The City of Pinop [Open]

[yollm]

In the forest kingdom of Ambala, there are many owl settlemets, as this kingdom holds the widest variety of owl species. From spotted owls, to great grey owls, snowly owls, great horned owls... and small-eared owls. One such settlement was the self-proclaimed 'city' of Pinop, home to a variety if owls, as well as other friendly species, such as rabbits. One such citizen was a small-eared owl by the name of Alvara. As Head Healer, she was often bogged down with work, treating the wounds of owls and oher animals.

Today was no different. High in a grouped up bunch of pine trees sat a constructed 'box', a spacious home built by local owls with a talent for woodworking. It had the appearance of a small barn, situated on a platform securely attached to the trees by ropes, extending from the sides, bottom and top. It would sway slighty in a strong wind, but was otherise quite secure. The structure was old and worn, painted a fading blue color. It had been here for quite some time, used by the old Healer, Wibeke.

Now, it was Alvara's bome and workplace. While the outside looked old, the inside had clearly been re-done. Pots and containers sat in cubbies, labeled by scratches that probably only Alvara and her assistants could understand. Books sat neatly in a shelf in the corner, all except for one that sat open on a table in the middle of the room. A window had been build into the back, a new addition, and was partially covered by maroon curtains, letting only a sliver of light in. The rest of the space was lit by candles, wax from them dripping into dishes set under them. In the back corner was th nesting area, three nests neatly lined against the wall. Nest to the largest nest was a hatch, with a ladder that led into another building below.

Under the barn was another building, connected to the barn by a rope ladder on the top. It was tall and wide, a box with a door on the middle of the front, and a hatch on the top. This is where the healing students slept, on average eight of them at a time. It eas daylight out, so modt of the students were sleeping inside. As were Alvara's assistants in their nests above. Alvara, though, was nowhere to be seen in either location.

Instead, she was currently just outside the city, helping to bandage an owlet's wing. The little thing had accidently fallen out of the nest while sleeping and had broken its wing. It was not crying, though. A poultice of arncia, a powerful topical pain-reliever, had already been applied to the wing, and the owlet sat there quietly while Alvara worked on bandaging and splinting it. She had tried to work quickly, as the owlet's frying earlier had been... very, very loud. Not good for a baby owl stuck on the ground.

[Gabjas]

Ambala. It had been quite a while since Prue had ventured to this kingdom where her parents had been murdered. It seemed so peaceful, the crisp air of dawn filling her nostrils with each breath. The sky swelled with colours, lavenders and rose hues hung like banners on the clouds.

But to her, it held more. It held screams. It held nightmares and memories she wished she could forget. She had flown here to face these things, maybe if she could confront the memories, they would no longer haunt her. Maybe then she could come to accept her past. But now she couldn't help but have cold talons.

Light filtered in from the clouds, stinging her eyes. She scanned the groves of trees that sprawled beneath, mentally selecting a particularly tall one. Tipping her port wing to the ground, she folded them and dove down, only to spread them once more and ease her descent.

She landed on a thick branch, crawling beneath the canvas of leaves that offered some shade from the piercing light of the sun. Lowering her neck beneath her wings, she closed her eyes. Until she heard voices.

She opened her eyes and cocked her head, listening intently to the two voices conversing. Curious, she hopped down from branch to branch, much like an owlet branching until she reached the forest floor. A female Short-Eared owl stood, applying a bandage carefully to an owlet's wing.

"Hello." Prue said, making her presence known so as to not startle them.

[Deleted]

Despite living fairly close to the city, it was a very rare occurrence to see the Great Horned Owl Dartmont actually come and visit. He shunned the company of most other owls and generally refused to come and visit the city itself. But today was one of the very few exceptions that brought the owl into the city. After weeks of complaints, work was finally beginning on the renovation of one of Pinop's oldest inhabited buildings. Dartmont, who had the most extensive knowledge on carpentry work in the nearby area, had been asked to oversee the work and make sure it was completed in a timely matter. After all, at least five separate owl families inhabited this building and until renovations were complete, they had to find shelter elsewhere.

This was not a job that Dartmont enjoyed, not one bit. He had previously worked on another building and found the owls he had been given to supervise were lacking. There was always at least one owl who thought he knew better than Dartmont and tried to do things his or her own way, which would then interrupt the work of others. Then you had some of the youngsters who would gleek about and refuse to do any actual work, which put the project behind schedule. Combine the two together and it was just one massive headache that Dartmont hated to have to work through.

There was a reason he was doing this, however. Over the past few days he had developed a sharp pain in his left leg and talons. He had tried to wait and see if it would improve, but it didn't and had instead gotten a bit worse. So Dartmont had decided to come into Pinop to see a healer who might know what's wrong and give him something to ease it and, figuring that he would be in town anyways, he accepted the job of supervising the renovation work. Unfortunately, he was starting to think this whole job would take far longer than he had initially assumed.

