Chapter 165

We prepped the horses, picked a raptor and went to the fields. He had his fateful red-breasted falcon, while I opted for the great white kite. It was a bird I was familiar with handling, one of great power and agility. It was one of few birds that could go toe to toe with the powerful red-breasted falcon. However, one on one raptor polo was quite a bit different from the normal game. Instead of having a lot riding on the raptors for scoring, most rode on the jockeys in stead. It was an intense duel, with different equipment, different means of scoring and a different field. The objective was to get the strategically placed ribbons, and protect your flags on the side of the field. The ribbons could be stolen to keep the opposing player from being able to score. That is where the raptors came into play. Richard and I stood on the back of our horses, eyeing each other intently. Ringed staves were in our right hand while the horses' reins were in the left. The raptors sat atop the ringed s