A bird's eye view on Mt. Imu... (Desquode)

OoC: I'll be using Avi for this one, of course. I need to give my other character a break for now. Well, let's begin.

BiC: The wind blew...it blew so hard that Avi could barely keep it from blowing her away. She flapped her tired wings as hard as she could to get through this terrible wind storm. Since Avi was very light, high speed winds could blow her far away, even tear off her feathers. Still, she flew on, her wing muscles growing more fatigued by the minute.

As Avi kept getting blown here and there, she picked up the pace. She tried to ignore the fact that her muscles were tired out, but it was no use. As Avi continued to be blown in all different directions, a mountain soon came into view. She headed for it as fast as she could, hoping to land and seek shelter there until the wind storm died down. Flapping her wings as hard as she could, the mountain drew closer and closer.

Avi was now so fatigued, she could not flap any harder anymore. She started to descend towards the mountain top due to fatigue. Just over some trees she flew, the wind knocking her around everywhere. Suddenly, an extra strong gust sent her through the trees ahead. She tried to flap, but the wind was too strong. Avi kept heading through branches and leaves, eventually slamming into something else that was not a tree.

The object Avi ran into also appeared to be light, as the wind had no problem pushing them both. They started down a slope when Avi went into unconsciousness from both the wind and fatigue. She and the object hit the ground with a great impact seconds later. Both were lying motionless in the leaves. However, the object was not actually an object at all. It was...alive.

Desquode was just sitting on the mountain thinking, thinking of how he was going to prove he didn't commit that crime... He was about to stand up when the wind got a bit stronger. The next thing he knew something slammed into him causing both he and what hit him to get blown part of the way down the mountain. EVerything faded as Desquode fell unconscious.

Some time later Desquode awoke and sat up. He was a bit dizzy from tumbling down the mountain. He put his hands on the ground and was about to push himself up when one of his hands touched something that felt like a wing. he quickly pushed himself up and turned around to see what the wing was attached to. What he saw calmed him slightly. He saw a young woman with long black hair, and the feathers he had felt were black and grey.

But he didn't put his guard down... He considered the possibility of it being a trap, or... something like that. He also took note of the weapon she carried, a bow and some arrows. He noticed she had claws on her hands and feet. He reached over to take the bow and arrows but then she started to wake up. Desquode jumped back and stayed in his defensive position, ready to fight if needed.

OoC: Hehe, pretty clever, Davy.

BiC: Avi finally started to stir just minutes after she had hit the "object." She started to get up, but she had lost just about all of her strength, so it was hard. Eventually, she was able to roll on one side. Avi felt a pain in her wing as she did so and winced. Her eyes fluttered open.

"Uhnnn...what happened?" she asked herself. "Where am I...?" The "object" heard her speak and walked closer to Avi. He stopped in his tracks after taking a few steps so as not to frighten Avi away.

"You slammed into me and we fell down that hill," the "object" replied. "And you're on Mt. Imu." Upon hearing the voice, Avi suddenly sat up and backed away. Standing before her was what appeared to be a human wearing pants made of feathers. His hair was black as the skunk, as were the feathers.

"Who--who are you? You're a human, aren't you?" Avi cried. Ever since she first gained the power to grow her claws, Avi avoided humans. She hated her claws because they always posed a threat to those around her and it was the act of a human that gave her the ability. Avi stood up, still feeling the nervousness flow through her mind.

"I'm afraid you are mistaken, miss," the human-like creature replied. "I am not a human, I am a Ravanen. Like you, I am a bird being."

After hearing the word 'bird,' Avi calmed down. Birds and bird people were living creatures that Harpies like herself lived peacefully with. However, Ravanens were something Avi had never even heard of before. Perhaps they weren't a common race? Whatever the case, Avi couldn't be too sure of the answer. She politely responded to the Ravanen's reasoning.

"I-I see. I am a Harpy," Avi said. "I have never before seen a Ravanen..." The Ravanen smiled warmly at the comment.

"I am not surprised," he said. "I could say my tribe lives here on Mt. Imu, but none are found for a reason I do not know." Avi nodded, understanding the Ravanen's explanation.

"Then it's like you're the only one of your kind left..." she concluded. "But...who are you?" The Ravanen smiled again. He seemed to be delighted at Avi's question.

"I am Desquode," the Ravanen responded. "May I know your name?"

"I'm Aviara," Avi told him. "You can call me Avi." Desquode nodded.

