The Princess's Feathers

After my inglorious exit from Owens Island, I decided that I would fly for a while. A long while.

At some point shortly after leaving, I realized that while no airships were around to see me ignite the forest, the towering plume of smoke I created was visible for miles around — a huge, brightly lit sign that advertised to the entire Kingdom, ‘Hey!! The Lithan was just over here!’. I knew it would only be a matter of time before airship traffic in the area noticed it, and mom’s warships would be in pursuit after me. It goes without saying that I need to avoid any direct confrontations with one of those.

I suppose I left the island sometime in the early afternoon. But I wanted to keep flying until I was certain I had left Ellyntide airspace, which I estimated would happen sometime after the sun set. Every once in a while I would drop below the clouds and stop to rest at one of the many small islands that float over the whole of Jade. For winged creatures, they offer a quiet spot of respite on long journeys, which is precisely what I was looking for on my long journey north. I didn’t allow myself to stay in one place very long, knowing that if someone happened to spot me descending below the clouds, it would only be a matter of time before warships convened on my location.

That also meant that I didn’t have any time to stop and search for carrion on the ground below. By the time the sun had set my stomach was in knots, roiling every few moments as it begged for nourishment. But I forced myself to keep pumping my wings, past the northern islands of Ellyntide and into the Kingdom of Sarlain.

I’m unsure when I crossed the border. Airships can use navigation instruments to figure out where that invisible line is, but I didn’t know for certain until I arrived at the crescent shaped-island I’m now flying above. This is the first time I’ve ever left the borders of my Kingdom… I wish I could be more sentimental about it, but at the moment, I’m just exhausted.

I’ve been flying for nearly all day on almost no sleep and the tiniest morsels of barely edible food. I need rest, and I need to do it soon.

I’m so deprived of energy that it doesn’t cross my mind just how big of a risk landing here truly is. Once I land, I’ll be committing a grave act of aggression against a hostile Kingdom we’re technically still at war with. A Kingdom we consider our mortal enemies.

I understand these things, and yet I couldn’t care less. I am at my physical limit; I just want to sleep wherever my weary head will lay.

If anything is working in my favor though, it’s the crescent-shaped island I’m over that is wide and forested, remote and unpopulated by animal settlements. Even if there are homesteaders somewhere on this island, I should be able to slip in for the night without anyone noticing.

With almost no energy left in me, I circle down out of the sky and approach a clearing in the middle of the island. Guided by prophets and the light of Maki, I make out a meadow surrounded by tall conifers and paths leading to other clearings. It strikes me as unnatural, but I’m far too tired to pay it mind. With muscles trembling from fatigue I flap my wings hard one last time to slow my descent.

Talons touch the tips of grass, and an act of war is committed.

I settle down and struggle to prevent myself from toppling over into a deep sleep right then and there. After giving myself a moment to catch my breath, I hobble across the meadow to what appears to be the tallest group of trees around me.

I wedge myself under their branches and let go of myself, gracelessly collapsing from fatigue. Darkness envelops me before my head makes contact with the ground.

Perhaps it was because of the exhaustion I felt flying all the way to the crescent island, but I woke up the next morning remembering nothing.

First, I was confused about why I was a Lithan. Again.

Then, I was confused about how I’d teleported from the top of the mountain to a deciduous forest with flora I was unfamiliar with. It took a few minutes of introspection before my memories of the previous day fully returned to me.

I’ve never experienced memory loss like that before. It was actually quite unsettling.

I suppose the upside of being so tired was I didn’t dream at all last night — no nightmares! I actually feel rested today! The sky is overcast again, so I can’t quite tell how many hours of sleep I got, but I feel much better than I did at any point yesterday.

Of course, I only feel better about being sleep-deprived. Hunger still rakes my stomach, worse than it’s ever been, and I’m certain I’ll have to find something to eat before I take off from the island. I won’t have the energy to make it all the way to the Northern Continent unless I get some prey inside me.

I spend some time preening myself before ambling out of the trees and into the meadow to shake off morning grogginess. I stretch my talons out in front of me and push my flank backward until my whole body goes taut. Then I release it, pivoting the stretch to my shoulders while I stretch my wings out.

The claws on my wings are about to touch grass when a scent blows into my nostrils. The distinct, burning wood ash of a campfire.

There are Animals nearby!

Sensing danger my body instantly reacts, releasing the stretch and twisting around to face the direction the smell came from. Off in the opposite corner of the meadow is a wide, grassy path between the trees. From there, the scent of the campfire was drifting through. I remember seeing this path when I was landing last night. Strangely, the area seemed to have quite a few meadows that were all connected by paths like this one.

I raise my head to get a better read on the scents. I take them in and just about fall over in surprise. Buried in the ash is the scent of prey. Somebody is cooking breakfast on the campfire! And it smells fresh enough to be recently killed!

My mouth salivates just thinking about it. Warm, delicious prey!! Finally, I could eat! Surely I deserve it more than the lowly animal who’s cooking it right now, right? I haven’t had a meal in days! I bet you had one just last night!!

