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Since I've decided that I'm going to share head-canon's and details, I thought for your ask, I'd talk about Ilmara and the Limroval's a little! Now, a lot of this is still bare bones, but it's the story I've had rattling around in my head since I started writing On Swift Wings!
Limrovals (directly meaning Swift Wings) are a species of bird of prey, with a high intelligence almost on par with humans, widely to be considered a gift of Manwë, to the elves of the Greenwood.
Sometime during the early days of the Greenwood's corruption, a great eagle was attacked and badly injured within the forest. Following the sounds of its fighting, an elleth not only saved the eagle's life, but protected and assisted in its recuperation until the eagle was once again fit enough to fly and return to the eyrie.
It's widely rumoured that the elleth who saved the eagle, was the Queen of the Woodland Realm, but whether this was Oropher or Thranduil's wife hasn't been confirmed. (aka I've not figure it out yet!) In thanks for saving one of his messengers, Manwë is said to have sent a new flock to the Woodland Realm. Not great eagles, but smaller raptors, with intelligence and cunning, suited for life within the forest and adaptable enough to survive alongside their elven Keepers.
These incredible birds aren't naturally found in the wild, and after centuries of careful breeding, has resulted in a variety of species, with different uses in daily life.
Larger birds such as eagles, kites, and buzzards are used to aid in protecting the Woodland Realms borders, their greater size and strength are ideal in assisting in battles with dangerous foes.
Smaller falcons, such as peregrines, merlins, and hobbies, are primarily used as messengers to run short distances between outposts.
Hawks, such as sparrowhawks, goshawks, are used as all-rounders, they're large enough to assist in some battles, but are adept at navigating densely grown woodland to carry messages.
Owls on the other hand, are rare and hardly used. However, they frequently join patrols and scouts, their night vision and hearing is excellent at providing advanced notice of orc or spider attacks.
Since Limroval are so rare and unique, it's a great privilege to become a Limroval Keeper, but also incredibly difficult. Elves are put through a great deal of training and testing, looking after them, feeding, training, and caring, before they're even so much as allowed to fly the birds. If they're deemed a good fit, the elf is assigned to a hatchling, raising and imprinting, to strengthen the bond between them.
This ensures that the pair are capable of working closely together, the chick growing and learning how the other think and react, and training on specific instructions and actions. It's important to note that this is a partnership, and never a case of the elf ordering the bird about, as Limroval are more than capable of choosing to ignore orders.
(look at him goooo)
With such a difficult process to become a Limroval Keeper, it comes as a shock when a human mortal manages to bond with a chick. But Rhosynel has experience with caring for falcons, having worked closely with them during her teen years. Her knowledge, experience, and the calling in of a hefty debt, results in her becoming a Keeper.
Ilmara is a goshawk, known for their ability to fly through dense forests, snapping and flaring their wings to fit through the narrowest of gaps. She's sassy, and knows when she can ignore Rhosynel and even go against her orders.
Needless to say, Ilmara is just as reckless and protective as Rhosynel!
Is this just an excuse for me to ramble about birds and find neat gifs? Maybe! But I enjoyed writing it, and I hope you guy's will enjoy reading about them!