[yollm]

Despite Prue's efforts, the voice did startle the healer, and she flared out her wings to shelter the owlet as she turned her head almost all the way around to look at the alighted barn owl. For a long moment, she stayed like that, before the owlet's whimper forced her to look away.

"Hello. Pardon my hostility, but working on the ground leaves me a little uneasy," she bobbed her head by way of apology, even if she was now facing away from Prue.

Deft talon-movements wove the bandaged around the splinted wing, and another couple of wraps around the shoulder secured the wing to the owlet's side. Couldn't have them moving it around too much while it healed.

"These little ones. Love to try to fly early, and then this happens," she sighed, leaning down to preen the owlet for a moment to let it relax. While her words were harsh, her tone wasn't berating. Growing up in a tree, she supposed, led to the desire to fly to come extremely early. Poor thing. "Next time, wait for you parents to return from hunting before you attempt branching, alright?"

Helping the little owl up to their feet, she would let the thing rest for a moment before carrying it back up to its nest. In the meantime, Alvara sheltered it with her wing as she turned about to look at Prue, tilting her head to the side somewhat.

"Please excuse my lack of attentiveness. The safety of the owlets comes first, was there something you neede- ah." She cut herself off as she heard the cries of the owlet's parents. "One moment."

Carefully picking the owlet up in her talon, she'd power-flap up to the nest and drop them inside. Didn't want the parents to think they'd gotten snatched or died. Gliding back down to the forest floor, she'd clear her throat awkwardly.

"My apologies. Was there something you needed?"

[Felidae]

Coryn flapped his powerful wings, the air brushing the tips of his feathers. He had been sent to Ambala to look for new owlets that could be recruited into the Pure One ranks and he had chosen Pinop as his starting location. Why the Pure Ones hadn't chosen to send him to Tyto forest he would never know.

The Grass owl continued to fly as he scanned to trees beneath him. He could see many owlets, but none the species he wanted. Letting out a huff, he flew lower to the tree line, carefully checking each nest he flew past. He came across a nest that was tucked away into a hollow and as he came closer he could see there were two Barn owlets sat in the nest. With a cunning smile he flew towards the hollow and silently settled outside. The parents were no where to be seen and so he slipped in, grabbing hold of the owlets. The Pure Ones would be pleased with him when he returned.

As he made his way out, one of the owlets bit his foot and he dropped it like a hot coal, shaking his talon.

"Help!" the little owlet screamed, now free of his talons, "Help us!" Coryn tried to quite the owlet by grabbing it again but it was too late. The two female owls on the forest floor by the hollow he was in had probably heard the commotion by now.

[Everest]

Everest was on the run from a set of crows, he often found him self in a bit of trouble with them. Dawn was peaking over the horizon. Everest could hear each wing beat of the crows behind him. Diving down to dodge the fury of pecks at his tail he spotted a Tyto helping a few owlets. As he came closer he realized it wasn't helping them, it was trying to steal them!

Banking away from the trouble, making to much noise with his wings, he figured he go and find help. But first I have to get rid of these crows. He spotted a hollow in a tree and dived for it. He lighted down on the inside and backed himself into a corner. I really hate feeling like a coward. With a spark in his gizzard, he fluffed up and appeared twice his size, he shrieked at the mob.

The crows backed away, startled, making enough room for Everest to fit out of. He saw his advantage and shot of the hollow.

It was not long after his escape for the crows to catch up to him. He arched his back to look behind himself,raising his altitude, and noticed they were a ways away. In a churr he turned his head back around and never saw the branch.

Falling at high speeds towards the ground he raised himself just enough to soften his impact with the ground. With a hard thump he was on the ground. He looked up at the sky to see the crows flying past him. He gave a small grin and mumbled "at least i lost 'em". His vision, then, turned to black and he was unconscious.

[spice]

Elissya flew over the City, her long wings pushing the air thermals to the below trees. The moon shone brightly, illuminating her bark colored feathers. To her back a woven mice leather pack clung, the straps tied neatly in place. It weighed her down slightly, but she flew on. I've been flying for a while, she thought, maybe I should take a break.

Elissya tucked her wings into her body, the feathers ruffling in the slight breeze. The pack was securely tied around her, and she let herself plunge towards the ground. She plunged towards the quickly rising ground, then SMACK! Hit another owl. A wall of feathers and talons slammed into her, and she heard an owlet cry out from the owl's talons. She shook her head to clear her vision as she fell, then noticed Coryn holding the struggling owlet. He had probably snatched the owlet, she thought. She streaked towards him, slowed slightly by her pack. "STOP!" she screeched.

"Retun that owlet!"

