#garrow cross

[writingwitheli]

100 Themes #55-Separation

The eggs were cold, but most of them were near ready to hatch. It would be a difficult winter if they didn't hatch soon. The kids were gone, five of them lost to the storm. Surprisingly, Stellar Jay hadn't returned. The ones that did were the younger and weaker ones.

Fletcher had flown in, directing some younger ones, but he was severely injured from the storm. He'd spent most of the flight pushing the younger two forward, protecting them from the debris. For a while, he remained in the nest, painfully resting. He'd coughed out a description of Crow's dead body that he'd run into before they returned. The whole nest worked hard to take care of him, making sure he ate and got plenty of water and bandaging his wounds. They fought hard, but he barely lasted four days after that. Bevvy and Lutino had been forced to dump him with the corpses from the war.

Mute hadn't ever really been a normal bird. He was quiet, but no more so than he had been before the storm. Sometimes he would ask his mother about the corpse he'd seen, the bare skin around his pale beak twisting into some facial expression she still didn't recognize without feathers. It was odd, and she didn't always have the answers he needed, but she tried to tell him what she could. Most of the family thought it was some strange morbid obsession, but she could tell there was a lot more to it.

Blackbird had been the most distraught. He'd tripped through the nest's floor, crying out for some help and comfort. A quick inspection had revealed very few injuries, but when Lutino had sent him out to get bandages for Fletcher, Blackbird had frozen up at the edge of the nest. He's refused to fly ever since.

It became obvious that with so much remaining that reminded them of their lost family, and with a son that couldn't fly, they would need to leave the nest. The empire's hunt for tengu just made this fact even more obvious. Lutino and Bevvy contacted some of their criminal friends and began to auction things off. Fea's maps, Garrow and Crow's books, Parrow's watches, and a bunch of other old things they'd meant to sell long ago. Stellar Jay tended to keep shiny things, gold, gems, and mirrors. These were typical things from Bevvy and Lutino's own collections, so they kept those around.

They went South, knowing tengu were likely safer from the samurai and knowing several safe paths through the war. It took a lot of time, but they had friends, so it wasn't a difficult journey. They do find purchase above the homes of some friendly locals, but it's much lower and rougher than their old home. The area isn't smooth stone like the gate, it's made of rough rocks and wood. They cover it with many cloths, but it doesn't make it as smooth as they'd like. Bevvy finds a large cloth nearby, designed to be a rug, which she uses to keep the sun away. They used to need a cover for rain, but it doesn't rain much in this area.

None of them consider going home.

[writingwitheli]

100 Themes #36-Dreamer

The consequence didn't really weigh in at all. Sure, the weird fox creature had just fallen into some pit of acid, so he was gone now. But there were things to do, places to go. Garrow couldn't afford to worry about such things, great heroes lost close friends all the time (they hadn't actually been close. They'd worked together, but not much. But Garrow would claim they were, it made the loss seem more significant to the readers). It was the brave thing to keep going, or the death would have been in vain (Garrow wondered if he had any resurrection spells… ah, well, that wasn't important at the moment).

 So of course he kept going. Of course the kitsune's ghost followed after them, that only made sense to Garrow. It just wasn't good storytelling to let possibly interesting characters die off that easily. Besides, a rogue would probably be useful to the party in the future (not if he continued disarming traps like that, but he could always learn. Character development was important).   

In the end, the consequence never does matter to him, even going through the book and writing the gory details, as long as the story is good. 

[writingwitheli]

100 Themes #31-Colors

The book had to be just right if Garrow wanted to get it published around. The cover, he had decided when he was fairly young, would have a feathered texture with metal keeping it down on the edges. They weren't his feathers of course, he wasn't sure that they were actual feathers at all. The intricate metal carvings are made by one of his favorite blacksmiths with much reluctance, sword carvings and book carvings are very different, but no one really specializes in book carvings.

Each of the feathers is a dye of mixed colors, following a bright gradient of one to another. They're all different, but they balance out very well. The book is about learning magic, after all, he thinks the bright changing colors are important. Normally, they would stick up at strange angles, but Garrow had learned a flower pressing technique that works fairly well on feathers. In the end, they're still curved, but smooth and organized.

The inside of the book begins with the title page, a beautiful thick script woven into a mixture of paints in the background. After that are acknowledgements, and the part one. He's made sure to add in many drawings and sketches, they're important to give the readers the right affect.

One of his favorite drawings is of his old town. The artist he commissioned managed to get the perfect shade of red for the carpets, the perfect carvings in the buildings, and the perfect character of the people in the background. It makes him feel nostalgic. It's the first time, he realizes, that he's ever considered going home. But he's stubborn, sure that he can't quit while he's so far ahead.

[writingwitheli]

100 Themes #16- Excuses

“...and we have a dinosaur. She's got her own room in the castle. Not near my books, of course, but still. It's all really interesting, I think. You should visit sometime, we have room, of course.”

“Garrow,” his mother interrupted.

“Hm?”  Garrow was distracted, used to being interrupted, but never enough to really keep from being thrown off. 

