Oh, but they won't find you here [mda]

[Anonymous]

Now would have been a good time to escape with the pelicans dead and the harpy preoccupied with her dinner.  Plus, Brennus could see that her wings were injured.

But unfortunately Brennus himself was not in good shape at all.  Numerous bruises joined his pelican wounds and he felt completely sapped of all strength.  The vines released him, but within a few seconds they rewrapped themselves around him and dragged him into some sort of hut the monster had created.

Magic was bad.  Yes, Brennus could see that for himself now.  They had said it for years and he was never quite too sure what to think of it, but now he could see that he was foolish for ever doubting them.  First a flock of pelicans and then a monster that wanted to eat him.  He watched through a swollen eye with sickened fascination as the monster ate its food.  He rather relished watching the pelicans demise, though he feared the power that lie within the beast that brought them to their end.

"I'll be fine," he said thickly.  "B-but I haven't upheld my part of the bargan.  The man--"  And that was as far as he got before he passed out.

[Anonymous]

This was not good. She couldn't take him anywhere in this condition. She plucked all the dead girds and made a vine bed for him to sleep in, which she covered in the soft feathers. Humans liked beds so hopefully he would be more comfortable. She hefted his floppy body up and arranged him on his back with his arms and legs out a little. The bed rose a little higher so she could get a good look at him. He was really badly hurt, it might even be kinder to eat him rather than let him live. It would be a waste though, she already had more birds than she could eat.

Little vines wrapped their way around her arm and little buds burst at the end of them. Demya giggled at the sight of them and let them go onto the bed, twirling around and under the feathers. She started picking the little buds that came forth. She had no way to grins them up so she chewed on them until they were nice and squishy. Unfortunately they made her mouth all tingly and numb feeling. She rubbed wiped the man's wounds with her hand to try and get rid of any ickiness and rubbed the goop in her mouth into the wounds. She continued until all his wounds were covered then settled down to playing with his hair and arranging it into cute patterns. She even braided little vines into it. he looked so cute when he was sleeping. It was a shame these humans were so distructive.

[Anonymous]

Brennus' eyes flickered open momentarily and he saw the monster looming over him and he could distantly feel her poking him, but his heavy lids closed once again.  He drifted in and out of conciousness and finally fell into a deep sleep where he dreamed of happy things such as floppy-eared bunnies frolicking around in fields of daisies.  However, said happy dream came to an abrupt end as he dremt of mean people who tied bunny ears together.

"Woah," he muttered as he woke up, though it sounded more like "Mwffah."  His eyes slowly opened--well, the good one did.  He noticed as his vision became less blurry that his wounds didn't hurt nearly so much.  In fact, he hardly noticed that they were there.

The distinct smell of bird permiated his nostrils, and for a moment he didn't know where he was.  But reality swept over him once again and he jolted upright.  Wincing for the pain had not completely subsided, he looked around and ran a hand through his hair.  "What the--" he started as he ran his hand through once more.  Knots.  No . . . braids.  With flowers.

He whipped around and saw the monster there.  "You braided my hair?  What the hell?"

[Anonymous]

Demya clucked disapprovingly and glared at her charge. 'Yes, do you have a problem with my flowers or are you one of those people who hate plants? And in case you haven't noticed. I'm HELPING you! I could just leave you for dead, which I should, but I won't. if you look at yourself, I've cleaned your wounds and you have poultice on them.'

Demya started cursing in a strange tongue, 'manusia bodoh! Saya tidak suka manusia. Manusia jelek dan tidak baik. Manusia setan.' She took several deep breraths and glared down at the human. 'You know, it's not very bright to yell at someone who's looking after you.

[Anonymous]

Brennus' face burned and he looked down at his arms and legs and notice that indeed he was being healed.  He turned his anger-filled eyes at the harpy and said, "HELPING ME?  Since when was attacking me and carrying me off helping me?!?"

Get ahold of yourself, Brennus, he reminded himself.  He never got a sale by yelling at the customer.  But then again, the customer never dragged you away in hopes to eat you, did more damage than good and then claimed to be helping.  This is ridiculous.

