Completed A Girl And Her Gyrfalcon

[Alori Sai]

Time Stamp: Day 17th of Spring 513 AV

Where: Wind Reach

Who: Alori

On this day the little huntress could be found in Thunder bay roaming the forest there for food. It wasn't as dangerous as the Unforgiving and yet the place was still inhabited by animals fit for game. The Avora had gotten better at the hunt in the last seasons and was even now learning tricks used by older, more experienced hunters. She carried her bow with her, and had the quiver strapped to her back. She kept the kopis blade and hunting dagger on her belt, but left her back pack close by so that she wouldn't have to carry it during the hunt.

Alori had gotten up early that day, as most hunters did and made her way to Thunder bay. She decided for a change in style and paired her hair down the middle and twisted a braid into each side. The teen still had the arrowhead glass beads that she had made before and wore these as well. It wasn't often that she dressed herself up, but after returning to the city, Alori had realized all of the privileges that she had lost and how much she missed those simple things, even those that she hadn't partaken in much before.

She started off by taking out one of the traps that she had and securing it very close to a thin bush, where she could tie off the rope and make a noose that would sit open and wide enough for the head of a small animal to fit through. Afterwards Alori traveled a bit further into the forest so that she could set her second trap. She figured it best not to put them too far apart or she would likely forget the location of at least one of them. Once that was done, Alori was ready to search for tracks.

She walked the land, keeping an eye out for any broken twigs, bent leaves and foot prints on the ground. This was the hardest part, and since she was still learning to track, it was hard for her to determine the fresher tracks from those made long before, which ended up with her following a ghost trail. It happened at times, when the winds were silent and the forest wasn't as busy, old foot prints could last over a day if not disturbed. A sudden squawk caught the Avora's attention and she looked up to see Skye descending from up high, lightly bathed in Syna's light. "The gauntlet! The gauntlet!" Alori cried as she quickly threw her arm upward to catch the gyrfalcon.

[Alori Sai]

Skye flapped his wings, only extending them half way as he lowered himself down, talons spread as he landed upon the gauntlet on Alori's arm. The tiny Avora winced, expecting to feel pain in her arm, but she was surprised to see the perfect landing from her raptor. They had come along way in their relationship, the mother and son bond they shared because of the magical spell that had been placed upon the gyrfalcon. Skye loved Alori and she was his everything, this was unmistakeable. However his reckless actions weren't out of disrespect, but simple clumsiness, after all what child imagined that they could hurt their parents.

Parents were like Gods in the eyes of children, and for Skye it was no different. He saw his keeper as being strong, fiery, passionate, and to his knowledge invincible. This was not the truth however and for a time Alori bared the scars to show just how vulnerable she really was. Of course this was before she was visited by the God and Goddess Kelwyn. They changed her appearance completely, so much so that even her scars disappeared. The marks from Skye on her arm, the scars left by the Zith upon her breasts and back, and any other markings that she had before were now gone.

"Oh! What a good boy you are. You're getting really good at this." Alori said happily, offering words of encouragement to her raptor. Skye twitched as he usually did, his eyes large and bold as he took in the features of his keeper. He flapped his wings in frustration to let her know how much luck he was having in finding a meal so far. "Okay, okay, We'll hunt together." she said slightly turning her head away from the beating wings of frustration. "If I get something I'll share, but you have to do the same Skye. Don't you dare fly off into a tree like you did before." Skye blinked and tilted his head innocently at the accusation. "Oh don't even, you know what I'm talking about."

Finally the gyrfalcon gave a soft squawk of an apology and started to gently rub his talons against the gauntlet in a massaging manner. Alori giggled and blushed. "You know I can't stay mad with you, you're my baby." She knew he did his best, but she wasn't a trained falconer and Skye was a force to be cautious with. "Alright lets go I'm so past hungry." the teen chirped and jerked her arm to send the raptor air born again. Reaching over her shoulder, Alori pinched an arrow and pulled it free to where she could notch it to her bow.

