Chapters will be updated as frequently as possible; I am aware of the grammatical, lore and spelling errors present but rest assured I plan on giving this text a read through to correct said mistakes and errors.
Gyda stared intently at the peculiar sight before her. Once again she'd underestimated Val, shaking her head in reluctant admiration at the trap that'd snared a diminutive, ursine-like animal. The creature's body looked like that of a brown bear cub yet it's face was distinctly avian in appearance and its light-brown fur tinged with tufts of down. It looked up at her and gave a pathetic chirp, eyes going wide as it struggled to escape the snare tightly fastened around its rear leg and rump.
"What an odd animal," Gyda mused. "Over a hundred books at the temple and not once have I come across an animal such as yourself. Quite interesting." She reached into her back pocket, grabbing hold of a small dagger and bringing it close to the captured creature. "Now, now, I'm only going to cut you free, honest! Just let me..." The animal's panicked cries, now reaching irritating volumes, bombarded her senses. Sawing at the rope at a hurried pace she'd managed to free it, watching it tumble back to earth relatively unscathed before a chorus of cracking sounds echoed from the underbrush several feet away. Pushing the knife back into its holder, she scarcely drew her mace when a larger, fiercer version of the animal at her feet burst into sight.
Gyda gripped her weapon tightly as the creature cast a bestial glower in her direction, eyes burning with a sort of maternal protectiveness. The animal stood up on its hind legs, its massive slouching frame casting a shadow over its cub and her as it bared hawk-like talons jutting out of its paws. It let out a screech before pouncing forward, hitting the ground with its front paws and charging directly at the Dwarf. Knowing she was in a precarious position, she bolted in the other direction, shouting at the top of her lungs to her companions.
Val heard her companion's pleas for help first, dropping the bone she'd been gnawing on and instantly going for her bow. Oslo followed en suite, tossing his cleanly picked piece into the fire and brandishing his harpoon as his companion notched an arrow from her quiver and aimed at the entrance in the forest they'd come through. A loud screech unfamiliar to the man pierced the air, causing a noticeably panicked reaction from their mounts and pack mule.
"Val, what was that?"
The Elf grunted in response, one eye closed as she held her bow's string taught and leveled. Oslo's answer came a moment later; he blinked at the sight of Gyda bursting through the undergrowth shouting as a large, bird-like creature with a massive body covered in fur and feather closed the distance behind her. It's physique was reminiscent of the bears he's seen in the Frostfell regions he'd called home, despite it's bizarre owlish features. Returning his attention back to the situation at hand, he exhaled sharply and charged. An arrow whizzed past him, narrowly missing the Dwarf and embedding itself in the creature's nostril, causing it to slow its pace and roar. Taking the opportunity presented, Oslo gripped his weapon tightly, gritting his teeth as he braced for the impact of his reckless charge and thrust. The harpoon-head, alongside a good portion of the shaft, wedged deep into the animal's chunky neck, bringing the man close enough to the creature to see the confused and furious expression on its face.
Val cursed under her breath as she loosed her final arrow. Discarding her bow and unstrapping her quiver, she sprinted towards her companions. She drew her swords as she approached the beast, quickly darting to the side of Oslo as he struggled to maintain his hold over the animal while avoiding its sharp, hooked beak. He made eye contact with her and nodded in acknowledgement before resuming his struggles.
"Val, go for its hindquarters!"
The Elf looked up to see her Dwarven companion's mace held skywards, a large circular shield clutched tightly in her other hand. She shouted her god's name as a warcry, bringing the mace in a downward arc into the side of the animal. Hearing the animal's distressed response, Val acted quickly. She vaulted onto the creature's back and stabbed her short sword into its back, pushing the blade as deep as it would go. "Get back!"
Gyda and Oslo retreated swiftly, the latter abandoning his weapon and heading back towards the campfire as the former retreated several steps and took a defensive stance, ready to assist when she could. Satisfied, Val gripped the handle of her planted sword tightly and began stabbing the creature's head with the other. She repeated this process as fast as she could, ignoring bursts of blood staining her vision and the constant bucking of the desperate animal. By the time she opened her eyes, the creature's erratic movements had slowed dramatically. Absentmindedly, she let go of her swords and tumbled onto the ground, letting out a grunt before closing her eyes in exhaustion.
