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 Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 2:33 pm
This large hollowed tree is perfect for both protection and warmth. Its ideal structure has resulted in it being the primary shelter for young hatchlings. This is one of the sturdiest and safest structures in the entire forest, and is ideal for any Sentinel…if you can stand the constant screaming and crying of the fluffs.
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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 4:16 pm
Brindlebark squeaked as the Thunderbird let out another incredibly loud roar. She looked around quickly to see if anyone had seen her acting afraid, but with the adults fully distracted by the hatchlings, no one had heard her. It seemed almost impossible that she should be able to hear the Thunderbird over the noise the hatchlings were making combined with the near constant drum of water against the tree, but the Thunderbird seemed to be happy to prove her wrong.
While she didn't want to admit it, Brindle was scared and confused. She'd been practicing flapping outside, and then a slight sprinkling of rain which all the adults had been saying was a blessing, turned into a great torrent of water. It was like the Thunderbird had decided to pick up the water from the Lake and dump it on the entire forest. She'd hopped, flapped, and stumbled her way, guided by Minders into the Crib, where she was told to stay out of the way, and not cause trouble for once.
Unhappy, and with a growing desire to get away from the hatchlings and their noise, Brindle hunched miserably into her feathers.
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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 5:43 pm
It's not like the spring to start out so dramatically.
She shook out her feathers and diverted her attention back to the inside of the hollow. Many other minders had been lucky enough to find The Crib before the rain really started to pelt, and for that she is thankful that this shelter is as large as it was [otherwise, it may have been a little more than uncomfortable for all of them]. It seemed that even new faces had popped in; she didn't recognize them, but they were certainly not minders and old enough to be out on their own. Perhaps some time together would reveal their stories. That's good, she thought, the hatchlings love hearing tales. They may actually stay quiet for a longer period than a moment's time.
Carefully maneuvering herself around the crowd, she made sure every sentinel was comfortable and secure - and that's when she spotted Brindlebeak huddled by herself in the corner. Well, that's odd, she mused. Most fledgelings were usually unruly in this kind of weather, and together, not alone. Timber quietly made her way towards her, making sure to not draw the attention of others. The last thing the little girl needed was ridicule.
"Hello dear." She greeted as she settled herself across from Brindlebark. "How are you fairing?"
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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 10:12 pm
 Thorn knew this place, and knew it well. The Deep Woods sentinel knew almost everything about the places where the Minders resided and worked, thanks to being so close to Liam all his life. Rika clung tightly to his feathers, the sodden Mus squeaking miserably. He hushed her softly as they entered the abandoned Enclave. "Hallo?" he called, straining to be heard above the rain. The torrential downpour drowned his words, but he thought he could hear some unhappy peeping from a hollow tree, one he recognized as being a nest for hatchlings. He swooped down and landed inside. He could see he wasn't alone; several other Sentinels and many fluffs had made their way to the shelter. His Companions eyed each other warily as they saw all the sharp beaks, but what could they do? They followed Thorn as he waded through the crowd over to a dark Ghost female and the one quiet fledgling in the place. "Mind if I join you?" he hooted good-naturedly, shaking himself off a bit. Water dripped off of his twisted cross into the depths of the tree as he smiled nervously at the strangers.
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 8:00 pm
"I-I'm okay." Brindlebark answered, ashamed at how her voice quavered when she spoke. At that moment, there came another roar from the Thunderbird, and Brin flinched. She'd been both parts relieved and apprehensive when the kind looking Minder stopped across from Brin's little nook. Had Brin done something wrong? Were the Minders going to throw her out to get eaten by the Thunderbird? But her apprehension melted away when the Minder only asked how she was doing.
Just then, another Sentinel came up to them, accompanied by two companions, a Mus and a Chirop. Brindlebark blinked and stared at the both of them, feeling a little bit of excitement return. She loved companions! And this Sentinel had very cute ones. Maybe, if she asked nicely, and promised not to eat them, he'd let her play with them? She returned her attention up to the male, who was dripping water everywhere, and shook her head.
"I don't mind. Um... I'm Brindlebark." she said to both male and Minder.
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Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 9:59 am
Oh, poor dear, she's frightened. Timberdust took a step closer towards the flinching fledgeling and gave her a gentle preening at the top of her head. "Don't worry, it's just the Thunderbird stretching out his wings after a long and hard winter." A crack of lightning lit the 'Crib for a brief second, followed by the rumble of deep thunder that one could just barely feel vibrating beneath their talons. "See? He's just delighted to be finally let out, is all. He'll spend his energy tonight, and soon enough he'll need his rest and the storm will pass by. Just you wait."
She smiled warmly down at Brindle, hoping that her story may comfort the little wildtype. As she bent down to preen her head some more, she caught sight of a new form entering their hollow. The ghost stopped and raised herself, watching as he made his way over to them, leaving a trail of water in his wake.
After a few introductions were made, Timber settled herself down. He seemed to be safe, at least for now. Definitely looks as though he's familiar to this hollow, though I have never seen him before, she thought to herself.
