Rookery Mastery Journal (Part 2)

Day Six
Aptly named The Day of Dread

Well, technically seven or eight, but who's counting?

I decided to spend a few extra days with Tokidoki, one on one, getting to know the silly fluff bucket. She's something else, and I am honestly unsure if flight is something I am entirely comfortable considering in her future. Sure, she can fly on her own, no problem- she'd displayed that several times with impromptu takeoffs when I inadvertently spooked her by burping or scratching an itch or, one time, and this is a true story- winking.

The littlest, most benign things scare this bird. Don't get me wrong- I've grown fond of her, but sometimes she tries even the most patient of people.

This, however, was something of the Day of Dread. My next task was to introduce Tokidoki to one of my other birds... which is laughable, really, if you know anything about the sort of bird that usually winds up in my care. She was going to be eaten alive, turned into a feathery punching beat, I just knew it.

And so, I went with the lesser of two evils and had Marc wait for me out in my training yard. Marc might have been a pain in my ass, the stubborn bird, but it was either him or Jace, and I didn't want to set Toki up for immediate failure. Jace... well, Jace just didn't play well with others. Period. At least the girl had an inkling of a shot with Marchocias.

When I led Tokidoki out to the field, however, that inkling of a shot vanished, as did she.
Turns out, Marc is actually somewhat imposing- a large, snowy barred male with an intense gaze and tufts on his head that give him a fairly devilish appearance. Even I had balked the first time I met him- I couldn't really blame Toki for taking off like that.

Marc's head tilted up, and I could see the gears whirring in his birdy brain as he watched Toki wheel across the sky. He looked at me, and I blanched- I was praying quietly to any gods that may be watching my current comedic situation that he wouldn't take off after her. He gave me a long look, one that clearly said, "You owe me one." before turning away and sauntering off in that strange fashion that Stryx have.

So, today could have gone worse.
I hadn't expected much better.

Day Seven
In which I become (further) indebted to a bird

Today I tried a different approach- maybe instead of Toki approaching Marc, Marc could approach Toki? I didn't see how this could really work out well- I thought that it'd be far scarier to have a creature like Marc casually stroll up to you rather than the other way around, but I had to get Toki to meet another Stryx.

And so, I had the soil girl wait in her favorite tree, snacking on bits of fish I'd tied to the limbs earlier in that day, while I went to fetch Marc. He was a fairly good sport about it- we'd been together long enough that he'd sort of accepted me and didn't usually fight me too hard. Of this, I was grateful- can you imagine how much of a pain that'd have been? Having to wrestle with the fluffy white monster while managing the anxiety levels of Miss Freak Out About The Wind?

Yeah, neither can I.
And I didn't have to.

Marc followed me placidly into the yard, craning his head around to peer for Toki- I'd explained the situation to him and thought he understood what I was asking of him. Follow me, meet Tokidoki, don't eat either of us. The demands were simple. I owed him an entire damned cow for it, but I was fairly certain he'd follow through.

Except, he didn't really get a chance, because once again, upon seeing him, Tokidoki took off into the sky. I sighed, and the look Marc gave me this time was, "I tried, you still owe me that cow."

Day Eight
Of blue skies and birdbrains

I begged, I pleaded.
I whined, I moaned.
I tried everything to convince Toki that Marc was not going to eat her alive, and could she please just give it a chance?

She looked at me like I was crazy.
Had I seen Marc?
Well she had. And she didn't like him.

But I had a plan today- I had a system in mind. This time, when Tokidoki was sitting in her favorite oak, I once more led Marc into the same area, and once again, she flew away.

But I was prepared.

I grabbed the hold on Marc's saddle and swung myself up onto his back. I'd briefed him on the plan today, and he seemed fairly enthusiastic about it as he launched into the air, beating his powerful wings as I settled in for the ride.

It was always a blast, riding Marc. He was big, he was strong, he was fast.
Tokidoki could fly, but she could not hide.

Marc shot ahead, letting out a shrill cry. Tokidoki whipped her head back around and I could see the surprise written all over her beaky little face. She had not expected us to follow her. What were we doing. She gave a burst of speed, which Marc easily matched, and the pair wheeled, arced, and dove through the skies.

I held on for my life- let's face it, Marc knew how to fly, and I knew how to cling to his saddle. We both did our respective jobs very well.

After about a solid fifty or so minutes of flying, Toki had finally had enough and swooped in for a landing. Marc dropped down by her side, clearly pleased with himself. I'll be damned if he wouldn't try to get another cow out of me for a job well done. With a soft sigh, I slipped down from his saddle to stand between the two birds who were staring at one another.

I froze- they were close enough that a fight could easily start. However, soon Marc looked away, as if Toki were no longer interesting, and Toki began to groom her breast feathers, as if Marc were no longer a threat.

Thank god this task was over- I don't think I could have come up with a fourth idea.