Inktober - 27 - Climb

"Hey Selendy, what's up?" Ulkhri asked the Matriarch as he approached the doorway in which she stood, only to see her briefly look back at him and gesture him to come closer.

"Come look," she said with a wide, amused grin across her beak. "It's Lionel, he's bonding with the children."

Looking outside, Ulkhri found the young Patriarch in a position he did not expect; sitting in the middle of the courtyard, completely immobile as his three curious hatchlings wandered all around him. They were climbing all over him, using his wings and legs as support, and it seemed one of them - Ulkhri could not tell which one it was - had claimed the best spot of all, as he was apparently sound asleep atop his father's head. Ulkhri smiled widely and snickered, trying to not make too much noise so Lionel wouldn't notice he was there.

"Gods, I wish I had one of those recorder devices from the Guild..."

"I have one," Selendy smirked as she raised the small, metallic machine she kept in her pocket. "I've taken tons of pictures already. I won't let him forget this."

"Did I ever tell you that you're amazing?"

"... I don't think you ever did, actually."

"Well... I just said it."

When Ikrouk hatchlings - also known as Ikrelings - hatch from their eggs, they are naked and blind for one week, after which a heavy coat of grey down will grow around them to protect them from the environment. Around this stage, they start to learn how to hop around, and for parents, this often means getting into a lot of trouble, so they need to be wary at all times. Ikrelings are very curious in nature, and will not hesitate to climb and eat everything they find out of the ordinary. Because they cannot walk for a few months more, the parents will carry them everywhere, and for that purpose, Ikrelings are born with already sharp claws to cling on to their parents's feathers.