3 - Alarii

A few yards to my right I saw a group of structures nestled near the coast which looked decent enough to roost in. I swooped down. As I was about to land, something hit me from the left flank. It completely knocked me off balance and I bounced across the roof of one of the structures before dropping like a stone to the dry dirt below.

My wings had splayed open to dampen the impact of meeting the ground. A high pitched shriek sounded from somewhere above. I snapped my head up, cocking it so I had a better view. Just over the roof of one of the structures I saw movement. Quickly folding my wings, I hopped out to see what it was. That was my first mistake.

The shriek sounded again and I was buffeted by a strong gust. I scuttled under the overhanging ledge of the structure I had landed next to; a human abode as far as I could tell. My timing could not have been any more precise, for something tugged violently at my tail. I omitted a series of irritated clicks and drew further into the safety of the gloom.

Tilting my head I tried to get a look at what had just attacked me.

My heart started to race as I stared into a gleaming yellow eye. Its vertical slit dilated as it tried to find me within the little sanctuary I had nestled into. The eye disappeared and a green, scaly snout replaced it. A forked tongue lashed out, tasting the air. It was a reptile, a beast with a penchant for fine dining on things with an avian flavour.

The lips curled back and I shuddered as I saw they hid many sharp, serrated teeth. Something black protruded from its mouth. I was most incensed to see it was one of my tail feathers wedged between two of those deadly razors.

The snout opened further, and another shriek filled the air. I shook my head, trying to counteract the sound. The noise was sharpened by the acoustics of my enclosure. The beast outside was becoming frustrated by its inability to reach me. I stayed stock still, I had no intention of becoming dinner for a lizard.

My ears were assaulted by another sound, this one had a dull, heavy resonance like some weighty object had tore through the air just above my hiding place. The green beast screeched; fear in its cry. Dust swept into my hiding place, stirred from the fracas of the creature's wings beating wildly.

A roar of rage rang overhead, but it was not from the reptile. Something else had arrived. Something even bigger going by the deep, ferocious growling and grunting. A dull thwack vibrated just above me. More dust, this time from above as the thwacking continued to rain down on the surface above my head. I was rapidly getting covered in dry dirt and splinters from the wood.

Another reptilian screech, its claws raking the ledge. It gurgled. Then - silence.

After a few moments, I could hear something being dragged across the wooden boards to my left, then I saw the green scaly body land, unceremoniously, in a crumpled heap. More dust and dry dirt billowed from the corpse's final resting place. "Hawt uz e afa?" I heard a thick voice say.

"Dun na, bu e un'eh heea," a softer voice replied.

I shrank back as a face appeared where the reptile had searched for me a few moments before. A human face as far as I could tell. "Ah!" it said glancing back over its shoulder. "E's a raven."

I hopped, once, rather pleased with myself. I understood that! A raven. The human was talking about me. I soon shirked back however as a hand reached in and made a grab for me. I jabbed at the flesh. The owner squealed and withdrew their hand quickly.

"Lv e be! Et'll eitha fly off o dy," the thick voice barked.

The face appeared again. Female I gathered going by the vocal tone and softness of its features. "Nuh, e mah be urt." The hand threw something at me. Again I hopped back and eyed both the face and the item that had been thrown towards me. It was yellowish, porous with a darker edging. Food, perhaps?

I stretched my neck so I could reach it. With one eye on the hovering human, I dibbed and pecked at the yellow food. Eventually I managed to rip a small piece from it. It was very pleasant. Very...familiar too. I grabbed at the food again, and shaking my head rapidly, I tore another piece of deliciousness off.

I hadn't realised I was hungry until this offering was made. I was enjoying it so much that I foolishly let my guard down. Before I knew it two hands reached in and grabbed me. I struggled against them, flapping my wings wildly, digging my beak in to her flesh and screeching loudly. She yelled but did not let go and I was pulled out from my sanctuary.

