DracoStryx Scavenging: Coins | Teapot, Badallaioc, Helagnus, (Laverito)

Laverito = Laverito (rider)

Badallaioc = Badallaioc

Helagnus = Helagnus

Teapot = the casua (owned by SheepMomther)

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Helagnus’ arrival was heralded far in advance, as it typically was, by the loud sounds of a large, grumpy corva carelessly breaking a path through the brush. Laverito tilted back a single long ear, caught the distinctive sounds of Helagnus' grumbles and gripes, and angled his ear forward again without bothering to glance back.

The casua, friendly and joyful as always, ambled happily over to greet Helagnus as soon she burst out of the undergrowth. Helagnus' beak was bloodied and her eyes as wildly intense as ever. Helagnus' expression soured when the casua approached, but even she, the dreadfully colored corva with the dreadfully prickly personality to match, could not resist those enormous blue eyes and the offering of a gnarled stick entangled in vividly-colored lichen.

Helagnus' eyes darted around, seeking escape or mercy or a distraction, but finding none. Laverito had turned just enough to watch from the corner of one eye. He couldn't help a smirk on the side of his mouth that Helagnus couldn’t see. 

Defeated, cowed, soundly humbled, Helagnus slowly took the stick, mumbling something utterly incomprehensible around it that you could interpret as thanks if you were feeling generous.

Satisfied, the casua turned about and scurried away, brown tail twitching with excitement. Nothing particularly exciting was happening, but successfully delivering a gift always put the casua in very good spirits. 

Helagnus spat the stick out with gusto (but only after the casua was well out of hearing range), “Anyway, you’re still wrong,”

“Well, what are you going to call them, then? Fliern’ts?” Badallaioc sneered, oozing sarcasm.

It was honestly amazing how they could effortlessly continue the exact same argument they’d left off hours ago. Laverito had never seen Badallaioc put so much dedication into anything. Usually, Badallaioc was happy to forget anything and everything as quickly as he could. Remembering every little insignificant detail was just too much for Badallaioc to bother with - except when it came to this particular argument, apparently.

As Badallaioc and Helagnus bickered, Laverito watched the casua scrounge around beneath a fallen log. Brown thumbs carefully picked through the plants that were competing for the log's shelter. Laverito's eyebrows rose as he watched a long yellowed bone being carefully balanced atop the log.

"What you got there?" he called. Badallaioc paused mid-retort to look. Helagnus glared in that direction, miffed at the all-important argument being interrupted yet again. 

The casua, unperturbed, continued searching. Another bone joined the first, also long and yellowed. 

Badallaioc, ignoring Helagnus completely now, walked over to investigate. Laverito followed. Helagnus wheezed angrily, before stomping along after.

Beside, or possibly even beneath this log, someone had apparently died. What kind of someone was unclear - only bones were left, and they didn't look like human bones. But then again, Laverito doubted his own bones looked human. There were many strange creatures wandering this world. 

Badallaioc maneuvered around the casua to rake through the grass with red thumbs. Stooping, Badallaioc tried clawing under the log with one foot, and unearthed several smaller bones all at once. Badallaioc, however, wasn't particularly interested in bones, so he kept digging. Badallaioc lowered his head to peer under the log, pecking here and there with his red beak. 

Beside Badallaioc, the casua also kept searching. Only the largest bones were worthy of being stacked on top of the log, and the smaller specimens were kicked out of the way. The casua copied Badallaioc, pecking and rooting around with a pale pink beak. Brown-clawed thumbs continued to comb through the grass and the foxtails, seeking to uncover whatever treasures might be found among these bones. 

On the opposite side of the log, Helagnus only used her beak to search, pecking aggressively wherever she pleased. Helagnus kept up a constant stream of grumbling as she looked back and forth, pacing restlessly up and down the length of the log. Laverito was surprised when Helagnus made a noise of triumph and darted to bite and jab at some point of interest. Momentarily, Helagnus victoriously wrenched something free and held it up for inspection. 

"A boot?" Laverito said. "Hope it didn't belong to whatever owned the bones."

Helagnus mashed the boot onto the top of the log, and the old leather split along the crumbling seams. Just a single ancient empty boot, buried under a fallen log in the middle of the woods. Laverito shook his head, ears bobbing. 

Badallaioc was next to find something, and this was of far more interest to Laverito. Badallaioc muttered something incomprehensible and scratched carefully at the ground, revealing a tangled knot that was all that remained of a long-forgotten bag. It was embedded in the hard-packed earth, and placed awkwardly under the log, but Badallaioc eventually ripped it free. Badallaioc put it atop the log next to the boot, and Laverito saw a coin fall out. 

"Oh, there's something shiny!" Laverito said, buffing it on his tunic and holding it up in the light. "I think there'll be more where this came from, for sure."

The casua visibly perked up, surrounded by scattered bones by now. This was an awful lot of bones. An unreasonable amount, actually. Laverito strongly doubted that this was a gravesite. It seemed more like someone's lost collection of personal valuables: a slightly spooky addition to an otherwise pleasantly picturesque forest clearing. 

Helagnus eyed the coin with obvious greed, and then set to searching all over her side of the fallen log with much more gusto. Only now did she lash out with her grey talons, scratching furiously all down the whole length of the log. Bits of greenery and clods of dirt went flying. Then, Helagnus cackled in glee, as several more coins also went flying. Helagnus began to peck out the coins, having found a whole pile. When Badallaioc leaned over the log to look, Helagnus hissed at him. 

The sounds of clinking made Laverito turn to the casua, who was pulling a small but still intact bag out from under the log. Clearly very proud, the casua stretched out to offer the bag to Laverito, who peeked inside eagerly. Yep, more coins! Lots of coins! Filthy and tarnished, true, but coins were coins, and Laverito always took whatever he could get.

Badallaioc grumbled. The first discovery had gone to him, but his portion of ground had still only yielded the useless scrap of a bag, and one measly coin. Badallaioc poked around under the log some more, but found only dirt and some distressed insects. 

Laverito gave Badallaioc a consoling pat. Helagnus snorted at the sight, and then turned and scooped up a beakful of coins. Helagnus sprang into the air and flew off, gone nearly as quickly as she'd arrived, and Laverito wondered where she was planning to spend those coins in such a hurry. 

Laverito packed all the coins he could collect into the saddlebags on Badallaioc's back, and missed the moment when the casua vanished. He looked up from a job well done to find that he and Badallaioc were alone in the clearing, for once. 

"Hmm," was all Badallaioc said, and Laverito found he had nothing to add. So, Laverito hopped up into Badallaioc's saddle, and the pair of them started heading to a place where coins could be spent. Laverito let Badallaioc choose the route, which was a nicer way of saying 'Laverito was just along for the ride'. 

There was profit in Laverito's pockets, no irate thief-catchers chasing him, and his ears were clean. This was a pretty excellent day.