Flames, Ice, and Darkness (and Light!)

[serce2]

OOC: https://forums.dragcave.net/index.php?showtopic=178946

 

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Sunrise filled Thunder Snow's eyes. This was always the time she looked forward to, not quite filled with the heat of day and the cold dew was tolerable. Her flock was guaranteed another day. In another tree, one of her flock mates pulled their head from their back and ruffled their feathers. After a quick preen and shake, they took off to fish in the lake.

Good to see someone's productive. Her flock's normal fish count was just slightly lower than average, but it was nothing to worry about. There were seasons that ran dangerously sparser, and the ghost pain of hunger hit Thunder Snow. She shook it off. In her head ran a list of factors, starting with rogues fishing to certain flocks burning down the fishes food supply way upstream. She was still unsure of the motives behind the latter, but it didn't matter. The deed is done.

She called loudly from her tree perch to wake her remaining flock member. They had their nest a little away, their movement hidden by leaves. A few moments passed, with Snow about to call again, but a response call came by before she had to do anything. Good, everyone accounted for. Snow checked that routine off of her list for the day. Next would come preening, and now it was done. Then a morning snack, helpfully taken care of by her fishing flock mate, to start the day off with plenty of energy.

The songbirds were awfully chatty today. As Snow stretched her wings, one at a time, two flew above her head tweeting and laughing at every wingbeat. Those birds must've lost their heads! She had half a mind to chase after them, but her powers had better application then frightening tiny pests.

Yesterday, rain fell, cooling the forest region, but today the sunlight beat down. Perhaps it would be better cooler. Snow reached out with her wing, but not her flesh and blood wing, to quiet the barely-audible buzzing all around her. A few of those oh-so-chatty songbirds piped down and flew to warmer air. She could hear their own quick buzzing, but it was inextinguishable; their body heat would always win the fight. There was a way, yes, to freeze living beings and preserve them for all eternity if one wishes, she saw it herself, but she was never good with that.

A high-pitched buzzing, much bigger than any songbird, filled the edges of her senses. She couldn't ignore it once she felt it. It grew louder and louder, to the point where Snow bounced up and down in anticipation. The likeliest option was a bear. Not a threat, but always a nuisance when they shook her nesting trees. The worst option- humans. A sense of dread filled her as the buzzing grew more defined. Still, she needed to make sure.

Whistling flew the air as she took off. Unfortunately for her, her wings were unequipped for the graceful curve of owls. Her flock member, gulping down hard-won fish, nodded at her and followed her. They skirted over the tops of the trees and finally pulled into a circling glide.

She didn't have to see them at all. Their ungainly chatter already tipped her off.

"Humans!" She hissed, barely muffling her initial cry.

Edited May 3, 2017 by serce2

[Moonlight_Eevee]

Lava Plume poked her head out of the nest, giving a quick thanks to Frith above for another day she could wake up before tilting her head down slightly to see if any of her flock was awake. It would be rather embarrassing for her if she woke up after them.

 

She gave a squawk to the two dens below her, telling them that it was time to wake up before getting out onto her ledge and flying up and straight out of the volcano they were staying in for now.

 

Lava always believed in knowing her location and encouraged the rest of her flock to do the same. She had traveled the currents of lava when she was younger and often discovered hidden passageways to escape to when she felt like she was in danger.

 

Luckily, the Maple Flock were the only ones who could glide through lava.

 

It was a funny thing, flying through lava, Lava reflected as she eyed a fish swimming through the river that flowed through her territory. She noticed one of her other flock members had also spied the fish before Lava turned and went looking for another fish. Her flock's safety and needs came first before hers.

 

She soon eyed another fish and dove in to grab it, noting that she had strayed a bit too far and was now approaching the edge of her territory. She grabbed the fish and quickly ate it before she turned and started to fly deeper back into her territory, ignoring the noise coming from the other flock's territory

[serce2]

"Humans." Softer now, a command to her flock member. He dove into the tree cover, with Snow mirroring the motion. She could no longer see the humans at all, not even the slightest flicker of movement, which meant they couldn't see her. That's what mattered. From this safe vantage point, she could reach out and feel the humans.

Thunder Snow never got the hang of the buzzing. Her second pair of wings, the ones she and others couldn't see, told her that there was a group of humans, more than 5 but less than 9 judging from the subtle gaps in the buzz. What she couldn't tell was if there were wolves. Too low to the ground and too close to the humans.

Some time during her concentration, a light peck fell on her shoulder. River. He knew her one weakness, and, praise be to the vultures, respected it instead of taking advantage.

"Three wolves. One's unleashed, sniffing our way."

Very well. This changed the game. At any moment, the wolves would start barking and snarling and leaping toward Snow and River. She never learned how the wolves knew, though her mother said long ago that they could simply feel the wind, their one gift from the vultures.

She had to drive out the threat, and fast. Her head bobbed. If specifics was her weakness, then driving away wolves was her strength. The second wings unfurled themselves, reaching toward the human group. Curling around, they began to press down on the frantic buzzing of the humans (and wolves), calming it, stilling it.

She could hear the panic all the way from her perch. How they yelled and ran toward what they thought was the source- conveniently, the volcanoes, the shortest way out of her territory.

"Sorry Lava. At least you'll have fun burning them."