PA Lit Entries

The air was crisp, the morning sun just barely rising above the mountain tops that the Wayward Flock called their home. Dawn Breaker was still getting used to all of the new arrivals but she was happy, maybe for the first time in her life. It had taken a lot of convincing from her friends to let the others in at first and now with all of their kids running around there was even less space. Oh well, at least she could still take to the skies unlike that poor alberto and her child. One of the kids had followed her though as she'd taken off. Moose was still getting used to flying and Dawn Breaker was the best she had being the only other one blessed with exoskeleton. Perhaps she too had needed some space from all the holiday festivities.

"Careful, you have to make sure to you're getting enough lift. Your skeleton is still developing but it'll get heavier as you age." She spoke clearly, breath condensing in front of her from the cold air. Moose nodded in response, altering the way her wings bent in order to glide a little easier.

The two hadn't been flying for long and overall Dawn Breaker was impressed with how well Moose was doing. It was good that the winds were calm with only a few white clouds in the sky. It had snowed the other night which meant that Dawn Breaker hadn't been able to go out and patrol like she normally would. Oh well, hopefully the cold air would prevent anyone from trying to sneak up on them.

But just as Dawn Breaker was thinking this would be an easy flight, a shadow caught her attention. It was from higher up, from above the two tropes and she knew deep down that someone was now following them. She didn't let on though and made a wider than normal turn for the ease of Moose's little wings. Glancing back at the younger trope she smiled, Moose was still okay and the way back home was clear.

"Alright Moose, I'm gonna let you fly back home alone. I have to check on something within our territory." She spoke clearly, still being friendly but there was a slight edge to her voice.

Moose opened her mouth to try and protest, clearly nervous about flying alone while she was still unsteady. Though the stern look Dawn Breaker gave her was enough to tell her to be quiet and move on. Moose, once again, nodded and shakily flew ahead. Dawn Breaker watched over her for a bit until she knew the kid was a safe distance away from any possible threat.

With a big beat of her wings, Dawn Breaker shot into the clouds above, expertly slicing through them with practiced precision. From this vantage point it was easy to spot the light brown trope who had been following them. Without an ounce of hesitation, Dawn Breaker swooped down, frigid air rushing past her. She whizzed past the other trope who yelped in surprise, wings beating erratically.

"This is my territory! What do you think you're doing here?" Dawn Breaker bellowed, making sure to stay circling around the stranger.

"Hey! What the hell!" The other trope shot back, voice low and gravely. There was a slight growl to it, some kind of aggression. Dawn Breaker had to make sure this fellow didn't find her home. It was her duty to protect, it always had been.

"State your purpose!" She swooped down again, spinning around the trope to disorient her. This didn't work however, it was clear this trope knew what they were doing as they readjusted using a big wing beat to shoot forward in an attempt to lose Dawn Breaker.

"I'm lost! Stars almighty I'm just lost, now can you leave me alone!" Lost huh, Dawn Breaker had heard that excuse many times before. She gave chase, keeping pace with the stranger.

"Good one, tell me your real reason or I won't hesitate to take you out." Dawn Breaker didn't hesitate to move in such a way that let her armor pieces clack against one another.

"It's true! I heard there was some nice bushes o' rosemary in these mountains and I got lost! I swear!" There was still some form of aggression in the other's voice but with being close Dawn Breaker could hear some of the exhaustion bleed through.

Now that she was closer, she took note of the state of the other trope. The brown trope had a litany of scars across her body, even missing the tip of one of her wings and while she flew expertly Dawn Breaker could tell the other was pushing herself. Perhaps she had misjudged the situation... it was the holiday season anyways, sue supposed she could be nicer to others for a little longer.

"Okay... fine. I know where you can find rosemary. Follow me." She let her tone shift, become a little softer around the edges but there was a level of caution she couldn't get rid of.

"And why should I follow the trope that just threatened me?" Dawn Breaker simply looked back with a glare. "Right right, you'll shoot me down or whatever."

The two huffed, almost in unison. Dawn Breaker would have found that funny if it was any other situation though it did seem to get a slight chuckle from the other trope. With that out of the way, Dawn Breaker led the way towards the rosemary bushes that littered the territory. There was one not too far away. A silence was settling over the duo now though, a bit tense and awkward. That wouldn't do.

"My name is Dawn Breaker." She started, not really expecting a response back.

Dawn Breaker was pleasantly surprised when she heard a gentle "Snicker, the name's Snicker," from behind her. Okay, that was good. That meant that they were on friendlier terms now. Dawn Breaker could work with this. She knew how to make small talk with others. She had practiced this many times with her friends and flock mates after all!

"Ah, nice to meet your acquaintance then. I apologize for being rude back there. You're not the first to come through here and there have been many with ill intent."

"I get it." Snicker replied curtly. It was clear that Snicker had gone... through it. But so had she and she could feel the other trope's eyes linger on her exo-skeleton and the many nicks that it sported.

It didn't take too long for the pair to reach the mountain side where the bushes of rosemary grew. Dawn Breaker started to veer off to the side, she had to make sure her landing was slow and steady as that was always the hardest for her. Snicker on the other hand had a much easier time and landed well before Dawn Breaker did having already spotted the green herb growing in the snow. The brown trope instantly relaxed, frown melting away into a more relieved expression.

"Hah, to be honest I'm a little surprised you actually led me to the good stuff." Snicker started, eyes still on the rosemary as she gingerly stepped around it trying to sus out the best branches.

Dawn Breaker puffed her chest out slightly, adjusting her wings so that they folded properly against her body. "Of course, I'm not one to start needless fights. I've had plenty of those in my life."

Snicker nodded, clearly more interested in the herb. Dawn Breaker watched her work, salad tong like face pushing aside parts of the plant so that she could reach the newer growth under neath. The pink trope wondered how long this would take, the icy snow under her feet was already starting to get on her nerves. Cold winter air was one thing but icy ground? That was an entirely different beast. With Snicker preoccupied, Dawn Breaker turned her gaze to the sky and frowned. There were now more clouds in the sky and they looked less than friendly.

"Not to rush you but it looks like it'll start snowing soon." Dawn Breaker turned back to her new acquaintance who was delicately gathering some bushels of rosemary.

"Oh... I see." Snicker looked up at the sky briefly before returning to the rosemary.

"You said you were lost. I can point you in the direction of some shelter, these mountains are full of caves."

Snicker laughed, a loud hearty laugh that startled Dawn Breaker. "Ah, see I was somewhat lying when I told you that earlier but thank you. I'm just battle weary soul who wanted something a little selfish this winter. The holidays haven't been too kind to me but the gift of nature is always plentiful."

Dawn Breaker huffed, shifting her weight on her feet. "Well, thanks for coming clean I guess." She paused looking back up at the clouds. This would probably be a bit more than just a little bit of snow. "Listen, I don't want to find your body buried in this blizzard so when you're done here if you go straight towards the sun and find a large two peaked mountain you'll find shelter there. It'll be pretty easy to spot, trust me. There's a bunch of tropes there, a few alberts, the kids are all still excited with their gifts so you'll hear em too."

She paused, not quite sure where she was going with it but she could tell Snicker was listening. That was enough for her so Dawn Breaker turned towards the sky, getting ready to launch herself into the air. Snicker turned to watch her depart and left the armored trope with a small "Thank you, happy holidays" before turning back to her task.

All that Dawn Breaker could do now was hope the other trope would make it out in time.