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 Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 9:45 pm
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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 9:56 pm
So, weary Sentinel parents, are you willing to trust your beloved eggs to us?
I, Liam, am sometimes called "The Eternal Fledgling," but I just seem that way. One feather over the line and it's gone, and that line is directly in front of my charges. I'm not one to gossip or brag, but it is said that my ancestors protected hatchlings in the Great War and, thanks to them, the next generation of Sentinels survived. However, the hatchlings and fledglings don't know that I'm so scary when I have to be- they just think I'm Uncle Liam, and know that I probably have a tender Mus tail or unidentified insect part cleverly hidden in my feathers, just for them. I try my best to be a patient and understanding teacher, and I'd like to think that I'm pretty good at finding whatever a fledgling is particularly good at and coaxing them on the proper path. I've always been fond of taking care of hatchlings, even when I was just a fledgling... sometimes, I'd protect fledglings that were bigger than me! My mother is a Ranger, and Dad, who I learned how to do this from, is also a Minder. (They retired years ago to the Not Cold regions, though.) Also, I will kick anybody's butt who says that minding is just for girls! That beech tree there is mine and Hazel's... as is Roth. Roth is my Skurri. He's here to help clean up and do the little errands. Don't bother talking to him. He won't answer.
Medlar is calm, caring, and patient, but willing to be firm when need be. He has just about the perfect temperament for a minder. Generally understanding, he likes just about everyone and tries very hard not to judge anyone until he truly gets to know them well. He is also generally pacifistic and a lover of all life.
Medlar's father was a hunter, his mother a minder. As such, he grew up in the minder's enclave, and was sort of unofficially apprenticed as a minder as he grew up, helping out wherever he could once he was old enough. It was not in the least bit surprising that once he grew up, he too became a minder.
He lives in that birch tree over there, the big white one. What do you mean they're all white? It's that one!
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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 10:04 pm
Here. We had this made. See? It's a lovely piece of bark, detailing in pictures how to leave your offspring with us. Also, do you see the lovely pictures of Sentinels devouring a Skurri with BIG BOLD cross marks on them? That means no. DON'T EAT ROTH!!
THE RULES
1. Don't eat Roth.
2. To leave an egg with us, please drop it off via one of the handy messengers all over Noctua! (AKA, create a short RP post about why the egg is here, using some kind of unnamed Sentinel ranger who found the orphaned egg, or a one-shot involving a parent dropping it off. Or you can ask in thread the main thread. One of us will catch it.)
3. Don't eat Roth.
4. To leave a hatchling with us, please make sure that we see it and that it makes some noise! (Just post the cert. One of us will feed the fluffball and I'll add it to the list.)
5. Don't eat Roth.
6. To drop off your fledgling, just make sure we see it and that it knows to play nicely with the others. (Post the cert; RP it in!)
7. Don't eat Roth.
8. Play nicely with the other fledglings!
9. Don't eat Roth.
10. Don't eat Roth.
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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 10:09 pm
And now, I'm sure you'd love to know who's all here!
First on the list are our fledglings.
WinterWind is our little lady around here. Watch as she devours whole mice delicately, then hacks up pellets daintily!
And here's Aspen, our handsome little Wildtype. Takes after his Minders, noo? Just... oh dear. That wasn't your mouse was it? I'm terribly sorry if he's stolen your snack!
No hatchlings! WE WANT MOAR!!!
This is our little Shadow girlie-to-be, Tulip.
Miss Shadestar here was just left with us.
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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 10:29 pm
Liam began to pick all the bits of detritus out of his minding nest, the large, flat platform he worked from. So much had happened! He'd fallen in love, gained a partner, nestmate, and future mother to his chicks, as well as a best friend, loosed his bond with Thorn just a little bit more as the fledgling learned how to manipulate things with his Will and discovered his strong affinity for metal, and, most recently, opened his own branch of the Minder's enclave with another male Minder named Medlar. He needed to organize his thoughts and cleaning out the nest seemed to be the best way to do it. Besides, it would save Roth the chore. He periodically glanced at the lone egg he was tending, a Mist that would one day be female. He wondered what she would grow up to be. It was always a surprise... whatever her destiny was, he wanted to make sure that she got all the help she could get, and he vowed to the unhatched egg that this enclave would be a true haven for her.
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Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 8:27 am
As he was cleaning, a thump caught his attention. Whirling around, he watched as an unknown Sentinel left another egg in the nest! The stranger bobbed her head at him and flew off, leaving the wildtype egg in the nest. He hopped over to it and picked it up, gently nestling it beside the other egg. Since the stranger had nothing to tell him, he assumed the gender was unknown. "Perhaps Medlar will want this one in his care," he thought, then, after making sure the egg was comfortable, he resumed his work.
