FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The croc-beast seemed so familiar a shape and yet so different from that of Frozentongue. Her face contained many pockmarks of discolouration of her skin that resembled dying leaves at the end of summer. The club-like tail swished out from beneath her black robe trailing thickest pond scum behind her like a slug. The eyes of Mizz Ruby were a piercing gold gleaming like the necklace round her fat neck, from which a diamond remained lodged in its folds that she occasionally adjusted with red painted claws from wrists shimmering of pale circlets.

"Whut?" she said. "Y'all seen a gator 'fore there's wun righ' here!"

"Is this a cousin of yours?" asked Fishclaw to their friend.

"Nuh," said Frozentongue scritching her chin. "Juzht uh friend ah met."

"I thought you said they were guards from your tribe?" said Eggfang with suspicious squint.

"Uh? Ah didn' zhay zhat."

"You did, I remember it well."

"Huh, mah mizhtake zhen, anywayzh zhe wantzh to zhtop zhuh firebeazht too."

"So this...friend of yours," Eggfang gestured her head towards Ruby, "is this yet another starbeast?"

"Heh..." the stranger crossed her sleeved arms with a wide smirk of yellow teeth, "y'all sharper than ya look, yer righ' ahm not from this world. Migh' as well drop thuh pretence nez'pah?"

"You should speak with the hairless then, but...wait how are we understanding you?"

"Whut ya don' know magic by now?! Thought after seein' a damn lespir y'all'd stop askin' questions an' git to work!"

"She is right," said Fishclaw with apologetic shrug, "we have already faced enough starbeasts that asking such things is useless."

"Hmph," she snarled with a huffing tip of the head, "I do not like not knowing about those who join us, ignorance is a dangerous disease."

"Ah agree," said the crocodilian, "sorry fer all thuh desepsyon an' such, had to keep outta sight of thet there lespir."

"Yeh," muttered her fellow croc-beast, "zhat firebeazht killzh anyone it zheezh, even a few from mah tribe."

"Well...what do you think?" Fishclaw turned towards his sister. "can we trust them?"

"Frozentongue is your friend yes?" she replied with a forced neutral tone. "If you trust her then I trust you."

"Awwwww now that hurts," said the starbeast, "y'all sayin' ya can't trust this face?"

"No, I do not."

"...damn, huuhuh, you's a cold bitch ah lahk that. So what's yer names eh?"

"I am Eggfang."

"And I am Fishclaw, welcome to our land Ruby."

"Ah wait hold up," Mizz Ruby raised her hand, "almost fergot to introduce mah friend. ROSE, CUMMON OUT 'ERE!"

Stumbling from the bushes was a much smaller lizard of purest albino skin and pink eyes, a Nile Monitor around 5 feet tall who also wore a black cloak with eyes downward-cast and a small silver bell jingling from her necklace.

"This here's mah elev or pupil of sorts, name's Rose. Don' be shy girl say hi!"

The girl looked up with a gentle wave and twisted her feet into the dirt.

"Heh, she'll warm up to you's 'ventually."

"My brother is also shy too," said Fishclaw politely chirring to her, "so why are you hunting this spirit?"

"Same reason as you, it been messin' up mah home plenny an' ah wanna make shure it don' hurt nobody else."

"It came from your world? Really?"

"Well...truth is ah dunno where it's from," she scratched the back of her head, "all ah knows is that it wants needin' dealt with an' ahm finna do it 'fore anybody else git hurt."

"So this firebeast who has the same scent as us," confirmed Eggfang tapping her foot, "is not only a starbeast itself but also killing other starbeasts?"

"Mmhmm, ou konprann se."

"But why would it have the scent of our tribe when it is from......no." She looked up towards the sky with a quiet shock. "Is it...what if it is...Oddclaw's father?"

"What do you mean?" asked Fishclaw following her gaze.

"Only one beast we know can come from the stars and have our scent Fishclaw, what else would it be?!"

"If that is true...I truly hope you are wrong, I do not want to imagine the father of our siblings to have become this savage fire."

"Didn' he come from another tribe?" added Frozentongue scritching her jaw. "Whut if it'zh from zhuh zhame tribe azh Uddclaw'zh fazher but like, a brozher maybe?"

"It might be...but that does not explain why it is a firebeast."

"Ahll 'splain it to you best ah can," said Ruby cracking her knuckles with glinting fingers, "bu' y'all really dunno whut lespirs are?"

"No, we do not."

"A lespir is all you are, insahd yer head an' yer heart, all yer hopes an' dreams, yer entire whole both thuh good an' bad of you that once you die, yer off straight to paradi...if yer lucky."

"To the...wait, you mean a star?!"

"Oh of COURSE!" said Eggfang stomping with a light in her mind. "The older hunters spoke of this, becoming stars when we die, so that beast is but a star that has not yet left for the sky!"

"HAH!" cried Ruby clapping her hands. "Dahamn gurl y'all got it in one, looks lahk this gon' be eazier then ah thought it would wi' smart peps to work with ain' thet righ' Rose?!"

The white lizard nodded happily with her small bell tinkling sweetly. The scent they picked up again as they followed on to the west where the black Deep Mountains stood imposing on the horizon. Rose and Ruby walked behind the raptors with Frozentongue as they watched the sun creep over the sky, turning from noon into the late afternoon as they encountered a larger forest to their left, and the clear open plains to their right. The kaprosuchus sighed with the soft scents of the sea reminding her of home whilst trotting forth with a steeled nerve.

"How did you meet these starbeasts?" asked Eggfang to her.

"Wuzh huntin' zhuh firebeazht, zhey told me where it wuzh from, we teamed up. Nuzhin' to it."

"Y'all seem mighty distrustful," said Ruby biting one of her claws, "not that ah blame you, seems lahk a lotta crazy shit goin' on this here place."

"Forgive me," replied the raptor turning her head as full as she could, "but as a hunter I must always regard everything with caution."

"Ey-ey nah ah ain' offended, ah'd be thuh same too if sumbitch came up to mah house outta nowhere, ah mean ah wouldn' trust him off thuh bat."

"Right. So where are you from?"

"Just a cozy li'l swamp down south o' sumplace...nammuch else bu' thet."

"And your friend Rose?"

"Found her on thuh roadside abandoned, nevah said a word or peep, thought why not take her in an' make her mah elev."

"Ah, you are a hunter too?"

"Sumthin' lahk thet."

"Is this firebeast from your home?" asked Fishclaw also turning his head back to her.

"Nope," said Ruby shrugging with arms up, "got no clue where it came from bu' ah wanna stop it if ah can."

"You fought against it well, you also wield fire too?"

"Ah gots mah own majik thet ahm profishent in thuh usage of...seems lahk you got yer own powers too, nevah seen a dino fly lahk you."

"Just as you said, I have my own skills too."

He smiled with a gleam in his eye as she grinned back at him. Rose tugged on Ruby's sleeve and made several gestures with her hands that the raptors could not parse.

"Don' tchoo worry none we ain' lastin' round 'ere fer more than a few, sooner we git outta here thuh better."

"Why does she not speak?" asked Eggfang.

"Never learned to," said the croc, "she got sign lang fer that, her hands speak plenny fer both of us."

