Solo On the Wings of a Prayer

[Ife]

82nd Fall, 515AV

Today was an important day.

Ife's nerves were on edge, her stomach knotted. Would today be a success, or a failure? The endless possibilities of what could happen flittered through her mind, causing the redhead to wince and shake them out of her head.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes." The lie was quick and instinctive like a blow to the gut. After chewing her bottom lip tentatively, she threw her brother a look and concluded, "no. I'm scared."

Royce smiled to his sister, drawing the words no fear in the air with his deft hands. "He'll be fine. You both will be."

But the Inarta was not convinced. She jostled on horseback nervously, causing Tizi to snort disapprovingly and Food to spin his head around and stare her at her with those bright golden eyes. They shared a look between them, falcon and falconer, that seemed to last forever and open up a secret, silent channel of communication between them. After several ticks, Ife finally rolled her eyes, surrendering her fears once and for all. "Fine."

"How is it that I can reassure you all day long and you won't listen, but the moment he looks at you--"

"He has a name."

"Food isn't the most majestic of titles, though."

Royce had a point. Ife had named her falcon Food because his appetite as a chick had been endless and demanding. But now he was no longer the fluffy baby bird she had fed every four bells: he was a sleek, juvenile peregrine that could now tear his meals up himself. His training up until this point had been incredibly successful, thanks mainly to Ife's stubbornness and determination that her beloved bird become the ultimate airborne hunter. Being hand-raised, he was incredibly calm around people and horses -- a promising trait for a falcon whose future depending on successfully hunting with the Drykas.

"Maybe I should rename him." She mused quietly, only half-aware of her brother's joking reply. The bird that perched on her gloved left hand had yet again captured her attention. His head swivelled left and right, drinking in the vast greenness that surrounded him and his mistress. This was the first time Ife had bought Food into the Sea of Grass, and it made her smile to his enthusiasm t hunt. Indeed, already his wings were twitching in preparation for flight.

When they had rode sufficiently far from Endrykas, Royce pulled his strider to a stop. "I think this is the place, Ife." He pressed gently, watching his sister with a careful gaze.

The redhead swallowed. This would be the place she would let Food take his maiden flight outside of Endrykas. What if he didn't return? What if a Cyphrus eagle took him down? Her gut clenched tightly with the intense fear of a mother parting with her child for the first time. "Be safe. Be good." She whispered to him before jerking her arm upward, signalling to the falcon to take flight.

He rose in the air, climbing up and up before falling back down again. Ife gasped and winced with each tumble he took, but Food remained perfectly in control. He was simply testing out his wings and the undercurrent wind, she knew, but Ife was nevertheless terrified.

"He'll be fine." Royce muttered, shaking his head in disbelief over his sister's concern.

She shot him a look. "Your son is less than a season old. When he's leaving home for the first time, remind me to tell you the same thing." Her prickly retort was accompanied with a smile, but there was still an underlying threat to her words. Royce was new to fatherhood -- there was time for him to grow as panicky and fearful as any parent.

[Ife]

"Let's go." Her older brother said after the two had spent five or so chimes watching Food flutter about above them.

They kicked their horses into a trot and began moving even further away from the tent city. Ife's head remained tilted upwards almost for the entirety of their journey, keeping her eyes sharply trained on the falcon that followed them obediently. Her fear of Food flying away was shrinking, and yet Ife's confidence still felt minute against these innumerable dangers.

Eventually the two riders slowed down. They had travelled Eastward from Endrykas, following the mid-morning sun until, as now, it watched over them from the middle of the sky. We must be nearing the Lari River now, Ife considered as she followed Food's bird-shaped shadow that dappled on the grass.

Suddenly the bird veered away, gliding leftwards off the track Ife and Royce had been following.

Without a word to her brother, the Inarta pulled Tizi in pursuit of the falcon. Frantically she pulled up the short bow and quiver from the yvas bag, the latter of which she shrugged on to her shoulder. She could see no other birds in the sky save for Food, but that did little to ease her immediate fear. What if he had been distracted by something as dangerous as a Grassland Bear, or a Glassbeak?

"Ife? Ife!"

Royce was in pursuit of her, but Ife paid him no mind. Instead her hands grappled with a small silver whistle, which she subsequently placed between her lips and blew out two sharp whistles: Food's return call.

But the falcon either didn't hear, or was simply ignoring her requests. He continued flying forward, maintaining a steady height and speed. As Ife watched him with a concentrated, wide-eyed gaze, she realised that his body language did not appear to be distressed or frightened. He was in no hurry, and if he had been any other bird, Ife would have simply assumed that he had found prey.

But he's too young! All of Food's previous attempts to bring down a rabbit had resulted in him landing clumsily on the ground, dazed and humiliated. He was still learning the proper way to dive and the timing required to pull out his talons seemed to completely elude him.

[Ife]

Royce came to her side, his brows furrowed and lips taut in irritation. "You could have at least let me know you were running off."

