I pulled on Ghisé's arm. “We have to run, now,” I said as loudly as I dared. She wouldn’t budge. Her gaze was locked in the direction of the human voices.

["A roc ya' think?"] the voices were getting closer.

["Doubt it, no mountains here."]

The humans were getting closer and I could make out their equipment. They had their swords and crossbows, but what scared me most were the cages they carried.

Poachers!

The fear Ghisé suppressed earlier bubbled up once more. My belly was a whirl of bees again. No, wasps, I was panicking. I grabbed Ghisé's hand and started pulling her along by force. Finally her legs were moving. The poachers were following our tracks through the snow. What could we do? How do you hide tracks?

I was a dozen strides away before I noticed her hand had slipped from mine. I turned to see how much space we had put between us and them. I realized there was no we, just me. The men were closing on Ghisé. She stopped barely a few paces from where she was comforting me.

It was too late, one of the smaller men grabbed her roughly by the neck and shoved her into the cage.

[“Shit, check this out Gary, what are these things?”] said the man who grabbed Ghisé.

["Harpies. This one's just a fledgling,"] presumably Gary responded.

A third voice, closer to me than the other two, drew their focus back. ["Second tracks."]

“GHISÉ!” I screamed in panic. That drew their attention to exactly where the second tracks led, drew their attention to me.

Now I was the one frozen. Should I run? Leave Ghisé behind and hope they don't catch up? No! I can't leave her. The huge man, Gary, started his advance towards me. My yellow hues were even easier to spot amongst the bleak winter landscape than Ghisé's grays. He might as well have been a bear, Easily five times my height and many times my weight. I had no chance in a fight, but whether fear or loyalty I couldn't run.

The bear of a man slowed his approach to a crawl, inching closer with each step. He was close enough now that I could pick out the stubble on his jaw when he spoke, [“Easy chickie, I’m not gonna hurt you."] I found that hard to believe.

I started to back away, but with each step I took, his longer strides closed the distance. I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream, and so I did, “HELP!” I screeched out, a piercing screech that had no effect beyond making him wince at the shrill cry.

I could tell my voice didn’t carry far, wouldn't even escape the forest. The woods were too thick with snow and pine and I was too quiet. I couldn’t run, no help would be coming, and my sister was huddled in a cage crying. What options were left?

I flapped my wings hard. If I couldn't run I could fly, it was time to step up, if I could get back to the village— I didn't step up. I barely kept myself aloft for a second before my gut protested the weightless feeling. My fear forced me to ground with the weight of reality.

I scrambled for the nearest tree, and began to climb it, gouging into the trunk my my talons. Before I could even make it to the lowest branch though, a crossbow bolt whistled through the air lodged itself into the trunk a meter or so above my head halting my ascent.

[“Now now, I’m not much of a climber, and I’d hate to have to sell some damaged goods, so how ‘bout you just come on down here,”] he said in his language I mostly understood. I dropped to face him, back to the tree, but made no further moves. Running was futile, and flying, impossible. [“Aww you’re a good girl, aren’t you?”] His voice made me sick, the way it carried the tone of sincerity without any of its meaning.

He set the cage down and opened the door. His posture relaxed slightly, but his eyes showed he was ready to pounce. I was the prey. Still, if he thought I was going to willingly walk into a cage, he'd be sorely mistaken. I stood defiantly.

[“A shame,”] he lied. His thick muscled arm shot out at me, his fingers nearly touched as they wrapped around my throat.

“No— uip!” his grip tightened, pinching off my lungs and my cry. The whirling of wasps reached its zenith and the buzzing burst loose. All the fear coursing through me changed— I felt a fire now. I felt it in burn in me, hot and furious. It seeped into my lungs and up into my throat before exploding into a shock that bolted down his arm.

He pulled it back in a wince dropping me unceremoniously. [“Bitch!”] He shook his arm out as he inspected it for damage.

I coughed and gasped for breath. I found my way to my feet before the poacher recovered, and ran as fast as I could back towards Ghisé. The whirling, buzzing fire was still going strong, I could use it.

[Today I Learned.] Rage.

"I’m coming Ghisé!" I launched myself at the two men who had finally noticed that I wasn't wasting what little time I bought myself. They were too late to mount a defense. The bear-sized man had recovered from the shock I gave his arm, and started to chase after me, but I had a head start, and all three men were too late to stop me.

