Esfir tensed up at the screeching call. Did it possess a sense of camaraderie? Was it calling for its kin to feast with it? Her grip tightened upon the spear, ears pricked up to hear accompanying wingflaps. But nothing had happened. The harpy only landed elsewhere. Closer to the tatzelwurm’s corpse, yet still not in range.

She settled back down.

The second screech, and this time, she understood. The shifting of blades of grass, the [i]goosebumps[/i] rising over her flesh. That sudden movement, gaze locked onto where she was. It was a physiological ability, a skill built for a cowardly creature to detect where its predators were. To detect ambushes, just like this. She furrowed her brow. It knew where she was, so it must know what she was doing. The harpy may as well…

Wait, it wasn’t leaving?

Such an ability, and yet it didn’t have the sense to cut its own losses. Funny thing, that. The runt understood though, its behavior. She stepped further away as a result, settling down a greater distance from the corpse. The harpy was a scrawny thing, too small to fly while carrying a corpse with it. She could imagine it like the crows of her hometown. They would pick at garbage bags, at dropped food, but they would not fly away with an entire container in their beaks. She could take advantage of this.

The third screech sounded, the movement of the grass before her a clear indication that now, she had avoided that crying sound’s effective range. The harpy swooped down, wings stretched out to decelerate as it landed upon the corpse. Its claws were sharp, sharp enough to rip through scale as well. She’d have to watch out for that.

First though, she’d have to watch out for its voice.

The fourth screech sounded. It was cautious, but now, it had finally allowed itself to let its guard down. It bent down its head, focused on the ‘free’ food before it. Esfir laid her spear on the grass, hands slipping into her stomach-bag to retrieve the sharp-pointed remnants of the horns she had savaged in order to produce a spearhead. Breathe deep. Crouch down. Focus. Stalk forth. Close in.

Three.

Two.

One.

The retort of a gun only she could hear!

Esfir sprinted forwards, skinny arms pumping as her frame shot through the bushes, over the risen roots, between the forked trees. The harpy’s head snapped up, the flight instinct triggering as its wings spread wide open, as its leg muscles activated for take-off. But that behavior was something she understood, and she hurled the Jackalope points forwards, the horn-shards whistling as they flew towards the monster. Defensive instincts triggered, wings collapsing inwards to protect its face and body. The points struck bone and thick membrane, unable to pierce the wings, but her gambit had paid off: by the time the harpy could take-off, it was in range.

[b]“Frost Arc.”[/b]

A storm surged out, a blizzard gale that buffeted the harpy. Its wings caught something that it had not been prepared for, and the creature slammed into a tree, dropping upon the ground. Grounded, but not stunned. Crimson light spilled out from its claws, the creature lashing out defensively as Esfir approached. A meaningless struggle though, when she held the advantage in range. Her hands raised up once more, and a second Frost Arc blanketed the harpy in close range. This time, it was channeled, and the runt could [i]feel[/i] something drain out from her body, something exit out through her veins, through the skin of the palm of her hands.
Whatever it was, however, it was worth it.

The harpy could only cower and screech as ice formed over its wings, while Esfir advanced with the surging blizzard, no longer threatened by claw swipes that might open up an artery and cause her to bleed out within seconds. She drew out her rock, took aim at the prostrating creature, and cracked its head open.

…

It was unwieldy, perhaps, but the haft was thick enough to bear the weight.

After having lashed the tatzelwurm and the harpy on either end of her spear utilizing her remaining Mycellium Lashes, Esfir dispassionately hoisted up her kills upon her shoulders. It was well past noon now, and the weight of her game made travel somewhat of a hassle. Perhaps she had gotten greedy, gotten ambitious.

Perhaps that was a good thing.

Wiping the remnants of snow off her fingertips, Esfir let out a sigh, hummed a song, and returned to the place that wasn't yet her home.

[hider=Skills][list]
[*][b]Ingestion[/b] - [i]After consuming a required amount of biomass from a particular Creature, 1 of that Creature's Skills can be copied at its lowest Rank.[/i]
[*][b]Frost Arc[/b] - Rank I - [i]An expanding spray of icy cold, over 10 feet in one direction and 5 feet wide at its furthest edge. The cold is more intense the closer the target is to the origin, reaching its lowest temperature within a span of about 2 feet. It constantly expends Magic Power the longer the cone is maintained.[/i]
[*][b]Murderous Intent[/b] - Rank I - [i]Focus hatred and the desire to kill through the subtle senses. A creature that is weaker than you must exert its willpower or be Intimidated (Intimidated creatures suffer reduced speed). A creature that is already Intimidated, Shocked, or Unaware may instead become Fearful and be unable to act for 5 seconds. Creatures that are stronger than you can only be Intimidated by this Skill if they are already Shocked or Unaware, but their willpower threshold is higher.[/i]
[*]Empty Skill Slot[/list][/hider]
[hider=Equipment and Inventory][list]
[*][b]Swaddling Pelts[/b] - Equip, Clothes - [i]Old animal skins used to keep an Orc baby warm as they sleep. Once the Runt is old enough to start hunting, these are usually just enough to cover the parts that need the most covering.[/i]
[*][b]Sharp Rock[/b] - Equip, Weapon/Tool, Material Component - [i]A rock with a slightly sharp edge. Useful as a primitive knife or chisel. Can be thrown.[/i]
[*][b]Jackalope Spear[/b] - 2H Weapon - [i]A decent, if primitive spear. Not suitable as a throwing weapon due to its weight, but made of tough, sturdy materials. Jackalope horn is surprisingly sharp, almost as much so as metal.[/i]
[*][b]Stomach-Bag[/b] - Small bag, improved from an Elwet's stomach.
[*][b]Elwet Antlers[/b]
[*][b]Rotleaves x5[/b]
[*][b]Rotleaf Seedpods x6[/b]
[*][b]Gizzard Sparkstone[/b]
[*][b]Elwet Feathers[/b]
[*][b]Raw Chalcopyrite Ore x3[/b]
[*][b]Bufonite x3[/b]
[*][b]Tungem Branch x3[/b]
[*][b]Jackalope Point x4[/b]
[*][b]Broken Jackalope Point[/b]
[*][b]Pimplestool Mushroom x2[/b]
[*][b]Crushed Pimplestool[/b]
[*][b]Mushroom Shreds x3[/b]
[*][b]Mycellium Lash x2[/b]
[*][b]Frayed Mycellium Lash x2[/b][/list][/hider]
[@Zeroth]