The Long Winter and the Zarkkh Invasion {DWR x Dark Pigeon]

[darkpigeon]

Kronn did not even fully realize what he had done until he looked at the bloody headless mess in front of his feet. He watched the head of his warlord roll over the snow before it stopped against the feet of one of the harpy's. She jumped up in the air and stayed there, her eyes fixated on the ugly green mess that laid before the feet of Kronn. This had been Kronn's first battle, his first time that he was allowed to walk with the other orcs, a change for him to show them that he was no longer a boy but a man. He had high hopes of himself, how he would be allowed to march with the others after this battle. How he would be above the slaves and the other young orcs after all of this. He was such a good marksman, or at least he liked to believe he was. And with both his cats, he sure as hell would be a hero!. Bot now,in this battle he had disobeyed his warlord, raised his voice and spoke ill of Karth, attacked him, and finally killed him. It was not clear to Kronn if this had been a mercy killing, our downright murder. He had been told to do so by a damn harpy, and he could not lie about it too, everyone had heard her yell at him to kill the man. And he had done so without even a moments hesitation. It was not her words, though he would done anything to keep his own brethren safe.. but he wanted to. He so badly wanted to kill the man that had killed his friend, and who had called it 'just a cat'. The harpy had only helped him realize how badly he wanted Karth death.

He looked up at his brethren, everyone had fel silent as they had watched Kronn kill their Warlord. That.. boy... that scrawny thing standing there with his bloody sword, had killed the biggest and strongest of them all.. over his cat. Kronn knew that his brethren would be devided, that some would say that it was a good kill, and others would demand Kronn's head on a spike for what he had done. Apyr let out a soft purr, and pushed his big fluffy head against Kronn's hand. The young orc stood there as if he had been hypnotized. The fear of what was to come clear in his eyes. He took in a deep breath and cleaned his sword, he sure as hell was not going to look afraid any longer, that would only seal his faith of becoming a very death orc. Instead he looked at each and every single orc as if he was saying "come at me bro!".

The captain of the harpy's smiled from ear to ear, and she would smile a whole lot more if she could. She had won this, the orcs were without a leader. That arrogant bastard that thought they could just walk into the harpy lands with an army was death. Killed by one of their own nonetheless, and by the looks of it he was nothing but a boy. A few of the harpy' stepped back for the orcs as they knew that their captain would keep her word. She might not be the most pleasant of people to be around.. but she sure as hell was not going to double cross the orcs. She wanted to tell the young orc that he had to take his men with him, in her eyes he was their leader now. And if he wasn't she cared little for who was, orc politics was as fascinating to her as watching paint dry.

She had taken a big gasp of air, ready to have her voice heard by every single person there. A smug smile across her lips that quickly made way for something else. The look of sheer terror, a look that both orc and harpy shared when they heard the noise, the sound of hell being unleashed, the sound of an army coming from the deepest and darkest place where not even the bravest of warriors dared to go.

[DukeWolfRein]

The screams that were unleashed upon both armies, or what remained of them, were a combination of anger and death. Shadows shot out from the trees lining the foot of the mountain, and they engulfed Orcs and Harpies alike. The Shadows felt coarse, as if sand, and as they traveled from person to person, Dathri noticed two sets of red glowing orbs on each of them. They seemed to be a mass of swirling shadows, but were in fact separate entities. Dathri felt scared for the first time in her life, nothing had frozen her heart as much as the scene taking place before her now. The screams continued, digging into her brain and clawing at her very essence. Screams of the damned, of men and women that had given everything up and gotten nothing in return. The shadows receeded back to the point between the forest and the mountain, their eyes fixed on the combatants in the field. Slowly but surely the shadows began to take shape, and for a few seconds there was silence as the creatures who presented themselves before them began to growl with a severity that made the ground shake.

Dathri took a step back, the wound on her back now a long forgotten memory. The Orcs all stood still, something she had never witnessed. Orcs were loud, they were boisterous and proud. The Orcs around her though, they looked as frightened as the Harpies were. The Demons were here.

