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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Feb 15, 2023 14:13:42 GMT
Airazor closed her eyes for a moment and tilted her head, before nodding once to herself. "Please be brief, and try not to distress him. Kiki, come here!" She called up into the midst of the birds in the habitat, being joined a short pause later by a small male Starly. Kiki would have been low in the pecking order, his beak and frame were both small, but he flew well. Looked alert, and agile. "You called, Apex?"
"This one wishes to know if she can help you." Airazor gestured to Muku with a wing. "With anything from the time of the Great Theft."
Kiki huddled his head down into his body and shook it rapidly back and forth as one might do while bathing. "AWFULtime awfulawful! Why would anyone ever want to talk about The Great Theft?! The men in red came and they threw their red balls and their big nets and scooped the air taking in Starly and Starly and Starly, KIKI! I was so small then, so small, and the net came and I went right through it, and the balls came but I was faster, and the hands, and the attacks, but we flew and we bobbed and we beeped and pecked and none of it mattered, no amount of pecking! Net was too thick! Dogs and bats and and and... round things that smell and make smoke... everywhere, everywhere! Then fire, Kiki flew, and flew, and flew until a safe spot but there was a wall that Kiki couldn't see! Kiki smashed into the wall going very fast... and then... and then he doesn't remember after that... just here. Here and the bluehair with his big hand. Then the others coming."
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Post by birdy51 on Feb 26, 2023 17:49:46 GMT
"Hey, hey. It's alright. Be calm." Muku says in vain. Truth be told, she herself was experiencing the moment as he spoke. She was not so small to slip the net like he was. The memories of the panic, the pecking all washed over her in sickly yellow memories of that bright day. Her lungs fill with a caustic, sweet smelling smoke and she remembered not being able to stand it at all. Struggling, held in by the press of feathers and panic.
She froze not too long after that and dared not to remember more. For her own sake and Kiki's, she needed to switch the subject.
"The blue haired man... Falkner. Has he been taking good care of you?" She asks plainly.
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Feb 26, 2023 18:20:28 GMT
Kiki fluffs his wings and gives a little hop to one side, then a little hop to the other. "He leaves the bigger birds alone and calls me a lot when his arm is big. He holds it out for a perch, I don't mind it. He says encouraging things, and takes me out to hunt sometimes! We peck the noodlesprouts together, sometimes the zigzags or the targetsquirrels. If I win, I get to have a nice meal I got myself. I didn't win much at first, I got bit lots, but I'm doing better!" Kiki offers proudly, puffing his little chest out. He might not have much natural potential, but it sounds like with a trainer behind him, he'll go farther then he otherwise could have.
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Post by birdy51 on Mar 5, 2023 22:15:01 GMT
Old memories.
They always talked about the ones that went missing from the flock, the ones that got too close to humans. Sometimes it would be sudden; a human and their companion dart out of a bush and start a fight with an unsuspecting Starly. Sometimes the Starly won and escaped. Sometimes the Starly lost, disappearing into one of those tiny orbs. Sometimes you'd see them again, but they weren't the same Starly they were before. They were different, not flock, barely Starly. Those were the scary stories. Other times, it would be more insidious. Blackbird tactics. They'd leave out food and water; tempting treats of meal and grub. The humans would convince the Starly to chirp in the rafters and eaves and make beautiful Starly song, not for the flock, but for them. They didn't want to be wild Starly anymore. They were human Starly. Those were the sad stories.
But this was a new story. A human helping a hurting Starly, treating them like a trusted friend. Raising them up, exalting them as something important to be cared for like mother bird for her chicks.
She could remember the words: "Starly are very important."
Muku didn't believe those words, not then anyways. They felt hollow coming from a human. But maybe they were right. Starly could be important. To some humans, they were worth taking care of. More than just a tool, a means to an end; a companion, a friend.
"I'm glad to hear that." Muku says with a faint smile. "Falkner is a good human. I'm glad you like him."
"Maybe Falkner could be very important to Muku too." Beeps one of Muku's inner Starly. Her cheeks flush red at the thought. This inner Starly was a dumb Starly and needed to go to birb jail.
