Solo Embrace Your Inner Wild Thing

[Jaye]

5th of Summer, 514 AV

The Monsterous Menagerie lay directly across from the Estates in which Natalia and Jaye resided. A tall glass dome could be seen in the center of the building in which greenery stretched towards the ceiling. Small balls of colour could sometimes be seen flitting about near the glass roof. Each time her own birds would get riled up, feathers fluffing and loud threatening calls echoing from the lips of the Jade Jays. Fortila was, as usual, the most obnoxious. Through squinted eyes Jaye could see Heart and the others dancing along the slick roof chirping and fluttering while the haughty queen pecked and flared her wings threateningly at the other birds.

However, this morning the birds were quiet, in sharp contrast with the hammering heart of the Kelvic. Her broad yellow chest was fluffed out about her this morning, long talons tangled with the knitted blanket that stretched out over the womans bed. Menitides, Baby Cheeks, and Celphis were snuggled tightly against her much larger form head tucked beneath each others wings and tails in a large tumble of colour. Sliding out as quietly and carefully as she could so as not to disturb them she looked around curiously wondering if Heart had disappeared again. As usual the female had left with the rise of the sun, likely dancing amongst the many flowers in the many gardens Riverfall had to offer.

The birds had never looked so bright and healthy from the many delicious seeds they managed to gather from the confines of the city. Though she had been questioned on numerous occasions on the merit of keeping her pets so free where they could be hunted by the numerous cats or run into the numerous windows she had shrugged. It had never occurred to her to keep them contained and the idea didn't taste good on the tip of her tongue. It wasn't as if she had bought them or owned them, they had chosen to be with her and were free to choose to leave.

Fortila opened one wrinkled eye as she slid her feet across the cold stone floor before easing her black feathered bib back over her flock. Awkwardly opening the metal and stone cast dresser at her bedside she drew out the brown tanned leather pants that were characteristic of Riverians and a loose blue tunic. A small v opened to her chest and a belt made from braided leather rested just below her breasts tying the loose tunic to her body. An accessory that reminded her distinctly of her home she tied it at her side with a small tweak of satisfaction and longing.

Slipping into their shared washroom Jaye glanced around before slipping Natalias comb through her own bed tangled hair. Smoothing the straight hair she worked her nimble fingers through each layer separating them between each finger as she knotted it at the side of her neck. Normally sun kissed her skin was growing dry and frail from the overly attentive gaze of Syna.

Stumbling down the wide stone stairway encased in the ivory walled building she pulled on the open sandals slowly twisting each part up her calf and tying it at her knee groove. The last knot almost sent her tumbling down the flight before she managed to balance and right herself with her forearm braced against the wall.

Though it may demand a pause, progress through life with one bold step in one direction rather than the many frantic steps of the confused. For though their feet move faster than yours they'll never take a step. Her fathers words murmured through her ear forcing her to slow her excited progress down the stairs. I don't know where I'm going but I know I must go with slow and steadied thought. She replied within herself.

One day she would accomplish her dream, she would stop the world from being torn asunder by the forces of evil that threatened each citizen. But for now, she would embrace her new job with all vigor.

Word Count678

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[Jaye]

As she tottered up the short wide stairs, perfectly trimmed hedges on either side of the pathway Jaye gazed up at the large dome of glass. Iron geometric triangles shaped the round dome, sparkling and radiant with Synas fingers dancing upon it. The large arch of the entrance led to an open room. A typical large domed ceiling soared over her head, painted with various creatures Jaye didn't recognize.

Black maws stretched wide and birds with long wide iridescent tails decorated its long round frame a smiling Caiyha rested in the center. Her long brown hair moving out in long strokes to cover the middle medallion her cheeks as plump and pink as Natalias. A secret smile whispered over Jayes lips as she gazed at the Goddes. Though she looked much older than Natalia in the painting Jaye recognized the resemblance and once again wondered why the woman spent so much of her time in Riverfall. Why was she working on human wounds when there was so much to do in her own realm? Was she titillating Rak'keli for some reason? Though she dare not question the goddess Jaye was perplexed by her decision.

