Bearclaw Valley I'm not lazy, I'm on energy-saving mode

@Indra

The eagle soared low in the sky, his eyes looking around to what was beneath. It was obvious that a pack lived in the valley, as wolves were scattered about. Ridge had learned quickly that wolves meant food. While he wasn't often a scavenger, during the winter months he would eat whatever he came across.

He swooped down as he came towards the small forest, landing on a low branch. He was on the edge of the clearing, so he could see what was out there, and if he turned, what was inside the clump of trees.

thank you for starting!

indra had coursed the hare's scent until the outskirts of the valley, and unwilling to press further had turned back towards the borders with a deep expression of disgust on her features. she had done nothing but fail since her arrival - first she had lost her tail and been grievously injured, and not once had she felt she contributed to the pack in any way save for bolstering its numbers.

she stopped as she came upon a clearing, having seen a swadow flutter along the snowpack. looking up at the dark douglas firs she saw a bird with a massive wingspan alight upon a gnarled bough. the landing was graceful and calculated and she watched with a sense of apprehension, secretly aware of her fortune that she was born a wolf and not a rodent.

quietly she strode closer, her attention still rapt on the bird. what was it doing? did it have purpose in the valley, like laurel? or like her was it a soul isolated from others despite being surrounded by nothing but kind and helpful individuals.

A moment after landing, his eyes focused on her. He wasn't accustomed to the wolves paying him any mind unless he was attempting to take their food. Surely she didn't think she could take food from him from his perch. That would be absurd.

He let out a few short warning cries. Though he felt he was high enough that she couldn't get him, he wasn't in the mood for her attempting to. But, if she was simply curious, he was prepared to leave well enough alone.

the bird above her shifted his feathers and with a bob of his magnificently hooked beak let loose a barrage of cries -- cries that caused indra to startle in place. her hackles rose unceremoniously down her spine and she pulled her ears back in alarm, her curious expression warped into startled worry.

she did not want to incite the raptor. something about its presence suggested it was a true predator -- some apex and higher being of a primordial and fierce order she was not accustomed to. she looked away hurriedly and went to leave -- but not before casting the bird a furtive glance. "i wish i could fly." she muttered half to herself as she picked over the half-melted snowpack, carefully changing her route so that she could still view the bird out of the corner of her eye as she went.

Her reaction was instant, and it was obvious he had startled her. For a moment, he felt a little bad, but he had merely reacted out of worry that she was going to try and hurt him. He didn't much think that now. Of course, she could be playing a game, but if that was true, it would come out eventually.

He heard her mutter, but couldn't hear what the words were. What was that? he asked, curious. His head tilted to the side a bit as he waited for her answer, if she gave it all. She looked to be trying to go away now, and if she continued on, he probably wouldn't stop her.

he had given her a warning and indra had heeded it - quickly she made to put distance between them, to lessen his concern for her presence and also to guarantee his talons would not find her fur in the thick of the forest. only, just as she was preparing to really slip off she thought she heard him say something. what was that?

indra froze again, this time a slender ear slowly pulling back around to the umber-plumed bird. she turned her head, her expression both surprised and somewhat fearful. the bird's head was tilted to the side, but even from their distance indra could see glittering intelligence in those piercing eyes.

"d-did you say something?" she asked feebly, incredulous that a bird could talk. she had never exchanged so much as a word with any avian, and bitterly she wondered if once more her fractured mind was summoning cruel delusions which could not be escaped from.

She paused and turned, and he expected her to repeat what she said. Instead, she asked him to repeat himself. It was obvious they could not clearly hear each other from their current distance, and Ridge sought to remedy that.

