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Post by Hikalyn Sarello on Jun 12, 2004 5:05:50 GMT
Hikalyn made her way up to the Owlery, taking the the winding stairs at a slow walk. Usually she had a fairly brisk stride, but she hadn't been feeling herself lately; lethargy had been tagging around after her like a shadow. She'd put down the lack of energy to overwork. She did have a full time job, after all, and the end of the school year was drawing nearer. So were the NEWTS, a prospect that the seventh year really wasn't looking forward to. And there was the final Quidditch match coming up, which only added to her nerves. Still, at least that was something she could look forward to.
She shook her head, trying to clear it of unwanted thoughts, and ducked inside the doorway to the Owlery--she'd been standing in the entrance with her head in the clouds. She threaded her way through the wire cages that decorated the room, surrounded by the soft hoots of birds that varied incredibly in shape and size.
Finally she stopped in front of one cage, containing the graceful form of a barn owl who watched Hikalyn with yellow eyes and an almost human intelligence. The bird fluttered tawny wings, dusted with a smattering of darker browns, in what could have been expectation. Of course, the owl did know what a visit from the black-haired Prefect meant.
Hikalyn quickly undid the clasps that held the cage shut, letting the door fall open and stepping back so that her owl could escape the metal confines. The bird didn't hesitate, launching herself into a smooth, fluid flight that took her in a circle around the rafters, before swooping back down to land on Hikalyn's outstretched arm.
Hikalyn laughed and reached out to ruffle the bird's crown of feathers in a fond gesture, which Astrena returned by nipping playfully at her fingers.
Kalyn didn't have any letters to send; she was simply up here for some quiet companionship, an arrangement which suited both girl and owl just fine.
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Post by Celeste Redsmith on Jun 12, 2004 7:22:52 GMT
This is a first the girl thought.
Celeste looked at Patrick, who had followed her out somehow without Celeste's knowing, and tutted. "You are not allowed here, not this place Patrick."
The lion's face dropped as soon as she finished her sentance.
She could not stand that face... that face he pulled every time she said he was not allowed. First it was home, then it was the station, then it was the sorting ceremony, now it came to this. "Oh... alright... but you must be on your best behaviour in this place. You might scare the owls." Celeste decided.
At this, the Lion's ears propped up. He could obveously hear the hooting of the owls.
She held the letter tighly in her hands, and made her way to the owlry, when she just realised, she didn't know how to send a letter!
The hooting of the owls softened a little as Celeste and her companion walked through the door. Then a flurry of owls fluffed their feathers in disbelief at what they saw.
Patrick really didn't care though.
She then noticed another person with an owl on her arm. "Erm.. excuse me, but how do I send a letter?" Came an anxious voice from behind the girl.
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Post by Hikalyn Sarello on Jun 13, 2004 2:48:44 GMT
Hikalyn had noticed the agitation of the owls, but she'd assumed that they were only reacting to her presence. They always got figedy when someone came up, hoping--or so Kalyn presumed--that they'd have the opportunity to get out of their cages for a while. So when she turned around to face owner of the questioning voice, she was utterly flabbergasted to find herself staring past the girl and into the glittering, intelligent eyes of the tawny, maned hunting cat. "Should...should that be in here?" she asked faintly, gesturing towards the lion. She wasn't too enamored of the idea of having a lion loose in the Owlery, with only thin metal bars seperating the lion from the birds. Bars that wouldn't prove much of a barrier. Or it could just decide to go for one of the human girls; they'd make a bigger meal, and there wasn't even a flimsy wire barrier seperating them from the lion. On the other hand, it didn't really seem to care all that much for the potential meals that were all about the room. And the girl, who had to have noticed it, didn't seem disconcerted at all. Maybe it was hers? That seemed like a bit of a stretch, but then, she'd seen stranger things happen.
She suddenly realized that she'd been staring the whole time, and hadn't said a word. "Sorry," she muttered, turning back to the girl, though she kept darting sidelong glances towards the lion. "You just have to pick one of the school owls--" she gestured towards the cages where the school owls were kept, away from the students' owls to avoid confusion, "if you don't have your own, fasten your message to its leg, and tell it where you want the message delivered." She smiled. "Most of them are pretty good about holding still and stuff..."
Her gaze returned again to the lion, curiousity evident in her stare.
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Post by Celeste Redsmith on Jun 13, 2004 5:30:30 GMT
Celeste glanced behind her, and then back to the astounded girl infront of her. "Him? Oh don't worry about him. He won't go for any meal right now. He doesn't like owls anyway. They are safe, and so are we." She turned back to Patrick and ushered him outside. "Better? That was Patrick, he is my companion. I am sorry since he startled you."
