Morrigan's lit hub: Friends!

Published Jan 6, 2023, 9:05:19 PM UTC | Last updated Jan 6, 2023, 9:05:19 PM | Total Chapters 1

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A hub for all my Morrigan lit pieces

 

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Chapter 1: Friends!

Kyou's sensitive nose twitched as the scent of something unusual caught her attention. It smelled vaguely of bird, with a dash of human, and a large helping of another scent that she couldn't place at all. Her attention was grabbed and her curiosity was piqued; time for an investigation! She let her nose lead as she bounded her way through green fields dotted with livestock, homes, and gardens. She snatched a few of the prettier flowers as she went placing them in her fur once she was out of range of the enraged gardeners. It wasn't her fault their lilies paired so well with her fur; she was going to be meeting someone and she had to look presentable!

 

Eventually, the rolling hills gave way to a thick forest and for the first time in this entire journey, Kyou paused. She wasn't one to spook easily but something about how thick the canopy was, how it felt like as she stared at these trees that seemed to have been there since Terran was born the woods stared back. The scent was so so close though, as was the scent of another Nir. She spent all of three seconds debating which to chase after first before a loud screech made up her mind for her. Maybe the woods would be nicer if she brought a friend, someone they were familiar with. Yes, this was a perfect plan.

 

Her paws chewed the dirt beneath her paws as she ran faster and faster. The treeline became a blur of dark shapes in her peripheral vision and her mind, ever so helpfully, decided that these shapes were actually creatures just waiting to get their hands on her pretty red pelt. She was so caught up in her fear that she didn't pay attention to where she was going until she was brought back to reality with a painful collision.

 

"Don't eat me!" she cried her eyes tightly screwed shut. She was sure that she'd run out of luck and straight into one of the creatures following her. She'd gotten herself all prettied up too! What would be left of her once they were-

 

"Why on earth would I eat you?" the monster replied. Wait. Monsters didn't speak Terran ... right? She cracked open one chocolate brown eye and then the other.

 

"Oh. Not a monster," she murmured. Though the cloaked nir did look awfully suspicious just doing Valcyon knows what in a cloak by a dark and scary forest.

 

He seemed to cringe ever so slightly at the word 'monster' his muzzle scrunching up for a brief moment before he spoke, "My name is Ikemefuna, though most call me Ikem for short, and you are correct: I am not a monster. However, I am tracking what I believe to be one."

 

He was here about the new scent too! As if a switch had been flipped Kyou went from nervous to excited, her previous fear all but forgotten at the excitement of a friend to discover with.

 

"I'm here for the scent too!" she said bouncing around him like an excited cub. "My name is Kyou! Why don't we go together? That way the forest can pick whoever runs sl-I mean so we can watch each other's backs."

 

Ikem rolled his eyes at her. "This forest harbors no ill will, or mind at all for that matter, not that I'm aware of at least so the only danger should be the monster. Come on, we're burning daylight just talking and I'd rather not have to face whatever this is at night."

 

Without another word he just walked into the forest like it was the most normal thing in the world and definitely not the beginning of a campfire story that ends with the Nir never being heard from again. She shuffled on her paws nervously for a moment or two before her curiosity won out over her fear.

 

"Hey wait up!" she called as she dashed into the definitely not scary at all, and most certainly not filled with shadow monsters waiting to feast on some unsuspecting Nir, forest after Ikem.

 

--------------

 

The pair met up again by pure accident as they zeroed in on the unfamiliar scent.

 

"Where have you been?" Ikem asked raising his brow at her.

 

"Lost." Well lost and she'd had quite a few detours to look at whatever had caught her interest including a few giant feathers. "Oh! I found some really, really, big feathers on the way. I'm honestly not sure what they could belong to. Some of them were as long as I am."

 

Both of them knew that wasn't good. They didn't get much of a chance to think things over though before the relative calm of the woods was broken by a booming screech.