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Mar 5, 2023 23:09:55 GMT
Soft footfalls in the pebbly soil, then the rapid flutter of short wings, a hookbeak with its spiky crest and red plumage landing beside Kiki. Hookbeaks always looked angry, and were usually more aggressive then Staravia. Their parents, the needlebeaks were known for drill pecks and copying flight patterns, dangerous. Kiki hopped in place to face the other bird, and the pair were joined by a pidgey. The trio seemed to actually enjoy each other's company. Kiki asked Airazor permission to go play, as Falkner stepped up beside Muku.
"I've been working with birds for a long time, and I still don't understand everything they're trying to tell me. You must be a very gifted trainer to understand so much after just meeting them." He offered with warm politeness. "Did you want to help out around the eyrie for the afternoon? It isn't much, but I could make you some dinner and give you a stipend as one of the assistant trainers?"
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Post by birdy51 on Mar 6, 2023 3:43:13 GMT
"Oh. I wouldn't say I know that much. In fact, I think there is a lot I need to figure out." Muku replies, her voice absent as she watches the three birds flit off to another branch higher and higher. Starly playing with other birds? She would think was dreaming if not for the coolness of the air and the surrounding ruckus of light bird song filling the air. She didn't understand all of it. But it was more harmonious than she could imagine, and what are dreams except the imagined made magnified? No. This wasn't a dream. She didn't have good dreams like this.
Still. That didn't mean that she too couldn't make the most of a day.
"I'll stay." She says at last, shaking herself from the moment. "Kiki, the small Starly. It's clear you treat him very well. I appreciate so... Thanks."
She bites her lip, shuffling awkwardly. You should say something more, says one Starly. Maybe tell a bird joke? Says another. But bird jokes are not human jokes and that's just bad. Compliment him? Compliment him!!
"I like your... Hair." Muku blusters. "It's ah... Very... Blue."
Conservative inner Starly covers her face. This was not a good compliment. Commenting on another person's crest! How fresh! How ludicrous! "S-sorry! Forget I said anything." Muku falters, carrying on quickly. "Would you like me to clean the battle court? Cause Chuck had me do that a lot and I think I still remember how to hold a broom kind of. It's like a wing when you think about it. Except, it's not really a wing when you think about it. But it is a wing. When you think about it."
"Smooth." Utters inner Staraptor ironically. This was not... Smooth.
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Mar 6, 2023 10:29:12 GMT
"I like your hair too." Falkner chuckled at the sudden shift away from fierceness that Muku was displaying. "It's very Staraptor." He considered the floor for a moment as Muku suggested sweeping.
"I actually don't do a whole lot of sweeping. The birds like to scratch at the soil, and they need the little rocks to help them digest. Little comforts." He seemed to settle on an idea. "I can only exercise and feed six at a time, would you mind stowing your team in the PC here, and coming out for some exercise?"
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Post by birdy51 on Mar 6, 2023 13:53:20 GMT
"That makes sense. Small rocks are good rocks. Great for digestion. Nothing like good dirt either." Muku says in a convincingly human manner. She did pointedly attempt to ignore the comment about her own her hair. Emphasis on attempt. Biting the tip of her tongue, she moves to the PC. "Yeah, yeah. I can work with birds Probably."
Clumsily, she fills the holding tray with her partnered Pokémon and scanned her id. It always made her uncomfortable sending off Pokémon to this mysterious 'PC' fellow. Where did they go? Why did the go? Nobody knew. Nurse Joy knew, but the one in Cianwood got a tired of Muku asking too many questions. There was a line, the nurse had said, and so Muku never did figure it out. Still...
"So. I'm gonna be honest. I'm good with dealing with Starly. I'm not sure how much the other birds are going to like me, but I can try to... Exercise them you said? Is that like running fitness drills?" Muku says, shooting Falkner a quizzical eye.
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Mar 7, 2023 13:38:13 GMT
"Fitness drills, flight training, feeding and some personal care. Not all the birds here can take the best care of themselves. Some of it's age, some of it's injury." Falkner explained. "There are some pretty basic rules when dealing with all birds. Keep your falconer's glove on, especially with the larger birds, the talons are really sharp and really strong. They have to have enough grip strength to support the Pokemon's entire body. It can badly injure your arm without meaning to."
Falkner carried on his explanation as he moved to a secondary console and deposited his own team. "Most birds don't like to be stared at, they take it as a threat. Turning away completely is disrespectful and offers a weakness for them to exploit, both of these are quick ways to getting pecked. Short looks, or watching them from the side of your eye is better until you get to know them and their temperaments. They also don't like being restricted, and many, though not all, don't like having their wings touched."
