Reech finds a mate (Open)

[Taln]

The frothing white surf flashed in his peripheral vision--inland? Near a rock? Taln blinked and turned toward something white and feathery. A large snowy owl hopped along, a crooked wing held with its pinions almost dragging the wet sand! 'It must be desperately hungry to be chancing getting its feathers wet! The wing--it looked strange. Maybe it can't fly and --' The man's thoughts halted abruptly as a mouse was deposited at his feet! Birds only do that with their mates or babies. It took the Dek a chime to recall what he knew about snowy owls. 'Females have more speckles and bars than males-so this would be female. They're day owls. She was silent and didn't make a threatening "krufff-guh-guh-guk" sound so she wasn't hostile. But then again, female snowy owls didn't make as much noise as males. Wait! Snowy owls catch and display their catches as mating rituals--and this was prime season! A Snowy owl courting me?!' The tall, copper haired man stifled a chuckle. He must be mistaken. Bird don't associate humans like that. Well...unless they were more than pure bird; like a Kelvic. With intensely green eyes, he scrutinized the beautiful bird and the dropped mouse at his feet. The base of her tail lacked the slight bump of a well fed bird ready for winter, implying she was starving. The strong winds must be difficult for a bird with a bad wing. He crouched by the bird and spoke in a quiet, soothing voice. "Is this for me? But aren't you hungry too? That wing looks painful you poor girl." Taln picked up the mouse with half a thought to seriously taking the present, but set it down again. The tall man stayed crouched and still so as not to scare the raptor. "No really, it's a great present, but I think I should at least find something for us both, huh? You really should eat that all up to build fat for winter. I can help you with oyster shucking around here. See those holes in the sand to the left? When I dig an inch under the surface, I can find oysters, pry open the shells and it's a tasty meal. Sound good?" He watched the owl and waited for the distinctive beak snapping and almost bark like sound to show that she was at least friendly and paying attention.

[Strix]

Strix would have frowned if her avian face had allowed it. Of course the mouse wasn't a present - you're not going to eat it! Humans don't eat mice!, she almost screamed at him. Instead, she opened her beak silently, then closed it after a few seconds. She hoped that might be a clear enough message, but she couldn't speak common with a bird's tongue. The appearance was of a chick asking for food, but she hoped he wouldn't think of her as a chick just because she opened her mouth. The idea of oysters was mouthwatering, and yet she couldn't afford to trust this man just because he was kind to her. Still, she would starve soon if she didn't eat something. As it stood she didn't have any energy left to change back into a human, so she'd have to be well-fed if she wanted to resume her life. Building fat... it sounded like a good idea, but the higher-ranking people of this strange place would simply ask where she had stolen the food. A meal would be so nice... The mouse was the first living thing she'd seen that didn't walk on two legs for a week, and she had killed that. maybe there was no food left. Maybe this would be the winter she starved to death. She had no other option. Bobbing her head, she opened her beak and tried to say 'yes', but instead simply snapped it shut and produced a strange, barking sound. She was used to humans taking this for a positive answer.

[Taln]

Taln looked over his shoulder at Sarye who'd become distant and silent for a long time. He figured she'd been nicer, longer than most of the Inarta that passed through his life and he should accept the silence with his own. He tried to quash down the thoughts that besieged him and turned his attention back to the owl. At least birds took you at face value, didn't play games and made it clear you had to earn their respect. This little bird was probably as hungry as he was and he still couldn't fathom why she'd dropped her kill at his feet. Maybe she'd been handled by humans before? Not very well though, if she had that badly healed wing. "Let's find some food then, hm?"He said in his quiet voice. Taln rarely raised his voice above a whisper considering the acuity of his own hearing, so he knew that at least his voice wouldn't spook the owl. Taln slowly stood up, knowing his six feet was intimidating when he moved too quickly--for creatures or humans. He knelt by the biggest group of holes in the sand and dug with his large hands. In just a few chimes, he'd gathered a half dozen oyster shells into a pile before him. The tall man grasped his talon sword and easily pried open each morsel, the juicy morsels fresh from the bay and ready to eat. Careful not to startle the owl, he gently tossed a delectable piece of oyster meat toward her. Divvying it up half and half, he kept them on the shells for himself and neatly tossed cut up, bird sized portions to his new friend. Bringing a half shell to his mouth he closed his eyes and enjoyed the taste of fresh food and the feel of it hitting his aching stomach. 'Be honest now and admit why you came out here in the first place Taln. You can't hide from yourself. Normally there's not a soul in sight here, especially at this godforsaken bell of the day! You expected to be alone. Alone with more thoughts than you'd let yourself give in to. With Reech gone, there's nothing left for you. It would be so easy to just give up, to just--No.' The drudge shut off the line of thinking before he drowned in it. Up all night working the docks, nearly getting killed twice. Missed breakfast for the second day in a row. That yasi avoided him yet again. He shrugged at his own morbid attitude and continued to gather a full dozen of all the oysters he could find. With practiced hands he shucked the oysters, his mind on auto pilot. It was a respectable find and the lot would give him a single meal for the day, that would hopefully last him as long as possible. But the injured owl needed food more than he did. She had a petched up wing and finding a mouse by the ocean was a shot in a million, the poor little thing. The wet cold sand didn't register as he sat down with both large hands filled with his bounty of food. He could've kept all of it for himself, but there was a half of him that wanted to stop trying so damn hard for every mouthful. It might not be enough to keep me fed long, but it would be a nicely full stomach for the beautiful ivory raptor watching him with starved golden eyes. Taln gladly gave her half of it. With a slow shuffling movement, the drudge brought another half dozen fat juicy oysters over to the snowy owl. It was enough to fill the bird to bursting and he was glad that at least someone would have a full stomach today. He watched the bird quietly, not bothering to speak where words weren't necessary. His green eyes lingered on the strange looking wing, wondering what had happened to it. She wasn't as robust as the other raptors he'd seen around and he knew this meal would give her what she needed most right now. Taln hoped she'd nibble some of the shells to keep up her bones. He remembered Reech would chomp on shells every once in a while and the healer, Addy had told him it was good for birds. Her downy feathers looked so soft and as much as he wanted to stroke her neck feathers, he kept his hands on his lap instead. And waited.

