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Something had Faulina spooked, and Callum was having a hard time pinpointing the problem.
His vicious girl had come home one night with pulled feathers, and deep gashes on her back. It wasn't unusual for the opinionated avian to pick a fight with another local creature, but usually, she knew when to pull away. His Kinfa was brave; not stupid. And yet, he'd spent the better part of his day tending to her wounds in the barn, all the while wondering what in the world could have happened to her.
The gashes didn't look like anything made by a raptrix; those Callum was familiar with. His late husband had had one, as did his son, and Faulina would often tussle with them. Nothing had ever been this severe, however, and the gashes looked less like claw marks than they did....talons? Like another kinfa, except one a lot better suited at ripping into it's prey than any he'd seen before.
A smarter man would have written to his friend, who specialized in beasts and beast behavior; Callum, however, decided to do some investigating on his own.
As the day started to fall, and night rose in it's place Callum picked his way through the snowy landscape towards some of Faulina's favorite haunts. She rarely traveled that far from home, so the prospect of finding something that aggressive this close to his cabin was worrisome. What if instead of Faulina it decided to attack one of his children next? They were hardly incapable of defending themselves, but still! He held his torch aloft, looking out over the darkening landscape with a critical eye. Whatever was attacking his girl was coming at night; that much he was certain on. It was dangerous for him out there, on his own, in the cold, but Callum had little choice. He pressed forward into the night and spent what felt like hours trudging through calf high snow mounds with little success. The traveler was close to calling it quits when a sharp, keen cry turned his attention to the sky....
....just as a set of talons came dangerously close to his face.
Callum ducked at the last possible moment, diving into the snow as the wild creature grazed his back. The talons cut through the fabric, but luckily he'd worn layers. Once on the ground, however, the fight wasn't over. When he turned his eyes to the sky Callum spotted three winged figures; one circling the air around him, while two sat perched in trees, effectively cutting off his exits. He'd never seen anything like them! They were just as big as Faulina, but thicker, sturdier where she was lean and while their beaks weren't as deadly those talons more than made up for it. He could hear the scrap of them against the frozen tree branches, and the knowledge that he'd almost been caught up in them made Callum anxious.
I have to get out of here.
There was simply no way he could have beaten them on his own. One, maybe, but three? Not a chance. Callum took off at a run through the trees, cutting directly beneath the nearest beast, narrowly dodging another set of talons at his back. He raised his sword to bat them away, but it wasn't working. The beasts were wearing him down. Callum could only run so far in the snow before being attacked again, which meant his stamina was fading fast. He couldn't even see the cabin, but his breathing was already labored. If he didn't get away soon-
Another keening cry and Callum dived for the nearest pile of brush. The frozen briars saved him just in time, but they pulled at his clothing, effectively trapping him. And yet, at least he was safe from the flying beasts. He would have to wait it out here for a while, just long enough for them to leave and for him to pick his way out. The avians themselves didn't seem happy with it, if their constant hovering was anything to go by, but at the very least they were more unnerved by the brush than anything else. So for the moment Callum was safe.
He remained in the brush until the early hours of morning, and when it was safe, Callum began the process of picking himself out. By the time he returned home, beaten and bruised, covered in briers, Callum knew he would have to come up with a better plan. Maybe one that involved contacting his friend after all.
(757)
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