Introduced to her as Ivanu and Revar the Head Zookeeper approached her with a thin lipped smile. A rough shave left speckles of dark hair covering his chin and upper lip and low eyebrows strengthened the stern appearance his face naturally reflected. Sky blue with eyes as bright as the blue glass bottles she had seen in the glass works she was glad she had worn the light blue tunic, both in deference to the weather and the mans own colour.

"Jaye?"

"Y-yes." She stuttered, brought back to reality from her adolescent day dremaing.

"I heard you're good with birds. It should be obvious, but I would appreciate if you didn't bring your own pets to work. It could cause some...friction." A small smile adorned the last word helping Jaye relax. Her first job, she had never had a boss and having never done a job for her father without causing trouble she couldn't help the tremble of anxiety that made her spine tingle.

"O-of course Sir." She replied, noticing the smile Sir elicited.

"Today we'll start with a tour and an introduction to the other members of staff and your responsibilities." He explained as he turned away from her gesturing for her to follow. Obediently Jaye followed the towering blue figure as he moved through the building.

"Most of our animals come from Falyndar, Cyphrus, and Ekytol since they are our closest traders. Each mammal and reptile has its own enclosure and all the birds and flying creatures are kept in the large dome there," He nodded in the direction of the dome that dominated the building, "Animals from all regions are placed in there so we have guards to protect individuals who choose to picnic in the areas. They also keep arguments between animals at a minimum."

Jaye nodded along with everything he said and was appreciative of his careful modulated tone. Her common was decent but many of the Riverians spoke too quickly for her to grasp aspects of what they said. "Why do they fight?"

Silence responded to her question for a moment, eyes flicking to the side as he thought about his response, "Travel is stressful for them and they are in a new area with new creatures. Causes some disagreements sometimes, but we take preventative measures to protect our animals."

Jaye nodded along naively convinced of his devotion to the animals in his care. Placing a hand on heavy doors the man nodded at the plaque. A small engraving was placed upon the heavy doors requesting that people close it firmly and quickly upon entering. "Why?" Jaye asked as she slipped in through the open door watching him close it behind her.

"We keep it humid and cold in this area since most of these animals are indigenous to Falyndar."

"Indigenous?" Jaye queried blankly.

"Common to...originating in?" He explained slowly, struggling over an explanation that was so natural to him.

The room was much cooler than the weather outside but the humidity made her clothes stick to her skin and her hair dampen within a few bells. The long hallway had iron railings along the edges water trickling from the ceiling creating a long waterfall along the length. Set into the left side were large windows in which Jaye assumed held the creatures.

"Careful, its slippery." He warned as they began to trod along the long pathway. Gazing up at the ceiling Jaye saw a small gap running the length of the building through which the water trickled down.

"Where does the water come from?" She asked as she almost stumbled into his back when he stopped at the first exhibit. His back was as hard and firm as all hard working men and yet the touch made her blush acutely.

"When it rains it collects on the ceiling and that's used as a reservoir to trickle down the walls."

"It lasts all summer?"

"Usually..." He replied gruffly before carrying on. Little did Jaye know that the water did accumulate along the ceiling as he said but it wasn't designed that way. Low on funds the water collected in a slightly sagging roof and seeped through the building, cascading down the walls as it did. They had moved the Falyndar animals into this area of the building after several animals not adapted to the cold and humidity died. Thankfully, large windows opened up into part of the hallway keeping it bright and warm enough that the several reptiles were able to bask in the heat.


Word Count945

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[Jaye]

Peeking into the first enclosure Jaye frowned. The enclosure was heavily draped in ferns and vines along the walls but no animal was visible in the Chaos. "I don't see anything..." She murmured quietly searching under the dense vegetation, not sure what she was looking for.

"Look closer Jaye...it's there." He replied slowly drawing out the last word as he pressed a finger to the glass. In among the dense pale green leaves Jaye saw a black spot twitch. Pressing her nose the glass she made out the carefully still bony arch of the creature. Pale cream spots lined the sides of his head and the curve of his ridges. Eyes moving ponderously over the two of them Jaye tilted her head curiously, "What's his name?"