Speaking his wings, he flapped enough to lift himself off the branch he had perched himself on and take him to one nearer to her and a little closer to the ground. He didn't get the vibe that she was going to attack him, but he wasn't taking the chance on getting down at eye level with her. "I asked what you said," he clarified, and waited to see if she would speak again.

indra sucked in her breath as the massive avian fluttered towards her, her breath stolen by the sheer enormity of his wingspan and the artful, effortless way he alighted upon a closer bough. as if it were nothing at all.

she flickered her gaze to him fearfully -- how she wanted to glance upon him unabashedly and drink in every aspect of his existence from the scintillating glint of his goldenrod feathers to the sharp articulate curve of his beak. as far as she knew there was no greater design for predatory prowess -- he cowed her in ways she could not possibly elucidate.

she was entirely shocked to hear him speak -- and shocked moreso that she understood his dialect clearly. she nearly playbowed in excitement as she incredulously asked: "y-you can understand me?" was this real -- was it truly, impossibly real? she tried her best to beat back the slow sink of self-doubt as she glanced upon his magnificent form, for she wished more than anything that this was not a dream but real life transpiring before her. "i said i wish i could fly!" she blurted again in afterthought, still amazed that the sovereign of the sky was able to understand her perfectly.

the girl's awe was shortlived. high in the tree-tops rimed by azure sky, the bird made no response.

indra frowned but said nothing -- perhaps she was being foolish, perhaps it was her mind playing tricks on her again. full of new doubt, the girl padded sullenly off. the encounter would frustratingly consume her thoughts for the next few hours, but she would forget as soon as she saw laurel that night.

The female looked surprised that he could understand her. The raptor was a bit perplexed at that, since they spoke the same language. Of course, he responded. Ridge had met enough creatures to know that many of them spoke, though every once in a while, he came upon some that didn't. 

He was thoughtful as she admitted that she wished she could fly. Ridge rather liked soaring through the sky, but he didn't realize anyone else was envious of it. I wish I could take on a bison, he said in return. He liked the taste, but he only ever got some when the wolves had finished with their share. He'd eat it all the time if he could kill one. But, raptors were generally lone creatures. Even if they did fly in flocks, they probably still couldn't take on a bison.

indra spun quick around her heels as she heard the raptor's rejoinder -- her eyes lit up with excitement, and a smile broke the cold plains of her features. "you can!" she exclaimed joyfully, feeling her heart strum to new heights. she tentatively approached the tree the bird had fluttered upon, her neck craning as she struggled to hold him in her view against the brightness of the sky.

a rare chuckle passed her muzzle as she thought of her, taking on a bison. "you need friends for that - i can't do that alone either." indra admitted, her smile slightly fading as she thought of the last time she had attempted to take down one of those thundering beasts. they were incredibly strong - and more than one wolf had lost their lives to their hardened skulls and thick hooves. "what is your name?"

If the eagle could smile, he might have at her reaction. She seemed so excited that he could not only understand her, but respond in kind. She moved closer, and he remained still, so as to not frighten her. Only his eyes followed, and they were full of curiosity.

She had a point, he mused silently, that it took more than one of anything to take down a bison. Still, he said, A dozen of me probably still couldn't take down a bison. But, a dozen of you... He trailed off, figuring she would know the ending of the sentence. He had seen a pack of wolves take on a bison successfully.

My name is Ridge, he introduced himself. And you are...? While he had followed wolves, mostly to pick at their leftovers, he hadn't actually befriended one. She seemed nice enough, though.

indra was still in awe that a creature as majestic as one of flight would possibly speak to her -- she, a denizen of the earth -- he, a sovereign of the sky. she wondered in her heart what the wind rifling through feathers felt like, or how the byzantine blue of the sky might have looked through his eyes.

he didn't need to finish his sentence, for indra knew the implication and accompanied it with a museful nod of her head. he introduced himself and indra found herself liking his name. "i'm indra. i live here -- in this valley." she motioned to the frozen expanse they habituated with a cant of her muzzle. "what is it like?" she asked, breathless to hear his own perspective on the enviable ability to fly.

Indra, he repeated, testing her name upon his beak. Nice to meet you, he added. She informed him she lived in the valley, and his eyes followed hers, looking out over the low-lying field surrounded by mountains. His golden orbs went back to her when she asked what it was like.

