Swiiiiiiish...
A soft breeze ruffled through the tan grasses of the meadow on the edge of the Jade Fern Grove, now dried and desiccated from the winter's chill. A soft rustling gave away his position - a small, brown-pelted vole was meandering among the stalks for something to fill his famished belly. A seed here, a miscellaneous morsel there. He continued along his path, his tiny ears twitching for the slightest sound, occasionally rearing onto his hind legs to scent the passing wind. All's quiet, all's well.
PLOP!
His world was suddenly dark as he found himself ensnared in a prison of scales and black talons. His situation devolved rapidly from there as a merciless pale beak bore down on him, lifting him into the air before consuming him in a single gulp.
Ahhh... delicious. The female barn owl was pleased with herself. It had only been a few days since she'd wandered into this place, and she found it much to her liking. Prey were plentiful, and there was little around to pester her, save for a few crows that were very displeased with her presence. She'd have to keep an eye out for those mobsters.
Best of all, there were WOLVES here! Wolves! Such curious creatures, yes? Shriek clacked her beak, tilting her head to the side as she thought about them. Their behavior was fascinating, how they hunted as a pack, how they lived in family groups. They were very different from her kind. Maybe she could learn a thing or two about them today.
Riggs strolled through the meadow at a leisurely pace, not in any hurry to be anywhere. He was new here and exploring. The weather was cold, and the sun hid behind thick clouds that dropped a light snow upon the ground. The wind made some of it swirl, and his gaze followed it.
Movement caught his eye just in time to see an owl catch something small and devour it. Efficient hunter, he thought to himself. He made his way over slowly so as not to frighten anything nearby. His eyes searched for where the owl went, curious about the creature.
The bird clacked her beak, her way of muttering to herself, before fluffing out her feathers, which gave her a much rounder appearance for a brief moment. After a good shake, she settled her pale plumage back down, reclaiming her typical sleek silhouette. She was just about to take to the air once more when her sharp ears caught the barest of sounds, and her heart-shaped face snapped quickly to attention.
Her pupils widened suddenly within their blue surrounds as her gaze fell upon the mottled face of a large canine. A wolf! Eeek! So it was true - these lands were home to the mighty creatures. Shriek was both terrified and exhilarated at the same time. Her feathers flattened against her light frame in fear, her pupils swallowing the deep cerulean of her irises. With a single push and a quick flap of her silent wings, she took no chances but went airborne before alighting just a few feet away on the low-hanging branch of a nearby black spruce. Ahhh, much safer!
From her new vantage point, and the security it provided, she allowed her own curiosity to take over. Carefully, the owl shuffled as far to the end of her perch as she dared, never taking her luminous gaze from the wolf for a moment. Then, in a fashion many would likely find comical, she craned her neck toward him, tilting her head 45 degrees to one side, as if asking "Who are you? Friend?"
When the owls head snapped around, Riggs froze, his own eyes widening in surprise. He shifted, ever so slightly, to make sure he was prepared to reverse quickly if he needed to. Other than that, however, he did not move.
Suddenly, the owl expanded her wings and lifted herself off the ground. Riggs backtracked quickly several yards, fearing the bird would come at him. He really didn't have any experience up close with birds. He had watched a falcon once pick up a rabbit in its large talons, and then rip its fur out with the beak, bit by bit. That was enough to tell him they were predators, not prey, and to not underestimate them.
He watched keenly as the owl settled on the branch. He figure she would find safety in a high branch and closer to the trunk. Instead, she came closer to the edge of the low-lying branch. Riggs cautiously moved forward, his steps slow and deliberate, so the owl would be able to anticipate his next move. He didn't want to scare her, or give her any reason to attack him.
He came to a stop a few feet from the branch and sat back on his haunches, his eyes gazing up into her blue orbs. She cocked her head to the side, and he mimicked her, his ears perked. It seemed he was not going to be attacked, so he relaxed a bit. Hello, he offered. My name is Riggs. What's yours? He assumed she could speak the same as he did.
Shriek studied the stranger intently, staying stock-still for a few breaths. Well, this creature certainly wasn’t acting as though they intended her any harm. Their steps were slow, methodical, deliberate, but not in a predatory manner. No, this one was broadcasting its caution, seemingly as respectful of her as she was of them. She relaxed a bit, fluffing her head feathers out before giving herself a good shake all over - a means of trying to calm herself. They seemed large, muscular… a male, perhaps? Likely.
She had to admit slight amusement and pleasure as he mimicked her head tilting, a gesture that, in another owl, she’d take as a sign of peace. The pale bird startled a bit as her new acquaintance issued a series of deep growls and barks, once again causing her feathers to flatten. She held her breath.
When, after a few moments, no attack was incoming, no seeming threat impending, her plumage fluffed again. Oh, was that… a greeting, maybe? Oh, this was exciting! He was communicating with her! But… she couldn’t speak his language. She didn’t have lips, or vocal cords, instead possessing a hard beak and syrinx. Damn! Maybe, with practice, she’d be able to mimic his way of talking. But for now, she’d make this work, somehow - for science!
