(So with a little encouragement, I've decided to continue! Aveline is the only one that is mines. The Gria is another friend who asked to be apart of the story. Also, other things are in the right to their respectful owners. )
~*~Chapter 2: Birds and Blizzards~*~
The name's Aveline Teague. I'm a hume female of seventeen years, small in stature though people said my temper is a mile high. That grinds my gears, you know, I'm not short-tempered at all. I think I'm pretty mild-mannered if I'd say so myself. Anyway, I've been employed as a Seer - one of the most prominent jobs people of my race can achieve - for three full months now. It was no easy feat, let me tell you, having to master one Black and four White magick spells is a minimum requirement. And books.
Hold out your hand.
The tomes I read are as or even more thick than that. And the words? Good gods are they big. Not like it's a problem or anything, but you'd think an endless string of big vocabulary would be superfluous by the four-hundreth page.
...I just contradicted myself, didn't I?
Even though being a Seer requires intelligence and potent magick skills, that 'intelligence' part wasn't showing too great. You see, I've been planning to run away from my clan for the past year or so. They're the top brass. Unmatched in sword and magicks. Owned every single inch of land from Loar to Ordalia - even the earth I stand upon now. Victory was always was certain. That's probably the part where you think I'm dull because who would run away from being on top?
I would. Winning is always good when you earn it. Not to say my previous Clan didn't earn it. But winning all the time? The same thing gets old after a while. Like the old toys you played with as a child and you clamored for a new one? Or maybe when you looked down at your own worn blue sneakers and your father was a lazy bastard and he didn't get you those new Galmia Pepe shoes you wanted? Instead he bought you some cheap knockoff from that shady Seeq dealer down the street and then you screamed "I told you!" triumphantly in his face when he discovers it three weeks too late!?
No?
Oh.
Well that wasn't the part where I was dull. It came when I decided to execute the actual leaving part of my plan in the dead of winter. Awesome. I know. And what I've gained from it? Independence, a freezing butt, and a new love for hating Skyfrost.
And so hours passed.
Maybe a day.
I wasn't sure how long I'd been trudging through the snow for or what direction I was even going in. The only certainty in my mind was that I was stuck out in this blizzard, blind and shivering with nowhere to go. Turning back would be an option…if only the blizzard hadn't already covered my footsteps with a fresh layer of snow.
A sharp gust slammed into my figure, its cold voice howling fierce high-pitched note in my ear. The weather was irritated that this little human dared to sully its pristine sheet of white. All of my weight was planted into my legs, my boots pressed into the frost. Head lowered and robes clutched tightly against my body, I made a valiant effort to battle the strong winds. The storm only seemed to grow more irate as I struggled to move forward in a determined, albeit unsure movement.
An uncertain period of time passed before I found a hill with height enough to survey the surrounding land. Possibly spot a trail or a sign. I began to climb the knoll, the storm whistling a mad tune. Snowflakes could only twist in a helpless flurry for they were unable to oppose the tempest's strength. Never had I used so much energy to climb a hill, which stood about twenty-five feet at the least.
Snow-covered hills. Snow-covered fields. My eyes squinted to find only…more snow-covered hills. The sky? Nothing but a large iron-colored blanket of clouds and a tiny bird that glided around smooth, slow circles. My frustration began grow in earnest; why wasn't anyone out here? Didn't someone need to go somewhere or something?
No, because you're the only person suicidal enough to go out in this type of weather.
I don't know what ticked me off more, the fact that I was probably going to die or the fact that even my own brain didn't have confidence in me. And the desolate landscape didn't do wonders to my self-esteem either.
Well there was that bird, but what the hell would a bird do to help me? It was probably feeling just as cold and lonely as I was.
I kicked the snow up and not a fraction later did the earth beneath me begin to tremble.
"A quake...?" I wondered aloud, but the rest of the land did not seem to shake. The hill suddenly rose in height and the tremors grew more violent. My body couldn't hold still against the rumbling and as I was thrown to the ground. Hard.
A screech, higher than the wind itself pierced the frosted air. I wasn't on a hill...it was a living creature buried in snow. I should've fled then, but curiosity was a convincing character.
The giant mass grew two longer appendages. It shook its body to free the snow off of its feathers. Two giant, feral blue eyes surveyed its surroundings and it only took moments before the titanic bird caught sight of the little Hume gaping at it. Its massive head cocked to the side in puzzlement while clicking its sharp, curved beak several times thoughtfully.
Silence. Another click. Silence. Click.
Click. Click.
My heart pounded.
Click. Click.
Don't move.
Its head cocked.
Click. Click.
My breathing grew ragged just from carrying the weight of the tension.
Silence.
Clickclickclickclickclick.
"Kweeeeee-ROK!!!"
The rapturous song of a predator finding its prey. The clawed foot of the crushatrice took a step forward, the earth shivering beneath it. Now would've been a good time to run as any. Fear froze my legs more solid than this storm ever could.
"WATCH OUT!" A voice called from directly above. It was as if my common sense suddenly gained a physical voice. The crushatrice moved forward at a blinding speed, that dangerously sharp beak headed straight towards me. Those tags on these running shoes didn't lie, I sprinted faster than I ever did with the loud noise of the beak colliding with the earth resounding behind me. The force of the impact was great enough to knock me off balance.
