Bloody Unpredictable Owl Solo + Sol

----------------------------------------------- You and your strange interpretations, Sol. ----------------------------------------------- Date: 19/02/2025 Solo Thread Mentioning: N/A

𝓢ol turned out to be one bloody unpredictable owl.

Ruth traipse up the stairs to the fourth platform, increasingly her favourite, and set the cage containing the Great White on the floor. She kneeled (thankfully, that area was certainly cleaner than the previous platforms) and stared at him eye to eye, her forest green and his golden rod. Ruth hesitated, then voiced out her thoughts at the still-staring Sol, "You're not going to escape, are you?"

Sol continued to gaze upon her with those unblinking almond eyes and cocked its head towards the arched window, then back at Ruth. She shook her head slowly, eyes wide. It took another glancing look at back at the Hufflepuff. Ruth gulped, her denial urgent now.

The owl, in turn, ruffled its pure white feathers (such a beautiful coating of snow, it felt like to Ruth. Ruth had rarely seen an owl so clean of spots) and tapped at the lock on the cage's door.

Ruth sighed, then pulled out a treat she had been hoping to save for later. It was oddly cylinder and its colours reminded the girl of a sausage role, only the innards and exterior have both been switched around. She held it up for Sol to see, catching his attention immediately. Ruth pointed at the window and out at the horizon, the crisp morning breeze filtering in. "If you don't escape," she began levelly, unable to imagine the drastic circumstances should that happen, "I will give you a treat." Sol's eyes followed the snack, his expression still annoyingly monotonous and hard to depict.

Figuring the stare contest would go for a while and Ruth was running out of time, she shook herself to utter in bated breath, "Well, here goes Aaron's disappointment," (because, you see, saying 'here goes nothing' felt wrong, for if Sol was to turn a blind eye on his owner and escape the grasps of labour that she'd soon put him up to... her brother's impending horror and her empty pouch would be the consequences she faced.

Ruth gingerly undid the clasp, then swung open the door. To her surprise, Sol tentatively hopped out, then nestled itself against Ruth's robes for a moment, almost scratching at it with his claws as he attempted a clamber up her knee. She popped him up, laughing in confusion as she brought her hand over his feathers, patting them down. This was the first time she had ever gotten to touch him. Ruth had avoided doing so the day before, hoping he'd settle down into knowing she wasn't a threat before doing so. He was soft, albeit ruffled. It was a strange feeling as compared to petting a dog or cat. Being bird enthusiasts, Ruth was surprised Aaron had never begged their parents for a pet bird. She would be the first one.

Still deep in thought, Ruth was jolted by the sudden movement as Sol pecked at her knuckles, the fingers enclosing the owl treat she had bribed Sol out of. The smile slipped off her face, but she couldn't help but laugh as she revealed the prize to him. So that was what you wanted, huh? As if in reply, Sol pecked the treat between his beak, then flew off in a whirlwind, bouncing off her arms and out of the arched window into the sunlight.

Ruth gasped, bounding to the balustrade and leaning out as far as she could, her eyes widening at the sight of Sol flying away. Away! She groaned, leaning her head against the stone wall. What was she thinking? All this talk about buying a personal owl to send letters over, when she didn't even know how to take care of one. She lowered herself onto balustrade, heart sinking as she took a glance at the now empty cage, the door creaking against the breeze. It was silent apart from the distant coos and fluttering wings from the platform below.

Then, a set of wings flapping. The sound grew louder, and Ruth craned her neck into the distance, only to see a white owl, quite big for someone just a year in, with little specks of gray dotting its sides, flying back towards her. She squinted, making out Sol's intense yellow eyes trained upon her. In his claws he seemed to grip something, wait, was that-

Ruth yelped, ducking as Sol came crashing in, would have barged into her should she not have avoided the ever accelerating owl. Ruth looked up to see Sol fly back to her, slightly wobbling airborne, before dropping down a...dead rat.

She chambered away from it, a look of surprise etching onto her face as she exchanged furtive glances with her owl. Ruth jabbed a finger at the dead creature, incredulous, "For...me?" Sol didn't attempt a nod, but didn't make a move to eat it either.

It started softly at first. A smile, then a grin. A giggle, then a full blown barking laughter. Sol jolted from surprise but didn't budge from where he stood near his cage. Ruth wiped tears away from her eyes, affects of laughing too hard. "I...pfft, is this cause I gave you the treat, so you went to find something for me?" Sol didn't speak. He never did.

Ruth sighed to herself, the laugh light in her chest as she moved to pick up the rat. "Sol, I don't eat rats. I eat...uh...well." She shuffled through her robes, producing a pepper imp. She still had them from the trip to Hogsmeade. Now that badger thought about it, when were the expiry dates for the sweet treats anyways? Oh well. Ruth held it up for Sol to see, beckoning him closer, "While you have your treats, I have mine." She gestured at the candy, "This is a pepper imp.”

She made a show of tapping at the envelope in her other hand, sealed with a wax the colour of Sol’s eyes. She had spent some time making it the day before, and Ruth couldn’t help but admire her handiwork, especially how she had managed to carve out shapes to make it look like one of Sol’s almond eyes. “In here is a pepper imp, and a letter. For my family.” Ruth tied the envelope around his leg. “You remember Aaron, don’t you?” A look of displeasure on his face signified that yes, he did. Ruth found herself smiling as she let Sol hop onto her arm, ready to take flight. “Come back with something that’s not rats, please,” she whispered to him. Silently, he flew away.

Ruth wiped a bead of sweat that had come from simply making conversation with Sol. Gosh. And she thought they were alike.