Private Flying Low

The sky was clearing up, last drops of rain like sparkling golden coins. But the forest did not rest, filled in addition to the cries of birds and scurrying of beasts with the sounds of a chase. Not too many people, a lot of noise as they were in a hurry, shouting at their mounts and to each other.
'Over there!'
'I saw it!'
'There, take a path through the river basin!'

A shadow rippled overhead, rushing forward along the coastline, riding the current inland. The noise of wings softened but low and loud - the creature was large, beyond doubt.
The hunters came crashing through the shrubbery and onto a small cliffside overlooking a clearing large enough to figure out where their quarry was headed. Some almost didn't stop in time.
The prey seemed wily - and turned immediately back and sideways, perhaps circling, perhaps turning, once again harder to track through the canopy.

Birds followed it like a head of the flock, small back silhouettes beside one with a body larger than a horse but smaller than a rhino.
It held something in its claws, as well, a wrapping of some sort. And, as it turned, as if to tease the huntsmen to 'please jump right off the cliff', the white tops of its wings betrayed a resemblance with a magpie.

Why wasn't it flying any higher up?

It answered the question, somewhat, getting a head start from the hunters to land, though only for a short while, in a tree. Its large form was, however, hard to hide for long, and it had to take off again sooner than a rest could be had, hunters on its green-sheened black tail.
Yet another round around and weaving through the forest. The mounts were getting tired, but so was the monstrous bird.

Eventually, and with strain, it gained another leeway ahead, and used it to swoop into the cover of a grassy ravine, once a basin to a much larger river.

It landed, almost crashed, by the water, and... oh.
Its blue eye lingered on the new find.
Someone else was trying to hide out here.
The wings imitated the gesture closest to a shrug.
The beak lowered to the shallow water and it threw the head back, drinking.
Under the clawed, scaled foot - a bundle of travelling gear, wrapped in some sort of a cloak, tied around by a rope. Definitely no time to explain.

@Azurul Kanak

Noise and whispers had reached him of something approaching. The Elves were not ones to just let a random being enter their space and not investigate it. Long ears flicked picking up the clomping of hooves on soil and roots. This chase had clearly gone on for a long time, and truly it amazed him that the elves hadn't taken to the tree tops as usual. Often shooting down prey preventing its escape to freedom. Somehow this being had managed the luck of the shroud.

Scared hands rubbed his chin as both ears flicked again, they were too close for his comfort. "You force my hand new comer.. Truly.. Leaning forward the bunny rose and stretched picking up a cross spear he had found along the way. Belting two long knives Azurul went to handle business.

Jumping into the thickets and out into the forest space, he waited. Pacing himself he lashed out as the first dismounted rider approached catching them in the wind pipe. Pulling their frame into the bushes, Azurul continued to hunt the remaining two scouts before returning back to well hidden water pool.

What he expected to find on return he did not know, but Azurul hoped this being had some sense of understanding. From the look of its gear, it was a shapeshifter of sorts. Gingerly he trekked down the dirt path sliding onto the somewhat stony shore. He did not hide his approach as he dragged the spear head through the water to clean it off. "An prey tell, whom might you be?" Azurul asked lightly, yellow eyes looked the figure over several times as he returned to his seat before his freshly ground herbs.

@Song

A slight head tilt followed, the magpie pondering whether that meant the stranger would not only consider its direly large form a threat, but - protect it?
Oh. How auspicious.
The bird turned to the beastkin fully, its wings spread - blue and green on the black feathers, greenish and pink hints on the white, the angle of the light just right to mesmerize. It offered a light bow in gratitude.
It then clicked its beak, and returned to drinking.

Upon his return to the creek, the Azurul would come across a young man, face and long black hair glistening wet, and layers of clothing clinging slightly to the skin. One might have assumed he'd quickly washed after the transformation, before dressing. The man folded his hair up fully, aptly slid the knot resulting into a half-circle clip and parsed through the cherrywood pin. The colors of his silks were bright, not weather worn in the slightest - in dusky blue with peach underlayer; sleeves that were certainly wide by design were clasped by dark leather armguards; wide pant legs, visible from under the knee-long shirts - tucked into high boots with curved up toe tips.

