The Grau honked at each other as they flapped their wings in a leisurely manner. They were unperturbed by their support crew of smaller winged creatures (only the size of an elephant) that circled them. If the Grau had been any more relaxed, they might have fallen asleep. In contrast the Maw shouted at each other to be heard above the whipping wind, they were constantly moving across the black platform secured like a saddle to the Grau’s. The platform was the length of a bus and comfortably seated the Maw, the adventurers and other members of the travel party.
The adventurers were in awe of the experience. There was a sky such a rich blue that it should have only existed in fairytales. The clouds they flew through were picturesque. Far, far below were farms, rivers, rural towns and bustling cities. The farmland (unlike the square properties Mrs. Strawberry was used to seeing when flying in a plane) did not have any precise borders, they sort of meandered, one giant piece of farm property was covered with multiple barns, fields and ponds it was shaped like a zucchini. Another was small and sort of shaped like a bean with only a single cabin. Some of the farm borders were hard to distinguish where they stopped, and the uncultivated landscape started. It was wild. It was untamed. It touched a chord with the cook leaving her feeling connected to the realm and all its nonconformity.
The Grau honked and banked downwards to catch a different air current. Muscles rippled beneath their orang and black leathery skin as they flapped their enormous wings to adjust for the increased speed.
“Great day to enjoy the sights.” Captain Ti shouted to the adventurers. He sat in a seat bolted to the platform and took a sip from his flask “Nothing but smooth sailing until we get to our drop off point.”
All was quiet except for the whistling of the wind, the flapping of the Grau and the creak of the platforms.
The large red birds would chirp to each other as they circled the larger Grau. They were there to rescue passengers if a platform broke free, they also would relay information from one Grau team to another. They rested on their perches atop the platforms in shifts, ensuring they were properly rested should something occur.
As peaceful as any could wish it.
Eli (the blue ball of trouble) saw a bird and fearlessly dove after it off the platform.
There was a stunned silence.
The gills around Captain Ti’s eyes opened completely and a piercing whistle was heard by all. The riders atop the circling support flyers turned their attention to the Maw captain, looking for direction from him. He pointed down at the plummeting Frozen Death. With practiced precision the riders shouted commands and their three birds tucked wings and dove after the free-falling Eli.
The first bird rocketed past the small Frozen Death.
The second bird dove past as well.
“Do they not know how to catch things?” Devourer snarled; he was clearly about to dive after the team’s mascot.
Captain Ti held up a restraining hand “They know what they’re doing. Watch.” The remaining flyer threw out a weighted net, catching the butterball easily. The lowest flyers rose to meet their victorious companion. Ti made a fist in a sign of celebration before educating the Auris “We always have two flyers below the first rescuer in emergencies. The second rescues if the first fails, rarely happens but better safe than sorry.”
“And the third rescuer?” Devourer asked, now that Eli was no longer in danger, he let himself be pulled back from the edge by Gus.
Captain Ti tightened another belt on the platform “The third rescuer has never been needed.”
The flyers rose in a lazy spiral, the red wings of the avian’s shining in the sunlight as the rider lowered the netted Eli onto the ground. Untangled the cub and snapped harness around the Frozen Death’s torso. “You decide to jump, you get a harness. I won’t have my crew risking life and limb for a second attempt.” He shot a look at the three-eared gentleman “That goes for you too, if you decide to do some fancy acrobatics on the bannisters.”
Eli looked down at the restrictive harness and made a perturbed woof. He tried to bite at the straps but failed. A flock of birds flapped past the Grau platform. Eli woofed and went bounding after them over the edge. He made a comical woof before he disappeared out of sight below the Grau. His rope harness went taut, and he made a surprised woof as he hung in the air and spun.
Devourer grabbed the rope to haul him back up, but Mrs. Strawberry stop the Auris “No dear, let him just float down there for a while, give us all a little break.”
It was an hour later, and Eli still made little rumbling purrs below the adventurers on the platform, his happy sound echoing off the white clouds around them. Some creatures that looked like birds made of glass kept the Frozen Death company, their own tinkling voices echoing the cub’s sounds.