Oslo had retrieved his iuak bone machetes and rushed back into the fray, only to be greeted by the sights of Gyda tending over Val and the dead animal. The "Owlbear" as he decided was an appropriate name, was a gory sight. Its fur-feathers were matted in fresh blood no doubt extremely sticky in the current heat and its comic death grimace, an eyelid drooped over a glazed eye while its tongue lay exposed by a wide open beak, betrayed its threatening persona. The Frostfell man mouthed a silent prayer to the great beast, wiping the sweat accumulating on his forehead before stepping closer to the animal's corpse. He furrowed his brow as he stooped closer to inspect the animal's body, seeing a snapped piece of his harpoon jutting outwards.
Not enough room on our persons to carry its remains he thought, stroking the hair on his chin. He scowled at the thought of simply leaving the creature and all the vital resources it offered and letting its remains go to waste.
"We're really lucky you know."
"Indeed," he replied halfheartedly. He felt the Dwarf's hand rest on his shoulder, grunting in acknowledgement but refusing to abandon his private musing. "How is Val?"
"Fast asleep, which is humorous given the circumstances. Pelor knows how difficult our ventures have been these past few days...ironic it takes one of these creatures-"
"An Owlbear."
"-an Owlbear to do what a group of bandits could not. How are you holding up?"
"Fine...we need to find that village, Gyda. Trekking back into the woods exhausted and in bloody clothes will do us more trouble than good."
Oslo looked up, noting the grim look on his companion's face. "We'll be taking a big risk, you know. We might even lose all of our loot."
"In my homeland, my people once came across a settlement of Icefolk, nomads who were greater attuned to the Frostfell than ourselves. Beached near to their encampment was a massive fish, one of which could sustain the hunger of a village for many months. Yet they left it alone because its girth had cracked the ice below it, and its blood had seeped for many hours." The man stood upright, brushing strands of hair back from his face and looking down at his companion's confused facial expression.
"I don't understand."
"The creature's carcass was placed in a dangerous position. A hunter brave enough to gather its bounty faces the trials of unstable footing and opportunistic scavengers. There are certain risks that must be taken for survival, yet a risk is only a risk when survival can be assured. When survival cannot be assured, it is not a risk. It is suicide. As I think the saying goes in your tongue, don't bite of more than you can chew."
Gyda raised an eyebrow at him, crossing her arms and shaking her head. "That's a little dire of a metaphor, don't you think?"
"Given the presence of that animal, who knows what else could lie within the forest waiting for a tired, desperate group of travellers. I will watch over the Elf, if you wish, but I will be heading towards this settlement you and Val-"
"Just Gyda!"
"-find so intimidating." Oslo and Gyda turned their attention to their companion. The Frostfell barbarian shook his head, amused by his now conscious comrade's quip. Val looked up at them, a strained expression on her face as she attempted to lift herself off the ground.
Gyda rushed over to assist, positioning herself underneath one of the Elf's arms and bearing the brunt of the weight on one side of her body. She noted the signs of bruising evident on her companion's wrist, thanking her deity quietly that it was all the injury she sustained from her wild maneuver.
"You're truly a reckless madwoman, aren't you?"
The Elf smirked. "I believe you would refer to it as a 'calculated deliberation culminating in the execution of an unorthodox but evidently effective maneuver', no?"
"Shut up."
Gyda rolled her eyes as her companion chuckled, uttering a quick thank you as Oslo mimicked her movements. In a few seconds the pair had managed to move Val to her horse, assisting her as best they could as she mounted the animal and grabbed the reins with one hand. The Dwarf smacked her lips in concern as she noticed the ugly coloration forming around the Elf's wrist seemed to swell in size. "Your wrists-"
"Are something we can deal with when we get to the village. I heard Oslo's story and it, though a little long-winded, really is the most sensible maneuver."
Opening her mouth to argue, Gyda ultimately decided such as task was futile, simply shaking her head before glancing over at Oslo. He was already mounted atop his steed, the pack mule and the Dwarf's pony in hand.
"It's settled then. To the village we go."