The brightness of the day momentarily blinded and disorientated me. That moment gave my captor the advantage and her hands closed round my wings. Still I screeched and tried to gouge her, but she deftly avoided my beak this time. I had obviously injured her at some point however, as I saw a dark liquid; blood trickling down over her hand.

My head swivelled as she carried me into the hut under which I had been hiding. All the while she kept making a strange sound - "Hsh, hsh,"- and tentatively rubbed her finger over my crown.

Dutifully, I kept turning my head trying to jab the finger but she was growing wise to me. She reached out to a suspended object made of thin metal strips woven into a container of some sort. She plucked open a small door and to my horror, she placed me far enough inside, that when she withdrew her hand I could not escape before she closed and secured the door. I started flapping and screeching in protest but she continued to "hsh" and drew a finger to her lips.

Another human approached the doorway. This one was big, strong, with hair on its face. "Waw ye goh a do wif it?" The hair on the face split. The voice was the one from before, much deeper than that of my captor so I assumed therefore, taking its appearance into consideration also, that this was the male of the species. I stilled as I glanced back at the female. Her face had developed an odd glow, a little pink compared to a few moments before. Her eyes looked brighter too. Her tongue slid across her lips before she answered the male.

"I wanta mek shur e is nuh hurt." Her voice had raised a notch with a slight tremor. She seemed to have difficulty keeping eye contact with him. I wondered if this big male frightened her somehow.

As he closed the distance between them, I soon realised it was something entirely different which made her react so in his presence. Her skin flushed more and a tiny smile played on her lips.

When he reached her side he grabbed her hand which I had injured during the struggle under the hut. His brow knotted. After glaring in my direction, his voice lowered. "Ge this cleaned!" Then he shook his head, but a smirk played on his mouth. "Yoo shudha choz career as stabl'hnd inste ov solda." His eyes lingered a moment on hers, then abruptly he released her hand. He laughed as he knocked the enclosure I was in, causing me to screech and flap again. "Alarii, clean yur hand 'for it getz infected."

The female nodded and uttered some noise I could not even try to formulate. I watched her eyes follow his retreating back as he turned and left the hut. She omitted a huge sigh and started quietly mumbling something while she moved over to a basin of water and carefully washed her hand.

This gave me a moment or two to come to terms with the fact I was able to form most the sounds these humanoids made. It was as if there was some hidden store in my head which was opened a little further with each exchange I bore witness to. I did not fully understand them of course, but I did get the general gist.

My attention was once again drawn to the female whose voice had softened slightly. It seemed by all accounts that she was actually talking to me. As she moved back over to my prison, I took note of her appearance. It was then I noticed she was very different from the male indeed.

Her eyes although I could make out pale irises were mainly glowing silver. They were beautifully shaped, tapering at the far edges and enhanced by long lashes. Her face was petite but utterly striking. I found myself being somewhat enraptured, there was a mysticism about her. My eyes flitted to her mouth as she spoke, and I caught sight of small fangs. Not threatening like that of the green serpent which had attacked me, but fangs nonetheless. Her ears were long and tapered, poking out from silken brown hair which she wore loose, draped over her shoulders. Somewhere, from deep within my cerebrum, the recognition of her being a night elf seeped through my analytical thought-processing.

I shifted on the gritty floor of my newfound pen, and tried to focus on what she was saying. I saw her smile at me, quite why I do not know, but her voice was without doubt, most soothing. I shuffled back a little as she brought her hand back up to the door on the metal enclosure.

My rectrices bunched and then pushed through the thin spars behind me as I backed up. Her voice softened more. She pushed through some more of the yellow food. I stared at it, remembering what happened last time I was seduced by its wonderful flavour. Her soft laughter made me look back up at her. "Eet," the sound tumbled from her lips. "I won hurt oo."

I did not quite understand the meaning of her sounds but her tone told me all I needed to know. I stretched forward, still a bit wary, but soon managed to grab and swallow another tasty morsel. She put some more through. Again, I ate. She repeated this a few more times, each offering readily scoffed.

