Stryx Advent Scraps: Advent 16

Kida wiggled her toes, enjoying the feeling of soft grass under her paws. Taking in a deep breath, she inhaled the smell of the fresh forest, flowers and ferns surrounding her. It was night, so the crickets were out in full force, chirping loudly. Her companion, Gula, was in charge of carrying the lantern, having a small one strapped around his neck.

“Let’s get to work,” she said to her Corva, Gula. He shook his feathers lightly in response and followed her lead, the both of them going scavenging tonight. They turned over large boulders, dug amongst roots, and plucked ripe berries from bushes. This forest was practically untouched by others, teeming with various resources that could be used in medicines or meals. The feline rider beamed as her bag filled up with plants, berries, and bones. “Not a bad haul so far.”

Her ears perked up at the sound of rushing water in the distance. Her tail twitched with excitement as she made her way through the trees toward the source, Gula slowly and cautiously keeping up, not wanting to get moss from the trees in his feathers. Finding a stream, she followed its winding path until it came to a small lagoon, with a waterfall tumbling into it. The water was almost crystal-clear, with the rocks along the bottom clearly visible.

“Wow, this is a gorgeous spot,” she whispered to herself, dipping her toes in the water to gauge the temperature. She looked back at Gula, who seemed to be staring forward with his feathers fluffing up. “Oh no,” she sighed, looking in the direction he was. That’s when she spotted a rather gorgeous Tyto drinking calmly from the lagoon. Its cream-colored feathers stood out in the dark forest despite it being night time, and the long tendril feathers of its wings were unmissable. Kida smiled as she noticed the fluffy, ruffled feathers of the Tyto, even from a distance.

Deciding to keep quiet and at a distance, she sat at the water's edge, picking out shiny rocks and small plants from nearby. She would occasionally glance up at the Tyto, who was now preening their soft feathers after a drink. Gula stayed silent as well, figuring that they were minding their own business and not bothering him any.

As the Tyto noticed the pair, they looked over with wide, amber eyes. They approached slowly, head tilting to the side curiously as they observed the silver cat. She smiled and waved as they came closer, which prompted a slight cautious twitch backwards from the Tyto. Gula let out a slight rumble from his throat as they got closer to him, as a warning to keep their distance.

After a few minutes of this silence, broken only by the nearby waterfall and Gula’s growling, the Tyto gave a little nod and made their way into the forest, walking swiftly through the trees. Kida put her newly-gathered items into her pouch and smiled, looking over her shoulder at Gula. He remained with puffed up feathers and raised crest, but luckily didn’t get loud and screechy.

“They were a pretty lil Tyto, huh?” The Corva seemed to give a disinterested look before turning and making his way into the trees. He made sure to go the opposite direction of the strange Tyto. “Wait for me!” Kida yelled, scrambling to her feet and clutching her bag close as she followed the royal Corva. They still had quite a bit of scavenging to do, but this forest was peaceful and quiet; a perfect place to seek out new items to take back home.