Girl of Prey CH.4 “Nesting Grounds”

  “Raven...” she said softly. The Harpy half-turned, peering under her wing to forrow her brow at the girl questioningly. Lyla smiled, “It fits, don’t you think? What with your coloring and your voice, no offense.” She tried moving her leg again, relieved it was broken. “I’d like to call you Raven, if you’d like.” She settled back down and folded her arms behind her head as she leaned back.
  ‘Raven’ turned fully and returned to her spot in the nest beside Lyla as she thought. She assumed that a raven must be what humans call the sleek black birds she sees at night sometimes. And Lyla would be right, she was very similar to those birds in appearance. She looked to the human in her nest and coughed out a quiet affirmative. Lyla smiled sleepily, as she was beginning to get comfortable in the nest and because she now felt at ease with her new friend. “Alright then Raven, where do we go from here?”
  The newly dubbed Raven would’ve questioned at To what she meant, but her words were cut short by a familiar melodic screaming assaulting her ears. Raven jumped and flared her wings in surprise as she let out another bird-like shriek and clapped her hands over her ears. Lyla has scrambled I’ve rto her forgotten satchel and yanked out her phone, hitting ‘answer’ quickly, ignoring the throbbing in her leg. “Hello?” She asked tentitavely. Sudden shouting had her yanking the phone away from her ear as the words rang loud. “Where are you? You said you were on your way back and you’re not here! I thought we talked about lying Lyla. And your dog is being crazy!” Lyla shouted a quick response. “It’s not like that Jake! I hurt my leg on the way back, and I tried to call you but there were no bars! Some hikers helped me out and I’ll be back soon I promise.”
  Some more words were exchanged before Lyla ended the call, tossing the noise box to the side and putting her head in her hands. Raven looked warily at the device and inches closer to the human. Lyla raised her head as she approached. “I cannot believe I forgot about Jake. That guy is seriously paranoid. I really need to go home, Raven.” She Said tiredly. Raven nodded, she had enjoyed the company but it was time for the human to return to her own nest.
  She stood and shook her wings awake while Lyla watched in awe before leaning down to help her to her feet. Lyla’s leg still hurt but it was bearable, so she stepped out of the nest and brushed herself off. “You’ve already done so much for me and I feel bad for asking but...” she began, “... but I have no idea where we are. If you could take me back to the cliff I could find my way back from there.” She finished apologetically.
  Raven blinked in acknowledgement before dropping onto all fours, releasing Lyla’s hand and scurrying out of the cabin letti light spill in. Lyla hurriedly grabbed her things and shielded her eyes from the sun as she stepped into the cracked porch. As her eyes adjusted and the world came into focus she jaw dropped in awe. It was absolutely gorgeous.
  She saw the lake first; clear, deep, wide and sparkling in the light. She saw the surrounding forestry nest; impossibly green and lush with mountain flowers everywhere. Remembering a book on plants she had read, she named the flowers out loud. “Mountain Laurel, Butterfly Weed, Labelia Cardinalis, Bloodroot, and Isis Cristata.” She smiled proudly for remembering them as Raven looked on, perched on the roof of her cabin. Her stomach decided to let itself be known at that moment, so she let out a shrill chirp to get Lyla’s attention.
  The girl looked up, searching for the source of the noise. Spotting Raven on the roof she said happily, “This place is beautiful! It’s a shame I can’t stay for longer.” Pulling herself from the flora she stepped farther away from the small house, “Well we better get a move on if I’m going to get back before Jake explodes!” She adjusted the strap of her satchel so it went across her chest. “Hey um, I kinda feel stupid for asking. But could you give me a lift?” Lyla shuffles her feet and swung her arms, eyes darting nervously.
  Raven regarded her from where she crouched, she wouldn’t get very far without aggravating her injury. Making her decision, she rose up and stretched her wings to their full extent. Lyla stares, dazzled as the midday light filtered through the many feathers and shone onto her face in awe. Her reverie was broken however, when said wings flapped hard once and Raven was airborne. The Harpy circled once, twice, like a vulture, before swooping down and hooking her hands under Lyla’s arms from behind, plucking her from the ground.
 ~~~