"We can start you off small today, until you get a feel for it. Let's see... Lavender and Scarlet, Knock, One, Sir, and Sacred." On screen, a number of birds Starly and Starly and Starly had never had contact with before. A vibrant red bird, and a somber purple bird. What could be the smallest needlebeak ever but the colors were all wrong and it had a nicer crest... a blue, yellow and black round bird that looked very fat. A... stickbird, but that is a very big stick and also it has something in its other wing? Stickbirds are dumb, they don't even fly probably. OWl OWL BABY OWL.
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Post by birdy51 on Mar 8, 2023 2:41:15 GMT
"I know birds." Muku says rather defensively at the end of Falkner's actually quite helpful explanation. She knew all of it of course. Most if it.
Well. No. She really didn't know anything about other birds, let alone strange foreign birds that weren't in Starly lands. Why about stories about distant lands when there were Pidgey's to bully and insects to eat? Besides. She knew enough of them that- Oh. Oh. Her eyes narrow firmly as her gaze affixes upon the small borb of owl. She held no grudge against this creature; only what it could become. Owl borbs were creatures to be vaguely respected, lest they grow old and snatch you away in the night. Untrustworthy creatures.
But Muku had met death before. Death held no power over her now.
"I'll show them that I'm not to be trifled with. And, I'll wear the glove. And, I'll show them respect. Won't handle them rougher than they can handle. Wings are important and while they can hurt a lot, they can also hurt so... I think I've at least got a good handle on that much." Cleansing her breath, she closes her eyes to focus. She could do this. This was easy. She could do this. They're just weird, other birds. Nothing to be afraid of. Nothing to get angry about. Just strange, other not Starly. It's fine. Totally fine.
Fine.
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Mar 13, 2023 17:22:26 GMT
Falkner handed Muku six Pokeballs, each one a shade of sky blue with a wing motif cresting along the top of the sphere. "Now... you'll need a sharp, shrill whistle to get attention, like this." Falkner put two fingers to his mouth and blew a single sharp note. The entire eyrie went dead silent, all of the birds listening intently. "Lavender and Scarlet." Falkner called in a clear voice, receiving two birdcalls in kind, the pair landing and performing a series of steps. It wasn't very unlike the hops a starly used when courting another starly, but very fancy. Violet somber, slow, using fans of feathers to obscure her face, often falling back and away, or twisting to be coy. Scarlet, her pairing, doing a great deal of stamping, dramatic wing flourishes, and twists.
"Let's get you gloved." Falkner was close then, holding one of those bulky arm guards for her, helping her fit it on, lightly gripping her hand to make sure the fingers were settled properly, and strapping it over Muku's opposite shoulder. "Now then, you can make a fist, and call them. With the girls, if you call one, both come. It's not something that can be trained out of them, they refuse to be separated, so I won't do that to them. Keep your arm out and away from your body, and get ready for the added weight, alright?"
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Post by birdy51 on Mar 14, 2023 21:23:14 GMT
Ta-dum. Ta-dum.
Muku's heart beat a little harder in close proximity to Falkner as she held out her hand to be gloved properly. Was it romance? No, no not really. Being this close to a human, any human was distressingly uncomfortable. Sure, she had bonded with Terra, Thel, Chuck, Miranda... And she did wrestle a nurse. But it was entirely another sensation to be fitted with this strange, leathery glove and to have Falkner be so close while doing it.
Could he not just use a pole or something? Like a civilized person.
So instead of focusing on the sensation of touch, she tried to listen. Make the whistle. Relate to the birds. Be the birds. No, that was ridiculous. Muku was already a bird. She couldn't be even more birds. The thought of it!
Nodding slowly, she repeats back the instructions one by one. "Ok. So. Whistle to get their attention. Hold out the glove. Call them out. Expect that they'll be on my arm and that there will be two of them." Her eyes narrow, spying the two colorful students in the near distance. What beady eyes. What gaudy feathers. Clearly not Starly material. But maybe she could make this bonded pair Starly material or at the very least pretend they were Starly. Yes. They were Starly. Clearly.
Stepping from Falkner, Muku purses her lips tightly just like Falkner did. Shouldn't be too bad. Now all she needed to do was blow.
