Henry refused to listen taking flight after the Hawk. Rayt gritted his teeth and pulled on the leash trying to get Henry to come to the glove. After much resistance Henry began to fly back to the glove but not before the Hawk circled around and sank it's talons into Henry both falling to the ground only a few feet from where Rayt was standing. Without thinking Rayt ran to the two struggling raptors and threw himself desperately at the Hawk wincing and screaming in pain as he felt talons sinking into his side and back. He scooped up Henry and ran quickly to Alvadas not caring if the Hawk was near just concerned with Henry, noticing the blood not knowing if it was Henry's or his.

[Rayt]

Rayt hurried into his home at the wolf cave and inspected Henry. There were a few small lacerations he was sure would clear up without any tending to them. But one cut was deep and slowly bleeding. Rayt knew nothing about medicine and he knew even less about Alvadas. Finding the medical center wasn't him at all, it was the woodsmen. Besides, he had tried to find the medical center once again to inquire about the man who brought him and the kind doctor who treated him to promise her he would compensate her very soon but he couldn't find the building even after a full days worth of searching. He decided he wouldn't try to find the center again. Besides, chances were slim they would even be able to treat Henry. He would have to take care of Henry alone. he knew of no one with any experience with animals in the city either. As far as he knew, he was the authority on raptors in the city. He didn't believe this of course, but he had not heard of anywhere he could take Henry or purchase birds or animals. He looked at the wound and immediately took of his shirt and inspected the wound. It was a clean cut. This was good because without any medicine to place in the wound he could only bind the wound and pray it would close up on its own.

He went to work quickly. henry was frantic and cawing loudly, "shhhh Henry" Rayt tried to calm the owl and stroked his head. Henry seemed to calm as Rayt tried his best to soothe the owl. The deep wound was on Henry's leg slicing up from his talon to the entirety of his leg. He ripped his shirt into strips and thanked the gods it was Spring. In Wind Reach, males were often seen shirtless so he didn't think anything of losing his one and only shirt. The only thing was, he had not seen others shirtless in this city. Rayt threw this wayward thought out of his mind. He would buy a shirt tomorrow of some lesser quality, he was strapped for money after all. Rayt binded the wound on Henry's leg with several strips of the clothe of his shirt, "There Henry, that should be good enough to help with the healing". Henry hooted, Rayt hoped in agreement as Henry took to his perch and started to clean his feathers once more. "I'm so sorry Henry..." Rayt almost cried as he remembered his master saying something about this very thing. he had once told Rayt that owls were difficult raptors to train. Not only were they spirited and hard headed birds, but they were nocturnal. This made them dire threats to birds that hunt in the day like hawks and eagles as owls were keen predators and would steal much of the other raptors food. Rayt shook his head, that hawk had attacked Henry because of Rayt;s stupid msitake of training an owl in the daylight. He would have to stop dragging Henry out in the day light and let him rest. This is going to be harder than I thought. Henry barely listened to me out in the wilds. he is far from hunting on command. I will have to train Henry again during the night. Perhaps I won't train Henry though...I'm not experienced enough to handle such a bird. It would be best if I could get some falcon eggs and raise them from birth. Henry is a friend, and that is enough.Aalthough raising falcons from birth would mean I couldn't get a breeding pair of falcons for several years. Rayt sighed and buried his head in a pillow as dusk set on the city of Alvadas, "well...tomorrow might be a better day Henry."

[Faradae]

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