In the pre-dawn light, Aster sleepily blinked open her eyes and straightened up. The forest’s canopy and fog blocked her visibility, but she could tell by the faint glow in the sky the sun hadn’t crested the horizon yet. Too early for her to wake. Therefore, something woke her.

The realization snapped her awake. The blue jay’s crest puffed out, all the feathers on her head standing out like a fuzzy halo. Her feet tangled in her single-night nest. Her feet tripped over the golden chains and shiny stones she’d found amongst the forest’s moss, and the metallic click-clanks sounded as loud as falling trees in the silent forest.

When her feet stilled, her balance still wobbled. Aster realized the tree itself was vibrating. The branch she’d slept on wobbled, and she shrieked in alarm as she took to the air. Other bird cries filled the air from awoken neighbors, but she couldn’t tell from their returning calls what this was. Not an owl or a hawk. Not an earthquake.

Aster circled the tree, her puffed-out crest signaling her fear even as she stayed to investigate. When she glided by the tree’s side where her nest was located, she saw a wolf scaling the branches and with its eyes on her golden stash.

“How dare you! Is it not enough that you wolves own the ground?” Aster shrieked. “That is my nest and I was sleeping and that’s my shiny collection, you mammal!” Mammal, of course, was the highest insult to blue jays. “Leave at once, or I’ll make you!”

She had escaped again. Did she learn the first time? Obviously not. She hated Habari. Hated the wolves that lived there. They were not her friends. Not her allies. Her dead father had told her as much. They just lived to insult her and treat her like trash because they thought she wasn't as smart as they were or they thought they were all better than her. That was fine, she had been learning new things in her dreams with her dead father, and little did those bullies know she'd get her revenge! For now, though, she took to exploring the forest a couple of territories over in search of...well...nothing in particular. That is until something flashed and caught her eye.

In the dawn light as the sun rose up, the light had reflected off of something in the trees and it had certainly caught Medusa's eye. For several long minutes, she had circled the tree trying to figure out how to get to it, but eventually, she got the bright idea to roll rocks and stack wood so she could get high enough to get to the first branch and gain a foothold. The moment she did, the tree set to shaking and swaying as she zeroed in on the shiny things, the birds around her practically ignored until one, in particular, stood out from the rest. Pale head turned to find a pretty little bluebird yelling at her, and so she stopped where she was to bark back. "Medusa saw the shinies and Medusa wants the shinies! The sun showed them to her and she will get them!" She retorted, all the while she was slowly losing her grip and she was slowly slipping down. "Bird has pretty feathers! Medusa wants some of blue birds feathers. too!" She exclaimed as she swiped out with one paw to try and snag a feather.

Unfortunately for her, the moment she let go with one paw, she completely lost her grip and fell to the ground with a thud.

"Speech"

“Selfish mammal!” Aster shrieked. She dipped one wing to circle above Medusa in a tight circle. The wolf pawed her—catching on her left wing’s feathers without striking real flesh–but Aster was able to stay airborne. “My nest, my gold, my feathers, is there anything you don’t want?”

Thankfully, the wolf lost her grip on her own. Aster cackled with laughter. She wasn’t usually malicious, but she thought the wolf deserved it after rudely waking her up and trying to steal the very feathers off her back. Predators preyed on sleeping birds—she could understand the need to eat—but she never would’ve expected such a ploy from an owl, not a wolf.

“Learn your lesson yet, or are you going to climb up for more?” Aster chittered two notes that sounded like a mocking tut-tut a mammal might’ve made. Her voice sounded less afraid, more mocking, with an unhealthy streak of arrogance wedged in. She put on a brave face as if she’d been the one to knock the wolf out of the tree herself—even though Aster knew perfectly well the wolf fell of her own clumsiness—for the intimidation.

“Get away from my tree! Shoo! Run back home with your tail tucked between your legs like the ground-dweller you are. May you cut your paws on stones on the way back! And trip over a root! Then smash your wet nose on a rotting coyote corpse! That’ll show you, yeah, go run off and do that, you mammal!”

While she hurled her insults, Aster dipped her left wing to circle tightly above Medusa. She wasn’t in range for a paw swipe again, but if Medusa jumped and was fast enough, the wolf might manage to land a paw on the blue jay.