She walked over to the school owels and opened one of the cages of a tawny owl. She strapped the little letter to its ankle and said to it, "Can you please take this to Cornwall, England to my father, David?" And with that, it flew off and out a hole in the roof.
"You know, that is my first time sending a letter by owl." She smirked at her own unawareness. "Oh I am Celeste."
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Post by Hikalyn Sarello on Jun 13, 2004 6:53:42 GMT
"Hikalyn Sarello," she replied by way of introduction, extending her hand. "I'm a Slytherin Prefect." Somehow she managed not to stare after the lion as it slinked gracefully from the room, for all the world like a giant housecat. Of course, cats were among the short list of pets allowed at MH, but she thought that this just might be stretching the rules a bit...
She watched the owl Celeste had chosen wing its way out over the grounds, disappearing into the clouds. "Yeah, owl post is pretty easy, really." If she'd never used owl post before, she was probably a Muggle-born. Not that it made a difference to Hikalyn; she was only a half-blood herself.
"So..." she started to ask curiously, then cast about for the best way to phrase her question. "How did you...um, meet your lion?"
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Post by Celeste Redsmith on Jun 13, 2004 7:50:47 GMT
Celeste nodded and smiled. "Pleasure to meet you. I am in Ravenclaw house." She then looked back to Patrick outside the room.
"I used to live in south Africa. My father ran an animal shelter and my mother was a Veterenarian. My sister, Sealla, was sent here instead of myself because my parents favoured her over me. I would go out every day to see if there was any animals needing help.
"I came across a lion cub that was surrounded by his mother, dead, and hyenas were closing in. I quickly picked up a giant stick and lit it with fire. I waved it around just enough to keep the hyenas away so I could get to the cub.
"I managed to just get home when my father came out in the jeep, chasing the hyenas away. I asked my father and mother if I could look after this one, and they agreed to it. I braught him up to be the healthy lion he is today and he didn't want to leave my side. And that is how we met." Celeste took a deep breath and sighed.
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Post by Hikalyn Sarello on Jun 13, 2004 22:27:51 GMT
"Wow," was all Hikalyn could think of to say in response ot the girl's rather remarkable story. A little on the inane side, perhaps, but it was better than saying nothing at all. "And nobody minded you bringing him with you to school? Does he always follow you, or--ow!"
Her sudden exclamation was more of surprise than pain. Astrena, who had settled back into a relaxed position on Kalyn's still-extended arm when the lion had left, now dug her sharp talons into the smooth flesh of the girl's arm, as if in pointed reminder that she was still there. Heaving a sigh that fell somewhere between fondness and exasperation, Hikalyn obligingly reached out with her free hand and stroked it over the owl's head. "Don't worry, I didn't forget you," she assured the bird.
As if understanding the lie, the owl gazed at her with yellow eyes that gleamed with an uncanny intelligence, shifting her clawed feet on Kalyn's arm and clicking her beak. Wearing a slight smile, Kalyn shook her head, then turned and looked back at Celeste.
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Post by Celeste Redsmith on Jun 15, 2004 10:02:53 GMT
Celeste smiled at the most gracious owl. "Might I say, she's a beauty!" She said, looking back through the hole in the roof, hoping that the owl would make it ok. "Yeah, I didn't get told I had to leave him behind so he came along for the ride! Anyway, I am probably keeping you from your time with your gorgeous owl here. It was a pleasure to meet you, Hikalyn, and thank you for your help." She smiled again, warmly to her and swivvled on the ball of her foot. Heading out of the Owlery, she ushered to Patrick to follow. "She seems like a nice girl." She said to Patrick. He nodded in agreement as they went on their way.
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Post by Hikalyn Sarello on Jun 16, 2004 6:55:45 GMT
Hikalyn smiled in acknowledgement of Celeste's compliment to her owl. As if she too understood, Astrena hooted softly and began to preen. She looked almost pompous. Hikalyn only chuckled. She was used by now to the uncanny intelligence that the owls possessed, but it was one of those things that seemed new every time Astrena demonstrated it.
"Any time," she assured the Ravenclaw. "See you around, Celeste." She waved as the girl disappeared, presumably in the direction of her common room. She knew she should probably do likewise soon herself, but she wanted to spend at least a little more time up here. She walked over to stand in front of one of the many windows, Astrena still perched comfortably on her arm, despite the fact that said arm had increased to match the heaviness of a lead weight. She stared reflectively out through the dappled window pane, stroking one hand absently over her owl's feathered crown.
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