"Zink. He's a Chameleon from Falyndar, we got him several years ago from some Myrian traders. He can change his colour to match any colour we put him in front of. We have plants painted a variety of colours so stick through the holes in the sides," he gestured pointing, "and draw out the green ones to show everyone."

Jaye grinned at him, "Very clever." Apparently flattery worked very well on the Akalak who grinned back at the young Kelvic. "Is every enclosure designed like this? For entertainment and display."

"Yes, we try to show all of our animals in all their glory."

Jaye couldn't help but grin despite herself as they carried on to the next cage. Even her water drenched tunic couldn't put her in a bad mood. The creatures of the Sea were either vicious and to be stayed away from or vicious and to be eaten. Unless they were dead one never managed to get within more than a few meters from them, and none were as exotic as the creature they had just passed.

The next cage had the same glass divider and contained a number of ropes and tiny ladders. Among all the dangling ropes and heartily painted homes and nets dangled three tiny monkeys. About the length of Jayes forearm the monkeys dangled from the ropes swinging playfully. One sat on top of one of the circular hide-aways peering through the glass at the two them while the smaller of the two ran about tackling each other before dashing off across the web of ropes. Long black furry bodies jumped lithely from place to place their cream head and chest covered in a thin layer of dirt from playing at the bottom of the cage.

"What ARE they?" Jaye pressed her nose against the glass the moisture of the air having drenched the glass and the warm moisture of her mouth making a small circle of foggy obscurity.

"Monkeys, also from Falyndar. They can swing with their arms, legs and tails. The two are young'ins the older one is their Pa." He explained pointing at each as he introduced them,"Rosa, Riscal, and Oscar. Rosa is the one with the faint red cream head and Riscal is her brother. Their mother passed away last year."

Reaching out to tap at the glass, wanting to draw the monkeys attention to herself the Akalak grabbed her wrist yanking it away from the surface, "We don't tap the glass." He explained, mouth a disappointed grim line.

"...Sorry..." She murmured as she turned to follow him. Passing several empty cages the two continued down the hallway at a slow pace, feet braced on the slick cool floor. Each cage had a small dome cut out of the top where Synas gentle tendrils could light up the enclosure providing a wandering beam of heat for the reptiles and monkeys.

"You wont be responsible for any of these animals to begin with," he explained as he passed several full cages in which Jaye imagined more reptiles lay hidden and obscured in the heavy shrubbery. "You will have plenty of time to visit with all the animals but lets get you started where you belong." He explained glancing at the sky as a tired and worried expression crossed his shadowy cheeks.

Nodding Jaye mutely followed him through a set of flamboyantly painted doors into the large glass dome. "You will spend your time here. Zoo keepers are expected to keep an eye on all the animals in their area but for now you can focus on the Cliff Swallows, Bushtits, and Pyrrhuloxia. They are all from Riverfall and the Sea of Grass so you will likely be familiar with the vegetation you will have to acquire for them."

Jaye nodded repeating the names over and over in heard, commiting it to memory, Cliff Swallows, Cliff Swallows, Cliff Swallows, Bushtits, Bushtits, Bushtits, Pyrrhuloxia?....Pyrrhuloxia, Pyrrhuloxia. She thought the last one over carefully, struggling not to stutter.

Word Count789

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[Jaye]

The dome stretched several meters above her head trapping the heat within its confines making the place burn with her love. The middle of the large open area was a grassy open plane in which several benches and tables rested. Along the outskirts, stretching to the ceiling, where massive trees of varies species. Some littered the floor with pines, others grazed the floor with long tendrils covered in leaves and even others cast their leaves directly to Synas embrace.

"You will be in charge of refilling all the water baths. This is very important in the summer as it keeps the birds wings healthy and prevents deadly heat stroke. There are twenty of them, you can have a hunt for them later today. The trees planted here help supply the birds with their required diet but we supplement their diet with foraged fruit, nuts and seeds. These are fed once daily. This is to provide birds that are being picked on with guaranteed food, to observe and remove any wounded birds, and to observe the interactions between flocks." He explained, obviously well practiced in the long speech.

"You will be in charge of gathering these ingredients, mixing them into their proportions as outlined by the nutritionist and feeding the three flocks you are expected to care for. You will report any injuries to the on site vet after catching the bird. Okay?" He asked turning to face her.

