Eclipse Event Stories (NOT CANON)

The Flight

Eris tried to make a short nap in the comfortable burrow until the storm outside is over, but she was interrupted.

Suddenly she heard a loud screeching from beyond the entrance. Still cautious she crawled out of the cave, at first just her head, and when she couldn’t see any imminent danger she completely got out of the hole in the ground. But little did Eris know that she didn’t look up high enough. The screeching returned and then she noticed it was coming from above. A gigantic bird was flying through the air, larger than any other she had ever seen. It’s massive wing flaps stirred up the area, blowing strong wind and sand at the Saliko and disturbing the environment. Before Eris was really able to process what was happening, the bird swooped down towards her, cutting her off from the den. After a quick jump in shock, she turned around and ran the other direction, away from the creature. It’s gaze has been glowing red as well… a lot like the Tatras was. Running in serpentines she tried to dodge the claws that kept trying to catch her. All Kumbas can run pretty quickly but no other would be able to outrun her at the speed she was dashing through the desert. The bird kept screeching behind her, seemingly getting angrier after every failed attempt. Then she felt a grip on her neck and despite still running, she did not budge from her spot. Instead she was lifted upwards, towards the sky. The Ground below her was getting farther and farther away and she knew, if she wanted to get down safely, she’d have to act fast before the distance was too long. She struggled against the birds grip, biting and slashing around until she managed to hurt the featherless leg of the gigantic creature. Surprised it opened its claw and dropped her.

Eris was falling for what seemed like forever and the cold of the night was crawling into her skin. While in the air she turned her feet towards the ground, ready to land and run for her life. She closed her eyes and waited for the impact, but it never came. When she opened them she was rising up again, the bird now firmly gripping her and making her unable to move. There was no getting away anymore, as they were flying too high for her to survive the drop and she couldn’t release herself anyway. The bird flew north for a long time until Eris noticed the sandy landscape become earthy and more and more plants were growing. In the distance she saw a few mountains and tried to remember her way back in case she’d survive this trip and manage to escape whatever was waiting for her after that.

The small, dry plants gave way to larger and more lush vegetation. The trees became larger and the undergrowth was getting so dense that Eris was not able to see the ground anymore. The sky was tinted soft pink now and at the horizon the first rays of the sun reached the surface and covered the area in light, so that the treetops looked like a golden sea, swaying in the breeze. Because the flight took so long, Eris occasionally dozed off, then woke again in shock and fell asleep again shortly after. This went on for a while until she noticed they were heading towards a huge tree, taller than any other around and larger than any the female had ever seen before. A lot of birds were flying around it, some scouting, some carrying something towards the tree and the leaving again on their own. They were probably all bringing other Salikos there, but why? And are these the same aggressive birds that have been injuring and sometimes killing the innocent?

A cold shiver was running down her spine, but Eris was still looking forward with confidence. No one, be it Saliko or force of nature, would be able to hold or keep her. She’d surely find a way out, alive or dead, no matter the casualties.

They were getting closer to the tree and the feathered monster was slowly descending towards it. As it was flying above it, the grip of it’s claws suddenly loosened around Eris and she dropped down, thrashing around as she fell through the leaves. She landed ungently on some kind of plateau in the tree, like a burrow that was closed off all around by the plant itself but open on top. In one of the walls was a hole that a Saliko stepped through now.

It was a young, red colored female Tatra with the same eerie eyes as Minas had. Before the stranger said anything Eris already analyzed the situation and her opponent. She was obviously blind as well, so the Kumba was probably at the tribe Minas told her about. There was a pretty flower in her mane and she looked very sweet and kind, though Eris knew she must not get deceived that simply. The other female spoke with low and soft voice to her.

«Hello Kumba! Welcome to mothers great tree. I am Ren and will help you settle in until your audience begins.»

Eris was feeling confused and looked suspiciously at the blind one.

«Audience? What do you mean? And how do you know I'm a Kumba anyway?»

Ren laughed.

«I don't need eyes to be able to know that, my nose can easily tell me that you're from the desert. Minas, my brother, told me you were interested in our tribe. You may have a meeting with dawn to answer your questions if you like, just wait here until we get you.»

«How long will that take?»

«Trust me, it’s worth waiting for. Might be tomorrow, might be a couple days…maybe a few weeks. But we will do anything we can to make your stay here pleasant.»

«Will I be allowed to go and hunt for myself?»

«No, it's too dangerous. You don't know the terrain or it's dangers. Neither the flora nor fauna is familar to you so you might get lost or hurt and we cannot risk that. But don't worry, we have enough great hunters and food anyway, we'll gladly share it with you. Just stay here and you’ll be fine, I'll check on you later.»

The copper female bowed and left again, leaving Eris alone in this strange place.

She looked around for the first time now. The place where she landed was covered with feathers, fur and moss, making a comfortable bed. Despite wanting to leave as fast as possible, the Kumba noticed she was too tired to flee now and the nest was so comfortable that she wanted to stay for a bit. As she fell asleep she heard muffled sounds. The flapping of giant wings, screams for help and hard thumps of the other Salikos that were presumably being dropped here like her.

She woke up as the sun was setting once more and immediately noticed that she wasn’t alone. She could hear breathing and smell the unknown scent of a stranger. She was turned towards the wall and did not see who was behind her, but the Saliko left after a short while. She was obviously being watched, maybe even guarded.

The female got up and looked around to see that everything else was still the same as before.

Despite that, an uneasy feeling was growing in her guts. Something was wrong but she couldn’t quite tell what it was. But she wouldn’t stay and try to solve this mystery, after all Eris didn’t even want to be here in he first place, she just wanted to go home.

Suddenly Ren appeared again through the hole to her ‘cell’, looking at the fade colored one with a smile.

«Did you sleep well? I thought you might be hungry so I brought you a yellow-neck natter. You eat snakes where you come from, right?»

«Uh yeah, I do. Thank you.»

The Tatra put down the snake in front of Eris’ paws, then pointed at a green pile in the corner that held more water than Eris could find in any plant of the desert.

«Over here is a water drenched moss clump, you can use it drink if you're thirsty. If you need anything just call and someone will be here.»

Ren bowed again and then disappeared.

Eris was suspicious about the food, but as she smelled the prey, her stomach started growling and she eagerly ate it. It tasted a lot different than what she’s used to, but good nonetheless. The prey around here was less salty and had a lot more meat on it compared to the desert animals.

Surviving around here might not be that difficult for her after all, she’d get used to the terrain sooner or later. Despite being in safety, she had to risk leaving but she would stay until the night has fallen, so she’d be able to use her greatest skill…stealth.