cut off

Zephyrus was growing faster than anyone could have anticipated, and with that new growth came the yearning for freedom and independence. A bird had to leave the nest at some point, and while Zeph in particular had no interest actually breaking from his pack and leaving, he did spend more and more time patrolling the nearby territories now then he had before his flight feathers had come in.

He mastered the art of soaring quite easily, figuring out early on in experimenting how to catch the winds at the right angle so he could glide effortlessly without losing too much altitude, while still having enough speed to carry him long distances. Flying was an art form, and Zephyr was honing his craft with each and every day. On this day he'd taken off south, gliding down from the highest point of the Hallows' castle tower into the adjacent territory of the God's Garden. It was one of the few nearby lands Zephyr could explore comfortably alone - close enough for protection from predators, but far enough that he could still feel like he was growing up.

So far the area was not leaving much to be desired, looking as flat and empty and plain-ish as many of the territories he'd so far visited were, but without the cool features of dinosaur bones or waterfalls. The only points of interest he could make out from above was the sheer amount of overgrowth, along with the crumbled and beaten down walls that must have at one point in time been a standing structure like the castle walls. Scattered among the unruly grasses were herbs and flowers by the dozen, none of which Zephyr could name or identify, but from what he had been told they were some of the rarest you could find in Auster. This territory was a healer's paradise, somewhere someone like Lia might come to replenish her stores.

He had angled himself downwards for a steep dive and landing to explore from closer up when a panicked gazelle crossed the grasses below him, drawing his eye. A wolf had been giving chase but slowed as it headed off toward the treeline - had he given up on his hunt?  

Banking hard, he adjusted his course and moved in to intercept it, not noticing the scent border it had crossed in it's escape. Zephyr had been raised right, and if this wolf was weak and hungry enough to abandon his hunt for the wounded animal then it was the young raptor's duty to see the man fed. He came upon it at speed, extending his talons instinctively and sinking them deep into the gazelle's side. Zephyr had only a moment to be intensely proud of himself before his momentum continued, his oversized body pitching over atop the gazelle's back and hard into the grass. His first successful aerial hunt, and his worst landing yet.

Getting back to his talons and working to hold onto the last sliver of esteem he had left, Zephyr grasped the mutilated carcass with his beak and began to limp it over to the horned man. In lieu of expletives, each painful step was instead punctuated with muffled 'ow, ow, ow.'s This dude had better be grateful - and he'd better share.

"Zephyr"