zzzZz grrzzr Rzzrzz

Laying on top of a low hanging branch, with a bunch of acid burns on it, about 2 meters off the ground. A somewhat sticky huntress was snoring so loudly, you could mishear it as a whole troop of lumberjacks with chainsaws. That night she pooped about 30 or so of those acid flies. Exhausted, but with a full belly, she climbed the nearest tree. Where she just fell asleep on the next best branch, capable of holding her weight.

“Hnn ... morning.”

Rubbing her eyes, after stretching out her back. She looked around the scene of carnage she had wrought. With a bit of a perplexed look. She wondered.

Why is all that grass brown. Why are all these trees, full of small holes? Did they get sick?

Shaking her head, she cleared it of distractions.

There are more important things! I want to go home ... maybe my fur will grow back too? Yeah, fur grows back!

Getting up from her perch. She jumped down and after grabbing a few half-eaten corpses of those acid flies. Marched onwards, while munching on it as a snack.

“Near water, always big buildings. And where big buildings are, there's home.”

That was what she repeated to herself from time to time. As she still could remember, her home being close to a big river. Not such a small stream. Big enough, that she never could just jump over it.

I wonder ... is this leading towards home? It must be ... . Maybe it will get bigger?

Hours passed quite quickly. With a pout on her face, she starred at the slowly thinning stream.

“No good stream! You need to get bigger!”

“Ha, fool! Fool!”

Jumping up from the edge of the stream, she had walked beside. Her ears and eyes were searching for the source of that voice. It was new. High-pitched and clipped, but certainly close by.

“Who's there!”

“Ha, fool! Will die! Ha!”

Narrowing her eyes. She found the owner.

“You look juicy!”

“Ha ...?! What wait! Do ... don't! MeewhwhWh!”

While she already had it stuffed in her mouth. She thought about it.

Had food ever talked back to me?

Pfft

“Ha, ... gross.”

“You're a weird flying thingy.”

Poking at the flapping ball shaped thing.

EEEP!

It squeaked in protest. Then went still in her hand. Prodding it with her finger a bit more. She tilted her head.

“ ... you death?”

“ ... “

“Hnn.”

With a shrug, she stuffed it in her mouth again.

“MEWEHWHEHEHW!!”

pfft

“Baah .. .”

“WHHAAGTS WEWWOORNRNNG WITHH YOUU!!”

“You not death?”

Covered in a lot of salvia, the ball of feathers tried to righten itself. Flapping its one free wing furiously at her, while everything else was slightly squished by her hand.

“I'M CERTAINLTY NOT!”

“Looked death. Why do you talk?”

“Ha ... listen, you can't just eat someone the moment you meet!”

“Why?”

“ ... “

Looking hungrily at it. A shiver went through the flapping thing, then it stilled.

“We-well it's not nice!”

“Hnn.”

“What!”

“Do you taste good?”

“NO!”

“Really?”

“CCERTAAAUNTLY!!”

Stumbling on its confirmation and trying to wriggle free. Poking the Flappy, which she decided to name the thing in her head with. It plopped down, stilling again. With its blue-black feathers, that got into a lighter blue tone further downwards. It kind of reminded her of something.

“You death?”

“NO! Stop that! By the gods!”

“Why talk differently now?”

“I talk how i want! What do you think, who gets killed. The smart one or the stupid!”

“Uhh ... tasty one?”

“ ... forget it. You won't eat me ... I TASTE BAD!”

Pronouncing every of the last three words, with gusto. The Flappy breathed heavily.

“Hnn. You do look weird.”

“Yes ... I mean no! I look normal! Now even insulting me. Why am I so unlucky ...”

With a sudden light bulb moment, she remembered.

“Wait, you're bad. Said bad things to me!”

“Wha WhehwHWE!!”

Stuffing it back in her mouth, she wanted to chomp down onto it. To be done with the interloper to her journey and get a more substantial meal out of it too. It was stronger than it looked. Holding up her jaws, just barely. While only it's backside and one stick like feet stuck out of her mouth. Opening up her mouth slightly, she chomped back down. After trying a few times, she gave up with a disappointed look.

Pfft

This time it landed onto the ground. With little else to do with it, seemed to be the right place. Shrugging her shoulders in response.

“You're hard to eat.”

“Haa ... ha ... I'm ... alive.”

Kneeling down on the ground. She patted the heavy breathing Flappy, then swatted it. Running after the quickly rolling new playmate. A grin spread over her face.

An hour or so later, her little break got interrupted.

Growwll

“ ... hungry.”

“D-don't! I ... I won't get eaten!”

“ ... food?”

While holding the quite battered Flappy in her left hand. She starred with hunger driven eyes at it.

“Y-yes! I know where to get food! If that's what you mean. You're talking like a four-year-old!”

“You know where to get Food?”

“ ... “

“Food?”

“There, go there!”

Pointing with its left wing to the forest. She got it, food was there. Nodding, she started walking in that direction.

“So let me go!”

