[Flashback] Bird brains (Solo)

[Naama]

5th of Spring 491AV

“Hurry up Niobe we’re going to be late!” Said a girl with muted, coppery skin and dark, onyx eyes. An exaggerated sigh left her full lips as she stared at a smaller girl whose hair was adorned in free-flowing braids ending in small bird feathers. She was searching for something, shoving long spears aside, bone-carved tables and smaller mats. She dug into every crevice she could until finally a black head popped up in between a mass of piled up furniture holding a bead bracelet.

“Aha, I found it, Naama!” The girl exclaimed.

“You spent twenty minutes looking for your stupid bracelet!” Naama barked, stomping into the longhouse to grasp the wrist of her little sister and proceeded to drag her out of the abode. “Dara Mahoa is going to feed us to the Dhani if we don’t move NOW!”

“Ouch, okay okay! I’m going!”

The two girls sped through the crowded Trading Square bustling with people and loaded with stalls. They raced through adults and passed children, alike, their white, linen breechcloths and braided black hair snapping in the wind. Dara Mahoa’s mews stood near a congregation of other mews, built similarly in appearance with reeds and wood for the exception that it was incredibly big, nearly the size of a longhouse. Mahoa, herself, stood at the entrance, arms crossed and brow quirked.

The girls slowed to a halt before their aunt, keeling over and breathing heavily.

“S-sorry, dara Mahoa… STUPID Niobe here… decided to look for… her stupid bracelet for twenty minutes!” Naama clutched a hand to her chest, her heart beating as if it was about to explode.

“It’s Gunto’s!” She retorted vehemently through gulps of air, “He gave it to me!”

“Alright, alright. Enough with the bickering. It does no good when you’re learning about birds of prey. Get inside, we’ve much to do.”

Their voices were unison, “Yes, dara.”

[Naama]

The inside of the mews was spectacular. There were two stories and a handful of chambers housing large eagles and hawks, sanctioned off from each other. In one room the materials used in falconry were hung on the walls. Jesses, hoods, gloves and leashes. There were plenty to choose from, and the girls were soon trembling with excitement. Mahoa, however, held the girls back by their shoulders.

“Hold on there, children. You won’t be handling the birds just yet. Follow me, I’ll explain everything in due time.” She walked out with the two sisters in tow, and gestured to the entirety of the building. “This is called a mews. A free loft mews to be more specific. It differs from say, Old Jamba’s next door due to the fact that my birds get the freedom they need when they stay indoors.” She sounded smug.

“Is that why this place is so big, dara?” Naama asked, her eyes finding no rest from the excitement.

“Yes, exactly, Naama. Follow me.”

Naama and Niobe trailed after Mahoa as she approached a chamber on the left hand side of the mews. As they entered, the older Myrian whistled lightly and extended her gloved arm. Within seconds, a large eagle soared across the room and perched itself comfortably on her arm. Naama and Niobe’s expressions belied their amazement.

“This is an example of a chamber.” Mahoa explained as she dug into a pouch on her belt and produced a block of meat to feed the imposing raptor. “And this here is Kea’at. Oh don’t look so scared, go on, pet her,” She laughed, lowering her arm for both girls to stretch their hands out and touch the beige feathers, “One thing to know about birds of prey, girls, is that they are to be respected. It’s vital to establish this in a relationship with your raptor. They respect you and you respect them, hardly is there any love involved. “ Then she gestured at the chamber. “The chambers are full of plenty of perches for the birds to fly from. This helps them keep their muscle-development and exercise up, as these types greatly need it.”

“Why can’t they just be let outside, do they run away?” Niobe asked, stroking the bird with large, round eyes.

Naama smiled, “They are kept here to keep them close to the falconer. They trust the falconer to protect them and feed them, so in order for them to relax, we build them a mews.” Both the girls nodded and watched as Mahoa lifted her arm and sent the eagle flying back to one of its many perches. “Out the door, girls, it’s time to visit the munchkins.”

[Naama]

The girls followed their aunt up the stairs and into another one of these champers, but one which housed three small kestrels, occupying their time with the preening of their feathers. Mahoa extended her arm and let out a short and sharp whistle. One of the kestrel flew toward her almost instantly. It’s large whitish eye scrutinized the two bronze-skinned girls.

