27 Sep 2020, 01:40
Care for Scheherazade
Aida entered the Ravenclaw common room with her friend, Scheherazade “ZaZa” the desert tawny owl on her shoulder. She was a bit nervous, both for herself and ZaZa because she had never actually tried to bring the owl into a classroom before. Both of them, you see, had claustrophobia. When Aida first met ZaZa in London’s magical menagerie, ZaZa was in a high corner outside of a cage… simply watching. Ever since then, Aida had never tried to put ZaZa in a cage. They understood each other like that. Neither of them wanted to be in an enclosed space. Yet, Aida had a feeling that the classroom was going to be a bit tight for at least one of them.
Standing in the center of the Ravenclaw common room, Aida waited patiently while scratching ZaZa behind her right ear. That seemed to be her favorite spot, though Aida couldn’t explain why. Maybe with ZaZa always lighting on Aida’s left shoulder the angle for scratching behind the left ear was just too awkward. The owl’s eyes opened and closed slowly, radiant orange and deepest black like a fire in the night, in great pleasure. The brilliance of its eyes were in great contrast to its otherwise sandy coloration.
Standing in the center of the Ravenclaw common room, Aida waited patiently while scratching ZaZa behind her right ear. That seemed to be her favorite spot, though Aida couldn’t explain why. Maybe with ZaZa always lighting on Aida’s left shoulder the angle for scratching behind the left ear was just too awkward. The owl’s eyes opened and closed slowly, radiant orange and deepest black like a fire in the night, in great pleasure. The brilliance of its eyes were in great contrast to its otherwise sandy coloration.
@Sylvain Indarys
27 Sep 2020, 02:12
Care for Scheherazade
Having eaten his breakfast like a teenage garbage disposal, Sylvain sprinted back up the castle to Ravenclaw common room. Nervous about getting his own familiar, but mostly excited to learn how to care for it, he had asked Aida to teach him how she cared for ZaZa. As he entered the common room, he caught a glimpse of ZaZa's luminous red eyes, mixng in the abyssal black that gave them a gemstone appearance. Sylvain, suddenly remembering his existence stumbled on the leg of an untucked chair in the common room. Falling flat on his face, Sylvain landed in front of the pair.
Standing back up and feeling awkward, Sylvain pretended as though nothing happened, rose with a grunt and smiled a goofy smirk at Aida. "Morning you two," Sylvain said sheepishly as he leaned forward to side hug Aida, notes still miraculously held in his clutch. "Are you ready to go, or do we have last minute preparations to make?" The lad knew they were headed towards the stairwell at the least, so he pointed that way. Surely they'd be walking for sometime, so Sylvain thought to ask about ZaZa's origins. "Where'd you meet Scheherazade again Aida?" He couldn't recall if he'd asked during the quidditch match.
@Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood
Standing back up and feeling awkward, Sylvain pretended as though nothing happened, rose with a grunt and smiled a goofy smirk at Aida. "Morning you two," Sylvain said sheepishly as he leaned forward to side hug Aida, notes still miraculously held in his clutch. "Are you ready to go, or do we have last minute preparations to make?" The lad knew they were headed towards the stairwell at the least, so he pointed that way. Surely they'd be walking for sometime, so Sylvain thought to ask about ZaZa's origins. "Where'd you meet Scheherazade again Aida?" He couldn't recall if he'd asked during the quidditch match.
@Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood
"Things are never so bad they can't be made worse." -Elim Garak
27 Sep 2020, 02:56
Care for Scheherazade
On seeing Sylvain fall, ZaZa gave a loud, long cry. It sounded so mournful, though this was how ZaZa always sounded.
“Good morning Syl... Are you okay?” asked Aida with concern. However, the resilient boy seemed to pop back onto his feet just as quickly as he had fallen. Gratefully, Aida accepted the boy’s side hug and squeezed back. Squinting at Sylvain’s face, perhaps it seemed a bit red from having hit the ground. Still, it did not look as if Aida should render first aid, and Sylvain jumped in immediately to initiate a new conversation topic.