Aster abruptly pulled her wings in close and feigned a dive bomb to Medusa’s head. The closest she came to Medusa was about four centimeters away from the wolf’s left ear. She pulled her beak up quickly, swooping up to return to circling above Medusa’s head, where the blue jay could continue hurling insults and emotional trauma.

She fell. And the bird laughed at her. Calling her selfish. Mocking and cackling at her and saying that she hoped Medusa cut her paws on stones, trip over roots, and smash her nose in a coyote corpse. Okay, so the last part Medusa would do without any prompting anyway, but her ears folded back as the bluejay hurled insults, and called her a mammal! What was a mammal anyway!? She felt the sting of hot tears and her face flushed hot as well as the bird continued. It reminded her of the things some of the wolves back "home" in Habari said to her, and she just couldn't understand why everyone was so mean to her! Even a bird! All she wanted was to collect the shiny things and have a pretty blue feather like the bluejay, but of course, she still wasn't quite in the mindset of an actual adult to be able to socialize very well.

She sat slumped on the ground for a few moments until the bird started dive-bombing her, and although she wasn't actually being hit yet, the skeleton marked girl acted on emotional instinct. "Medusa just wanted shiny things and blue feathers to put in her fur so she's pretty like you! But birds and wolves are mean to Medusa! Medusa hates home and she hates birds now, too!" Okay, so the last part she'd likely get over. Birds were pretty, and she liked listening to them sing in the morning. But this one was rude! (of course, she had been rude first).

She got to her paws and launched herself in the air, teeth snapping wildly as she tried to snatch the bluejay from the air. It was a significantly smaller creature than what she was used to, but she was determined to make the bird eat her own words! Maybe she could knock some feathers off in the process and use them as accessories!

Medusa vs Aster for Dominance (shut up and stop being mean! Also...I want a feather...!)
Round: 1/?
Age: over 1yr
Size: Medium
Build: Light
Skills: Intermediate Fighter & Novice Hunter

"Speech"

Medusa’s words caused Aster to hesitate and feel a smidge of regret. Then she remembered how terrified she’d been when she’d woken up to the tree shaking and a predator species trying to climb up into her nest, and self-righteous anger overwhelmed her thoughts. “Stop crying! How would you like it if a giant cat broke into your den and tried to cut your tail off?”

When Medusa launched herself up in the air, Aster shrieked and beat her wings to fly higher. Medusa’s teeth caught on one of her left wing’s feathers, but it wasn’t a flight feather, and thankfully wasn’t a pin feather. “Stupid and slow, what else could I expect from a mammal?” Aster jeered.

Of course, the wolf continued jumping up and down. What a mammal thing to do—if something doesn’t work, keep loudly trying the stupidest option until others come over and wreck everyone’s day. Aster hovered just above Medusa’s range as she shrieked more insults.

“Did you drown in your momma’s belly, mammal? Is that why your brain is so slow?” Aster chittered out a laugh. “And your breath is disgusting! I bet you really do eat rotten coyotes. I’m not surprised, you’re so bad at hunting, all you can catch are corpses!”

In the middle of her last sentence while Medusa launched herself in the air, Aster suddenly dived and attempted to scratch Medusa’s nose with one of her feet. Then she beat her wings and climbed to a safe distance, away from those terrifying teeth. “That’s for scaring the shit out of me this morning!”

Medusa vs Aster for Dominance (how dare you try to steal my treasures and feathers!)
Round: 1/1
Age: over 1yr
Size: Small Species (11’’ bird)
Build: Light
Skills: Intermediate Navigator (pending approval in maintenance thread)

// EDIT -- edit done to change Round from 1/? to 1/1. Done with permission from Dragon! And at Dragon's suggestion tbh

And the winner is...

