Morning shone into the cave and Danny woke up. Knowing that Harp was having another lewd dream, he phase out of her arms and got dressed. He looked around to see that the area was clear. For now.
"Morning, Husband!"
Danny nearly cry out in surprise, when Harp threw herself on him.
"Harp! Shhh!" Danny told her, causing the Harpy for a second.
Danny looks around, seeing that none of the enemy harpies heard her.
"We're still in the clear. Get dressed and help yourself to some fish." He told her.
Harp nods, feeling really happy. Danny sighs, wondering if there was a way to find his family. They just enter the Armed Harpies Territory, and he had no idea where to start looking.
"Fish?" Harp asked, pulling out another one.
"I wish I could. But I don't want to start a fire. It might give us away." Danny told her.
"Hmm, Harp sees." She said, thinking about it.
"Harp, I do know we come here without much of a plan, but I need to ask," Danny said, walking up to him.
"Do you have any idea where my family could be held?" Danny asked.
Harp thought about it before crossing her wings in front of her.
"Well, most Harpies choose the Tallest Mountian in the area. Armed Harpies do the same." She said, thinking.
"Better than nothing. So if we find the tallest Mountian, there's a chance my family will be there." Danny said.
"Danny?" Harp said, making the boy look at her.
"What if we're too late?" She asked.
"I'm trying not to think about that," Danny said, looking away.
Harp notices that he was unsure. She did offer him to stay with her and her flock, but she wasn't sure if Danny would stay forever. Plus, her own father hasn't returned to the flock in years.
Harp shook her head before she wrapped her wings around him in a hug. Danny blinks in surprise before sighing.
"Let's go, Harp." He said, making the Harpy Girl nod.
Danny turned into his ghost form and they both flew from the cave.
Back with Harp's Flock,
A man panted as he finally reached the top of the mountain. He looks up to see two harpy warriors talking to each other before stepping up.
"You!" One of the harpies said, surprised.
"Hello. I'm sorry for taking so long to visit. Is the queen still here?" The Man said.
"Y-Yes! We'll tell her right away!" The other Harpy said.
"Don't, I wish to surprise her." The Man said, causing the Harpies to nod.
They then bow, causing the man to sigh.
"Welcome home, Dean." They said.
Dean sighs again before patting both harpies on the head. The two harpy warriors blushed as Dean walks past them.
'Even after all this time, they haven't changed a bit. I really hope Salon forgives me.' He thought.
As he walks into the nesting area, many harpies notice him and stopped what they were doing. Dean kept walking until he reach the Queen's nest. He smiles as she saw that his Harpy wife was asleep, no doubt dreaming about him. He walks over and sat next to the Harpy Queen.
"So, when does the hunt begin?" He asked, seeing a smile appear on her face.
"When the early bird gets the worm." The Queen said, opening her eyes.
"Dean," She said, smiling at her human husband.
"Salon," Dean said, smiling at his harpy wife.
"Where have you been?!" The Harpy Queen suddenly shouted, forcing Dean to back away.
"I had to rise our chick for the past 10 years! Where were you?!" She growls, forcing her human husband to throw up his hands.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! My parents caught word of our marriage, and they were trying to set me up with someone else. I had to spend the past ten years trying to get them to back off! I tried to visit but they keep appearing out of nowhere and trying to drag me into different dates!" He said, knowing how upset she was.
The Harpy Queen sighs, remembering Dean's parents. They thought she was nothing more than a monster because of what they heard about her kind. Too bad that She already won his heart fair and square.
"How did you get away?" She asked.
"Made my parents believe I was going on a date. Plus, I got a feeling that they might try and spy on me, so I left a note before they could find me." Dean said.
The Queen Harpy shook her head. She tried to show that she wasn't the same Harpy they heard about. She even mention having an egg with her husband, and they still didn't accept her.
"I take it they going to come here and tried to take you away?" She asked.
"Yeah. They have their ways." Dean said, sighing.
He then looks around, noticing someone was missing.
"Where's Harp? I thought she'll be happy to see me again?" He asked.
The Queen gave a small smile, knowing that Harp was with someone she trusted.
"She helping a young boy save his family." She said, surprising Dean.
"What?!" He said, shocked.
"The armed Hapries attacked another family that was on a camping trip. They took his mother and father as well as his sister. I already told him it might have been too late to save them, but he was determined to try anyway. Harp joined him due to not knowing about the area. I also believe that our little Harp found her mate." The Queen said.
"How old is the boy?" Dean asked.
"14 in Human years." The Queen said.
"I see. The same age we first met." Dean said.
"If Harp is anything like me, she'll be all over him while trying not to make him uncomfortable." The Queen said.
"Yeah, it took you a few years to understand how human relationships work," Dean said, sighing.
"I was raised as a harpy, despite having human blood in me." The Queen giggles.
"Still, as long as Harp doesn't go overboard, I'm glad she found someone. I just wish I could have been here sooner." Dean said, sadly.
"Well, welcome home, my dear husband." The Queen said, wrapping her wings around him.
"So, want anything shining?" Dean asked, smirking.
"Shining?" The Queen asked.
"You didn't think I'll come back with a gift, did you?" Dean said, pulling out a case from his pocket.
He opens it to show a necklace that shines when the sunlight hit it. It was covered with a silver chain with an emerald in the middle.
"It's the best I can do with my money. My parents tried to cut me off in order to stop me from leaving." Dean said, noticing his harpy wife was staring at the necklace.
"Does queeny want the shining?" Dean teased.
