High Hunt and First Flight

SUMMARY The Hayatiento Aerie holds a High Hunt feast and celebrates the Egalrin who fully fledged this year.

The sun has set behind Fate's Spire, but the Hayatiento Aerie is brightly and festively lit in honor of the High Hunt. (See http://www.tenebraemush.net/index.php/Hayatiento for more information about the Aerie itself.)

Every building -- even the Tower -- is draped in brightly colored fabrics and tapestries, many of which show scenes from the scripture of the Green Word, depictions of the Garden of the Gods, the Hunting House of Cernan, and the World Tree. Representatives of the Shrines of Cernan and Ceiwan, as well as of the Yggdrasil Union, are on hand to answer questions and tell stories.

Placed strategically around the Table are five firepits, each roasting a different animal: boar, calf, deer, goat, lamb. The Table itself is piled high with other foods... mostly fresh or simply-prepared produce, but also bread and cakes and a wide variety of delicacies, including a number of decoratively carved gourds filled with candied fruits. Nearby are kegs of ale, wine, juice, and spring water flavored with various herbs.

There are a few hundred people milling about, mostly Egalrin, though a smattering of other races as well. They are chatting, eating, drinking and dancing, and having a great time. Here and there crowds gather to listen to a storyteller, watch a performance or an impromptu contest.

Ga'Elian has arrived.

Dressed in sensible boots, but in a bright red dress with long sleeves, Murder weaves through the crowd, eventually reaching the pit with lamb. The Gobbo hefts a large leg of lamb and wanders off with it, soon finding the arm of Erakirak, which she clings to and peers up at the Egalrin. "Want a bite?", she asks of him, offering a taste of the roasted leg of lamb.

Masamya has been sorting to others and helping with rites of passage lately. However, as she wandered about, she tore off a hunk of bread and chomped it down easily. She stretched her wings, as if waking up, and looked about...

While rather a ways from her own home, Iolaire simply could not pass up the lure of a High Hunt festival. Even if she has to attend without her family, it will *definitely* provide something to write home about!

Weaving her way through the assembled partygoers, the older Egalrin takes bits and bites from as many different offerings as can comfortably fit in her bowl; the better to snack on as she meanders through the weaving displays, quite curious to see the local efforts.

Erakirak has been helping prepare the Aerie for this all week, hunting and helping set up. Now he is at once relaxed and excited. This isn't his first High Hunt celebration at Hayatiento, but it's his first one as a fully fledged Egalrin, and it makes a difference -- to him, if not to anyone else -- and the first one he's sharing with Murder. "Yes!" he agrees enthusiastically, then waits with an expectant air. "Oh, you mean of the LAMB!," he adds, mock-surprised, and rips a chunk of roasted meat off the leg with his beak.

Murder snorts at Erakirak, and pulls on his arm. "Goober!", she says, standing on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. "Is there anyone you're hoping to see?"

Not too far from Rak -- and not too far from the meat! -- a silver-winged griffon is contentedly sitting and watching the proceedings. She is decked with flowers and garlands, which she tolerates with relative good grace, and while she isn't strictly speaking BEGGING she certainly manages to convey the universal feline message of 'I AM STARVING AND NOBODY EVER FEEDS ME' just the same.

Masamya clicks her beack as she wanders her way over to Murder and Rak. "Seems you have made a friend." She says to Erakirak. "Good to see." She says as she tears a hunk of meat off the bone. "The hunters have captured some good food."

The master hunter, Ga'Elian, is listening to a storyteller, as his long coppery hair and dark green cloak billow out behind him on a sudden gust of chilly wind. The griffon Erithamiel walks over toward the lei-bedecked Silverwing, and ruffles his feathers.

"You," Rak replies to the goblin promptly. "But beyond that... I don't know. I hope Ga'Elian can make it." He waves to Masamya as she approaches. "More than a friend," he agrees. "Murder, Masamya, have the two of you met? I --" he cuts off when he spots Erithamiel, and looks around for the older Ranger. "Ga'Elian!" He waves enthusiastically at the wild elf, suddenly appearing very young, while Silverwing bats Erithamiel playfully on the side of the head with a massive paw.

Masamya says, "I have not actually." She then looks to Murder. "I'm going to guess your name is Warty, but I'd be wrong, I imagine.""

Murder lifts a hand to wave at Ga'Elian, and pauses in the path of Iolaire, the Gobbo eyeing the armor curiously. "What do you do?", she asks of the silver-white Egalrin. She shakes her head to Erakirak, eyeing Masamya with a grin. "No, 'Rak, I've not met them. Hello!", the wee woman in red says, offering her hand to the brown 'Rin. Blinking, she cants her head to one side. "Warty? No, Murder is my name."

