Wraith's Lament: Ch II - Rampage | Sahira's Patrol Day

Wraith’s Lament - Chapter II: Rampage

Sahira’s Patrol Day

By SheepMomther

What a day. General Kali had organized a few teams for the week to patrol the Edge of the World. Some teams were to go around and forage or hunt for any kind of food, while other teams were to search for any traces left by the corrupted Stryx, or for any nearby creatures that would need help. The general had said each patrol would take around two hours to complete. Still, Sahira had left the Taura-Naji camp when the moon had begun to rise, and her tired wings were still roaming the sky when the moon began hiding.

She wasn’t one to complain, though; Sahira was a strong and capable Stryx— some reasons why she was asked to join the general in the first place— and she was always happy to help the right cause. This time, the right cause was one of the disaster relief patrols: as a powerful witch, her skills were very helpful and very welcome whenever they stumbled upon another poor soul injured by the corrupted Stryx that now roamed the volcanoes. It seemed the corruption wasn’t infectious to non-Stryx, and so, Sahira could tend to any wounds with her magic, and help turn the tide against the Wraith. Even if barely.

Still, not even the team leader had expected the patrol to take so long. Truth was, after helping a cavalry of Eláfkeria that had gotten caught in another corrupted Stryx attack, the patrol got led by the cavalry leader— a rich brown Eláfkeri by the name of Smore— to the camping site for the rest of her group, which was filled with more injured creatures.

It was now almost dawn, and the patrol was only now seeing the Taura-Naji camp’s silhouette in the distance. The patrol had a few new faces, too: a petite but stoic Tyto by the name of Maude, an Eláfkeri with a fluffy coat by the name of Moonlight, and a strange creature with bright red gloves by the name of Babycrime.

The team leader had noticed the Eláfkeri flying around the days prior to the patrol, and had decided to follow her to ask if she needed any help. It turned out she did; Moonlight, along with her wife Midnight and a few other Eláfkeria, had taken flight to the volcanoes to look around for volcanic flowers: an important plant they needed to tend some wounds. However, Midnight and the rest had gotten separated from Moonlight when one of the volcanoes erupted, and Moonlight was now looking for a guide back to Sol. After all, Eláfkeria weren’t really from around Wyvera, and she was a little lost.

Maude was found by Sahira, instead. Sahira’s magic rarely relied on material things, but she was still used to them, and to the magic signals they left. She thought she had imagined the magic signs of rite bones, but once they flew past a cave that let out a faint glow every now and then, she knew they were real. Following the signals, Sahira was able to lead the patrol to the heart of a sturdy cave that seemed to have been a graveyard… or the remains of a volcanic tragedy. The magic came from a red-stained black Tyto whose feathers were only visible whenever she attempted another bone spell. Maude almost attacked Sahira and the rest of the patrol when the bone lights let her see the group, but was relieved when she saw the Taura-Naji warriors among the crowd. Truth was, Maude wasn’t in the Edge of the World on vacation; she had been looking for bones for a spell when a seemingly steady volcanic rock wall crumbled, falling on her tail and hurting her. She had received help from the Taura-Naji back in Sol a few times before, but she had no idea they ventured this far into the volcanoes. The warriors— along with the wise-looking Stryx— were a sight for sore eyes. Because Maude needed her tail to fly properly, the patrol had to walk the rest of the way back.

As for Babycrime, no one really knows what she was doing in the Edge of the World. She had previously stumbled upon Sahira, and they had escaped from Spook together, along with a Tyto named Bishop and his friend Yama. Still, as far as Sahira knew, Babycrime had returned to Sol in Rhett’s caravan, and had no reason to return. Communicating with a creature that didn’t talk or, well, communicate in any way was difficult, though, so they just let her tag along, alternating between Sahira and Moonlight’s backs due to her tiny legs being unable to keep up with the larger creatures.

Once they reached the Taura-Naji camp they were staying in, General Kali led Moonlight to her tent to discuss the route they'd take the next day to guide the Eláfkeri out of danger, and back to her family. Maude and Babycrime, on the other hand, decided to stay close to Sahira. Sahira wasn't one to be friendly or cuddly— what's more, most social cues evaded her, with how she was regarded as a magical presence and an omen first and foremost— but Maude's magic had intrigued her, and she knew trying to shake Babycrime off her would be futile.

The general had asked her to take it easy after the patrol, though, so Sahira took a deep breath, and tried spotting the kitchen cauldron she had seen earlier that day.

"Where did you learn bone magic?" She felt Maude startle a bit at the question as they walked further into the camp.

"I don't..." Sahira heard the Tyto behind her speak. Her voice was firm, and calm, although a bit tainted with uncertainty.

"That was an impressive glow you made back in the cave."

Maude stood silent for a second, mulling over what to reveal, and how much to trust. "... Thank you." Sahira looked back to the Tyto, her blue eyes ever-filled with a calming but ominous aura. She hoped it was enough to make up for the lack of smiles or cheerful tones.

Maude only looked down. "I..." she started. "I found some tomes on it back in Sol. The librarian thought they were just fairy tales, but nothing that detailed could be fake." A hint of a burlesque tone escaped the until-now stone-cold Tyto. "Still, the tome is old and worn… and the lava destroyed what was left of it before I was able to learn much."

