Girl of Prey Ch.3 “What’s in a Name”

  “...WHAT IN THE GREAT HAM IS THAT?!” the human girl shouted in fear, using her arms and good leg to shuffle against the wall opposite the intimidating creature. The harpy flared her wings in alarm, instinctually crouching into a defensive position on all fours and dropping the kit from her hold. The frightening display spooked the girl into grabbing a stray branch and waving it at the creature with shaky hands. “S-stay back! I won’t hesitate, y-you thing you!”
  Realizing she was only scaring her further, the feathered girl flattened her wings to her back and raised her hands palms up in what she hoped was a placating gesture. “Mahelaka... Mahelaka...” she said soothingly with a poor imitation of the smile she’d seen earlier. “Eeldayenrapah Mahee.” The bewildered expression on the girl’s face intensified and she blinked rapidly. “Wait you can talk? Who are you, no! What are you?!” 
  She pales and drops her weapon. “Hold on, am I dead?” She runs her fingers through her hair, and the avian could practically smell the stress rolling off her in waves. “I died at the cliff, didn’t I? And what, you’re like my reaper?” She was nearing hysterics now and the harpy didn’t know how to calm her without scaring her further. She didn’t even know what a reaper was but she did know that this girl was in fact, not dead, but panicking very badly. She shook her head slowly to show she meant no harm, concern wrinkling her brow. 
  The blonde was starting to breathe normally again, the initial panic fading as her breaths evened out. Seeing it was safe to continue the harpy cleared her throat, it’s been way too long since her last conversation. She didn’t know too much English, just basic phrases and the odd word here and there but she’s try her best. Thinking hard for a moment, she spoke slowly. “What, is your name...? She cocked her own head at her words, wings twitching in hopes she’d gotten the phrasing right. Then she coughed softly, unused to speaking.
  Surprise shown clearly on the human’s face, eyes darting across the harpy’s face still scrunched with nerves. Her hands dropped from her hair to her sides.
  “I- wait you can speak English?” A slow nod from the strange girl brought with it the guilt of her behavior. There she lay, bandaged and in a safe place with the obviously sentient being who had saved her just trying to communicate with her. Meanwhile, she’s shouting and acting like she was trying to kill her. “A... few?” The creature answered raspily, as if the words hurt to say.
  The blonde gave a strained smile, “Well that certainly makes my situation better.” She sat straighter and adjusted her leg a bit, “And I’m sorry I reacted the way I did, I guess I freaked out a little.” The harpy raised a brow at that, and the girl laughed awkwardly and continued. “I mean, it’s not every day you fall off a cliff only to wake up in a nest with a giant bird person looming over you.” Said bird person squinted in her direction, “Harpy.” She corrected simply. Seeing the girl’s confusion she pointed to herself, “Harpy” she repeated. Understanding clouded the human’s face and she nodded, “... with a Harpy looming over you, then.” 
  They sat for a moment, studying each other. The Harpy could now see the girl’s eyes were hazel, and there was a spattering of freckles across her nose and cheekbones. Meanwhile the girl examined the glossy black wings twitching periodically, noting how they shone like an oil spill when the light hit them just so. She saw her hair, matching her wings in hue, Lang and wavy with a tousled look customary of flight. Her skin, pale white dapple with pitch colored down, tough to support feathers; but with a soft appearance, as if it’s feel like normal skin if touched. She wasn’t wearing much, just what looked like old sheets wrapped around what mattered; thin and tattered with age. And finally her face, unblemished save for soft down speckeling her cheekbones and hairline, a strong jawline with a soft chin, arched brows and long lashes, the eyes beneath an electric blue, a stark contrast to her monochrome pallet, seeming almost to glow in the dim light of the cabin.
  She blinked rapidly, realizing her staring and averted her eyes. The Harpy didn’t really mind though, she understood being curious. She had technically been stalking her at the cliff earlier. She tried smiling again, and the girl seemed to remember something and looked back up to the feathered girl before her. Said girl was now settled comfortably in the nest beside her with her wings restin g at her sides; trusting her not to re-brandish her makeshift weapon again. “Thank you, by the way.”
  She cocked her head with a squint, asking a silent question. The girl reiterated, “For saving my life. I’d be dead if it weren’t for you, I don’t know how to repay you.” She finished, glancing at her savior bashfully. The being flushed minutely from the praise and looked thoughtful for a moment. Finally, she nodded in the human’s direction and said in her still rough voice, “... Your name?” 
  The girl blinked. “That’s it? Okay um. My name is Lyla, Lyla Carson.” She sat straighter as she introduced herself. Looking to her new friend(?) she watched as she tested the name on her tongue. “Lyyylaah.” She drawled, pitting the name to memory. Lyla smiled widely, “Yup, that’s me! Okay.” She scooted closer to the Harpy across the nest, respecting her personal space when her plumage puffed in wariness. “Don’t worry, I won’t bite. I just think it’s fair you tell me your name now that you know mine.”
  Lyla propped her head in her heads and looked at her expectantly while she blinked owlishly back at her, wings stilling as she drew a blank. Lyla looked on with interest, then furrowed her brow. “You okay there?” She questioned softly. The Harpy blinked again in response. Lyla’s eyes widened in understanding. “You don’t have a name, do you?” The way the creature seemed to shrink in on herself was all the answer she needed. Lyla huffed and sat up again, wincing as she shifted her leg. “Well, um. Do you mind if I give you a nickname? ‘Cause calling you ‘harpy’ all The time just seems rude.” Said Harpy considered it, and decided having a name might be nice.
  Lyla sat back with a grin. “Okay give me a minute to think.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. The soon to be named creature assumed she meant it literally and stood, raising her wings from the leaves and feathers of the nest. Lyla looked at her questioningly but said nothing as she retrieved the abandoned med-kit and returned it to its rightful pile. Her gait was a lumbering one, odd given she was eye level with Lyla’s chin minus her wings. But it made sense considering the heavy appendages protruding from her back.
  It was then that a suitable name came to Lyla, simple but fitting the Harpy nicely.
 “Raven...”