02-26-2012, 06:33 PM
There was something addictive about the way the intelligent bird obeyed her instructions. She was already beginning to wonder if she'd chosen the right area to specialise in. She could imagine herself an animal handler, with lots of low-speaking servants at her beck and call. But then, every kind of specialisation Caprica came across she wanted to dabble in. She was doomed to indecisive wavering it seemed.
Aeron suggested that the crow should learn by fire, which seemed to indicate that they should offer him a challenge. Caprica nodded smartly, taking the instruction like a well-trained soldier, and then turned the horse with her leg before pressing her into a smooth canter. She rode for a minute or more, putting distance between herself and the other woman. She was too far away to hear when Aeron released the crow, so the first impression she had of his approach was the beating of wings overhead. Turning her gaze skywards, Caprica saw the crow's silhouette, dropping towards her as if planning to land on her shoulder while still in motion. Some random urge made her lean forward and press her horse on faster, her powerful calves locked to the mare's sides. They began to gallop, and when she looked up again she realised the crow was falling behind. A challenge was one thing, but she supposed it was unfair to expect the bird to try to out-race a thoroughbred in prime condition. "Whoa," cooed Cap and gently eased up on the speed. But when she turned the mare around, the crow was nowhere to be seen. She must have left him behind, and perhaps he'd felt indignant and decided to go back to Aeron already. She began to trot back the way they'd come, calling "Shou?" But she wasn't too disheartened. She couldn't get it right every time.
And then something large and feathery brushed roughly past her head and landed with a thump on her shoulder. She whipped her head round and almost stabbed herself in the eye with the crow's beak. She thought she could see disapproval in his beady expression, but it was hard to tell with a bird. "Oh, hey there," she greeted, relieved. "You're brighter than me - I'll give you that, lil' fella. So I guess I need to send you back to Aeron now. Hang on - take this," she added as an after thought, and removed one of her wooden-beaded bracelets: hung it around his neck. That was so that Aeron would see the crow's flight had been successful, as they were too far away now for her to hear a shout, and out of sight through several patches of trees. The bracelet secured around his neck, she lifted her hand for him to step onto it, and then thrust her arm into the air, sending the crow spiralling upwards. "Aeron, find Aeron!" she yelled after him. And then she turned her horse once more. They would go further still - keep extending the limits of the clever bird's tracking field. She supposed they could keep this back-and-forth training session going all day, even while she rode the circuit of her traps and checked out the borders. Until the crow got tired. Or bored. Either way, Caprica hoped she would be able to re-acquaint herself with Aeron at some point, although her current task was to put distance between them. She would like to know what other skills this intriguing lady had in her possession.
Aeron suggested that the crow should learn by fire, which seemed to indicate that they should offer him a challenge. Caprica nodded smartly, taking the instruction like a well-trained soldier, and then turned the horse with her leg before pressing her into a smooth canter. She rode for a minute or more, putting distance between herself and the other woman. She was too far away to hear when Aeron released the crow, so the first impression she had of his approach was the beating of wings overhead. Turning her gaze skywards, Caprica saw the crow's silhouette, dropping towards her as if planning to land on her shoulder while still in motion. Some random urge made her lean forward and press her horse on faster, her powerful calves locked to the mare's sides. They began to gallop, and when she looked up again she realised the crow was falling behind. A challenge was one thing, but she supposed it was unfair to expect the bird to try to out-race a thoroughbred in prime condition. "Whoa," cooed Cap and gently eased up on the speed. But when she turned the mare around, the crow was nowhere to be seen. She must have left him behind, and perhaps he'd felt indignant and decided to go back to Aeron already. She began to trot back the way they'd come, calling "Shou?" But she wasn't too disheartened. She couldn't get it right every time.
And then something large and feathery brushed roughly past her head and landed with a thump on her shoulder. She whipped her head round and almost stabbed herself in the eye with the crow's beak. She thought she could see disapproval in his beady expression, but it was hard to tell with a bird. "Oh, hey there," she greeted, relieved. "You're brighter than me - I'll give you that, lil' fella. So I guess I need to send you back to Aeron now. Hang on - take this," she added as an after thought, and removed one of her wooden-beaded bracelets: hung it around his neck. That was so that Aeron would see the crow's flight had been successful, as they were too far away now for her to hear a shout, and out of sight through several patches of trees. The bracelet secured around his neck, she lifted her hand for him to step onto it, and then thrust her arm into the air, sending the crow spiralling upwards. "Aeron, find Aeron!" she yelled after him. And then she turned her horse once more. They would go further still - keep extending the limits of the clever bird's tracking field. She supposed they could keep this back-and-forth training session going all day, even while she rode the circuit of her traps and checked out the borders. Until the crow got tired. Or bored. Either way, Caprica hoped she would be able to re-acquaint herself with Aeron at some point, although her current task was to put distance between them. She would like to know what other skills this intriguing lady had in her possession.