Sahira hummed in understanding. "I have to work on more potions before the sun hits its peak, if you'd like to join."

The expression Maude let out almost had a laugh escape Sahira. "You're a witch?!"

Sahira ignored the question, focusing on signaling Babycrime— who had been walking next to them until now— to climb back to her leg. Once the fluffy creature's gloved hands hugged Sahira's leg safely, she looked back at Maude. "But if you want to tag along, you'll probably need to get your tail checked. It's a labyrinth of a path if you're not looking at it from above. The Taura-Naji healers can take care of it for you quickly, they're a few tents away from the main bonfire."

With that, Sahira unfurled her cloak-like wings, and took flight with Babycrime. Would the Tyto do as she advised? She couldn't tell. But she truly did need to prepare potions for the camp, so she didn't take the time to look back and check.

Once she reached the Taura-Naji kitchen— a darker, smoke-scorched tent with delicious aromas and a large, communal cauldron— Sahira landed and set Babycrime safely beside her, and they both approached the tent by foot. The warriors in the tent recognized Sahira immediately, and greeted her and her new tiny companion with a smile, before pointing them to the medicinal basket they had managed to forage while Sahira was gone. The Taura-Naji and Sahira worked together through the corruption chaos through an unspoken deal: the warriors that stayed in the camp would collect any herbs they found, and Sahira would make do with the ingredients to brew more potions to heal with.

Babycrime helped Sahira pull the cauldron out of the tent and pick up some rocks and branches to start the fire with. Once the cauldron was ready, Sahira spotted a now familiar face among the clouds: Maude's tail looked as good as new, and she was following the cauldron's smoke to the tent. Beside her, a less familiar face landed: Moonlight, the Eláfkeri that General Kali had found.

Maude greeted Sahira and Babycrime with a nod, and Moonlight stepped towards them with a smile. "Sahira, right? General Kali told me you've been helping the Taura-Naji with magic! Is there anything I can do to help? I know you probably have it covered, but I don't want to just be an extra mouth to feed during my stay here, and I don't really know as much about fighting as I know about magic."

All Sahira did was nod, and push the basket to the Tyto and Eláfkeri with her tail. "I'll need you to ration these into small handfuls, as many as you can get without making them too small. Babycrime's hands are small enough, use them as the measurement." At the mention of her name, Babycrime rushed to Maude and Moonlight's side, holding her gloved hands outstretched to begin measuring the herb bundles. Together, they got the bundles done in no time, while Sahira recited incantations and strange spells into the cauldron as it let out vapor and glow of different colors.

Then it was Maude and Babycrime's turn to hold the potion flasks still while Sahira and Moonlight manipulated the brew into thin strings of a shiny liquid to pour into the flasks.

"Did you see the creature that had been attacking this place a few days ago?" Moonlight asked as they worked.

Maude was the first to speak. "The blue thing? I only heard of it, thankfully. I don't think many were able to escape its attacks."

"Me too, I don't think I would've been able to outfly it, but from what I heard, it doesn't fly at all. Outrunning it, though..." Moonlight focused back on the strings of potion, now with a troubled face.

"HJÖNK!" Babycrime let out as she tucked the next flask away in the Taura-Naji first aid bag. "Hjönk hjönk!" She gestured around with her arms and tail, visibly stressed, and trying to convey something. Maude and Moonlight looked at Sahira for help.

"Babycrime and I did see Spook. Closer than we would've liked."

Moonlight's eyes widened. "Were you hurt?"

"No, a Tyto by the name of Bishop and his friend Yama were with us, and we were able to confuse it enough to escape." Babycrime's frantic nodding showed Sahira had been a successful translator. "If Bishop or I had gotten hurt by Spook… I don't know what kind of magic these Stryx carry, or why, but I don't think we would've found a better fate than Spook's."

"Do you think there's more of them?" Maude asked.

"There is; the general and I got sent with the rest of her party here because several of them were spotted." Sahira said as she controlled two more strings of magical brew into more flasks.

As they continued their conversation, the low noise of distant chaos started rising from the other side of the camp. Sahira stopped the brew from moving to listen, and signaled her companions to move behind her once a Taura-Naji warrior ran to her.

"Sahira! It's here!" The terror in the warrior's eyes was deep and indescribable, and they infected Sahira at the thought of the worst happening. Still, she stayed calm as the warrior caught her breath.

"Another one was spotted, Sahira. It's in the camp! It's destroying everything- people were already hurt!"

Sahira turned quickly to Babycrime, lowering herself enough for the creature to jump to her back, first aid bag safely between her hands.

Moonlight stepped forward once she noticed what Sahira was about to do. "You just said a bite from that thing would make you just as dangerous! Are you sure you can do this?"

Sahira looked between the Tyto and Eláfkeri, not a hint of fear in her eyes. In a swift move, she set more flasks in empty bags, and fastened them around Moonlight's back.

"If I don't make it, you two can keep going for me."

And with that, Sahira took off towards the camp, and towards Rampage.