Tilting her head once more to the side, she blinked those large blue eyes of hers before slowly lifting a single feathered foot. As if unsure of how her gesture would be received, she slowly moved it back and forth, waving “hello.” She then gave a short shriek, thankfully not at her full capacity. “I’m Shriek!” It was unlikely the canine would understand her speech, but she had to try.
He watched the owl, freezing when she ruffled her feathers. For a moment, he thought it was a warning - to not come closer, to not dare try anything, to leave. But, after a few moments, nothing else happened, and so he chose to chance it.
He watched as one leg lifted in the air. For a second, it was sure it was a warning. Then, it moved back and forth. She was waving at him! His tail wagged, relieved that this seemed to be a friendly meeting.
Riggs shifted his weight to the left and lifted his front right leg, waving it in the air. It was the best wave he could muster, though it looked a little clumsy. His ears flattened for just a moment at the sound she made. That's quite a screech, but I'll take it as a hello, he said as a smile appeared on his maw. He didn't realize she couldn't understand what he was saying.
Shriek was certainly no canine, but she was pretty sure that a waggling tail was a form of a universal greeting. Her excitable little heart was even more aquiver when the wolf returned her waving gesture. Success! Oh, this was positively more than she could have hoped for. Perhaps one day her insatiable thirst for knowledge would get be the end of her, but… YOLO.
Deciding to chance it, the owl opened her wings and allowed gravity to pull her gently back to earth. She neatly folded them back against her body, gave herself another gentle shake, and craned her neck as the wolf spoke again. A little pang settled in her chest… how odd. It seemed she felt some sorrow at not being able to speak directly to him, not from a purely clinical perspective, but because he seemed quite kind. She still didn’t know his name, so… she decided she’d just call him “Friend.” Yes, that would do.
Mustering her courage, she walked a few steps closer. When she was virtually right below him, she looked up, studying him up close with her inquisitive eyes. He was quite a sight to behold up close! After a few moments, her mind registered that staring endlessly was probably considered rude at best, a threat at worst, and clacked her beak in apology, “Whoops, sorry…” Craning her neck to the side to glance in the direction he came from, she used the wrist of one wing to point that way. She then held her wings slightly out and lifted them up a bit, similar in manner to a human shrugging with upturned palms - a question. Do you live over there?
It was sudden to Riggs when the owl spread her wings and floated down to the ground. He retreated a few steps slowly, just in case. While the meeting had gone well thus far, he still wanted to make sure he kept his eyes in his head.
Thankfully, he wasn't attacked, and he set his rear back on the ground. He wasn't nervous when she shook her feathers this time, coming to learn it might be something that she did to just get comfortable.
The owl walked forward, and Riggs held his ground. He couldn't fathom she would attack him from this angle, not when she had all the advantage up on the limb. Plus, he was at a better advantage to attack her here. Not that he was going to do. By her coming down to his level, she was showing trust that she wouldn't get attack. Riggs wouldn't disappoint her.
It didn't occur to him to think of her watching him as rude. They were different creatures, trying to interact. Had she been another wolf staring into his eyes, it might have been different. But, as far as he knew, in the owl's world, making steady eye contact like that wasn't a threat.
His tail wagged softly when she clacked her beak, though he didn't know what she was saying. His eyes followed where her wing pointed, and he tried to figure out what it meant. Was she asking if more wolves were coming? If there was danger there? If his pack was there? Well, he wasn't sure, but to those questions, there was only one answer. He turned his gaze back to the owl before him and shook his head side to side, hoping she would understand the negative answer.
Not having been this close to an avian before, at least not one that wasn't try to steal his food, he couldn't help but be curious. Slowly, he went down to his belly and then extended his neck out towards her. His nose worked overtime to take in her scent in the air as he watched closely for her reaction. If she didn't like him getting closer, he would retreat quickly.
Shriek brought her wrist, the pointed peak of her wing, to her beak and tapped it lightly there in a contemplative gesture. The wolf had shook his head “no”, whether he understood her inquiry or not. Was he one of those semi-legendary “lone” wolves? Ones without a family group? Curious.
The owl hopped backward once in a startled gesture as the canine moved again, this time assuming a supine position before craning his neck toward her. She stared at him with her body sideways, stock-still for a moment as her mind tried to interpret this new behavior. It seemed Friend was curious, trying to get as much information about her as she was of him.
Carefully, she stepped forward, tilting her head this way and that. Then, slowly, ever-so slowly, she craned her own neck to touch his nose with her beak (boop!) before quickly retracting.
Ah! How exciting! This was truly a momentous occasion! Shriek felt almost smug with satisfaction with how well this was going, her talented feet seeming to do a little dance against the cold earth.