#baronyofthesilverwolf

A breath held, and Blossom goes up the steps, alone, then says "Now your turn, Arthur" She doesn't like calling him Squire and he hasn't insisted on it.

"Now ayrie is important. The Baroness has learned to like falconry but a lot of times she leaves it to me." The girl says with pride "We used to have more birds, but with Dame Calanthe gone we had to narrow it down. So if we lose this pennons event with the birds it's not going to be my fault." It's important folks know that

"Will this Dame Calanthe be returning to look after the hawks again? I asked Lord Aiden, but he would not answer."

"Dame Calanthe's everyone's villain, but she was always nice to me. Made me feel special, taught me some about hawking, told me I was different and precious. She won't be allowed back though" A sad look on the girl's face then she says "But she'll go to a better place I bet. Where they don't blame folks who just want to help and hold onto things the way they think is best "

"Oh." He considers this. "I do admit I feel bad for her birds. As far as I can tell, she always treated them well, and animals cannot be expected to understand why their person suddenly vanished."

"You have to treat them well or they get sick. Everything needs some attention and love," She moves through now more relaxed now that they're past the stairs that any centaur would dislike. Here in the upper ayrie though, it's circular and roomy "They're predators, they're happy on the hunt. I mean, if you could fly and you never go to, bet you'd be depressed too right? SO, with the Baroness help, we make sure they each get some time to exercise and see the sky. And yes, hunt. Briar is okay I guess for hunting, and the dogs are good at digging things up, but it's the hawks and falcons that bring death from above on vermin in the area . It protects our gardens, and stable straw and other things. "

She moves along showing a good sampling of hawks, falcons and other birds of prey.

He admires them, with his hands in his pockets - remembering Thistle's earlier warning.

"They are somewhat like little dragons, in a way. They have that clever gleam in their eyes."

THAT Pleases her "Oh yes. They are attentive and to various degrees, territorial of their sky. Now some are better for beginers and I'll show you those I think"

"Yes, please. I do not want to make any mistakes."

"Now the Baroness prefers a Kestrel, and they're a good beginner bird, This is Vespa, hers. She's not the only Kestrel, and they don't really bring down big game." She moves on to another Kestrel "This is Ventor. " A move on to another bird "This is a Lanner Falcon, often seen as a training bird" This one is larger "Large, but easy going comparitvely. This is Aura."

"Aura?"

He hones in on 'easy going'.

"Don't be stupid " She warns "They are still birds of prey, and if you mis handle one , even the nicest will take a pluck at you. Folks have lost eyes. But yes, comparatively"

"Should goggles be part of falcon handling safety gear?"

"No, because they look stupid" Her opinion

Aura is curious

He muffles a chuckle. "I don't know, they fit Thistle's aesthetic. Of course, she often leaves them on her head instead of remembering to cover her eyes..."

"Oh, she is a pretty thing. Like a reversed starry sky. Um. "She"? "

"Yup" A nod "her name means Breeze I think?"

He considers. "From Latin, it would be a breeze, or air, or of the air. From the Greek for air..."

"Do they like being stroked, or being given treats, like the horses?"

"I better show you" ANd she demonstrats how to hold one on a glove and how to work with them "When hunting, the treat is given in trade for what they catch. Let's say they catch a nice fat rabbit, the sort of rabbit who puts die in hand lotion? Why, you don't let it it eat the rabbit, YOU take the rabbit and give it a snack in place"

He gets a good quick ten minute talk about proper handling of any bird of prey

"Why wouldn't they just want to keep the entire catch for themselves?"

"Part of their training," SHe says "Think of it from their point of view. A Peregrine falcon swoops down as fast as can be, and strikes say a good chunky vole, but it's a big voile, so he has to eat it there. Well, suddenly a coyote shows up, and it wants what the Falcon worked for. The falcon can fight to defend it, but that's a lot of risk and energy lost when it needed the food for energy in the first place and might get nothing. With a falconeer, the bird learns he has a partner. Both eat. Even when hunting is slim, the falcon eats. It's a good deal"

"Hm. It is not unlike the Vassal/Liege dichotomy."

"I suppose so" She says "Speaking of the Perigiene Falcon, they are the fastest birds of prey period. They go UP over a target, then work with gravity to NAIL their prey at incredible speeds" SHe moves to another "This is Stellam, he's a Peregrine "

"I must admit, the actual hunting aspect is less compelling to me. I had hoped to observe their mechanics of flight. I also was told by the Baroness that you were using them for aerial patrol surveillance?"