OoC: I think you should carry on from here now, Davy. I'm out of ideas.

OoC: Gotcha.

BiC: "And no... I'm not the only one of my kind... Just the only one of my kind HERE, as far as I know." Desquode pointed out. He was still in the defensive position, and he didn't intend to change his stance until he new he could trust her. He walked a little closer, just to be ready for a quick attack if necessary.

"Now, unless you wish to stay, leave. And if you do wish to stay, then I will be forced to defend this mountain, as it is mine, and I prefer to live here alone... So if you would please leave..." Desquode got into a less defensive position position to show that he was willing to let her go.

Desquode decided to point something out. "I have trained many years in the use of these weapons, one of the top five Ravanen fighters... Maybe that will help your decision..." He flipped his blades around in a taunting way, so that Aviara would know he would fight.

OoC: Now we're going somewhere, Davy!

BiC: Avi felt a wave of anger flow through her mind at Desquode's taunt. She would not take this, for she needed shelter from the wind storm. She needed to think of something quick, or else Desquode would attack unexpectedly. Ideas raced through her head as she tried to think of the most reasonable thing to say. However, just as Desquode was about to strike, she put her hand up.

"Oh, you did not just brag," she retorted. "I'll have you know now that I don't take the likes of people who want to prove they're better than me." Avi then started for her bow, and then suddenly stopped. She held up her hands and made her claws grow over twice as big as they normally are.

"My skills are not to be underestimated," Avi said.

"As are mine," Desquode added. "If you wish to fight, then very well." He got his blades ready to attack. Avi was about to strike, but then soared up into the sky, her claws still at their maximum length. Knowing Desquode was light, Avi had an idea. She flapped her wings as hard as she could in the wind storm to turn the wind against him while forming her own. Desquode tried to follow her, as if to fly himself, but it was no use. Avi's Wind Tunnel was too strong.

However, Desquode had his own tricks up his sleeve. Deciding to use the wind to his advantage, he let it blow him into the air. He glided towards Avi and he clashed his swords with her claws. The two pushed together with all their might. However, Desquode was stronger. He pushed Avi away from him, causing her to slam into a tree. Desquode glided again, but Avi was too quick. She soared above him and then dove back down, sinking her claws through the leather chest-plate he was wearing as she ran into him.

When they hit the ground, Avi immediately got up and readied an arrow on her bow.

OoC: Show me what ya got, Davy.

Desquode quickly got up not showing any sign of pain, though he felt much. He jumped straight up above Avi and glided along a strong wind blowing in her general direction. He came down fast and hard slamming the sharp ends of his blades into Avi's left side. He landed on his feet behind her and flipped around.

Avi got up and pulled out another arrow, aiming at a cliff above Desquode. Desquode looked up and realized what she was going to do. Avi fired the arrow just as Desquode started to roll forward. The arrow hit a fragile icicle sending it down onto a pile of snow. The snow then tumbled down the mountain straight for Desquode. He knew he couldn't get out of the way soon enough so he just laid down flat letting the snow carry him down.

He passed Avi and nearly slammed into several trees. The as he passed by another tree he slammed one of his Raven Blades into the tree and held on tight. The snow finally stopped and Desquode stood up. He looked around and saw Avi flying straight toward him with her claws ready to strike. He dodged her and said "You know, I've lived on this mountain for some time, I know what to do when a puny avalanche like that comes along."

OoC: Heh, pretty epic, Davy.

BiC: Avi, having missed Desquode with her attack, just sat there, flapping her wings in front of him. She sensed that he was going to do something she wouldn't expect, so Avi decided to counter it with one of her own tricks.

"And I know what to do after a puny avalanche like that comes a long," she remarked. Avi then flew up high at a high speed, going out of sight. Desquode stood up, looking confused. Had the Harpy left his mountain? Did she give up? While puzzling over these questions, Desquode stood in a defensive position, just in case Avi made a sneak attack. He turned around in every direction, looking for her.

Suddenly, gusts of snow, leaves, branches, and twigs came hurdling towards the puzzled Ravanen. They hit him everywhere, snow freezing his feathers. Twigs smacked his body while branches gave him splinters and cuts. It was Avi's Wind Tunnel again. But this time, she was not using it to slow him down, but to blow everything into him.

