Flashback [The Eagle Aeries]In Search of Endal or Eagle

[Aose]

1st of Winter 510AV

It was a chilly start of a weekend, and the first day of the Winter season, Aose found herself not at home or at Fletcher's Corner. No, today she found herself at the Aeries watching the Eagles and their Endal soar through the air. It was a beautiful day and the Yasi couldn't resist watching the eagles take off and land. Looking for just a second to the ground around her Aose plopped her buttocks on a rock jutting up from the soft snow that had fallen over night, wrapping her arms around her knees and just giving off such a large amount of happiness.

It was a perfect day to just relax, no running around Wind Reach delivering messages, no chores to be done at home. Just a chance to watch and daydream. Maybe I will get lucky and see an Endal today! I will follow them around doing their duties and maybe help? That would be so awesome! She could barely hold herself together from the giggling that erupted. Luckily Aose quickly got that under control and started to get bored just waiting for an Endal to show up.

So I guess I go looking for one! Standing and stretching a bit, balling up on a rock tends to be highly discomforting after all, Aose ventured into the Aeries, in search of either an Endal or even an Eagle.

Oh finding an eagle would be awesome! I would love to meet one!

[Sira]

As Aose watched the wind eagles going to and fro, she might spy a particularly playful eagle, zipping about through the sky, ducking and diving, spinning and rolling, and in generally just having a blast up in the air. A few of the other younger eagles joined in on the fun as well, and soon there was a trio of playful eagles darting about in the sky above. It was a wonderful sight for anyone who appreciated the large birds, as their life was often work and no play, but the young did get to play more than the older birds. Sira was not a child, but was still young for an eagle. In her human form, she was in her teenage years.

The reason she was so playful was because she'd just had the most wonderful morning of her life. It didn't start off so well, she had been sent on a rather annoying errand from her brother to fetch a sea shell for a woman he was trying to woo. Sira had begun the morning in a rather irritated mood because of it. Imagine, an endal performing the task of a dek? But he was in a hurry, and no dek could have reached the shore as fast as Sira could have.. and technically her brother was a higher ranking endal than Sira was. She hadn't had a choice.

At the beach she had run into Aidara and her sister Sairque. Sira had been particularly interested in the woman Aidara. There was something about her that pulled at Sira's heart strings in a way no other person had, despite only having known her a short while. At first the day had done well but then a fight broke out between the sisters, a fight over Sira herself apparently, and a lot of strange things happened after that. In the end, however, it all worked out, and everyone's feelings were out in the open. Aidara and Sira had both confessed how they felt about one another, and everything had turned out great. And because of it, Sira was playfully darting about the sky. When she finally decided to land, she quickly dressed and left her aerie.

Sira was hungry, and while she could have requested food brought up to her, she preferred to eat down in the cafeteria with everyone else. With a rumbling belly she made her way down the hall from the aeries, moving rapidly and not paying much attention to where she was going. That was why she failed to notice the little girl.. a girl who was technically older than Sira, but Sira appeared to be a grown woman. As a kelvic, she had grown up fast, and had been forced to grow up mentally fast as well. Normally Sira avoided children, but when she rounded the next corner without looking first, she was unable to avoid Aose and ran right into her, sending the both of them tumbling.

Normally Sira would have scolded the girl for getting in her way. She wasn't cruel, like some Endal, but it was impossible to be of her station without possessing some small amount of arrogance. Lucky for Aose, Sira was in such a good mood, and that brought out the kindness in her.

"Oh my! I'm so sorry, are you alright? Here, let me help you up. You should watch where you are going. You could get hurt."

[Aose]

It all happened so fast for Aose. All she remembered was someone coming around a corner and her ending up on the floor. Aose just nodded her head and stood up, “I am okay, thanks though.I should watch were I am going? You ran into me though!” Aose grumbled before realizing that she could have just very well stepped her bounds just then and immediately cringed internally for that. “Sorry, I didn't meant to snap at you, I am just looking for someone... Uhh...” Aose wasn't sure how to finish that response and so just left it where it was. It wasn't like Aose to leave her thoughts unfinished once she let them out, too late now to finish or change her thought. Should I just... Leave? Should I wait... Should I introduce myself? The Yasi wasn't entirely sure how to continue this immediate interaction so she just gulped in some air and blurted out, “I was looking for an Endal or Eagle to meet. I am Aose.” In just as quickly as she opened her mouth the redheaded little girl clamped it shut. Boy this is going just so well isn't it Aose? First you run into someone that could very well be an Endal and you just yelled at them and then you trail off, now you are blurting stuff out that could potentially make you regret you said something. Real smart. Aose grimaced at her thoughts and then sighed, “I am probably not supposed to be in the Aeries... Please don't get me in trouble.” She nearly begged, almost dropping to her knees and taking up the universal grovelling and begging stance.

