[Ivory Aerie] Muddy Revelations

by **Lavira** on November 9th, 2013, 8:37 pm

Timestamp: Fall 84th, 513

Vira stood in the wreckage of their home. Well, wreckage was an overstatement. Mostly, it was wind damage and some structural instability (which a pair of masons were working diligently to repair. They hadn't been able to return to their home until the storm yesterday had let up (which happened around midnight, if she were to guess) and now, Vira was going through the mess.

Mohya and her mate were in their part of the aerie, using their beaks and well positioned sweeps of their wings to clear it of debris as well while Mohya's rider worked her way through the mess inside. The stained glass windows she'd had looking out across the Unforgiving had been shattered during the storm and glass lay everywhere in the Commons, several inches of water covering the floor and ruining some of the throws that had been on the floor.

There were a few sticks from trees far below the mountain that had been swept up in the winds and rain and blown in and many leaves, but thankfully no rocks. At least, not in the commons. She had noticed that the bedroom door had been unhinged in the gusts during the storm and the wood warped in the frame, preventing her from being able to open it, as well as with the bathroom. The kitchen and dining area was mostly undamaged. But the two spare rooms, one of which held Qeeta, had yet to be explored.

It was these two which she wanted to look into now. Tulaj had not yet been discovered in their home and she wondered if maybe he had taken shelter in the relatively enclosed environs of the mew-room. Having not heard the harrier at all, she was somewhat concerned for his well-being. Was he hurt? The storm had been horrible and she feared that maybe a gas leak had happened and poisoned the aerie.

Taking a breath, the teen approached the mew-room and placed her hand on the door knob, eyes closing in an effort to steady herself in case she found both birds dead inside....

by **Lavira** on November 9th, 2013, 8:58 pm

The handle turned and the door swung open...except that it didn't. The door stuck against something and from inside, Vira could hear the stressed cries of the eagle. She pushed against the door, using her shoulder as leverage and managed to get it an inch open in the process. But from that inch poured mud almost half way up the door. It pushed against her bryda and threatened to sweep her off her feet.

Vaguely, Vira was aware that the mud was somewhat warmer than usual but she couldn't afford the attention to the temperature when a bird might be in danger! She grunted and bared her teeth as she pushed against the door, swinging it even further into the room and in return pushing the mud even higher until it swept across her waist and into the inches of water that already filled the commons. It covered her hands and the teen slipped, her grip lost and causing her to fall down into the mud as it poured out the open door.

It swept over her in a suffocating torrent and the Endal coughed and sputtered as she rolled out of the stream and to the side so that she could lean against the wall with her head back and eyes closed. Flinging mud from her hands, she wiped them afterwards over her face in an attempt to get the mess off. It clung to her hair and clothes and Vira was sure she now had it in places she would have rather not had it in. Good gods, she could go strutting around the city in nothing but her birthday suit for how thick it was!

The teen let the mud continue to pour out until it had fallen to less than a quarter the height of the door, before she got back to her feet, wiped her filthy face again, and pushed the door open the rest of the way. The mud had a gritty feel to it as if it had swept through an old ash vent and picked up several kilos of the bitter stuff. Vira turned her head and spat, continuing to push as the door hit the inside wall.

Immediately, she took stock of what happened in the room.

by **Lavira** on November 9th, 2013, 9:05 pm

Just looking at the mew-room, she knew Queeta was lucky to be alive. A portion of the ceiling had collapsed and crushed one side of the mew she was contained in. Luckily, though, the eagle had managed to get herself out somehow through the opening that had been created and now perched on top of the smaller mew (which was markedly undamaged), the birds form covered likewise in mud.

The poor raptor looked miserable, and with good cause. Not only had part of the ceiling collapsed, but Vira saw it had opened a hole to what normally served as a water pipe, a main line leading up to some of the higher aeries serviced by the Inarta. However, the pipe had at some point been damaged and instead of water, it had filled with mud and that mud had poured back through the hole that had been created during the storm and filled the room with mud. The mud had reached nearly to the ceiling, she noticed, the wet-line sparing around two feet from the top. At some point, the flood of mud had stopped, at least, and begun to drain slowly from another point before she'd arrived.

"Oh, Queeta, poor baby." She said in concern. "What a smart girl you are, though, getting out of that on your own. We'll need to move you out for now, but I need to find Tulaj first. Where did that crazy harrier get to..."

Vira turned back and partly closed the door to the mew-room and searched the rest of the commons with her single eye. Except for the general debris, the aerie honestly didn't seem out of order; it was just missing a single, mean albino..."Tulaj, where'd you go?" She murmured and began moving through the house. He had to be around here somewhere!

by **Lavira** on November 10th, 2013, 1:46 am

Vira went through the entire cave, searching everywhere for that crazy harrier. She looked in every nook and every cranny, dug through every drawer (on the off chance that Tulaj might have somehow gotten into one), even checked the balcony though they could only safely use it during the spring and summer season.