“We should be good to go. They have all the supplies in the classroom. While we walk, though, I’ll say a few things to introduce you to our kind host for the day. While you have already met, I’m not sure if I told you that Scheherazade is a desert tawny owl that originates in the Middle East: you know, Israel, Arabia, Egypt. I didn't meet ZaZa in the desert, however, but just in the magical menagerie in Diagon Alley. ZaZa's species' scientific name is Strix hadorami, formerly known as Hume’s owl, named after an ornithologist named Hadoram with the word “strix” referring to a mythological being in classical mythology. A strix was thought to be a bird-like creature that was actually a transformed witch that fed on human flesh and blood. The mythological strix tended to hang upside down like a bat despite being more like an owl. Later folklore suggested a bloodthirsty strix could be warded off from infants by means of garlic amulets. However apparently their feathers were supposed to be useful for making love potions. The strix was also said to be a harbinger of war. Not a very cheerful namesake, eh?”
@Sylvain Indarys
“Good morning Syl... Are you okay?” asked Aida with concern. However, the resilient boy seemed to pop back onto his feet just as quickly as he had fallen. Gratefully, Aida accepted the boy’s side hug and squeezed back. Squinting at Sylvain’s face, perhaps it seemed a bit red from having hit the ground. Still, it did not look as if Aida should render first aid, and Sylvain jumped in immediately to initiate a new conversation topic.
“We should be good to go. They have all the supplies in the classroom. While we walk, though, I’ll say a few things to introduce you to our kind host for the day. While you have already met, I’m not sure if I told you that Scheherazade is a desert tawny owl that originates in the Middle East: you know, Israel, Arabia, Egypt. I didn't meet ZaZa in the desert, however, but just in the magical menagerie in Diagon Alley. ZaZa's species' scientific name is Strix hadorami, formerly known as Hume’s owl, named after an ornithologist named Hadoram with the word “strix” referring to a mythological being in classical mythology. A strix was thought to be a bird-like creature that was actually a transformed witch that fed on human flesh and blood. The mythological strix tended to hang upside down like a bat despite being more like an owl. Later folklore suggested a bloodthirsty strix could be warded off from infants by means of garlic amulets. However apparently their feathers were supposed to be useful for making love potions. The strix was also said to be a harbinger of war. Not a very cheerful namesake, eh?”
@Sylvain Indarys
27 Sep 2020, 04:05
Care for Scheherazade
Setting straight to paper, Sylvain began to write as they took pace for the stairwell. Making sure to miss no detail, Sylvain kept short hand and recited key words. "Israel, Arabia, Egypt," Syl repeated back as he took notes. Sylvain wondered what the deserts ZaZa was meant for looked like, and was glad to hear Aida obtained her owl from a place he'd been to before. The two curiosities opened a line of questioning, but he stuck to what made him most concerned. How was he supposed to feed his new friend?
Of course there were mythical origins for owls, he thought to himself as he scratched out his terrible first attempt at spelling Hadorami, they did carry a certain presence to their features. Sylvain looked up from his notes as he wrote the words human flesh on paper and looked to Aida. "No, not very cheerful at all." Still, the fact that a mythical creature was so powerful was surely an accurate representation of Aida's bonded creature in some fashion though.Strix Hadorami-{Diet?
"So, uh..." Sylvain's voice trailed as he went back to his earlier questions. "What does ZaZa eat?" Sylvain was prepared to learn that ZaZa ate meat, most birds after all were predators.
@Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood
"Things are never so bad they can't be made worse." -Elim Garak
27 Sep 2020, 04:27
Care for Scheherazade
As they walked, it became clear that Syl was ready to study. Aida was glad of it– this was an attitude she could respect. “Like many owls, ZaZa likes to eat mice and voles. Large insects are also nice too. If you look at her eyes, you’ll see that they’re this firey orange color. This shows that ZaZa is an owl that likes to hunt at twilight. That’s called ‘crepuscular.’ Dark-eyed owls are nocturnal specialists while owls with yellow eyes like to hunt during the day.” Sylvain, Aida, and ZaZa then arrived at the spare second-floor classroom and, opening the door, Aida and ZaZa simultaneously cringed.