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Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 3:19 pm
A cracking noise caught Liam's ears. The eggs! Screeching for Medlar, he hopped over to them and watched them anxiously. They wobbled and cracked, and he waited nervously for them to emerge, especially the mysterious Wildtype egg. The Mist egg had more cracking, and the little female emerged first, blinking. She feebly flapped her wings at him, making no sound, then begged for food. "Hello, WinterWind," he whispered, popping a cricket into her beak. The other egg soon gave way to a handsome, light-colored male. "And you're Aspen," Liam said, getting a grasshopper for him. "I'm Liam." He knew they couldn't really understand him, or answer him, but proper introduction seemed the thing to do. "And now we know each other. Now, where in Noctua is Medlar?"
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Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2008 5:20 pm
Medlar was almost back at Barkhaven when Liam screeched. Speeding up, he arrived just as Liam asked about him. "Right here, Liam," he said, speaking around the tails of a few mice dangling from his beak, "Sorry I'm late." He dropped the mice from his beak, and several more from his talons. "But I brought what should be enough food for them until they fall back asleep." He then turned to look at the hatchlings, "Hello, little ones," he murmured, "I'm Medlar." Like Liam, it didn't seem to matter to him that the hatchlings wouldn't really understand him, "And who do we have here?" At that, he looked back to Liam.
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Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 10:57 pm
"It's quite all right," Liam chuckled. "You've got more food and that's all that matters." He had to speak up over the hungry cheeping of the hatchlings. He picked up a mouse tail and popping it in the little female's beak, crooning at her. "This little lady here is WinterWind, and that handsome chap is Aspen," he said, nodding at Medlar while serving a juicy cricket to the male.
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Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 11:56 pm
...
...
...
Time passed. Weeks flew by. Roth was loving nibbled many, many times. By now, Thorn had left the enclave to become a Crafter, and the two fluffballs had developed into lovely young fledglings. Winterwind was already showing signs of great nurturing, and Liam wouldn't be surprised if she turned out to be a minder, but he wasn't sure about the boy. The thing to do seemed to be to ask. "Aspen? I know it's a long way off, but have you thought about graduation and what you want to be yet?
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Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008 6:44 pm
A young and rather ruffled looking Ghost male came to a fluttering halt on one of the branches of Liam’s tree, his body tense and his eyes darting around the place. Apparently content with whatever he found, he relaxed slightly and awkwardly made his was to a broader, flatter part of the branch. Once there he uncovered the burden that had been impeding his gait: a small, gray egg. Shuffling from foot, he refused to meet Liam’s eyes as he attempted to string together something to say.
“ We can’t – well, I can’t – no.” Halting, the Ghost drew a deep breath before continuing. “ This little one’s a girl, I think. I- we’d like her name to be Shadestar, after… after, well, us.”
He bobbed in what could be considered a thankful way before spreading his wings and taking to the sky, not looking back at the egg he had just left behind.
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Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008 10:09 pm
Liam nodded gravely at the Ghost's departure. Many a parent had come with an impossible third egg, guiltily or not-so-guiltily leaving it in his care. "She'll be in good talons!" he hooted softly after the male, before turning his attention to the egg. "Well, then, Miss Shadestar. Let's go put you with the others, then Roth and I can give you both a good cuddle."
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Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 9:18 am
 The day for realizing his place amongst his kind had come. Grey was ecstatic. The morning had dawned cool, crisp, and silent upon the massive forest. It was a good omen for the would-be minder as he weaved to and fro betwixt the mighty trees. There was a particular destination Grey was set upon, a specific task that he'd ventured upon the borders of his kind to find. There he would find what he sought and desired.
It was only by the soft emanation of wingbeats was he able to locate the area he'd intended. For a moment, he seemed to hover, observing the vague silhouette depart from the hollow. What story had that Sentinel to tell that Grey would never hear? The musing lingered as he continued forth, flexing his wings as he attempted a more silent descent. Grey dismissed his thoughts as he neared the enclave and very delicately swept into the chamber's entryway.
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Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 12:29 am
No silence could escape a Skurri's keen eyes, and Roth had been guarding the perimeter for hours now. He'd been running in circles, and was becoming quite irritated with Liam. Why did he have to do this? His question was soon answered by the arrival of a male Sentinel and his Parus companion. As they swept into the entryway, Roth scrambled in after them, leaping about to land in front of them. Coughing a little, he ran through his prepared dialogue. "Welcome. Barkhaven this is. Roth I am. Don't eat me..." What was that word again? "Please. Wait here. Liam I fetch." With that, the Skurri scurried off to fetch his Sentinel.
Liam had been dozing in his hollow far longer than normal, unwilling to leave the soft warmth of his mate behind him. However, a swift succession of knocks on the skull from his Companion brought him grumbling from the sleeping cavity. Giving his still-drowsing mate a quick nibble goodbye, he ducked out of the nest, blinking, and stretched his wings and took off to the main entrance of the enclave, following Roth. Every so often, the Skurri turned back to scold him for his tardiness. "Liam. Hurry." It didn't take too long to reach the entrance, and Liam was pleasantly surprised to see the new face and his Parus. Well, well, well! Another Wildtype! Liam felt himself drawn to the young male immediately. "Hello there, friend! My name is Liam, and Roth should have introduced himself. Welcome to Barkhaven! How may we help you?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 1:10 pm
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