God, what would father say if he saw me react so late?
I tumbled a few feet away before stopping on my side, my back facing the crushatrice and its low, frustrated cries. Climbing to my knees, I turned around to the bird's head bowed low, while its body lurched in jerky and frantic way.
It was stuck. To think it buried itself that deep. That patch of ground could've been me!
More frustrated cries. Out of nowhere, a human-sized object fell swiftly. A moderate amount of blood rained around the area; the crushatrice responded appropriately with a shriek of anger and pain. Then, the cries stopped all together.
"Oh shut up, I should be the one complaining. You send me searching for you in a blizzard and now you stained my sword!" Red and black draconic wings and a tail extended from a figure that seemed to forget parts of their armor. Only a breastplate, a metal skirt, arm, and leg-guards adorned the body. A pair of black stockings was worn on the legs with leather boots and the flesh exposed was in areas where you could see woman-defining curves. Broken horns protruded slightly from a head of short and wild crimson hair. The female gria ran her free hand through her hair as she turned and began to approach me. "Are you okay?"
It was a few moments before I could manage a proper 'thanks'. "So you were the bird I saw!"
"Who are you calling a bird?"
Or not.
"You're not a bird! I mean-" I tried explaining myself to the enraged gria who seemed to get 2 inches taller.
"What do you mean? Do I look like a bird? I can't believe this is how kids these days thank-"
"It was from far away, dammit! And I'm not a kid, bird!"
"Well at least I'm not the one wearing a ridiculous cat hat!"
"Cat hat?! This is a symbol of pride and high status!" I spat hotly. How dare she insult the Seer attire?
"You humes act like I give a care about your symbols and status. Hmph." She turned and went to retrieve her blade that was lodged into crushatrice's neck. I should've thanked her before she left, but was feeling too bitter. "I'll just take my sword and leave." The gria reached for the hilt of her sword and began to dig it out. Or at least she tried to. It was a few moments that passed when I decided to comment.
"Well so much for your dramatic exit." I managed in the driest voice possible.
"Shut up, okay?" Her voice was acid. By this time her other hand was joined in the effort to dislodge her sword. "...stupid...MOVE!" She grunted. Something responded, but it wasn't her sword. It appeared the crushatrice was regenerating the whole time, feigning death until the right time. The crushatrice's wings flapped, creating gusts that could almost rival the blizzard's. The gria took off right with it, her arms still latched to the hilt. "Give me back...my sword!" She demanded.
This scene was humorous, believe me. You should see the way the crushatrice was flying in a frenzy, trying to shake the blade and the owner from its neck. Sitting and laughing at her misfortune was one option, but I really wasn't that type of person. I gave pursuit to the bird and the poor soul who was attached to it.
"H-hey!" I called after the gria. "I've got a plan!"
"What!?"
"Buy a new sword!"
"NO!" She roared. "Will you stop wasting your time and leave? I'm not going without Dagriohm!"
Never try to keep up with a crushatrice in a storm unless you have a good reason to. Low visibility does nothing positive.
"Okay, seriously! I have plan, but it'll require you to let go!"
"NO!" She roared again.
"Please? You have to! Trust me....I-I owe you for back there!" There was silence. Save for the crazy cries of the crushatrice, but nobody cares about that right now. She must've heard the sincerity in my voice, for she dropped down almost to the ground (she was now using her wings to fly). I launched myself onto her back not soon after.
"W-what are you doing?" She began to shake slightly to hint me to get down.
"Just trust me and fly after it." Her wings began beating in a delayed response, as if she was previously deciding on whether to trust me or not. "I have a vial of Sweet Sap in my pocket that I was saving for lunch...but I'm pretty sure-"
"Lovely, but my sword." She hissed while flying
"Let me get to that! Sweet sap is delicious for the tongue, but for the eyes...."
"Ah!" Her voice was comparatively brighter. "I get it now. You want to blind it. A sound idea for someone who has a weird taste in fashion."
"You're the one who has like, partial armor!" I retorted.
"But I look fashionable with mines~." The gria replied.
"Yeah, yeah. Now I need you to get in front of that bird." I pointed toward the large mass that was no doubt the crushatrice. The dragon-like wings pounded faster, she put the wind to good use by allowing her wings to catch the currents of air and fly faster. The gria flew beneath and past the underbelly of the crushatrice.
"I hope you can aim!" She shouted over the wind.
"Of course I can!" I knew well couldn't. I turned my head and slowly my whole body.
"What are you waiting for? Throw it!" She commanded.
"I'm waiting for the right moment!" And for my courage to build up. Reaching into my pocket, I retrieved the vial of sap with my right hand. "Alright, uh, sorry for this!" I stood up on the gria's back and leapt towards the face of the crushatrice. My free arm extended outwards and grabbed a handful of feathers and with the other, I smashed the vial into its giant eye, making sure to cram it sticky contents and glass into it as best as I could before I lost my grip and plummeted downwards.
Calls from large and loud animals are ear-deafening, by the way.
