Chapter 4: Crimson Hawks

Nadran climbed quickly up the cliff, his amethyst eyes seeming to glow in the dark of the night as they reflected the determination resolve within him. Nadran had never had much trouble seeing things at night, and he honestly found it a bit amusing to watch other people stumble around in the dark when he could see the obstacles without much trouble. "Maybe having purple eyes gives me good eyesight," was something Nadran had jokingly said in the past, but there was no way for him to actually find out if the two unusual attributes of his eyes had anything in common.

In just a few minutes, he had climbed a significant distance, and he could already see the reddish nest of the crimson hawks above him. [There's the nest… I really hope that there's a lesser blood lily nearby, otherwise I don't know what else I can do.]

Crimson hawks were terrifying creatures that were nearly as tall as an average adult human, with a wingspan that was easily 10 feet across. They were fearsome predators, attacking and eating anything that entered their territory. Even creatures much larger than them feared these intelligent birds, and if it weren't for the possibility of the Lesser Blood Lily being here, Nadran would never have come anywhere near their nest.

Nadran took great care to not make any sounds that could wake and alert the ferocious beasts that were sleeping nearby. [I need to find the lily and get out without waking them,] Nadran thought, trying to stay calm and careful at the same time. Luckily, Nadran had plenty of experience being quiet, as he had attended hundreds of sigil lectures without ever being caught, and so he knew how to conceal his presence when needed.

Nadran began closely examining the rock around him, looking for the rare herb that could heal his father. He forced himself to move slowly and methodically so as not to miss anything. Nadran was unable to see any Lesser Blood Lilies anywhere on the cliff face with a cursory glance, so his only chance was to hope the lily was hiding in some place that was currently obscured from his view.

The crescent moon moved slowly across the sky as he searched every nook and cranny of the rock face. Despite the passage of time, Nadran couldn't find the faintest trace of red, other than the scarlet nest which housed fearsome birds that could tear him to pieces in seconds. [I can't find it. I've already checked all around the nest. I need to get closer to the nest to keep looking.]

Nadran had been trying to avoid getting too close to the nest, as awakening the birds could easily mean his death, but he didn't have a choice any more. With more than a little trepidation, Nadran edged closer to the nest and continued his search.

When he was only a few feet below the nest, Nadran noticed a particularly deep fissure in the rock. Looking inside, he saw a glint of red within, and his pulse involuntarily rose. [Could it be…] Nadran thought, trying to keep calm so as not to alert the sleeping birds nearby. With trembling hands, Nadran reached in and pulled out a delicate flower. Its delicate petals shone a deep red that almost seemed to exude its own light, and its stem was a pure white that looked hard and brittle, and yet was surprisingly flexible.

[It really is the Lesser Blood Lily,] Nadran thought, trying to ignore the lump that formed in his throat. [I was worried that I wouldn't find any, that I was wasting my time looking for something that wasn't there, but it really is…]

Tears began sliding down Nadran's cheeks as he looked deeply at the flower that could save his father. Nadran stood frozen in place as though he was in a trance, overwhelmed by emotion. All of his fears and worries, the subconscious feeling of helplessness in the face of his father's injuries, all of it began fading away as the spark of hope he had been grasping at for the last day ignited into an open flame. [W-with this, dad can be healed,] Nadran thought, smiling as the tears continued streaming down his face.

As he was lost in his thoughts, Nadran shifted his footing, accidentally dislodging a loose rock that was stuck in the rock face. The sudden sound jolted him out of his thoughts, causing him to look around quickly, only to see the rock bouncing off the cliff below as it fell over 200 feet to the ground. Each time it struck the cliff, the rock made a crashing sound that felt deafening to Nadran's ears compared to the silence of his surroundings.

Fearfully, Nadran looked up to see an avian head looking down at him from the nest just above his head, its piercing yellow eyes meeting his. Its vicious beak, capable of piercing rock as though it were made of butter, opened before it let out a thunderous screech.

[Uh oh, this is really bad!] Nadran thought in alarm as he heard the sound of several flapping wings as the Crimson Hawks took off from their nest. Nadran looked down again before immediately deciding that jumping off a 200-foot cliff was not the best course of action. He quickly put the lily in his pocket, then began climbing down as quickly as he could, sometimes dropping several feet from one set of handholds to another. He hadn't made it more than 20 feet, though, before the predatory birds had caught up to him.

