Chapter 87 - Tender Triumph

<>Harpy's POV<>The shrill victory cries of the harpies echoed through Serendale village as they swooped down, their powerful wings beating the air. Some circled menacingly above the battered homes, while others perched atop the few remaining structures, spreading their wings wide in a display of triumph. The villagers, powerless against the onslaught of these fearsome creatures, had been forced to flee, leaving their homes at the mercy of the invading flock.The air became thick with the scent of impending doom as some villagers, ensnared in the merciless talons of these aerial predators, faced a grisly fate. The harpies, with savage delight, tore into their prey, reveling in the macabre banquet spread before them. As the unfortunate humans writhed in agony, the harpies' haunting screeches echoed through the air, creating a symphony of terror.Amidst the gruesome scene, a sense of malevolence hung thick, accentuated by the twisted remnants of the collapsed courthouse. The once-bustling village square had transformed into a nightmarish tableau of horror. Feathers and blood painted the ground, a stark testament to the ruthlessness of the harpies.In a sinister twist, the harpies reserved one of the victims as an offering for their queen. This unfortunate soul, perhaps deemed the choicest morsel, lay at the center of the carnage, a sacrificial tribute to the regal harpy monarch. The queen, with regal poise, descended upon the scene, her eyes gleaming with a predatory hunger.The harpies had saved one of their most prized captures for their queen's feast – a weaselly man with a bowl-cut hairstyle. As the regal harpy descended gracefully before her flock, the pathetic human was presented to her, squeaking and pleading in desperation to avoid being devoured. His eyes were wild with terror, his hands frantically pointing at himself as incoherent babbles tumbled from his trembling lips – "Chedaim, chedaim. No eat. Chedaim. Me Chedaim. No eat Chedaim."The queen's piercing gaze fell upon the squirming, sniveling wretch before her, drinking in the pitiful sight of a creature so thoroughly broken, begging for the most basic of mercies – the preservation of his own life. Revulsion curled her lip as she regarded the craven display, and in that moment, her appetite for such easy prey evaporated.This sniveling excuse for a man reminded her of another human from long ago when she had been little more than a fledgling like young Lunabunny. The memory caused the queen's eyes to narrow as she scanned her assembled flock, her heart clenching with sudden worry as she realized Lunabunny's absence. Where was the spirited young harpy?Worry etched lines across her regal features – for if any harm had befallen Lunabunny, the queen's wrath would be as terrible as it was inevitable. Just when she thought about one of her fledgling a veteran harpy landed behind her.By the smooth sound of the beating wings she knew it was Nightglare, the replacement of Wingclaw, her deceased second in command."The stoning was a success, my queen," reported Nightglare, one of the Queen's most trusted Talons. Her eyes were as dark as a starless night, piercing and unforgiving. "The humans have retreated to the Wyvern's Forest."Turning her back on the whimpering Chedaim,The queen harpy's eyes swept on the surroundings, a muffled jubilee of the harpies carried on their premature celebration over the village.Amidst the celebration, the queen unfurled her magnificent wings—followed by her talons— a signal for a silence that her subjects obeyed instantly.She cut an imposing figure, perched regally atop the half-demolished courthouse wall, her elongated tail feathers fanning out behind her to prevent her regal form from touching the dusty bricks. Natural tiara-shaped feathers adorned her head, marking her as the sovereign of this deadly flock."Good work, each one of you," the Queen commended, her voice like silk draped over steel. She surveyed her victorious flock with a sense of pride."This day we have destroyed the human's last stand on this mountain. All of our sisters' sacrifice would not go in vain." The queen started her speech,"They captured our sisters, burned down our hunting ground, and now they must pay with their lives.""The human has retreated to the wyvern's forest and will be back, but we will be ready to defend ourselves from their wretched hands."Nightglare's eyes glinted with a hunger for more carnage. "Shall we pursue them? With the wyverns gone, we can finish off the humans for good."The Queen's expression hardened. "No, stand your ground, Nightglare." Her tone brooked no argument. She was well aware of the delicate balance they tread – the Silent Forest was wyvern territory, and even a single harpy feather found within its borders could reignite the bloody war that had decimated their numbers in the past.A shudder passed through the Queen's powerful frame