The classroom was small. The ceiling was low. Worst of all, it had no windows. ZaZa beat her wings in place to protest. Buckets on the floor held water and a diversity of tools were lined up on the table. Standing immobile in the doorway, Aida continued talking as if nothing were wrong, but it was definitely odd that she was not going inside.
“So usually owls are able to take care of themselves in the wild, finding sources of water and prey. By accompanying them on their hunts you can allow them exercise while still being together, but some people just like to keep their owls indoors and they have these… giant frozen blocks of dead mice that they have to thaw in the sink a little at a time. I don’t like that, so I use mouse traps to get fresh mice if ZaZa has to be inside. Usually she likes to be outside, though, like me, so I end up learning more from her than I teach her. I actually brought a mouse to show you...” said Aida, holding up a drawstring bag that had some squirming thing inside it. ZaZa turned her head to look and listen, but she waited patiently.
“Usually ZaZa likes to bathe in a little pool by the lake while I’m fishing. I guess we should show you with this bucket… though… since that’s convenient for people… Then we can see about ‘lunch’ and talon and beak filing.”
The crepuscular eyes of a tawny desert owl.
The classroom was small. The ceiling was low. Worst of all, it had no windows. ZaZa beat her wings in place to protest. Buckets on the floor held water and a diversity of tools were lined up on the table. Standing immobile in the doorway, Aida continued talking as if nothing were wrong, but it was definitely odd that she was not going inside.
“So usually owls are able to take care of themselves in the wild, finding sources of water and prey. By accompanying them on their hunts you can allow them exercise while still being together, but some people just like to keep their owls indoors and they have these… giant frozen blocks of dead mice that they have to thaw in the sink a little at a time. I don’t like that, so I use mouse traps to get fresh mice if ZaZa has to be inside. Usually she likes to be outside, though, like me, so I end up learning more from her than I teach her. I actually brought a mouse to show you...” said Aida, holding up a drawstring bag that had some squirming thing inside it. ZaZa turned her head to look and listen, but she waited patiently.
“Usually ZaZa likes to bathe in a little pool by the lake while I’m fishing. I guess we should show you with this bucket… though… since that’s convenient for people… Then we can see about ‘lunch’ and talon and beak filing.”
The crepuscular eyes of a tawny desert owl.
@Sylvain Indarys
27 Sep 2020, 05:07
Care for Scheherazade
Setting his notes down in the hallway, Sylvain made to grab for the bucket of water provided. Taking initiative for himself he brought it to Aida without instruction. Dragging the water-laden tub of lukewarm liquid, Sylvain couldn't help but wonder why Aida stuck to the doorway instead of coming into the room proper. "Here you go," Sylvain said as he propped the door open so Aida and ZaZa were hopefully a bit more comfortable. Perhaps it had something to do with the way the room felt cramped or chaffing, but it kept the two at bay for certain. The low hung ceiling couldn't have been anything similar to the deserts ZaZa called home. Nor was the spring water in this bucket ZaZa's preferred method of bathing. Owls seemed pretty low maintenance, and that was a bonus, but a demonstration of how to care was useful if he wanted to be prepared for the responsibility. There was more to raising an owl than just doing the right things!
Eyes on the pouch with a squirming occupant, Sylvain then anxiously moved to trade a pleading glance with Aida. Curiosity had overwhelmed his sense of reservation for once and he wanted nothing more than to feed such a beautiful creature. "Can I feed ZaZa?" Sylvain said as he rolled the sleeves of his shirt up in anticipation.
"Things are never so bad they can't be made worse." -Elim Garak
27 Sep 2020, 05:21
Care for Scheherazade
Aida squatted next to the bucket in the doorway and ZaZa made a couple of hops down her arm and plopped dramatically into the bucket. With a splish and a splash, ZaZa’s featheres ruffled, puffed up as the owl splooshed water around. A shudder and a shiver later, ZaZa completed her bathing in a relatively quick manner and jumped back onto Aida’s left forearm.
