[PLOT] Leaving the Nest [FINISHED]

[Daisicle]

As the teenager wandered through the familiar, yet different, forest, she couldn't help but accept that the day she'd so long dreaded had finally come: the day her mother really did forget about her and force her out. It was not as surprising as it might appear, and Nighthawk had been acutely aware just how easily it would be to sever the little familial bond that kept her attached to her mother. She had made every effort, put up with so much, all in the hope that someday she might be worthy enough for her mother to refer to her as her child. To pay some attention to her...

It was a cold day.

Walking around slowly, the petite harpy found herself looking around as her palms rubbed against her arms, momentarily warming them. It had been a few days since she'd last eaten, and her weakened strength was even less. Meat... Oh how she craved for it!

In this state, however, there would be little chance that she'd be able to actually secure a kill. Her wings laid against her back, underdeveloped and useless from the lack of practice she'd been able to do. Her muscles neared atrophy from chronic malnutrition; her gait awkward and her eyes straining to try and adjust to the darkening conditions. Just walking around like this made her heart race and her breathing heavy from the exertion.

She'd need to find a place to rest for the night soon. Once the sun set, she'd be unable to see anything.  

[Seiana_ZI]

It was a cold day.

For a strong woman like Rhiannon, who had grown up seasons by herself, this was not an issue. She stood without shivering, standing proudly over some prey she had just stalked out for herself.

It was too easy. Prey stood no chance against her power. And she had power. Very strong.

Hauling the animal over her shoulder, Rhiannon started to drag it along behind her, moving back towards where she had set up her own little hut in the woods. It was not a very advanced hut, but it certainly was enough to keep her warm, built of sticks and stones and various things she had found and begun to stack together. She had vaguely seen other homes on the outsides of her forest, but hers was the best and most useful.

Did she hear something?

She paused, gripping her prey tighter.

Hers.

Rhiannon gave off a warning squawk.

Daisicle

Okay, get feral harpy. XD I apologize if her posts end up kinda simple haha

 

[Daisicle]

The teenaged harpy's footsteps came to a stop immediately when she heard a squak, her head turning to look around and attempt to identify it. It was unlike anything which she'd ever heard from a bird before, but it send a singular chill up her spine, instinct calling out to her.

Telling her that she needed to go. Now.

Telling her that she would be in danger if she chose to stay.

Taking a hesitant step forward, Nighthawk continued on, her eyes straining to look our for herself with each movement. The last thing she wanted to do was anger a beast of the forest, especially just before her sight would be lost to her.

She wasn't aware that due to her poor vision, she angled slightly towards Rhiannon as she tried to walk away.

Seiana_ZI

 

[Seiana_ZI]

Rhiannon was angered by the fact the intruder did not seem to be leaving, and prepared herself to send out a louder squawk --

That was, before she noticed it was just a tiny, shaky small thing. Rhiannon laughed to herself at her own territorial instinct. Such a thing could not do anything to her and hers. She was weak and tiny, Rhiannon was big and had a big kill to show for it. The weak and tiny one had no food she was hauling. Did it have no kill?

Rhiannon was not exactly motherly or sympathetic. She was a sentient animal with no concerns but saving herself and her food. But the tiny version piqued her curiosity. Rhiannon had always lived alone, and while she had caught glimpses all her life, she had never truly gotten this close to another with talons.

Was she trying to walk away? It shook of weakling fear.

The harpy stalked towards its prey, as quiet as ever as it attempted to get close to the other taloned one. It probably wouldn't be too hard to grab her by the arm and ask her questions. Like, why was she here, and why so tiny?

Daisicle

 

[Daisicle]

Biting her lip, the young harpy continued to slowly make her way forward, her eyes looking hesitantly to either side of her as she did. What if that creature were to sneak up on her; what if she truly was as weak as mother had always though her to be, as mother had made her.

Was she going to die out here: starvation, exhaustion, disease... all reasonable ways to pass.

Nighthawk didn't want that (who would?).

She'd need to find some sort of small prey species soon. Not tonight, as it was already too late for that, but perhaps after the sun again rose. How she hated this season with less light and colder winds.