“This is a kestrel, kiddos. A Greater kestrel to be more specific. Once we’ve drilled the basics of controlling your bird with respect, this is the type you will be learning to raise and train. They’re smaller than eagles like Kea’at, but they’re just as efficient at hunting. They usually hunt critters and insects, but I’ve had a knack for teaching them to hunt snakes.” She winked as the two girls giggled.

Releasing the bird to its perch, Mahoa motioned for the two novices to follow. She led them back down the stairs and to the room catering to the supplies used for falconry. She took down what appeared to be a hood, two pairs of gloves, a bell, jesses and a leash and set them side by side on a large bone-carved table.

She picked up the first item, the hood. It was rounded and made of leather . “This is what you call a hood. It’s used to assimilate the raptor to people, and keeps them in a calm state. It can be used in the beginning stages of training for a wild bird and throughout its falconry career. And this is important, girls, it IS the most important piece of equipment you’ll have. If the hood doesn’t fit just right on the raptor’s head and isn’t comfortable for it, training will be incredibly difficult.”

“How does it calm the bird, dara?” Naama asked.

“Good question, Naama. Birds are so visually oriented that they aren’t fearful of what they can’t see. If they can’t see it, it must not be there-- for them. Even a freshly trapped, wild bird with a hood in place would be eating out of your palm even if it’s standing on a person’s arm. They won’t see anything fearful, so there’s nothing to get worked up over. So in essence, hoods protect the bird from itself, and allow us, the falconers to ease control of the situation.”

The girls nodded as Mahoa then set the hood down and picked up the next piece, the pair of gloves, “This should be simple enough to understand. You wear gloves, at all time. You understand? Never handle a raptor without your gloves, it could cause serious harm.”

“Yes, dara!” The girls piped in unison.

[Naama]

The next item Mahoa picked up was the bell, “Simple concept, right? These bells are used to help locate a bird while out on a hunt. You can leave them on the raptor at all times or you can only attach it during hunting, your preference. But I wouldn’t advise it if you hate the sound.” She chuckled, “The important thing about the bell is it’s more useful to have two smaller bells with differing tones - it will carry farther through the air than ones that are larger and identical.”

She set the bell down then picked up the jesses as the girls nodded their comprehension of the bell use, “This,” She jerked the leather between her fingers, “Is called a jess. It’s just a long strip of leather with slits to loop the ends around a raptor’s legs and secure them to a leash. They’re generally used to prevent the risk of the bird deciding to chase something it shouldn’t rather than keeping the bird from flying away. After all, if you’re going to allow a bird to fly free, they should first be made to return to the falconer.”

“The leash,” And Mahoa picked up the long strand of leather on the table, “Attaches to the gloves and the jess, effectively tethering the bird to your glove or to a perch. It can be made of leather or simple, light rope, whatever is comfortable for the bird. And it’s important that at all times, the bird is comfortable. With its hood, with the jesses, with the length of the leash or the elasticity of it. We need the birds to feel safe around the falconer in order to utilize it’s skills.”

“Think you have all that information soaked in?” She finally said as the girls stood inspecting each piece of equipment, “This obviously is not all of the materials that is used in falconry but they are the basics. And for now, the basics is enough, at least until you’ve worked here enough to get a grasp on how things go. Now I have a job for both of you.”

This seemed to excite the girls as they immediately glanced up. “Are we going to work with the birds, dara?” Naama asked quickly.

“No, something better. You get to clean the droppings.” She smiled deviously and handed them both small filthy shovels.

[Naama]

6th day of Spring 491AV


Naama and Niobe had spent the better part of yesterday toiling around the crap the birds seemed to generate every few minutes. They scrubbed the walls, the perches, swept the dirt floors and occasionally had a chance to pet a bird or two. At the end of the day, Mahoa had told them to return at early morning, and once Naama had roused her sister up after a much needed rest, they scurried their way back to their aunt’s mews. She had then instructed them on the makings of their very first hood.

The first two times Naama had sat and attempted to make this hood it ended in her cutting her hand and bleeding all over the floor. Mahoa chastised her and patched the wound up, showing her how to properly hold the stone knife so as to make the correct incisions in the leather. The second time the halfbreed worked on the goddess-forsaken bird-helmet she had accidentally sliced the thing in two. Now Naama sat dejectedly in her corner of the equipment chamber, her tools laid out before her as she tapped her chin thoughtfully.

