Disclaimer: Don't own drakengard still
Authors Notes: Okay I can see the confusion. Where's the dragon and etc, why am I doing these side characters first? Because I want to get their introduction out of the way first, and anyways it's fun. Don't worry, if you're wanting longer chapters, chapter 4 should make up for it, or five and the rest will.
Chapter Two
Wings of Wind
He should never have come this way. He just knew that, to the very core of his soul. It had been a bad idea to come this way. But there had been no other choice. He'd had the choice of taking flight to the desert, or dying at the hands of those ... those monsters back there at his village.
Yes he was a coward, and ran when he should have, or atleast could have fought. But self preservation is a strong instinct to over come. And so he kept telling himself that as he tried to hide the cowardice behind that knowledge. But one can only lie to oneself for so long…
But maybe it would be long enough for him to find safety somewhere in this hellish place.
Uncaring of the horse underneath him, or how its frothed mouth was specked with blood from being forced to run all day and all night with no rest, far longer the old work horse ever should have been forced to run for, he urged the mount on while throwing glances over his shoulders.
But there wasn't even a speck on the horizon behind him that could have once been his home. Nor was there any specks of possible towns infront or to the side of himself. But that didn't matter to the man. Fleeing from the death that chased at his heels, no matter how far behind him, was all he cared for. Rest would come later.
Living to see that time, came now.
Once more he had his horse speed up, and the animal blindly followed the command, it had lost most of its will to do anything else. Red tinged foam dripped from it's mouth steadily.
But still, the rider did not notice, or he did not care about the abused horse, eyes glued to the horizon. Maybe if the horse hadn't been death warmed over, it would have alerted the rider to those that followed it swooping in for the attack. Maybe if the rider had really looked, he might have seen those that followed him too.
But the horse didn't alert him and he didn't see, untill it was too late.
Screaming shadows swooped down from above, startling the horse into one last frenzied run, forcing the human to clutch at riegn, saddle or mane in a mad attempt to stay on.
The half cat half bird monsters screamed again, their war cries hurting the man's ears so much he was afraid he was bleeding from them. And it seemed to affect the horse, or maybe death had come to collect it for the equine was slowing down, red liquid steadily running from it's mouth, eyes glazed over from exhaustion and pain.
Cursing under his breath from fear at the monsters above and annoyance at the animal he rode, he tried to force it to run again, but the jabs in the side did nothing, and slowly the animal shook, as if it was going to fall.
The riders gaze turned upwards, fear etching his face as he realised the monsters were about to kill him now too. So he didn't see the other thing appear.
Sounding like thunder and lightning with each flap of it's wings, and with a cry that could shatter crystal, the beast appeared infront of the human, one mighty and massive foot snatching out, scooping up both horse and human. Who had about three seconds to be alarmed before he was knocked out as his head collided with either the horses or the whatever's foot.
Sometime later, among dreams of flying over oceans that were really deserts, swatting loud buzzing horseflies that dared tried to bite him, the man felt pain. And it started to wake him up.
Untill finally his eyes cracked open, and he groaned. His head hurt. Alot.
Slowly sitting up and rubbing at his head, he glanced around himself, trying to see where he was, and thinking maybe he had fallen off his horse, and all that before was a nightmare. He blinked in confusion at what looked like the inside of a birds nest met his gaze. He rationalised this could be no birds nest, for it was atleast big enough for maybe a third of a village to fit in, maybe more.
The bones he saw next, horse, deer. Cattle and some other things. Strange things.
Letting out a cry as he realised he was going to be food for some animal still, and none had been a dream, the man heard a loud and raspy chuckle behind him. "Ah," a gravel like voice croaked, "you think I eat humans? Silly creature, I find your kind tastes horrible."
The man whirled about so fast he nearly fell over, and with wide eyes he found himself face to face, with a golden brown eye larger than his own head. "Don't believe me? You're alive aren't you. No meat on your bones anyways. Bet you would make me sick too."
The bird continued to rasp out words, but it fell to noises he couldn't describe, but knew he'd never be able to replicate. Licking his lips, the man stared up at this creature. "What, what are you?"
The bird fluffed up a bit, looking away from the man, before saying, "It matters not. My end comes. And I wish it would come sooner, my mate, I miss her." The giant bird looked at the human, its beak unable to express what a human face could, but the man could see the emotions in those giant eyes. "Why did the gods take her? And the rest of my kind?"
The man looked taken aback, "Gods? Fool bird, don't you know, there are no gods. You're .. mate, probably just died of old age!" He tried to reason, not wanting to believe such stories, even if it was from such a creature he had never seen before. Or never thought would show as much intelligence as a man.
The bird squawked as softly as it could manage for its size, "Foolish human," it said, eyes focused on him, "Your kind forgets so easily... just look over there, and you will believe me."
The human rolled his eyes, but did as he was told, and the bird started speaking again. "I had been away, hunting a creature I had never before seen, nor saw again. And when I came back," he fell silent, just dipping his beaked head in mourning.
And what the human saw over the wall of the birds nest as he finally made it to the top, scared him. It wasn't bones, he could take that. These were animals. No, what littered the area, of this mountain, (or something like it for it was like a mountain and high, but flat also), were not bones or a mummified carcass.
It was stone statues. He could tell by how they were frozen, they had been taken by surprise, some attempting to launch in the air, others defending chicks or eggs. All stone.
All dead.
Even though he was a coward, the human felt a pang of loss. Not really for the bird, but for his family. "The gods .. did this?"
"Yes." Was all the bird said, now stairing off at some point in the distance. As silence fell on the two, the human wondered if this was how cowardice was repaid. To be forced to realise, you are all alone and no one of your family is left to help you.
He muttered as he slumped to the ground and pulled his legs up, hugging them. He might be an adult but there was still traces of a child in there. "I don't want to be alone," he whispered, mostly to himself.
The giant bird slowly turned his head towards the man. "... we could be partners .. pact partners.. I have heard humans did it in the past. I have been alone for so long human."
Hesitating a moment, as he did not know what this could mean, the man answered. And that, was that.