[Strix]

Strix watched as the man slowly stood up. She hadn't realized how tall he was; the sheer size of him made her flutter slightly without thinking about it. Cursing her jumpiness, she flinched as a stab of pain shot through her wing. He was a scary figure, standing at six feet with a squint that she'd seen before in people who could only afford alcohol by starving, and yet chose the alcohol anyway. Maybe this wasn't such a good decision, she chided herself, and then reminded herself that it was too late to run away. Quickly eating the mouse and hopping after him, she stopped three feet away from where he suddenly knelt down, by the holes he had mentioned. Cocking her head, she watched as he dug out the oysters from the holes, just like he said. Then he drew a sword. She fluttered away again, hopping backwards another six feet and staring at this strange man again. She wished she knew his name; it got tedious referring to someone as 'the man' in her head constantly. unable to ask him, and at that point caring more about the sword in his hand than his name, she watched as he brought the sword up towards her... and shelled an oyster. Sighing with relief, she hopped back towards him as he started eating oysters with a look on his face that suggested he wished he could do this more often than he did. She flinched slightly as he slowly and ponderously lumbered over to her and dropped about six of the oysters at her feet. A feast for someone of her size; complete with shells. She had been told once by a falconer somewhere that she should eat shells if she wanted strong bones. Not relishing the prospect of crushing a shell in her beak, she turned her attention to the more immediately appetizing prospect; the oysters. It occurred to her that this man could have killed her and eaten her by now, yet despite her being a bigger meal than these oysters he didn't. And now he had given her food, and enough to keep her full for a while so long as she didn't change. Absently crunching a shell, and no longer caring if he had ill intentions or not, she stared at the man and tried to guess his intentions. He stared back at her, evidently expecting something. Did he know she was a Kelvic? Did he care? She waited for him to do something that she could react to, crunching a second shell in her beak.

[Taln]

"Hey little owl, I'm Taln. I used to have a bird called Reech, but he grew up. He just found a mate and he's with her now. He was just an egg when I found him." The meager amount of food dulled the ache in his ever-hungry stomach and he wiped his sword before putting it away. When the bird crunched the shells, he nodded in approval. It would keep back any extra beak growth and although he knew nothing of calcium, the shells would make the little bird healthier. "What's your name? When I asked Reech his name, he was very clear what it was. He was a peregrine falcon about your height but a very different build. I've never been this close to an owl before." As he spoke, his voice remained low pitched and quietly soothing. The dek's emerald gaze watched the snowy old intently. A snowy owl would have to be either desperate for food or looking for its master to be at the beach instead of its usual mountainous area. There was no camouflage for a bright white bird on a drab brown background. Not to mention, the winds and thermals were different here than other places so an owl's wings weren't the same shape as a falcon or hawk. Taln noticed the pretty little owl flinch and draw its injured wing closer to its body. 'That wing looks painful. I wonder if it can even fly. I can't imagine being able to touch the sky and then have it taken away. That's probably the only thing worse or equal to being a Dek.'

[Strix]

Strix idly crunched the last of the shells, still wondering what the human wanted. Despite herself, she felt good with a fully belly and relaxed almost without noticing - almost. She was partially aware of letting her injured wing slump, and until then was completely unaware of how tense she was and how much pain that had been causing her. Suddenly, she felt... tired. Very tired. She wondered if she had always felt this way, or if she had just worn herself out - though not for long, because she also noticed herself beginning to fall asleep where she stood on the sand. Starting, she caught herself almost toppling over and clutched the sand as hard as she could. Not a good move - she overbalanced and went crashing down to the ground. I'm falling asleep, she noted numbly. It didn't seem to matter, though. The possibility of death while sleeping at the hands of this massive man didn't bother Strix. Everything felt numb. In a last little effort, she fluttered feebly, but even the blinding pain of her wings only made her wearier. All the energy her body would afford her went into registering how tired, pathetic and sore she was. Well, maybe she would make a tasty stew. So much for survival.