From behind the grouping, a loud BORK is heard, and soon a large worg is towering over Murder. Drooling on the back of her dress. "Yes, Wilfred, you may have a treat. But just one!", the Gobbo says, with a raised finger.

Erakirak regards Iolaire curiously as well, while Wilfred the Worg carefully secures a hunk of roasted goat for himself and runs under the Table to eat it in relative peace.

Ordinarily one might not assume that a particular question be directed at them specifically, but the elevation of Murder's voice catches Iolaire's attention; if only to keep avoidable accidents avoided. Her beak drops open in a grin-equivalent, and she dips her head. "Not much to say, miss; I take hits and hit harder." Her voice is well amused, and has the slightly rough timbre of an older woman.

"Used to train the militia in my home aerie, I did... But, when the children are grown, there's little to drown out adventure's call, if you follow."

Masamya says, "Completely undestand." She says to Iolaire. "Believe me, the call of the Green Word is strong. I am glad the Aerie was created as well. This way, we can watch Alexandria from the skies, as well as the rest of our friends....""

Ga'Elian looks over as he hears his name. He silently walks over to join Erakirak and those gathered around him. Meanwhile, Erithamiel chirps and swishes his tail showing a frisky mood. He scrunches his avian forequarters down for a moment, holding his wings only slightly open, then pounces playfully with his powerful hindlegs at the female griffon allowing the wind to catch him up, aiding him in rearing up on his hind legs wings extended, for a moment before standing again on all fours, and purring loudly.

The Gobbo in red eyes the Worg a moment, until she's satisfied he is behaving himself, before she glances back to Iolaire with a smile. "Children?", she says, wistfully. "All grown and flown the nest? So you have travelled from elsewhere to be here? I hope the trip wasn't eventful. In a bad way, I mean." Murder peers to Masamya when she speaks and grins, "That's what I like about the Aerie, it's close enough to Alexandria but far enough away for peace and quiet. And fresh smells." She steps over to Ga'Elian and wraps her arms around his midsection, hugging tightly. "Glad you could make it, Elian.", she says with a smile.

Returning to Erakirak's side, she remembers the leg of lamb in her hand, and begins to tear through it quickly, nearly inhaling it.

Erakirak nods agreement to Masamya, and gives Iolaire a shallow bow of respectful greeting. "Welcome to Hayatiento," he says to Iolaire in Auran, before switching to Trade so everyone can understand. "Have you spoken to the Council about helping the militia here? With all the threats rising in the Redridge, I'm sure they would welcome a veteran," he explains.

As the Ranger approaches he gives an avian grin and adds "Speaking of threats to the wild, have you all met Ga'Elian? He's a Master Ranger, he helps keep those threats under control and, you know, stuff," he trails off, apparently a bit tongue-tied, with the air of someone meeting a personal hero, before wrapping a wing over Murder's shoulders and wordlessly asking for another bite... a skill he has apparently learned from Silverwing.

Who, incidentally, has abandoned her pose of calm observation to gambol with Erithamiel, much to the entertainment of some younger Egalrin.

"Oh, hardly exciting at all," Iolaire chuckles. "Which is how I rather like it, myself; best to find excitement when you've got a proper camp to fall back on, after. But it's true, it's quite lovely to see a proper aerie this close to Alexandria... And no, I've not yet spoken to the Council. It's a spectacular idea, though, and I'd be more than happy to see if they'd have need of this old battle-crow!"

While the griffons play, some of the older children get the clever idea of tossing hunks of meat at them and watching them snatch them out of the air.

Ga'Elian, for his part, smirks at their frolicking display, but reacts to being grabbed around the waist by Murder with a friendly, "Thanks. It's good to see you, too." He reaches over and pats Rak on the shoulder saying, "Good party, friend. Just the sort of thing the Hunter would enjoy."

Masamya says, "I'm sure they'd provide you with a good place in the Aerie, Iolaire. The council won't overlook you." She says heading back over to the table and getting some more meat to eat."

Murder licks her lips, then the bare bone left over from the leg of lamb, and whistles a three note tone. Under the table, Wilfred the Worg perks up, and catches the lamb bone tossed his way by the Goblin. She grins to Iolaire, "Oh, more people living here would be great, and for the most part, it is a pretty quiet town. A few exciting things have happened, but nothing quite like how often Alexandria has excitement. And at least then, you have the choice of heading down to Alexandria for work, and returning here for the relative peace and tranquility."

Squeezing Erakirak's waist, she pulls his wing down further around her, concealing her from view.

