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 Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2007 12:48 pm
Ok. So it wasn't his brightest idea, but Timber wanted to see the world above. The canopy had dared him to it's branches where large gold eyes could see the above in it's true vastness. It was still part of the deep woods, just higher, where one could stretch their wings and almost take flight. His way up the lightly snow-covered branches in the twilight hours of the evening had been easy, and worth the effort to see the expanse as the stars began to show their faces. After the first hour, however, he wanted nothing more than to get down.
Timber was hanging upside down.
He had slid from one of the snow-covered boughs and in his flailing flight gotten his feet tangled up in the mistletoe that grew upon the tree. His foot caught in the mess and from it he dangled. Flapping every now and again in an attempt to get himself upright. Sirius' stories grew fresh in his mind of how young sentinels who ventured too high could become prey to the creatures that lurked in the above. Dangling was better than attracting unwanted attention...and after all, eventually his father would come looking...right?
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Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2007 1:05 pm
A bit of brisk wind was refreshing against the smooth lines of his feathers. The day held no pressing urgency, no logically set demand that he needed to oversee...a rare 'vacation.' Sandriver was home for a day or two to rest and to give his reports, and that left him a considerable amount of free time to investigate what had changed in his absence and see if the crafters had come up with anything new. Which, of course, meant he had free time at all.
He was en route to begin his usual rounds- Apothecaries, Crafters, Minders, lunch- when his exceptionally sharp ears caught a sound from above. Curious, and finding himself with the time to BE curious, the Elite settled on a branch and coked his head inquisitively at the upper areas of the foliage. Below, his companion darted back a few paces after realizing he had stopped, up on her hind legs and tensed for combat even at home.
After a moment when her Sentinel didn't speak, her light voice carried waspishly up to his location. "What IS it, River? You're deviating from the schedule."
"We aren't on a schedule, Behaba," came the calm, absent response. "There's something- someone, I think- up in the canopy, and there's something just odd enough about it that I think I need to investigate. Hold here a moment, and I will return shortly."
The Lepus scowled, but made a small noise of affirmation as she turned her attention to investigating the little clearing below. Sandri, in his turn, took flight once more- gliding serenely to the upper canopy to see what there was to see. A chirop, most likely, causing mischief...
...Or, of course, a fledgling causing some of his own.
Well, well. Expression showing some signs of mild surprise, the Elite perched on a nearby branch and folded his wings, examining the little fluffball and his predicament. When he spoke, his tone was admirably clear of any levity. "I seem to recall that fledglings are told they shouldn't go too high, before they master their wings."
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Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2007 1:22 pm
At the sound of someone's voice Timber flailed madly, before finally turning his head to look. "An Elite." He whispered to himself before snapping from the reverie. "Help? Please? I'm caught, and I tried to get back down, but I fell and got caught." ._.
The deep woods fledgeling would be embarrassed at being caught up so high only after he was right side up. Right now was not a time to worry about things like that. His wings flailed again.
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Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2007 1:30 pm
"Stop wasting your energy," the older Sentinel replied dryly, and made a leap of his own to join Timber on his branch. The limb swayed deeply a few times before stabilizing, leaving the Elite to lean closer and peer at the mistletoe that had entrapped the fledgling. A bit of judicious snipping would solve the problem nicely.
"You'll fall again," he warned Timber directly, big blue eyes shifting slightly to lock on the young Sentinel. "This will be very quick, so plan where you will go next. Tell me when you are ready and I will cut you free."
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Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2007 1:36 pm
Timber nodded in acknowledgment. He'd fall, but if he could flap a bit, maybe he'd be able catch hold of one of the branches and somehow stop himself from getting hurt. "I'm ready when you are, Sir..." He piped up with gold eyes watching the large sentinel. Wings larger than his body were spread out to parachute the fall as Timber took a deep breathe.
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Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2007 1:43 pm
Fledglings were so brave. It was pleasant to interact with those who possessed no fear- like his own Elites, but without the bravado and swagger that sometimes infected the ranks. Pleased with the little ball of feathers, Sandri bobbed his head and prepared to cut. "One, two...snip!"
His lethally sharp beak snapped precisely at one of the mistletoe's slender branches, perilously close to Timber's foot but not so much that he would come to harm. The greedy plant released it's hold, and he took flight himself to keep up with Timber's fall. Best to make sure the little one didn't come to harm.