“Nhh, no.”

“WHY!”

“Can eat, if no food.”

“ ... “

After walking for a bit, further away from the traitorous stream. They came upon a few bushes, that seemed stuck to trees with a bit of a bark problem. As seemingly most of the trees with bushes, had large swaths of bark peeling of them.

“We're here. Look, there's food. Eat it and let it be done with this!”

“That's food?”

Looking at the bush. Alot of small red berries were hanging on thorny branches. With a peak at the berries, then at the Flappy. She shrugged. Grabbing some of them, a handful was gathered quite quickly. Pooping them into her mouth.

“Sweet!”

“ ... “

“Good food.”

Smearing her face with the red juices. She quite nimbly avoided all the thorns, while grabbing for more and more of those wonderful fruits of sweetness.

“ ... “

“You want too?”

“BY THE GODS NO! THOSE ARE POISONOUS!”

Tilting her head. She looked strangely at the now probably paling Flappy. That went really still in her hand.

“What's .. piso .. posn ... that?”

“Ehh ... well, it's n-not go-ood for me. Yeah! Y-you know, it's really good for you!"

“Posn?”

“Y-yeah. T-totally!”

Looking at the large number of berries left. She shrugged again.

If Flappy didn't want any. She would eat them all. Maybe Flappy next.

But should I eat something that can talk?

Thinking about that made her head hurt a bit, so she stopped.

“ ... you ate them all.”

“Hnn, was tasty.”

“S-still hungry?”

Shaking her head, some relieve spread through the posture of her captive.

Was it a good flappy? It showed her food, so yes?

“AH!”

“W-WHAT!”

“You can show me home!”

“ ... what home?”

“Home.”

With one of its wings, slowly pressing against its head. The Flappy mumbled something about idiots and mountains. While being held at her eye level.

“I don't know your home. Do you understand that.”

“No? Big building home. With shiny. Big river too! And lots of food there.”

“You mean a house. I get it. But I have no clue which would be yours. There's many ... many out there in the world.”

“You do know home! Show me!”

Another wing flapped onto its head, as the pressure of the grip loosened a bit more. A different kind of pressure was now applied. Pressing with both wings onto its head, even harder now.

“I know of a lot of homes.”

“Where?”

“Everywhere!”

Looking confused at the flappy in her hand, that was gesturing wildly all around her. She really was uncertain now.

“But only few. Then lots of trees.”

“That might be your village. But there's many others out there. Lots of big buildings! Do you get it?”

“Nhh ...”

Sitting down, she teared up slightly.

“ ... don't cry. Ha, why do i even care. You're probably going to eat me, the moment I'm too tired!”

“Won't eat you.”

“Now you say that. But I bet you will forget that!”

Hitting her hand with is soft wings.

“I won't!”

“Alright, alright! Urrgh! Ea-ease back on the grip!”

Looking at the flappy, she really felt lost. Her home, was one of many. She knew that. But she thought that there was just that lump of big buildings and the forest. That was her whole world. There just was no space left in it, for another of those.

“Look here. I get it. You're lost, right?”

The flappy had its large round eyes on her, unwavering it decided.

“Okay, listen. Let's make a deal. I will get you to somewhere with people and you won't try to eat me.”

Doubtfully she looked at the flappy.

“You will?”

“Well yes, but i can't be in your hand forever. So let me fly on my own ... your faster anyways. If i run, you will easily catch me.”

“Nhh.”

Loosening her grip fully, the flappy plopped down on her opened palm. Breathing a few relaxing breaths.

“Alright. Sorry that I said those things to you. But that's what we do. Well ... lure people .. around.”

“Around?”

“Yeah ... like. So … , they get lost and we eat them then.”

“You would make me lost?”

“YOU'RE ALREADY LOST! Haaa ... I'm actually helping you out here. Well, what's the right wording. Finding your way?”

Poking the flappy, it slapped her finger.

“Stop that. What is a young female of your race doing here. You look like you're in your twenties. Excuse me if that's rude, but you don't seem as mature up there. While your certainly an adult.”

Looking at herself. Then looking upwards to the tree canopy.

“Up there?”

“Don’t mind it. Let's see, where should we go.”

Swiveling its head 360°, twice. It snapped backwards with a pop.

“Alright. If we go this direction. We will get to a roadside, in about 3 days or so.”

“Roadside?”

“That's a path people made. They can travel easier on it. Like a river made of dirt.”

“Can't drink dirt.”

“Yeah, you can't”

With a defeated look, the Flappy’s wing hang limply. Notching itself in the direction of the road.

“Let's go this way. Can you carry me for a bit, I'm tired.”

“Nhh.”

Without much else to talk about. As her head was spinning from all those words. And her mind full of doubt, of ever finding her home. She marched onwards.

Walking through the forest. The smell of moos and slightly rotting leaves, made her nose twitch a bit. Each time she came by a large swath of said sources. As light played through the canopy of leaves, her mind started to drift off exploring her surroundings.