Golden light leaked in through the window as the sun elevated, casting its rays onto Mazdall’s snout and beak, and working its way up to her eyes. As the first ray of sun met her eyes, she started to stir. She twisted one of her wings to block her face, but ultimately her eyes fluttered open even beneath the feathered curtain. 

 Mazdall yawned and stretched out her talons, wings, and tail. She noticed that at some point in the night her pillow had fallen off the bed. Rubbing her eyes, she lifted her head and began preening. While her scales were plenty tidy and clean, her feathers felt like a nightmare. Her wing feathers were a mess, and her head feathers were even worse. She used her beak to smooth out her wings, and her hands to adjust her neck and head feathers. Carefully brushing them, she tediously guided each quill and vane into place. It was a meticulous process.

 Once her feathers felt tidy enough, she rose out of bed and made her way over to the window to look at the view. The sun was still rising, the sky turning from a soft pink into a greyish blue. The birds sang their morning songs, rustling the red leaves of autumn-swept trees as they moved about, before taking off into the distance. The outstretched plains created an endless view, sprawling far and wide. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky- only a swirl of colour. 

 Mazdall sighed. It was perfect. 

 She decided to close the window for now, latching it as it had been the day before. She figured she might as well try to find the kitchen Obora had mentioned, so she unlocked her room door and slowly floated down to the ground floor of the station quarters. It didn’t look like anyone else was there. She wasn’t sure if she was the first one awake or the last one. Mazdall scanned the room, taking advantage of the openness to spread her wings wide and high, her tail sprawling out as she bowed into a large stretch. As she turned to leave, she noticed the glow of burning embers beneath charcoal in the fireplace- perhaps she was the last one… 

 In her mind, Mazdall recalled the point on the map that Obora had said was the kitchen- she carefully moved through the hallways, making note of how the map translated into the actual barracks. At a certain point, her senses were overcome by a delicious aroma- no longer did she use her mental map to guide her, instead following the scent of freshly cooked boar. She could hear it before she could see it- the sound of sizzling meat, clattering of cooking utensils, and faint chatter. Her head swiveled into the room before her body did, seeing a wide stone room with stone ovens, lit hobs, glass water jugs and pumps, stacked buckets, woven bags of various powders, and baskets of freshly cut meat and picked vegetables. Separating the kitchen from the rest of the room was a long, wide slab of wood that acted as a counter. On the other side of the room were multiple round tables with bowls of water in the center. No seats or cushioning. She also noticed several other recruits at a table together, chatting amongst themselves. 

 Hanging on the wall straight across from the entrance was a glorious map of the continent of Ladorne. As Mazdall moved into the room, she took a good look at it. It was intricately detailed, depicting the rivers and hills of Olzen, the steep slopes of Icora, the crowded trees of Yimra, the sprawling lakes of Brinwelm, and the dusty sands of Sou-rey. Artistry like this must have taken years to finish- not to mention the sheer scale of the piece and the beautiful use of colour. 

 “Recruit!” She heard from the kitchen, “Planning to eat or gawk?” 

 Mazdall turned her gaze to an elderly Hunting Flocktic, her feathers out of place and even fallen out in some spots. Her back sagged and her tail drooped- but still she looked as though she alone could flatten an army with one mighty stare. 

 “Sorry, yes- how does this work?”

 “For today, everyone gets fresh honey boar and berries- paid for by Obora. Tomorrow you need to bring your own Silver, and I’ll make you whatever I can with what I have.” She turned her head to a younger cook behind her in the kitchen, “DARRIS-” She yelled, and the young cook nearly threw a bucket out of his hands, “Have you checked the boar stock like I asked?!” 

 As she chastised the young cook, she plated up Mazdall’s food and slid it over the makeshift counter towards her. 

 Before Mazdall could listen to the arguing, she had turned to find a table to rest at. The tables were made of old wood, and splintered at every board. She carefully placed the dented metal plate down and got a good look at her food. 

 The boar steak was still sizzling, the honey dripping off the meat and glazing the plate. The meat looked tender and juicy, cooked to perfection. The berries were ripe, plump, and tough, their red colour shining in the honey. Steam was still coming off of her plate as she felt her mouth water. She reached towards the bowl of water in the middle of the table and dipped her hands in, rinsing them with the cold liquid. She couldn’t simply place her hands- which had just been on the floor while walking- directly onto her food. Even hardened warriors found such an action uncouth. With her hands thoroughly rinsed, she cut a piece with her talons and lifted it to her mouth. The moment it hit her tongue, she was elated. It took one bite for her demeanor to change, suddenly she was ravenous. 

 The honey boar steak practically melted in her mouth, its tender texture feeling smooth and soft. The honey was sweet and warm, and tamed the rather gamey taste of the boar, turning it into a much more savory experience. The berries were fresh and sweet, making a satisfying crunch, bursting as she bit down on them. 

 Mazdall savoured the experience as best she could.

 Once Mazdall was nearly done eating, she saw the group of recruits get up to leave. She found herself picking up the pace on her eating, swallowing the portion already in her mouth and quickly taking the last few bites. Afterwards, she rinsed her hands again and followed their lead. As she passed by the cook, she dropped off her plate and said, “It was delicious, thank you!”

 The cook curled a brow as Mazdall’s tail whipped out the door.

 Obora was right, the kitchen was very close to the orientation hall- Mazdall was surprised she didn’t notice it sooner. Once they arrived, the first recruit opened the doors, allowing the others to funnel in. 

 It looked as though all the other recruits were already there, circling the map on the central table. Mazdall moved to find a spot where she could see the map well- figuring she might as well take the time to study it a bit more. It didn’t last long however, because the door swung open again. Mazdall knew it was Obora without looking, because of the signature clang-thump her metal leg made.

