User:Arrow Quivershaft/Birds of a Feather
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{{#ifeq: User |User| Birds of a Feather | Arrow Quivershaft/Birds of a Feather}}[[Title::{{#ifeq: User |User| Birds of a Feather | Arrow Quivershaft/Birds of a Feather}}| ]]
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Author: [[User:{{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | {{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | }}}}|{{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | {{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | }}}}]] [[Author::{{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | {{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | }}}}| ]]
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Author: [[User:{{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | {{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | }}}}|{{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | }}]] [[Author::{{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | }}| ]]
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Authors: [[User:{{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | {{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | }}}}|{{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | {{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | }}}}]]
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Author: [[User:{{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | {{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | }}}}|{{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | }}]]
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The next day, we all got up early and made our way out of the grove, heading back to Corinth. The morning was uneventful, though we made better time now, because Blossom had been the shortest, and thus slowest, of us four. Now it was just Alex, so we had less trouble The morning was mostly uneventful; me and Alex walking along, with Dawn flying ahead at low altitude, doing spotting duties. Nothing too big. Minor hazards, distant stormwings. A part of me was hoping against hope that the stormwings would miss us coming back and I wouldn’t get shaken down for the other 500 Euros. It’s not reneging on a deal if the other person never shows up to claim it.
About 2PM, Dawn landed up ahead a ways to rest. Alex was slowing down a bit, and stumbling as his legs finally got their displeasure known through the endorphins, so I figured we should take a break soon. We hadn’t been talking much since lunch, but Alex finally broke the silence.
"All this walking makes you truly appreciate cars," he said.
"You get used to it, man." I said. "I keep to a gym regimen when I'm off duty, just so I'm always in top shape."
"And now I know why. My legs are sending me death threats." he joked.
I evaluated that a bit. "We may want to take a break soon, then. Just to keep you from collapsing. Need you tomorrow to finish the trip...after that it’s a boat ride and we can all relax."
Alex glanced around nervously. "Hmm, maybe, I'm okay for now."
"Ok, then. We'll keep going. Just stay hydrated and keep working." If he was alright with it, we’d cover more ground with less breaks.
Alex nodded. "Will do." He took a drink of water.
When I turned back to the road, Dawn was barreling towards us at high speed. She was in yelling range faster than I’d ever seen her, calling out “BEHIND!” I whipped around to see two stormwings approaching us, already swooping in for a landing. Damn! I should’ve been checking behind us more often! I grabbed my crossbow off my pack and readied it, yanking back the lever so that it drew a bolt out of the mag, and priming it to fire with a satisfying CHLUNK.
"Oh shit!" Alex yelled as he realized the situation. He jumped a bit, and promptly started hiding behind me.
As they approached, I could see that it was the same pair as previously. I relaxed a bit. I’d already measured out the money in a pouch, so this should all go pretty smoothly. I didn’t reach for it yet, though, because I had my hands on the crossbow. Dawn landed on one of the interspersed trees nearby to watch, and the two stormwings flared their wings, scattering sunlight everywhere as they landed, one to either side of me.
The male nodded towards me as he stood back up. “G’day.”
“Good afternoon,” I replied evenly, lowering the crossbow towards the ground. Alex stayed silent behind me. "You want the other half of your payment?"
"Huh... Looks like you lost yer little gal. Wasn't nothin' nasty, I'm hopin?" the male observed.
I shook my head. "No. Nothing nasty."
"Good thing. I'd hate to think I hadn't kept up my end of the bargain, eh?" he stated.
"Your end of the bargain has been maintained thus far, yes." I agreed.
I heard some Hellenic from the female stormwing to the male, although I couldn’t understand it, and then a chuckle.
The male smirked back at his partner, then looked to me. "Well, we're expandin' the offer just a little bit, y'see. We didn't know till t'day that you'd brought us some VIPs, yeah? Shoulda maybe clued in from the foxie, but yeh, I'mma bit of a doof that way. Was thinkin we might be of a bit more help to ya."
More Hellenic. I really need to learn to speak it. I kept an eye on the stormwing male, quirking a brow and waiting for him to continue.