Avi was at the top of the hill flapping her wings as fast as she could, blowing as much towards Desquode as she could. She even made the wind strong enough to blow a few icicles towards him, but Desquode was barely able to dodge them. Avi, thinking the Ravanen was buried by now, made her flapping come to a halt. She flew down to where Desquode had been and looked to see if he was dead, or was too injured to fight anymore.

Avi spotted one Desquode's swords sticking out of the snow. She reached out to grab it, but Desquode himself suddenly sat up and wiped everything off him. His arms were bloody and his feathers frozen solid. Avi couldn't help but chuckle slightly at his appearance.

"Haven't you ever heard that birds go south for the winter?" she asked.

"Actually, I haven't," Desquode replied. He clashed swords with Avi's claws again and said, "But you'll be going south to your grave if you don't leave my mountain."

Avi pushed against Desquode as hard as she could. However, he suddenly took one sword away from her claws and slashed her wing. Avi angrily cried out in pain. Now she was unable to fly. She kept pushing, then she remembered the claws on her feet. Avi grew them to their maximum length and pushed him away while slashing at his abdomen at the same time. He fell down another slope.

OoC: Pick it up from here, Davy.

Desquode sat up with his Raven Blades on the ground. He decided to try something else. He picked up his blades, sheathed them, then walked up to Avi and looked right at her.
"You know what? You're a worthy opponent. BUT! I'm not going to stop defending this mountain. And just what is it about MY mountain that you like so much? Why can't you go find another mountain? I doubt the other mountains here are inhabited!" Then, before Avi could respond, Desquode jumped up and kicked Avi with both feet knocking her a few feet back.

Desquode was starting to breath a bit harder, the fight was wearing him out a bit. He stood there thinking... He was highly injured, he was getting tired, how long could he defend this mountain until he either died from the battle, or just had to give up... Well, the last one wasn't an option for him... He would NOT give up. He would fight to the death if needed, though he'd prefer not to kill her, nor get himself killed. He drew his swords back out and got back into his defensive positing.

Avi got up and noticed Desquode just standing there, not moving, obviously thinking. She could tell he was distracted, so she took the opportunity to fire an arrow at him. She pulled out the arrow and aimed it right at his chest, but then Desquode got into the defensive position as if he had noticed her... He was looking in her direction, but not at her. She didn't think much of it until she heard a rumble behind her.

Desquode ran straight at Avi and then, before she could react knocked her down but stayed on top of her, instead of just flipping off. Then she then realized what the noise was, it was a large avalanche. Desquode flipped onto his back, but still holding onto Avi, so that she was on top of him. Desquode knew she was light, so he used his feet to push her very high into the air, far out of the reach of the avalanche. As Avi was still going up she could see the avalanche cover Desquode.

The avalanche was a short one, so by the time she fell half way back on the ground it was over. She walked over to where she saw Desquode last. But then about ten feet behind her Desquode popped out of the snow. Avi turned around to see Desquode a little dizzy, but able to stand.
"I must thank you for freezing my feathers like that... If they weren't solid like that then all that snow would have pounded me to death." he said as he started walking over to Avi. When he got near her though his leg suddenly got quite weak, and he collapsed to the ground, exhausted, and in much pain.

OoC: See with Desquode's feathers frozen like that they created a shield of sorts.

OoC: That was...wow. That was totally epic. Keep up the good work, Dave!

BiC: Avi looked down at the wounded Ravanen before her. She could plainly see that he was very much in pain and that she had two choices. Avi could kill him right now and shelter herself on the mountain for as long as she wanted, or she could spare his life and go back into the storm, which now had turned into a thunderstorm. It was a hard decision to make, and Avi was the one to choose. She had to think quickly.

The rain started pouring down hard, making Desquode's blood spill further. Both Avi and Desquode were soon soaked from head to toe from the rain.

"My, you certainly are a worthy opponent yourself," Avi said. "Slashing my wing like that was pretty clever of you." Desquode looked up at her, still looking worn out. He had trouble finding words.

"Yes...that wind of yours...it caused me the most trouble," Desquode replied. "I could either keep fighting...or give up...but I mustn't!!" With that he got up, grabbed Avi by the throat and picked her up. She tried to use her claws to break free, but Desquode was too strong. He angrily pointed his blade to her chest. Avi put a look of fear on her face.

"Answer my question! Why does my mountain seem so important to you?" he asked. Avi took a deep breath.

