De-Bugging Another World

VOL.3 The Harpy's Domain.

When well over the second week had passed since they left Moiria Village, Aelanna announced the crossing of a border. "We'll be moving into the Southern Cardinal soon. That'll be the domain of house Cloudrigde if I recall right. Well we don't have to stop at the cardinal tree this time so we can make a lot faster curve down south now." She explained and Kanrish could hear a multitude of birds and birdlike sounds around him.

"Home!?" Hapii chimed loudly and leapt onto the back board of the carriage bed to see, only to be pulled off by the scruff of her dress by Misuki.

"Hapii, I'd think you'd know better than to stand on that by now?" She scolded the girl who slumped down in defeat. "B-b-but... home..." She spoke sulking as her wings drooped down to the wooden floor to which Kanrish replied questioning, "What do you mean home? Was this place where you lived earlier?" She nodded an enthusiastic reply and Kanrish told Aelanna to see if she could find where the village would be.

And so they made their way farther through the forest while Hapii sat next to her, eyeing the area for things she could recall. When after two more days of multitudes of birds of differing sizes flocking the skies below the tremendously high canopy, they came across a series of half finished and flimsily built fences of sticks and rope.

"Oh here! Here!" Hapii exclaimed loudly and several squawks came from the surrounding bushes before several other harpies flew from the different trees and leapt from the shrubs below.

To Kanrish's surprise most of them stood about a head or two taller than Hapii, whom he had thought was an adult among her people, but these all seemed to have a different air around them.

After the multitude of black and gray winged bird people had revealed themselves, they all blocked the way for the carriage and several younger looking ones flocked to Hapii, shouting, "Sylise, you back?!" They clearly recognized her and tried to get her attention.

"Why would you return to our simple town, Black Feather Mesa like this on a carriage, Sylise? I think the town Matriarch; your mother will be pleased to see you are well." One of the harpy men spoke and Hapii gave him a glance asking, "How is mother Nephiëlle? And sister, how is she doing?" The conversation seemed to roll smoothly, but Kanrish was surprised by the fact Hapii, the childlike harpy was the daughter of her town's Matriarch.

Upon hearing that she was here with the group under whom she had been summoned, the many harpies who had surrounded them while on guard, relaxed and their stance towards them immediately changed.

With the knowledge of Hapii's hometown being led by her mother, Kanrish asked if they could come by the town so the girl could reunite with her mother and siblings for a while.

"No problem there, although we suggest your group's stay on the mainland part, we will have the Matriarch come there, the other more important parts of our village are a distance of flight away over several cliffs." One of the male harpies told him and they formed a defensive line to the sides of their carriage while escorting them along the none-existent roads to their village.

When they passed the final line into the village, Kanrish was greeted by the sight of a whole host of harpies who were going about their daily lives. Flying up and down several different stories of buildings and over the cliffs that bordered the area they made their way through the village.

The houses were built in a similar fashion to what Kanrish could remember from his old life with some African tribes and tribes in the Amazon forests. They were made of dried mud and supported by strong limbs from the many trees around allowing for several stories high buildings to be made.

There were no doors in the houses but instead there hung curtains of feathers on cords. Windows were simple holes they had reinforced with sticks and other supports.