In the middle of the group of Demons stood one that was not the same as the rest. His eyes scanned over the field and a scoff followed as he began to speak. "My name is Zarkkh and these are my pets. I can see you´re all confused about what is currently happening. Simply put, we are going to exterminate all of you and take over this pitiful excuse for a kingdom." As Zarkkh stopped talking, the Demons around him began to run towards the Orcs and Harpies alike. They leapt at them without pity, tearing them to pieces.

Dathri reacted almost instinctively and dove for her Captain.

[darkpigeon]

As the demon spoke, Kronn thought about just running of for the first time in his life. Apyr stood hiding behind him, he knew that these creatures were not natural.. but then again, so weren't Orcs and Harpies. He let out a soft whimper, pushing his body against Kronn who was seeing Demons for the very first time in his life. As the demon spoke he send of cold shivers down every single Orc and Harpy's back, it made even the most seasoned fighter feel scared for his life. Kronn carefully put is blade back in his scabbard and took his bow from his side and an arrow from his back. This were the kind of creatures he did not want to come close to, and he certainly was not planning on doing so.

The captain of the harpy army knew that they were fucked, and royally so. She quickly made an estimate of how many fighters there were left, several Orcs were still breathing, even less so were capable of putting up a good fight. Her army was bigger, and most of her sisters looked strong enough to make at least a dent into the army of demons. She looked back at the demons, she could see by the wings of these creatures that they were not the strongest of flyers. There wings were to bulky, they would have the grace of a flying chicken, but they were strong enough to at least push themselves into the sky and take down one of her sisters if they were not careful enough.

Before Zarkkh was done with his small speech, a large spear flew through the sky and took down not one, but two demons. Pinning them to the ground as they let out an ice cold cry "Never keep a fucking speech before a fight you nincompoop!!! Kill those filthy rats my sisters, don't let them touch you, fly high, dive fast. ORCS!" She yelled as she looked at them, she needed them as much as she needed her sisters at that moment. "Their blood is potion, fight hard, remove their heads, don't let their blood touch your skin!" The Captain shouted, a devilish grin spreading across her face as Zarkkh looked at his fallen soldiers as if this was his first ever fight. The captain took her swords in both hands and looked up at Kronn, for all she cared he was the leader of the orcs now. And now that a fight was at hand the Orcs did not want to discuss any details, so they just looked up at the demons, then to Kronn, back to the demons, and then to the harpy captain who they just trusted more at that moment to make any tactical decisions if it came to a fight with Demons. Kronn did not give a fuck, he shoot arrows from his bow as fast as he could and kept Apyr close to him. He knew that the cat could not fight these things.

[DukeWolfRein]

Zarkkh raised an eyebrow as he saw his soldiers skewered against the ground. There was a bit of a grin on his face as he turned back to face the Harpies and Orcs "My my, you sure are quick on the draw." His eyes began to glow a bright red and a shot of energy left his hand. The Demons writhed in pain against the spear, their cries echoing around the base of the mountain, yet the blood they had spilled seemed to vanish into smoke as it touched the ground. With a loud cry, the Demons broke the spear and broke the bits and pieces off. They turned into smoke, the remaining bits of spear falling to the ground before they materialized and let out a cry of rage. Zarkkh looked back at the Harpy Captain and smiled "Let me show you some of my tricks."

The Demons began to move, tearing into Orcs and Harpies alike in both physical and smoke forms. For every blow the Orcs and Harpies dealt, ten more were returned by the Demons. Dathri understood why their ancestors had feared these creatures so much, why the coming of Demons always mean the end of an era. Two of them ran at her as she got closer to the Captain, and although her reflexes were there, the pain on her back suddenly came back in violent waves. She let out a scream and went to her knees, expecting the tearing of her skin from claws. Dathri looked up and saw an Orc standing above her, the head of both demons on the ground. She let out a sigh and the Orc nodded. She kept going, the pain becoming more and more unbearable. As she looked back she noticed the Demons' bodies turning into smoke and then coming back in full, as if the Orc had done nothing but annoy them.