The round, soft face brightened with a smile.
"They ran out of arrows," he laughed, and thrust hands into the small embroidered travel bag that should have not contained much - and yet, a small, head-sized brass furnace, ornate and polished to a shine, emerged. "This dawdling scholar thanks you, kind ser."
His eyes flicked up and down to the swords and the scars - and the attire.
"Are you also not fond of being made into entertainment?" the young man asked lightly. His eyes went from the beastkin's shape to the herbs, moving closer in almost absent-minded seeming curiosity. The light eyes then flicked up to the bunny, to the herbs, and returned back to the bunny with a second unspoken query.

Azurul took the man in with slow blinks as his paws moved about the remedy he was making for poisons. The spear lay behind him along with his dual scimitars which were further wrapped in a single packing with his backpack. His thoughts so far with the man were not impressed, then again what would a runaway slave care for standing with people.

Ran out of arrows?

The notion struck him as odd, however considering this shapeshifters abilities and the distance it flew he did not doubt the accuracy of such a statement. Perhaps he was guarded by wards or did the elves abandon their ability to scout through the tree tops as before? Was that practiced trade depending on House?

"Entertainment? No.. Slavery is not for entertainment but for work. Speaking plainly he finished what he was working on. The small mixture of powders and herbs were slowly put away. Long ears remained raised on high alert so that he could hear from within this hidden place. Already more soldiers had gathered, Azurul wasn't the best at erasing tracks, but he did what he could. If they found the bodies then this place would be full in no time.

"Save your pleasantries we are not out of the thick of it yet.. You brought a merry host and many curious minds. Do you have some interest in medicine?" Raising a brow his scarred face shifted in curiosity. Gesturing to the waters he pointed at several purple blue scaled fish swimming close to the waters edge. "Azure Fins, known of the poison they carry, and mixed properly can be turned into a antidote for their poison.. Often found in many of the arrows fired by the Elves in this region of Hundred Homes." Another flick of the ears, shouts the thump of boots in trees peaked his interest.

His items were stowed into the chest pouch in a single movement. Reflexively he jumped back against his bag and slung the steps on. Taking up the spear he adjusted his kimono. "Come we must go.. There is a second place. We go by waterway.." Azurul did not wait for the other to respond sucking his teeth he jogged off across the stones to his left which led to a shadowy under brush. There the bunny slipped into some bushes and waited.

Their enemies were closer now, whistles and chirps filled the air where silence once stood.

And those long ears would hear fluttering. Sure, the forests were alive at all hours - and yet, it felt like there has always been at least several dozen small presences, on the branches, in the trees, circling in the sky.

"I do."
The young man sprung up, rather deftly dipping the heavy bronze cauldron into the water, on top of the fish, and lidded it upside down. He got at least two, no time for counting. And then, the shapeshifter not batting an eye, into the bag the cauldron went - the bag not growing any fatter for it. For later.

A hand extended upward - delicate fingers with callouses carefully treated until they weren't prominent - and a larger bird swooped low. It was the size of the chicken, and landed heavily on an old unearthed root overhead. Its head regarded the hare and the man sideways, neck feathers fluffing for a brassy low 'crraah'.
"Jueye, keep your court dancing," Song's voice lilted pleasantly, as if speaking to an old friend.
Out of the bag came a straight sword, blade only half an arm's length but still longer than the bag's volume would allow. The young man affixed it to his back, secured the bag, and turned over his shoulder, to watch the large raven fly off.

Chaos erupted from the half dozen elves meeting a whole family of disgruntled rooks and magpies and jackdaws. The young man only walked a few light steps, close by the water, not trying to hide as he was clearly intending for himself to be the bait... or... His eyes searched for the beastkin in the underbrush and he smiled, expression mischievous. Did not say a word, however, waiting for a moment the pursuers would come upon him.

There seemed to be a pleasant hum emanating from the young man. Singing. Something about fragrant jasmine, rocking to the rhythm, the smiling blue eyes without fail turning in the direction of the new arrivals, pestered by the swooping flocks.
He waited, the tune half a hum and half murmured words.
Didn't reach for the sword.

From somewhere in his clothes, at the fluid motion of his hands upward and outward, hidden blades emerged. Shaped like leaves or maybe feathers, they flew at the mounts. One, two. A beat. The mounts of the front riders fell at full tilt charge, crumpling riders underneath.
I promised his courts a feast, after all, if it came to this.
"...fragrant and beautiful, everyone praises..." One, two, three, four. Shoulder, side, one held bow went low; throat, hand, the fourth rider had two more significant problems now.

The young man dove under a blade from the fifth, side-stepped a few beats away from the sixth as he straightened up.
The unrelenting onslaught of birds seems to have ceased.
It was the turn of those who claimed the land to stand up for themselves.