[Sira]

Sira couldn't help but laugh a little a the girl's reaction to her. It was a typical reaction, of course, especially when she realized what she might have done. Luckily, Sira was in an extraordinarily good mood. A bit tired, but good. And so there was very little Aose could have done to anger her that day.

"It's okay, don't worry. No harm done. I was in a hurry, I guess it was my fault too. Aose? It's a pleasure to meet you."

Sira smiled as Aose stammered over her words. She was nervous, and it was understandable. If she thought she wasn't supposed to be in the aeries, then it was probably because she was supposed to be doing something else. Sira remembered her brief stint as a child, her bendi tasks and all that, and especially remembered how she liked to skip out on all the boring lessons. She understood perfectly.

"Well, Aose, you're in luck. You just met both. I'm Sira, the Wind Eagle kelvic."

[Aose]

Both! I have met an Endal and an Eagle! Oh my! Aose's eyes seemed to grow larger than they could ever have been normally and they took on an almost glossy sort of reverence, “I'm sorry... I...” Aose didn't quite know what to say, she could feel her heart thudding hard in her chest. She was afraid it would almost too loud and that Sira would be able to hear it. It normally would've caused Aose to cringe at the idea of her being skittish as she was and in awe but then she realized what who she was actually talking to. “I am pleased to meet you. I didn't actually expect to actually nearly knock an Endal over. I am sorry honestly. I have always wanted to meet someone of your status. I have always dreamed of flying. What is it like to fly? I have always wondered what is would be like to soar above everyone, feeling the wind rush through my hair, the whole works! Is it fun? Is it exciting?” Am I rambling? Aose obviously didn't seem to stop though as she kept just asking the same questions over and over again in different ways. Finally, after it appears that Aose had finally stopped talking long enough to breath she could still feel her heart pounding her chest, hearing it thudding heavily in her ears.

[Sira]

Sira couldn't help but smile and chuckle at the little girl's enthusiasm. She had been flying since she was a chick, but she could still understand the girl's excitement. Flying was something she always looked forward to. Being cooped up in a cave all day made her crave the open sky every chance she got. She did not mind living in the mountain, she had grown up there and it was her home, but nothing beat soaring in the clouds above it.

"Don't feel bad. It was an accident. As for flying... it is the greatest feeling in the world. I don't think anything can compare to being up there in the sky, the wind ripping through your feathers.. or well, I guess hair for you. It's very exciting, and sometimes scary, but always amazing."

Sira started walking again, pausing only for a moment to see if Aose would follow. If she did, Sira would return to her aerie and invite the little girl in. That was another honor for most people. Endal usually only invited the lower castes into their aeries for cleaning or some other form of work, but Sira motioned for Aose to sit down while she sent a random dek to go fetch them some food and water. After that was done, Sira came and sat down across from the girl.

"So, I'm guessing with all this curiosity about flying, you want to be an Endal when you grow up?"

[Aose]

Listening to Sira speak of flying sound wonderful. Aose could almost once again feel herself flying through the air, soaring high in the clouds. How I want to fly! Following Sira was like a dream come true, she was ushered into the Endal's cave and her jaw nearly dropped. It was huge! Aose felt like she could place her whole cave belongings four or five times over into Sira's cave. When Sira motioned for Aose to sit down, she was shocked... Normally she would be called to do some cleaning, but she was actually sitting down and talking to an Endal. Am I dreaming? No... I can't be... The yasi nodded, “Yes, I have always wanted to fly and become an Endal. It is an honor and a privilege to be one. Only the brave and chosen ones become Endals. I am not old enough yet to become an Endal. I don't think, I still have lots to learn and lots to train for.” Aose sighed, it felt good to speak to someone in that caste, to learn, to teach, “Is it okay that I am here? I mean... I don't want anyone to get in trouble. I think it is fairly obvious I am much too young to be a rider... And I am sure the other Endals know you are a Wind Eagle... Uhh... Kelvic?” Aose frowned at the words, “I think that is the correct term... Right?” She felt embarrassed and then shook head hands and head. “No need to answer that, I am probably stepping over my boundaries.” She gulped, it seemed there was something else on her mind but it was obvious that Aose was afraid to say what it was. Oh how I wish I could fly... Just once! Or see the baby eagles. Oh how I would love to see them.