Seiana_ZI

 

[Seiana_ZI]

Rhiannon crept quietly, following the small weakling as it continued to make its way forward. Where was it going? It was in her territory, surely it had some sense of that. Perhaps that was why it was shaking so badly. So weak, coming into a stronger territory and knowing she stood no chance at all.

Perhaps it was unawares, though? The fact that the tiny weakling continued to go forth and look around nervously like it was waiting for something to attack her...

Would it react if she poked it?

Rhiannon made her way behind the tiny small taloned one, reaching out a talon of her own and pressing it to the small one's arm experimentally. She pulled it back, waiting for some kind of reaction as she stared down at her.

Daisicle

 

[Daisicle]

Nighthawk's reaction to the cold and sharp feeling of the talon being freshly placed against her skin would have been quite extravagant if not for her fatigue. As it were, however, the teenager simply jumped forward, her atrophied wings reflexively attempting to push her away as she turned to look at whatever it was which has come for her so.

Her eyes widened and her mouth fell agape as they rested on the fierce gaze of a hunter, analyzing her. Those wings, those feathers, those claws... identical to mother, identical to her.

It all made sense: the feeling of unease, the loud noise earlier. It was her instinct screaming at her, begging her to get out. Be rid of this place. That she was no match for the one who's territory she had invaded.

She needed to go.

Run away.

Get away.

Now.

Her voice silenced by fear, she took a clumsy number of steps away before tripping on herself and the fine layer of refuse at their talons. Nighthawk fell forward, arms catching the ground first, into the cold and moist understory. From her position she looked up to the larger one before her, unable to move.

Was this the end for her?

Seiana_ZI

 

[Seiana_ZI]

It was true, there was no way that the scrawny little weakling was a match for the hunter that stared her down now.

That was precisely why Rhiannon was not remotely annoyed of her.

Instead, she almost seemed amused, laughing quietly as Nightwing fell forward. Even if that reaction was not as flaily as it could have been, it was still flaily enough for Rhiannon to attempt to copy the motion, flailing her arms around in circles as if trying to catch her balance. Then, she chuckled again.

This one truly had no strength at all. It looked scared, and she could smell the fear in the air, coming from the tiny one that shook and stared up at her.

Her life was in her talons.

Hmph.

Rhiannon was no longer quite so amused, simply staring down at the other as she stared up at her. She wanted to communicate, and scrunched her lips, attempting to figure out how and what to say.

"You. Fear. Why?"

Daisicle

 

[Daisicle]

Even as Rhiannon copied her silly motions and laughed, the rigidity of Nighthawk's body did not let up at all. Was this a joke, simply a prank?

Or was she being taunted before meeting her untimely demise?

The moments seemed to go by as molasses, each second dragging on for longer than it's fair share of length. If she was to die, why couldn't it be quick? Just do the deed and send her off to the ear--

Oh, a question?

What...?

The harpy blinked and remained silent for an extended period, completely taken aback by the words. Was she not going to die? Is this what that meant? Biting her lip, her voice cracked as she hesitantly replied. "I-I... am weak...?" She glanced to her useless wings for a moment before looking back up.

Seiana_ZI

 

[Seiana_ZI]

The weak thing seemed stunned. Did it expect to be prey? It smelled like prey, with the fear emanating from it. It might-as-well have been prey.

Except fellow taloned ones were not prey. That much she understood. What she did not understand was how fellow taloned ones could be so weak, and shaky, and unable to stand on their own feet without flailing and falling over. How had she become like frail bone?

She said she was weak. That much was a given. Were the wings the weak part?

Rhiannon neared, curious, though this time it did not seem to be threatening. If anything, she seemed more like a curious bird, tilting her head at a strong angle as if she was studying the weakling in front of her. Weak wings, weak body. Frail and flaily. Did not seem very sturdy. Likely did not have a proper territory, not with the way she was acting.

Rhiannon knit her brows.

Words.

"Weak. Why?"

Daisicle

 

[Daisicle]

Nighthawk remained, very still, eyes straining to watch the figure in front of her as it approached. What she had taken to be malice slowly gave way to curiosity, yet the small one did not move.