All the while, her voice was soft, soothing and I found that some of the sounds were becoming easier to register. Perhaps it was the lenitive quality of her voice. I thought to myself that such a delicate timbre should not be found in a place such as this.

I turned my attention to her attire. That also seemed out of place with the hypnotic tones that issued from her; tough grainy leather and a rough looking fabric. An image came to mind of her wearing soft flowing robes, perhaps paying homage to some deity in beautiful, peaceful surroundings. Such grace surely did not belong in a harsh, unforgiving place like these swamps with their suffocating heat, humidity and, in some places, utter filth.

I paused eating for a moment and pondered over what had passed through my brain. These thoughts were not mere speculation somehow. They were based on knowledge, experience. From where and when however, still eluded me. Was it perhaps simply the influence of this female elf's gentility which had given way to such introspection? That too was a possibility. Yet, I felt there was something more, something which was still veiled, shielded from me so-to-speak.

I shook myself, ruffling my feathers. This contraption she had put me in was much too small. Trying to preen in such a confined space was awkward. My primaries and secondaries separated as they pressed out between the spars of my metal prison. It was uncomfortable, so I shifted to the side, hoping to create more space for me to open my wing. A marginal improvement resulted.

A soft click behind me made me snap my head round and skitter forward. The elf had opened the door. My eyes regarded hers cautiously. Hers grew brighter as she smiled. Her voice, still like a soft lullaby, calmed me once more. Slowly she brought her hand back up, a few of the golden food crumbs in her palm. I looked back at her face. Her tapered eyebrows lifted gently. "Forgive me," her voice sounded. "Come to me."

I stumbled slightly. Those small sounds were known to me. They were poignant but I did not quite know why. All I knew was that my chest ached when they tumbled from her mouth. Glancing at her silvery orbs again, I knew there was no mordant intent aimed at me from this individual. I realised she only wanted to help. Her hand came further into the contraption, still offering the food. Deciding to trust her, I hopped onto her hand. Her smile broadened. Gently she pulled back and I was finally out of that metal prison.

Her voice continued to comfort me and had become extraordinarily melodic. Sweet notes and cadences flowed from her lips. I tilted my head, listening to those sounds. They were beautiful. She was singing.

Her other hand came up beside me, and gently she stroked my chest. It was a rather pleasant sensation. Next her fingers eased my wing open and she inspected it closely, before slowly returning it to its rested position and proceeding to my other wing.

She seemed satisfied that no permanent damage had been afforded me from the attack of the green drake. She lowered her hand to the table and encouraged me to jump down. I did. She scattered a few more crumbs for me, then rose and crossed to the other side of the room. I watched her closely as I made short work of the food.

I was surprised to see her putting on some metal attire not unlike that which the male had worn. She dutifully strapped a chest piece in place and fastened more metallic pieces to her shoulders and wrists. I stopped eating when I recognised another item she fastened to herself; a scabbard with its sword. This graceful female was a warrior? A fighter?

I jumped slightly as the male's voice came in through the open doorway. He seemed to be shouting orders in the courtyard.

The female's head snapped up. She smiled and strode over to the table, her newly adorned armour (another little piece of hidden knowledge slotted into place) clinked and clanked a little from her movements. She leaned down close to me. "Stay if you wish. I must go. The others have returned and I believe we have all been saved."

I blinked. Every sound was clear, precise. Furthermore, I understood them! I knew not whether she had unlocked some memories in me with her enchanted singing or not, but I now knew what her sounds meant.

My heart skipped a beat as I also began to recognise more objects and understand what they were. Quite why I was not sure, but I was overcome with gratitude to this night elf and I would not let her kindness go unrewarded. Somehow, I would repay her.

As she moved to the door, I called out. She turned to look at me. I spread my wings and flew over to her, landing on her shoulder, momentarily flapping until my claws found grip on her pauldrons. She reached up and stroked my chest again. "Alright, raven," she said. "Welcome to Marshtide Watch. I am Alarii. You may stay as long as you wish, but try to keep out of harm's way." We then left the hut to greet the soldiers returning to the Watch.