Vilette held onto Kishward's forearms as he led her through the fortress, his hands over her eyes, and listened closely as she slowly walked. He carefully led her through the halls and smiled widely. "How much further, Kishward?"
He smiled and gently squeezed her fingers. "Not much. Stop, let me open the door."
She nodded and kept her eyes closed as he leaned past her to open the door. She listened as the door opened and he guided her inside, closing the door behind her. She tilted her head when she heard a soft flutter of wings and he gently squeezed her hand. "You can look now."
She opened her eyes and blinked at the pair of hawks. "Are they yours?"
He nodded and clipped on a protective arm guard before holding it up. "Their names are Azrael and Sorush."
She smiled and ducked when one circled the wide room before landing on his arm guard. "How do you know which one is which? They're nearly identical."
He chuckled and gently petted his fingers through the feathers. "They're slightly different. I come from a long line of knights that raised hawks, it's in my blood to know them."
She nodded and twisted her fingers some. "Can I pet him?"
He smiled and gently took her hand, staightening out her fingers. "Of course, just be gentle and slow."
She smiled slightly and he guided her to slowly comb her fingers through the soft feathers. "I read they can fly very fast and high. And that they mate for life."
He nodded. "They do. And they care for their young for quite some time."
She smiled slightly and looked around, taking in the bird-friendly room. Perches were built into the walls and high nests were made into the corners. She yelped when the hawk pecked her hand and rubbed it as the bird flew off.
He frowned and gently took her hand, looking over it. "It's not your fault, they don't know you yet."
She nodded and he pulled away to grab a roll of bandages to wrap up her hand. "That's okay. I'm better with books, really."
He chuckled softly. "Books don't peck or have claws."
She smiled. "Yeah, they're much more harmless."
He smiled and lightly kissed her. She turned pink and slowly kissed him back before ducking Sorush flew over. He quickly straightened up and held out his arm, whistling sharply. Sorush landed on his arm and settled down.
She giggled softly and held out her hand, letting Sorush examine her before she slowly brushed her fingers through his fingers. "I think this one likes me."
He chuckled softly and nodded. "We can spend more time here if you want, so you can get to know them better."
She smiled. "I'd like that a lot. Thank you for introducing me."
He smiled and kissed her cheek. "It's my pleasure."