I felt the buzzing carry up and into my throat once more as I shouted, “Get away from her!” The shout was filled with lightning and fury in equal measure. It shot from my mouth in a spray, crackling and popping as it spread through dust in the air. The two men had no time to defend— what's time to the speed of lightning.

My attack washed over the two targets... collapsing them into a pile of twitching limbs while my sister let out a gut wrenching cry... I hit Ghisé too.

I hurt her, I hurt Ghisé. I’m sorry. I'm sorry! I wanted to run over and free her. I wanted to reassure her. But I couldn't stand, couldn’t even speak as my own limbs protested and my jaw clamped shut. Whatever I did to the pair of poachers, it backfired on me. Knocking out four people in your first fight would be impressive if one wasn't your sister and another yourself. The sound of crunching snow and leaves was getting louder with each step my pursuer made. I wish I knocked out five people instead, or at least one less Talivi. 

[Checkmate], I thought.

The man named Gary gave me a swift kick, apparently deciding he didn’t mind damaged goods after all. He must've been really pissed that a forty-pounds-when-wet child got one up on him. My satisfaction at the realization came out in a cough.

The sight of his unconscious lackeys drew a sigh. He pulled a small jewel from his pocket and focused. While he was distracted I started crawling towards Ghisé.

He either didn't care, or he was an excellent meditation... -ist, either way he didn't react. I continued as quickly as I was able, which was quite slow. I leaned on trees for support and each movement made me aware of some injury or another. The most overbearing one was by my side. It stung sharply with each breath, and I was sure that the kick he gave me broke a rib or three. It had me wondering if my bones were hollow or not. The next gravest was my skin. It was only pain, probably not life threatening, but even slight movements made the surface of my skin sting like a bad sunburn.

Ignoring the two men stuck napping, I knelt down next to her cage and started to fiddle with the latch. That move was a bridge too far and earned me a shove with Gary’s boot, sending me into a short skid through the snow. I stayed where I landed.

Meditation time ends a lot like it started, I thought, rubbing my side.

Gary leaned up against the nearby tree, put a paper tube between his lips, and set the end on fire. He took a long puff and let his eyes fall on me, ["Don’t get too bold monster. You already did a number on things here. Better be worth what this is gonna cost us."]

I wanted to tell him to sit and spin. That he was the monster. To go die somewhere and leave us be. I hoped I wasn't worth it. Go into the red assholes. I wanted to tell him his name was dumb and sounded like [hairy].

I was only capable of responding with my eyes at the moment though, so I tried using them to burn a hole in his skull. I was staring hard enough. I might have still been scared for Ghisé and I, but it was buried under the much stronger emotion driving my thoughts.

___

Maybe an hour went by before a wagon rolled into view, drawn by an unknown beast of burden. More of them? Now?

Ghisé still hadn’t woken up, but her sleep was less fitful. I hoped she would wake soon, she had to. I might lose it if she didn’t. But I couldn’t stay angry while we were just… waiting, so fear became the prevailing emotion again. That and pain. Between the two I couldn't think of much else.

I just want it to stop... I wanna go home, I managed to find a tear thinking of it. The well wasn't quite dry yet.

The beast most reminded me of a bull, but its coat was thicker and longer. The wagon was a simple wooden wagon, unadorned and made for hauling gear and based on occupation, animals. The man though... I was finding it hard to describe.

He broke any archetype you would think for poachers, thieves, murderers and their ilk. Not so much he was out of place though. I could imagine him in the opposite direction either. If I saw him at a grand ball, wearing a suit, he'd fit in as well as here and now looking like this— Were his eyes green when I thought of him only as a poacher? They're green now.

The two non-bearsized poachers I zapped, I'll just go with Thing 1 and Thing 2, were average in many respects but with the markings of a life lived. A distinguishing scar on their leg, a nose not set quite right from an old break. But when I tried to look for similar details on the newcomer, I could find nothing? No not nothing, there's a scar right there but it's the only one he—Wait, no, there were other scars! And his eyes were blue.

I was annoyed enough to stop trying to figure his deal out, Gives me the creeps though.

["Alex, what took you?"] Gary asked. The new arrival approached and shook his hand.