 

"Morri's space! Morri's space!" the monster cried as it hopped out into view. It was an absolutely enormous bird at least thirty feet in length with a beak that was filled with teeth.

 

The pair of Nir stood frozen in a mix of confusion and fear. This didn't look like a reaper or any other animalian hazard they'd ever seen before, it could talk, and it had the scent of humans on it but no blood as if it lived with humans.

 

"Uhm...Ikem? What is that?" Kyou whispered out of the corner of her mouth. The look of 'does it look like I know' from him said it all. This was a brand new discovery. The biggest shiny, but also a scary shiny. Why did this one have to be scary instead of just small and cute? Something she could take back with her and keep as a pet.

 

"Uh Morri is it? What are you?" Ikem asked trying to get a good look at this 'Morri' through what light filtered through the trees.

 

"Am Morri!"

 

"That is — that's the opposite of helpful." Ikem finally took off his cloak and it turned out, Kyou decided, that he wasn't so shady after all. That was until she saw all the strange little bumps open each one blinking independently of the others. She wasn't expecting that. His shoulder eyes flicked over to look at Kyou with a bit of a roll. "Yes these are all mine, no I am not a monster, no I am not going to hurt you I'm just trying to get a better look at our 'friend' over here."

 

"Friend? Morri likes friends! But friends smell funny, can talk like big dogs but not dogs. Morri never smelled friends like you," she said hopping forward a bit more. She leaned over as far as she could without toppling over to try and get a better scent. It was then that both Nir noticed her glassy green eyes. No wonder why she'd been so territorial.

 

"Friends? Friends. Friends is good," the pair said in unison. Better to be friends than lunch.

 

"Friends!" Morri cheered. "Can friends help Morri find Bird Lady? Morri has treasure to share if friends help."

 

"I'll help!" Kyou said without any hesitation. She loved shiny things, and treasure was always shiny.

 

Ikem was less enthusiastic but someone had to be the adultier adult here. The bird lady must be the human scent he'd caught. He went within biting distance of their new 'friend' to get a good whiff of the human scent and motioned for Kyou to do the same. It was faint but workable.

 

"Alright I've got it, if we help you get out of the forest can you fly-"

 

"Morri is not allowed to fly." She croaked.

 

"I'm afraid to ask," he murmured.

 

"Last time Morri flew she broke wing, and the time before that she sprained foot, one-time Morri crashed into barn. Morri is not allowed to fly."

 

Ikem took a deep breath in and then a deep breath out as he plopped down onto his haunches pinching the bridge of his nose with his right paw. Kyou could tell that part of Ikem was /suffering/. "So you mean to tell me that you're essentially flightless? Meaning we're going to have to walk the entire way?"

 

"Yes."

 

There was a pregnant pause as Ikem seemed to try and process what he'd gotten himself into. After several minutes he took another deep breath, got up, and began walking turning back just long enough to say: "Kyou you watch our flank, I'll take point. Let's find us a bird lady."

 

----------

 

They were just barely out of the forest when darkness fell. They'd need to make camp and, of course, Ikem hadn't brought anything substantial because this was just supposed to be just herb gathering. Not a sudden quest to find a mysterious 'bird lady'. "We'll have to make camp here for the night. Thankfully it's not rai-"

 

A clap of thunder was all the warning he got before the heavens decided to dump out every last ounce of water it had accumulated over the past few days. Normally he'd skitter to the nearest dry spot but he just didn't have it in him and instead let the rain fall onto his fur. At least it was a warm rain, he hated cold rain more than he hated being wet.

 

"Friend! Come out of rain before you get sick!" Morri called.

 

"It's nice and dry under Morri's wing!" Kyou added. "Come on!"

 

Better than staying out in the rain to sulk at how everything seemed to be going off course. He trotted over to take shelter under Morri's wing and sure enough, it was dry and warm too. Honestly, all that was missing was a fire and he wouldn't really be able to tell the difference between this and a small cave.