"How can one speak with their claws, you cannot speak if you are silent!"

"Maybe it is like when Oddclaw shows us something," said Fishclaw gesturing with one of his front limbs, "you know, that thing Oddclaw does where he puts his claw out towards something?"

"Hmmm...still not speaking."

"But it helps certainly when we are hunting in stealth, yes?"

"That is true...hm, well I suppose that is like that then."

Rose tugged on Ruby's shoulder again with further gesturing fingers.

"Ahll cook up sumthin' when we gits down to sleepin'," said Mizz Ruby, "dunno much abou' zepis round 'ere but ah got sum meat to cook up."

"Oooh you are going to burn meat?" asked Fishclaw licking his lips. "I have not had burned meat in cycles, Oddclaw would make it for us before mother made him stop."

"Why she do thet?"

"Oh she worried too much about the fire itself, also that meat was perfectly fine to eat as it was without burning it, but...but it does taste so much better when Oddclaw did that."

"I miss when he burned the meat too," said Eggfang slightly drooling as she shook her head, "but I agree with mother that I do not like having fire so close to our nest, no matter how careful Oddclaw is."

"Uh nevuh had meat burned," said Frozentongue pawing the ground, "izhit good?"

"Oh it tastes wonderful! It has more...different tastes all at once somehow as if they seep out instead of the blood."

"Huh, well now uh hafta eat zhome!"

"Plenny fer e'rybody," said Mizz Ruby shrugging with a smirk, "ah got sum recipes ah can switch up on thuh fly."

Night would descend upon them as they reached the next forest. The sky dwindled from the evening dusk into a soft starlit canvas as they settled down to sleep. The gator set up a campfire with help from Rose and Frozentongue gathering dry wood to pile on in a small stone circle. The shadows danced across the trees as Ruby made a grill out of a flat stone supported above the fire upon which several large strips of meat laid out upon. She peppered it with flowers and mixed plants that she cut from the forest with gentle sniffs for each one to test their worth in cooking..

"Nowwww uh...this smells sorta lahk turmeric, guess thet'll do...this 'un iiiiiis-huh, paprika, now THET is sum good shit...this wun-oof naw thas poison ain' gonna use thet...but COULD be useful fer later."

Rose made a panicky sputter with her hands on hearing this.

"Ey-ey don' git yer fingers all in a twist ah meant fer FIGHTIN' not foodin'!"

She was not convinced, slowing down her gesticulation with a wary look on her albino face.

"Whut, whut's wrong abou' tryna poison sumbitch thet wanna mess with us?!"

Her pupil countered with a stomp and even further desperate signage whilst Ruby scattered some flavouring herbs across the thick hunk of meat.

"Girl ah don' give no fuck abou' bein' thuh wrong type, most fools ah know tend to die pretty quick with a li'l jab in thuh righ' places, you of all peps should know thet."

Rose looked shocked and crossed her arms in offence, but not before one last string of fingers emphasising her point.

"Oh righ' lahk killin' sumbody fast is any better then killin' em slow, thet's just semannics now!"

The young lizard threw up her hands and went to sit down on a log nearby whilst the raptors and crocodilian waited for their food with hungering eyes and salivating lips. The cook flipped over the steaks with another flat stone she found to use as a spatula, pressing on the meat occasionally to coax the juices out even further whilst a small tunnelling groove she made in the grill stone seeped the fats out into a bowl before she claimed it was ready to eat. Ruby handed each of them a piece, the raptors tearing into it with ravenous glee whilst Frozentongue snapped it down in two bites of her grotesquely-large throat.

"GLLLRK! Mmmmhhh zhat izh GOOD!"

"Huuhuh ya like thet?" said Ruby tearing into her meat. "NNNNRKHH, damn ah think ah outdid mahsel' on this wun!"

"This is DELICIOUS!" cried Eggfang between twisting shreds of her piece. "This is even better than how Oddclaw made it, how did you do that?!"

"Ah mix sum plants in fer extra taste, s'called seasonin'."

"I would never have thought plants would taste good with meat. We must tell him when we return."

"Indeed," replied Fishclaw half-done with his own after a hefty gulp, "glllk! Aaaah this is just wonderful, it is rare to have such a warmth inside one's stomach."

WARM HEARTS FEED US WELL

"Haha, very true Starleaf!"

"Who whut now?" asked Ruby sucking her fingers of meat juice. "Who this Starleaf now all'a sudden?"

"He is...well, my child, it is difficult to explain."

"He was infected by a deep stone which was actually an egg and it now lives inside him."

They all looked at Eggfang weirdly as if she had just eaten one of her arms.

"What? That is what happened was it not Fishclaw?"

"Yeeeeees but," muttered Fishclaw, "I just did not expect you to explain it so...short."

"I have had a good cycle-and-a-half to understand Starleaf, I think I know him well."

SISTER OF FATHER SUCH STRONG VOICE

"Hmm?" Fishclaw looked up towards the stars. "Is she right Starleaf?"

TRUTH IN HER EYES HER BEAUTIFUL SIGHT

"Awwwww..." he turned towards his sister. "Starleaf thanks you for trying to understand, he says your eyes have a strong truth in them."

"Really?!" She reeled her head back with a slight astonishment. "Well...thank you Starleaf hmhmhah."

"So this uh Starleaf," said Mizz Ruby scratching her wattled chin, "he thuh one helpin' you with all thet floatin' around an' hurlin' rocks an' shit?"

"Indeed," said Fishclaw purring proudly, "he is a good child of great strength."

"Wait he's a kid even? Damn strong fer a li'l un thuh way you fought thet lespir."

"So long as I do not push myself, Starleaf relies on my mind's strength and if I become exhausted, then he cannot wield his own strength."

"Ahhhh ah see, issa sym-bye-awtic deal ah getcha." She looked over towards her pupil who signed something with her dripping fingers. "Rose is askin' if'n you ever pushed yerself TOO hard."

"I try not to. When my ears start to bleed that is usually when I stop because then my head hurts."

"Should you really be telling them this?" asked Eggfang.

"Why not? Are they not our friends?"

"Not yet." The sister turned towards the pudgy gator. "Forgive me...Bloodstone, was it?"

"Ruby yeh," she replied picking her teeth.

"Why are you so curious as to my brother's strength?"

"Cuz when in polite company ah hafta give a shit abou' people's interests, least thet's how it works back in mah world commeh-sa?"

"I see."

"Lissen ah don' mind if'n y'all don' trust me, ah wouldn' trust anybody thet came walkin' outta thuh woods." She cleaned the last of the meat juice from her snout with a leaf from a nearby plant. "You an' I only got wun thing in common, an' thet's to get rid of thet there lespir hauntin' up thuh place. After we done with 'im, me an' Rose are leavin', no ifs or buts, promise."

"Alright." Eggfang bowed with a muted chirr. "I apologise for my suspicions, but after what we have been through several cycles before we cannot be too careful."

"Ah getcha gurl, t'ain't nuthin;."