[Alori Sai]

The two traveled through the forest for a time while looking for signs of other animals. Alori kept a wary eye on Skye, just to make sure the cheeky gyrfalcon didn't dart off when he caught sight of a meal. It was strangely cute and annoying how when she wanted him to hunt for his own food, he stayed close by her, and when she wanted him to hunt with her, the raptor had other plans. The tiny huntress chirped lightly to get his attention, a reminder that he wasn't hunting alone as they continued on. It was true that the bay was a bit safer, but it didn't make hunting any easier.

They continued on and somewhere during the shifting and avoiding potential poisonous plants, Alori ended up circling around and coming back to where she had set a trap. "Oh petch..I'm going in circles now." she huffed and stepped closer to inspect the trap which was still empty. "Whoop-de-petching-do.." the frustrated teen huffed before heading off again. Suddenly, she felt a lone and as she looked up, she realized that she was, Skye was gone. "Grr....Skye. Not this again.." This was turning out to be a horrible hunt for the girl and the day was moving on without her.

Alori headed off again in a different direction than before. There were less trees close together and a thinning of glass that was likely created from people passing through often. She remembered that there was a Wilderness explorer guide in the bay, and wondered if this was a trail that he used. The little huntress headed off again to search for food. Another bell passed and there was nothing, and by this point she had drank the last of the liquid in her waterskin. "Great...." Luckily, she had been to the bay before and knew that there was a steady stream there. There was one that worker's used to float logs down to be processed, and the one she had fished in once.

Off the teen went again, this time looking for food and water. She walked for a while longer, moving towards the area where she assumed the sea was closest. Soon enough she could hear the light trickling of water in the distance, a sound that only became louder and fuller as she drew closer. Realizing that she had found it, Alori jogged the rest of the way and knelled at the bank where fresh water awaited her. She quickly pulled the top off and shoved the mouth of the water skin into the water and watched as it filled up. Alori pulled the water skin out and took a swallow of the refreshing liquid and sighed happily.

[Alori Sai]

Reaching back into the stream, Alori filled the waterskin a second time, then brought it up and drenched herself with in. The water poured out, soaking her blonde hair and cascading down her shoulders, chest and back. The teen tossed her head back, another sigh escaping her lips as she closed her eyes and rested. She needed to regroup now, as the hunt so far had gone unsuccessful. There was also Skye, he had wandered off again and she hated when he did that. Alori believed that he could find his way back to her, he'd done it plenty of times by now, but there were other predators in the forest, things that could eat, or harm him.

"Oh Skye, you are so going into the cage when we get back home. And I'm not going to let you chirp your way out of it this time."

Alori sat for a while, allowing herself to rest while she remained deep in thought. Maybe today hadn't been the best time for a hunt. It wasn't unheard of for hunters to return without game every once in a while and the teen was still learning. Still, she was hungry, and the idea of returning home with nothing wasn't an option for the tiny girl. For a moment, Alori thought of giving up the hunt and simply going fishing. She was already at the stream and she was sure fish were about. But then she remembered that she didn't have her fishing arrows with her, they were still in her pack which she had left towards the entrance she had taken to get there.

"Choices...choices.."

Suddenly a familiar and very loud squawk caught her attention and Alori opened her eyes quickly. Skye appeared, sweeping low as he dove towards her. "What are you...?" turning around, she saw the object of the gyrfalcon's desire. Standing on the other side of stream was a hare. Greyish fur, long back legs and very tall ears. The teen huntress' eyes widen as she saw her chance at a healthy meal. With the gyrfalcon screeching at it, the hare became frightened and hurried into the brush. "Oh no you don't'!" Alori called out as she quickly lifted her bow from the ground and raced off after it.

[Alori Sai]

Skye darted upward and ascended higher into the sky. The gyrfalcon beat his wings and angled himself between the trees to get a better look at what he was tracking. He followed the tree line more, until he spotted the rabbit hurrying along a different way than where Alori was rushing too. Skye gave a loud squawk to get the huntress' attention and circled around. If she couldn't reach the hare in time and he had a clean drop, he would take the prey. Hearing the calling of her raptor, Alori raced off in the direction to find him again.