“Only a few hours left before we get to our landing point.” Descendre said as she enjoyed the wind blowing through her fur. Several of the glass birds caught stray bits of fur from the cat and started to weave them into a nest. The cat watched them with a bemused expression as she calculated their speed and distance they had traveled “We cut out several days of travel using the Grau, astounding really.”
“There we go!” Onion shouted as new flowers of experience blossomed along his arm. He was pointing off in the distance, as the clouds parted gigantic mountains came into view. To say they were grandiose would be an understatement, the sunlight was somehow caught and reflected in a way that made the waterfalls look like pillars of golden energy. The petals on the Silken’s arms turned to sparkling gold as he whispered, “A sight never seen.”
The Mottoy joined the cyan plant mage at the rails, his skin turning as dark a moonless overcast sky. “Beautiful.”
“The Glorious mountains with clouds of ethereal fluffiness.” Devourer murmured. He saw the questioning look from Mrs. Strawberry and answered the unspoken question. “It’s the full name of the mountains. ‘The Glorious mountains with clouds of ethereal fluffiness.’, it sounds weird and lengthy in common the name, however in his people’s language it is simply Mohjeham.”
“I like Mountains of Fluffiness better.” Onion asserted as he leaned forward for a better view of the mountain range. “Why leave it with the name like Mohjeham when you could call it fluffy?”
“Do you think we’re getting too close?” Gus asked as he tapped his bulbous fingers on the railing.
The captain laughed from his perch on the back of a chair “Nah, we’re still a few hours before we would be in any danger.” He waved his hand in a general direction “There are towers that indicate the territory of the Fluffies. Until we see those towers, we’re plenty safe.”
Just as he finished his sentence Mrs. Strawberry saw an odd-looking tree.
The enormous tree moved.
She pointed “What’s that?”
The captain followed the direction of her finger and upon seeing the tree hissed “That’s a Fluffy!” he turned and shouted orders.
The giant tree spat a gob of some sparkling substance towards the Grau. Descendre yowled out a warning “Incoming!”
More of the sparkling spit wads hurled through the air towards the travelers, the Grau banked in an attempt to evade the pretty barrage. The first projectile whistled past Devourer’s ears, giving him a very close view of the car sized object; it was a collection of thick webbing and the bones of random creatures. The Auris stared at the receding attack, then his gaze shifted to the Maw captain “YOU SAID WE HAD HOURS!!!”
“It migrated past the safety towers!” the captain snapped as he grabbed helped his crew resecure the shifting platform. He shouted at his crew “WE HAVE TO DROP DOWN OUT OF THE FLUFFY’s RANGE, IT’S TOO BIG TO BE ABLE TO SPIT AT A LOWER ALTITUDE!”
As Grau dropped to the lower altitude Descendre yowled a warning “TRAP!”
Below them was a smaller Fluffy, one that been waiting for the party to turn back. This one was perfectly positioned and let loose a flurry of sparkling spit wads aimed at the Grau’s unprotected bellies.
Mrs. Strawberry didn’t have time to plan, she took a running charge towards the edge of the platform, scooped up a harness and snapped it around her chest as she leapt over the edge with her trusty frying pan in hand. She smacked the first shimmering loogie from the sky with a decisive swing. Tiny strands of the glistening webbing stuck to her pan as the bulk of the flying ball of doom harmlessly hurled to earth. With a grim determination she defended the Grau and crew with her pan, deflecting the volley of spit until her arms grew sore. And then she forced herself to continue until the travelers had escaped the firing range of the Fluffy. The exhausted cook hung in her harness covered in the glistening webbing and bits of bones. Eli in the harness next to her contentedly chewed the bones caught in her hair. She patted the Frozen Death as she watched the Mountains of Fluffiness receded. The mountains were a façade of innocent delight that spewed the carcasses of its victims like a weapon.
An hour later the Grau circled a small village preparing to land. Unfortunately, all the curious villagers had crowded into the designated landing zone to gawk up at the gigantic, winged orange and black striped creatures. Captain Ti grumbled about an entire village full of village idiots. He hopped upon the back of a rescue bird and landed near the burgundy skinned creatures blocking his tired flying caravan from their well-earned rest.