The gator soon curled herself up to sleep, seeing Frozentongue had already fallen asleep in the heat of the fire against her back as the raptors and Rose followed suit into slumbering dreams. The morning rose quickly across prehistoria as the sun splashed its sweet-scented colours across the hills with golden strips and amber hues as the group continued on to follow the scent of the firebeast. The track began to waiver viciously to and fro but almost always kept heading west beneath the rising sun. Swollen hills of luscious green that shivered with life between the fronds and ferns, hopping shrews and gallant feathered saurians that flew across the veldt.

"Zho, are we luhk couzhinzh?" asked Frozentongue.

"Whuddaya mean?" replied Ruby beside her.

"Cuzh uh, well, ya look luhk me, got zhuh zhame zhnout, 'zhept you walk on two legzh."

"Ah would say ahm more of a descendant rather than a cousin."

"Huh? Wait, how old are ya?"

"Now thas jus' rude, didn' yer momma ever telt you not to ask a wummin her age?"

"Mah mozher died when ah wuzh young," said the kaprosuchus snuffling the grass beneath, "zhe Deep Hunger took her."

"Whut in Loa's thuh deep hunger?"

"It'zh a big beazht zhat lived in a cave, killzh an' eatzh mah tribe, took our beach from uzh. Ah killed it wizh Uddclaw an' Fizhclaw."

"Huh, no kiddin'!"

"She is right," replied Fishclaw looking back to them, "my brother did not fight it himself, he was wounded badly. But Frozentongue and I, along with a starbeast known as Longstone killed it."

"Well, ain' thet sumthin'." The gator smirked rubbing her back in mid-walk. "Y'all sound lahk regular superheroes."

"It was not our intention, we are hunters and nothing else, if a beast must be hunted then we shall hunt it."

"It is not our purpose to help other tribes," continued Eggfang keeping her head forwards, "but if there are beasts that threaten the land itself then it is our duty to hunt them."

"So whussat mean?" asked Ruby. "If sum other tribe's dyin' off with its own problems then it ain't yer problem?"

"Yes. We must care only for our tribe."

"Zhe'zh righ'," said Frozentongue, "if zhum beazht wuzh killin' her tribe uh wouldn' be helpin' zhem, look after yer tribe firzht."

"So how come y'all killed thet Deep Hunger?" the gator asked rotating one of her shoulders. "Weren' botherin' yer tribe wurrnit Fishclaw?"

"We were helping a starbeast," explained the raptor, "because of the hairless we have had those such as you come to our world with great dangers that threaten all of us. Oddclaw is the Voice of the Tribe so normally it is him that hunts these dangers, but because of his family it is now me."

"Why you as opposed to any other?"

"Because my Alpha chose me, and the skill I have with Starleaf makes me a better hunter than others against great dangers we have never seen before. Starbeasts we have realised bring danger that is not just a simple greatbeast roaming the land, but something that might wound the land in such a way that would affect us too."

"In other words yer only here so thuh world don' git destroyed."

"Yes, essentially. I do not know how powerful starbeasts are but we must not take chances."

"I agree...mesi ampil." She gave a bow curtly as Rose signed towards her with a curious face. "Rose is askin' if y'all ever been to this place."

"What do you mean?" asked Eggfang.

"Lahk this whole place, you said yer tribe weren' from here."

"We used to live here, back when we were hatchlings. Then we moved because of a hairless tribe before that attacked us."

"Ah see. So whut's thet?"

She pointed towards a village of wooden huts that stood above the waters of a clean-looking marsh where several odd beasts waded through. Some were reptiles with chameleon heads and curled tails whilst others were fleshy pigs both short and tall with drooping snouts and gleaming eyes. Swords, spears and clubs gripped in their hands whilst they laughed and bantered amidst fights in training or stirring pots with plants and meat wafting through the air. There was an acrid scent of something burning to blackened ash, as two large hogs stood waiting at the gates of the village who caught sight of the newcomers and gripped their spears.

"I have never seen them before," muttered Fishclaw.

"Uh zheen 'em before," said Frozentongue, "zhtarbeazhtzh zhat came here about...zhycle-and-a-half before."

"Are they peaceful?" asked Eggfang.

"Yeah zhey don' got a big territory, keep to zhemzhelvezh."

"Lemme handle this." Mizz Ruby walked forwards with her hands up in a peaceful surrender. "Howdy boys, hope ya don' mind me waddlin' mah way in."

"We might," said one of the pig guards raising his spear, "where you from?"

"Ahm from another world like you folks, mah name's Mizz Ruby an' this is mah pupil Rose. Them two are Fishclaw an' Eggfang from the uhhhh Swiftclaw tribe, an' Frozentongue from thuh waterjaws."

"Ahhh huh...I don't recognise yer type, how come you speak Hyrulian?"

"You askin' this when ahm walkin' aroun' with two raptors an' a...quadroo-peedal alligator in thuh middle of a swamp?"

"Hey it's not a swamp, least not anymore!"

"So why you here then?" asked the other guard leaning against his own spear. "You walked outta yer place too?"

"We are in thuh midst of huntin' a lespir thet's for reasons unknown decided to take upon isself a great path o' destruction across thuh land. As of now we're on its tracks so if'n yous fahn folk ever seen a fantom or whut have you travel down this path we'd appreciate if you's telt us."

"Wha-...a ghost, you mean like a Poe?"

"Whutever you's wanna call it," she said with arms splayed, "a spectral ennity, a soul thet's not yet passed on from this mortal realm."

"Well...actually-"

"Shh!" The other guard silenced him with the tip of his spear. "IF we saw a ghost wanderin' around, whut would you do about it?"

"Then we exorcise it. We ain' gonna ask anythin' of yous, unless y'all wanna help out sumways or other."

"Wait here. We might have something...HEY, BOKAFEI!" The moblin guard shouted at a squat red beast. "Get the chief, tell 'im we got people here talkin' about the stalfos!"

"You got it boss!"

The pig-faced gremlin hobbled towards the chieftain's hut, before returning with a bold yellow lizard whose horn gleamed with an electric jolt crackling around itself. The tribe leader wore a cape made of feathers in red and green wrapped round his shoulders as he made a careful curtsy.

"Welcome to Mohberrin Village! My name's Lizanaich, I'm the chief round here."

"Bonjou," said Mizz Ruby taking a bow of respect, "ahm Mizz Ruby, ahm also from another world lahk you's folk, ahm here to hunt down a lespir thas botherin' a lotta peps round 'ere with its hollerin' an' killin' indiscriminate."

"Ahhhh so he's YOUR problem then? Yanno I was expecting that uhhh Oddclaw guy to show up-"

"Well ah got his brother an' sister here if thet'll do ya." She pointed behind her to the two raptors that barked softly in greeting. "Oddclaw is rather indisposed with family duties so we's here to help."

"Oh hey that's awesome!" The chief offered his hand encased in a rubber glove as she took it gladly. "Come on in I'll uh explain it to you."

