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 Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 2:49 pm
It was a lovely night for flying tonight. Clouds were hiding the moon and making the weather feel less cold, but no wind stirred the tree tops and the clouds didn't seem to hold rain, snow or hail.
The silence was broken by a jingling sound as Birch landed on a talon worn branch. He hadn't brought Echo on this trip since the smaller bird would only slow him down. The parus habit of repeating any sounds it found interesting could also be a bit of a pain when Birch was actually trying to communicate with another Sentinel. He didn't want any misunderstandings since he needed to get one of his favourite noisemakers mended. If he was lucky he might see about adding a new one to his collection too since noisemakers from different crafters were never alike and Birch was a bit of a collector.
He should be close to Westwinds territory by now so he let out a loud hoot as a greeting before flying any closer. Not many Sentinels would appreciate a visitor just blundering in without announcing their presence. Birch preened his flight feathers and checked the bag he had been carrying while waiting for a response. The noisemaker in the bag was broken, but it would still be bad to accidentally drop it. Birch didn't fancy flying down to the ground to retrieve it.
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Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 6:09 pm
 A couple of trees away, another Sentinel was enjoying the quiet night from a different perspective. The slightest sound seemed to carry for miles, allowing the Hunter to hear every move his prey made. A slight rustling sound alerted Merlin to an opossum. Having the advantage of a silent approach, he glided along swiftly and soundlessly. It was over in a matter of seconds, Merlin easily making a swift and relatively-painless kill, made perfect with routine practice. As the Sentinel was about to start on his kill, he heard a distinct noise.
Jingle. Clear blue eyes lit up at the sound that only one thing could make. Bard-bells. Well, fancy that. A bard! And from the sound of the ensuing hoot, he or she was nearby, too. Meal forgotten, Merlin beat his wings heavily to gain lift, carrying the large possum in both of his talons. He flew in the general direction of the sound, stopping to hoot his own greeting when he entered Westwind's territory. Perhaps the bard would be willing to trade a few stories...
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Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 2:30 pm
At the hole in a giant old tree appeared a Mus, who glanced about before disappearing back into the tree. Moments later, a large, scruffy Sentinel appeared. He glanced about with a relaxed look on his face. He hopped lightly down to a branch settled just a foot or so beneath the entrance to his home, ruffling his dark feathers.
He let out a hoot in reply, saying it was alright to come and visit. The jingling of bells told him that at least one of them was a bard. Perhaps one who was interested in his crafting? He waited patiently to find out, his mismatched eyes taking in the surroundings.
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Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 2:45 pm
Another Sentinel announced their presence shortly after him so Birch was apparently not the only one who was visiting the crafter tonight. He didn't recognice the voice and since Westwind welcomed his visitors Birch decided he might as well find out who the other was when he reached the crafters tree.
Grabbing his bag, he took off from his perch and entered Westwinds territory. Birch had lots of practice spotting dark woods sentinels agains various backgrounds so it didn't take long for him to notice the dark form on a branch in the giant tree.
Birch landed on a branch at a respectful distance from Westwind.
"Greetings!" he hooted and bowed his head, "I'm Birch, the bard. I've seen some of your work and I wondered if you work with noisemakers at all?"
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Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 3:51 pm
Merlin's pricked ear-tufts had relaxed after hearing the return-call. Most Sentinels he had met were open to others intruding in peace...but it was always good to be sure. Though a formidable Sentinel in his own right, Merlin was not looking for a fight...instead, he craved a story.
Having followed the bard rather impulsively, naturally, he hadn't even given a second thought to the actual Sentinel whose territory he was intruding in on...Tilting his head to hear better, Merlin could make out a faint greeting.
From the sound of it, the bard, Birch, was conversing with someone who might work with noisemakers...a Crafter, perhaps?
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Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 4:17 pm
Westwind greeted the bard with a blank, good-nautured stare. This lasted for a few odd moments, before he blinked and replied.
"Hello Birch the bard, man. I'm Westwind, a crafter. Though it seems you already know that. Noisemakers, did you say? Hmm.... Well, I mainly do, like, jewelry and stuff, but I could, like, give it a try."
He blinked again, slowly, and turned his head in the direction that the other greeting had come from. He had sworn Oak had said there were two visitors.
He turned back to Birch.
"What did you have in mind?"
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Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 12:46 pm
The crafters slow response gave Birch lots of time to wonder who the other visitor could be. He would see soon enough since it had sounded as if the other was close behind him.
"What did you have in mind?"
"See, my Thunderbird is broken," Birch explained and began to untie the bag at his feet, "I don't know if the wood part can be saved or if you'll need to craft a new one."
Birch finally managed to open his bag and uncovered the damaged noisemaker. The string was neatly rolled up, but the wood part was chipped in one end and a hair thin crack had started to form.
"The crafter who made it passed away last winter," he explained, "And I decided to take it to you since I've heard you work with wood."
Using his beak, he held the instrument out for Westwind to take.
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Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 3:23 pm
Ah, now the two Sentinels came into Merlin's line of vision. The bard appearing to be handing a wooden instrument to the Crafter; perhaps it needed repair? He swooped down, landing with a heavy thump onto a nearby branch. The dead opossum lay splayed out beneath his talons.