"I come only to seek shelter from the storm," she replied. "Then I shall leave. I only come this way searching for my sister!" Desquode didn't want to believe Avi's story, but he knew the consequences for believing or not believing it. He continued to hold Avi by her throat and got ready to attack. Then, his arm shook, and he dropped his weapon.

"No...I can't do it..." he panted. "I can't kill you...I musn't kill you..." Desquode put Avi down. She coughed a few times from choking slightly.

"Why? Are you afraid to kill someone?" she asked. "Even a girl?" Desquode gave Avi a firm look. He was breathing heavily as the pain in his wounds grew.

"No...I was accused of murder a long time ago," Desquode explained. "The accusers will only believe in my guilt even more if I kill you! Now you must leave!" Avi heaved a small sigh. She wanted to leave, but she would have to walk all the way down to the bottom of the mountain on account of her injured wing. And then she had an idea that would satisfy both her and Desquode.

"Des...I shall leave, but only if you do me a small favor," she requested. "See my wing? With it injured, I can no longer fly until it heals a bit. Let me use some of the water here to sooth it and I shall go." Desquode's eyes widened slightly. He knew Avi had a point. She could not leave easily without flying. Now it was his turn to make a tough decision...

BiC: Well, which is it, Davy?

Desquode sat on the cold snow thinking. He knew neither of them could survive out here in this weather... He knew this mountain, and he knew she wouldn't survive a trip down the mountain, not even HE could do that, even IF he were at full health.
He stood up and said "Come with me to my hut..." He spoke slowly due to how weak he was. "There's a warm fire there, and plenty of water... You should stay until the storm is gone... My hut is just up there." Desquode points to the top of the mountain. He leads Avi up to his hut and after walking in falls over on the couch.

Avi looked around, the hut was just big enough for two people to live in, it had two "rooms" a table, two chairs, a couch, a fire place with a fire that illuminated the entire building, and a pantry with some preserved meats that looked ready to be cooked. She also noticed a small bed, and a few intricate rugs on the floor.

"Thi-this is my hut... despite being so small it's quite a nice place to live... Now about your wing... If it heals before the storm dies down, then I suggest you stay. And if the storm dies down before your wing is healed, I would also suggest that you stay until it is." Desquode attempted to smile but was much to weak... He had lost a lot of blood and needed to rest.

He got up, went to the pantry, grabbed a pot, one of the pieces of meat, one small cup of water, and one bucket full of water. He handed the small cup of water to Avi. Then he walked over to the fire and put the post over it, poured the water in the pot and waited for it to start boiling. When it finally did he put the piece of meat in it and let it cook. Then he walked back over to the couch and collapsed on it, hardly breathing...

OoC: Heh, I'd say that's a good choice, Davy.

BiC: Avi didn't know what to say. Desquode seemed so obsessed with guarding his home before, now he was letting her stay inside his hut until the storm passed? Yet all she requested was water. Avi just stood there inside the little hut until she could finally find words.

"Why...thank you," she said. "But I haven't the need to stay very long, Des." Desquode looked up from the couch, but winced in pain as he did so. Avi could see that he had lost a lot of blood and that she was really hard on him. She decided to help him out.

"I see you're gravely wounded," she pointed out. "Since you're doing something for me, I shall return the favor." Avi walked up to the fire and faced it. She used her good wing to blow some of the heat from the fire to Desquode's pants and thawed out his feathers. Desquode looked a little shocked.

"Wow...thanks," he replied. "I wouldn't have thought to try that." Avi smiled.

"Yes, that should feel more comfortable now," she assured him. "And here, let me help you some more. My mother taught me how to sooth wounds." Avi then decided to share the water and clean both her wounds and Desquode's. She took a napkin from the table and dipped it in the water. Walking back over to Desquode, she took the damp napkin and carefully cleaned up the blood on every wound made. Desquode winced at the pain, but it soon stopped and he started to feel much better.

"Thank you...again. Anymore fighting and I'd be history," he said.

"You're welcome," Avi replied. "My wing feels strong enough to use again, so I shall be on my way soon." Desquode nodded. The pot over the fire was by now boiling rapidly and he got up to check on it. Then he took the meat from it.

"Here, take some of this meat with you," he said. Desquode cut a chunk of the meat off and gave it to Avi. She took it kindly and thanked him. Avi headed for the door and opened it. And just as she walked out, Desquode thought he heard her say, "We shall meet again..."

OoC: Well, I guess that's it. :/