The group were allowed in as their eyes roved across Mohberrin Village whilst the lizalfos led them through. For the most part it was unusual to the ferals seeing bizarrely-made trees with thinner trunks from which the starbeasts of Hyrule lived in. The raptors couldn't tell that the language they spoke was different from that of the humans, but the inhabitants stared and pointed with chittering curiosity at the newcomers. On one side of the village was a large machine that rumbled quietly to itself, a flattened cone-like structure with pipes digging beneath the ground that ended at miniature shacks where flies gathered round. Sometimes one of the inhabitants poured liquid fat or plant waste into the machine which in turn would churn out some form of compressed reprocessed fertiliser that the villagers took to a garden of plants being grown in a specially-guarded allotment ringed with fences. One of the huts however had been horribly burnt to almost crumble into the waters as a thick blackened mulch which villagers were now cleaning up. Lizanaich soon reached his hut and invited them in with Ruby, Rose and Frozentongue entering.

"Ahll handle thuh conversation," said the gator, "you guys can wander round if'n ya like."

"Uhll zhtay," said the kaprosuchus, "got no reazhon to wander round."

"Then we shall do so," said Fishclaw, "I am curious of these starbeasts myself."

"Alrigh', zhee you later."

As the crocs and lizards walked into the hut, the raptors took their leave to walk about the village. The moblins, bokoblins and lizalfos all started to warm up to them with chatty mouths and waving claws despite neither of the two beasts understanding them.

"What do you think of these starbeasts?" asked Eggfang looking across the marshland.

"They seem friendly," said Fishclaw, "they do not bother anyone, they hunt fairly, I am noticing the amount of meat they have is not excessive."

"Indeed...is something wrong?"

"Hmm?"

"You seem distracted." She looked towards him with a soft squint. "Tell me."

"Hhhhhhmmmm...it is just, this firebeast." He sat down on a drier patch to rest his legs. "I am somewhat thankful this beast we are hunting is...well, this."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when I heard that a beast from our tribe was killing with such savagery I...I feared it was Sunscreech."

"Ahh..." She sat down beside him. "When did you last see him?"

"Three cycles before, when I first met Frozentongue."

"How was he?"

"He looked weaker than usual, still strong but it is clearly taking its toll on him. ...is it wrong for me to want him to be safe?"

"Of course not," said his sister licking his cheek, "he is still our brother, and whilst I despise what he did and I am glad he is banished, I would still feel a sadness if he died. But he has made his choice and I will not condone what he did."

"I would never condone it either," said Fishclaw with an offended sneer, "but I...I pitied him, mourned for him to see my brother so weak."

"Do you know what disturbed me most about Sunscreech?"

"What?"

"The fact he always praised our father as this great hunter when none of us even knew his face. He went on his last hunt before we were born so by all rights Oddclaw's father is ours too."

"That is true," replied her brother looking at the sky, "but he would never accept that."

"I always wondered why he despised Oddclaw's father so much," said Eggfang following his gaze.

"I do not believe he has a reason, he never liked Oddclaw, even as a hatchling."

"There has to be a reason surely."

"If there was he never told me. And he told me all of his secrets such as his hatred for flyers, and other things."

"Like what?"

"Well..." he splashed his foot nervously in the watery mud, "some things I promised not to say."

"Why not?" asked Eggfang. "He is gone and I am your sister still."

"If someone makes me promise something, even a banished brother, I will not break that. I never told anyone of your secret yes?"

"That is true...alright, I will respect that."

"Hey, issat-"

"HEY! Hey uhhh raptors, over here!"

Turning their heads Fishclaw and Eggfang saw two robed creatures with beaked hooded faces stirring a pot of something sweetly sour.

"What the...are you not Kevin's friends?"

"Yeah remember, Adenine an' Ribose hi there!"

The blue-robed Adenine waved them over whilst the red-cloaked Ribose kept on stirring his new concoction, both of them wearing the throat-stoned translators for the sake of meeting primal folk such as them. Eggfang sniffed at it cautiously noting the bitter undertone of medicinal qualities present.

"Nnnrgh...good to see you are well, but what are you doing here?"

"We're helping out this tribe," said Adenine proudly, "Kevin had us stay here to keep an eye on them an' make sure they were alright."

"Ahhh...what are you doing?"

"We're making medicine! We're not so good with actual chemicals broken down into like water an' stuff but when you give us herbs an' plants THAT'S where we really shine."

"How are you guys doing?" asked Ribose without looking up. "Yer pretty far away from home is everything alright?"

"We are good thank you," said Fishclaw nodding, "we are hunting down a firebeast threatening the land."

"Oh wow you're chasing after THAT thing?!"

"You have seen it?" asked Eggfang.

"Yeah it was SPOOKY!" cried Ade grabbing his cheek. "Kept screaming some nasty stuff about fire and dust and taking the sun away, it tried to attack us but uh thankfully we got some experience with ghosts."

"You have seen such beasts before?"

"Yeah back in our world we had to flag down some ghosts now an' again, so we made up concoctions that fight against 'em pretty good. Sadly they don't got that sorta stuff here so we hafta make do."

"Garlic and salt are your best defence," said Ribose finishing his stirring to sit back, "we got no garlic here but the salt we managed to extract from the sea and then we ringed around the whole village to try and keep him out, but he sure tried to break through lemme tell ya."

"The firebeast does not like the sea?" asked Fishclaw scratching his head. "That is very odd."

"Well it's not so much the SEA but rather the water of the sea, there's stuff inside of it that you don't get from a lake or a river yanno, the whole reason why you can't drink seawater?"

"What I understand is that you managed to frighten the beast with seawater, which I am surprised at."

"It's...not..." the red-robed magus palmed his face, "yanno what fine it's seawater let's just go with that."

"We have to tell the others then," said Eggfang nodding to her brother, "if we can lure it to the sea we might be able to kill it."

"But it can fly," retorted Fishclaw, "what then?"

"You have Starleaf you can force it down into the water yes?"

MY BREATH IS HEAVY LIKE ITS HEART

"You think that will work?" asked Fishclaw to his "child".

IF ONE CAN SCREAM THEN IT CAN DROWN

"I...hmmm, cannot argue with that, very well we shall make a new plan, let us find Ruby and tell her."

"Hey wait!"

Ribose gave the spoon ladle to Ade so he could keep stirring. He walked round the cauldron to give the raptors a pair of small vials containing bleak white crystals.

"Take this, it's the stuff we used to keep the spirit outta this village."

"That does not look like seawater," said Eggfang sniffing it carefully, "but it does smell like it."

"We uhhh...made it stronger-smelling, it's much more effective now."

"I cannot carry this, it is too small for my mouth and my claws cannot hold it."

"Awww jeez, u-uhhh wait, hold on a bit."

The alchemist wandered into a hut close to them and quickly returned with a small sling made of some saurian's skin tanned to a leather sheen which had pockets resembling a bandolier. He slipped it over Eggfang's body and tightened it to fit her before placing both vials of pure sodium chloride into its pouches.

"NOW you're all set."

"You sure two's enough?" asked Ade.

"I mean I don't wanna give them TOO much-"

"Okay but we have the sea and we can always make more."

"Yeah you....yyyyeaaaaah I guess you're right, okay here's two more." He pulled out another pair to fit into Eggfang's sling. "That should help ya plenty."

"Thank you," she said bowing, "I shall give Oddclaw your regards when we return."

"Yeah how is he anyway?! Haven't seen him in like ages."

"He is good!" said Fishclaw with swelling chest. "His children look wonderful."

"Awwww that's great!" replied Adenine as he stopped stirring. "Man I can't wait to see them grow up big so they come visit us."