"I am Timberdust, and welcome to the Crib. Come, come, dry yourself off over there - " She pointed just a little ways to her right-wing side. "And feel free to stay here as long as you like...so long as you can tolerate the little 'uns." A beaky grin spread from cheek puff to cheek puff, amused at her joke towards that hatchlings. Once they start it's nearly impossible to keep them quiet without food, and with the way the weather is going now, it seems unlikely that they'll be fed any time soon.
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Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 4:51 pm
Thorn nipped the adorable fledgling gently. "Brindlebark, eh? Well, I can see you've made a wise choice in company tonight." He grimaced at the cries of the other little Sentinels. "Poor dears..." he murmured, looking intently at Timberdust. "D'you live here? I grew up in the Enclave- y'might remember me as Liam's boy?" Though I don't remember you... "Or rather, the one who fainted the first time he saw a dead squirrel because he thought it was his Minder's Companion?" He smiled rakishly at the semi-embarrassing vignette. He could feel his Companions quail to him at the mention of food, and he mentally stroked his charm in thought. "I'm afraid I haven't got any food, just these two here, and they're too valuable to replace easily." They shrank to his body, a bit relieved. Rika, the braver of the two, stuck her whiskery nose out at the calm fledgling in front of her. She sneezed quietly, shaking water off her fur onto the little Sentinel, before chittering curiously at her. It'd been an awfully long time since the Mus had encountered anything smaller than Thorn, and she was intrigued. Thorn was oblivious to this, as he was thinking about how to calm the hatchlings. "Any plans for making this more enjoyable? We're safe in here, at least, so we don't have to worry about that."
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Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 5:19 pm
Brindlebark accepted the ministrations of both adults with good grace, and even nibbled gently at their breast feathers in return. As she thought on Timberdust's story of the Thunderbird celebrating his freedom, almost able to feel the hot streaks of lightning flashing to ground, she felt a little less afraid, and a bit more indignant.
"I wish he would celebrate quietly." she muttered, flattening her ear tufts against the responding roar. At least the Thunderbird didn't want to cause harm to anyone on purpose. But something else Timberdust had said stuck with Brin, and she looked speculatively at the hatchlings, while Thorn and Timber spoke. If they had food, they'd quiet down? She leaned her chin down to preen her own breast feathers as a plan began to form in her young mind. However, something poking its nose from behind Thorn captured her attention, and Brin turned just in time to have the little Mus sneeze water all over her. Shocked at first, a giggle escaped Brin as she shook the water off, and she tried to imitate the chittering sound the Mus made, smiling back at the inquisitive Companion.
"What's your name?" she asked, quietly, not wanting to frighten her.
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Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 5:36 pm
Eyebrow ridges furrowed as Timberdust tried to recollect any passing stories about a minder named Liam or his charge Thorn. "Alas, no. The name Liam does sound familiar, but I'm afraid I don't know anything about you aside from your name, Thorn." She paused, and took the opportunity to check up on everyone from where she stood; they all seemed to be alright. Nobody wailing about, at least.
"However, I've been on a ...rather long break, if you will," She continued. "I've only been back just a few short months ago, after raising my own family. So yes, I do live here now, though I probably wasn't around when you were, dear." She remembered the day very well: Sterlingsteel had graduated and become a hunter, unsurprisingly, and now that he's off doing his own things, Timber was no longer needed in her territory, so she went to a place that did: right here at the Hatchling's Crib.
"I'm not worried about food just yet, and I wouldn't dream of partaking someone's beloved companions, either. There are just some things that it would be considered awfully rude to do, and eating devoted companions is one of them." Her feathers fluffed a bit during her little speech, but they quickly smoothed down when she ended. "Though I was thinking that perhaps a few of you newcomers would partake in a round of story telling? The little 'uns do love to hear stories, especially new ones."
A chuckle escaped her as she watched Brindle transform from her bundle of shivering feathers to an irate expression on her face. "Oh now, let the Thunderbird have his fun. Just think: you'll be doing the same thing when you start to really fly. It will be exhilarating! So I wouldn't be too angry at the poor bird just yet."
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Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 7:12 pm
Rika took a step forward towards the fledgling. "Rika," she chirped. Cassiel, the Chirops, still clung to his master, who'd raised his ear tufts inquisitively at the mention of stories. "I know more than one from Liam... I've got a few simple tricks I can show 'em, too. I'm a crafter, and though I specialized in metal, I'm good enough with wood to amuse 'em a bit." He'd been carrying around some blocky snippets that he'd been given, and he had the sharp edge on his necklace to do some carving with. "I'd be interested in hearing your stories, Miss Timberdust," he said with a smile.
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Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 7:44 pm
Brindle looked at Timberdust with disbelief as the Thunderbird let out yet another tree rattling boom. "I'm not going to make that much noise!" she exclaimed, hardly wincing at the sound now that she had companions to distract her.
A soft, chirpy voice brought Brin's attention back to the little Mus.