Except that she was doing that. Nothing was happening. She tightens up further, issuing a quiet death scream from her lips rendered inaudible by the tiny chirps and twitters around her. Was this a joke? Lips clearly don't make noises like that. Except, he clearly DID make a noise like that so how did he- Gah! Whatever!! The two birds were staring expectantly now. She couldn't just stand here all day making weird mouth noises!
With a huff, she puts on her best impression of an apex, throws her left arm underneath her shoulder, bracing the gloved arm as she firmly declares, "Lavender. Scarlet. To me!"
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Mar 18, 2023 16:06:43 GMT
The pair gave an elegant and showy twirl around each other before performing a wing-assisted high hop and alighting on Muku's arm. Scarlet watched Muku's face intently with a lidded and lascivious gaze, Lavender unfolded the long feathers at her wingtips and covered her beak with them, arching her neck away from the trainer. Falkner chuckled and scratched under his bangs lightly, offering a shrug as though to say 'whatever works', his hands under hers to lightly brace her arm as she became accustomed to the weight, and the pressure of those claws. The shifts as the birds found what was comfortable. "Alright, I'm going to let go now, if you set your weight opposite that arm you should find your balance fairly easily. It makes keeping the arm up less of a strain too."
Falkner removed his touch from Muku. (Athletics please.)
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Post by birdy51 on Mar 23, 2023 22:19:45 GMT
"Ok. I'll put my hand down too." Muku says while trying to avoid the gaze of the cheeky red bird. Purple bird was fine. Red bird was also fine. Just not in that way. They were lovely birds, heavy birds and urgghh. Never once in her life had she thought about how a tree branch feels, but dang, those talons. Were they always that sharp? Why was she even asking that, of course they were sharp. Sharp and- Stretching her left hand, Muku attempts to do as Falkner asks. Maybe if she grips the ground with that hand? No probably a bad idea. That'd just topple the two birds. That wouldn't be THAT bad of a thing but- No. Absolutely not. Just keep stretching, stretching, balance, balancing... Athletics of 17 to hold the birbs!
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Mar 27, 2023 13:02:10 GMT
Scarlet stamps a few times as Muku finds her balance, but Lavender remains placid and still as the girl rights herself and finds a point of balance. The weight on her arm remains significant but passable. After a moment on the unfamiliar perch, the two birds seem to acclimate and look to Muku for instruction. Alongside Falkner, putting the larger and more unruly animals through their paces, including a scorpion bat thing that is definitely not a bird, and a dinosaur banana tree which he thankfully did not try to perch on his arm, Muku gets a little more insight to who he is as a person. A better understanding of birdkind.
The tiny needlebeak, Knock, is called a 'Pikipek'. They are originally from Alola, and dig insects out of bark by slamming their face repeatedly against wood at very high speed. A respectable thing, peck destroying for food and not permitting delicious bugs to hide.
The round blue birb is called a Rookidee, also from afar, and they evolve into large armored birds not unlike a razorwing, but with a much different temperament. Where a Razorwing aggressively defends its territory solo, Rookidee form large social hierarchies. The youngest instinctively deferring to the most senior, and the eldest birds looking after the training of all future generations.
Sir, a 'Sirfectch'd', was a recently evolved Farfetch'd, and surprisingly the easiest to work with from the bunch. He didn't perch, and only flew in short hops as part of combat forms, but boasted impressive power if with more than a little pride .
Sacred came last, the small demon owl settling on Muku's arm on what looked like a single leg with four claws, and cocked his head to blink at her. "Hoothoot?"
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Post by birdy51 on Mar 31, 2023 22:28:38 GMT
Muku exhales, trying not to think about the bird currently on her arm. There were so many birds. Not all of them were bad either! Most of them were actually good? Good. Yeah. Good in a way that she hadn't expected. Didn't get to see the other birds, but there were these yellow ones with pom-poms that suddenly gave her pause. She remembered the pecking bird from her brief stay in Alola. Didn't get to see the other birds, but there were these yellow ones with pom-poms that suddenly gave her pause when she thought about how weirdly shaped they were in comparison to Scarlet and Violet. Probably no relation but, anyways.
Weirdly enough, the weirdest looking bird with a flat face reminded her the most of Starly. Not due to how they ate or how they looked, no, she liked that they were flocky-flocky type flock birds. The kind that stick together. It was really nice to see how big birds could actually coexist with the smaller ones instead of administrating over a larger territory and being a far off defender that you could never be because you are too fond of companionship and a latent, crushing fear of being alone your entire life.