"You think they're gonna wear clothes too?" said Ribose half-joking.

"I mean, I dunno, maybe we make some cuz after what we done with Jane's arm I think the sky's the limit!"

"Hahaha yeah yer right awhaw jeez that was wild, she's STILL going on about it!"

"Still shootin' it off all over the place too I sure hope the base doesn't catch fire or something!"

As the raptors conversed with the two alchemists, Ruby spoke with Liz concerning their own mission. Frozentongue sat beside them not understanding a word of their meet whilst Rose the mute monitor watched with silent patience at her mentor's negotiation. Lizanaich sat on his bedding beneath the large triceratops skull adorning his wall as he clasped his large stickly hands together.

"So this stalfos, least that's what we're calling it, you know how to stop it?"

"Mmhmm", said Ruby, "we gots a way of stoppin' him, we just wanna git on thuh trail of it first."

"So how is this exorcism gonna go, you gonna destroy it?"

"Hell naw, we wanna help 'im!" She slapped her knee almost offended. "A lespir, as ah call it, is just lost an' afraid if it's not movin' on an' it's mah duty as a hougan to make certain thet he's set at peace."

"Hougan?"

"S'whut mah people call a priest."

"Ahhhh so that's why yer here." The chief rubbed his chin with pensive thought as his eyes rolled into opposite diagonal directions. "Lemme seeee soooo whaddaya need from us?"

"Thuh lespir's attracted to people, colonies an' such, it's lonely an' desperate to seek company, even if then it starts attackin' ehrybody it sees. It's gonna come attackin' you's again an' when it does we need you to chase it off to sumplace so's we can trap it."

"Ahhhh I see, so what place you have in mind?"

"Rose, kat soupleh."

The girl offered from her satchel a scroll that her mistress then laid out before them. It was a rather basic sketch of the world from above showing the village, the Greatbeast's Spine, the Deep Mountains and the Bloodfeathers' Forest with the Waterjaws' beach to the north. Between the two mountain ranges was a red X at the very southwest of the map.

"Riiiigh' here," said Ruby pointing at the cross, "this place is perfect, an ol' cavern we spotted on our reconaissance. Ah noticed that yer boys out there made sum fine salt which'll REALLY help us cuz well, ah wuz gonna make sum mahself."

"Yeah uh those two are from this uhhhh human base up someplace else." The lizard gestured vaguely towards the sky with eyes still roving. "I'm not really up on uhhh ghosts or whatever, so when that thing attacked us those two, Ade and Bose those two guys, they poured out the salt RIGHT in its face! Thing went back SCREAMING the place down an' ran off somewhere, but not before it burned one of the houses down."

"Yer people alrigh'?"

"Yeah we got 'em out in time so no one died, couple o' burns though."

"Well it'll be back, ain' no way it gonna stay back from any sivilai-zaysyon now thet it's caught yer scent. Now whut you wanna do is when thet lespir gits back 'ere, you wanna trap him to an espesifik dereksyon, ALLLL thuh way up to THIS part."

"Wait...what?!" His eyes clicked fully towards her with shock as Ruby's finger traced the map. "You wanna have us make a path of salt, ALL the way through the damn mountain range!?"

"Not all of it, hell this place not even IN thuh mountains just between 'em righ' here."

"S-still that is like...uh...h-how far away is that even?!"

"Bout four hours' walk."

"...okay, so," he rubbed his head with a nervous look, "you're asking a lot of my people miss Ruby, I mean no offence but you come walkin' out of the hills with what's basically a long slog through the mountain, putting down salt which uhhh can just get blown away by the wind an' shit-"

"Thet won' be a prohblem," said Ruby with a coaxing hand patting the air between them, "ahm sure yer alchemists know a thing or two abou' natural adhesives to fix thet."

"Adhesives, what like glue?" asked Lizanaich.

"Mmhmm...lay down a path thet sticks from here to thet there cavern an' we make shure thet ol' phantom don' bother nobody else agin. A day of inconvenience'll save you a year o' headaches, or worse even."

"Hmmmm..." The clan chief stroked his pointed chin with fingers rubbing the tip as he stared towards the ceiling. "Alright...you got a deal...IF you do one thing for us. I mean, what kinda chieftain would I be if I just did something for nothing?"

"Alrigh', whut's thuh catch?" asked Ruby.

"There's these...I dunno what you call them, flying bastards up in the south region where the uh, the black mountains are?" Lizanaich scrawled a shaky circle on a part of the map. "Thing is a lotta herbs we want are up there as well as some bugs that make good medicine, but these freaks keep attacking us and we got no good archers here. You take down those things and while you're doing that, we'll get on making this salt path."

"Mmmmm...actually we'd rather be helpin' you set up thuh trap at the end with thuh cavern. Ahll have Frozentongue an' thuh raptors fight off them flyboys for ya whilst we help yous out, soun' good?"

"Yeah, that sounds good sure. So, we have a deal?"

"Mmhmm." She spat into her hand and reached it out to him. "You got yerself a deal chief."

"Glad to hear." He spat into his and grabbed her hand with a slimy smack. "Pleasure doing business with you miss Ruby."

They left the hut with the chief and soon rejoined the raptors who were speaking still with Ade and Bose.

"Hey guys," said the lizard, "so uhhh we got a mission for ya."

"Yeah?" said Ribose. "OH hey uhhh these two are Oddclaw's family."

"Ahhh yeah how ya doing? So uh you know that salt defence you were working on? We're gonna need a lot more an' miss Ruby here's gonna help you explain our plan to deal with that stalfos."

"An' as fer you," said Mizz Ruby turning towards the raptors, "ahm gon' need yer help fer sumthin' else."

"What is that?" asked Eggfang.

"See them mountains there?" She pointed carefully along the northern reach of the Deep Mountains. "There's sum flyin' bastards ah want you to kill, well, thuh village chief wants you to kill."

"Flyers?" questioned Fishclaw. "Which ones?"

"Uhhhh...hey uh chief, you got a scent or sumthin' thet smell lahk them flyin' things?"

"Uhhhh hold on." Lizanaich wandered off to another hut before returning a few minutes later with a scrap of cloth. "One of our scouts lost an arm to those bastards, but some of their blood got on his clothes, think this is enough?"

The feral beasts sniffed over the fabric as their nostrils flared with a fierce intent.

"I have the scent," said Fishclaw, "we will find them soon enough."

"They says they're on it," translated Ruby, "alrigh' me an' Rose gotta do sum stuff to trap this lespir whilst you three go off an' figh' thuh wingboys."

"Uhlrigh'," said Frozentongue swishing her thick tail, "tahm to eat zhome wingzh fer zhuh firzht tahm ever!"

"Alrigh' then, once yer done with them you head straight back here to thuh village an' we git down to sum ghost-huntin'."

"Alright." Fishclaw sighed feeling exhaustion sink into his back. "I did not think I would have to kill flyers for this."

"Whyzat?" asked Ruby.

"It...reminds me of terrible things."

"Whut you frightened of 'em?"

"No, not that. I would rather not speak of it."

"Alrigh', long as you up fer thuh task."

