we are but birds chained to the earth

v vague post <3

stark coax

The man hummed a soft tune, using the sounds of his claws scraping against the rocky terrain as a makeshift beat. His black fur was damp, his bones chilly and stiff from his journey down to the waters edge. But the uncomfortable state he was in was worth the trek - he had found an injured raven in a feathery heap in the sand. Though from his view in the Aerie, it had only resembled a small, black dot.

That same bird was nestled gently between his jaws now. The wolf's teeth sank only so far as to keep a firm, yet gentle hold. Worry began to wrap its icy fingers around his heart, as the body felt quite cold and lifeless. But Stark kept his pace steady, climbing up the steep, rocky pathways back to the Aerie as quickly and safely as he could.

It seemed like eons had passed, but finally they arrived. Without hesitation, Stark brought the corvid to a secluded, carved out cavern, pausing only to check for a pulse. ... He pressed his calloused pads to the side of the birds neck, searching ... there. it was faint and irregular, but his avian friend was alive.

Ensuring that there was fresh water and some tasty veggies for when he woke, Stark then left the bird for the time being, stepping back out to the fresh, blistery air of the Ayr.

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@anyone welcome!

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he'd heard all sorts of tales of the Aerie and of the corvids in these mountains. Then again, there were many a bedtime story of different wonders near and far in this vast region. Lately, it was as though the world called her to marvel upon these wonders herself. Travel was something she'd never dreamed of taking on...yet, there was an itch in the back of her mind that begged her to do so.

The warnings of these treacherous paths should be heeded, she was discovering. She peeked over the edges of cliffs, curiosity leading her only inches away from a fall to her death. Ah, but she would not fall, of course. Nimue had no intentions of becoming bones and dust like some of the remnants of the poor lost souls here.

She paused, lifting her head as she'd caught the quickest scent of another nearby and it was not long until the stormy hues of her eyes pinpointed the source. Narrowing her eyes, she could barely make out what was dangling in his jaws, though it looked like it could have been a bird. Her brows rose and she took a few more confident steps forward, watching him disappear into a cavern carved into the stone.

Picking her way up towards the entrance of this cave, she meant to take a peek into it, but instead nearly collided with this man as he attempted to exit again. Nimue stumbled backwards and then straightened up when coming face to face with the stranger. "Did you eat it then?" She asked plainly, her introduction rather forward as it usually was.

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stark coax

He had planned to resume foraging, but those plans were immediately tossed out the literal second Stark left the caverns. Shock electrified his heart, and irritation flashed across the mans face for a brief second - before he smoothed it over with a crooked grin. He was spooked, but he couldn't deny the delight that twinkled in his eyes at seeing another face. He was embarrassed that he hadn't scented the girl before coming outside - a foolish mistake, but at least she didn't seem to be a threat...

"Did you eat it then?"

Her words cut through his thoughts, and his jaw nearly hit the floor. What?! The Keeper wanted to smack her - but that would probably be considered rude, and he wasn't ready to jump to that quite yet. His dark eyes took to hers with a stern glare.

"How can you be so sure that it didn't eat me?" he questioned. His tone was blunt, but soon his stare lost it's edge, and he softened his frown. "Seriously though, I can't believe you would consider eating a bird. Not only are they, you know, important to those needing to send those critical messages to others in lands far from them. And," he added with a chuckle, "their meat is so stringy - so gross." Stark scrunched his muzzle, an ear twitching.

"What brings you up here, anyway?" he tried to look at her out of the corner of his eye.

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@anyone welcome!

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he man looked utterly shocked at her question which in turn surprised her. What exactly was she supposed to think he’d been doing carrying around a bird as though it were fresh kill? She sniffed at him a bit and then wrinkled her nose deciding he didn’t exactly smell like he’d ripped into the feathered thing.

His response caused her brows to rise and she blinked at him, perplexed by such an odd question. It only made her begin to think and she cast her gaze upward, her eyes squinting as her face screwed up while she mused upon this. “The bird…eating you? I mean…surely, that would be impossible…you’re well over twice it’s size and it didn’t exactly appear to be in a hungered state, at least from what I observed.”

She noticed the look on his face was stern and the smile he’d donned upon seeing her at first had vanished to be replaced by a deep frown. Nimue cleared her throat and withdrew into silence allowing him his piece, at least for a moment before she held up a paw. “I will have to stop you there, good sir. I never insinuated that I would even consider eating a bird.”

She’d placed a paw over her own chest feigning offense. “Why so many I meet insist on putting words in my mouth I’ll never know…” Her paw moved to her temple and she rubbed at it momentarily with a sigh, before meeting his gaze once more. “I would have to be extreeemely desperate…and even if I were that desperate, the chances of me catching a winged creature would be slim to none and I’d be better off expending energy to eat tree roots!”

At this point she was practically chuckling as he was, it was all so silly! ”Aaand, I might add…how would you know their meat is stringy if you haven’t eaten one, hm?” Nimue teased, leaning in as though expecting an answer, but she waved it all away. “Never mind, don’t answer that…” She peered back over at him, her expression resuming its natural apathetic state, though her eyes betrayed her curiosity.

“I’ve heard of this place, the birds, and their keepers…my grandfather had one, I was not allowed around it much. Perhaps he thought I’d try to eat it to.” There was a glint in Nimue’s eyes, though she did not smile. “Let’s just say, I came here to quench the thirst of my inquisitive nature…which is why I’ve begun to travel as well. My name is Nimue, strange bird man, what shall I call you? And what is it you are doing here?”

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