All it could take was one wrong move and BAM, she'd be dead. Nighthawk couldn't let that happen, no matter what. She had to survive.

She was going to survive: survive and surpass even her mother's strength.

Show her how wrong she had been to ignore her.

Her eyes averted as she was again addressed, already receiving more attention than she was subjected to in her own nest. Why was she weak? There were so, so many reasons. So many. But... "No food..." she mumbled out, her bony fingers moving to grip her scrawny little arms, her eyes remaining elsewhere. "...no strength."

Seiana_ZI

 

[Seiana_ZI]

Only the strongest survive, that was what instinct told her. That was why she was strong, and prey was weak. That was why she could so easily dominate the smaller ones and claim her lands for herself.

No food? Was this taloned one bad at hunting?

Rhiannon had her own prey nearby, and the tiny one had not tried to scavenge from it. Perhaps the tiny one had her wits about her, or perhaps she was just bad at smelling the smell of fresh meat. She had seen smaller, weaker animals try to scavenge from her, before. She always won against them, so perhaps this weak one was smart enough not to bother trying with her bony fingers and weak little posture.

So then, it was just a weak one. Weak with no strength, it seemed. Rhiannon tilted her head the other way, gears turning in her head. Only the strong survive, and this one was weak with no food. This one would not survive like this.

The feral part of her told her that was how nature was, that she should move on. The pae part of her called back to what fundamentally made them pae -- that this was still a pae, and that there was no reason to just leave her there, especially since she posed no threat.

Rhiannon ran away for a moment, returning quickly with some of the prey she had caught earlier. Unceremoniously, she chucked a piece of it in the weak one's direction.

"Have food. Gain strength."

Daisicle

 

[Daisicle]

It was a bit of an understatement to say that Nighthawk was bad at hunting. She'd essentially grown up on the scraps of her sister's meals, been entirely neglected by her mother. Never had she a moment to try flying, less she fall and be unable to return to the tree.

The harpy's posture slackened as the larger one ran off, only to jolt again at her return.

She barely had time to react as the meat was thrown to her, catching it unceremoniously and looking down to it for an extended period before looking back up. Food... For her...? "Why...?" would she be doing such a thing. Looking back down, her hands shook a bit as she brought it closer and brought it to her nose, sniffing it. It smelled so incredibly good. Just that was enough to make her mouth water.

"Thank you..."

Seiana_ZI

 

[Seiana_ZI]

At the why, Rhiannon blinked and tilted her head. To her, it was a given.

"You weak. Food," she narrowed her eyes, not knowing the word to use, "give strong. You strong with food." At that, she cleared her throat. Lots of words. It was hard to say words.

The thanks took her by surprise, and it showed on her face, though it may have not been for the reasons that Nighthawk was expecting. Rhiannon mouthed the words, trying them on her tongue, attempting to figure out what exactly Nighthawk was communicating with her. She knew very little words, and pae were not often grateful to her. The words she knew were the words she heard from others passing by often enough to figure their meaning.

She said it in response to being given something. Was that something a pae said when something was given? "Thank you," Rhiannon repeated, not realizing the appropriate response was likely 'You're welcome,' or perhaps not even realizing those were the words at all...

Daisicle

 

[Daisicle]

Glancing down at the meat again, the teenaged harpy smiled lightly before bringing it to her lips. She could tell that this was a fresh kill. Though it had grown cold, it had yet to stiffen and become difficult to chew.

It was more than her mother had ever given her.

She took a bit, reveling in the way the full flavor revealed itself: the smell, the texture, the taste. It seemed so long since she had eaten, so long in fact that this act stimulated an almost forgotten sense of hunger to growl from deep within. She tried not to rush her eating, but surely it was faster than one would have if in proper condition.

Soon enough she had finished. Was she fully satiated? No. Was she content? Barely.

Was she going to let that show, complain, or ask for more? Hell no.

Looking up at the stranger, she smiled softly back. With the encroaching darkness, it was becoming more difficult to see her would-be savior in front of her, but she hoped that this little gesture would express her gratitude.

Seiana_ZI