Zarkkh narrowed his eyes as he felt the Earth shake. There was the faint sound of drums coming from nearby. He spoke in a dark tongue, and the Demons stopped "I see, you're just distractions." Dathri looked up and saw arrows flying from the trees. She took the Captain's hand and pulled her away, running the opposite way of the arrows "Captain, we must leave." The arrows felled a few Demons, and there was a war cry as savage Humans came running out of the forest. Their garbs were of skins, and their fighting was rough and clumsy. Dathri looked at the young Orc who killed the Warlord and whistled at him "Boy! Come! If the Humans catch us we are done! Demons and Humans...Lady's Wings protect us from this menace."

[darkpigeon]

Kronn could barely dodge the low hanging branch as he ran through the woods. The cries of battle was still ringing in his ears as he quickly looked behind him. The harpies followed him on close foot, while Apyr ran ahead as he lead them through the woods as good as he could. They had been running for hours now, their feet where hurting and breaths rasping through their chests. Apyr finally stopped in a small open clearing, he lifted his big head as if he was telling his best friend that they needed some rest now. Kronn nodded, his legs could no longer carry him. He turned around, both harpies were not standing right before him. One of them seemed wounded, he had smelled her blood in the air most of the run through the woods. "We will be safe for now, Apyr will smell them long before they get here" He told both Dathri and her captain. "Your cat should have warned us before then, demons and humans.. one might say he needs to get his nose checked out" The captain said with a snide tone. Kronn snarled, even Apyr seemed to understand what had been said. "For something that claimes that sees all, that can fly high into the sky like a bird. With eyes like hawks and body's like human females.. you have seen nothing, noticed nothing. One might want to check out who they make captain of their flock" Kronn hissed at her angrily as he calmed down Apyr.

He let out a frustrated breath, it was that he needed these two as much as they needed him. He was a rather honorable man, even strangely so for an orc. "Your friend, she needs to be treated, her wounds will get infected" he said to the captain. The older harpy looked at Dathri who was not looking all that well but still standing strong. The bad luck was that she was no healer, she was fighter. She knew only the very basic of medical aid, and she hoped that it would be enough to help the young but very headstrong harpy. The captain looked up at the orc, and then the large snow leopard at his side before nodding. "We need rest yes, and she needs help.. You have.. fought well" She said, throwing in a compliment as she knew that she needed the orc as much as it needed them. Kronn was a little surprised, he did not trust this compliment for as far as he could throw the very mountain he lived on. He dug into his pockets, he had but one roll of bandages and some simple herbs. For small cuts, which he had brought along for if something was to happen to his cat or himself. "here" He said, offering it to the harpy who hesitated before taking it out of his hands

[DukeWolfRein]

Dathri felt a hand against her back as the Captain began to treat her wounds. She was slowly fading in and out, the noises around her turning into echoes, her vision blurring and sharpening from second to second. Her body was almost drained of blood, the effort of running away from a sure death had taken a lot from her. She began to hum a song, to keep herself in the moment. The song was one that an Elder had once sang to all the younglings as they gathered around the fire during the colder months. It was a song of hope, one that spoke of Harpies soaring above the Strophya skies and breaking down the barriers that separated them from the inhabitants of the world below. The notes came easy to her, yet her strength still faded. A raspy breath escaped her lips and she went down to her knees. The Captain caught her and slowly laid her against a tree "Rest now, your bravery was a thing to be admired. As was your recklessness. Do not think for a moment that you will not be punished for killing that Orc." Dathri could only manage a smile as she kept humming. Smile in the face of danger and threats, that was her life motto. She looked at the Orc and nodded, as if letting him know that she was glad he was still with them.

The Captain stood up and looked at Kronn "We need to find shelter, and quickly. The Demons and the Humans, once their blood sport is done, will scout the area. We cannot let ourselves be found." She looked around and then looked to the skies, the sun was on its trip back down to the horizon, and darkness would be upon them soon. The forests surrounding the Mountains were a dangerous place, even more so at night. "Alright Orc, here's what we will do. If it will not be too much of a bother, I will need you to carry the girl. I know of a place not far from here where we can hide out until the morning. Then we will go back to the mountain and alert our Elder of what happened. I'm sure she will find a way to let your Warlords know about the Demons and the Humans." The Captain began to walk towards a path that led into a more dense part of the forest. Apyr sniffed at Dathri slowly before giving her a lick. She lived, for now. "Where do we go?" asked Kronn, perplexed at the Captain's words. The Harpy looked back at the young Orc and smiled "We're off to visit Grandmother."