She began her third attempt drawing lightly with charcoal on the piece of calf-leather stretched before her. It was a pattern Mahoa had taught the girls, and resembled somewhat of a butterfly. She measured it with her thumb and pinky, about the size her aunt had shown her, and nodded to herself once she was sure it was the correct size. Picking up her small stone knife, she leaned over the leather and began to inch the blade down the charcoal pattern. At times she had to repeat the same incision in the leather to make sure it had cut cleanly through, but after ten chimes, the leather pattern was successfully cut out.

She had to stop herself from running to her aunt ecstatically.

The braces were next. Naama grabbed the remainder of the uncut leather and sliced two strips of identical width. She rolled a knot at one end then picked up her stone knife and punched a hole at a mark she made with the charcoal on the left brace. She then cut a slit near the end of the strip to the hole. The right brace received the same treatment with an additional hole punched with the blade nearer to the center of the strip of leather and slits added to either side.

Next, the halfbreed picked up the bone awl and began working holes into the leather of the hood. The process took nearly thirty chimes, with frequent breaks. The threads that would be used for sewing the hood together were made from linen, and Naama didn’t waste any time with the process. On more than one occasion the needle punctured her thumbs, but with several more nursed digits later, the halfbreed continued. Up one, down two, even the ends. Thread through the same hole as up one, thread through the same hole as down two, repeat the pattern. It almost became a chore-- and it was a chore, but a chore that was important to a falconer. And Dhani-be-damned she’d be one!

After a bell later, Naama was done with the stitching, but she soon noticed that the back end was longer than the front. She called her aunt in who then showed her how to tie the surgeon’s knot then left once Naama had delivered the ok. The young girl was far from done, but she would leave the hood unfinished for today.

[Naama]

7th day of Spring 491AV

Naama returned to the mews after devouring a good helping of fruits for the morning meal. Her sister trailed after her at her own childish speed. Mahoa greeted them as the girls entered, and Naama managed to yell out a hello before she sat herself in the corner of the equipment chamber with her items all resting before her. She sat cross-legged, hunched over her small hood and inspecting it for any signs of a loose thread. It was far from perfect, but better than falling apart!

Beside her sat a bowl of water, and Naama slowly dunked her fingers into the liquid then sprayed the small hood with a spatter of droplets. She then took up a small rod and began to roll the seam smooth. The point of the hood became rounded once the halfbreed applied the second dowel inside the hood itself.

Naama smiled to herself at the progress the hood was taking. It was crude, made very apparent that a child crafted the piece but it was something the girl was proud of, so she continued. The topknot was next. Naama cut out two strips for it and evened them up and brought them up through the center hole of the hood. She braided them as best as she knew how, and trimmed the ends of each one. She then dunked her hand back into the bowl of water and wet them just enough to form them into waving strips.

The final piece of the hood to be adjusted were the braces. Naama wasn’t sure at all how to go about lacing them, and instead sought out her aunt to watch her how she did it, then repeated it herself when Mahoa unlaced them. The result was a less than perfect hood a girl of eight was immensely proud of.

“Better than my first hood, kiddo.” Mahoa laughed as she inspected the piece with a trained eye. “A little more finesse with your tools and you’ve got this in no time. Great job on your first finished hood.”

“Dara, dara! I’m finished!” Niobe cried, holding up her piece with a grin from ear to ear.

“Niobe, that’s a chestnut.”

FIN!

[Rage]

GRANTING OF XP Skills: Falconry - 1xp Running - 1xp Intimidation - 1xp Investigation - 1xp Leatherworking - 4xp Animal Husbandry - 1xp Lores: Free Loft Mews Respect for a Raptor Relationship Between Raptor and Falconer Greater Kestrel Falconry Equipment: Hood Falconry Equipment: Glove Falconry Equipment: Bell Falconry Equipment: Jess Falconry Equipment: Leash Leatherworking: Crafting a Hood Items: Leather Hood - A crudely made leather hood that would easily fit over the head of a bird of prey. Notes: A great read, it established and projected the relationship of Naama with her sister and her aunt very well. Good foundation for further training with either. For Falconry, I gave more lores than XP points since Naama listened more than did any practical application of the skill. I did give points in Animal Husbandry and Investigation for cleaning bird poop and asking questions during the lesson respectively though.