“You know, they say to never armwrestle a falconer left-handed. This is because the traditional arm for holding the bird is the left hand, while the right hand would hold onto any leash that was used. ZaZa and I have an understanding, so we don’t use anything like that. Sometimes people use a hood to calm birds down in confined spaces. I can relate to this since when I feel claustrophobic I close my eyes and pretend I’m inside my cave… but I wouldn’t want someone else to do that to me. So we haven’t had to use a hood yet.” With a final shake, it appeared that ZaZa was relatively dry, though some wet footprints did darken the sleeve on Aida’s forearm.
“In falconry people often have to use a file on the beak and talons of their birds. It’s kind of like a house cat that doesn’t get up to much. These body parts, the beak, claws, talons… they get worn down during normal use so in the wild birds don’t have to do much to maintain them. However indoor, inactive birds can handle some light filing in order to help their keeper feel more comfortable and less… well… punctured. Specifically with the talons. You can see that ZaZa here gets to play a lot outside, but you would file the talons not unlike you would file your own nails– just lightly though, okay?” Aida took a breath and looked at Sylvain, who seemed quite eager.
“Okay, so now you can reach into this bag and take out the mouse– careful not to drop it or you’ll have to chase after it– and then just hold it up over ZaZa’s head. She should snatch it really fast as soon as it’s in range. Alright?” asked Aida, handing Sylvain the mouse bag.
“You know, they say to never armwrestle a falconer left-handed. This is because the traditional arm for holding the bird is the left hand, while the right hand would hold onto any leash that was used. ZaZa and I have an understanding, so we don’t use anything like that. Sometimes people use a hood to calm birds down in confined spaces. I can relate to this since when I feel claustrophobic I close my eyes and pretend I’m inside my cave… but I wouldn’t want someone else to do that to me. So we haven’t had to use a hood yet.” With a final shake, it appeared that ZaZa was relatively dry, though some wet footprints did darken the sleeve on Aida’s forearm.
“In falconry people often have to use a file on the beak and talons of their birds. It’s kind of like a house cat that doesn’t get up to much. These body parts, the beak, claws, talons… they get worn down during normal use so in the wild birds don’t have to do much to maintain them. However indoor, inactive birds can handle some light filing in order to help their keeper feel more comfortable and less… well… punctured. Specifically with the talons. You can see that ZaZa here gets to play a lot outside, but you would file the talons not unlike you would file your own nails– just lightly though, okay?” Aida took a breath and looked at Sylvain, who seemed quite eager.
“Okay, so now you can reach into this bag and take out the mouse– careful not to drop it or you’ll have to chase after it– and then just hold it up over ZaZa’s head. She should snatch it really fast as soon as it’s in range. Alright?” asked Aida, handing Sylvain the mouse bag.
@Sylvain Indarys
27 Sep 2020, 05:42
Care for Scheherazade
Sylvain laughed in a spurt as Aida joked about wrestling a falconer left handed. Syl certainly wasn't fit enough to consider wrestling even an armchair, let alone someone who had the stamina to carry a 220g bird on their shoulder for more than a flight of stairs. He was glad to learn that he needed to work on that now rather than later. The pain avoided by preparation was already beginning to show itself. With a quick drop in the bucket, it was clear that ZaZa treated bathing much the same way Sylvain did. Efficiently.
"That's a good trick," Sylvain said as he admired the way Aida relied on good memories to defeat her bad feelings. Sylvain had grown up behaving quite similarly himself. As water spritzed from ZaZa, Sylvain smiled at the bird and its glistening feathers. The claw marks on Aida's sleeve reminded Sylvain of footprints in the sand. Luckily Sylvain had learned basic hygiene last year so filing seemed a rather easy task to perform if it was needed. He gently brought the file forward from the surface behind him. Exchanging the tool for the bag with a mouse in it, Sylvain did as instructed. He carefully removed the creature so as not to lose it, and dangled it right above ZaZa's hot as coals gaze.
"Things are never so bad they can't be made worse." -Elim Garak
27 Sep 2020, 05:54
Care for Scheherazade
Scheherazade snatched the mouse quickly from Sylvain’s grasp no matter how it squirmed and like lighting the thing was already gone down the bird’s throat. Apparently ZaZa was an efficient eater, too.