Erakirak nods. "Though I'm not sure how long the 'peace and tranquility' will last," he mutters.

The sounds of revelry suddenly quiet as, with a blare of trumpets, two older-looking Egalrin fly out of an upper window of the Tower and begin to circle the Commons in a double-spiral, and the residents hush respectfully.

The one flying clockwise is a black-feathered ravenlike man dressed in flowing green-and-brown, with a longbow and a quiver of arrows strapped to his back: Kazue, Tender of the Shrine of Cernan. The other, a blue-and-green-feathered macawlike woman flying counter-clockwise in a complicated robe fashioned from vines and leaves and plaited grasses, is Tamiko, Tender of the Shrine of Ceiwen.

Kazue and Tamiko eventually land gracefully and coordinatedly on a stage set up in the middle of the festivities.

"In the beginning," Kazue calls out, and her voice is amplified somehow, easily audible throughout the Commons, and translated from the chirps and whistles of Auran into Tradespeak for those who need it, "Kakkai'on the Wrathful fought with the other gods, releasing a great storm that covered the world!!!" The sounds of rain and howling winds and thunder fill the Commons, and flashes of artificial lightning crack on the stage.

"The storm brought forth lightning," Tamiko picks up the story, "and from the lightning the Egalrin were born, with the fierceness of the storm in our veins!" The Egalrin audience gets into this, cheering and squawking to outshout the "storm".

"We were Kakkai'on's children then," the pair continues, now harmonizing, "until we sought the Wisdom of the Sky, of Cernan and Ceiwen." The audience hushes at the Gods' names, and the storm-noises subside. "So let us honor their names with a moment of silence."

After a longish pause, they speak up again, loud and raucous. "And now: let us celebrate them with revels!" The silence is broken again, by cheering and music and the sounds of revelry, as the pair fly back to the Tower.

Murder bursts out of Erakirak's wing to cheer and holler with the crowd, and hushes when the crowd hushes. Followed by more yelling and cheering by the Gobbo at the top of her lungs.

"Then I shall have to make myself known," Iolaire says, evidently quite well pleased... And then the Tenders make their appearance, bringing all thoughts of conversation to a respectful silence.

A silence which is broken by a short whistling laugh, as the Tenders make their exit not long after. "Well! The Tenders back home could learn a thing or two of brevity from that pair... Seems they know rather nicely how long a fest can be held at bay!"

Erakirak laughs and cheers with the others, and when the revelry starts up again he participates enthusiastically, pulling Murder into a dance that quickly leaves the ground.

Ga'Elian watches the elder egalrin make their presentation. When the party resumes, he takes a chunk of venison and a cup of sage-infused water and partakes.

"Yes," a blue-and-brown feathered older Egalrin man near Iolaire agrees. "They were MUCH wordier when they were young, but they learned! We are not a patient race, are we?" he adds, laughing.

Masamya says, "Sometimes better stories are told with words left out." She then clicks her beak. her moment of silence is noticed as well.....of course, in her case...a count of 20 is what she gives."

The Goblin nods to Iolaire. "If you do decide to stay, I can show you around! I live here with Erakiraaaaaaaaaaaak..." Murder's squeak can be heard from everywhere as she is pulled into the dance, and against as she is lifted into the air.

Ga'Elian nods. He says, "Scarcity of words allows the hearer's imagination. Besides, words aren't the only way of communicating." He glances to the dancers.

Eventually Rak returns his captive goblin to the ground, and the interrupted conversation. "She totally can," he agrees. "Especially the Undertunnels," he adds with a smirk. "I think she knows them better than the rest of us by now! Of course it helps to be able to see in the dark."

Murder is giggling almost uncontrollably when she's returned to the ground and nods to what Erakirak says. "Yeah, but there are times when I would trade being able to see in the dark for having big wings to carry me aloft. So much fun, you Egalrin are so lucky!"

Erakirak nods solemnly. "We are," he agrees. "Wings are awesome! Especially when they're strong enough to fly with!" Several Aerie residents nearby roll their eyes at this... Rak's First Flight was earlier this month, and he has admittedly been a little insufferable about his wings ever since.

"Not without a good deal of practice!" Iolaire laughs, responding to her fellow not-quite-elder. "But we muddle on, don't we?"

About to answer Erak and Murder, the falconess simply laughs as the two are pulled into a dance among the clouds for a brief moment. "We *do* rather appreciate the gift," she chuckles to a slightly dizzy Murder. "But oh, does it present its own challenges. My Saburo could tell you horror stories of what he had to do to our nest to keep the littles from bumbling right out into the open air!"