[Felidae]

Coryn stumbled as another owl flew into him, nearly losing his balance on the tree limb. He steadied himself again, this time having only one owlet to hold as the other had retreated to it's nest again.

"Return that owlet!"

The Grass owl turned to face the same owl that had nocked him off his feet, "You try and make me!" He smirked back, taking to the air again.

[Gabjas]

Prue glanced upward as a cry for help rang from the canopy above them. A Pure One, a Grass Owl, had snatched two owlets from their unattended nest. Immediately, with her instincts kicking in, she shot up with battleclaws raised to his throat. Luckily for the owl, she paused mid-flight and glared at him.

"Do as we say and we will not harm you." she intoned, shooting a glance towards the other owl the had also flown to apprehend the snatcher. He merely smirked at the owl's warning, and turned to Prue now with a smug churr. "Hmph."

"Your choice." she turned and nodded to the other owl, silently telling her to get the owlets and allow her to fight, she had made several wing gestures to accompany this in hopes of getting her plan across a tad clearer. With a shriek, she surged towards the Pure One, her head colliding with his stomach.

She gripped the two owlets and tried as gently as she could to get them from his grip. "Do you know who I am?" she mumbled to the owl she was sparring with.

[yollm]

Alvara would fluff up her feathers at the sounds of fighting above. She felt her gizzard drop into her stomach with fear, but she still needed to make sure that owlet was alright! Summoning up she courage, she'd fly up to join the others, landing at the edge of the hollow. While the others would attempt to get the owlet back, she shuffled into the hollow to check on the owlet that escaped.

A small cut where the thief's talon had nicked the chick, but nothing other than that. Carefully moving the owlet to the back of the hollow, she'd crate a sheild around them with her wings as she applied a paste and bandage to the cut, coing softly to help the owlet relax. "Don't worry, the others will get your sibling, it's okay.."

[Felidae]

Coryn shrieked as a Barn owl flew at him, colliding with his stomach. As she attempted to grab the owlet from his talons, he held onto it desperately, not caring for the owlet's well-being anymore.

When he recovered from the shock of being hit in the stomach, he let out an angry shriek and grabbed the Barn owl's wing, squuezing down hard as his talons punctured the skin. He didn't do any real damaged, but he caused enough pain for the other owl to let go. Power-flapping his wings, he tried to propel himself up and away from the owls, quickly checking to see if the owlet was still in his talons, which it was.

[spice]

Elissya flew from behind Coryn and extended her talons. She gripped both of his ankles with her talons, squeezing the tendon so he was forced to let go or lose all feeling in his talons.

"Hi-Yah!" she shrieked, her beak inches from his ear slit. She felt him cringe and she tightened her talons around his heel tendon. The little Sulawesaii wasn't a very good fighter, but she knew her way around the owl's body, having treated many.

She felt the owlets slip, and she yelled out "CATCH!!!" to the healer below.

[Felidae]

Coryn let out a grunt as talons closed around his ankles, squeezing down hard. He tried to hang onto the owlet as much as he could but in the end he'd rather keep his talons than an owlet. The Grass owl reluctantly let go of his load and struggled free of the other owls talons.

Fluttering down onto a branch nearby, he turned angrily to the other owls, "What do you think you're doing?" He asked, shooting hostile glares to the owls all around him.

[yollm]

At the yell, Alvara practically exploded out of the nearby hollow, swooping down towards the falling owlet. At least the fighting seemed to have stopped. But that's not the point! Extending a talon, she gently caught the owlet, then fluidly turned into an upwards arc, disappearing back into the hollow. This owlet was significantly more injured due to the struggle, one of its wings belt from the pressure of being held and a few scratch marks. Alvara puffed up with indignation at the Grass Owl's words outside, but she had more important things to worry about.

Digging into the bag that hung around her shoulder, basically a satchel, she set to work on treating the hurt wing and cuts, feathers still puffed up in agitation.bWho did that owl think he was? Stealing owlets from the area around her city. The nerve!

[Deleted]

At that point Dartmont finally overheard some other owls mentioning some fight with a Pure Ones outside of the city. When he asked about what had happened, they informed him that some Pure One was spotted trying to snatch some owlets from their hollows and a few owls had cornered him and rescued the young ones. Although Dartmont was generally a nonviolent owl, he nonetheless decided to go and assist, as snatching owls was never an acceptable action. He left one of his subordinates in charge and flew off in the direct that he had been told fight was. It was no trouble to locate the owls, one Grass Owl was surrounded by several other owls; a Barn Owl, some kind of Screech Owl and a Short Eared Owl he was familiar with as Pinop's local healer. "Alvara, it's a pleasure to meet you again, I heard there was some trouble here with a Pure One and thought I would offer my assistance in dealing with him," he said, flying up next to Alvara. "Never thought they'd be so bold as to try and snatch owlets here in Ambala."