as memories of that devastating conflict resurfaced. Even now, years later, her flock had yet to recover from the losses sustained in that brutal clash with the wyverns. She could not afford to wage war on two fronts.Curiosity flickered in the Queen's piercing gaze. The humans' retreat to the Silent Forest was a surprisingly strategic move as if guided by one who knew the harpies would not dare trespass on wyvern lands. A cunning ploy, one that demanded further scrutiny."So, what do we do now, my queen?" Nightglare asked."We shall stay until the snow comes down. We must show these humans who own this part of the mountains. Humans are fragile. they couldn't stand the cold for more than two nights in the forest. The cold will finish them off." The queen harpy gazed towards the sunset. brooding."After the snowfall, we shall make pilgrim to the Sanctuary and return with fresh wings and feathers to crush the human in this mountain once and for all."a familiar dark-skinned harpy with golden-colored feathers landed in front of the queen harpy."Goldenwind, have you found Lunabunny?" The queen harpy glanced at the golden-colored winged harpy."No, my queen. unfortunately, I have to focus on helping the sisters drop rocks on the human." Goldenwind replied, her dark skin glistened by the sunset.The queen harpy jumped on top of the destroyed bell tower to address her harpiries. Her talons,—her lieutenants or right-hands—screeched as they spread their wings to get the other harpies' attention.All the harpies circling on top of the village landed down. the harpies who celebrating are now went silent, they perched and mingled, facing towards the queen, ready to hear what she was going to say."Listen up sisters! we will go to the south, and the pilgrimage will be a long journey. Injured or not, I don't want any single feathers left behind at the nest." said the majestic queen.She remembered one time, three harpies were left in the nest because they couldn't make the journey and when she was returned they were nowhere to be found with a new human corpse left at the bottom of the craggy peak, indicating that the harpies left were captured by the humans."Keep your eyes open for Lunabunny and the others." the queen harpy"Yes. my queen," Goldenwind repliedGoldenwind is responsible for the flock's well-being like a quartermaster of a soldier's barrack. She was good at searching and scouting for her sisters. She knew each of their characteristic like the back of her wings."What if we couldn't find her until the snow came?" asked Goldenwind.harpy queen "Then we should leave her be in the wings of Sky Mother. it was unfortunate. Let's just hope she will join us before we make the pilgrimage to the Sanctuary."She walked to the other corner of the destroyed courthouse where several dead bodies of harpies were arranged.The harpies came down from the sky, they brought another lifeless body of a huge harpy. It took four harpies to haul Wingclaw's dead body."What happened to her?" She asked in disbelief."Human, my Queen." One of the harpies replied.⁕⁕The harpy queen tenderly placed the lifeless form of Wingclaw amidst the fallen sisters, a somber scene where the collapsed courthouse walls bore witness to the toll of their relentless assault on the human settlement.Mourning draped the queen's majestic form, her sorrow palpable, especially for Wingclaw, a comrade bound by the shared echoes of the wyvern-harpy war a decade past.As the queen delicately adjusted Wingclaw's face to meet the vast expanse of the Mother Sky, a cruel reality unfolded—Wingclaw's lifeless gaze would never meet that celestial expanse again.Wingclaw, the harpy who had once triumphed over a wyvern single-handedly in the fierce battle of the Hook Summit mountain, now lay defeated, her neck snapped by a mere human during the relentless bombardment of the human settlement. The inexplicable mystery of life unfolded before the queen's eyes—a creature who had faced the ferocity of wyverns succumbed to the hand of a human in the chaotic dance of war."Oh, Wingclaw," the queen whispered, her words carrying the weight of loss and disbelief. The once loyal harpy, a survivor of wyvern onslaughts, now joined the fallen ranks, victim to the unpredictable twists of fate."I'll bring them back to the nest for their eternal rest," the queen declared, turning her attention to Nightglare, her trusted talon. "You will be in charge when I'm gone."Nightglare, with a solemn nod, acknowledged the weight of responsibility that now rested upon her wings. As the queen prepared to ferry the fallen to their final resting place, a sense of duty and sorrow intertwined, leaving the harpy horde to navigate the delicate balance between grief and the unyielding call of their eternal quest.the village occupation was risky for harpies too because they risk a surprise attack in the night and they can only fly away, they have a bad sight at night.