"MINE!" The Queen said, trying to snatch it.
"Hup, hup, Hup! Remember our deal? You get the shining in change for something I want." He told her, holding it away.
The Queen cutely puffs her cheeks before grabbing Dean with her wings and kissed him. Dean kissed back, placing the necklace into her nest.
They soon broke, with Dean noticing the look on her face.
"It's almost mating season, is it?" He asked.
"Yes, I'm glad you can be here this year. You have ten years to make up for, Mr.!" She said, looking upset.
"Did I mention you look cute when you tried to be mad?" Dean laughs.
The Queen pouted before smirking.
"Well then, I think you should make up for it, starting today!" She said, shocking him.
"Are you sure? I mean, we're in the open." Dean asked.
"My people know not to spy on us if they know what's good for them." The Queen said, already taking off her jewelry.
"Alright. I did miss you, Salon." Dean said, making the harpy smile.
"And I miss you." The Queen said, leaning in for another kiss.
"My queen?"
The Queen groans before turning to see her warrior bowing.
"I'm sorry to interpret, but we have more guests." She said.
"And they found out." Dean sighs, already knowing who was here.
The Queen stood, ready to deal with her in-laws once and for all.
"Take them down the mountain. We'll join them shortly." She said, seeing the harpy nod.
"They never going to give up," Dean said, sighing.
"Then maybe it's time we do things the harpy way." The Queen said.
Later, at the base of the mountain,
The Harpy queen flew down the mountain with Dean in her claws. She sets him down before landing on the ground next to him. She then glares at two people that were Dean's parents. They were still a bit young, having let their hormones get the best of them in their teenage years. Though Dean was in his late '30s, he was still quite handsome in her eyes.
"Why did you go back to that beast?" His mother scolded.
"For the last time, she's my wife!" Dean said, tired of his parents doing this.
"WIFE?! You don't have a wife!" His father said.
"And you haven't noticed that we are standing on the grounds of the first human and harpy mated?" The Queen said, angry.
"Mated? You mean eaten!" Dean's mother said.
Dean was getting tired of this. Talking to his parents about this was getting nowhere. He turns to the Queen Harpy and nods.
She stomps up to them, forcing them to back away.
"We have tried to explain for years that we truly love each other. And our chick has found her love. And he's human. We do not kidnap humans! Your words might be true if I was an armed harpy, but I'm not! Let me make one thing clear." She said, opening her wings to make herself look bigger.
"You two have no right in saying who your son can love. He's a grown man! I love him for the person he was! My father was a human!" She said, growling.
Her in-laws look ready to say something before she cut them off.
"My mother was the queen before me! She fell in love with my father no different than any girl would! Just like how I feel in love with your husband! Like how our chick is falling in love with that boy we saved!" She added.
"But, you're a harpy! You can't feel love!" Dean's mother said.
"AND WAY SHOULD THAT MATTER?!" The Queen shouted, scaring Dean's parents.
"You think because my kind are monsters, we can't feel love? We don't have feelings? YOU'RE WRONG ABOUT US!" She shouted.
"Mom, Dad, you can't believe everything you read. Salon really cares about her people and me. You kept me away from my family for ten years. She was not holding me prisoner. She knows I need to return to human life every now and then. I have a daughter to take care of. I was hoping to bring her into town one day so she could see human life with her own eyes. I even taught her how to be human." Dean said.
"But..." His mother started.
"ENOUGH!" The Queen Harpy shouted, cutting her off.
"If you can't accept that our love is real, then you have no reason to be in our territory. For the sake of your son, I will not harm you! But if you ever find yourself back on these lands again, I will order my warriors to drive you away!" She said, walking up to Dean.
"Mom, Dad, accept it. I didn't marry Salon because she was a princess. I heard of her past. I know about the first human/harpy relationship. Times have changed. I'm a grown man now." He said as the Queen Harpy wraps her wings around him.
"You're choosing that beast over us?!" His mother said.
"FOR THE LAST TIME, SHE'S MY WIFE!" Dean shouted, tired of this argument.
"This is your last warning. Leave. We have some catching up to do." The Queen said, grabbing Dean with her talons.
"I'll come back in a few months. And don't try to set me up with any other girl when I do!" Dean said as the Queen Harpy started to fly.
Dean ignored his parent's cries and looks at his Harpy Wife. Though they were of the middle class, his parents always tried setting him up with a girl that they thought was perfect for him. Some of those girls didn't even like him. A few of them become his friends, but never went beyond that. It wasn't until he met Salon that he truly felt something for another person.
"Dean?"
He snaps out of his thoughts before looking up.
"Yes?" He asked.
"Can we have another chick? I wanted to give Harp a sibling for a long time." She asked, blushing.
Dean looked surprised before smiling.
He shook his head before saying, "I don't see why not."
The Harpy Queen lets out a chirp of happiness, throwing her husband into the air before catching him.
"If you don't drop me first!"
Okay, started off with Danny and Harp, but I decided to bring in Harp's human father. I decide to make this chapter about Harp's parents and her human grandparents. I know I didn't say a lot about them, but they weren't characters I was going to keep in the story. I'll go back to Danny and Harp in the chapter, but I'm not sure what to write yet. I'll think of something.
And a little heads up, I'm thinking about starting my Slime Girl story soon. I even have a name for her. I'm going to try and first this story first before I do, however. And I might be updating Snake Princess, Spiders and Phantoms, and Centaur Warrior soon as well. So keep an eye out for those too.