The gyrfalcon took off again, leaping from Blaize's shoulder in a flurry of wind and wings. "Hey, get back here!" She started running. She had to, to keep up with her bird. It would come back of course, but then again ... Maybe the people in this town ate birds. Or maybe they would capture poor Swift in a net, and try to make the bird into their pet, their hunting partner.

Blaize wasn't actually looking where she was going. She barreled into a scrawny looking man, compared to the locals, and stopped in her tracks. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see you there." Her eyes were still on the sky. Blaize didn't even know if the man had fallen down or not.