[KQ] Big A(spire)rations

koel tryin' to take what's lost and broke and make it right Koel also hadn’t been paying all that close attention to the spire. Oh sure, he’d been watching it off and on—it was impossible not to, given how prominent it was in the landscape—but after the initial shock of it had worn off, it had sort of faded into the background. Still, it was close to where they’d chosen to take up residence, so when a familiar flash of lightning appeared out of a clear sky the eagle immediately knew that Ashetta was up to her new tricks. While sometimes the so-called Assassin in Blue blew things up in a fit of pique, sometimes there was actually a method behind her madness; moreover, anything unusual in this new environment warranted investigation. Therefore, he snatched up a bow and a quiver of arrows (he was ‘borrowing’ it from a Northavener who’d actually brought one over until he could get a new one) and rushed towards the spire. Once he got there, he was glad he’d shown up. They were facing an opponent out of their worst nightmares. Apparently the mage had hit it with her best shot. Time for his: he nocked an arrow, pulled back the string, and fired straight for the center of the monster’s chest. Although Koel didn’t know if this thing had a heart, he was hoping to pierce something. However, as he saw Ronin’s familiar figure charging straight for the beast, Koel’s heart sank; that was reckless and his friend was going to get himself killed. "We need help." Something deep within him called out with need, for something, anything, anyone, to show up in this fight. And for a wonder something did: a hawk plunged from seemingly out of nowhere, talons raking for the creature’s eye. It was followed by three pigeons, which, while less effective, did their best to harass the monster, pecking at its face. Finally, and most surprising of all, a small group of what looked like five starlings swirled in a cloud around the beast, chirping and flying in a disorienting pattern; it might not be doing damage but maybe it would distract the creature. Koel’s jaw dropped. He’d never seen anything like that before, but he could feel some sort of bond with the birds, and he willed them to keep up the fight.