["I was reading a book,"] his excuse was so mundane it could've drawn a snort from me, but his voice gave me the chills. ["Now why in hell am I here? It better be urgent if we're breaking camp."]

["You tell me."]

I didn't bother looking as Gary and Alex returned to Ghisé and I. It would hurt anyway.

Alex sucked in a breath as he came over, ["Damn, you fucked it up good. Never seen anything like it, but it must be a Hesht of some sort. You said it shocked you?"]

Rude... I'm not an 'it'. Would it kill you to at least say, ["fucked her up good?"]

["Shot right from its mouth, fried us good."] The two men were up and about, but looking a bit roughed up. ["Looks more like a chicken than a whelp."]

Chicken now? Is adding insult to injury necessary?

I heard him rifle through his pack and start turning through... A book? Maybe he'll lend it to me, we don't have any at home.

When he found whatever he was looking for, Alex started swearing, ["Fuck, if this is real we can sell the feathers. The thing prints money, we need something different to hold it, we might have something in the wagon. Don't let the thing die or it could be our collective ass."]

A thing that prints money. A thing! Unbelievable. Sure, let's add objectification of a maiden to their creep sheets. I'll add it between "cavalier about child abuse" and "insulting without reason." I was beginning to think the tumult of emotions and pain might be affecting my sense humor.

Alex excused himself while Gary pulled a bottle from his belt. He kneeled next to me and put his gross hand on my face, bringing the mysterious liquid to my lips. I forced them shut tight against my teeth as I pulled away.

["Stop. Fighting. Gods you're dumb even for beasts."]

My resistance only made him push harder, squeezing my cheeks in his grip. He wasn't giving up. It hurt as he tried to push the glass against my refusal. It could've been medicine, it also could have made all my feathers molt at once. I was making Hairy Gary's job a hell of a lot harder by refusing at least.

["Open up you little shit."] he ordered.

I fixed my gaze on him and scrounged up enough anger to force a response through my teeth, ["Fuck. You."]

Gary's eyes went wide with surprise, ["Y- you— talk?"].

With smug glee I turned his surprise to shock, literally, with whatever I recovered since knocking myself to the ground the first time. The electricity discharged through the air around us. Gary went down with a violent jerk as every muscle fiber in his body contracted. It fried me too, as expected, but consequences be damned, screw Gary.

I was in a worse state now than after my lightning breath, but the two guarding Ghisé had been on the receiving end once already and didn't want to risk another shock. They were being cautious. It wasn't necessary though. I wanted to free her, I couldn't let her stay in that cage. But no, I had pushed far beyond what a child could handle. In spite of my exploits so far today, I was asking for a miracle anyway.

My pleas went unanswered. and someone's hand slapped a metal ring around my neck instead. A second hand followed, driving me into the ground at the shoulder, Alex returned. Holding me still he mumbled a few words and the device sizzled. When the sizzling stopped he released me, sighing his tension out.

I, however, was still very tense at the idea of a burning collar fused to my throat. I rolled to my back abruptly, too abruptly. The movement threatened to knock the wind out of me, but the object stuck to my neck didn't burn me, on the contrary it was strangely cool. I could feel the series of elegant engravings that ran around the simply shaped metal. It was a torc, adorned in the front in some way, and deceptively heavy. The weight would make standing take effort, not that I needed further encouragement to avoid doing so.

The fight in me was soundly gone, even for Ghisé's sake it was too much. The edges of my vision were filling with black. My view was closing in like an iris centered on the moon, though it wasn’t the pale green one I was accustomed to. It was still pale, but now white, and it took up less of the sky. It felt less out of place than it should.

Huh?

Blackness consumed my vision completely, taking my view of the foreign white moon with it.

Rage can burn your allies as keenly as your enemies. I speak from experience.

Dreyva

This gets us into the trials that Talivi and those in her orbit find themselves in. This is also where my goal becomes one chapter per week.

Next chapter will be adding multiple PoV, including a new character. I'll probably use alternate PoVs sparingly in the long run, based on the pieces in play and how independently they are moving. The chapter after will get back to Talivi PoV.

So I hope readers are enjoying it so far, and though I won’t be putting out three in a week, I hope you’ll stick around to see Tali’s story out with me.