[darkpigeon]

Kronn had rested his body against one of the tree's, watching both harpy's as the captain took care of her wounded soldier. He had to say that he had underestimated these creatures, they were far smart and stronger than he had ever thought a harpy to be. They looked so very fragile, almost like human children. As Apyr moved from his side to go and see what was wrong with the wounded harpy he snarled silently, he did not like it that his best friend was playing friendly with these creatures. He wasn't all that sure that he was entirely safe with them. They were enemy's, always had been and always would be. Apyr was gently licking the wounds of the wounded harpy, while purring loudly as it hoped that it would help the woman gain strength, she really seemed as if she needed all the help she could get. "Sure" Kronn said as the captain asked if he could carry the other woman, he hated to admit it.. but he needed them as much as they needed him. They would move faster if he was to carry the wounded one, but he really did not like the idea of having a harpy that close.

Kronn crawled back on his feet, they were wasting daylight and needed to move. He said nothing when the woman mentioned a grandmother, as he himself really did not know what to say about that. Why on earth would they go and see some old hag? But this captain seemed to know what she was doing, and all he really could was just to trust her judgement. He walked over to Dathri, Apyr looked up at the orc and gently pushed its big head against the orc. "yeah yea, I know.. you traitor" Kronn mumbled against the big cat that was making sure that the orc was being careful with Dathri. He picked the woman up, and made sure she was safely and comfortably in his arms as he started to follow the captain. Apyr stayed close to him, bumping its big head against him and Dathri, Apyr was worried for the young harpy. He really wanted the young woman to be alright. Kronn silently followed the captain, he had little to say, they needed to be as silent as they possibly could be moving through this forest.

[DukeWolfRein]

The hut beneath the mountain was a place that very few Harpies knew of, but the Captain had come to visit it as a child. The mountain ran on either side of it, the cabin standing as if a rock in the middle of a waterfall, breaking the current. The Captain motioned for Kronn to follow her quietly, her finger coming up to her lips as she walked forward and knocked on the door. There was no answer, whether from within or from outside. The Captain tilted her head in a very bird-like manner. She had never knocked and not gotten an answer. Where was Grandmother? She took the knob and turned it slowly, the door opening easily. The inside of the cabin looked deserted, almost as if no one lived there at all. She remembered fondly the times as a young chick that she had been in here. The warmth from the fire pit in the middle. The smell of cooking meat and mint for seasoning. The sound of the mountain as it moved above them. A magical cabin is what Grandmother had called it. 'One day, it will be yours.'

But The Captain hadn't seen Grandmother since then, not since the discussion against the Matriarch. The Matriarch, a Harpy with the magical ability of twenty mages and the strength of ten harpies. She had driven Grandmother away. It had been years, and still she remembered having just stood there as Grandmother left the Council Cavern. She had just been given the title of Guardian. Grandmother had been so proud, yet so incensed by the idea of the Harpies being militarized. It was unnecessary she would say. She sighed and looked back at Kronn "My name is Soraya, and this is my Grandmother's cabin. I...I don't know where she is, but it'll have to make due as shelter for now." Soraya slowly helped Kronn setting Dathri down and then smiled at the young orc "Thank you for helping us back there."