Glancing at Masamya and Ga'Elian, the fighter lifts her bowl in salute. "Too true, the both of you. Once you've been in the midst of war's thunder, you do tend to appreciate the quiet moments."

Ga'Elian makes a smiling bow to Iolaire, then turns and strides over to where partiers are dancing and joins right in with them.

Ga'Elian has left.

Ga'Elian goes IC.

Erakirak nods to Iolaire. "It's true. I never really understood that until the war for the Mictlan, with the lich and everything. That was... if I never see anything that bad again, I'd be OK with that."

Masamya says, "You will, Rak. Sadly, it's becoming commonplace around here for the time being." She then blinks twice. "Hopefully, we, along with the heroes of alexandria, will be able to stop the evil coming....""

"Sad to say... it was only barely less common then than it is now," Iolaire sighs. "I served with a company in the Crown Wars... And I tell you now, I'm grateful for all those weeks in the medical tents for letting me figure out I'd rather be covered in littles than glory."

Murder wobbles about for a few moments, before clinging to Erakirak to steady herself. "That is fun but going 'round and 'round in circles is very discombobulating." She seems particularly pleased to have worked that word into conversation. She eyes the others nearby and nods solemnly. "Hopefully we can keep these things at bay. For as long as possible. Life has a deeper meaning when we know how easy it can be ripped away."

Erakirak nods. "Well, I'm pretty sure there aren't any such things _here_ anyway. Not right now. That's something." He shudders, his feathers fluffing up autonomically, much the same way mammals hairs stand on end when threatened. "We have to do more than keep them at bay, though! We have to stop them at their source!"

Murder hmms and leans against the Egalrin, and shakes her head. "We can't ever stop them. Not for long, and not effectively. And if we did, one of two things would happen. We'd all die of boredom, because there would be nothing to strive against any more, or worse, we'd simply find people 'less good' than ourselves to be the enemy, and we'd try to stop them. Life only has meaning when it is fleeting. Fragile. Needing protecting. And it is the greatest equalizer. Death comes for us all, at our alloted time, and woe to those who try to cheat Vardama."

"You forgot the third thing, Miss Murder," Iolaire rejoins, lifting a gloved finger. "That some new horror is like to always rise to step into the place of the old. And it's a thought that'll drive one to despair if they let it, but... Honestly that simply makes the good all that much more precious, and worth protecting."

Erakirak shakes his head as well. "I can't accept that. Sure, there's always gonna be fights between us and the monsters, good and evil, life and death, whatever... but we don't have to be on the freakin' DEFENSIVE all the time. We can take the fight to the enemy, make THEM huddle in their walled evil cities, wondering when the armies of light will invade. Y'know? I'm not saying we retire and eat candy for the rest of our lives, or anything... I'm just saying, if we're gonna fight, let's be winning."

The Gobbo nods to Iolaire. "Yes, that is a possibility too. And quite possibly all three things would happen at the same time. Or none at all. You're also quite right on despair taking over if one lets it." She looks to Erakirak and smiles. "Of course, we should take the fight to them, whenever we can. We can't rest on our laurels. At least, not for too long."

"Can't argue that, dears," Iolaire chuckles. "It's why I'm writing letters to my Saburo instead of enjoying the quiet with him, after all. Bless the man, he's never had a fighting bone in his body, but he can make a tapestry the equal of nearly anything here."

"Why isn't he here with you?" Rak asks Iolaire, curiously.

Murder elbows Erakirak in the ribs, and gives him a look. She smiles brightly to Iolaire. "If you were to stay here, would Saburo join you?"

"Perhaps in time," Iolaire says, tilting her head. "But he was already tired of moving when we left Myrddion and settled into our aerie. He's one of our best weavers, and besides our children are all there." Her beak falls open in a grin. "Right now we're simply treating this as an extended campaign; when the fighting gets serious, well, we'll see if he wants to pick up roots again then."

"Ow!" Rak cries out. "Why'd you do -- oh," he adds, finally getting the message, then shuts up and listens.

Murder giggles at Erakirak a moment. "What you asked and what I asked are the same thing, but mine is a bit more diplomatic.", she says, looking to Iolaire. "Well, I am sure you would be welcome here, even if you only stayed for short periods of time. Is it far, between your home Aerie and here?"

"Rather," Iolaire chuckles. "We're a stone's throw from Khazad-Duin ourselves. Not too far to visit, but, too far to visit *often,* you see."

"I hear Khazad-Duin can throw stones pretty far," Rak muses.

As the party continues, several Egalrin dressed in robes of green and brown lug something to the stage. It resembles a truck tire with handles.