"Rika." Brindlebark repeated, then looked up at Thorn. "Can Rika and I play while you're telling stories? I promise to be nice to her!" She flapped her wings a little in her eagerness, making bits of down and dust fly up from the Crib floor.
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Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 2:47 pm
"Ohoho," Timber chuckles at Brindle, her eyes twinkling with amusement for the first time tonight. "You say that now. But remember - what is considered quiet to you may very well be considered loud to another creature, such as insects, or even Rika over here! Maybe the Thunderbird doesn't even realize that when we hear him, it's loud and disruptive." She gave a final preen to the fledgeling's scalp feathers, and turned her attention to Thorn.
"I forgot to warn you, they also enjoy companions, though hopefully they're more curious like Brindle than for any other thing; I haven't seen one attempt to eat one, in any case. Little wooden trinkets such as those would definitely help them pass the time, and if you knew a good story or two, that would be wonderful." She stretched her wings, and then motioned for Thorn to follower her closer to the gathering of the fluffballs, a slight limp to her walk. "Oh, my stories. Perhaps you will tonight, though I'm sure the little 'uns are tired of hearing it by now. They aren't anywhere near as impressive as what you youngins' are up to nowadays."
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Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 6:47 pm
Thorn smiled widely at the fledgling. She reminded him very much of a young Deep Woods he once knew, playing with his Minder's Skurri whenever the nights got windy to keep his mind off of things. "Of course you can play with Rika, Brindle. Hmm... she's the smallest thing here, and I bet she's scared, too." Almost on cue, the Mus squeaked piteously, hugging her ears to her head. "Brindle, how about this? Rika can be your responsibility for a while; at least until we're done telling stories." Snagging an errant wood chip, he roughly blocked out the shape of a Mus's head with his necklace. The charm was a brilliant device, he thought. It had been the first thing he'd ever done as a Crafter in training, a haphazard bent piece of metal in an odd, looped cross. The shape meant nothing, just a kink in the metal, but it had become his trademark, even painted out on Rika's chest. The bottom edge of it, the edge that faced away from him, was sharp enough to carve soft wood, as were the points of it suitable gimlets. Quickly, he whirred the small blade with his Will, and a tiny, unstained wooden figure of a Mus emerged. He dropped it gently at Brindle's feet, smiling softly. He looked up at Timberdust. "I'm all practiced up, Miss Timberdust. Betcha I can put some illustrations to your stories, if ye'd like," he said, straining a little to be heard over the rain as it beat down on their shelter.
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Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 7:52 pm
"I guess." was all the little Wildtype replied to Timberdust's words of wisdom, but she spoke a bit more quietly, one golden eye glancing at Rika. Brindle wondered if that were true. Were bugs disturbed when a Sentinel made a lot of noise? It it was true, then they must be half-deafened by the noise the Thunderbird was making! Maybe somewhere there was a fledgling termite being comforted by a Minder termite?
This train of thought was rapidly becoming confusing, and not just a little disturbing to Brindle. Luckily, Thorn told her that she was to be responsible for Rika for the duration of story time! Brindle couldn't believe her ear tufts! She was about to thank him profusely when, to her further delight, he began to carve a small piece of wood with the odd bit of metal he wore about his neck. Before her eyes, a small Mus toy was born, and Brindle wondered wistfully what lucky hatchling would be nibbling on it tonight. And then, he dropped it at her feet!
Not yet proficient with Will, Brindle picked up the little figurine with her beak by one wooden ear, and looked back up at Thorn with blatant adoration.
"'Ank Oo!" she said around the Mus, and then turned to Rika, and put the Mus toy down beside her. She stared critically at both Mus, looked pleased, and asked gravely, "Rika, what do you think we should call our new friend?"
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Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 9:59 am
She turned her head to get a good look at Brindle. "Now you behave, dear. Treat little Rika with utmost respect." Timber doubted that the fledgeling would do anything to make the mus uncomfortable, though there's never any harm to make sure as far as the youth is concerned.
"Now then," She stretched out her wing and motioned for Thorn to continue to follow her once more. It wasn't very hard to get to where the hatchlings were all bundled together to keep warm - the Crib was wide and spacious as far as hollows went, and it has definitely been filled far worse than it is now.
The chicks were all gibbering with one another, causing little puffs of down feathers to float about in the air. There were only 5 of them, and usually with the help of two other minders, Timber doesn't have a hard time taking proper care of them. However, with the storm upon them, the other two helpers weren't anywhere to be found. They had gone to fetch some food to store when they saw the clouds form, but it seemed that the rain ha caught them before they were able to get back. Timber hoped they were safe.
With the approach of the two adults, the five balls of fluff all stopped what they were doing and scurried around them, peeping excitedly with beaks wide open. The Ghost opened her wings and attempted to calm them down.
"Ssshh, ssh, we have a guest here! Show some proper manners! If you do, he may tell a story or two." The hatchlings stopped climbing about their feet, but continued to fidget in place: story? Stories?! They all fixed their comically large eyes on the crafter, and waited as patiently as they could.
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