DracoStryx Tributes | Badallaioc, Helagnus: Galyx - Feast

Tribute to Galyx - Prompt: Feast (hunting a unicorn)
Laverito = Laverito (rider, witness for Badallaioc)
Teapot = the casua (owned by SheepMomther, witness for Helagnus)
Badallaioc = Badallaioc
Helagnus = Helagnus

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

 

“You want to hunt with us, you’ll hunt with us. Don’t like it? Go hunt by yourself. It’s that simple.”

Helagnus exhaled, looking rather defeated.

“Make up your mind, flier! In a little while, once sunset is over, none of us will be finding anything in this forest. And that does include you, you arrogant soft-taloned wing-whipper, no matter whatever you’re thinking of boasting about now. Well?!”

“Fine,” Helagnus snapped. She looked away, ruffling her feathers in clear dissatisfaction.

Badallaioc didn’t trust her. Laverito didn't either. The long argument seemed to have stalled for the moment, though. Laverito got himself seated properly, long legs and nimble fingers clinging to the saddle, just in time for Badallaioc to move out. They passed the casua, who turned to follow, and this time, Helagnus trailed after them on the ground. Begrudgingly. 

Attempting to fly while hunting in a forest hadn't turned out well so far. Badallaioc was always extra grumpy when hungry.

They fanned out, searching for the trail. It was, unsurprisingly, the casua who picked it up again. The knock of a pale pink beak against bark was enough to call the rest. Helagnus went left, following the tracks and hints of blood with an aptitude Laverito hadn’t expected from her, given that she so loudly preferred hunted from the air.

The trail twisted sharply left, and Helagnus took the lead. The hoofprints were more frequent and more visible, and Laverito saw more silver hairs caught on leaves or rough bark. Despite fumbling the first strike, Helagnus had still managed to cause some damage, but Laverito still doubted there’d be an easy fight at the end of this.

It was the reason he couldn't imagine why they were hunting a unicorn, of all things. Unicorns were fairly small, and very tasty, but they were also far too clever and very murdery when cornered. Those long horns were not for spars and spiffing good looks, like on whitetails or elk. No, unicorn horns were for slicing, stabbing, and impaling anything that messed with them.

In a normal hunt, if Laverito were to fall off, Badallaioc would most likely crush him beneath a massive taloned foot (accidentally… probably…). In this hunt, if he fell off while three stryx were bringing down a unicorn, he’d be trampled by any number of massive talons and then stabbed for good measure.

Laverito resolved not to fall off.

Minutes later, Helagnus froze, and then squatted down with a soft hiss. Badallaioc and the casua went still. Badallaioc’s back was tense as iron beneath Laverito’s hands. From Helagnus’ position, the unicorn was more easily seen, but Laverito craned his head up until he saw the creature swaying in place next to a particularly ugly oak.

“Surround it,” Laverito murmured. “One from here. One around each side. Helagnus strikes and the others catch if it bolts.”

Badallaioc bobbed his head once. The casua must’ve agreed, slinking off into the undergrowth, going wide so that the unicorn would be less likely to sense anything amiss.

Helagnus said nothing as Badallaioc passed her, going in the opposite direction. Seemed she was going to stick to the plan properly, this time.

Badallaioc was hardly in position before Helagnus decided enough time had passed, a decision made public by the ear-splitting shriek and thunderous stomping. Badallaioc bolted towards the prey, abandoning all thoughts of stealth, and Laverito glimpsed a whirl of silver-white as the unicorn brought that deadly horn slashing down.

Helagnus struck out with grey talons, parrying the unicorn’s attack, and shoved the tapered head aside to try and snap at the flesh of a pale throat.

The unicorn twisted away, leaping backwards - directly towards the casua, who’d appeared right on cue. But the unicorn dodged that attack too, and retaliated with a stab that sent the casua stumbling back.

Helagnus roared, a sound so immense and violent that birds scattered from their hiding spots in the treetops far above. The unicorn whirled around to face her, and Badallaioc lunged forwards and locked his beak onto the unicorn’s already-bloody haunch.

The unicorn made no sound, but twisted to aim that awful horn right for Badallaioc’s eye.

But Badallaioc had a rider, and Laverito was small and skittish, but he was not defenseless. He met the unicorn’s horn with a small but trusty blade of his own. He deflected the horn, just barely. Leaf-green sparks skidded over his fuzzy hand and Badallaioc’s face, but neither stryx nor rider gave way.

Helagnus took the opportunity to finally close her own beak around the unicorn’s exposed neck. There was a snap, and the unicorn’s legs went limp. In all, it was a surprisingly clean kill.

Badallaioc released his grip on the haunch and straightened up. Laverito lowered his blade, but didn't put it away just yet. The casua approached, wiggling with obvious delight.

After a long, increasingly awkward moment, Helagnus released her killing bite and let the body fall. The sun had been setting for some time, and the already-dark forest grew ever darker. Laverito’s black eyes saw through the shadows, but in the evening light, with all color slowly leeching from the world, the scene looked truly macabre. A silver-white body lay there, spattered red-black with drying blood, and three bloody-beaked stryx stood over it with hunger apparent in their eyes.

Laverito fastidiously purloined everything that the stryx allowed - meat, bones, clumps of fur. He did his best to crack the unicorn’s long horn free from the skull, and wrapped it carefully in broad leaves and a bit of scrap cloth, before tucking it away into the saddlebags that Badallaioc always firmly ignored. He sheared off the mane, and tied the silvery hair into a messy but contained bundle. He docked the limp tail at the base of the spine, coiled it into a neat loop, and wound some twine around it to keep it that way. These would all fetch a lovely price at a market somewhere. Laverito might even be able to acquire a freshly-baked pie through legal, socially-acceptable means, instead of swiping one off a windowsill...

There was a festival happening soon, wasn't there? Laverito's part in festivals tended to be more janitorial than celebratory, slinking through gutters and vacuuming up any trinkets or heirlooms lost in the chaos of celebration. But Laverito had supplied more than one desperate festival-goer with the one thing they needed to make sure it went off without a hitch. Surely, some chef would pay handsomely for choice cuts of unicorn meat. 

 

Only some choice cuts, though. The stryx weren't planning on forfeiting their rightful shares. Badallaioc chewed a gristly path through the tough shoulder, with the same gusto he bestowed on jerky and kebabs. The casua sampled the tastiest internal organs, and though Laverito mourned the not-to-be-haggled price of a unicorn liver, he was hardly going to argue with a carnivore's appetite. And moving with all the curt swiftness Laverito had come to expect from her, Helagnus darted forwards, ripped a haunch and a good portion of loin away, and leaped upwards. In a moment, she was gone, only a few drops of blood splattering down after she fought her way through the canopy and winged away.

“Good riddance,” Badallaioc muttered around a beakful of tasty white fat. Laverito wondered when Helagnus might show up again. 'Never' would've been a welcome change - Helagnus' always-hungry gaze made his poor ears itch.

When all was neatly packaged up and tucked away, Laverito meticulously combed the sticky sap and blood and all other detritus off and out of his long ears, until his head finally no longer tingled with discomfort. It was only after he'd freed himself of the maddening layer of gunk that he realized the casua had vanished after Helagnus.