Bevy gave him a look he hadn't missed. The look he'd received when he'd gotten lost in the markets because of a book store or something similar. The look he'd received when he let the younger ones try flying a bit too early. A look that told him a long lecture was going to follow. “Garrow. I know you're happy and I know it's all exciting to you. It's everything you've ever wanted in life.”

Garrow couldn't help but smile. Of course it was everything he'd wanted-adventure, mystery, magic. He was, all things considered, probably the happiest tengu alive. It was wonderful.

Bevy continued, “But that is no excuse for this. It's been years, Garrow. Years. I thought you were dead. You're writing books but you can't even write a letter?”

Oh right. That. Garrow lowered his head as guilt washed over him. “I'm sorry.”

Bevy softened her gaze. “Apologies don't always cut it, Garrow. Now, go wash up. Dinner's soon.”

[writingwitheli]

100 Themes #6-Obsession

 It had been at least a month since their last job, but it wasn't like they were struggling to find one. It was a mutual group decision that they would stick together in the town until “fate came calling,” as the oracle had phrased it. So they payed for a few rooms in a local inn and tavern, made themselves at home, and busied themselves. The gunslinger went crafting, while the rogue practiced her skills.

Garrow wasn't one for crafting, since finding things was always more exciting then making them on his own. And it wasn't like he could practice cursing people or flight patterns with Peep if they were to stay in the town, but he could only stand practicing with his sword for so long before he was bored. So he did what tengus do.

A week and several suspicious break-ins later, he decided that there wasn't much else to do. He complained to the gunslinger.

“Dude, you have noticed that you can't even fit anything else in your room with all of those jewelry pieces, twigs, weapons, armor sets, and whatever-the-hell-other-shiny things you have in there, right? You have enough stuff to entertain you.”

“But... it's not.... enough...”

[writingwitheli]

Linguist

Garrow’s always been a linguist. His native language came easy, and he’d managed to learn both the common tongue and Draconic before he left the nest to be on his own. He later found that most of his kind only learned their own, and enough of the common tongue to ward off anyone in their way.

It’s always fascinated him, the idea that making different sounds can turn a conversation from casual to personal, or that he could pretend if only for a few moments to be from somewhere else. Home was never exactly on anyone’s list of wonderful places. Knowing a language meant he was connected to the roots somewhere else, with different people, and anything was better than being treated like a monster. There had been many occasions where a quick ‘woah, watch where you’re aiming that thing!’ had eased a potential enemy enough to safe his life.

Language meant normal. If he spoke the language of a place well, he fit in, people would see the more human (or whatever race) side of him, instead of what he was. Those different sounds and mouth movements meant everything when you couldn’t be anything but a monster or a demon to people. 

He’d read a certain book by a human once (he read many books, reading and writing were almost as important to him as speaking), though he forgot what it was called, that told a story he didn’t want to be part of. There was a creature, (more human than him, but inhuman enough that people were suspicious) created by a human through unusual methods. Awakening to this new reality, the creature had been shocked and afraid. He could not understand the human’s calming words, so he’d attacked (defensively, Garrow would argue, you couldn’t blame the creature for its fear). Unable to understand, and unable to explain himself to others when he did manage to understand, the creature was shunned. The people tried to kill it, as people often do with strange things. Garrow did not want to be killed.

Language was everything to Garrow, so he learned and learned. He was always proud whenever he could use a language he’d learned when others didn’t understand. (thankfully, he never grew tired of his native language, though one with enough attention will notice he never speaks it around those he doesn’t trust)

Needless to say, he was rather annoyed when he found that he would bite his tongue and lips on teeth he’d never had and couldn’t make certain sounds when he’d turned into a human. The ring was useful, he decided, but he knows he’d much rather never wear it if he didn’t have to.

[writingwitheli]

100 Themes #2-Complicated

The ring on the young man's finger glowed, flashing lightly. I turned away from my shopping to watch. Interesting things happened around here a lot, but I was never this close to them. He looked around nervously, tensed and ready for something. Would it be a fight? Was the ring some magical warning of danger? Maybe I could help him. (it's no secret that I've always wanted to see some adventure of my own, especially since my own father was very well known for his well traveled past. Stories were good, but never like the real thing.)

So I made my way through the crowd, food basket and newly bought cloth in tow, and followed the man through a nearby alley. He was fast, but unfamiliar with the crowd of people he was running through, so I manged to keep up. He dove into what was obviously an abandoned building and began muttering something I could not understand.

As I made my way through the heavy door (I could not jump through high windows as he had), I saw a flash of brilliant light and feathers. However, once I landed on the ground and looked back up, he was human again. We stared at each other in silence for a moment.

“You're an angel,” I said, trying to calm what looked like fear on his face. Surely, he was used to people giving him trouble for his wings, and possibly fearing him. Why else would he hide wings such as those? Even I'd sensed the magic flow from his actual form as the light had shined, and I wasn't even a spellcaster.