"We are more than capable," said Eggfang rubbing her snout across the cloth to pick up the scent twice, "Fishclaw and Starleaf can handle them alone, but it is always best to hunt in packs."

"Uhgreed," said Frozentongue, "flyerzh ah never hunted zho ah dunno whut ahm up againzht."

"So long as you keep your wits about you and your eyes above, you shall succeed. I admit I have not hunted them except when in my younger arrogant days."

"Hah, bit off more zhan you can chew huh?"

"Hmhmhm, yes, unfortunately."

The croc made a purring deep sound almost vibrating through Eggfang's skull as she nuzzled against her. They soon walked towards the village exit with Ruby and Rose accompanying them to say farewell.

"Zho," began the primal croc, "whut were yer brozherzh like, bet you had to play mozher a lot huh?"

"Well," she mused leaning back to her, "my family requires TWO mothers so you are right there, when my brother and I were young we always had to look after our mother's second clutch. Oddclaw was rather...difficult because of his differences so mother had to help him more, whilst Fishclaw and I raised our siblings."

"Wuzh zhat hard?"

"It...was, I admit Fishclaw was more patient than me, he has always been a good father."

"Hah, thank you sister," he replied with a soft blush and a lick to her cheek, "I only tried as best as I could like you."

"I disagree, even to this day I still struggle with our sisters."

"Welllll I do not know what to tell you!"

"You got children yerzhelf?" asked the kaprosuchus.

"I do yes, two sons and three daughters."

"I do not," said Eggfang, "but I do not mind, I am perfectly happy being the auntie."

"Awwww ain' thet cute," said Ruby behind them with hands behind her back, "how old are yer li'l uns?"

"Hmmmm, twelve-and-one cycles I believe. Do you have children Ruby?"

"Naw, can't stand 'em. Rose is thuh closest ah have to a daughter." She rubbed the young monitor's head as she blushed happily, signing a gleeful little string of words before hugging the thick gator's waist.

"Alrigh' alrigh' this ain' a wedding gurl cummon, we got work to do."

But Ruby did not push her away, smirking quietly at the tender embrace before patting her head again as they stopped at the village gate, waving off the feral beasts who made their way to the Deep Mountains out west. Despite being aerial beasts, their scent caught on the wind easily enough for the raptors to follow. The small group ascended into the mountain range with Fishclaw feeling nervous more than usual and keeping his gaze up towards the sky for any sign of pterodactyls. A few hours would pass as the afternoon faded towards a paling amber sky with clouds forming rose-pink underbellies, the mountains becoming darker by the hour as Fishclaw stopped only once to smell a much more familiar scent.

"Sister...do you smell that?"

"...I do." She took a deep whiff to make sure whilst Frozentongue walked on ahead. "He came this way."

"Do you...think that he is still here?"

"No."

She turned her head as she noted the age of the scent, snuffling towards the ground with a cautious step as the croc finally noticed the two weren't following her. She said nothing however and let the siblings work, with Fishclaw breathing in the thick silt.

"He...he came this way," he concluded, "but then he travelled south instead."

"Indeed," she replied. "But, what does it matter?"

"I...I thought perhaps...you are not even curious on how he is?"

"I do not want to be. I have nothing left to say to him and yet here we are on an old path of his. He made his choice, he betrayed our family and that is that."

"I see..." The male raptor clicked his teeth with nervous stance and a stiffening tail. "Do you think...do you...is it wrong that I feel pity for him?"

"Why?" his sister asked cocking her head.

"I pity him because he was so obsessed with our father and this greatness he believed our family to have that it drove him to such hatred against Oddclaw and Barkclaw."

"I see. You know, in his twisted mind I could see why he hated Oddclaw so much."

"R-...really?!"

"Yes..." She looked up towards the sky as memories drifted on the breeze. "Do you remember our other brother?"

"Hmm?" Fishclaw leaned back his head with a confused sound. "What other brother?"

"When we were in the old hairless cavern as children. Remember we had another brother? He died when Oddclaw's father was helping us escape."

"I...I-i-i do not...oh." His head sunk low with a whimpering shame. "How...how could I have forgotten him? I-i am sorry, sister I did not think-"

"I am not upset, it is fine," she licked his head calmly, "I was just curious if you remembered him."

"I do not remember much of when we were taken by the hairless. I remember Oddscar protecting us, I remember Eyeclaw fighting that greatbeast alongside him. I do not think any of us have managed to kill a greatbeast."

"I think of it now because you mentioned Sunscreech and his obsession for our father." The sister gently stomped her foot into the dirt. "I admit that I wish we had known our own father, I have always been curious for what he was like but perhaps with Sunscreech it became something more, perhaps beyond the desire to simply meet him and rather BECOME him."

"Mother spoke of Bloodleaf as being arrogant but curious. She called him a hunter who would dive into the sea and tell the tribe he learned how to swim."

"HmhmHAH, hhahahaha wow that is...surprisingly sharp for mother to say."

"She still has her tongue," said the brother with prideful chirp raising his head, "but Oddscar she clearly loved more since he cared for her and us. I am actually not certain how long she even knew our father Bloodleaf for, he was a good hunter that much I know."

"Not good enough it seems," said Eggfang coldly, "none of his pack returned from the hairless' mountain."

"Wait, which mountain, the shining one?"

"No, no the one with the star that mother told us we leapt through. The one that took us to this land?"

"I...I never knew about that, wha-I...I mean, I knew about the star and such but not that our father went to fight the hairless."

"Really? What did you think?"

"I...I never asked I think...Sunscreech was the one always asking about his father, I never truly cared even though he always spoke as if he actually met father."

"And you never corrected him?" she asked sneering at the thought.

"When I tried to he would get angry with me," he said looking away with a grimace, "I think he was in denial more than anything, desperate to be the great hunter that he dreamt father to be and anything that I or mother would have told him would ruin that dream of his."

"Deluded idiot. I am glad he is not our family anymore."

Fishclaw said nothing as he continued on looking downtrodden with nostrils flared to catch new scents that would encroach upon them soon. The warm dust of the mountain range came scattering down upon their feet, gasping breaths of the earth beneath the naked sun as his tail stiffened from a renewed scent.

"I smell them. They are near."

"I smell them too," murmured Eggfang. "Is Starleaf ready?"

"Yes."

They crept closer up the slope, feeling the black silt shift beneath their feet whilst Frozentongue clumped her wider feet into the earth with a less stealthy approach. Crunching dirt and ashen winds tried to dissuade them from ascending the peaks, but much to their surprise they smelt a new scent. Multiple fresh smells like a forest in monsoon season. Within one of the cragged reaches of the dark ridge, there was a wide forest grove stuffed full to the brim like a porous jade wound in the earth itself. It was also crawling with giant insects and skittering mammals, the valley of green stretched out and almost circled around the far eastern side of the alpine range to face the northern ocean. It was then that they heard the flapping of wings, signalling the arrival of their prey as from above there came five shadowed creatures flapping with derisive cackles.

"EY, LOOKAT THESE FREAKS!" shouted one.

"Looks like them earthwalkers didn't learn their lesson!" cried another.

"They don' LOOK like the other ones!" shouted a third beast.

"Whoever they are they ain't touching our larder, come on let's GET 'EM!"

