Nothing to Fyr

Well, at least she didn't find any major holes to poke in his plan if it could be called that, and Tal breathed a quiet sigh of relief. His attention was all for her, though, wondering what sort of display of magic or might he might be in for when instead she shifted and--

Oh no. Oh no. That was kind of hot.

Tal swallowed hard and nodded in appreciation. "Uh... yeah. That... that'll do." Beside him Boreal chortled (it might have been a snicker if it had been in a higher register) at his discomfort and then huffed a sharp Whuff of warning.

The fyrhund had finally gotten a claw onto a branch of the nest and tugged as the Gore Crows screamed and dove at her head and shoulders and outstretched arm. With a final yank she dragged the nest off its peak and landed heavily amidst a crash of thunder from the approaching storm.

"Let's go!" Boreal launched herself into the sky, a pale, lumbering streak against the dark clouds while Tal slid over the ridgeline and started sprinting for the fyrhunds. At the moment the Crows and lavadog were focused on each other as the parents each tried to shield their offspring from the other, but it wouldn't last long. The fyrhund was momentarily driven back by the ferocity of the birds' attacks, ducking her head and crouching over her pup protectively while broken eggs and bawling hatchlings thrashed weakly nearby within the shattered remains of their home.

A Crow spiraling up to get a better dive noticed Tal and squalled a warning to its flock before changing direction to aim for the courier instead--

But Boreal dropped out of the sky and landed solidly on the feathery nightmare with the sound of snapping bones, knocking it out of the sky before she began flapping heavily upwards once more. Tal snagged a few drifting feathers on his way past and jammed them in his pocket, even as the mama Fyrhund started to swing her head around to see what the new ruckus behind her was about.

are you telling this story or am I?

With a pale face flecked by crimson feathers and teeth made sharp by her shift, Fiadh watches as Tal's plan plays out. It's not quite poetry in motion (nowhere near, a more experienced eye would judge), but it certainly seems to be getting the job done. She doesn't ask about the gore crow feathers, because that's none of her business, but as he tries to make for the Fyrhund, Fiadh starts her distraction tactics.

Spearing into the air with a powerful kick from her talons, the harpy spreads her wings and swoops in tandem with Boreal, intending at this point to aid with the chaos caused by the murder of crows. She can't distract the mama lava dog away from Tal before she's even focused on him, right?

She wonders how difficult it is to train a lava dog, anyway. That pup looks pretty docile.

Fiadh

The pup in question was smart enough to hide against mama's leg while the gore crows swooped and shrilled their murderous cries, though its eyes were focused like two unwinking embers on the nearest chick that was weakly flopping about in the ruins of its nest.

Some of those crows were turning their attention on the harpy that had appeared, and the dragon keeping pace with her, making darting attacks at wings and tails and eyes.

Tal could see the trainsled-wreck coming, but he was in too deep to back out now. He put his head down and scowled, arms and legs pumping as he fairly flew over the cooled pillows of solidified lava. The fyrhund caught a glimpse of him approaching and started to turn, but the pup yipped in alarm as a particularly bold crow swooped low and made a grab at the little rock hound and mama swung back around with surprising speed to close heavy jaws on grimy tailfeathers. The bird squawked and struggled, but a second snap was on target and silenced the scavenger.

It was all the opening Tal needed.

Slinging the spear into a two-handed grip he slammed into a rocky protrusion on the fyrhund's shoulder with all the momentum behind him that he could muster; not with the fragile blade end of the weapon, but with the sturdy butt end. A crack! ran through the chunk of armor and made the metal shaft vibrate painfully in Tal's hands...

But the piece didn't fall clear.

Meanwhile, the beast roared and spun around, swiping a claw towards him that barely missed. Its jaw started to unhinge and Tal scrambled back as steam started to gather in that gaping maw. "fiadhFiadhFIADH NOW'S A GOOD TIME!" he hollered, backpedaling for all he was worth and then spinning around and starting to sprint away.

are you telling this story or am I?

Fiadh doesn't know what Tal is complaining about - she and Boreal are having a great time over here, scattering gore crows and keeping them occupied while he heroes about down there. Or-- oh, oh. Alright. Well he's supposed to be heroing about, and she can't help it if that part isn't going to plan. She can still be a mighty fine distraction, though.

"Okay!" she trills back, banking around and swooping into a bullet-like dive, directly towards the mama fyrhund making chase. Crimson wings spread wide to catch her just at the same time as wicked talons flash through the air. There's a yelp - and it's not entirely clear who it's coming from either - but regardless a hunk of the rocky canine's armour does thud to the ground somewhere nearby. Weakened by the strike from a butt of a spear, no doubt.

"Is this the part where we all run away?" she calls.

Fiadh

When Fiadh turned to dive Boreal sent a jet of flame to cover her disengagement that singed black feathers and scattered the crows that would have otherwise harassed her. The Harpy was on her way to distract the fyrhund and save Tal's life, and the dragon was happy to return the favor. Despite the scratches that marred her glacial scales she roared happily and trailed behind Fiadh like a fiery shadow.

Tal glanced over his shoulder at the sound of the yelp and the image of those widespread wings, red as wine and lit by a dance of lightning overhead, was going to stick around in his dreams for a good long while. "Yup!" he agreed, focusing forward and running full tilt back towards the rise.

Mama had been blindsided by the surprise Harpy-to-the-face. Her jaw too unhinged to bite, but unable to spit fire while yelping, she instead crouched instinctively low over her pup as a chunk of her armor was knocked flying.