Wow wow.. What he witnessed now was something completely out of ordinary. Sitting on his haunches in the bushes he watched the man dance his way through the enemies at hand. 'They are fluid in motion, I like this.. A possible helpful hand for as long as this adventure lasts.' It humored the hare how these troops struggled against this man and his companions. Then again, when encountering the unknown victory is never certain.

Three fell like grass while another stumbled bleeding from his neck. With each Azurul finished him with a solid spear thrust and pulled free toppling the body. He sent the mount off back the other way towards the last few mounted riders. The mount cried out nearly ramming into the final guards left. Traveling in its wake, Azurul closed the distance and stabbed upward catching the Fifth rider in the chest lifting him from his mount. Drawing back he dropped the elf back into its saddle before the mount side stepped away letting the body fall.

Whistling wind altered him as ears flicked and he ducked low beneath a swiping blade meant for his neck. Rolling further out of range he jabbed again taking the last man in the ribs and twisting the shaft within. Pulling free her body dropped next with a splash and thud of leathered armor. "Useful you both are.. This Jueye and you.. Come. We still must leave.. No doubt they sent the last two back for the reinforcements. So please.." Azurul beckoned for the last time, stepping into the brush in order to further cover their tracks.

"An do be sure not to leave any foot prints. Send your friends off of they'll just lead them back to us. Subtly is necessary in these parts."

Useful. The man's face was young and smooth, but his eyes were weathered chips of aquamarine, hard and cold above the smiling lips, as he saw the beastkin heading off. He was still humming, in his native language, under his breath, that cheerful children's song. It was the only barrier between Master Song and all the tumult of emotions storming against the resolve with each beat.

Don't troubles ever cease?!
I was hoping to not have to do this again.
The yang qi is spent, I am spent. I need to lie down.
Make sure the ally is useful.
Fang-jie would have made shorter work of them.
"Jueye will keep them dancing," the former Jade informed his unlikely ally. "Go ahead of me."

A narrow step - a mere change of stanza in his dance.
Song bent forward, ripped the knife out of the wound, switched to grip it between the index and pinky finger.
Leaned back straight, turning on the heel to the other fallen mount.
Bent backwards, reached over his head, yanked out the metal willow-leaf or maybe feather, pressed its grip between the ring and middle finger.
Two steps, swaying side to side, and another lean to his left, to pluck the steel from a man with red all over the throat - who'd drowned in his own blood before the punctured artery brought the blackness.
Another knife, from the enemy's hand, stuck between wrist bones. Song straightened up again, a light groan.

A wide step, improvised fan flourishing in white against the daylight before it folded, all thin blades resting against the palm.
Sparkling metal dragged through the brook, sent red trails through the clear water.
Moon on my wings, indeed.
He had to take the yin pill, stop being a beacon for spirit courts and then some. But then, he'd be slower. Need to rest.

"I'm here."
Song appeared to Azurul's right quietly, just out of sword reach. No blades in sight, no smile, no singing.

Farther and farther away, bursts of caws and swoops were guiding the pursuit down a wrong path.
Closer some, the bodies were growing ripe for the raven courts' feast.

Listening carefully, Azurul did not miss the hiss of singing metal. Curious this one; not just a mere shapeshifter straying too far from home. What to do with such a creature? Even as the other approached, he turned to meet them; checking the ground beyond, he nodded in satisfaction.

"Right then.. Tell me your story.." Azurul said, gently walking towards their next destination, bending to shift through the thicket and brush. Every move was fluid like water, wasting no space nor energy as they ventured deeper into the heart of The Great Gardens. Now and then, Azurul would stop, his ears flicking and turning to take in the sounds around him. This Song fellow has some excellent companions to have drawn off one of the Hundred Houses. Few like himself ever made it out long enough to touch the corners of the Garden.

As he listened to Song speak, he took mental notes while leading them up into the mountains. Azurul had found a space here in the mountain region that allowed for many exits. With a route to water and the method of hunting, sustainability was entirely up to the individual. Grass became scarce, but the trees remained, taking root deep within the stones. To their left, the slopes went down rather steeply, while to the right, it mellowed before going up sharply.

Pausing before a large patch of ivy, Azurul perked his ears up once more. After several heartbeats, he pushed himself through the ivy and disappeared into the rocks. Within were high ceilings and a long tunnel with an air current going through it. Waiting a moment, the Rabbit beckoned for Song to follow him further in.