"Well, yes that too" She makes a face

"So you're saying you just want a bird that's on patrol?"

"To be honest, I had never considered wanting a bird at all." He admits. "However, the Baron seems to want me to learn some aspects of animal husbandry."

"Well, yeah" She says hands on hips, "That's what Silverwolf takes the most pride in. It's who we are as a hold. i mean, ANY Old hold can have a fire and collect dross while sending out knights or thanes to patrol. But this is a place of... it's an art form, and a way of life, and a tie to ancient rites" the little girl actually gets impassioned, "The cycle of life and death, of man and nature together as they wander the wheel of seasons? That's some very old dreams and it's not just for redcaps or trolls. It's a sacred custodianship here. WE take MOther's nature's wild fruits and cultivate them as few can. We show that Civilization and Nature are not separate, but rather in a grand dance. Life, Death, birth, Predator and Prey, they all rely on each other. It's our purpose here as much as rulership or guardianship . Maybe more so. Geez, half the problems in this world are from jerks thinking Nature is something they can shut out everytime the close a window, and Civilization and culture only exists in cities. Animal husbandry is part of an ancient compact born of mutual respect and need, and we forget that sometimes in other places but not here. In Silverwolf we do it right! And I don't care if you're seelie or unseelie, it's important we young ones keep those ways alive. "

The centauress, normally quite attention seeking herself, instead gestures to the birds about them as if it were obvious

"Sounds more of an Aesin mindset than Ailil, but yes, I see your points."

"mmph, right, and only Gwydions are warriors. Please. " She does a talk to the hand gesture "Silverwolf was doing this trade while the Aesin were still up in Arcadia drinking dream ale while drinking their weird horned helmets"

He chuckles at that, holding up a hand. "Okay, yes. Point taken. You make several good points in fact. Tell me more about Aura?" Looking back at the white and black speckled falcon. "What breed was she?"

"Oh, she's a lanner Falcon, most would consider her a medium sized bird of prey. They're from Africa originally, but she's adapted well to the climate.. which can be a problem for some breeds. It maybe her fae touch that allows it. The lanner was considered to be the perfect beginner’s falcon. Though others have recently gotten more popular for that. Here in North America they are utilized as education birds. Lanners are as large as some of the other more aggressive hunting falcons but are more chill . Despite not being as aggressive in the field as some others, the lanner has nevertheless still been used successfully to hunt ducks, pheasants, doves, and pigeons. They prefer a horizantal hunt compared to the full committed death from above. They're Diurnal, day time hunters " She says "As for Aura herself well, frankly she's not an eager killer though she takes pride in doing it right. "

"She is kind of human friendly. I've actually done paperwork up here and she's gotten curious. Non Fae birds of prey are not as smart as dogs ... but fae blooded ones? Much smarter"

"So... how do I start?" He faces the proud-looking bird and bows to her. "Hello, Miss Aura. My name is Squire Arcturus, or Art. I would welcome your assistance in learning more about you."

Aura is curious and looks him over, not mockingly, but clearly she's not used to this approach

"First, we gauntlet you up" The girl says and shows him how to strap one on

"Yes. Safety first!" He slides the glove on and tightens it, listening to her instruction.

"Can they be held safety on a bare arm?"

Aghast "Oh my god no. I thought I mentioned that. Those are talons, they will shred your bareflesh as surely as they would any rabbits. You need a falconer's glove or some place to let them roost safely. And that's not malice, it's just them"

A bit of an abashed grin. "I thought it might be like horses, if you know what you're doing, you can ride bareback... I suppose not."

"Horses don't have sharp sharp rippers where you sit, falcons and hawks have talons where they grip. Understand, you may not want to hunt so much, but in the wild, just to survive, 30% of her life would be spent hunting or she'd die. She can't afford an off switch. Now, raise your glove up, but keep the landing part level, and call her name. Always use the name before you gesture or call because we have a lot of birds here and you want to get the right one. It's going to feel heavy when she lands just keep it level and raise her back up even if you need to. Do not bring her right to your eyes . At least not for now. "

He raises his hand high, and calls coaxingly, "Aura! Here, girl!"

It's one thing to KNOW a bird is about to launch itself at you, that there will be abrupt motion, something moving at you with quickness, and then weight on your arm; it's another to experience it. It's really just a hop, but those talons extended for the landing really do look sharp as they close in. Even if it is on his wrist