"Okay, I'm out of here," he said as he stood up to his feet.  His legs wobbled and after a couple of moments he fell back down to the ground.  Oookay, so he wouldn't be leaving quite as quickly as he hoped.  He glanced back up at the monster and hoisted himself to his knees.

[Anonymous]

'I should have killed you and eaten you, but I didn't. I should have let those birds fly off with you, but I didn't. I should have left you to die but instead I rubbed healling stuff on you. I call that helping,' she snapped. Ungrateful human.

He fell over and she glared bitterly at him. She crossed her arm and turned away slightly. 'It looks like you still need help if you ask me. If you want it, I'll help you. If you don't I'll sit here until you leave, or die. I don't care which comes first. My sister can eat your ungrateful hide. In fact, even if you do manage to leave, you'll still probably die so I'll follow you anyway.'

The hut, bed and vines in his hair all snapped back out of existence and she crouched down with her tail pointing up and fanning out. Only then did she start looking at her own wounds. The cursed buzzards had pulled feathers out. She liked her feathers, they made her even more beautiful but now they had blood and ick on them.

[Anonymous]

This monster's logic wasn't making much sense.  But then again . . . neither was the fact that Brennus was arguing with it.  What person in the right mind actually argued with such creatures?

"Alright," he finally conceeded for he knew that the monster was at least right about his health.  "Alright.  I need help.  I accept your help."

[Anonymous]

Demya nodded and made a hut and bed again; this time she used a vine that had fluffy silver leaves. 'The bed will be better for you than the snow. If you hadn't got upset in the firsat place it would have had feathers on it.'

[Anonymous]

"Um, yeah, okay," hesitated Brennus as he sat back down on the bed.  He gave the monster a watchful eye before he lay down and tried to let his body relax.  "I'd prefer no, um, hair surprises," he added.

How awkward it was to lay on a bed of vines and silver leaves made by a strange monster who wanted to eat him one moment and nuture him the next.  He couldn't get it out of his head that perhaps she still had intentions of eating him as soon as he was all rested.  Maybe if he was lucky, then, she'd eat him while he slept.  But what choice did he have now?  If he ran out into the snow, he would die.  If he stayed in here with the monster, he would live longer, but chances are he would still die.

I have to survive, he told himself as he began to fall asleep.

[Anonymous]

Demya started whistling and watched Brennus a while before tucking her head under a wing. The door to the hut closed so that wind wouldn't bother them. If it snowed much that night they would be closed in but at least the hut wouldn't get flooded with the snow. Her whistling eventually quietened and she fell asleep.

[Anonymous]

Several hours later . . .

Brennus woke up greatly disorientated to the rumble of his own stomach.  He couldn't remember when or where he was, but he did know that something now chilled his bones.  Slowly he pried open his eyelids with great effort and looked around him to find a small hut-like structure with another lump of a person not too far from him.

Suddenly everything came back to him in a rush of unwanted memories, and he shivered visibly.  Outside the wind howled forlornly and reminded Brennus that he was alone in the cold despite the hut and the traveling companion.  His entire body ached and his stomach thundered.  He tried to move, but found his limbs tight and weary.  Finally he pushed himself up and stared at the creature sleeping away.

Monster bird and freak woman it was.  Both his savior and his condemner.  He trembled at the thought of being so helpless in this situation, so completely different from work where he could sell people anything they didn't need.  He sat there for several long second with a blank expression on his face.  What next?

[Anonymous]

Demya flapped her feathers while still asleep and let out a squawk. A few minutes later she woke up and looked around her little vine-made hut. She looked at her captive/ ward and smiled. 'I didn't know humans watched people while they slept. I thought they preferred to make contact and cuddle. I could cuddle you if you like.'

Which is exactly what she did: arm, breasts, wings and all. She didn't know why people did things, just what they did. She didn't know that humans hugged for affection.

She titled her head and looked at him. 'Do you need some more salve on those? One of them smells funny,' she said. The healing vine started curling up her back and down her arm. She lost interest in him and started playing with the little vine. She giggled as she watched it make pretty patterns in the air above her hand.

[Anonymous]

Brennus started when she woke up, but he quickly regained composure--most likely due to his exhaustion rather than any quick-thinking skill.  However, before he had a chance to do anything, the monster wrapped him up in a giant hug.  Brennus squirmed at first, but finally relaxed when his arms and chest started to burn furiously.  Finally the creature let go and he fell backwards onto the ground.