Medusa

Aster must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Medusa:: Attack Roll: 44 Defense Roll: 39 Agility Roll: 59 Perception Roll: 18 Total: 160 Attack[44] + 10% Bonus[4.40]: 48.40 Defense[39] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 39.00 Agility[59] + 5% Bonus[2.95]: 61.95 Perception[18] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 18.00 Total[167.35] + 10% Bonus[16.74]: 184.09 Aster Attack Roll: 36 Defense Roll: 27 Agility Roll: 38 Perception Roll: 41 Total: 142 Attack[36] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 36.00 Defense[27] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 27.00 Agility[38] + 15% Bonus[5.70]: 43.70 Perception[41] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 41.00 Total[147.70] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 147.70

Shrieking in outrage—and fear—the blue jay flew up and away, landing heavily on a nearby willow branch. Insults popped in and out of her head, but she was breathing too heavily to scream them. Stupid wolf. Ruining her morning like this! Aster realized she should’ve simply flown off with the rest of the birds, but at least she hadn’t sustained major damage.

“Bet you’re so happy now. Fine! Take the treasures! Keep that feather! Hope you enjoy your reward for thievery and jerkishness.” She hopped on the branch and shook out her wings, preparing to fly off once she’d recovered. “What a mammal thing to do, bullying around a smaller bird with your teeth and bulk.”

“Stop crying! How would you like it if a giant cat broke into your den and tried to cut your tail off?” Okay, that bit got Medusa thinking for a moment, but she was too emotionally heated to really think about it. “Stupid and slow, what else could I expect from a mammal?” And then that made the thought completely fly out of the window. It reminded her of the things Misery said about her, when he called her dumb and that were she a pup of his, he would've killed it. She knew she wasn't the brightest star in the sky, but she still had feelings and she could still think for herself. While she did struggle with social cues and, well...several things, she was starting to figure it out since she found out she had a father. Well...he was dead, but he'd been visiting her in her dreams and teaching her the things that she hadn't learned when she should've.

Still, the Bluejay was being mean. And Medusa had managed to yank a feather from her. The bluejay's insults piled onto her, and she felt frustration bubbling over, made worse when the bluejay managed to dive in and scratch her nose enough to make it sting. When the bluejay flew out of range after that, Medusa stopped jumping but kept her eyes on the bird. Hot tears threatened to spill from dual-toned eyes and her lip trembled. She dropped the feather she had managed to snag as she sniffed back the emotions that threatened to choke her. "Why is everyone so mean to Medusa! It's not Medusa's fault she's dumb and slow and stupid! Medusa tries...!" She choked as she tried to keep herself from crying with the multitude of things she was feeling.

"Speech"

More insults piled on the tip of Aster’s tongue, but she kept her beak shut. She’d said her piece, and she needed to save her breath to fly off. Right? But as she watched Medusa for signs of further aggression, the black and white wolf stayed down on the ground. And looked… sad?

Aster hesitated. Was she reading Medusa’s body language right?

And why cry, anyway, when Medusa had started the fight? Aster realized—regardless of the answer—the oddity definitely had some screws loose. All the gold in the world wouldn’t tighten those bolts. Really, she should fly off, because an unstable wolf was dangerous to a bird, especially a tired bird, but… her curiosity wanted to know why.

She sighed. Maybe she could reason with the wolf and get her gold back. And maybe she was too nice, trying to explain this basic concept of defining meanness, but at least she could fly away if Medusa became aggressive again.

“Okay, you do realize you attacked me, right?” Aster tapped her claws on the branch in exasperation, but she tried to think about this as if she were explaining this to a hatchling. “I woke up to my tree shaking. Then I saw you, and you demanded my treasures and a piece of my body. You tell me: does that sound nice or mean?”

She was upset. Angry. Sad. Hurt. Confused. And so many other things. She slumped to the ground, rump hitting the dirt a bit too hard as she sniffed back the tears that threatened to come. “Okay, you do realize you attacked me, right?” Medusa looked at the ground as the bird began to speak. “I woke up to my tree shaking. Then I saw you, and you demanded my treasures and a piece of my body. You tell me: does that sound nice or mean?”

She thought about it for a few moments. Ears twitching as she did so. Was she the one being mean to the pretty blue bird? She saw something she thought was pretty, and she wanted it. How else was she supposed to get it? "Mean...?" She said almost quietly, though as a question as she slowly looked up like a puppy that had gotten in trouble. "Medusa thought they were pretty, so Medusa wanted them! How else does Medusa get nice things?" A serious question in her head of course.

