Cernunnos
Beyond caring, I had curled up inside my own head, away from my flayed back where feathers once softly lay, away from my nails nipped to the quick, away from my tortured guilt over Dom's preventable death. The clanging noise around me could not bring up from that place until it nearly touched me. Calhoun freed me with a frantic sawing and I fell to the ground in relief. My shoulders sang to me and I numbly rubbed them with bloodied hands. Cal kneeled down and offered me a bottle of water. A pocket of calm in the middle of a battle. It wasn't enough, but it would have to do.
"You came."
"Of course we did, the birds wouldn't leave without some to follow. Imagine the scene in movies where the bird gets the kid to follow them through the woods. Imagine that with probably every single bird in existence, trying to catch as many people's eyes as possible. We weren't the only ones that came."
"Your sister?"
"She fights on the other side now...Sobek took her while I came to find you," he said, almost questioning.
"She will be safe with him. Come, we have much to do," I said. All of my muscles ached, but they would have to wait. The water helped, at least. We got up to survey the damage the birds had done, and were still doing. Goblins heads their helds, eyes plucked or mangled beyond repair. Cernunnos' mobs had been dispersed and could not reform with such peril above their heads. A few had begun to fire their poison and fire arrows into the air, and had brought down many fair creatures. More had started to dig themselves down into the earth, where it was safe for them. A winged sphinx had arrived out of legend and was tearing about her with great sweeping paws, her terrible gaze naming every kobold before wiping them from this plane. There were creatures on foot too--things that had lived quietly in my town until now. Good to know they had decided to help their resident harpy. It was starting to look like rout but where was Cernunnos? He would not stay to defend his worthless followers--There he was, making his way through--a scythe swipe here and there, wading through and away from the battle instead of into the thick of it.
"Cal, we must catch him!" I took off on foot, not caring if I was followed or not. I heard a horn behind me and glanced back to see a dozen hawks of all shapes peel off from their murder to aid me.
The air rang with my voice. "Cernunnos! Face me!" The beastman stopped his progress and turned slowly, horns rust-red in the dying light. The languor in his eyes infuriated me further. My bones shook, but my inherited rage lent me strength.
"You will answer for the wrongs you have done," I said, my voice carrying across the glade to him. The fighting around us had settled to a dull roar. Nothing and no one else would touch either of us now, this was a fight among chieftains, and would be settled.
"The wrong I have done?" he roared like a bull. "I seek to live and revive the ways of my people. I seek to protect my rightful domains once again, and all of the creatures in it. Even you, foul human bird, fall under my protection. You are the one who must know your errors, and atone." He stood up even taller, so many words giving him more consequence, and continued, "You brought the men from the south, and sold my people away for a fire. You sang their lives away and took them to your halls of death, while I was bound and powerless. You let them all forget me until I was almost nothing. But I did not pass away like my mortal brethren--I did not die, and I did not forget.
"You have killed what is mine, and now I will kill you," I hissed, and flew at him. The hawks circled.
"You came."
"Of course we did, the birds wouldn't leave without some to follow. Imagine the scene in movies where the bird gets the kid to follow them through the woods. Imagine that with probably every single bird in existence, trying to catch as many people's eyes as possible. We weren't the only ones that came."
"Your sister?"
"She fights on the other side now...Sobek took her while I came to find you," he said, almost questioning.
"She will be safe with him. Come, we have much to do," I said. All of my muscles ached, but they would have to wait. The water helped, at least. We got up to survey the damage the birds had done, and were still doing. Goblins heads their helds, eyes plucked or mangled beyond repair. Cernunnos' mobs had been dispersed and could not reform with such peril above their heads. A few had begun to fire their poison and fire arrows into the air, and had brought down many fair creatures. More had started to dig themselves down into the earth, where it was safe for them. A winged sphinx had arrived out of legend and was tearing about her with great sweeping paws, her terrible gaze naming every kobold before wiping them from this plane. There were creatures on foot too--things that had lived quietly in my town until now. Good to know they had decided to help their resident harpy. It was starting to look like rout but where was Cernunnos? He would not stay to defend his worthless followers--There he was, making his way through--a scythe swipe here and there, wading through and away from the battle instead of into the thick of it.
"Cal, we must catch him!" I took off on foot, not caring if I was followed or not. I heard a horn behind me and glanced back to see a dozen hawks of all shapes peel off from their murder to aid me.
The air rang with my voice. "Cernunnos! Face me!" The beastman stopped his progress and turned slowly, horns rust-red in the dying light. The languor in his eyes infuriated me further. My bones shook, but my inherited rage lent me strength.
"You will answer for the wrongs you have done," I said, my voice carrying across the glade to him. The fighting around us had settled to a dull roar. Nothing and no one else would touch either of us now, this was a fight among chieftains, and would be settled.
"The wrong I have done?" he roared like a bull. "I seek to live and revive the ways of my people. I seek to protect my rightful domains once again, and all of the creatures in it. Even you, foul human bird, fall under my protection. You are the one who must know your errors, and atone." He stood up even taller, so many words giving him more consequence, and continued, "You brought the men from the south, and sold my people away for a fire. You sang their lives away and took them to your halls of death, while I was bound and powerless. You let them all forget me until I was almost nothing. But I did not pass away like my mortal brethren--I did not die, and I did not forget.
"You have killed what is mine, and now I will kill you," I hissed, and flew at him. The hawks circled.
posted by Bran mac Feabhail at 6:12 AM
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