Murder snorts at Erakirak and rolls her eyes at him, and clings to his arm, chuckling. "What aaaam I going to do with you?", she wonders. Her eyes flick to the object on the stage, and looks to Iolaire and Erakirak. "Do you know what that is?"

"No idea," Rak replies. "Looks heavy, though."

Murder bounces in place a few times. "I wanna know."

"Nothing I know of," Iolaire murmurs, quite curious as well. The short skewer she'd been using to eat from her bowl is now clamped in her beak, crest rising faintly as she waits to see what will be done with the strange object.

Kazue and Tamiko fly out the Tower again, though this time they land on the stage promptly and matter-of-factly, with none of the pomp and ceremony of their first appearance. Still, the Aerie residents hush respectfully, just the same.

"I'm sure this will come as a complete surprise to most of you," Kazue announces, her voice amplified and translated as before, "since they've all been so very discreet about it, but some of our youth have recently gained their adult wings!"

Pretty much everyone laughs, more-or-less good-naturedly, at the ironic acknowledgment that newly fledged Egalrin have a way of showing off their wings ALL THE TIME. "You'd think they wuz the first ones to figure out what wings wuz FOR!" shouts a red-feathered portly man standing near the cakes, and everyone laughs again.

"And that's a really big deal!" Tamiko steps in, chuckling fondly.

"True," Kazue agrees. "So, all teasing aside, we've decided to make a big deal out of it ourselves. Will all the Egalrin who fledged this year please join us up here, and take hold of the Wheel?"

She is pointing to the object on the stage. Maybe Murder will get her wish!

Erakirak hides behind his wings at the teasing, then stares in surprise at the invitation. "I guess we're about to find out," he says to Murder as he flies -- of course -- to the stage along with a handful of other Aerie residents.

Murder watches as Erakirak heads up to the stage, and she looks to Iolaire, eyeing the crest as it rises slightly. "Oh, that's neat.", she says quietly. "I can now see the differences in crests." The Gobbo rubs at her cheek and looks back to the stage.

Iolaire chuckles quietly. "Ah... Now it makes sense," she says quietly around the stick... Then glances down at Murder, head tilting to one side. "Well, by the looks of it, you'll have plenty of time to learn all about us."

"You mean the wheel thingy? What's it for, do you think?", Murder asks quietly. "Are they going to make fun of them some more?"

Once all the newly fledged Egalrin have grabbed hold of the item, the Tenders continue. "To be a full-fledged member of the Aerie is to provide what the Aerie needs," Tamiko explains. "To that end..."

"...follow me!" Kazue commands, flying straight up.

The younger Egalrin try to follow, but the Wheel weighs them down... at first. With much grunting, swearing, frantic wing-flapping, and exhortations from the Tenders, they manage to get the thing about forty feet into the air... at which point it comes apart into hundreds of small packages that float, glide, and otherwise drift down to the ground, where the crowd -- first the children, mostly, then the adults -- open them to find them filled with candies, wind-up toys, and miscellaneous other small gifts.

The Gobbo eyes the packages as they descend, and drools at the candies that are being enjoyed. But the windup toys. These catch her attention. She races through the crowd and begins to hunt the different toys, trading doubles and candies to others, be they children or adults. Something something gotta get them all.

"If I had to guess," Iolaire chuckles, "it'll be somethi-- ah! Watch!" And as the drum comes apart, the older Egalrin laughs in delight. "Well, that's just wonderful, isn't--" Looking back down, she trails off as the realization comes that Murder has already scampered off to collect her own bounty. Snickering around her skewer, she returns to her meal, watching the tide of joy spread across the aerie.

Erakirak lands next to Iolaire, exhausted and proud and amused. "You don't want any High Hunt presents?" he asks, curiously.

Murder scampers back carrying at least a dozen moving toys in her arms. "Eee. You wind them up with the key... and they move!", she says, eyes wide and her smile bright. Scampering under the table, she begins to tuck them into a bag strapped to Wilfred, who sniffs at them curiously, but amazingly doesn't eat any.

Silverwing, in what is probably a remarkable coincidence, gets bopped in the nose by a small wood-and-cloth griffon that glides through the air with wind-up flapping wings.

"Oh I'd love some," Iolaire says, voice merry. "But it makes the littles feel *so* good to give one of their extras to a poor neglected elder... How could I keep that joy from them, mh?"

There's a loud bang, and the table moves up a half inch. Murder crawls out from underneath, with teary eyes and a large welt on her forehead. "There's FLYING ones?!", she wonders, loudly, staring at the one that just bopped Silverwing in the nose."

Erakirak laughs delightedly. "Want some help collecting them?"

Murder squeaks and dashes back into the crowd, looking for more unique ones, ones she doesn't yet have.