But nowhere did the albino bird turn up! Vira began to worry now, knowing that Tulaj could very well have flown into the storm, which would have surely killed him. "Tulaj? Come on you silly thing, where'd you get off to?" She returned to the room where Qeeta was waiting, wading through the water and mud to enter. She did not at first notice the odd, mud-covered lump by the door when she re-entered.

The eagle was still perched atop the second smaller mew screeing more calmly now that she no longer felt in danger. She was also trying to preen her feathers but Vira knew she was going to have to get the raptor cleaned up before finding a temporary enclosure for her. "I wish I could speak to you properly, Qeeta...Maybe you know where Tulaj has disappeared to." She stared at the amber-eyed bird and sighed, wading away after a moment to the mew that had nearly been destroyed.

"You're a lucky girl, you know. I'm glad you weren't crushed, though..." She came to the entrance of it to study the warped door frame. Most of it was still covered in mud that had partly dried. She used her fingers to wipe some of the gloop away, cutting her fingers on sharp points occasionally. During her study, she noticed that part of the frame had been bent outwards instead of in or in the odd angle the rocks had caused them to be. It looked funny from her perspective but she thought little of it and finally pried the door open so that she could wade into the mud inside, wiping more of the clumping mess from her face.

Once inside, Vira began to look around, letting her mind take in the scene. Qeeta must have been terrified by what was going on, but where was Tulaj in all of this? Where did he get to? Nothing looked out of place (besides the obvious damage and debris) But where was he...

And then she noticed the lump. It looked odd in the mud and for a moment, Vira thought she could see feathers. "Weird..." Exitting the eagles mew, she forced her way through the slick mud to where the lump had been, crouching some once close and working her fingers around the object before lifting it out.

As the mud began to fall away, that which she had suspected to be feathers began to stand out more clearly, drawing even more of a frown from the Endal. Slowly, she started wiping the gloop off, and then picked her pace up. It took less than a chime for most of the mud to be wiped free and reveal the sticky-feathered form of what had been Tulaj. She knew it was him for the slightly translucent beak and legs she saw, the pale talons curled lifelessly. The slightly owlish face of the bird was unmistakable. And her heart sunk at the sight.

by **Lavira** on November 10th, 2013, 5:33 pm

Vira partly closed the door to the half-ruined mew-room and returned to the Commons with Tulaj held against her chest. His lifeless form was cool and she suspected he had died some time ago if not during the storm itself. What had his last act in this world been, she wondered. Self-preservation or some other form of selfishness?

The teen shook her head at the sour thoughts and sat down heavily onto the large couch she and Kovac had shared many a bell together on. Most of the furniture was going to have to be replaced thanks to the storm, but she was glad it had gone relatively undamaged. Still, the worse piece of it was the dead albino she now laid upon her knees.

Vira stared at the limp body with tears swimming in her eyes, hoping that maybe he might open those pink eyes, screech at her, and then even bite her finger. The thought made her smile a little as she tried to wipe more of the mud out of his once snowy plumes. "Oh, Tulaj...what were you doing in there with Qeeta?" She murmured, carressing a finger down his beak. "You know you weren't supposed to be in there." Her finger stopped beneath one of his eyes and sadly, the endal pulled him up against her chest, sniffling sadly.

In her mind, Mohya called.

~Lavira? Are you alright, child?~ She was always aware of her change in moods, but Vira didn't want to talk right now. The teen closed her mind to the giant bird and just held the harrier close, quietly crying. "Boy, you were supposed to be..." Where? Where was he supposed to be? She had never kept him caged even though he was notoriously aggressive; he was never meant for containment.

"You should've been with me...at least, I could've protected you..." She continued, her muddy face streaked with tears now as she nuzzled the dead bird. "And now you're gone. You were my best friend, Tulaj, even if you were somewhat crazy and ornery to boot. Who else will hunt with me now? What bird knows me as well as you?" Besides Mohya, of course, but even their bond was still new. They had yet to completely understand one another and fully know what set the other off or not. It was still, very much, a learning experience.

One of the masons that had been working on getting the ceiling stabilized looked over to her, clearing his throat to get her attention. "Endal Lavira? We're finished. We'll send a team of Dek up to help clean up if you'd like so you can get moved back in quickly."

Sniffing in surprise, she turned her head their way and offered them a wan smile. "Huh? Oh, yes, that's fine; thank you." She answered him, lowering the bird back to her legs and sighing. Hunting without him was going to be so different...Getting back to her feet now, she opened her mind to Mohya once more as she returned to the mew room.

Tulaj was killed, Mohya. Sorry for shutting you out, but I needed a moment.

~Oh sweety, I'm so sorry. How is the eagle?~

Qeeta? She's just stressed; she'll be okay. Once I can clean out the smaller mew, I'll get her cleaned up and move her in there for now until I can get the bigger mew repaired. The masons have finished with the ceiling; they're going to get some Dek to come clean up the rest of the aerie. I'm going back to see if Tisuma is open right now and get cleaned up. I'll be back in a few bells. If you see Kovac, tell him where I am please...

~Alright, dear.~

And so, with Tulaj still in her arms, Vira left for the baths, wary and heart-hurt.