"Speech"

Aster bobbed her head encouragingly. Small victory, that; the blue jay hadn’t expected Medusa to acknowledge she’d been the aggressor. But the wolf’s question puzzled her—because it was so basic, she tripped over how to explain a concept that came naturally to her—so Aster paused to let herself think.

“Well, my feathers actually grow and fall out in periodic cycles. If I’d known you wanted them, I could’ve collected my feathers for you as they fall out, and you could have a nice collection the next time you saw me.” She chittered and hopped in place. “However, it hurts when my feathers are plucked out before they’re ready to fall out on their own. So? You understand? If you asked and waited, you could have a whole bunch of feathers without causing me any pain at all. Unlike how you got that feather next to your paws.”

Another insult flicked on her tongue, but she held her beak and breathed in until she thought her lungs might burst. “But because you were mean, I acted mean. Because nobody likes pain, right? You don’t want people to rip your whiskers out of your muzzle. I don’t want my feathers ripped out. But they fall out on their own, so if I wanted your whisker and you wanted my feather, we could trade. Not that I want your whisker. But that would be a fair trade, right? And both parties would be happy. No meanness.”

“Well, my feathers actually grow and fall out in periodic cycles. If I’d known you wanted them, I could’ve collected my feathers for you as they fall out, and you could have a nice collection the next time you saw me.” Medusa's ears perked and she tilted her head as the blue jay spoke. “However, it hurts when my feathers are plucked out before they’re ready to fall out on their own. So? You understand? If you asked and waited, you could have a whole bunch of feathers without causing me any pain at all. Unlike how you got that feather next to your paws.” "Oh..."

She didn't know that's how it worked with birds and feathers. She looked down at the feather at her paws for a couple of heartbeats, brows furrowing as the cogs started turning in her head. She...understood. It was an explanation that had been explained simple enough, and a stranger she had just been mean to, had taken the time to explain it to her in a way she understood.

“But because you were mean, I acted mean. Because nobody likes pain, right? You don’t want people to rip your whiskers out of your muzzle. I don’t want my feathers ripped out. But they fall out on their own, so if I wanted your whisker and you wanted my feather, we could trade. Not that I want your whisker. But that would be a fair trade, right? And both parties would be happy. No meanness.” "Medusa is...sorry. Medusa didn't know it hurt when she pulls feathers, she doesn't want to hurt pretty birds the way Habari hurts Medusa," She looked up at the bird, head ticking to the side for a brief moment as she stewed on what the bird had just told her.

"Speech"

Aster blinked. Mentally congratulating herself for excellent persuasion skills, she hopped on the branch again and breathed out a relieved sigh. “I’m glad you understood. I accept your apology, Medusa.”

Her gaze dropped from the wolf’s eyes to her nose, and the blue jay winced. “And I’m sorry for scratching your nose.” She did regret hurting Medusa, but she didn’t blame her past self. Though next time someone woke her up trying to raid her nest, she’d be better off fleeing.

“My name’s Aster. Your name’s Medusa, right?” Aster tilted her head to the left as she considered another tidbit Medusa had said, along with the wolf’s body language…. “Who’s Habari? Is that a jerk in your pack?” Maybe that explained why Medusa looked like an adult but acted like a child?

Ears perked when the blue jay accepted her apology, and her tail set to wagging. It thumped on the ground as her eyes began to brighten, glad that the pretty bird wasn't mad at her anymore! The blue jay also apologized for scratching her nose, and for that Medusa paused in her wagging for a brief moment before resuming. "Medusa is fine, scratch doesn't hurt as much as other things that were done to her!" That was a fact.

The blue feathered bird introduced herself as Aster, and Medusa nodded at the mention of her name. "Aster is right! That is Medusa's name!" She grinned, getting to her feet as her tail beat the air. Then Aster asked who Habari was, and almost in an instant, her tail dropped and her smile went away. While she wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, she was aware enough to know she definitely didn't like Habari. In her earlier days there, she'd been taking it in stride and it didn't bother her. But after some of them started being mean and insulting her and saying things that would hurt the feelings of anyone with a soul, it had started to get to her.