I’ll have to scare away whoever’s cooking it of course, but that’s dead simple. To some random Lemur or Marten camping out in the wilderness, running into a Lithan is about the scariest thing imaginable that can happen to you.

With my churning stomach cheering me on, I’m about to march off on my impromptu trip to the campfire before common sense interjects: Stealing prey from somebody here is super risky.

I’m in Sarlain, now. The simple virtue of me being here is breaking the cease-fire that has kept our two Kingdoms out of a full-scale conflict for the past 19 years. If word gets out that a member of the Ellyntide royal family entered their territory and attacked a group of civilians… well, the war would resume. It’s as simple as that.

Of course, I don’t look like a member of the royal family right now. If a random Lithan steals prey from some animals on holiday it might show up on page two or three of the papers. Appearances by Lithans in Sarlain are almost routine in the summer months.

But I’m no ordinary Lithan. I am the blue and cream feathered Lithan who murdered Princess Asha and threatened the edge city of Rhl. By now I’m infamous, and the heartbreaking tale of how the enemy’s Princess was consumed by the talons of a Dragon is all anyone is going to be talking about.

To put it short, my appearance here won’t be skimmed over. They’ll remember it.

And when the time comes that it’s announced Princess Asha isn’t dead and instead was the victim of something insane and supernatural, they’ll think back to that time she landed in their territory and scared the crap out of some people making breakfast.

Will they consider my plight and show leniency? Or will they instead send the airships to resume bombing our cities?

Ghrooogl!

My restless stomach yells at me once more, frustrated by my indecision to continue.

…I might not have the luxury of choice. Last night I felt so delirious, so emaciated from exhaustion and hunger that I woke up this morning unsure of who I even was.

Perhaps I’ll fly away from here and find carrion somewhere else along the way. Perhaps my string of bad luck will continue, and I’ll simply fall out of the sky from malnourishment while crossing to the Northern Continent.

Ugh.

I hate to push another problem into the future, but…

It’s the right thing to do. I must survive, no matter what. When the time comes that Sarlain figures out who I truly am, I’ll just have to deal with the consequences of it then.

My mind made up, I make my way across the meadow in search of breakfast.

I crouched under tall conifers, my body obscured by shadow and branches. From my vantage point under the trees, I gaze out over another golden meadow at a group of three wooden cabins, shoddily built on the opposite end of the field against a row of cypress trees. In the center of them is a fire pit with slabs of meat cooking on a metal grate over an open fire. A group of four animals sat next to it on logs, enjoying their morning coffee and joking amongst themselves.

A short distance away from the cabins was the dissected carcass of a moose. It’s difficult to be certain, but it smells like there’s still plenty of meat left on it.

As I crossed the meadow I landed in last night, I began to notice tree stumps obscured by grass. As it turns out, I had landed in the middle of a field that had been cleared by animals for lumber, perhaps these very animals before me now. The meaning of the meadows and paths I saw from the air last night became clear — this is a Sarlain logging operation.

Loggers live in camps like these for weeks at a time, surviving off the environment and the occasional resupply from airships that come to take the logs away. I’ll be taking their meal this morning, but it won’t be difficult for them to go hunting for more. It assuages my worries somewhat, knowing I won’t cause them any hardship.

They’ll have weapons on them, of course. But if my fight in the hollow was any indication, then they’ll be far too scared to put up a resistance. I’m uncertain what I’d do if one of them was daft enough to try and fight back. Under no circumstances can I actually harm somebody here.

With that in mind, subtlety isn’t going to be my strategy today. My predatory urges, pushed aside and stifled from reaching me, are handed over full control. The more rational parts of my brain are given leeway to sit back and watch as the next scenes unfold.

I explode through the trees, dropping my head to unleash a baleful snarl in the direction of the logging camp.

SKREEECH!!!

Just like it was in the hollow, I feel visceral hatred pulsing through me. These loggers aren’t simply preparing breakfast, they’re desecrating prey. My prey.

Two of the loggers turn to face me in stunned shock. Both are Ringtails, a middle-aged man, and a younger-looking woman. The others, two rabbit ladies, are hunched over in pain, holding their ears down against their heads.

Sorry, I guess. I haven’t had anything to eat in days though, I’m in a lot more discomfort than you right now.

Not allowing them any room to breathe, I keep my head low and open my wings wide. I stride across the field at a pace quick enough to make them sweat, but slow enough that they still have time to flee.

“Mattess evou!! V'eff, uvh zon tilgev!?” the male Ringtail shouts.

“XYFK!! Rky'z du way su khuh!!” cries the female.

The Lemurs jump to their feet and nearly trip over themselves running to the rabbits, still hunched over in pain from my scream. They take them by the shoulders and bring them to their feet, quickly ushering them past the fire pit and beyond the cabins to the dense cypress trees beyond.

I roll my wings and grunt, almost disappointed at how anticlimactic that encounter was.