The throng rushed around him like a house of cats and a single saucer of milk. He clicked his claws together in agitation but his bird was less reserved, when a tall thin female yanked on a wing for attention the bird turned and pecked her hand, she yanked it back in surprise. The bird spread his wings to knock back the rest of the heedless horde, sending them tumbling head over heels. The avian clicked a sharp curved beak at another male that had grabbed a pitchfork to teach the rescue bird a lesson. The burgundy skinned male gulped and set his farm tool down with great care.
Captain Ti stood to glare at the throng “What is this nonsense?!”
A short female with burgundy skin and hair as white as snow sat up “I was coming to greet you, I have no clue what the rest of these morons were doing.” She shot a look at the male that had grabbed the pitchfork. “Kevin, you’re doing compost duty for two months. Freaking moron grabbing a weapon to attack a visitor. Lucky, I don’t have you picking Lilo bark.”
Kevin visibly paled at the threat and excused himself lest she change her mind.
The Maw stayed upon his perch, untrusting of the villagers. “I take it you’re the leader of this place?”
“I am.” To prove her point she turned towards the rest of the burgundy skinned villagers and shouted “DOES ANYONE ELSE WANT TO DO COMPOST DUTY!?”
There was a visible shaking of heads.
“THEN ANYONE WHO ISN’T DIRECTLY HELPING ME WITH GETTING THIS CREW DOWN TO SAFETY BETTER BEAT FEET.”
The unhelping villagers dispersed faster than dogs at bath time.
Captain Ti watched the disappearing crowd “Appreciated, my crew and I are tired and after that throng rushed me, I was debating on having the Grau just land and teach the morons a lesson.”
“I appreciate that you didn’t.” the village leader pointed at the remaining villagers “Clear the landing zone of carts, stalls and animals. You all know this drill, just because it’s an emergency doesn’t mean you can just forget procedures, I don’t want anyone or anything crushed!”
The village creatures hurriedly followed the proper protocols, older children grabbing younger children and moving towards the marked safety zones. The adults moved with expert precision to complete their activities.
The Grau that had all been stuck flapping their wings finally descended with appreciative honks. Just before landing their wings transformed back to long limbs.
Once his crew was safely on the ground, he handed the paperwork to the village leader and her council to review.
Descendre stood atop the platform with the rest of the adventurers as she explained “They have to make sure he’s a licensed Grau captain. And also, a million other bureaucratic things that ensure that he and the rest of us isn’t a danger to the village.”
Devourer drummed his white gloved fingers on the railing “This is boring, I was wanting to slaughter some deadly critters, not sit around waiting for paperwork to be shuffled, if only there was something to entertain me” he glanced at Onion and with an evil grin asked “Onion what’s four plus two?”
Onion was peering over the edge watching the exchange of papers and the council huddling together to speak with rapt attention. He didn’t even bother to look at the Auris as he responded “That’s a good question, I have a counter question, what is the square root of zero?”
The Auris blinked in surprise “I asked my question first…”
The Silken turned to smile at the three-ear “Yes, but you’ve been asking me math questions for a long time, it is only fair that you answer my math question. Now once you can tell me what the square root of zero is I am happy to answer your math questions.”
“One fourth!” Devourer guessed confidently.
“Fraid not.” The Silken answered with a sad head shake. There was a ruthless glint in his eyes as he ordered. “Guess again.”
The Auris guessed and guessed and guessed. Each time growing more frustrated and each time Onion looking more triumphant.
Mrs. Strawberry had to hide her grin at the tables being turned on the Auris. Gus looked between Onion and Devourer at this new development, he saw the poorly concealed humor of the cook and chuckled realizing what had happened. Descendre was only a few moments later to come to the same conclusion as the fungal knight. She was not subtle, she laughed aloud at her friend sweating beneath his bowler.
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The Auris shot the cat a suspicious glance, it dawned on him that the entire crew was watching his defeat. Upon realizing he was not going to win he changed tactics. “We should pull the Eli up!”
The Silken nodded his head sagely, helping Devourer pull up the Frozen Death by his harness rope. “Absolutely, don’t wanna make any miscalculations and leave someone waiting for an answer.”
