The Origin of the Eagle
By Nya Windsong-Tervicz
Many years ago when the great Lady Gaia still walked these realms, there was no eagle to grace the skies. The story of how the eagle came to be is also the tale of the love of a dryad, and the loss of the same dryad. When the forests were still young, a dryad named Elana lived in them. She whispered with the trees, swam the rivers and danced in the moonlight. She was happy, for the forests were her home and love. But Elana's spirit also loved to explore, and she was known for visiting many of the forests, not just one. In was in one of these trecks that she found a lone rocky cliff. Climbing above the trees to the top of the cliff Elana saw the sky stretching endlessly before her. The wind whipped around the cliff, as if stopping to say hello, then continuing on before letting Elana return the greeting. She called to the wind, asking it to stay and visit with her. She expected no answer, and the winds continued to blow. When she turned, however, a boy stood behind her. The boy said she could name him Nodin if she wished, and he was here because he had never stood on a cliff before.
Elana found herself fascinated by Nodin. He was odd, without a doubt. It was as if he had seen all of life by passing through, but never stayed long enough to experience it. Nodin, in turn, wanted to learn everything he could of Elana and her way of life. The two met many times on the cliff to talk, or simply to walk in the forests. Over time fascination and curiosity turned into a strong friendship. Then friendship became the roots for an even stronger love. Elana welcomed such a love, but it troubled Nodin. When Elana asked him why, Nodin answered he loved her with all his soul, but could she love him knowing he could never be kept? Elana, though not quite understanding, promised she could and would love him until her life span gave out. The same day Nodin and Elana bound themselves together for all eternity by a vow of love.
Several years passed, and the two were happy. But eventually Nodin grew listless and restless. His time in one spot was over, and he knew he must move on even if his heart remained with Elana. Having never stayed in one spot long enough to say goodbye before, he was not sure how to do such a thing. Finally he took Elana back to the cliff where they had met so long before. He kissed her one last time, tears on his cheeks. Elana felt the wind blow strong, and then her love was gone.
With Nodin no longer with her, Elana's heart broke. Not even the cool depths of the forests could heal her pain or stop her tears. She spent days and nights on the cliff, hoping that Nodin would somehow be able to return to her. Weeks passed, and Elana began to waste away through grief.
Lady Gaia noticed the pain of a child of Her forests. When not even She in Her great power could comfort Elana, the Lady Gaia instead gave Elana a gift. Elana's body melted away, leaving in its place feathers, talons, a beak and mighty wings.
Thus was the eagle born. Since that day the eagle has soared proud on the winds, free from all restraints and forever with her love.
SENTINELS NEWS #7200
Date: 3/21/2005 at 9:46
From: Arietta Stormcrow
To : Everyone
Subj: Eagles
First of all I'd like to thank Tow for creating yet another themed year for all of us to enjoy. I look forward to these and I hope they continue for many years to come! Tow you really keep the spirit of the pack alive and I'm proud to be your guildmate.
Now about eagles...
When I heard about this year's theme I realized that although I bond with it's spirit every day I could count my knowledge of the eagle on just one hand. So after saying my goodbyes to Vixen I took to the air and set off on a two day trek across the continent to observe eagles in their habitat. What follows is my account of the experience. Read on if you are interested in my (rather longwinded) observations.
BALD EAGLES
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I found my first eagle about half a day after leaving home. Using the powers granted me by the eagle itself I tracked to NoRoT and proceeded southish along the road ... and straight into a blizzard. It didn't take long before I was hopelessly lost. Just as icicles were beginning to form on the tip of my nose a gust of wind caught me and blew me right into what could only be a large bird. Feathers flew through the air and I heard a shrill cry in my ear as whatever I'd run into tumbled away through the air. It was then that the blizzard slackened somewhat and I could see that it had in fact been just the bird I was looking for.
This bald eagle was certainly a beautiful creature. It's wings spanned a distance of at least four feet and it must have weighed close to twenty-five pounds. It's head was completely white while the rest of it's body was a dark brown colour and it's beak and talons were yellow. It's eyes, however, were what caught my attention the most. Yellow irises with a black pupil looked back at me with an expression that can only be described as regal. The eagle is the king of flighted birds and he knows it. Just don't tell your raven that.
I flew with this eagle and a few others for the rest of the day. These observations I scribbled down as I watched them: + They don't seem to mind the cold weather or the snow. I assume that their feathers keep them warm. + Feeds mainly on fish from the nearby river. They dive down and glide just above water, catching the fish in their talons. It's no surprise that we can spy people from great distances while in eagle morph. These eagles can spot the smallest fish no matter how high they are flying. + Eagles do not appreciate being poked. On a similar note, I don't know how harvesters get feathers from them without loosing a finger or two.
I spent the rest of my free time that day and into the night flying over Sapience searching for more eagles. By morning the next day I'd located three other areas home to bald eagles. Of most interest was the eagle's nest I came across on the Isle of Erymanthus. High above the ground this nest was nestled into the cliffs on the northern side of the island, sheltered from the strong winds that buffeted me about. In the nest were three eaglets each covered in brown downy feathers from head to tail. As I watched one of the parents swooped down from the sky and landed on the edge of the nest, dropping a rabbit's carcass. The eaglets greeted their parent with loud chirping calls and began tearing hungrily at their meal. Although they couldn't fly yet the largest looked as if it might be ready in just a few months time. I hope to return and see if that is indeed the case.
GIANT EAGLES
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There is one other species I came across during my travels and that is the giant eagle. These amazing birds are many times larger than the bald eagle, so enormous that they may in fact be used as mounts for even the largest adventurer. Their wingspan is immense and there is plenty of room for someone to perch on it's back. Each weighs over one thousand pounds and are covered in beautiful golden feathers. Instead of possessing yellow eyes, theirs are ice-blue in colour. These birds seem to possess a unique intelligence and are truly a sight to behold.
EAGLE CRACKERS
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After nearly two days of winging my way across the continent in search of eagles I was feeling pretty hungry and thirsty so I decided that there was no better way of ending my trip than stopping by the Amalyayan Winery for some fresh squeezed wine and Oinodes' delicious eagle-shaped crackers. Don't forget to stop by there sometime this year if you're looking for an alternative to bread for those cub sandwiches. Or just come see me. My eyes seem to have been bigger than my stomach and I have lots of leftovers...
Well that just about wraps this post up. Hope you had some fun reading it and maybe learned something new, if you got this far. Happy year of the eagle!
Arietta Stormeagle (just for this year!)
Penned by my hand on the 12th of Aeguary, in the year 388 AF.