His lack of concern for Food's sudden change of direction irked Ife more than it should have. Though she knew it was nothing more than her motherly panic underlining this irritation, the feisty redhead still struggled to keep her voice calm as she explained, "he's changed direction and not listening to his return call."

Her brother tilted his head upward, finally paying the bird some much needed attention. Unbeknownst to Ife, his patience was also wearing thin; all Royce wanted was to return home to his newborn boy. But as he shielded his eyes from the sun to get a better view of Food, a tentative smile pulled on his lips. "I'm not bird expert, but that to me looks like a hunting falcon."

Gasping, Ife wirled her head around and upwards. Yes! Yes, Food was there in the sky, a dark shape against the cloud-flecked sky. But he was no longer flying, he was hovering - a fabulously complicated movement that until now he had never done before. "Oh, look at him Royce!" It was, in her opinion, the finest hovering she had ever seen.

Food dropped two or so feet in the sky, before pulling himself back up slightly and continuing to hover yet again. What had he found? There appeared to be a sense of indecision about Food's movements: he had not yet dived onto his chosen prey, so perhaps they were rabbits? Fast-moving, numerous... Food would be spoilt for choice as to which he would kill.

The riders continued to move forwards. Ife was careful to direct Tizi to be slow and quiet so as not to disperse the rabbit and ruin Food's first real hunt.

Go left She signed to her brother, who nodded and did she as she instructed. Ife herself drove Tizi right, spreading out across the grass and so the two siblings would approach the prey - whatever it was - from both sides.

As a precaution, Ife knocked an arrow into her bow and trained it on the blades of grass ahead of her. The whistle was still firmly held between her lips at the ready to give Food further instruction should he require it.

Their progress was slow, but eventually Ife saw what Food had spotted long ago: a pair of quail and their young. In total there were five birds; a good, hopeful number that should have promised at least one kill between the two Drykas and falcon.

Royce was watching Ife, his own short-bow raised and poised at the ready. But she shook her head to tell him no, and nodded upwards. Let Food take this one first.

And then Ife blew again on the whistle: kill and retrieve.

[Ife]

Perfectly on command, Food contracted his wings and tilted his head towards the ground. The bird dropped with incredibly speed, Ife instinctively winced and screwed her eyes shut.

Silently she prayed for the wellbeing and safety of her darling bird. She had grown intensely fond of the falcon since receiving him earlier in the season, and now Ife couldn't imagine her life without him. He such a character...

The sound of panicked birds squawking made Ife flinch, but her eyes remained shut. Food had clearly made his presence known to the quail, but had he landed a kill? Had he hurt himself?

Please be safe...

"Ife, look."

He brother was closer than she had expected, and his presence mildly surprised the Inarta. Blinking, she opened her eyes and glanced downwards to the ground. Food stared up at her, his own eyes wide and doubting of what to do next. For a tick Ife feared the worse, but then she noticed the brown mass that her falcon stood on. It was one of the adult quails.

He had made a kill!

Delighted, Ife shrugged on her falconry glove and blew Food's return call once again. This time he responded perfectly, bringing with him the dead bird. It was approximately the size of Ife's non-gloved hand, and the finest kill she had ever seen. Upon a second whistle, he abandoned his prize and surrendered it to Ife.

She had never known pride like it. Ife was smiling from ear to ear; her chest swelled an almost drunken level of happiness. She was giddy with excitement for Food, and rewarded him thusly with plenty of stored and jerked meat.

"He did well."

"That's an understatement." She declared frivolously, allowing herself the pleasure the stroking Food's chest tenderly. The bird stared at her with surprise, as if he himself did not quite understand what he had just done. Perhaps instinct had taken over? But whatever the reason, Ife was more than pleased. "I'll let him go again."

And Ife did, all of her earlier fears and doubts completely erased. The three of them continued their journey as before, heading towards the Lari River. Now when Food diverted off course, the two Drykas dutifully followed him.

As before, the falcon led Ife and her brother to another source of food, this time rabbits.

Continued here (INSERT LINK AFTER MAKING NEXT THREAD, YOU DUMMY!)

[Tribal]

G R A D E S

Ife

Experience

• Subterfuge: 1
• Socialisation: 3
• Riding, Horse: 2
• Logic: 1
• Falconry: 4
• Land Navigation: 1
• Observation: 3
• Hunting: 1

Lore

• Food: Behind the nickname
• Food's first flight
• Royce: Father to a son
• Location: Lari River
• Food: Leaning to dive
• Food: Learning to fly
• Food: Disobedient
• Falconry: Using a return whistle
• Food: A successful hunt
• Ife: A mother's pride

Notes

INSERT LINK AFTER MAKING NEXT THREAD, YOU DUMMY! Hahaa... I think the lore "Food: Disobedient" will be a hard one for me to forget in a hurry... still laughing at myself. Plebe. Enjoy the rewards.