Devourer shot him a suspicious look but didn’t say anything more.
“Excuse me.” Mrs. Strawberry said as she leaned over to one of the recue riders sitting atop his mount, the bird had her head tucked beneath a wing, resting on her roost. “We may want to have someone watching for any new flying caravans headed towards the Fluffy Mountains. They won’t know of the lurking Fluffies.”
“Understood.” The rescuer acknowledged and turned to grab the attention of the other Maw.
Mrs. Strawberry wasn’t finished though. “As preventive measures we should also setup signal fires to alert travelling teams about dangerous situations such as weather or attacks.”
“Anything else?” the rider asked, now realizing that the cook may be able to help them avoid such a dangerous situation in the future.
“Just a few things…”
When the old woman finished with her instructions the flyer nodded his head “I will relay this information to the captain and crews.” He made a loud whistle and the Grau crew all looked at him, he made a series of hand signs towards the captain. The captain held up a hand to stop his discussion with the council until he dealt with the more urgent matter at hand. After watching the rescue rider finish, he explanation, the Maw captain communicated with rest of the flyers in this fashion. Once he was done half the flyers took off in separate directions.
“Interesting.” Gus said with an intrigued tone.
The remaining riders climbed down and started to groom their birds. Onion was instantly curious about the process and joined a Maw rider “Mind if I help?” The Maw looked at the Silken with uncertainty. The plant mage correctly interrupted the hesitation and quickly added “I can just bring you items you need to care for your steed. I love to learn.”
The Maw female visibly relaxed. “Always happy to teach, just be careful and he won’t bite off any limbs.”
Onion was fearless, extending his hand for the fanged bird to sniff “I am always careful.”
Mrs. Strawberry and Gus joined the Silken in helping grab various tools to care for birds. After the three proved themselves competent and respectful of the birds the Maw riders started to teach the three how to actually care for the birds.
Descendre and Devourer were instead going through some type of complex formalized practice sparring.
The cook and Gus were grabbing buckets of fine dust when she paused to watch the two combatants. Gus followed her gaze “Devourer is doing the Petal martial art form, Descendre is doing the Pinned Shadow martial art form.”
“Petal?” she asked as they returned to the birds and she gently lifted the feathers, using a glove added a layer of dust to skin underneath.
Gus was carefully wiping down flight feathers under the Maw’s appraising eyes. The fungal knight paused to point one of his rounded fingers at the Auris and made little circular motions “His spinning attacks, you’ll notice they are always circular, like a petal caught in a dust devil, he may change the circular motion from horizontal (where he spins like a top) or vertical (where he does cartwheels and flips and such) but it’s always in deflect-and-redirect attack. It is a great form for an Auris fighter to study.”
Onion leaned over to add “Gus’s studied most forms of martial arts; he actually taught me mine.”
Descendre lashed out with her tail, fingers deflected away by the spinning feet and hands. As she was deflected, she lashed at his feet with raking claws. He changed his spin into a cartwheel. The cat used her attempted strike to plant her paw and swung her body around to strike with a back paw. Her quick movement knocking the Auris sprawling forward. He turned his fall into a tumble and leapt into the air using a backhand spring.
A Maw said with confidence “The Auris is on the ropes.”
“No.” Gus rebutted with skin changing to the color of amusement, he continued brushing down the red bird’s feathers with delicate care. “She’s about to fall for his trap.”
The Maw still enraptured by the fight tore his eyes to the paladin. “What trap?”
“That evasion footwork he is using.” Gus explained, attention still on the bird “It’s a derivative addition to the Petal form, specifically created to deal with four legged opponents that use prehensile tails.” He stopped in his grooming and tilted his head thoughtfully “I wonder how he learned such a rare art form.”
The Derkaz lunged at the exposed back of her comrade, a look of triumph on her face, as her paw made contact with his back, he rotated using the extended paw as his pivot point. Using the kinetic energy of her push he swung his feet around and crossed them together at her throat. He met her eyes as he used his rotation and his spinning ears to additional strength to his movement. The cat’s eyes boggled as she was caught in the Auris’s trap and her body spun sideways in a corkscrew. Before she crashed Devourer winked at his friend and disengaged letting her exit the spin and land on her feet.
