The wind brushed over her feathers gracefully. It had not been this cold for ages. It harmed the forest. The Harpy was concerned. If it stayed this cold, she would be unable to reproduce. She needed the hot summer months. That aside, she had not seen a traveller this year. This was not a good sign. Without a human, the Beasts would not uproar once again.
The Harpy sighed. Everything was awful. Te forest was wittering under her eyes, the Beasts sleeping for seven years. The next strike of wind brought hope. Flesh. The Harpy smelled flesh. Fresh, human flesh. A male.
She ruffled her wings and rose into the air. The vulcanic breeze struck her hard. She led out a yell of joy as she looped around in the sky.
The male travelled alone. He looked around anxiously every few seconds and sweated heavily. He held his cloak in his arms. It had become too warm to wear it. The Harpy could feel the heat through her feathers and scales. She enjoyed its burning touch. Slowly, she swayed deeper, almost touching the top branches with her wings. She landed behind a tree and brushed her hair back. She breathed in deeply and exhaled a few times. Then she stepped out from her cover and exposed herself to the traveller.
He shrieked and backed off.
"Who... who are you?", he said and shakily drew his rusty sword. It seemed totally unable of cutting anything tougher than butter.
"I am the Harpy. I guard this forest and any living creature in it. You human are not allowed to set foot in it! Begone!", she said maliciously and ruffled her wings. He took another step back.
"Please... let me pass just this time", he said, visibly gathering all of his courage. "My sister is ill and I need a herb to save her. Please. I will never enter your forest again." The Harpy flapped her wings and sent a brush of wind to him.
"You dare talk back to me?", she roared. The stranger fell onto his knees.
"Majestic Harpy... I never intended to do harm to you or your forest. I only wish to find the herb... I beg of you. Please, please let me search it." A single tear ran down his left cheek. She settled down a bit.
"Tell me the name of hers." His eyes lightened up.
"Mary. Mary Amber Rosevee."
"How old is she?"
"Seven."
"Follow me." He got up and intended to grab her wing in grattitude.
"DO NOT touch me!", the Harpy bellowed, showing her fangs. She then streched out her wings and took off. The traveller looker at her, confused, then quickly hurried after her.
After about ten minutes, they reached a clearing. The Harpy landed in the middle on a giantic boulder and folded her wings.
"Go. Get you herbs", she said coldly. The man bent down, wiping away grass and flowers. His eyes glittered with tears as he plucked a single whitish-blue flower. The Harpy winced as she felt the life fading.
"Rhidan?" He looked up.
"Y-Yes. Her legs are posessed by an evil spirit, slowly eating her", he said cautiously. The Harpy fought herself.
"You'll need much more, if both of her legs are infected", she said slowly. She glided down and plucked one herself. She then handed it to the traveller. He almost touched her thumb-claw. She hissef and pulled back her wing.
"If a human touches me, I will not be able to bear children this year", she said and backed off. She then pointed at the other side of the clearing. "There are more over there." He winkend a few times in confusion, then got up and walked over. A hot breeze stroke the Harpy's face. She closed her eyes. Her heart beated in a confusing rhythm, in the tact of the dying flowers.
"Harpy." Her eyes banged open. A Beast stood at the fringes of the forest. "A human. I Beast. I kill." The Harpy froze.
"You have awaken", she whispered. It slurped towards the traveller.
"No!" The Harpy sliced through the air and landed in front of the Beast. "You shall not harm this human!" The Beast hesitated, then roared and wiped the Harpy aside with one swing of its paw. She caught herself in the air and began circling around it.
"I have approved him. He is clear. I shall banish him from our forest. Stay aside." The Beast did not listen. The Harpy sweated in the hot sun. She made her decision.
She grabbed the traveller with her talons and flew high into the air. He shrieked and grabbed onto her scaly legs. A single Rhidan-flower fell to the ground. The Beast growled under them, but quickly gave up on its prey. The Harpy glided to the edge of the forest. She set the traveller down and landed beside him.
"You... why did you save me?!", he said disbelieving. "You could just simply let me die... and... I touched you!" The Harpy flinched. She turned away from him.
"You brought hope to our forest", she said. "Be at this spot tomorrow at noon. I will bring you the Rhidan-flowers for your sister. Farewell."