A bird that could pass messages. Mail through the air. The idea seemed novel and fascinating to Caprica. If such a thing was possible, any of them could call for help from anywhere in the packland - if they all had birds with them at all times, of course. They could certainly alert leaders faster to a place their presence was required, for example on the borders. And it would save time with scouting, as the scouts could simply send the bird for help if they saw something troublesome, rather than go themselves. Understanding what Aeron meant, she took the bread treats in one hand, continuing to cling to the reins with the other. Despite her quick growing bond with her mare, she was still very careful to be vigilant at every moment with her, not wanting to risk a moment of their safety and trust which could so easily be compromised if something went wrong. She never could quite get over the gravity of trusting her entire person to another animal, and a prey animal at that. But so many others did it and had been for years, and so far things were fine: the horse was becoming more like a friend to her than a servant, and Caprica couldn't see a problem arising now.
Somehow she managed to fit the bag in the same hand as well as holding her rein, the motion of riding still not a natural thing she was careful to follow the same exact procedure every time she commanded the horse to perform an action. Heels down, hands closed, back straight, look forward, and squeeze. The long-suffering mare stepped forward, and Caprica rode with great concentration until she judged she was far enough away to give the crow a little challenge while still not being close enough to make the practice run utterly pointless. Using her rein a little awkwardly as she bent the horse gently round her off leg, she came to a stop parallel to the direction she'd come so she could turn her head to observe how Aeron was getting on with her messenger in training. The first thing she noticed was that the crow had already taken off, the second that she couldn't even see him any more. Then a waft of air hit the back of her head, and she heard feathers rustling near her ear. Looking up she saw the gleaming-feathered aeronaut circling, and realised he was waiting for her to do something. She'd never handled a bird before and thinking fast, could only recall what she'd so recently seen her new Anatheman sister do, holding him on her horizontally-held arm. Caprica stuck her own limb out straight in front of her, and the red-adorned crow came flapping down to land on it with his claws bending to grip the fur. She wobbled a little, he was heavier and bigger than she'd expected somehow, but remembered the treats in her other hand. She could not give him one without taking both hands off the reins, and hesitated for a nervous moment, then gritted her teeth as she remembered how many people she'd seen doing this before: so relaxed around their horses, knowing the way their minds worked and that without instruction, they were unlikely to do something unexpected unless truly frightened. She lifted her hand very gingerly away from the leather strap, her head turning to inspect Rohan's expression. To her amazement, she saw the horse's eye - the only one she could see - was actually closed, the thoroughbred appeared to have decided to take a quick break, perhaps even a nap. This was very reassuring, and Caprica handed Shou one of the treats, a sort of small cracker, without another moment's thought.
She took the piece of blank paper from the crow as he pecked, and pretended to read it. "Wow, Aeron, that's quite a compliment!" she called to the other woman, not even sure if she was still in earshot at about twenty-five paces away. "This is so sudden... I didn't realise you were such an admirer already!" Caprica's green eyes crinkled playfully, although she had no idea how the other woman would take her jokes. She could hardly help it, she had a mischievous streak a mile wide. "Uh, anyway, did you want me to send him back now?" Her arm was beginning to feel rather heavy, with a full-grown crow standing near the elbow, his devouring actions making the limb bob recklessly up and down.