Gentleman Auris landed on the ground with an elegant spin, grabbed his hat and tapped it upon his head with a victorious grin “Well done on the landing.”
“Neat little trick.” The Derkaz admitted, she shook herself then started to groom her tangled fur. “I’ll need to figure out how to counter it.” she glanced at Gus and raised her voice “Maybe Gus can show me!”
The Auris stuck out his tongue “Then I’ll just ask him how to counter your counter.”
Before the conversation could devolve any further a ladder was thrown down from the platform and steps were locked in place to allow the travelers to descend.
“Everything is sorted.” Captain Ti announced to the crew once they were on the ground. “The rescue flyers are traveling to warn nearby cities and villages of the Fluffies moving past the border.”
“Good, good.” Devourer acknowledged the words but it was clear he wasn’t listening “I could use a nap.”
The Maw captain was momentarily quiet, staring directly at the Auris with his lidless chrome-like eyes. There was disapproval written in Ti’s posture. After the silence had drawn on long enough that Devourer looked away and fidgeted with discomfort the captain spoke again. “We have lodgings where we can rest. Except for you, Auris. I think we need to have a chat after I finish speaking with the Warrior Cook.”
The rest of the crew and adventurers followed a villager to a large building.
Once the others were out of earshot the captain spoke. “You dealt with this entire debacle with surprising cool headedness.” He pointed at the pan in her hand. “You leapt from a flying Grau without a second thought and diverted the gobs of webbing that would have wrapped their wings and sent us all hurling to our deaths, you knew that we needed to warn others of the danger and had a strategy on how we could do it, and the other ways to fend off the Fluffies from further encroachment… Where did you learn these things?”
“I’m a granny, we have to know everything.”
Captain Ti chuckled at this statement. “My grandmothers were both amazing females. But they were not like you.”
Mrs. Strawberry could see that he was not going to let the topic go. “I was a forest ranger for a few years, wanted to get outdoors and enjoy nature. I learned how to communicate (by multiple methods) dangers or risks quickly to my teams.”
“Ah, and the ability to perfectly deflect fifty kilogram spitballs composed of bones wrapped in Fluffy webbing travelling hundred and sixty kilometers per hour…?”
“Softball community league.” She supplied with a cheery smile.
The captain held her gaze as more questions formed. When she didn’t blink, he conceded the question. “Of course, ‘softball league’.”
-
Devourer returned from his ‘chat’ with Captain Ti with the countenance of a child sent to her room without dessert. His eyes were downcast as he asked the village leader for chores that he could help with.
The white haired woman rattled off a series of chores that included; gathering sticks, killing rats, gathering ten herbs, running a message to a neighboring village, composting and finally to go fishing. The Auris’s eyes filled with both loathing and despair.
“Excuse me.” Mrs. Strawberry took a step forward before he could speak. “If you don’t mind, I have a suggestion.”
The burgundy skinned leader beckoned with her hand. “Feel free.”
“You mentioned needing Lilo bark.” The cook nudged.
“Yes, we are in short supply and are in desperate need.”
“Sounds like that will most help you.” Mrs. Strawberry added in a conspiratorial voice “Devourer is an expert at danger.”
“Him?” The leader eyed the impeccably dressed Auris and she was far from convinced.
“Hey!” The three-ear exclaimed with clearly hurt feelings.
“And!” the cook interrupted “I will be going with him.”
“Neither of us is going to risk our lives to do a fetch quest for some freaking bark. These things are always harder than it’s worth it.”
“And yet the captain said you needed to help the village, wouldn’t it be best to do something that actually matters.”
“But…” The leader stopped; her argument stilled on her lips. She eyed the cook considering her words. “We really need that bark.” She shook her head in disagreement “No, I couldn’t allow it neither of you would survive because you’ll be fighting Tev'Tek.”
“Wait! Tev'Tek?!” Devourer’s expression changed to one of eagerness. “I’ll do it, I’ve done it before and can do it again! Could you by chance point me in the direction I should go?”
