Everlong

The Moonwell

"Okay" Olly huffed "Enough."

Olly quickly scooped up the cockatrice bait in a small knapsack and tied it tight around one of the belts that secured her quiver to her back, giving her easy access to the hundreds of arrows at her disposal. She was proud of the weapons she had learned to craft from her mother, her arrows being light as a thimble but could slice through even the toughest of dragonscale. She drew her bow and knocked an arrow, her stance low and quick as she moved and tracked where the cockatrice had been sneaking through the bushes of the village.

Now she was in full hunter mode, she felt out with her light, seeking anything that might stand out as her eyes scanned around the area. All around stone villagers stood, the haunting silence coming once again and Olly breathed slow to steady her heartbeat. She could do this, she had been alone hunting for years growing up, this shouldn't be any different. She could remember stalking the cockatrice's in the crops and fields of Silverymoon. But this time she didn't have Atticus or Brienne hunting with her. If she was bitten or turned to stone, she would be stuck like that until the next Ranger found the village. And how embarrassing would it be if a Duer was found turned to stone by one little cockatrice?

Olly smiled to herself, if it happened she knew exactly what her father would say. "Bet you won't be so slow next time right my little goblin?" she could hear his voice gently chastise her before he would give his warm smile and ruffle her head like a toddler "Let's get this place cleaned up."

"You're right" she breathed "Let's get this place clean."

Suddenly she saw it, the glimmer of slimy drool along the side of a few crates. Now she could track it no problem, it had left it's calling card, now it was time.

"Gotcha" she smiled and she hustled along, finding more and more drool until she creeped around the corner hearing the tell tale tearing of flesh. Olly knelt against the wooden shed that housed the local sheep and goats, her white glowing eyes peeking around the corner to spot the ugly demon chicken tearing away at a fresh goat carcass that was slowly succumbing to the stone venom from the cockatrice's bite.

"Here birdie birdie" Olly breathed and she drew back her bow and let her arrow fly right at the beast. Unfortunately she felt part of her foot slip underneath the wet grass to only realize she missed the cockatrice by a fraction of a inch as it whipped it's head towards her and let out another horrible shriek.

"Shit shit shit" Olly breathed out before rolling to the left of her as the cockatrice charged for her, slamming into the side of the wooden shed before shaking it's head, letting little black feathers scatter in the air before it narrowed it's gaze at her. Olly stood up quickly, watching the demon chicken look her up and down before giving another charge. This time Olly didn't slip, her hands like lightning as she skidded around the cockatrice, her hands grasping at the back of it's neck and firmly twisting it fast. Yes, Olly hated killing animals and beasts that did not deserve it, but the cockatrice was more of a infestation, if she had let it go into the wild it would have either came back to the village or found another one to terrorize. Some beasts needed to be put down.

Olly made quick work of the cockatrice beak, slicing it off and taking the ooze of venom that dripped from the teeth into a vial she had tucked away in a side pack. She had spotted a small pond that livestock used to drink from. She could easily bless it as a moonwell and use the fey water to conjure the serum that would help everyone. The sun was going down though, she had to make the twilight count as she hustled over to the pond, lighting a prayer paper to Meilikki in hopes that she would turn her eye on the young Ranger and bless her attempts at trying to set things right. This whole time that's all she had ever been doing, although it always felt like she was more running away. Closing her eyes, she began to meditate to bless the water before her. To concentrate, she started to focus on her goal at hand.