"Hullo there. I'm Merlin."
Not wanting to interrupt Birch, Merlin offered no furthur explanation for why he was there. That could wait until the bard was finished with his request. And truth be told, Merlin did not know why he had acted out on impulse, himself. It was probably awfully rude to intrude upon a Sentinel's territory for the sole purpose of meeting another Sentinel. Of course, the possibilty that the Birch would not feel like performing had never even crossed Merlin's optimistic mind...
For now, the Hunter merely nodded politely and sat off to the side.
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Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 11:23 am
Wes took the small piece of wood carefully into his beak, hopped over to his hole, and set it down lightly to examine it. A mus came out of the hole and peered at the wood before looking back at Wes. Wes nodded and the mus carefully took the piece back into the tree.
Wes turned back to Birch.
"Well, I could repair it, but chances are that it would break again, man. So it would be better if I made you a new one. It would last longer that way."
He then noticed the hunter.
"Oh, hey there, man. Merlin, was it? I'm Westwind."
He left it at that for a moment, before speaking again.
"Oh, did you need something crafted too, then?"
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Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:26 am
Merlin nodded. "Pleased to meet you, Westwind."
He paused for a moment, looking at Birch, then broke out into a wide smile.
"Ohohoohoo! Well, I certainly hope that not all your visitors come wanting something crafted from you."
He grinned, chuckles subsiding, before continuing.
"You see, when I heard the jingling of bard-bells, I just couldn't stop myself from going over to investigate...and..." Merlin scratched his beak with his talon rather humbly for one so arrogant. "You see, I..ah...happen to have a great fondess for stories and the like...and I was wondering if perhaps there could be a small performance...if it's no trouble."
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Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 11:47 am
Birch nodded as the crafter assessed the damage and gave his verdict.
"Yes," he agreed, "a new one would probably be best. I can still keep the broken one to remind me that my skull is harder than wood..."
Before Birch could ask what Westwind would like in return for the favour the other Sentinel started to talk about a performance. Judging from the opossum the other was carrying he must be a hunter.
"Well..." Birch said, "I didn't bring any other noisemakers, but I guess I could manage a story."
Now which one should he tell? His mentor Char had an uncanny talent of always finding the right story for any occasion, but Birch didn't have a lifetime of experience like the old bird had. Perhaps he should tell the one about the Martes the Mus and the Skurri... Or the one about the Sentinel who flew to the moon.
"What do you say West?" he said and turned to the crafter, "Would you take a story in return for the noisemaker or can I offer something else?"
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Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 7:26 am
Westwind smiled his lazy smile at both, but replied to the Bard first. After all, business was business.
"A story would be great. Man, I haven't heard a new one in a long time. Seems a fair trade. I'll have your noisemaker done by tomorrow evening. I just need to make sure I have wood that won't crack easily, but will produce a good sound. I'll use the old one as a reference for the size and cut. I'll be easy on it."
It was a surprisingly intelligent statement from the laid-back Sentinel. However, this was his passion and his one real gift. He turned to the hunter, Merlin.
"I guess you're right, man. Not everyone want something." He chuckled.
"At least from me, anyway."
His eyes sparkled with merriment. He turned back to Birch, and waited politely for the story.
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Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 12:19 pm
Merlin's eartufts twitched in anticipation. Being a rather boastful Sentinel inclined to exaggerate, he particularly enjoyed watching professionals produce dramatic effects.
Upon noticing Birch's third row of chestspots, Merlin coughed, amused. From the looks of it, the bard had a sense of humor, too.
"Well then, if you don't mind me staying for the show, I'll be happy to offer this..." He nudged the opossum forward with his foot, grinning all the while.
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Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 1:40 pm
Birch turned back to Merlin at the amused cough. The grinning hunter seemed like a cheerful fellow, and generous too. A whole opossum was a generous offer. Birch hunted like any Sentinel, but most of the time he was satisfied to the rodent and Mus population in his territory.
"I'd be honoured to take it," Birch said with a grin. "But I think Westwind should get a share too if he'd like."
Birch shifted on his branch and straightened up to get a better posture for storytelling.
“I hope you will like this,” he said and smiled at Westwind and Merlin in turn, “It actually has a hunter in it.”
He cleared his throat one last time and started telling his story.
“Once upon a time and long time ago a gatherer and a hunter lived in these woods. Their territories were almost overlapping but they did not disturb each other since the hunter hunted and the gatherer gathered. They lived in peace and sometimes crossed the territory borders to hunt or gather on the other side.
The gatherer was good at what he was doing and brought home enough to feed himself, his brooding mate and their two young hatchlings, but the hunter lived alone."
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Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 8:13 pm
Wes eyes the opossum with obvious interest, but he ruffled his feathers and decided to wait until the story ended. It would be rude to take a bite of something they were sharing while the other was clearly occupied. So instead he settled back and listened to the story, his eyes taking on a far off look.
At the opening in the tree appeared a small mus and a chirop, curious eyes peeking out, but they dared not to go further. They wanted to hear a story as well. So Wes decided to let them.
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