“We do need the Lilo bark.” The village elder mulled over her words. “Fine, it’s your funeral pyre.” She pointed up towards a tree saw tall that it towered above the rest of the forest several kilometers away “You can find their dens there. They built it around the Lilo tree’s roots. I would warn you to be extremely careful but since you already know about them, I’m assuming you already knew that.”
“Yes Chief!” Devourer winked “I got this handled. Should be back shortly.” As the leader left the Auris went to a pack, grabbed a quiver of arrows and a bow.
Mrs. Strawberry watched her companion’s activities, “What is a Tev’Tek?”
He glanced over his shoulder “Super adorable fluff balls.” He saw her disbelieving look “Okay, fur is colored in green and black rings, long tails and a penchant for disemboweling anything that crosses their path. Adorable vicious little buggers.”
“And you are excited to hunt them because?...”
Devourer touched the brim of his bowler hat “I am hunting them, because they are Descendre’s favorite meal, it might be something nice to do for her putting up with me and my antics.”
Mrs. Strawberry folded her arms “That is a very nice thought, but Descendre might not appreciate the gift as much if you get sliced open while getting it.” She pointed at the weapon that seemed foreign in her friend’s hands. “I see you got a bow, are you any good with that?”
The Auris glanced down and then looked sheepish “I can hit things…usually.”
Mrs. Strawberry grabbed another bow, nocked an arrow and released all in one fluid motion, her arrow flying through the air and piercing an oversized winged thing that had been salivating while it looked at Eli “I can hit things, but if you notice I also fired in a direction where no one else was, and I knew what was behind my target if I missed, being good at hitting things is only part of archery hunting. I am going with you and I’m taking my beetle too.”
“Oh.” Devourer looked in awe at the arrow impeded in the creature. “I could use someone to help. Tev'Tek are tough to handle on my own.” He glanced towards the guest building “Let’s go before she sees us, I wanna surprise her.”
-
They travelled at a brisk pace, Mrs. Strawberry atop her Eulb beetle while Devourer ran beside her, she looked at his pristine bare feet. “Your magic is amazing. Your feet should be bleeding and covered with dirt and green from all this moss.”
“I honed that magic as much as I could.” Devourer was showing an unusual focus as they moved “There are different ways to make Auris magic stronger. I can proudly say that no other Auris is as skilled as me.” His feet planted on a wet moss covered rock that should have sent him slipping and snapping his neck, the soles didn’t shift a centimeter. “Which makes it doubly painful that my Auris Pod don’t have a ten-ear.”
“Sounds tough.” She didn’t say anything else. Sometimes words didn’t make it any better, didn’t make it hurt any less. Sometimes companionable silence was the kindest way to support someone.
They traveled a kilometer before the Auris spoke again. “Your pan, I noticed you wrapped it in Fluffy webbing, I didn’t realize you were a trophy collector.”
“Good way to cushion the handle when I am swinging it around.” She supplied. “It is very considerate to hunt these Tev’Tek for Descendre… Have you ever thought that she might just want you to focus more, the way you’re focusing now, if you did that out of battle it might be more appreciated than a token gift.”
“I am better at token gifts.” The Auris finally said. He adjusted his bowler. “I am not good at the long stretches of normalcy between the adventures, not the long stretches of walking and drudgery between the battles.”
“If you don’t make the attempt nothing will change.” The cook advised gently. She grabbed Eli from attempting to pounce on a furry creature nibbling on a leaf. The Frozen Death grumbled in her lap. “Not all of life can be antics and laughs. Sometimes we have to be boring.”
“I know.” The gentleman admitted. He sighed and rubbed the back of his head in a self-comforting fashion. “But that stupid cat is always so serious. When we were younger, I would be the clown, doing the stupidest things to get her to laugh. I’d throw a rock in a spider-moth’s web and then run screaming just to see her smile… It was our schtick me the goof and her the straight man.” He had a smile for a moment, but it was gone with the blink of an eye. “But somewhere she stopped smiling at my stupid antics. And now it doesn’t matter what I do she doesn’t smile.”