[darkpigeon]

Kronn slowly moved into the cabin, with Apyr walking close behind him. Kronn was beign carefull as he wasn't truly sure he could trust this whole situation. He still held the wounded harpy in his arms. If she did not get any medical aid soon, she would die soon. As he looked around the cabin he noticed that it had not been used for some years. It worried him strangly enough, he did not want the woman in his arms to die. It was so very confusing to him that he did not want that to happen. He smiled a carefull smile towards the Captain as she intorduced herself. "Seems like we are stuck together now." Kronn said as he kept his eyes on the Captain, who moved to the fireplace to start a small fire to warm up their cold bodies. "Im Kronn, and this is Apyr" He said as he nodded towards the snow leopard, he was not sure what more to say to this captain of his enemy. He moved over to an old bed which clearly had not been used for a very long time, and gently layed down the wounded harpy and showed her a toothy smile before turning around to face Soraya. "So.. this grandmother. SHe can help your friend here?" He asked the captain as he stood there, looking a little lost as he did not know what to do.

[DukeWolfRein]

The sound of the water falling upon the roof of the cabin should have been deafening, but it was gentle and soothing instead. The whole place seemed to be illuminated by an ethereal light with no particular source. Soraya looked at Kronn and nodded before settling in the corner of the cabin, next to where Dathri laid "Grandmother knows all the healing tricks and the ways of the LifeSource. She is able to bring people back from the brink with as little as a leaf and some good intentions. She should be here, at least this is the place where I last saw her." The Harpy scanned the cabin once more and sighed. Her Grandmother was, by all means, a legend among her kind. She had been described as the first Harpy by some, the one all the others had come from. She was ancient and Godly, but if you asked her she would shoot down the rumors and just say she was as mortal as anyone else. The Matriarch was the only one that had ever dared go against Grandmother, and even she had been afraid of repercussions as the old Harpy left the Council Cavern.

Dathri coughed, the fire from her wounds burning once more. She let out a painful yelp and gripped at the bed underneath her. Soraya looked up and raised a quick hand at the Orc "Hold." The sound of wings was around them, all around them to be precise. The Harpy Captain didn't know if it was Demons or her Sisters, but it sounded like a whole battalion was outside the cabin "Prepare for a fight, no matter who is out there Orc, they will not take kindly to us being here or to who we are." She moved towards the door slowly, without making a sound. She gripped her Spear and nodded at Kronn and Apyr before kicking the door open and letting out a war cry. She stopped, almost frozen in place, as a Harpy stood in front of her.

Blonde curls fell in front of a young and untarnished face where two Amber eyes looked up at Soraya. The Harpy seemed unafraid of the Harpy Captain and her spear. Soraya let the spear drop and smiled from ear to ear "Grandmother."

[darkpigeon]

She had not visited 'her' cabin in yearas she wasn't ready to talk to any of her kind after they had betrayed her so. To use magic, to so blindly let it into their lives was something 'grandmother' could not get over so easily. She had found herself another home, something smaller and far less easy to find. She had not have any visitors, not even a stray orc or goblin had wandered to close to her new house. She liked it this way and surely wasn't going to invite anyone anytime soon.

But when she had noticed the smoke coming from her house, after hearing that avalanche hours before, she knew that something was wrong. Without any hessitation she had flown high up into the sky, only to land mere meters before her little old house. She smiled as she saw the owner of the spear, Soraya had grown so much. And by the sight of it she had become a Captain. She would have hugged her surely, but she knew that Soraya used magic just like the rest... this was more then anough for Grandmother go keep her distance from all of them. Soraya stepped aside as she gestured to invite grandmother into the house. "It is good to see you Grandmother. I had hoped for different circumstances. On of our sisters is hurt.. we.. we need your help" she said as she walked into the house. For a second forgetting about the orc that was in there as well.

Grandmother was not at all what Kronn expected. He had thought of some old woman, with skin like old leather and grey long hair. But this... this woman looked younger than the captain. Grandmother looked at him, not at all as if he was an enemy, but not as if he was a friend either. "This is ... Kronn... He helped us getting here. If it had not been for him... " The captain said as she was struggling to say something positive about an orc. "... he has carried our sister. He is no treat to us" The captain said as she walked over to Dathri.

