Goose

"These little ones always remind me of the fall; you could say they are a living memory of it. It is so lively around spring and summer but when the leaves redden and fall, they fly away in various formations. Then, only silence remains."

— Cymrean folk about the geese

The geese are a species of medium-sized birds, flocking in shallow water and feeding on plants, bugs and various small invertebrae. They are very often guests in the Cymrean lands, since the region is very abundant in rivers, lakes and numerous types of meadows.

Domestication attempts

There were some attempts to domesticate them but in most cases not successful; the geese have an extremely strong travelling instinct and need to change their environments often. It is worth noting, though, that the flock is susceptible to bait and can gather around in areas. The exact details of the the process are a guarded secret. As to why would someone bait geese to visit their household lake, for example? Geese can be great glutons and so, a great help when a sudden outbreak of snails or other vermin appears.

Time to fly away

In autumn the geese move in several directions. They have been spotted racing mainy north-east, towards the sea, where temperatures are usually more forgiving and very rarely dropping below freezing.

A part of the tradition

Geese are prized in the Cymrean region not only for the nostalgia and melancholy they invoke. The more pragmatic reason is their delicious fatty meat, their eggs and the lard made of their fat.

Roasted goose

A well prepared goose can be a real treat worthy of the noble's table, even though everyone can hunt and prepare their own bird with a bit of effort. The most widely spread pairing is with ripe hard fruit, like pears, apples but grapes and plums have been used as well. The mixture with a handful of herbs and spices would be used as a filling, then roasted on a spit until all fat is rendered and the skin is crispy.

Seasonal pastry

The eggs are fatty with a the yolk taking around a third of the volume. When added to the dough they add depth and richness; the admixture of honey builds up the taaste even further. Since the quality increase is best visible in the pastries made from higher quality grains.

Medicinal use

Their fat is best for all types of medicinal purposes as it can easily absorb ingredients without affecting their properties, etc.

Subspecies

Grey geese

Grey goose by Angantyr (via MidJourney)

The birds are coloured differently depending on the subspecies. The most abundant one out there are the grey geese, with feathers in grey tones, typically dark grey. They prefer to stick to the darker and more murky inland waters and lakes with large areas overgrown by bulrush and third, anywhere where they can hide easily.

Willow geese

Willow goose by Angantyr (via MidJourney)

The second most widely found geese are the willow geese. These prefer the flooded regions, close to the rivers, where willows are mostly present. Other than that, the birds share no connection with the trees.