Once she made it through the brush, Alori spotted the hare wiggling it's way over a large tree trunk. She notched another arrow to her bow and raised it. There wasn't time to breath in and find the correct point, she just fired. The arrow soared through the air and slammed in what she thought was the center of the hare's body. What happened next was a shock as the body suddenly became three and raced off in different directions.

"Holy petch!!"

It seemed that Skye had tracked the hare back to it's home which was burrowed into the ground behind the tree. Of course he had no way of telling this to Alori, so the surprise was completely on her. She stood frozen for a moment, not sure of which hare to race after or what to do. Another cry was heard from Skye as he darted down and snatched up one of the hares that had been fighting to dig his way through a thick bush. This spurred the teen into action and she went after the only remaining hare in sight.

There was one racing off down the clearing, and it didn't look to be changing directions. Alori pulled another arrow from her quiver and quickly notched it to her bow. She raised it higher, adjusting for the distance and fired the arrow. The arrow soared up and over in a very slight arch before slamming into the ground right behind the animal. At first it appeared as if she had gotten it, as the arrow head snagged it's tail, causing the animal to stumble and flip over. But just as she moved to collect it, the hare regained it's composer and raced off again.

[Alori Sai]

Alori pursued the hare quickly, slamming her boots into the ground to propel herself forward. This was the best chance that she had gotten all day and she really wanted to make this count. The hare was fast and it took all the Avora had just to keep it in her sight. She panted hard, braids swinging wildly over her shoulders as she raced after it. The arrow in the quiver upon her back clicked about and the loose fabric of her pants swayed out and around her slender legs as she ran. Alori paused as she saw another chance for a shot, though it was long ranged. Still, there was no way that she was going to catch the hare and it seemed like a good idea to try for.

Breathing in deep, the tiny huntress ripped an arrow from her quiver and notched it to her bow with authority. She raised it high, making room for it's arched descent and fried the arrow. It soared higher than the other, the arrowhead diving through the winds as it started to spin before finally making it's bed in the dirt. "Oh petch it!" Alori complained and lowered her bow to continue the hunt. It appeared that she had lost the hare, and even looking for either side, she saw no sign of it.

There was no hare in sight, but there was something that she had noticed, the area around her looked very familiar. So much so that she could swear that she was just there...which she was. Alori had circled around a third time and ended up back where she had set one of her traps before. Suddenly, there was a snapping sound and she hurried into the brush to investigate. It was a sight to behold really, the hare that she had been chasing had stumbled into her trap and was now caught there. It had to be a blessing from Ivak....or Kelwyn, somebody. Either way, the young Avora had her meal for the day and all that was left was to finish it off.

She had to be careful, her traps weren't the best and if she waited too long, the hare just might work it's way to freedom and that wasn't a chance that she was willing to take. Alori pulled yet another arrow from her quiver and notched it to her bow. She took aim on the animal, looking to finish it quickly and from the close angle, she knew she wouldn't miss. She pulled the string back tightly, her bright hazel eyes focusing on the body of the hare as she fired. It was only a flick of a sound, faster than her eyes could follow before the hare jumped and flipped over from the force of the arrow.

Alori sighed, finally dropping to her knees in exhaustion. Chasing hares was hard work and now she was hungry enough to get three. Reaching for her pocket, she pulled out the waterskin and drank what little was left after she had showered herself with it earlier. She sat still for a few ticks trying to catch her breath and cool off after the hard work out of catching one hare. Moments later, she pushed herself off the ground and looked around for her raptor. "Skye!...Skye!" she called out, looking from direction to the other.

"I swear, he better not have taken off and eaten..." Just as she started to think up a punishment, she heard the squawk of her fateful pet, as he appeared from up high and still carrying the hare with him. Alori sighed happily, a smile growing upon her lips as she watched him, they were becoming a good team after all.

[Stardust]

Alori

Skill	XP Earned
Trapping	1
Tracking	2
Longbow	2
Hunting	3
Falconry	2

•	Lores Earned
•	Hunting With Skye
•	Chasing Hares
•	Walking In Circles
•	A Loving Relationship With Skye

Dream On

Have I mentioned how much I love reading your threads? This was just too cute. That bird, I swear! I just want to give Skye a big hug! Anyways, I'll stop with the rambles... Nice thread Alori!

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.