[DukeWolfRein]

The stories of the Harpies were filled with misconceptions about where they came from and how they came to be. Throughout their long history the story of creation had changed time and time again. One figure always stood out regardless of the era. Grandmother. A wise and old Harpy who did not seem to age, the one who looked the most human out of all of them. The other Harpies very rarely questioned her existence, all they knew is that she would come and go throughout the ages. The most magical out of all of them, she could take out entire armies if she wished to do so. She could run from the Mountains to the sea in a matter of seconds. She could spit out fire, lightning and Ice with the ease that even the most skilled of mages could not show. But she was never a warrior figure, she was always a protector. The One who would come to the aid of her Daughters when it was needed.

The main story for Grandmother was the time that she drove off the Elves. Their armies had been scaling the mountains for weeks, eradicating the Harpies' nest they found along the way. Eradicating their "mistake" as they called it. Before they could make it to the Peaks, however, they were met with a creature that moved as fast as lightning and left their soldiers torn to shreds. As the main force advanced, the same creature had summoned a wall of Fire that did not allow them to keep going forward.A human man had presented himself before them, warning them to stay away and go back, that all would be forgiven if they just turned back. The Elves had taken the man and put him through the worst torture they knew. Finally, with his last breath he had asked them to turn back and the Elves had only dumped him into the wall of fire.

The next day, the Harpy made out of pure elemental magic had put down the wall of fire and picked up the bones of her beloved. Her elemental form had turned into flesh and blood, and the massacre that had followed was still talked about by the Elves for centuries after. A blizzard had started afterwards, one that to this day had not stopped. After that, the Harpies had all but disappeared from the world of Strophya, staying in their tall peaks and avoiding the outside world at all cost. For centuries they stayed quiet, their leaders and elders always relying on Grandmother's advice. Until the current Matriarch hatched. She was a gifted chick from the moment she came out of her shell, her wind and ice manipulation developing at an early age. She had climbed through the ranks quickly, proving herself as a general by attacking and clearing out the monster and Drow settlements that once constricted the Harpies' territory. She was the one that had started the mating and killing of other races' males. The offspring had been born more and more mixed, their powers becoming more and more apparent.

Grandmother had advised against the mix, against the attacks, against everything. She was still scared that the outside world. When the Gifted Harpy became Matriarch she had challenged Grandmother, a fight between Elements. Yet Grandmother had backed down, she had chosen not to fight her kin and just let the Matriarch do as she wished. She would not spill the blood of her own daughter. Never. Dathri and Soraya had both been there to witness the challenge and Grandmother's refusal. They had both heard the cries of outrage from the other Harpies as they called out to their Elder to stop the Matriarch from leading them down a dark path. They had both been nervous, yet here they were.

Dathri stared at the aged Harpy, looking for a sign of anger or remorse, but she saw none. She felt the pain rear up its ugly head again and knew that soon she would be going under again. "Gran...Grandmother?"

[darkpigeon]

As she heard that the orc had helped them, Grandmother gave him a friendly smile before she moved over to the wounded Dathri. Kronn walked a few steps towards the wounded Harpy as he wanted to see what this older, though younger looking Harpy was to do. He hoped Dathri could be helped, though a part of him still refused to give a fuck. The captain stood there, looking a bit nervous as she had not seen Grandmother for such a long time. The last time really was the last time anyone had seen her. When she had refused to fight, when she had left. The captain found herself lost for words really, what was so to do... to say? Grandmother started to purr like a cat when she gently stroke her hand over Dathri's forehead before she gently examened the wound that had stopped bleeding. Dathri felt better, calmer, as if the purring sound was calming her very soul.

No matter how powerful grandmother was, there were some things she could not do. She had lost her voice, and was unable to speak. She feared her own voice, but was a gifted mimic. She could create any sort of sound, mimic any voice she had ever heard. Those she used when she spoke, from the lowest of male voices, to the highest of women and children.

"Boil the water" A low male voice said as Grandmother spoke. Kronn had stepped back in shock as he heard such a voice coming from such a fragile looking lady. This was getting stranger by the minute. If it had not been for those demons on the loose, he surely would have left by now. "I'll get to that" Kronn said as he was already gathering a kettle to put some water in. "Thank you" A child's voice said as Grandmother looked at him with a gentle smile.

[Cynthia]

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[Indira]

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