Bryant was glad to go home after training. On the way, he was stopped by Adan, who didn't bother trying to look casual.8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJ7bV5btYr 維尼
"Are you following me?" he asked.8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhVgasNyXM 維尼
"Yes," Adan replied. "Your mother said that you haven't been home for two days, and that you've been leaving like that all year. What's going on?"8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡu5DcmJHXD9 維尼
"Maybe you should ask the villagers. I can hardly take a break from patrolling the border without getting punished for it."8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2dmo7Yd7N3 維尼
Almost imperceptibly, Adan's eyes narrowed. Bryant knew that this meant he was trying to figure out whether he was lying or not. It was, however, pointless to wonder. Although Bryant had already stolen the dried food Adan carried in his pocket, he almost never lied about anything.8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡkb5Chk8cL7 維尼
"And how exactly were you punished?"8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡOtgODeKNkO 維尼
"I don't want to talk about that. It's too traumatic."8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡPTRzG5FAGf 維尼
Adan looked like he wanted to ask more, but he took a look at Bryant's expression and let it pass.8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡdQZgHXcCFt 維尼
"Fine. You can take a few days to rest. I'll get it sorted out. You're not supposed to be on the border anyway. You're supposed to be protecting the interior."8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡz8UAP61yUW 維尼
"I know. There's just too many people who want me out of sight to say so."8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3sJuG5bxf 維尼
"Just go home, Bryant. I said I'll fix it."8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡkmrfiLQ8VA 維尼
Bryant nodded and began to walk away. Adan kept going as well, then noticed that his pockets were much lighter and turned around. Bryant was already gone.8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡhDaUUaTegF 維尼
Bryant hadn't gone very far when he saw Adan's falcon in a tree ahead of him.8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡXw5HG72Lyt 維尼
"Kyii!" she called insistently.8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡ10CpHobWWO 維尼
"Karenyen, not now, please. Maybe tomorrow...?"8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1TBNU3kUL 維尼
"Kiii!"8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ofSNsbhVc 維尼
"I've been practicing. You don't need to worry about that. But do you really have to check it today?"8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQmTWqe8j0 維尼
The peregrine falcon made another adamant call. She believed it to be imperative that Bryant had a thorough knowledge of Falcon. Although she was a bird of prey, she was smarter than any crow Bryant had ever seen and probably smarter than most humans. She could at least spell better than Mikael.8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡ074LSIX1NE 維尼
"You don't have a report to write, by any chance?"8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡJyRGJC4eXH 維尼
Karenyen continued to stare at Bryant. It looked as though she would eat him if he didn't comply. She was not an old falcon, but she was intimidating.8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡIklhJS5gXc 維尼
"Of course she took care of her reports," Bryant muttered.8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡqLDzEALZWP 維尼
"Kyet!"8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡDlpwKHi8SK 維尼
"Can I have a lesson tomorrow instead? I'll practice extra hard."8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡxeBFcAmn5C 維尼
"Krrr. Krii."8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡLWwLU9qeKa 維尼
"So... you're letting me off today, but only because it's my birthday. Thank you!"8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡZF5DXMPDY0 維尼
"Kyuuri riii. Kyrri kriii..."8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2kIJtW12DM 維尼
"That's where the pantry is? And there's cookies? Is this a trap?"8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡgoINpnx8EU 維尼
"Ruuhrii ki ki. Krii."8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WIei2ILiE 維尼
"I see."8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡPhXzyVWgUF 維尼
Karenyen flew away. Bryant took a minute to stop and think about how much different it had been when he first saw her. The bird had an interesting backstory.8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡvytFn6i0qX 維尼
Bryant had seen Adan in a clearing one day, looking at the sky. He had been watching a hawk in flight with an expression that seemed almost sad. Bryant had later climbed the cliff until he reached a falcon nest he had been watching for a while. The chicks had fledged, but were still dependent on the parents. There were three of them. Bryant took the largest; it was a female.8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡiIclLHVLAf 維尼
The only reason he wasn't attacked when he got close to the nest was that he had his hood up and his sleeves rolled down so that he would be difficult to see. He had a leather pouch slung about his neck in order to carry a fledgling. He would need both hands, especially climbing down. He didn't have a rope to secure himself, but if he were a poor climber, he would have died years before.8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡoUDAutQ58f 維尼
Bryant came back in the evening tired, sore, and triumphant. He hung the sack o' bird on Adan's door with a red ribbon bow and a dead mouse. Adan had kept the fledgling and raised it. He had wanted to name it Karen, after his sister, but Bryant said, "Karen'yenrhiasa," and from then on, the shortest thing the falcon would answer to was Karenyen. She somehow learned to read and write and had been writing status reports on the village crops ever since.8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡVSujujFP8Q 維尼
Bryant started walking again. He had most of the day ahead of him, and he intended to spend it at home.8964 copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡopqzvNnA2v 維尼
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