Girl of Prey CH.6 “Parting Gifts”

Upon reaching the front door of the house, Lyla was promptly flattened by a slobbering mass of muscle and joy. She lay on her back, drowning in bullmastiff kisses as a buff male stepped onto the porch with his hands in his pockets. Raven didn’t need to be told who he was, and Jake was not in a very good mood right now. But that wasn’t her problem, Lyla was reunited with her nest and safe and that is what mattered. They’d probably never see each other again anyway.
  She nodded to herself, satisfied with the days events. Then she made her way back to her own territory to make up for lost hunting time. Meanwhile, Lyla pushed the dog off her torso wiping dog saliva from her face. “Why Tiny, Why?!” She laughed. Jake stepped forward, pulled Lyla to her feet and crossed his arms sourly. “Where were you? You said you would be back soon and this! This is not soon Lyla!” He spoke.
  While Lyla brushed herself off(again!) she took note that Jake wore his jacket and boots, and that he held his keys. “Going somewhere Jake?” She asked instead of answering him. Tiny whined and butted his snout to lylas thigh, seeking attention that she provided with scritches behind his ear. Jake huffed and rolled his eyes sassily. “Well, since I thought you’d be back sooner so we’d have time to talk I made plans with the guys for tonight.” He uncrossed his arms and swaggered down the steps to his muscle car. “But we will be having a talk when I get back, you hear me?” He shouted over his shoulder as he swung open the drivers door and got inside.
  Lyla stares at him incredulously. “Are you being serious right now? I was lost and hurt in the smokies, and I don’t even get a welcome home?” Tiny barked in agreement, as Jake leaned his head out the window with a leer. “Oh forgive me your highness! Ehem! Welcome home darling, lovely, light of my life!” He revved the engine, leading Lyla to use her hands as a megaphone. “Jackass! And you should really trade that in for a truck or something, we live on a mountain you idiot!” His response was barely heard of the voice of Led Zepplin and the engine as he tore down the driveway. “Never!” 
   The big dog groaned in displeasure as Lyla knelt down to his level, and she resumed her petting as she spoke to him with a pout and a puppy voice. “Was he just going to leave you here with no one to play with? I bet he was too lazy to feed you either, huh big guy? What a big ok jerky jerk! Cmon boy, let’s get you fed and get me a shower.” She stood and walked inside with Tiny in tow, tossing her bag to the couch and proceeding to wrestle with the dog food bag as Tiny drooled profusely and hopped in place excitedly. As she entered her room with the dog chowing down noisily behind her, she passed her full body mirror and did a double take.
   Her clothes and face were smudged with grime and grass, and her hair was sticking up in every direction. She laughed out loud at her appearance, running her hands through her hair as she leaned back on her bed frame and recounted her day. She’d gotten a good sketch of the sunrise, fallen off a cliff, got saved by a Harpy of all things, a Harpy she named Raven, who lived in the most beautiful place she’d ever seen, and who’d given her an amazing joyride over the Appalachian mountains! She closed her eyes as she relived the feeling of the wind in her hair and the gorgeous view.
   Her musings were cut short however, when her fingers caught on something in her hair as she pulled through a knot. Said something fluttered to the floor at her feet, and she bent to inspect it. She opened the side door of her room leading onto the balcony for better light, and recognized it as one of the many charcoal feathers that made up Raven’s nest. ‘Must’ve picked it up when I was unconscious earlier.’ She thought to herself.
   Back at said home of the Harpy, Raven was washing away the days stresses in the lake. Her wings splashed water into the air, creating a rainbow affect as she knelt in the shallows scrubbing blood from her talons. She managed to take down a bear today, and if she was careful she’d have food for a few days and a new pelt to add to her winter supply of warm things. The bears carcass hung upside down from a nearby tree to drain the fluids so she could preserve it longer, she’d have to wash the fur once she’d tanned the hide before adding it to her collection. Shaking herself free of water once she was clean, she stretched her wings out in the setting sun to dry the feathers as she combed through her locks for the second time that day. While working through a particularly stubborn knot, her gaze was drawn by something shining in the weeds by the sagging front steps of her cabin.
   Keeping her wings spread in the light, she moved forward on all fours and squat down by the small plant to investigate. She had a tendency to collect things that reflected light such as shards of glass, bits of metal, and forgotten jewelry suck as the bracelet she now held in her hands. She remembered it as the same one Lyla had been wearing, she had apparently dropped it during takeoff earlier. Raven stood, wings now relatively dry and headed inside to rest for the night. Admiring the trinket curiously she held it up in the light at the same time Lyla lifted the feather to the sun, watching as the light filtered through on her face. 
   ~~~