The male made a placating wing gesture at his partner. Then he looked back to me. "So y'see, I think it'd be terribly rude of me to withhold my rapid transportation services to the local sights before we see ya off, yeah?"
"Oh, fuck." Alex said from behind me, groaning.
I looked at Alex for just a second, seeing him start his change as he collapsed to the ground. Fuck. "You wish to...offer us a sightseeing tour?" I asked, slightly incredulously.
Some Hellenic came from behind me again. The male stormwing stepped in a little bit closer, knife-wings flashing in the light again. "Sounds like fun, yeah?" Then he responded to the female. I didn’t like this one bit, but I was two to one against razor blade factories.
Alex was breathing heavily. I needed to get us out of this situation, and talking was the only realistic option here.“I don’t think we’re interested. That would be Alex’s call, and he’s indisposed.”
"No! ... thanks..." Alex shouted, between some ragged breaths.
"Just take your money and go,” Dawn advised. “You're going to run out of 'customers' to extort if you keep coming on this strong."
And that’s when all hell broke loose. I heard movement from behind me. I swung around to the behind and saw the female stormwing moving rushing in to grab Alex. I lifted my crossbow to fire, and heard swishing noise, a TWANG, and felt pain on my left hand. The crossbow clicked, but no bolt ejected, the string hanging limp on either side. The male stormwing’s wing retracted, the job done. Fuck fuck fuck...Dawn was on a strike-dive towards the male stormwing. She’d get shredded against him!
I had bigger worries. The female stormwing had gotten a hold of Alex’s clothing and body and wrapped her talons around him, and now was flapping to take off. She was coming towards us, those razor feathers flapping on the downstroke. I dropped the crossbow and hit the dirt to avoid getting lacerated. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any other options. She took off and started to wheel away, gaining altitude and starting to leave. Alex was flailing, but he couldn’t do anything easily.
Dawn got a good clawing in on the stormwing’s face, but had to jump back when he tried to bring his wings up to block her off. He took a step back as I got to my feet, instinctively drawing the knife from my left boot, trying to ignore the pain on my left hand for now. Blood on my hand, and I’d just hit the ground. Dirt in the wound. Have to clean it. Why was I thinking of this?
"Whoa now! She misunderstood! Let's calm down!" the male shouted. "You don't want to fight me, walker. Not when there's nothin to fight over."
The female stormwing screeched in the distance, but I wasn’t focusing on her anymore.
"I understand that. I also understand that contrary to your claims, you just MADE something to fight over." I said threateningly.
"I'm already sparin' yer girlie, cuz that hurt like hell.” He was bleeding from the face and neck. “Only reason I ain't takin' off right now is so that I can explain this so you don't do anything schtupid."
"Then talk!" I demanded.
"He's just gonna pay a visit to a friend. You can come with him, or you can stay here. Either way, nobody's gettin hurt except for me," the male explained.
"Fucking press gang tactics!" Dawn shouted.
I didn’t have much I could do here. "I don't believe this was ever mentioned in the deal, for one, and two, I no longer have any reason to trust your word." I said, probably sounding pathetic. I was facing down a stormwing with a useless weapon, he’d just beaten me, and I was debating in legalese.
“You're right. I'll have to bring back a refund.” he said, evenly. “So you're staying here, then?"
"If I went with you, you'd drop me." I noted. I didn’t have any reason to believe him at this point.
"’f I did that, I'd be kill-on-sight for ya walkers. Just sit tight, alright? We'll be back, you get yer friend, yer cash... Do keep your Sheila here with ya, will ya? Ain't no reason to hurt anybody." he said, veiling his anger.
Dawn was wheeling in an attack pattern, waiting for another go at the stormwing.
"You took my client for forcemarking. Deal declined." I stated. I just didn’t trust him.
"Then I believe we're done here. Don't beat yerself up over it, happens all the time. You do what you gotta to survive. I do what I gotta." the stormwing said, stepping away, wing still up.
I let him go, keeping my eye on him. There was nothing I could do at the moment. When he left, however...he lowered his wing and made as though he was going to take off. Dawn swooped at him, but had to veer off when he took a slash at her with a wing.
"Hold, Dawn!" I said. I needed her intact.
And with that opening, the stormwing took off, heading due west after his partner...and Alex.