“Here, why don’t you hold her and I’ll show you how to file. Just keep your arm flat and straight out like you see me doing here. I’ll bring her close and, well, lots of birds will respond to commands. Many birds you can say ‘hup hup’ to and they’ll climb onto the surface you bring them to. That’s how you can pick them up too. ZaZa, though, kind of has a sixth sense and she reads what people want better than most owls.” Bringing ZaZa up to Sylvain’s arm on her own horizontal platform, the owl quickly hopped onto the boy’s arm. The talons were actually quite pokey! However, ZaZa had a good balance and with stability in Sylvain’s platform the bird would not have any need to dig its talons in to stay perched. Then, Aida took the file and did a very light job on ZaZa’s talons, mostly in demonstration and with little actual effect.
“It’s good for her if I keep her talons pretty sharp so that she can hunt by herself.” Aida smiled at Sylvain as she read his face about how it was to hold the bird. Even for such a smallish owl it was remarkably heavy.
“Any questions?” asked Aida. “I’m sure you would make a great owl keeper. I mean, look at ZaZa. She feels comfortable around you.” Eerily the head of the owl spun around 180 degrees to look at Sylvain in the eyes. It was quite like it had read Aida’s mind. Then, returning its head to its normal position, the owl hopped into the air and flew back onto her shoulder. It was no wonder Aida had reinforcements woven into her shirt there.
“You can try scratching her behind the ear,” said Aida jovially, pointing to the spot.
“Here, why don’t you hold her and I’ll show you how to file. Just keep your arm flat and straight out like you see me doing here. I’ll bring her close and, well, lots of birds will respond to commands. Many birds you can say ‘hup hup’ to and they’ll climb onto the surface you bring them to. That’s how you can pick them up too. ZaZa, though, kind of has a sixth sense and she reads what people want better than most owls.” Bringing ZaZa up to Sylvain’s arm on her own horizontal platform, the owl quickly hopped onto the boy’s arm. The talons were actually quite pokey! However, ZaZa had a good balance and with stability in Sylvain’s platform the bird would not have any need to dig its talons in to stay perched. Then, Aida took the file and did a very light job on ZaZa’s talons, mostly in demonstration and with little actual effect.
“It’s good for her if I keep her talons pretty sharp so that she can hunt by herself.” Aida smiled at Sylvain as she read his face about how it was to hold the bird. Even for such a smallish owl it was remarkably heavy.
“Any questions?” asked Aida. “I’m sure you would make a great owl keeper. I mean, look at ZaZa. She feels comfortable around you.” Eerily the head of the owl spun around 180 degrees to look at Sylvain in the eyes. It was quite like it had read Aida’s mind. Then, returning its head to its normal position, the owl hopped into the air and flew back onto her shoulder. It was no wonder Aida had reinforcements woven into her shirt there.
“You can try scratching her behind the ear,” said Aida jovially, pointing to the spot.
27 Sep 2020, 06:07
Care for Scheherazade
The speed with which ZaZa consumed the mouse was scary the first time, but now knowing it was coming, Sylvain could easily prepare himself for it in the future. When Aida suggest he take the bird on his arm, he nodded with a serious face while extending his arm as instructed. As ZaZa lept to his arm, Sylvain felt a connection to the creature form. It was far denser than it first appeared, feathers no doubt giving way to a suprisingly muscular creature. So the myths and legends were true, Scheherazade was of an impressive line of hunters.
Aida's demonstration of filing the nails wasn't lost on Sylvain, but his focus had quickly become adhered to the avian acrobat perched upon his arm. This graceful predator needed little of Sylvain's strength to support itself, and it was clear the bird would leap from his arm. Yet there was an almost unease to the creatures perching. It was as if it wanted to be free from the confinement of the room. Then it sprang from his arm to Aida.
As Aida motioned to ZaZa's ear, Sylvain dug his fingers into the soft feathers of the the noble familiar's neck. Fingertips found skin, and his gave the gentlest of scritches to his new friend. "I have so many questions, but I don't want to keep you both in here. Let's go outside instead." Sylvain wanted to see Scheherazade fly.
"Things are never so bad they can't be made worse." -Elim Garak