Swarming downwards into a spiral, the flyers dove with shrieking claws as Fishclaw braced himself.

"STARLEAF, USE SANDFIRE!"

BURNING EARTH SCORCHING BREATH

A torrid wind blasted upwards suddenly between him and the creatures, to create a shocking flurry of black mist, frightening the pterosaurs and giving the newcomers a fuller look at their new opponents as they flapped back upwards startled. With devious wingspan of 27 feet, the small group of Tropeognathus Mesembrinus had striped scaled backs and flattened beaks that more resembled shovels on their sides.

"GYA-AAAAGH, AAAAAAGH DAMMIT!"

"WH-WHERE'D THAT WIND COME FROM?!"

"Flatbeaks?!" muttered Eggfang. "Now that is new."

"That was a warning," said Fishclaw cracking his neck muscles with a gentle twist of the head, "now, we have friends who wish to take leaves from this place. You have two choices, either you let them come here and do so, or I kill you. What is your choice?"

"SUCK MY VENT YOU LITTLE SHITCLAW!" screeched one of the flyers. "Whaddare YOU gonna do to us anyway from down there?!"

"More than you will want me to. Do you choose death, or to share your leaves?"

"This food is OURS, I know what yer wantin', you just wanna eat all those smallwings well THAT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN!"

"Alright, I gave you a choice now you die today."

"TAHM TO EAT!" crowed the kaprosuchus smacking her lips. "Never eaten a flyer, yet!"

"Stay close to me," said Fishclaw looking back to her, "Starleaf and I shall try to bring them down and that will be your chance."

"Ulrigh', let'zh do it!"

The pterosaurs spread out and circled like vultures around them readying for another strike, the raptor backing up to keep them all in view as two came hurtling towards him. He dodged to avoid the first one's talons before Starleaf crushed the second one beneath a sudden shift in gravity, causing the flapper to shriek and stutter with his wings trapped against the dirt. Eggfang pounced upon him instantly, claws pinning on his back with jaws clamped hard upon the beast's scrawny neck with ripping fangs shredding at his flesh. He flapped even harder with enough force to try and dislodge her, but Frozentongue came charging to bellyflop on his lower back and smother his wings in the struggle, giving the raptor enough time to twist and violently wrench the head to one side with a brutal crack before the winged beast slumped in her grasp.

"WHA-NOOOO! YOU COCKEATING SHITCLAWS I'LL KILL YOU!"

"LOOK OUT!"

Frozentongue shoved Eggfang out of the way and swung her tail hard at the divebombing creature that hurtled towards them. She missed but steadied herself from overbalancing as the tropeognathus reared up to shred his talons just above her back with a mighty gust almost knocking her down in his wake. Stumbling hard off the fresh pterosaur corpse, the crocodilian stomped her feet to rebalance herself and waited for the next attack from the flyer. The tropeognathus made a vertical loop and charged towards her as she readied herself with swishing flat tail, spinning fast to crack it across his beak with the force of a baseball bat to send him tumbling to the dirt. Frantically flapping himself back up before Frozentongue could stop him, the pterosaur fwapped her across the face with his wing to knock her down once again, lunging with his beak to clamp his jagged teeth upon her throat.

The kaprosuchus roared with snarling rage as she threw herself into a roll to try and pull him down but the winged beast held on and used his wings to suppress her with heavy gusts. The jaws tightened harder as her breaths began to stifle, gasping and flailing with dust kicking up around them in a gurgling shudder whilst her attacker managed to keep away from her tail. Just before Frozentongue could feel herself blacking out, the winged beast felt a hard slam into the side of his head as Eggfang leapt with a flying doublekick, clawing hard into his face until she scraped at the bone and forced him to release his grip.

"AAAAAAARGH!"

"Ugh...zhank you."

"I was saving him the trouble of eating you," boasted Eggfang, "you look a little TOO tough for him to swallow."

"Ahm too tuff fer ANYONE to zhwallow, huuhuuhuh."

"Oh yeah look at you two," mocked the flightly punk, "ganging up on ONE flyer yeah you look real tough!"

"Ahm not dead yet zho yeah, cummon try an' fight uzh!"

Flying above the two females, the tropeognathus felt blood drip down his cheek that he shook off before spindiving towards them in a corkscrew attack. Eggfang dodged left whilst Frozentongue flattened herself to feel the wind shrieking past her snout, the raptor turning fast to snap at the wings that just swept out of her reach. Veering a hard bank to the right, the flyer turned to try and attack from the side as he lunged with wicked talons upon them. Eggfang ducked but Frozentongue was too slow as she felt the claws snatch her tail up and drag her hard across the mountain silt, scraping her soft belly with dozens of sharp pebbled scratches that dug with jagged points until the pterosaur dropped her. Before Eggfang could come to her aid however, a second flyer dove for her head from behind.

"BEHIND YOU!"

The raptor strafed fast to the side without even looking back, the sawtoothed beak missing her throat but the wing still smacked into her scalp with a vicious whap that sent her tumbling forwards face-first into the soot. Cackling squabbles followed after above her as the two pterosaurs flew circling behind each other like vultures, planning their next move with a gleeful squawk.

"NOW it's fair huh?! Lessee how YOU LIKE IT!"

They stormed together upon the two females who dodged as best as they could, Eggfang skirting around their striking talons with semi-circle sweeps with Frozentongue using her hefty tail to ward them off. Sometimes they grabbed at the croc to lift her up and toss her down or drag her again, but they could never catch Eggfang whose reflexes were just too sharp for them. The battle turned against them as the croc was battered and bruised by gale-force wings and constant attempts at her tail being plucked.

"GUH! Zhit-fazhed FREAKZH ah can't hit 'em!"

"I have a plan," said Eggfang skidding to a halt beside her, "when the time is right let me jump on your back."

"WHUT?! N-now'zh not, ahm not into zhat!"

"Just focus and trust me!"

The two waited for the pterosaurs to come down once again, shrieking claws and wild beaks with piercing eyes that dived with a roaring sound as Eggfang stood waiting. Frozentongue steadied her feet as she kept her nerves cool for the right moment, the shape of the flyers getting bigger with each second as their shadows loomed upon them with stretching wings of leathery skin shaking in the fierce winds.

"NOW!"

"Up ya GO!"

The raptor leapt onto the croc's back as Frozentongue launched her into the sky straight towards the pterosaurs' shocked expressions.

"WH-WHAT THE-WHAT IS SHE-"

"PULL UP PULL UUUUP!"

They tried to swerve out her path but she grabbed one of their throats hard ind midair whilst slamkicking the other across the face with both her feet, scarring his eye into a bloody smear as Eggfang dropped her weight hard to bring her opponent to the ground. Almost instantly came Frozentongue with a belly-flopping crush that shattered the creature's bones with a fatal cry just before Eggfang ripped his throat completely down its front, trachea and all to the screaming frenzy of his partner struggling to see from his blood-infested eyes.

"N-NOOOO, NOOOOOOOOOO!"

With staggering flight he charged at the raptor in a clumsy desperation, lunging his beak with a stabbing thrust that she easily avoided and clamped hard onto to pull his head down before Frozentongue crushed her jaws hard on his slender neck, cracking the bone with the steel-trap force of her crunch as he screeched his last.

