Recruiting birds (or similar) is at least theoretically an option - and possibly the point Viola starts missing Aetos a little (Inactive Characters). Viola does already have a spell to speak to animals, but she'd need to work out how to get from there to getting them to do what she wants (noting that the Gift is going to be an issue).
For the creek fae I'd say make a Pre + Faerie Lore - Gift roll and let me know what, if anything you're offering them? EF 9 should mean a basic success.