And then there was the sword bird! She liked sword bird. If it was a more appropriate time she'd have shown them Talon, but sadly that was not the point of these exercises.
The point of these exercises was training. Even if... What you training... Was objectively related to something awful.
"I know what you become. You can't fool me with your attractive borb like shape." Muku hisses under her breath. Of all the creatures, did it really have to be an owl? Such evil creatures. Even Blackbirds had nothing to do with them! Except, maybe they did? They did not usually fly during the day. Neither did the owls. Her eyebrow cocks suspiciously. "Why are you awake right now? This is not the hour for owls. Don't you know you should be asleep? Don't you?!"
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Apr 3, 2023 9:28:33 GMT
"Hoot?" The born asked energetically, switching feet though still only appearing to stand on one. Falkner, now deep in concentration dealing with a large round purple thing with a yellow X over its mouth and tiny beady red eyes. Not-birds were creepy.
Sacred grooms at his wing feathers with his beak, before revealing a Chesto Berry to Muku.
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Post by birdy51 on Apr 3, 2023 22:34:35 GMT
"Crafty, aren't we?" Muku mutters while fighting the urge to steal the berry and eat it for herself. She was much aware of the powers of sleep warding berries. They were after all, what got her through bird school. And yet, such pleasure it would be to shove the Chesto down this bird's gullet and feed it to Monolith.
Except that would be wholly uncalled for. Her eyes relax from predatorial visions of delight as she turns her gaze to Falkner and his weird not-bird flying object that probably didn't really exist anyways. He would be extremely disappointed to find the tiny owl dead on her watch. It was her duty to train the owl, not see it devoured. That alone was reason enough to keep training. Besides, she wasn't sadistic. Muku merely occasioned such thoughts; she had no desire to follow through with them. Not yet anyways.
"Ok. We'll train. I'd like you to go ahead and fly through those two hoops, grab the baton, then loop back, alright? Do it swiftly and you too may get a tasty feather poffin like the others." Muku says encouragingly, shaking a small bag of treats. Forbidden treats, for she was not allowed to eat them. But to seek and eat the treat, would that not be a prize in itself? A bead of sweat draws down her back for training has awakened in her, hunger, a hunger for things she could not have. And yet perhaps, a pinion upon which to dine? Would such an act really be a crime? Would it? Would it?!?
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Apr 4, 2023 20:53:32 GMT
Sacred is very smart, though the stubby wings means he has to flap a great deal to get anywhere. Far off are the days of silent gliding death that carries from one end of the wood to the other with hardly a sound. The Not-Bird Not-Pokemon Not-Real let out a scream that would send chills up the spine of anyone in their right mind. Like ten owls, in a ball... from actual hell, telling you not to be scared when all you want to do is be scared.
"That's enough of that for today, you'll get the other birds riled. Go to roost." And just like that, the Not was gone, and Falkner was by Muku's side again. "You... look like you are making a hard decision, or maybe you're hungry?" Sacred returns with the baton at last.
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Post by birdy51 on Apr 10, 2023 19:08:08 GMT
Having just finished having a minor heart attack, Muku caught herself with a hand deep in the not-so proverbial poffin bag. Perhaps she just wanted to try the treat once before she died, but now she didn't even have that level of privacy before Falkner was upon her with that oh-so handso- Wait, hold up. That's-
"I'm just- Considering- Thinking. I'm just thinking." Muku states with a voice as smooth as tree bark after a Heracross headbutts it. She clears her throat and tries again, shifting ever so furtively away to retrieve her hand from the poffin bag before sighing over dramatically.
"You're aware that I'm a Starly right? So, like... Being around all these other birds, it's weird. Really weird. It's not like we didn't interact cause like, we and Pidgey's fight over food and territory constantly and I was told that the big birds sometimes talk to the littler birds that don't move, the Moochbirds, because sometimes they say cryptic, but helpful things. But that doesn't make any of this... Normal, you know?"
She catches herself Starly rambling. Again. Deep breath, in and out. Her talons clutch tighter to the branch below her and she composes herself like she knew she should. "Nothing is normal; I get that. But periodically, things are still new in a way that I don't expect. Like, all of this." She says, gesturing grandly to the aviary.
"You do good work here. I don't think I would have been so afraid of humans if I knew there were people like you."
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