Predators & Prey: Revenge of Skullstalker

Chapter 1

        The sun dipped below the horizon, casting a fiery glow across the scattered green leaves and dimly lightening the dark foreground. The rustle of the ancient forest fluttered across the moonlight. A steady rain covered the forest, letting out an abundance of raindrops, covering the loud caws of the migrating crows, while a loud rustle dropped down onto the forest's natural hustling. A dark shadow soaring threw the undergrowth. A large griffin stood on a tree, keeping guard as his duty. He looked around, suspiciously, narrowing his eyes. After it was sure everything was alright, it stared down and glided back to its nest. A white and black Falcon, was casting a large shadow over a plump nest, that was made from Earthwalker rods and sticks ripped from the trees. The sight of unruined trees were unlikely, though, to say as it was gathered from far away. The flocks leader, Moonfeather, A majestic Vulture with obsidian black feathers was sitting in the leaders chair, about to give orders. The birds sat very still, and fell silent.

         "Attention Birds!" Moonfeather tilted her beak up and flapped her wings. "Two Earthdwellers have attacked three of our hunters!"

        The crowd let out a terrified gasp, some were beaming their eyes directly at Moonfeather, some were looking away, one female bird hiding in the mecidine nest. They started chattering to a point that nothing was audible and took a sudden act of silence.

        "Nightshade And Firebeak!" The black raven curtsied and the intensely fiery red eagle bowed.

        "You will be patrolling for humans! If you see one, call the hunters!" The two birds respectively looked at their leader, then curtsied and bowed again. "I want the rest of the guards and chicklets to stay here. Hunters, bring your trainees with you to hunt today. We need more hunters!" Half of the birds in sight flapped their wings, and raised high altitude. They flew until they were not visible to the leader's stand, and guarded the camp. Emberwing was a hunter, so he flew off to the prey-rich areas that were located on the pines of Moonflock.

        "Alright," whispers Emberwing. "Gonna get this squirrel" He dives down, dropping altitude at a high rate. As he closed in, Emberwing tucked his wings, preparing for a sudden dive, just as he had seen the experienced hunters in his family do. But this was his first attempt, and excitement got the better of him. He lost his mindset and found himself diving straight downwards, losing altitude at an alarming rate. He miscalculated the angle and the distance, and instead of a precise strike, he found himself plummeting toward the squirrel in a flurry of feathers and confusion. The squirrel, startled by the sudden commotion, scampered away to safety. Emberwing's heart sank as he realized his mistake. He tried to regain control, but it was too late. He crashed through the branches, snapping twigs and leaves as he plummeted toward the forest floor. With a thud, Emberwing landed on the grassy ground, his pride wounded more than anything else. The squirrel chattered mockingly from a nearby branch, as if taunting him for his failed attempt. His trainer, Auraflare, rushed to see him. 

        "Oh my gosh, Medic!" He shouted. There was no answer, but his call was loud enough to reach the head medicine bird. A large black raven came rushing down, and plummeted onto the floor. 

        "Oh gosh, where did he land?" The large raven inspected the ragdolled bird. There was silence for a moment, and then a voice spoke.

        "He landed on his neck," Auraflare said sadly after a while. The large raven pecked Emberwing softly and said "We need to inspect for any damage to his bones, bring him!" Auraflare very carefully picked Emberwing up in his beak and preened his wings, ready to fly. The two birds start flapping their wings rapidly and take off the ground, pushing bushes and leaves farther into the ancient forest. Easing from left to right, they managed to get back to the medicine nest.

        The two healers gently placed Emberwing onto what appeared to be the healing stump.

        "Alright here it is! Lemme inspect this gadget just in case," he began to inspect the ember bird intensely. "Alright so it looks like he got a bruise on his neck, little stiffness on his wing. I-" Shadowsilk was cut off as a blaring squawk came from the clouds and a leathery brown falcon came plummeting to the floor.

        "Alright what's this?" They then realized that the falcon was the other medicine bird—Leatherclaw.

        "Are you healing him? I don't see any major damage. Maybe we could sap some leaves or something; I dunno. But honestly, I don't really know why you brought her to us," Says Leatherclaw, not taking his eyes off the young apprentice.

        Auraflare flared his nostrils and stepped forward, clearly frustrated. "You're a medicine bird geez! This is my apprentice, we're all still getting used to our jobs alright!?" Castigates Auraflare, clearly hurt.

        "Alright geez you angry beaks! Can't we just set aside our anger because this isn't getting us anywhere!" Shadowsilk tried to calm the two birds down.

        "Yeah we could, and maybe birds swim," Sighed Auraflare. He knew there was no point in arguing anymore.

        Leatherclaw ran to a nest beside it that was filled with herbs and objects. Auraflare saw what he was grabbing—an eulogistic flat leaf that he thought— Would be put on Emberwing to heal her. He noticed him grabbing another herb which looked like an edible one. — I thought I saw one of those before, when I was given it... Thought Auraflare. I remember it soothing the pain, was it pain relief!? These herbs and stuff actually kind of make sense.

        Leatherclaw ran out hastily, looking like he wanted to tell his fellow medicine bird about something. "Got a Gloomglen and Sylvan Spireleaf, we ran out of Sap and Chaoxmile so we should get a gathering tomorrow."

        "Alright Leatherclaw," Shadowsilk says, "Put the Gloomglen on. She hastily added. "Oh yeah, and make sure she doesn't eat more than three Sylvan Spireleaves, might give her a belly-ache,"

         Shadowsilk took the Gloomglen out of Leatherclaw's mouth and places it gently on the stiffness of Emberwings wound. "Hey Emberwing, we are gonna need to give you pain relief herb, alright?" Leathersilk dropped two Sylvan Spireleaf herbs right next to Emberwing. He nudged over to get in reach, and snatched them both in his mouth. They tasted foul.

        "Another cool O' medicine bird day for a-" Meadowchick flinches outside the hall of the nest. "Emberwing, what? Also I'm gonna be a trainee and then I'm gonna hunt!" Meadowchick was always impatient and annoying, once his mother threw him out of the den all night because he kept crying, and he exclaims every minimal detail as if it were a huge discovery.

        "Cool but I'm dying here and I'm actually really hurt but the pain relief is working but I'm practically dead and this hurts so much still with pain relief," choked Emberwing with no pauses.

        With a swish of Auraflare's wing, Emberwing gets dismissed. As Emberwing gets up and leaves, he finds himself upright in a parallel universe. Energy pulsing through him as a lightning rod. He caught a sweet scent, until it was all battered out by a dark smell, which scented like Skullflock.

        "What are you? What is happening?" Emberwing freaked out, only to be dragged back by a mighty swoosh of the bird He listened to the breaths carefully, and heard Auraflare...

        "Your leader... He betrayed him..." His mentor spoke carefully enough for Emberwing to listen. "She's coming for your flock! What has your leader done!? She's on her way!" Emberwing watched his mentor in absolute fear. The voice of Auraflare had faded, and it led him hopeless on the ground, just to find himself back on the floor of the nursery. Just a dream! Yup! Nothing actually happened! Phew...!