On the other side of the slope, Fishclaw was standing off against the other two tropeognathus that circled above his head with dark contemplations. Their shadows swept over his head as one of them muttered to his comrade.

"Keep him busy I got an idea."

With one flying off up the slope, the other made a show of himself in distracting Fishclaw with aerial taunts and swooping dives that never quite came into range of Starleaf's power. The flyer crowed with mockery in order to incense his enemy with rage, but the raptor kept his cool and watched for any change in their motions, stepping across the hillside with his claws scrunching the dirt loosely beneath. The pterosaur almost came close, trying to trick him with a hefty sweeping cut of his wings that scattered soot in front of his face, blinding him briefly before the raking claws came down upon his head. The raptor ducked and spun his body to bite hard at the talon leg as he was almost lifted into the air. Shrieking with fury the beast did his best to kick him off, but Fishclaw held on tight with blood spittling down his cheeks as he dangled underneath like a ragdoll until he felt his foot hit the ground. He let go and rolled himself away to avoid being crushed underneath his opponent who flapped away almost instantly as they both heard the sound of something rumbling.

"Wha...what is that?!"

Turning towards the mountaintop he saw several black shapes bouncing down towards him and quickly getting larger. Three giant boulders with the second pterosaur flying above them to keep pushing the rocks faster down the hill with great gusts and a fiendish cackle.

"TRY DODGING THIIIIS LITTLE SHITCLAWWWW!"

"STARLEAF, SKYKICK!"

THE SKY SHALL RECEIVE THE STONE

Standing his ground Fishclaw braced himself as Starleaf hummed a deepening song through his skull with such strength that even the pterosaurs felt their earbones shivering. Two of the boulders stopped straight in front of the raptor with sudden halt whilst the third one seemingly hit an invisible wall and bounced off towards the side to tumble further down whilst the pterosaurs looked on in shock.

"WHAT, WHAT THE, HOW IS HE DOING THAT?!"

"I DON'T KNOW JUST KILL HIM!"

"I CAN'T EVEN GET NEAR HIM, HE JUST DOES THINGS-"

"LOOK OUT!"

But it was too late. Fishclaw had been busy winding up his projectiles with a trembling static shift, the weight of gravity twisting by a thickening pressure that formed potholes in the ground beneath him. Slowly the boulders would levitate around his body and start to pick up speed, becoming orbital moons that spun with a blurring force until he released. The first giant rock missed when the pterosaurs swerved out of its path, but the second one crushed its target with a bone-shattering strength, sending the beast falling beneath its weight as his ribcage crunched into the earth with head poking out in gasping silent screams. The lone remaining pterosaur simply widened his eyes with astonishment and wilting fear.

"What...what even ARE you?!"

"Your worst enemy," replied Fishclaw darkly as he hovered above the ground, "now I offer you one last chance. Either leave this place, or die with your friends."

"Y-YOU...you think you can frighten me like that?! I don't care what shit you got, this is MY SKY, and it's MY MOUNTAIN YOU'RE TRESPASSING ON!"

"Then I shall make it the place where you DIE!"

"RRRRAAAAAAAARRRGH!"

The tropeognathus charged towards him with a terrible rage as Fishclaw practically walked across the air, feeling Starleaf change the atmosphere as he waited for the flyer to come upon him. It was a strange battle to witness from below as the velociraptor strafed without falling, keeping his body level towards the winged beast that turned to whallop his face with a large wing and send him staggering back. Fishclaw held his ground and leapt forwards to reach the enemy's back, riding on top and tearing a thick chunk of flesh from just above the spine as the pterosaur shrieked and fluttered furiously to toss him off. Starleaf made it even more difficult by the shift in gravity, turning the raptor's body into a crushing ton-weight that made the flyer shriek and fall to the ground with clouds of dirt all around them. Fishclaw reached up to try and bite his neck, but the pterosaur was more wily than his brethren and forced himself to roll with a hard shove of his leathery wing and talons combined to throw the raptor off at last.

Flying back into the sky he shook the silt from his wings and waited for the next move as Fishclaw followed him with intimidating skywalk, stepping up an invisible slope to stand level with him in the air as the creature dove towards him. The raptor leapt high with a reduced gravity turning him almost weightless, teasing the beast who banked left and swooped round to thrust his beak towards his bizarre opponent and slam his head into him. Fishclaw went tumbling through the air like a scaled comet, stopping only when Starleaf re-oriented himself as the raptor ended up standing completely vertical to face downwards.

"A-AAAAH, STARLEAF WHAT HAPPENED?!"

WORLD SPINS FATHER'S MIND IN PAIN

"I-i-i thought you knew which way was up!"

MY MIND IS YOURS I HURT WHEN YOU HURT

"Ah, r-right I see well please be careful my child."

"NOW YOU DIIIIE!"

The pterosaur came shrieking with malice as Fishclaw dodged fast, jumping backwards by an instinct which in turn moved him upwards as the flyer swooped below him. Unfortunately Fishclaw was reaching his limit as his head started to throb, a tender burn in his ears making him start to look round for alternative solutions until he spotted his sister.

"FISHCLAW, HERE!"

She stood upon Frozentongue's back beside the third boulder that had been knocked away from him as an idea came to him.

"Starleaf take me back down to the ground where my sister is!"

YES FATHER

Swiftly setting him down back onto the black soil, Starleaf rested himself as Fishclaw rushed over to stand on top of the rock with his sister hiding behind it. He laid on top of the heavy stone looking exhausted with aggressive pants to lure his enemy in, the cocky pterosaur taking the bait as he made a divebomb towards him. In truth the raptor was needing to rest what with his head throbbing of a migraine as he waited for the moment to strike. Closer the creature came with eyes gleaming in victory as Fishclaw did everything to not give it away with unfocused stare and heaving breaths.

"NOW!"

The flyer did not have time to correct his course on seeing Eggfang launch from behind the rock as Frozentongue lurched her body as hard as she could to give her that extra height. The raptor clamped onto his beak and pulled him down with her weight before Fishclaw piled on his chest and Frozentongue crushed one of his wings with her body into one ferocious beatdown. The tropeognathus screamed with frenzied terror before the raptors ripped his throat in half, severing it in opposite directions with a twisting crack of the bone as the hills fell silent. The three stood up with relief at the five dead creatures from around them as Frozentongue cackled with delight at their success.

"WHOOO...zhat wuzh fun, you zhwiftclawzh know how to hunt!"

"You are quite the hunter yourself!" said Eggfang headbutting the croc playfully. "You make a good partner killing those beasts."

"An' yer brozher izhn't, walkin' acrozzh zhe zhky lahk a...lahk...ah dunno whut zhat even wuzh."

"I wish we did not have to kill them," muttered Fishclaw kicking softly at their wings, "they are not good to eat but I do not want to waste this meat."

"The starbeast tribe might have them," said his sister, "they seem like they would eat anything."

"That is true, let us return then."

They headed back down towards the village, the sight from the mountain steep a glorious vista of green and blue showing marshwater lands and brimming forests of verdant bliss. Now all they had to do was make certain that no flames would touch it once they rested up for the plan to capture the fervent spirit that haunted this place.