With a screech, one of the hawks dove toward him, apparently intent on impaling Nadran against the wall. Nadran threw himself to the side, barely managing to avoid the beak that cracked open the rock where he had just been. Reaching out his arm, he barely managed to grab a small stone outcropping to prevent him from falling to his death.

Nadran quickly looked around to reorient himself. He saw three different Crimson Hawks flying around, including the one that had just broken part of the cliff face. [I don't have the time to cast any sigils right now, and I'm not sure what sigil could even help here. I haven't learned any sigils that could help me break my fall if I jump, and those hawks could easily tear through any defenses I could pull up even if I had the time to cast them. I guess I have to rely on myself for this,] Nadran thought, looking for the next set of handholds he could jump to.

Unfortunately, while he was distractedly considering the possibility of using sigils, he didn't notice one of the hawks diving toward him. By the time he saw it, it was already on top of him. Nadran instinctively flattened himself against the cliff as the Crimson Hawk swooped by. Unfortunately, due to a combination of fatigue and previous injuries, he was unable to react fast enough to completely avoid it, and its talons tore into his back. Nadran gritted his teeth as a set of red lines formed on his back, blood spilling out.

[At this rate, I won't be able to make it even halfway down without becoming bird food,] Nadran thought grimly. [I need to figure out how to get down some other way… but how…] Nadran suddenly stopped and looked at the approaching hawks with a gleam in his eyes. [What if…]

As one of the Crimson Hawks approached, Nadran braced himself, hoping this insane idea would work, then leaped off the cliff face straight at one of the hawks. This caught the Crimson Hawk completely off guard, and it let out a distressed screech as a human landed on top of it. Nadran was heavier than the hawk, which became unable to fly with the extra weight on it and began plunging down toward the ground.

The hawk was totally panicking at this point, trying to use its wings to slow its descent while simultaneously trying to buck Nadran off, but Nadran clung tenaciously to the bird as the two went down in a semi-controlled fall toward the hard dirt below them. The other Crimson Hawks followed them down, wanting to kill the intruding human but afraid of hurting the hawk he clung to.

With the wind whistling in his ears, Nadran watched the ground rapidly getting closer. [I was really hoping the hawk would be able to slow our descent by more… this will probably hurt.]

Right before they hit the ground, Nadran released the hawk and pushed off of it as hard as he could, slowing his own fall by accelerating the hawk's. The hawk impacted the ground at high speed, sending a small spray of dirt outward, accompanied by the sound of breaking bones. Nadran landed on top of the bird a split second later, driving the hawk deep into the ground.

Nadran grimaced and attempted to stand. Everything hurt, and his muscles screamed in protest whenever he moved them. If it weren't for the adrenaline still coursing through him, it would have been almost impossible for him to get up.

Nadran didn't have the luxury of taking his time, though, as he heard enraged screeches coming from above him. Nadran's eyes widened and he leaped out of the way just in time to avoid being torn to shreds by a furious Crimson Hawk, trying to block out the pain as he ran into the forest.

The hawks attempted to give chase but were unable to get far due to how dense the trees were. The hawks' 10-foot wingspans prevented them from flying here, and their walking speed was not worthy of note. After a minute that felt like hours to Nadran, the Crimson Hawks gave up the chase, screeching their discontent as Nadran disappeared into the depths of the forest.

As the adrenaline wore off, Nadran suddenly felt like his body was made of lead. He stumbled and caught himself against a tree, his vision blurring. Nadran shook his head to clear it and looked up at the sky, which was beginning to brighten. It was already dawn, and Nadran, on top of being rather heavily injured, had been awake for almost a full 24 hours, and had been engaged in strenuous physical activity for a good portion of it. It was a challenge just to keep his eyes open, and Nadran was close to falling asleep on the spot.

[I can't fall asleep here, I might get attacked by some ferocious beast while I sleep,] Nadran thought, knowing that this forest was not as peaceful as it appeared, especially for someone who lets their guard down. [Besides, I'm almost done. I just need to get home and give dad the flower, and then I can rest.]

As the sun rose above the horizon, a single figure walked out of the Finasa forest. His clothes were torn and tattered, and he had a set of bandages wrapped around his chest, stained red with blood. He walked slowly, clearly favoring one leg, and his arms dangled by his side, lacking the energy to lift them. His eyes were half-closed due to fatigue, and his head kept drifting downward. And yet despite all this, a smile could be seen on his lips, betraying his happiness and excitement.

Nadran walked into his home city of Wyvatha, his spirits high, unaware of the fact that his trials were not yet over.