[Taln]

Taln wasn't the smartest guy in Wnd Reach, but he eventually realized that the bird would be sleepy after a full tummy. When the owl toppled over because of her injured wing, he took a large step forward. The Dek scooped her up carefully and brought her up to his chest to make her feel secure. He held her gently, allowing her sore wing to drape over one of his hands. Reech's old nest was clean and empty now, just waiting for another feathered occupant. As Taln walked swiftly back to the warrens, he cradled the snowy owl and spoke quietly to her. "What's your name beautiful bird? Have you lost your handler? I wonder how you hurt your wing. It looks painful, however it happened. I have a nice, safe place for you to sleep while you digest your meal." As always, his voice was deep and barely carried over a whisper. 'Such a pretty white owl, but definitely out of her element in Thunder Bay. That wing looks badly healed after a harsh injury. I'll bet it hurts the way she holds it out and up away from anything touching it. She must be scared, pained and exhausted, the poor little bird.' The tall man's thoughts centered on the snowy, feathered bundle. Which was probably the best medicine a Dek could ask. Having a purpose, a reason to wake each day kept him from the brink of an uncertain future.

[Strix]

Reality comes flooding back in a slow wave, treacle-slow light streaming into her vision and thoughts crawling back into place. Where am I? Does it matter? More perception now. I'm in a dark place. Warm, soft. Dark place? What dark places do I know? The caves. Wind Reach. She was in Wind Reach. Where in Wind Reach? She looked around. An alcove in Wind Reach. Looking at her feet, she saw she was standing in a nest. How did she build a nest? When? Panic starting to rise, she tried desperately to remember what happened before she got here. I was on a beach. Cold surf, I remember. There was a mouse, I killed it, never ate it. I'm full. What did I eat? A human. I remember the human. Did I eat a human? No, it was smaller than that. I've never eaten a human, I wonder what it's like. I was eating mussels. The human gave me mussels. What happened then? I fell asleep. Which means I must have just woken up. Funny how I had to work out what I just did. Strix, feeling more herself, looked around her alcove. She was in a nest in Wind Reach, she knew that much. Well, maybe it wasn't Wind Reach, but would a normal cave not be freezing? She was passably warm. Her eyes came to rest on a human, nodding at her side. Almost sleeping. She stared, and as he fell asleep she fidgeted quietly, and tried to think of a way out of this strange, dark place. he was sitting there, possibly stopping her from escaping, possibly watching over her. She had to assume the worst. Quietly, she looked at the ground. She was at about hip-height above the stone floor, and she couldn't jump that distance safely. She couldn't fly, either. She'd have to Change and hope she didn't get embedded in the rock around her. With a snap of her beak, she began to dissolve. A brief swirl of lights consumed her, and then her willowy frame was left, curled as tightly as it would go, in the alcove. Trying to move, she was yanked by something. Oh no. Looking up, she found a large part of her hair simply terminated where the rock began. Panic rose again - she was trapped, and she couldn't change back while literally embedded into the rock. She tried to think, but her natural reaction was simply to yank her head away until the thing holding her let loose. She braced herself against the rock. Pulled. Crippling pain racked her scalp, but she kept pulling. Then she stopped. How did that human open the mussels again? Of course. The sword. Strix looked down to the floor, such as she could see it. Conveniently, the sword was lying across the human's lap. A massive brute of a creature, she was loathe to disturb him while in such a compromising position. Still, she could see no other alternative. Swallowing in fear, she slowly reached down, trying not to gasp when she was forced to hang by her hair. The little popping sounds of strands severing filled her head, and when she finally got hold of the sword she almost gasped when he stirred. He didn't make any further movement. Sighing, she began to saw at her long, mousy brown hair. She didn't have any particular attachment to it, but this may well compromise her already fragile standing in the ranks of the Deks. And she had no desire to be beaten by half-wit thugs. One last movement, and she was free. She felt her hair briefly - there was an almost bald patch where she had to saw through, leading down to hair that got longer and longer as it got further away from the rock. She uncoiled her legs and gingerly climbed out of the alcove. So I get to survive. Fantastic. Suddenly, she slipped. Having to climb between the human's legs wasn't the most practical thing to have to do, especially when one loses one's grip and hits said human between them. Starting, she stared at him and then turned and ran down the tunnel. A turning, any turning, please... Yes! She snapped a glance at the human, then sprinted down another tunnel. The last thing she saw was him sitting forward in his chair, staring at her from where he sat. Either he was really slow, or he hadn't decided to chase her yet. Or maybe her unintentional blow had crippled him for a bit. Good. That meant a head start.

[Taln]

Something sharp nailed him in the groin and he bent forward gasping for breath. He caught a brief glimpse of a filthy, sky-clad Dek running out of the room--and the owl was missing. A long shred of hair stuck out from the edge of the nest and he figured the owl must've attacked the woman after it. It seemed a nice enough bird but at this time of year, he couldn't blame the girl for desperately wanting a meal. Once Taln recovered from his seat on the stone floor, he shrugged to himself. Finding a new friend hadn't lasted very long--human or bird.

OOC :

I guess your abrupt exit is the most effective way to end the thread.