 “Good morning, recruits.” She said as she took her position at the table- skipping the podium altogether this time. When she was down at the table with the rest, it was very clear how much larger her wings were than the others- she herself wasn’t any bigger, in fact, she was somewhat scrawny- but her wings were imposing. Most of the physical differences between Singing Flocktics and Hunting Flocktics were barely noticeable unless they were side by side. If not for the stark colour differences between the two, they would seem identical. Seeing her beside the recruits made her towering wings and large feathers more than obvious. It was no wonder there were legends of Singing Flocktics living in the sky.

 Obora finished looking at her notes and addressed the recruits again. First she started by finishing off the orientation from yesterday, going over commission work and meeting attendance- which would allow the recruits to get a taste of being a Talon. They would be paid for their commission work, and compensated even more depending on their performance. Obora went over the outlines for signing up for commission work, and encouraged each and every recruit to take part. She explained the process of signing up, including stipulations regarding what recruits were and weren’t allowed to take part in. Some work required explicit approval from a Talon, a chaperone of sorts. Out of province work was also forbidden by recruits. This rule didn’t worry Mazdall- she didn’t much plan to leave Olzen anyways.

 Finally, with a sigh of relief, Obora said “Now with that out of the way… Today is the flight test. You will be put through a series of training on either the basic or the advanced course, and will be assessed based on endurance, technique, attentiveness and reaction time, and speed. I will determine your placement and therefore your training focus for the day- or your dismissal. You may bow out at any point, but it will result in negative evaluation. Understood?”

 Everyone nodded.

 “Good. I’m already sick of this stuffy room, let’s get going. Follow me.” Obora quickly turned her way back out of the orientation hall and led the recruits to the training yard.

 The route to the training yard was longer and with a lot more turns- it was unsurprising that Obora wanted to lead the recruits there herself. Regardless, once they arrived, Mazdall took in a deep breath of the outdoor air. Four stone walls surrounded the training yard, but the open sky greeted them above it. It was much larger than Mazdall expected- but the flight courses had definitely used all of the space. Atop the yellow-tinged grass field were the tall beams that held up the course. There were wooden rings of various sizes, sturdy beams and boards, and arches with strange contraptions attached. A part of her was giddy, and another part felt nearly nauseated with anxiety.

 “We’ll start everyone off with the basic course-” Obora began as she wrote in her notes, “-it shouldn’t be hard for anyone worthy of entering the Perch. In all honesty, it’s more of a wellness test than anything else.” A few recruits tried laughing, but none were entirely sure whether she was joking or not. Neither course looked particularly simple. Perhaps a Talon watched a normal Flocktic with pity or concern- assuming they had to be unwell to perform at such an underdeveloped level- or perhaps they saw them more akin to infants- fledglings. A Talon’s ability was simply much more advanced, they couldn’t help but view common folk as tragically incapable- or at least, that was what Mazdall guessed.

 Obora continued, “While I’m being honest, I need all of you training on the advanced course by the end of the day. It’s important that you’re whipped into shape for the winter drills coming up. Once you’ve shown me that you’ve mastered the basic course, I’ll move you to the advanced.”

 The two courses were laid out side-by-side, long and complex across the training yard. One was painted with many blue and green accents, the other with red and yellow. From where Mazdall was standing, she couldn’t tell which one was the advanced course.

 “Leihen, you’ll go first.” Obora said, lifting her gaze and gesturing to a tall dark grey Hunting Flocktic. Proudly, he stepped up towards Obora, awaiting further instruction, puffing his chest out in front of the others.

 “That blue flag marks the beginning of the basic course, the green marks the end, follow carefully between the colours, they will alternate so you can keep track of what’s next. There is a bell stationed by the green flag, so make sure to ring it when you finish.”

 Leihen was listening, but his eyes were on the course, following through it. “Easy.” He said, before flying up to the platform at the start. 

 Obora watched him carefully, her eyes fixated on him. “Ready your wings!” She called to him, and he opened them wide. 

 “Begin!”

 The very moment the words left her mouth, Leihen launched off of the platform, diving through the first set of hoops- he barely had to move his wings as he shot through the set like an arrow through the wind. 

 His body bowed down, following the flow of the course- he came to the first large board and swiftly flung himself up and over it, quickly diving shortly after, shooting under the second. He shot back up with one large flap of his wings, rising over the third board.

 With one more impressively clean dive, he dove beneath the final board. The sound of Leihen’s flaps and dives could be heard all the way from where the rest of the recruits were watching, his wings guiding him through the air and cutting against the tension. 

 As he approached the beams, Leihen tilted his body sideways either way, back and forth as he dodged between them, zig-zagging against the tight turns. The rippling sight was reminiscent of a fish in water. His speed and power were evident- if not entirely obvious. 

 Another set of hoops- much smaller this time- lay ahead. He tightened his wings against his body and straightened his neck as he aimed towards them. Mazdall couldn’t help but wince as he approached them with such speed, but his precision was on point.

 He shot right through them, clearing them flawlessly. 

 Finally, he came to the large contraption- a mechanism with wooden boards swinging, spinning, and shifting back and forth and up and down, creating an ever-changing environment as he approached. Despite this, Leihen did not hesitate- he followed the flow of the contraptions perfectly, altering his every move and path as they did. He mimicked them as if they were in sync- as if they were one. He dodged contraption after contraption, shooting towards the green flag. As he weaved the final set, his eyes remained firmly on the bell. 

 As he approached the golden bell- his speed still increasing- he extended his reach towards it. His trajectory seemed to be sending him right into it- his head barrelling towards the large metal object. 

 Mazdall scrunched her snout. She was convinced he was going to crash into it. 

 As his body nearly met the bell, she couldn’t look- and closed her eyes, bracing for the loud CLANG and resounding ringing to follow.