This is a really big help, probably on par with the Evil thread. It's making me think about the guide and shaping it up so that I can actually in an informal manner explain more things to people that pure fact presentation in the lore articles doesn't provide.
Also, Em... I edited the Wind Eagle writeup for you so you can looksee at your background since I know you've been waiting on a few things. Remember, just because they live in a volcano and have flying mounts doesn't mean this is a Dragonriders of Pern thing. It isn't. There are no hatching grounds, no ethics or noble causes... or no searches (other than for masters looking for good apprentices). So try and wipe that from your mind.
The similarity begins and ends with volcanic living.
From
Wind Eagle in the Wiki.
===Bonding with The Endal (Eagle Riders)===
Once a Wind Eagle chick has fledged and has established its own home, unattached Inarta of all status move into the caves within the fledglings aerie and care for the birds in hopes the bird will link with them. It can be a long or a short process. Wind Eagles are very choosy and never get in a hurry deciding to partner up. Many Endal jokingly say the fledglings enjoy the attention lavished on them too much to be in a hurry to pick just one person to attend them the rest of their lives. These hopefuls often rarely get discouraged, for being classified as a hopeful means that the fledgling - for all that it is only developing its hunting skill - will be bringing in fresh meat and new foods the hopefuls don't often have access too. This is one of the easiest ways for a Dek, a Chiet or even a Yasi with no status to elevate within the Inarta society. Wind eagles will never bond to two people at once. Once linked, the remainder of the unattached humans move on to the next fledgling and the next until all are bonded or it is painfully obvious the birds find them unsuitable. Annoyed fledglings can be dangerous and have been known to toss likely candidates for Endals off aerie ledges to be rid of them. Wind Eagles have never failed to take a human partner, especially of the same sex, and if something happens to their human partner, they will take a new partner - often someone equivalent of age. These re-bondings can come in surprising ways and are often a lot faster and more sudden than the fledgling bondings are. Wind Eagles can also reject partners and break their bondings. It is rare, but it is not unheard of for a Wind Eagle to suddenly 'rogue' and kill a rider. There is seemingly never a good reason for this, though other eagles themselves often sooth their riders when this happens by a quiet word of 'It was necessary.' If an eagle dies on a rider, leaving him or her mountless, often the rider will fall back to an artisan or commoner profession. If they are damaged from the death, it is not uncommon for them to fall so far as to become a Dek and work the rest of their lives without identity and status. Wind eagles rarely bond with non-Inarta. It seems almost taboo among them to do so. And it is common, sadly, for the particularly unskilled or awkward fledglings to die before they bond (or shortly thereafter) and completely master the complicated flight living in Mount Skyinarta requires.