Which didn't stop her from making a distressing horking sound like rocks grinding together in a pool of acid as Fiadh cleared her field of view and then releasing a blast of fire at Tal's retreating back - rightfully pinning all (or at least, some) of her present woes on him. Luckily the merchant girl had bought him enough time to avoid anything worse than a scorching of his vest and heels, and though his hair was smoking in a very concerning manner he kept running without pause. "Meet up on the other side o' th'ridge!" he yelled, panting, and hoping Fiadh would hear him.

Boreal swooped low as that was happening and snagged the chunk of armor before flapping heavily back out of range, but Mama stayed crouched over her pup, clearly wanting to chase after her tormentors but not about to leave her baby behind.

A baby who had finally managed to dart out and grab a dazed and injured hatchling and drag it back under Mama's belly to begin eating, making happy chewing and ripping noises that were mostly lost beneath the outraged screeching of the Gore Crow flock that still circled over the remains of their fallen aerie.

are you telling this story or am I?

"A'right!" Fiadh calls, grinning and twisting in the air so she might shoot back up and into the sky, very pleased to see that she's made a friend in Boreal. Granted, the dragon is more interested in plucking up the armour she's knocked free (teamwooooork!), and so instead the harpy turns her attention to the crows. It's a difficult thing to corral them, usually, but given that they're more interested in their fallen chicks, it doesn't take much to keep them from continuing their assault on Tal (or the Fyrhund).

Only once she's convinced that no one is going to need a get-along-shirt does she shoot back over the ridge, landing in a scrape of talons and a few falling red feathers. "Well that was fun!" she announces, a touch out of breath, her plumage already sinking back into her skin as she reaches out to bat at Tal's hair and clothes to put the fire out. "You got what you needed, right?"

Fiadh

Safely up and over the ridge, out of sight of the fyrhund and her pup (though not out of mind), Tal finally slowed to a jog and then a halt, winded from all the sprinting. He rolled his shoulders uncomfortably at the heat that was curling across them, and only flinched and ducked his head at Fiadh's helpful battering. A freshening breeze off the sea made her job a little harder at first, but the heavy, fat raindrops that followed quickly helped douse the incipient embers.

"Fun? Uh... yeah. Fun," Tal echoed, managing a sickly smile.

He was going to see that unhinged jaw every time he closed his eyes for at least a week.

But Fiadh's question was answered a moment later as a battered but incredibly-pleased-with-herself Boreal circled down to drop the melon-sized chunk of metal-laced rock in Tal's hands. "Yeah," the courier agreed, grin lighting up more naturally as he hefted the dense piece of once-living stone. "Fuck yeah, we did. So uh..." He tilted a hopeful look to her as the wind whipped his dark hair and the rain started slanting down in earnest over Angel's End. "What're you doin' after this?" A question asked in a voice raised to be heard over the increasing downpour.

Tal's timing and ambience in asking someone out was, as always, impeccable.

are you telling this story or am I?

Well, Fiadh thought it was fun anyways, though she isn't really sure she's keen for a repeat performance in the future. Ah well. With the thunk of the piece of armour, Tal sure seems to light up, and so Fiadh is more than happy to let him enjoy the spoils of their adventure scot-free. (It's rare, Tal, and you should be grateful).

Wrinkling her nose at the sudden downpour - rain? in the Climb? - Fiadh pushes her hair out of her face and shrugs her shoulders, casual as you like. "Well, I was gonna fly back over to Torchline an' take the skyship to the Greatwood. It's where I live," she informs him. "This place didn't have as many treasures as I expected. But then maybe I'm lookin' in the wrong bit, y'know?"

And then, because oh yeah, it's polite (and she's oblivious), "What about you?"

Fiadh

Oops!

Hot rain drops sizzled down from the sky and evaporated almost as soon as they hit the ground. But while the heat lightning continued to dance through the heavens the weather pattern seemed to realize it made wrong turn at the coast and, after checking its map, was already heading back out to sea on its way towards Torchline.

"Oh. Um. Well, the treasures are uh... mebbe not all shiny an' shit..." Something something eye of the beholder and unexpected places and the people you meet along the way. Tal looked up to the sky for inspiration for his flirting and promptly winced as a final big, fat drop struck him squarely between the eyes. He looked down at his feet instead, scowling as he wiped his brow and leaving behind a smear of ash. Hugging his fyrhund rock closer, he snuck a look back at Fiadh while Boreal plopped down between them and started energetically washing some of her crow-scratches with her rough tongue.

"Probably back t'Halo. I've got deliveries to make before I head down to the Oerwould for the next thing. But uh. Maybe I'll see you around again sometime? Soon?" If he'd been Attuned there might have been a hopefully wagging tail behind him, but since he was Accepted all he got was his dragon's pause in her ministrations to give him an amused, smokey snort and an eloquent eyeroll.

are you telling this story or am I?

"No? Well, maybe I'll haf'ta come back an' have another rummage about," Fiadh says with a flash of teeth. "Another day, though. This place works up a sweat on you, huh?" Even with the tragically misguided downpour sulking off towards Torchline, it's hot. Volcanoes, what are you going to do?

While Tal exchanges meaningful glances with the sky and his shoes, Fiadh rolls her shoulders and shakes her harpy shift back out until she's mostly a mass of crimson feathers and deadly talons. "I ain't never been to Halo. Maybe I'll visit soon! If y'wanna come find me in the Greatwood, I'll be on my boat there."

And with nothing more than a lazy salute and a crooked smile, Fiadh propels herself up into the sky and aims to catch a current that will take her towards chillier climates.

~FIN

Fiadh