He didn't pretend that he didn't understand what she meant. He knew. It's different, he began, than being this low to the ground. It was low for him, anyways. He didn't usually perch on the lower branches of trees, preferring the top. It was her that brought him this far. I look down on everything, he admitted, though it wasn't in a moral sort of way. Ridge thought himself better than no one. They all had their place, and no one was above any other. Nature saw fit to make sure things were balanced. For example, I'm accustomed to looking at your back more than your face, he said, a bit of humor in his voice. I can see for miles around me, and the tiniest of movements below me, he told her. His voice wasn't boastful, instead it was unpretentious. I can watch the sunset from the perch of a tree, and then fly high and watch it all over again. He paused, then admitted, I probably take it for granted sometimes.

indra considered his words; she found no fault or condescension in the way he spoke - not even when he mentioned he looked down upon everything. indra took the statement literally, and wondered what their idyllic valley looked like from hundreds of feet above. she imagined he must see everything different than her, to be able to spot anything from so high up -- the voles must look round and shapely, the wolves and deer oval forms that labored the earth -- the trees must seem conical and not at all the giant monoliths that stood among them.

she couldn't imagine it -- but he described it well enough the redleaf girl had a small idea.

"i'd like that. seeing the sunset twice. can you touch the clouds? what are they like? are they solid and can you stand on them?"

suddenly, indra was  overcome with questions -- the real one being, would he tolerate all of her nosiness for very long?

The raptor didn't mind her questions in the least. He had patience to spare. He tilted his head side to side as he considered her question. Well, not the ones you see when you look up, he admitted. They're further up than I can go, he explained. But, there are some low-flying clouds that I can touch. They're like... fog, in way. Fog is really just a very, very low cloud. They're not solid; you can't walk on them. But, you can go through them. He hoped that answered her question. 

It can be scary at time, though, he continued. When it's really thick, you can't see more than a couple feet in front of you. When I'm flying, it's hard to slow down, because then I'll fall. He had learned that the hard way. I flew into a tree once, he confessed.

amazement still riddled her features - she drank in his description of clouds, her gums loose in awe. she shuddered as he mentioned fog, and wondered if it had the same cold embrace a cool roil of mist often held.

indra's brow furrowed as he mentioned he couldn't go very slow -- and then a small laugh, free of derision, bubbled from her throat --  as he mentioned his unfortunate collision with a tree. the girl had seen all manner of birds in flight, and many outmeasured her in speed. she imagined such an encounter was not rare.

"you were okay though?" she asked; he visibly looked okay, but she felt a twinge of concern in the way one does when a stranger mentions a past harm that had befallen them. "i've run into stuff before too.. once with laurel, my sister - i ran into the den wall and it hurt. do you have a sister, or family?"

He wasn't offended by her laugh. He knew how he must have looked, and could even laugh at himself over it. On the inside. His eyes lit up with humor, and he nodded. Only my pride was wounded, he admitted. He had a bruise on his head for a while, but nothing withstanding. 

She mentioned a sister, and running into a den wall. What's a den? he asked. He had only lived in nests and trees, and didn't realize wolves slept in what they called dens. I did, at some point, he said of his siblings. Though, once we learned to fly and hunt, we went our separate ways. We didn't stay in the same place as wolves seem to do. He had assumed that the wolf packs all consisted of family members. Do you like your sister? he inquired. He had no opinion of his own either way. They had parted long before any personalities had been set in stone.

indra was relieved her laugh was well met, and she offered a quiet smile as ridge mentioned only his pride had been stung by the blow. she would have felt the same way -- and did -- with the den.

she was surprised he did not know what a den was, and quizzically turned her head to the side as she answered. "oh - it's like.. a home. sometimes it's under a tree, or a hole in the ground -- sometimes it's even a cave! we were born in a cave, i think." she was surprised by her sudden chattiness, but perhaps it was because ridge seemed easy to talk to -- and unlike other wolves around her, he didn't seem to have some sort of ulterior motive she couldn't grasp.

he asked if she liked her sister and the truth was plain upon her face for him to see - there was nothing in the world indra loved more than laurel. "yeah. we're
always together. she looks like me except tawny - kind of like the color of your feathers. you never see your siblings? do you have a pack or are you alone?" come to think of it, while indra had seen many communal birds from geese to sparrows, she was not sure she had ever seen more than one eagle at a time -- if she was even lucky enough to glimpse them at all.

