The harpies took us back to their village, if you could call it that. A half dozen buildings, as far as I could tell in the storm wracked dark of the night. They looked like a curious cross of a nest and a hat built into a pit dug from the hillside. They were rather low but that meant that they were mostly out of the storm. Under these circumstances that probably was an advantage. Otherwise these nests probably blended in pretty well with the surroundings as well. From a distance they might just look like another stand of trees and undergrowth. It wasn't that far off from the path and the spot we had picked to rest. Still there was an uncomfortable tension as we made our way to the harpies' home. It probably was somehow related to the fact that they were all geared up for war or at least a fight.

Quu'za, the one who had talked to me first and was the apparent leader of the harpy militia, had taken us to her family's home. She hadn't joined us there though. Instead she had entrusted us into the care of her younger sister while she resumed her patrol with her comrades. Whatever was wrong had them properly spooked. Somehow I couldn't image that it was just the storm that had their feathers ruffled, although it most certainly bothered them. Their heads had swiveled about at the slightest noise and at every flash of lightning. Khuu'za, who tried to make us comfortable in the family's home, wasn't much better. She looked like she hadn't had a proper night's worth of sleep in a while.

There were two more, even younger harpies in the hut with us. They were shaking in terror with every howl of the wind as they huddled close to Khuu'za. Were they even younger sisters of Quu'za? Or did she have children of her own already? At what age did harpies usually start families of their own? I wasn't quite sure. With harpies it was hard to talk about family resemblance as well. At least for us outsiders. I wracked my brain to recall the lessons I had learned about them. There was something about the color patterns of their longer feathers indicating family relationships. Well, with the way they were huddling together and the bad lighting in here I certainly wouldn't be able to tell.

There were more pressing concerns anyway. I decided to address the older of the three harpies present. “Khuu'za, what is going on? What has everyone's feathers ruffled?” Hopefully I had gotten that right. Their names sounded terribly similar to each other for us outsiders as well after all.

She looked at me with big eyes for a moment. I was afraid that I might have messed up after all but she was only searching for the right words. “The hills have eyes and teeth. Big eyes and too too many teeth.” I could only look at her puzzled. Was she talking in riddles? Or was there some deeper meaning to her words? “And they are hungry! They come for us at night!” Finally I understood. She was traumatized. Whatever was going on, it had to be really bad.

I looked over at Kaele. She looked troubled as well. She must have come to a similar conclusion. She noticed the look I was shooting her and nodded. She knelt down next to the terrified harpies and wrapped them in a big hug, patting their backs. The ibex made itself comfortable with the group as well. We were out of the worst of the weather but every once in a while a particularly powerful gust of wind would find some gaps in the walls and have us all shudder. Even the cat joined their cuddle pile. After a while the young harpies started calming down little by little. At least until a tremor had the ground shaking and the three harpies screeching in fright. “They are coming! They are coming!”

I could feel another tremor and then another. They just kept coming and as far as I could tell they were getting closer. My eyes widened as realization hit home. Those were steps! The steps of a giant creature! And they were getting closer! All of a sudden everything made sense. Ogres! The harpies were being stalked by ogres! Veritable hills of meat with big, greedy eyes and too many mangled teeth that were driven by an insatiable hunger and a lust for meat. Creatures of the Devourer! The harpies weren't weaklings by any measure but their style of fighting wasn't well suited to dealing with colossal threats like these. Of course they were troubled and tense. Of course they were afraid! To these damn monsters a harpy was nothing more than a tasty snack!

I locked eyes with my sister. “Ogres. Stay here and keep them safe.” She nodded although she looked like she wanted to protest. “If one tries to get in here, light it on fire or greet it with a few magic missiles to the face.” Was there anything else to say? I pondered that question for a moment, keenly aware of the giant man eaters' steps coming ever closer. I grimaced as I remembered one of mother's many lessons. “Don't bother with invisibility and other spells like it. They can sniff you out.” With that said I tightened the grasp on my weapon and slipped back outside.

And as the heavy leather flaps covering the entrance of the harpy nest closed behind me the storm had me back in its grasp. My hair whipped about but that was the least of my concerns then and there. I could feel that the giant man eaters had to be somewhere close by. I could feel it with every step they took. It wasn't easy seeing anything though. Utter darkness was interrupted by blinding flashes of lightning every few moments. That way my eyes couldn't adjust to one or the other. It was a nightmare and I could feel my heart beating as if it wanted to jump out of my chest.

Then one of the harpies ran past me. Her powerful legs propelled her through the storm at incredible speeds. The storm ripped her screeching war cry from her lips. She disappeared in the darkness again as fast as she had appeared. Two of her comrades followed her before I could make sense of the situation. They fought in teams. They had to, to take on even a single ogre. Those three were probably tasked with providing a distraction for another so she could strike from the back. Even like that they wouldn't have an easy time. Their claws, powerful as they might be, probably would only inflict superficial wounds. It would take numerous attack runs to take down an ogre. And with every attack run they would risk their lives. I could only admire their courage.

With fresh determination I made my way to the center of the small harpy settlement. Before I could reach it one of the harpies that had just ran past me came flying the other way. She landed in a crumpled heap, blood pooling around her, and didn't get back up. Even if she wasn't already dead no help that I could provide would safe her. Lightning briefly illuminated the pale, fat giant that had sent her flying with a club that was for all purposes a small tree. It was a vile beast and as it caught sight of me I could feel a shiver run down my spine. The hunger I had seen in its gaze was deeply unsettling. Still, I couldn't back down. I firmed my stance, gathered Mana that felt as wild as the storm raging around me, built the spell matrix and at good last I roared. The spell was called Lion's Roar but no lion could have matched me.

For the briefest of moments even the storm quieted. Then as lightning flashed again the ogres, all three of them, answered with their own roars, accepting my challenge.