Nodding quickly Jaye struggled to absorb all the responsibilities, "That...is a lot." She replied tentatively, finding it hard to believe that someone could manage all that in one day. Her anxiety was received by an amused chuckle, "yes well, you will shadow another zoo keeper for your first three shifts from then on you will be on your own but you are welcome to ask any questions at any time. Each season you will be expected to take on another bird, if you can't keep up you will be fired." He said blandly making Jaye gulped, he had obviously fired more than his fair share of apprentices.

As was typical of Akalaks there was the expectation of passion and enthusiasm in their apprentices work, and certainly she realized, he didn't think his demands were all that overwhelming. The short cut grass barely grazed her bare feet as she moved across the grass with him toward the tree line. A long circular pathway of smooth stones wandered along the edge, providing a private and trimmed pathway for visitors to observe the many species.

"Can you point out any of the three species?" He asked quizzing her. He obviously didn't expect a reply, as his tone already dripped with disappointment. Jaye had never heard of two of the species but was familiar with the plentiful Bushtits that moved in massive flocks across the Sea of Grass.

Searching the treetops Jaye pursed her lips as she focused, searching for the chubby grey balls that characterized the Bushtits. Several bright bold birds cawed, attracting her attention momentarily but she quickly resumed her search, loathe to disappoint again after her mistake in the humid room.

Passing one of the twenty water bowls Jaye hesitated looking at the branching tree resting beside it. She had never seen the birds rest on anything but the deciduous trees common in the Sea of Grass. As expected, near the top of the tree two tiny fluff balls rested, little yellow beaks pointed downward toward them.

"There!" She yelped, too excitedly. An explosion of Bushtits erupted from the tree unseen, their wings creating a gentle wind that buffeted the Kelvics hair. Meeting the Akalaks scowl with her own embarrassed smile Jaye shrugged, "Found them..." She responded timidly, and was gifted with a grunt as she shrugged past her moving further down the path.

A familiar yellow and green glint caught her eye as she moved to follow the Akalak. Pausing to glance over her shoulder she recognized the familiar colour of the Jade Jay she spent so much of her time around. More than that, she recognized this particular Jade Jay. Heart had hopped into the bowl of the water tussling her feathers through it, drenching herself. Jaye could swear she saw a delighted devious grin grace the beak and quickly moved to catch up with the blue man risking another glance over her shoulder.

She dare not say anything for fear of being lectured for letting her own bird slip into the enclosed area and vowed to catch the vile troublemaker before the day was out lest she be trapped in the enclosed dome over night.

"Well?" His voice pierced her thoughts making her grunt unintelligibly before realizing that it was to her he spoke, "Oh! yes?" "Are you sure you are interested in this job?" He asked stopping on the long pathway, "You don't seem very focused."

"Oh! I am...I just..saw a Jade Jay. I've never seen a bird so beautiful in the wild." She lied, praying that he did indeed have a flock of Jade Jays wandering around the dome. His expression revealed his uncertainty but he continued on the path.

"Show me a Cliff Swallow." He demanded making Jaye gulp, "I-I've never seen a Cliff Swallow...or a Pyrrhuloxia..." She added quietly anxious he would fire her that instant. On the contrary she caught an accomplished smile brush his lips. He likes it when I don't know? She thought puzzled...He wants to show off how much HE knows? She guessed.

Walking toward a small wall of stone that ran along one side of the dome Jaye peered at it carefully. It didn't look...right. Not that she had stared at many stone walls before but all the holes looked much too round to be real. "This is a handmade hide out for the cliff dwelling birds. The Cliff Swallows arrreee..." He rolled his eyes searching and waiting for one to reveal itself. Several moments of silence passed before he pointed very slowly toward one opening, careful not to startle the bird that watched them warily.

Several more heads joined the unusual gaze. Each had a tiny speck of white atop their head between their eyes and maroon red heads a top cream bodies. Unusually colourful for water birds Jaye tilted her head smiling faintly. The tiny bubbles of white made even the prettiest looking constantly irritable giving them a permanently amusing expression.

Word Count1062

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