He nodded when she explained what a den was. So, like a nest, but on, or under, ground, he summarized. Ridge had only ever slept in trees, but he often watched the holes in the ground for rabbits or other small game he could hunt. 

He looked to his feathers as she mentioned them, before turning his gaze back to her. I'll keep that in mind. Is she nice? he asked, incase he happened upon her. He shook his head side to side at her next question. No, I don't see them. I don't even know where they are. It wasn't something that he lost sleep over. It was just how eagles were. We're mostly a solitary creature, except when we have mates. He didn't, but he wasn't in a hurry to, either.

indra tucked that information away -- that they had nests, not dens -- in hindsight it made sense they made their roost high in the canopy. indra had never seen an eagle nest -- most of the birds she interacted with were game like quail or ptarmigan, and they generally lacked the same ease of flight a raptor possessed. as such, their roosts were usually within reach for the redleaf; she thought guiltily of how often she had eaten them, and wondered if he carried any love for other winged species.

she didn't really care for fox or coyote, and wondered if it was the same thing -- she wasn't about to ask though.

it seemed sad to indra that he was solitary - she had been at her worst alone -- but she wondered if being born that way made it easier. perhaps ridge and others like him found it natural to comb the skies alone. indra could not imagine traveling such an expanse by herself. not without laurel.

he asked if laurel was nice and indra considered the answer carefully. laurel was nothing but nice to her, but she knew very few wolves thought her sister kind. "she's nice to me." she shrugged; she would never say anything negative about laurel. "if you're nice back, i'm sure she'd like you. so after you guys are born you all go away? i guess that makes family reunions less stressful. you don't miss them?"

Ridge considered himself pretty wordly, in the sense that he understood each species had its place, and one wasn't excluded from nature and her wrath. A hunter could be killed by its prey, and prey could kill its hunter. No one was the exception. So, when fellow avians fell prey to others, Ridge wasn't bothered by it. He simply did his best not to fall himself.

He cocked his head when Indra said that her sister was nice to her. He knew what that meant-- that she wasn't nice to others. I am nice until someone gives me a reason not to be, he explained. Unless he was hunting, he didn't often find the need to be cross with someone. 

He made a quick noise that was something akin to laughter. No, no stress at all. He shook his head at her next question. No, not really, he admitted. We were only together until about 5 months old, and that's when we went our separate ways. Haven't seen her since, he explained.

Indra could understand his sentiment -- like him, the Redleaf was generally kind -- until someone gave her a reason not to be. She dipped her muzzle in affirmation she shared well those principles.

It still thrilled Indra that this incredible monarch of a realm she would never witness deigned to speak with her, some denizen tethered by the constraints of earthly ambulation. She thought it tremendously sad he lived a life of solitary existence -- but perhaps that was the price he paid to roam the outer reach of the atmosphere unhindered with nothing but wind and cloud besides him.

"that's so different from us." she commented quietly, her gaze subverted. Perhaps since it was the only life he knew, it was she that was different.

He considered her comment, his brain quickly going through all the ways they were different. Some were completely obvious, while others wouldn't be noticed until someone looked closer. Yes, he agreed. I'm not quite sure what I would do hanging around with a bunch of me, he said, hoping that might make her laugh. But you seem to do it well, he added, regarding her pack. 

He knew some birds flocked, and that was good for them, but Ridge was accustomed to being on his own. But, as he looked at Indra, he thought maybe having a friend wouldn't be so bad. Especially one he could learn from.

indra couldn't envision a flock of him; that, to her, was more terrifying than the murder of ravens that sometimes blotted out the sky -- ravens didn't hunt wolves, but his kind were known from time to time to pick off their young. indra had forgotten about that until now and she shifted suddenly, looking at him with a newfound sense of trepidation. "i do it okay. some better than others. you learn to deal with it." she gave a shrug of her shoulders, worry still tugging at her thoughts.

"you don't eat puppies, do you?" she suddenly asked warily, her breath held in her throat as she thought of the cruelty of such a notion. but puppies were so cute.