 

"Thank you Morri," he murmured now feeling a bit guilty over his exasperation. It wasn't Morri's fault she'd gotten lost. "I think we got started on the wrong paw. I'm Ikem, an herbalist by trade, and I'm working on mastering healing magic."

 

"I'm Kyou! I like finding pretty and shiny things!"

 

"Am Morri, Morri likes Big Dogs, Bird Lady, and flock! Morri also likes shinies! Morri has entire collection of fun things! Maybe Morri show friends shinies once friends find Bird Lady?"

 

Kyou's eyes lit up at the idea her many tails flicking out of excitement. "I'd love that!"

 

"I-" he paused, Adegoke said it'd be good for him to make some actual friends. Maybe this was his chance? "Sure."

 

Morri cooed doing a happy wriggle in place. "Can't wait to show and have Bird Lady meet new friends! Morri sure she will like new friends."

 

"So what's bird lady like?" Ikem asked.

 

"Bird Lady is very nice! Raised Morri and Horus from hatchlings, and saved us from meanie stryx who wanted to take us because we naughty. She also save birds and stryx who hurt. She help them get better and give home if they want. We have big, big flock! Morri have many friends at home but always like making new friends!"

 

"So she's kind of like your mom huh?" Kyou asked.

 

"Is much like mom. Morri love her very much. Hope we find her soon. Bird Lady will worry if gone too long."

 

Ikem rubbed his head against her side reassuringly, "We'll get you home. I promise."

 

The next day they set out once more though the rains had washed out most of the scent there was just enough for the Nir to get an idea of where she went and it seemed she wasn't too far. Not quite within line of sight but definitely close.

 

"It smells like we're getting close," Kyou, who'd since taken point, said.

 

"It does." Ikem nodded in agreement, "Morri how about you try calling for her? Your call should carry pretty well since this is a relatively flat area. A couple of hills but nothing that would block noise too much."

 

Morri gave no warning before letting out an ear-splitting shriek dazing Kyou and Ikem both. "Like that?"

 

"Perfect," the pair replied as they tried to shake the ringing out of their ears.

 

It was only a few seconds before Morri took a deep breath to try again.

 

"NO!" Neither Nir wanted to go deaf and the whole of Terran had probably heard her. If her bird lady was here it wouldn't take long for her to show up.

 

Kyou and Ikem both kept a close eye on the horizon hoping to see bird lady's approach.

 

"Morri!" A human voice from behind broke the silence startling both Nir. "Thank Appiaq you're safe."

 

Neither nir had any expectation for what this mysterious bird lady might look like this, however, was not it. She was most certainly human but covered in full plumage with a pair of extremely large wings.

 

The nir looked at each other, back to 'bird lady', then back to each other with confusion.

 

"Was not expecting 'bird lady' to be literal," Kyou said as she tried to process this.

 

"Neither was I," Ikem admitted as he watched Morri preen Bird Lady.

 

"Did you two help?" Bird Lady finally asked glancing between the feline pair. Her accent was strange and thick but understandable.

 

"Yes," Kyou finally answered. "I'm Kyou and this is Ikem. We found Morri in those super scary mon-"

 

Ikem put a paw over her muzzle with a glare and mouthed 'not now'. "What she means to say is: we found her wandering alone. She asked us to help her find you and now we have."

 

"Pleasure to meet you both, I'm Avi. Thank you so much for helping, I'd been worried sick about her, glad to know she was in good hands..er paws."

 

"Happy to help," Kyou said with a toothy grin.

 

"I'm not sure if this is enough but I've got some drops?" Avi reached into her pocket and pulled out a small bag of them. There weren't many but it'd be enough for him to buy some herbs and for Kyou to get...something. While the pair sorted out an equal share of drops Avi and Morri left without a word.

 

"That was fun but I've got to head home now...or try to."

 

"Where do you live?" Ikem asked. "I can help you navigate the 'super scary, monster-infested, woods'."

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