She swallowed as her gaze slowly found the ground, head ticking again, but this time it was a little more intense than before. "Habari is a lot of wolves. Medusa...trespassed before she knew what trespass was, and day-blind woman made Medusa a slave. Medusa was okay, even with no friends, but then Habari wolves started to be mean to her. They call her stupid, and dumb, and that if she was one of their pups, they would have killed it." She swallowed as she looked up at Aster, and despite the things she was saying, she was holding her composure surprisingly well. "Medusa tried to go find friends outside, but then Habari hurt Medusa..." And yet...here she was beyond pack lands once more despite her warning. But also..."What is a jerk? Is Medusa a jerk?"

"Speech"

Aster stood quietly, focusing as much on keeping her crest feathers from fluffing up as much as she listened to Medusa. She had no idea wolves could be so cruel to their own kind! Blue jays often mobbed predators like hawks, owls, and raccoons as a united front, but they rarely attacked their own.

“A jerk is someone who is mean. Not like Medusa—you, I mean—because you didn’t know better. Now you do, so you won’t be a jerk to other birds like that, right?” Aster said, talking slowly because it was difficult for her to explain these concepts, rather than talking slowly because she meant to offend. “But you’re not with the Habari now, right? So why don’t just… not go back? You can befriend all the birds in the forest, trading little scraps of meat for collections of feathers—or anything else you want.”

Aster shook out her head. It didn’t help to clear out her thoughts. “I don’t know. Blue jays like me don’t claim slaves or mates. We’re not like wolves.” Not even during courtship season; since females initiated the courtship and males always respected the females’ choices, Aster had never thought of needing to run away from her own species. “Are the Habari normal for a wolf pack?”

“A jerk is someone who is mean. Not like Medusa—you, I mean—because you didn’t know better. Now you do, so you won’t be a jerk to other birds like that, right?” She shook her head. After meeting Aster, she figured out that she quite liked birds. While yes, she did enjoy listening to them sing in the mornings and throughout the day, she had never actually talked to one, so they were one of many things on her list that she killed and added to her little dead garden. But after this? "Medusa won't be mean to the birds anymore!" She stated with a firm nod.

Then Aster asked her something she wasn't quite prepared for. “But you’re not with the Habari now, right? So why don’t just… not go back? You can befriend all the birds in the forest, trading little scraps of meat for collections of feathers—or anything else you want.” Her head tilted, and the more she thought about what Aster said, the more her head began to tic. (It seemed to happen more frequently when she was really trying to think). She...hadn't really thought about that before...honestly...she was kind of afraid. "Medusa wants to not go back, but...what if they find Medusa? What if they hurt her more? What if Habari jerks hurt Medusa's new bird friends? Medusa is just one, she can't protect all the birds from all of Habari..." The thought of living in the woods with new bird friends that she could trade things in exchange for feathers did sound very appealing...and the thought would almost seemingly drive her to do just that.

But it seemed Aster was seemingly getting her brain to really think in a way it hadn't before, and it felt...foreign to her. In fact, she didn't think she had ever thought about things like that before. Asking questions and showing concern for such things, and yet, here she was. Concerned about a bunch of birds that just a few minutes ago, she would have had no second thoughts about killing. The blue jay then stated how her kind weren't like wolves...and it got her curious. But before she could ask anything, the pretty blue bird asked if Habari was normal for a wolf pack.

That...that was something she didn't know. And she shrugged. "Medusa was born alone in the world. Her...mother...didn't care about Medusa. Medusa was alone for a long time, eating dead things and trying not to die. But then she trespassed before she knew what trespass was, and was taken as a slave. Habari is mean to her, and treat Medusa like she is nothing. Medusa has been seeing her daddy in her dreams, he said he died before Medusa was born, but now he tries to help Medusa in her dreams, but...Medusa is still really lonely in her den, and she has no friends." She dropped her hindquarters back to the ground, taking in a deep breath and releasing it in a heavy sigh. Sure, she enjoyed time with her dad in her dreams, but...she wished she could physically touch someone, especially during the days when a hug would be useful.

"Speech"