The healing vines crept over and despite the slight moment of nausea that welled up inside of him that he gagged down as quickly as he could, he held perfectly still.  Freaky.  There was no other way to describe those vines the monster had, but at the same time, he knew that he needed them.  He swallowed his hatred of the thing and fought back the desire to jump up and run.

Finally he opened his mouth.  "My name is Brennus," the words fell out.  "I run a shop in Connolath."

[Anonymous]

Demya smiled at him. 'I'm Demya. I'm trying to save the Earth by decreasing the human population,' she said, using her sister's words. Her sister was the smart one. 'Why would you want to live in Connloath? It's full of Mordecai, they're evil slave traders that kill everyone because others aren't normal.'

Demya started chewing on some leaves and got the same mouth-numbing feeling from it. Her words from now on were slurred. 'Whap thurp ob thputh bo you thell? I bep you can'p thell anything thap health people. People would gep anpthy anb think ip wath mabic.' What sort of stuff do you sell? I bet you can't sell anything that heals people. People would get antsy and think it was magic.

[Anonymous]

Brennus frowned as the creature spoke and he tried to decipher his words in his head.  "I sell collectibles.  I guess you can call it a junk shop.  As for the rest of what you asked, I can't understand you."

He watched her nibble on her own leaves, and he wondered if it hurt.  Was it like chewing on one's own hand or was it like chewing on one's own hair?  And what was inside the leaves that made her speech slur?

"I see all sorts of people come and go, but very rarely do I see magic used for magic is an evil thing that I will not allow in my store," he explained to her.  "For several reasons.  Firstly, it always causes trouble.  Secondly, I don't want to be arrested.  That is something you must live with in Connloath, but the job is steady and I always have money in my pocket."

[Anonymous]

Demya spat the chewed leaves onto her hand and pulled a face. The stuff tasted icky. 'Mabic ithn'p ebil. Humamth are ebil. Bey bithtrwoy be Earth, enthlabe others and hurp bem for no weathom. Come hewe, unweth you wanp po apply itp youthelth.' Magic isn't evil. Humans are evil. They destroy the Earth, enslave others and hurt them for no reason.'

She slapped the goup into Brennus's hand and tried to clean her mouth out with her hand. finally she gave up with that idea and scooped up some snow, openning her wings slightly for ballance.

[Anonymous]

"I'm not excusing humans as saints," replied Brennus as he looked down at the goupy mess in his hand.  He made a face at it--not only was it magic, but it was magic that had come from the mouth of a monster.  The mess seeped through his fingers, and a couple of drops hung from his hand.  He fought back the urge to vomit.

He looked up at her.  "But look: I have been cursed by a magical creature and now pelicans attack me everywhere I go.  I can't say that I support magic."  He shook his head and returned his attention to the glop in his hands.  "What am I supposed to do with this?" he asked, now unable to bite back his disgust.

[Anonymous]

'Tho thap's why they wewe chathing you! Why bib they curth you?' she asked. 'Thap goeth on your wounbths. Wub it in unleth you want to gep worth. No need to gep thnappy.' So that's why they were chasing you! Why did they curse you? That goes on your wounds. Rub it in unless you want to get worse. No need to get snappy.

Humans were so silly, he'd probably pissed the magical creature off. And why wouldn't anyone realise a salve went on wounds? Maybe he'd prefer it if he chewed it himself. then he could see how it tasted instead of her. The silly man even let it drip through his fingers.

[Anonymous]

Brennus made a face at the glop in his hands, but reluctantly unwrapped a bandage on his arm and slopped some of the stuff onto his open skin.  He winced as the goo burned, and he quickly rewrapped his arm.

"No, I didn't piss him off," said Brennus distractedly.  "Well, not really.  I just refused to take him in.  Can't let any magic into my abode, you see."

[Anonymous]

'Thilly humam. Mabic ithn't ebil. Humanth are ebil. Well, motht. Mabic helpth the earth and all itth imhab... thingth on ip,' she said. She had too much trouble saying inhabitants so she had to settle for "things". 'Take oth youw clotheth. The thmell ith umber them.'