#92
I made it to Orgrimmar for Winter Veil celebrations - it was so busy! But I got to dress up in my holiday cheer clothing and enjoyed hot cocoa and peppermint treats with so many people! I saw some of my team, and Vik'wa! But I didn't stay for long, I was due in Highmountain for some studying and work with a beast I've been learning to ride - well, learning to befriend so I can ride him.
I helped bring in a Wolfhawk a few months ago, and I go back every few weeks to reaffirm our bonds and learn better to take care of him - a furred and feathered beast takes a lot of work. My flying skills have improved lots, as have my ground riding skills, so my teachers in Trueshot Lodge have been testing me on the appropriate actions should a mount bolt, panic or just refuse to work.
In any of those instances the correct response is to remain calm. None of those will go well if you get pissed or panicky yourself. And what works on a kodo won't work on a wyvern or wolfhawk. Each beast has it's own needs. A kodo will love a cooling down walk, where a wyvern is content to go right to it's perch. And a wolfhawk needs a grooming before it's stabled. Fur can get fatted; and so is iften braided to keep the longer parts in order. Of note; the wolfhawk manages it's own feathers.
The one I helped bring in has a name - I call it Sweylo. He favors a medium bristle brush and allows me to walk with him, even putting on a saddle and tack. It's very important the intended rider do this - so a bond of trust grows. I've been unable to spend the full time with him, so our bond is shakey. Others have to care for him in my stead while I'm away working, so he views many as his handler.
But this past day he allowed me to sit on his back while saddled - which is a huge deal. The last time we tried that, he panicked. The handlers have been working hard to get him used to the feeling of weight on his back. We think sometime soon, maybe in a week or more, we can train with him in the skies. I'd take my wyvern up and guide him around Trueshot in trial flights. And then after that, flight with him saddled, then bearing weights - all to get him used to the idea of carrying a rider.
This will take time - rushing it will end in broken bones, lacerations or worse! The handlers here say I'm doing great, but to visit more often. That's the idea, as long as Ginja and the team can handle the work while I train with Sweylo. Between working with Sweylo, I read from a book on feathermanes (the family of beasts wolfhawks belong to) and sit with my teachers. One, a dwarf named Grif Wildheart, says my demeanor is good for handling beasts - I'm usually calm under pressure (unless I have to shoot someone, ugh, but working on that - honest) and the beasts he's had me work with seem to favor that. He's of the opinion my having tamed kodo and hyena is a good sign, and that my progress with Sweylo is good, and to keep up with my work there.
I'm actually about to meet with him and a Nightelf student - I haven't learned his name yet. He just started studies, and sits in when Grif gives lectures. Everyone here is so welcoming, though stern. They have many students here, so time for games is minimal. The Winter Veil celebrations here were us meeting by a fire with some cider and sweets, we raised a toast and went back to work. Highmountain still needs patrols, and the Unseen Path helps supply many of the hands that do that work. Novice hunters come here to learn from great teachers, and take up work in and around Highmountain to put those studies in action. I see all those fresh faces and think of when I first came here. Goodness, I was just finding my way then, and was given welcome and education. All I had to do was work and help - I'm glad I can come back. I'll be earning my keep here too - I'm going hunting with Sweylo tomorrow morning for bear meat to help supply the lodge. The pelt(s) that comes from that hunt will be used to clothe those that stay here.
Everything has a place and a purpose here. I love it.
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