Keen to finally quiet my stomach, I trot to the cabin on the left and inspect the prey that’s owed to me. As expected, the moose’s flank was already opened with pieces of its innards removed. Judging by the smell, I’m certain that this feral hasn’t been dead for very long. Most likely it was killed earlier this morning and brought straight here for breakfast. I recall the dreadful, half-decomposed fish I gagged down yesterday and am grateful for the chance to eat fresh prey once more.

Finally!! I reach in to take a bite from my first true meal in nearly two full days.

…Or at least, I would have, if I wasn’t interrupted by the gallant cry of a screaming Ringtail.

“K'HE!! Rbk Khuh!”

The male skulks back into view from around the corner of a cabin, screeching a defiant battle cry at me. What’s more, he’s acquired a pitchfork and is holding the weapon out in front of him, making stabbing motions in the air towards me.

My head tilts at this confusing act of aggression. Does he really intend to come after me with that? Surely, he’s not foolish enough to try attacking a Lithan, right? Could he be trying to bide my time so the others can escape to somewhere safer? …But it’s not like I could really chase after them through the forest, either.

Perhaps if I were a regular, feral Lithan, I might be a bit more concerned about this. As small as the Ringtail is to me his disposition is quite threatening, and now he’s armed with a weapon. If I were trolling the island for quick and easy prey, I might think this situation was no longer worth it.

But I’m desperate, and not at all in the mood for this.

“Feckless Ringtail,” I taunt, lowering my head in front of the moose to separate it from the Lemur. I let out a low warning growl and lock eyes with him.

This is my prey, now. I nearly died trying to get this far, and I won’t be giving it up for the likes of anyone.

But the brave Ringtail’s expression is unwavering, and my warning appears to have only strengthened his resolve. With his tail lashing, he steps forward another few paces and keeps the weapon trained on me.

What does he think he’s doing? Does he have a death wish?!

I bare my teeth, eliciting a louder, much more pronounced threat. But again, despite my growl shaking the ground beneath him, the Ringtail takes two steps forward, making more thrusting motions with the pitchfork. His gaze is cold, and his determination like steel.

This is getting out of control. I’m not in any mood to give up my prey, but there’s no way I can harm the Ringtail. Even threatening a Sarlain citizen is walking a thin line, but It would be unconscionable to outright attack one. I’ll never have any chance of leniency in the future if blood is spilled here.

But at the same time, if I don’t eat this prey, there may not be a future for me to ask leniency in. I have to convince him to back off somehow and do it in a way that doesn’t harm him. Isn’t there something else I can try to scare him away?

My stopover at Owens Island comes back to mind. My experiments with fire, and the towering inferno that ensued when I underestimated my abilities. Starting another wildfire is totally out of the question, and even lighting the cabins on fire would be a huge risk.

But, what about my smoke?

It’s plain to see why Lithans never use their fire as a weapon — It’s too powerful. But this Ringtail doesn’t know that. For all he’s aware, the notion that Lithans can breathe fire is just another fairy tale. If I expelled a bunch of smoke and made it look like I was about to blast him with flame, would he believe it? Would bluffing be enough for him to back him down?

Of course, if he doesn’t believe me… well, let’s just hope he believes me.

Slowly, I pull my neck away from the moose, keeping my eyes locked on the Ringtail. When my head was far enough back, I tickled the muscle in the back of my throat, letting smoke escape through my nostrils.

His expression changes from dogged determination to stark disbelief. He retreats a step and struggles to maintain his aggressive stance.

Despite clouds of smoke billowing from my nose, it seems not quite enough. I decide to offer the Ringtail my sincere advice in the deepest, most menacing tone possible:

“R u n .”

The ground shakes, and my mouth slowly opens.

“…Vekew!!!”

Eyes wide in terror, he drops the pitchfork at his side, turning to flee past the fire pit and beyond the cabin he approached me from.

I stand there for a moment and listen to the crackling sounds of footsteps rushing over fallen leaves, gradually moving in a direction away from me. When I can no longer hear him, I wait a few moments longer to make sure his musky scent doesn’t return. I won’t be caught off-guard a second time.

…

Certain he was gone, I let wings heavy with apprehension droop to the ground. I exhale a long sigh and sit, thankful that he took my bluff credibly. I don’t know what I would have done if he hadn’t.

Rationality returns and regret washes over me like cold water. I regret that it had to come to this. These animals weren’t the same as the ones who attacked me in the hollow — they were utterly innocent, a victim of nothing more than their misfortune of being here at the same time I was.

But at the same time, I won’t apologize for doing what I have to do to survive. My life, and my quest to turn back to normal, is far more important than the breakfast of some civilians from an enemy kingdom. When push comes to shove, I’ll always choose the path forward that’s the most beneficial to my Kingdom and the people I’m destined to one day lead. As their Princess, it’s a duty I must never forget.

A cool breeze from the north blows through the trees, and the meadow is silent. I stand and approach my reward.

For the first time in days, I eat.