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Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2007 1:52 pm
And Timber was falling. His decent only slowed by the fact that he was landing on branches before sliding off and trying to fly again. His wings were tired from being upside down for so long and he found that even the thought of flying or flapping them was painful. Talons found purchase on a branch just above the forest floor and held. The fledgeling was breathing hard, but besides a few broken feathers and some mild bruises he'd be alright. @_@
"Thank you for your help Elite-sir." He said once his world stopped moving without him. It was nice to be seeing everything right side up, even if he had a long climb back up the trees ahead of him. Timber glanced down and hopped to the forest floor, more stable and less chances of falling. He'd never been to the floor...it was more different than the above.
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Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2007 2:02 pm
"That was an impressive fall," the Elite noted, perching on the branch he had just vacated. "Are you alright? You shouldn't be down here, it isn't safe for a fledgling...but don't worry. I'll make sure nothing eats you while you rest a bit."
Once he was on the ground, Behaba's ears came up and she bounded over to where he had arrived. The lepus was bigger than the fledgling, and sitting up on her hind legs made her all the more impressive as she frowned at him. "So this is it? You aren't a Minder, Sandriver. You probably hurt him."
"Better than him dangling there, waiting for something to snatch him like a treat," the Elite snorted, ruffling his feathers and eying her tolerantly. "Be kind, Behaba. It won't hurt you."
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Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2007 2:10 pm
"Thanks... I'm Timber, and yes. I think I'm whole...only a few feathers."
The fledgeling's eyes got huge at the sight of Behaba and he immediately fluffed up to make himself appear at least a little bit larger. "Don't eat me! I bite!" He knew nothing of lepus, only that she was far bigger than he and that the Elite had just said that it wasn't safe.
It took him a moment to realize that it was talking. Maybe the scary large creature wasn't scary? He backed up till he was against a tree, all he had to do was climb back up if it made a sudden move.
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Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2007 2:15 pm
"See, now he's afraid of you." Sandri laughed, eyes bright as he watched the proceedings below. It served his pushy companion right! His amusement earned only a scowl from the lepus, who followed Timber and stopped a little ways away. In recognition of the fledgling's alarm, she lowered herself back to all fours as she sniffed at him.
"Hush, child. I'm Sandriver's companion, don't be frightened. Stop making friends with that tree, I'd wager your wings aren't ready for that long climb quite yet. I'm Behaba."
"She's grumpy but she won't hurt you," Sandri added, relaxing into his normal still watchfulness. "What were you doing all the way up there by yourself?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 1:42 pm
The fledgeling slowly let it's feathers flatten against it's form, turning it's head to look up at Sandriver, but not letting his guard down against the large and rather imposing lepus.
"I wanted to see the sky, sir elite sir. I've never been so high, and I just wanted to peek at it." He said meekly. Really the elite was right, he knew better than to be up so high, but he REALLY wanted to see what the star-filled sky looked like.
"I didn't mean to cause a problem to you..."
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 1:44 pm
"You are lucky, this time- I'm not on duty." Sandri had difficulty hiding his amusement; this one would be a scout, for certain. "Why don't you see if you can get up to this branch I'm on, where it's a bit safer?"
Behaba nodded firmly to this very sane idea, and sat back to dart sharp eyes around the shadows. Confident in her ability to keep watch, Sandri cocked his head at the young fledgling. "And what did you think of those stars?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 1:44 pm
Timber watched Behaba as he turned his back to her and began to hop-fly-climb his way up, sending a shower of loose baby feathers in his wake. He managed the branch well enough, even with how tired he was.
"I thought they were beautiful. I like how you can see the whole world from there! Sir." Maybe he wasn't in so much trouble as he though he had been. The elite seemed nice enough that Timber felt as though he could be honest about his feelings of the great expanse. "You're not going to tell my father, are you?" Concern about his father's reaction to the escapade was clear.
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 1:44 pm
Patient, the Elite had waited while Timber made his determined way up; now he made an inelegant sound and shook himself. "I am not in the business of giving regular reports to anyone but the Brigadier. I will make a bargain with you- if you will promise not to make the attempt again until you can successfully fly, then I will say nothing. I will of course expect you to uphold your promise with integrity."
The ominous note in Sandri's voice made it clear that the Elite would not appreciate it if Timber chose to break his word on a later occasion. "Unless you are accompanied by another adult. That is the only exception; you should tell your father that you enjoy such open spaces. Training to be a Scout or Ranger would likely suit you very well."
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 1:45 pm
Large eyes watched in astonishment. "Me? A scout or ranger? Do you really think so?" He hopped closer to the large elite. "I'll talk to father about finding me a teacher." ^__^ The day couldn't have turned out better for him. Not only had he gotten to see the above, but he got to spend time with an elite!
"I promise I won't do it again without having an adult or knowing how to fly! You can count on me!" Timber had been raised right, he knew better than to make promises you cannot keep.
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