“No, not really...” he stepped back and looked around for a quick exit, then seemed to look toward an upper window, where a hawk patiently sat, for answers.

“Don't worry, you have nothing to fear from me! If anything I should consider it a blessing to meet an angel. What else would you be anyway?” I tried to give him a friendly smile, to let him know I was being honest.

“It's... complicated,” was his only reply.

[writingwitheli]

A Demon With Feathers Ch. 5

“...It’s a bit of a mystery, anyway, which is why I like the place.” Lyeth continued, putting her weight into her shoulder to push the broken wooden door open. It creaked loudly, and made Garrow contemplate the necessity of doors. He’d never had one before, and it didn’t seem to do much good anyway. There didn’t seem to be any purpose to it, as far as he was concerned. “If anything, it’ll get us out of the rain.”

Garrow shook off the rainwater that had followed the wind storm. Daret laughed, “You look a bit like a frightened cat when you do that.” He glowered.

“Feathers are meant to look intimidating when they rise,” he mentioned, hoping he could defend the fluff, “and I wouldn’t be able to get rid of most of the water if I hadn’t.”

Her grin still stayed. “Sure, but that doesn’t make it look less ridiculous. Anyway, the guest area is over there,” she motioned to a hole in the wall that led to a room full of colorful cloths and various shapes of wood and other things. Furniture, Garrow assumed. “You can stay there, but don’t break anything! And if you try stealing anything, I’ve got quite a few spells to track you down.”

Garrow looked back at her when she mentioned spells. Magic had always sounded exciting to him. “You do? Really? A lot of them?” He wasn’t sure if his tone sounded as excited as he wanted it to, translation was a bit awkward and common was difficult for anyone without moving lips.

She looked away from him, toward another hole in the wall that he assumed was or had been a window. “Ah, well... maybe one. But still! The point is, I’ll catch you if you do.” She shrugged her shoulders noncommittally and slid up her wide sleeves to her elbow. Her arms crossed in front of her and she ran her fingers over an intricate golden bracelet hanging from her left wrist.

Garrow nodded. He understood that even one spell could be powerful, though that didn’t stop him from wondering what it would be like to watch her cast one.

“So we’ll begin tomorrow then!” she said with a grin.

Garrow shook his head slightly, confused. “Ah, begin what... exactly?”

“The adventure, of course!”

The word caught his full attention now. “Where? What are we doing? Should I prepare?” He added up a list of things that were often useful for heroes in his books and considered what he could bring. Rope, which he didn’t have, but he assumed he could use a belt just the same if he truly needed to. Material for cooking, eating, or hunting, none of which he had brought, since the trip was only supposed to be a short one. A weapon of some sort, he guessed he could defend himself the way his father had expected him to if they got caught stealing. Bandages, which he had a few of, but not many. Maps, which were at home.

He realized he was horribly unprepared.

"Ah, well… I'm not quite sure yet. But I figure we can run around the town and find something." She shrugs nonchalantly, dismissing the thought for later.  He nods, it wasn't normal for the hero to go with a specific goal in mind, one would have to find them. He imagines the last time he saw the town and thinks about where they could go. He begins writing in his head, imagining the journey. And then he realizes something. "Wont I… stand out a little?" He motions to his beak, to his feathers, and to his wings. They're all pristine, he isn't ashamed of his beautiful dark coat, but he knows most people in the towns lack such features.

She nods and considers the problem. "Ah!" she says after a moment. She dashes into one of the back rooms that she hadn't shown him. After a moment, she returns with long cloths. She drapes them over Garrow, one over the wings, one tied over his beak like a scarf, and one hanging over his head. He can still see fairly well, but he feels silly. He knows the outfit will look strange, and doesn't seem to easy to keep together. But she grins, as if she had solved the entire problem. "We can pretend you're infected, there's this nasty disease going around in the West recently. No one would be too surprised, and they'd be almost happy you're covering yourself. We can figure out something better later, if we have time. We should get to sleep though, can't be tired for an adventure!" Garrow nods again, careful to keep the cloth from falling.

Daret leaves toward where Garrow assumes her own room is. He enters his own. The cloths cover most of the furniture, save for a few bits a pieces peaking out from under things like tables. One thing he does notice that he'd never had in his own home was a mirror on the wall. It takes him a moment to realize the figure staring at him through the glass is himself. The disguise, he finds, does hide most of his avian traits, and the cloths she had chosen actually seem to fit together fairly well. He shakes his head and tries to focus on the practicality. He won't be able to fly, he decides, but most people in the towns don't fly anyway. He'll be able to see, but he steps a bit closer to the mirror and decides that anyone would be able to spot feathers if he stood too close. He would have to keep a distance.

Garrow remembers then that Daret had told him to sleep. He thinks about home for a moment, before deciding that it's probably too late to head there anyway. He felt that his mother would be mad, but decided to work on the hopes that his sister would help her understand the need in the case of adventure. Deciding to stay, he pulls off the cloths and takes a few more from the furniture around the room, and he makes a small nest. It's not the best, but it will do.