Mrs. Strawberry let the small blue cub free to chomp down on a beetle horn, her voice was still gentle “Everyone changes, dear.”
“Why can’t I?”
“Because…” The old woman pondered the words for a moment, measuring each in her mind before she spoke “It’s easier to suffer and be stuck with the familiar thing that isn’t working, much easier than taking things apart and see what still fits afterwards.”
The Auris asked a question that had been weighing on his mind for a long, long time. One that he had hinted at in his many private conversations throughout their adventure “What if I break all the pieces and the stuff left doesn’t include her and I staying together?”
“Then it could be better than the place you are both stuck right now.” She shifted her quiver “But that is your decision, both of you have to decide.”
“I don’t want to lose her. She is my other half. A soul mate that shaped me. I don’t know what I would be without her in my life.”
The cook’s voice was sympathetic. “Everyone helps shapes us. And very few of them stay with us for a lifetime.”
“Easy for you to say.” The Auris snapped.
Mrs. Strawberry abruptly stated “My favorite snack is peanut butter sandwiches with medallions of bananas.” It caught the three-ear off guard and his brow furrowed in confusion. The cook continued speaking “It’s because my childhood friend Abbie made them, she was my best friend.”
“What happened to her?”
“Not sure, we don’t talk anymore.” she saw the sad look on Devourer’s face and shook her head “It wasn’t anything bad; there wasn’t any big blow up or fight. We were amazing friends all the way to the end of high school. We went to different colleges; we called every night and would visit each other every weekend. Then as we both got caught up in life the phone calls weren’t every night, they were every other night, then once a week and then the time between calls became even longer. And the visits were rescheduled to accommodate for events and eventually without even realizing it we lost touch.”
“That is not reassuring in anyway.” The Auris grumbled.
“It isn’t supposed to be, it’s supposed to help you understand that sometimes sad things happen.” She stopped her mount. Forcing Devourer to stop as well. “Things can be sad and wonderful at the same time. Whenever I make myself a peanut butter and banana sandwich, I remember being in the backyard with her playing princess and dragon. It is one of my most cherished memories.”
The Auris ears perked up, grabbing hold of this diversion from the loss of the woman’s loss “How did that game work?”
“One of us would be the dragon and the other would be the princess battling fighting the fire breathing monstrosity. I was always better at being the princess.” She scratched the skin around Eli’s horns, he purred in contentment. “After we finished our make-believe fights, we would always make peanut butter and banana sandwiches.”
“You don’t regret losing her?”
The woman didn’t answer his question, instead she restated what she had said before. “Everyone helps shape us.” She further elaborated those words “People pass through our lives, but they will always leave a thumb print on our hearts. We are a collection of all the people that had an impact. Each a treasure trove of the memories.” She lifted her bow “Now I don’t wish to alarm you but I believe I just saw one of the critters you described run past us.”
“WHAT?!” the Auris hissed in surprise.
“They don’t seem the picturesque cuteness that you were hinting at originally.”
Devourer had three blades out faster than she could blink, one in each hand and the third gripped tightly in his foot. “If you saw one there are more. Bow ready!”
She moved fluidly at the barked order, there was no time for niceties if these creatures were half as dangerous as Devourer had let on it would be over soon if she wasn’t fully focused. Her arrow was nocked and she took a deep steadying breath as she released the bowstring. She released her bowstring, dropping a Tev’Tek as it darted out from its hiding place. She notched another arrow as soon as the first went flying.
The Auris was turning slowly, using the fingertips of his anchored foot to pivot “They like to charge in groups. Careful.”
They waited.
Three rushed from behind. Devourer intercepted them, his ear blades spinning around, removing heads from necks. Two more charged at full speed towards the cook, she released another arrow downing the hissing creature. The last launched in the air with claws extended, she walloped it with her pan. The lifeless attacker slammed against a tree. She struck two more down. “We still need to get the Lilo bark, how many are usually in these ‘adorable cuties’?”
Devourer cleaned his blades on his initialed handkerchief “Thirty?”
Mrs. Strawberry hooked her pan to her belt, nocked another arrow and muttered “Then stay alive and let’s get this cat an apology gift.”