[Sira]

"Of course you're old enough to be an Endal. All it takes is for an eagle to choose you. It can happen at any age.. though you probably wont go out hunting until both you and your eagle are old enough."

Sira had seen very young eagles bond with young children. It was an ideal relationship, the pair could grow up with each other, and become closer to each other in the process. Sira had no rider, no bondmate, or anything of that sort. She did not even have the slightest clue how to choose a bondmate. For a while her mind toyed with the idea of Aidara as her rider, but she shook the thought away. That was just silly, Addy was a healer, and healers couldn't be Endal. Could they?

"Don't worry, you won't get in trouble. I invited you in, you're my guest. And.. the food is here!"

The food was nothing overly special, mostly just the same stuff Aose would normally get fed, but the quantities were what made the difference. There was enough that she could eat, and have left overs for later. Even the meat was of a larger portion. The endal were always well fed, as they had very trying jobs, and while they didn't always get luxurious meals as many of the lower castes thought, it was true that they were fed as much as they wanted to eat. Sira herself, depending on how much flying she had to do that day, could eat a lot more than the average endal. Shifting was taxing and made her hungry, and if she spent the day as an eagle, she had the appetite of an eagle.

"Yes, they know I'm a kelvic. Not all of them like it, but the eagles accept me, and that's all that matters. ..if you want to be an endal, you need to befriend the eagles. You need to impress them. Spend time in the aeries. Offer to take care of the eggs, and maybe if you're lucky you'll be there when one hatches. Even if you aren't, you might impress one of the older eagles. You just have to be around them, and do things to impress them."

[Aose]

Aose was ecstatic when Sira said that all she had to do was impress one of the Eagles enough to like her and she could become a rider… Even at her current age. Her jaw dropped slightly, causing Aose to quickly shut it. It was more in surprise at first then in joy that she could become an Endal this early in life. “Th—Thank you.” She bowed when offered some food. “For everything I mean… I appreciate your kindness.” The yasi still felt out of her league here, and the feeling was obvious in her meek words and mannerisms. Quit fooling yourself Aose, you are stronger and braver and obviously SIra seen that in you. Picking up a small piece of meat Aose realized it was exactly the same stuff she was use to eating at home and in classes, there just appeared to be more than what she would normally get. The meat was the same yet Aose was savoring it nonetheless, it wasn’t the flavor of the meat, it was the gesture. The Endal allowed Aose to see into the most private of areas in her life, Aose was grateful and would do anything to make sure she remained in good standing with Sira. When SIra mentioned that she should spend time in the aeries and the hatchlings, Aose squirmed a bit in her seat before settling down quickly. Will she take me to the aeries if I ask nicely? Is it too earlier to do that? Would she be offended if I asked? I’ll wait, she is an Endal and she invited me into her aerie and she offered me food. When she is ready, or if she asks then I will take the offer up, until then… I’ll just wait patiently, maybe talk more?

[Sira]

Sira wasn't so thoughtful that she would just offer to take Aose to the aeries to see the eggs. Her mind just didn't work that way. At the moment all they were doing was talking, and eating, and she didn't even consider the idea that Aose might want more than just words in the way of help from the endal. It wasn't that she wouldn't do it if asked, but rather that she simply hadn't thought of it. Nor was she certain that there even were eggs to be tended to at that exact moment. Sira's current obsession with Aidara kept her out of the loop on the day to day wind eagle gossip. If Sira had thought on it, she probably would have realized that there probably weren't any eggs to be seen at that moment anyway. It was winter, and eggs usually came in the spring.

"Have you ever spoken to a Wind Eagle," Sira asked thoughtfully. "Well.. other than me?"

She leaned forward, a bit curious now. Wind Eagles did not often speak to people other than endal, and other eagles of course. It was a little silly, honestly, because not everyone was as good at speaking back to them. Most inarta had a natural gift for telepathy. They couldn't really speak with each other that way, not without the help of a wind eagle, but they rarely had a problem speaking to the eagles themselves. However, there were some who just couldn't do it, and those people had no chance of becoming an endal at all. If the eagle couldn't speak with it's rider, then the relationship just wasn't going to work out.