[Stryx] Evening Flirtation | Nokt Tribute: Chapter 1

Windwalker was practically shivering with excitement, trotting towards a large cliff edge where another Stryx was currently perched. They were both more than eager to go for an evening flight, snapping their beaks at one another playfully and allowing their shrill calls to echo through the bustling evening air. Both the hawk and gryph had grown into strong, powerful young birds, filled with excitement and a healthy level of confidence.

The sky above them was completely clear, with the light of the full moon beating down upon them from the heavens and illuminating the world around them. With the moon casting such brilliant light it made it easy for the birds to navigate and provided them the perfect playground for them to test out their skills. The stars provided them with an unchanging map, but with all the little fireflies dancing around above them it almost seemed to move like a living creature. Perhaps it was a sign that Nokt was looking down upon them.

Rousing his feathers in anticipation, Omen was the first to take flight, allowing himself to fall from the cliff’s edge before using the warm thermals below to soar high up into the air. Stormbringer was quick to follow after him, his lighter form quickly drifting past the heavier gryph with a slightly smug expression. His body fit perfectly among the stars, seeming to almost vanish if one looked away for a moment too long. For a moment they flew in silence beside one another, simply enjoying the vibrant nightlife, but it was rather abruptly interrupted when another Stryx came hurdling past them, playfully swatting them both with her wings as she did so.

Their interest piqued, both Stryx quickly flew after her, quickly coming up on either side of her. The Herald tilted his head to the side slightly, observing her form as she calmly drifted through the sky, narrowing her eyes at him with a lively smirk. Much like the Stormbringer himself, she had a rather complicated pattern of white specks all along her navy body, only missing the warm glow that the hawk’s spotting emitted.

Sensing a challenge brewing, Omen dove down through the air only to quickly pull up a hair’s breadth from the ground and spirally back up into the air in a beautiful display of control and grace. The ground below the three birds was hard, consisting entirely of barren stone with only the occasional large rock jutting up dangerously from its surface. The mountaintop Omen and Windwalker had started from had been dotted with a few trees here and there, but it seemed that the area was not well suited to growing anything larger than a small sapling due to the lack of fertile soil. It wasn’t helping that autumn had finally rolled around, causing the few trees that managed to get a foothold there to drop their leaves in piles of auburn and gold.

The season did have a few advantages, however, such as the cool breeze that whistled between the mountains, stirring up the fallen plant matter and scattering it into the air. Deciding to use this to his advantage, Stormcaller turned his body towards one of the mountain peaks nearby, flying low between two trees that were only just managing to hold onto their last few leaves. He ensured to give a powerful flap of his wings as he passed under them, sending an explosion of reds, yellows and oranges into the air.

The female, Xeno, seemed to be slightly impressed with their eager performance, but didn’t give away too much, simply tilting her head slightly as a sign for the other two birds to continue their display. While it was far from the breeding season, that didn’t mean that the males didn’t enjoy showing off their prowess, especially under the light of a rare full moon.

Deciding that they might have a better chance at impressing her if they teamed up, Windwalker and Omen both flew high into the air, directly towards the shining moon. When they had reached a suitable altitude, Omen made a soft sound, signalling to the hawk to begin their descent. They both stopped their frantic flapping, falling backwards and allowing themselves to freefall for a moment before they both twisted their bodies around to face one another.

Stormcaller was easily able to reach out and grasp a hold of Omen’s far lager feet, holding onto them for dear life as they both fell. The ground below was a dangerous assortment of spiked rocks and thorny plants – not exactly a soft landing if they somehow messed up with display – but with the moon so bright it was easy for them to know just when to level out. It was just before they slammed into one of the largest rocks that the two birds released their hold on one another, pushing off from one another so they could straighten out and quickly catch themselves before crashing.

Nearby there was a small ridge covered in a large patch of grass with some small shrubs bordering it, rustling slightly as the evening wind blew through the leaves it still had. It was here that the two birds met, landing softly on the ground. Omen was rather excited that their display had gone off without a hitch, chirping and trilling happily to his partner. Surely, they had managed to impress the female with such a daring act.

Unfortunately, when they looked back up into the sky neither of them could see the large Harpia that had been hanging around with them only minutes prior. It seemed that she had apparently grown bored with their performance, leaving before they could even finish. Perhaps she had simply seen the manoeuvre done too many times to take any interest in seeing it done yet again. Whatever the reason, it was quite a blow to both bird’s confidence.

Omen’s fluffy tufts of feathers on his head sagged down slightly as he huffed in defeat. Windwalker simply shook his head, it seemed that both young birds still had plenty to learn when it came to aerial acrobatics and impressing the ladies.