_{The Modern Angels}

[Invitation ONLY.]

The Angel Tribe--The Researchers

Modern Angels Part One

Modern Angels Part Two

Modern Angels Part Three

Modern Angels Part Four

The Library was in an intricate structure of a mix of tile and wooden panels, sufficiently protecting the scrolls of the history of the bewinged. Although it wasn't that large of a building, it held numerous recordings, going back at least two hundred years before the scroll had gotten to musty and were always thrown away.

Ryan's mouth dropped, then closed as he realized how much translating they would have to do.

"Wow... this is... this is amazing!" Annah did a full 360 when they entered the library, trying to take everything in.

The look on Zusoir's face showed that he was clearly pleased with their reactions. "Isn't it wonderful?" He didn't bother to sign, he had always admired the library. "Take a look for yourselves." He indicated for the two to look around.

Annah moved off immediately, excited by the prospect of exploring a foreign library belonging to creatures that shouldn't have existed. A happy smile twisted the corners of her lips up as she looked around.

Zusoir picked up a nearby book and sat down to read. He figured the humans could handle choosing some material for themselves. He'd help them once they've made up their minds.

Ryan grinned a little before it settled into a thin line, though his eyes shone with excitement. This was unexpected. He didn't think they would have a written history, even if it was limited by naturally made paper.

"Can you believe it, Ryan?" Annah made her way back over to her companion's side, "All of this... It's just... it's phenominal! I can't believe what we've come across!"

A very short while later Annah stretched, "It's a beautiful place... and I bet the words in their scrolls are beautiful as well... It is sad though that we do not know any of the written language. I suppose we should be getting back- do you think that Laura is waiting for us?"

"Yeah we should go back... She wouldn't have wanted to be gone too long..." Ryan put down the scrolls and sighed before turning to go.

Zusoir noticed the two humans chatting. "Ryan...Annah." He signaled for them to join him. If they had questions, he would figure out how to answer them.

Annah approached him, Can we go back to the hut now?" She asked slowly, signing her words in hopes that he caught her meaning- she was surprised at how easily he was able to understand her at this point since she was terrible at charrades.

Zusoir nodded to Annah. He really only understood the home-like gesture she made. Like a good host, he lead the two humans back to his hut. As they approached, he gestured for the humans to continue on ahead. He knelt at the small shrine in front of his door. If only I could speak with them...thought Zusoir. He wanted nothing more than to communicate with these humans.




Far off, Kapalphatau heard the distant sound of Alvara's screech. He winced at the sound, but pushed on, sweat trickling off his body and his wings beat harder, faster, beyond what he thought he was able, as though trying to outrun the realization of the magnitude of the crime he had just committed. He just wanted to get away. He great speed took him soaring over miles of forest, several villages, and soon the ocean shore was in sight...though not for long, as rain began to fall from the sky in sheets. In minutes, Kapalphatau was too wet to fly, and he landed in the branches of a strangling fig tree. He climbed into the hollow middle, and perched on a branch well-hidden from the outside, and buried his face in his hands.

It was about twenty minutes later that Kapalphatau left his perch and began to walk towards the village, the rain pouring down, his wings now too sore and too wet to carry him. "At least the rain will wash me..." Kapalphatau thought, taking off his loincloth and throwing it to the side, thinking the piece of cloth tainted.

A twig snapped just as the loincloth hits the ground--it could have been the loincloth, but it came from another direction.

Cras pressed himself against a tree, hiding. He hadn't even been expecting to see the creature from the photo, and had to do a double-take from the darkness of the forest before hiding himself. His gun was clutched in his hand, but Cras hadn't been expecting to use it; he merely wanted a location and time to come back with... help. Nobody had to die. But this was too great a discovery to not take advantage of. Cras slowed his breathing and heart rate and just listened to the winged person moving on the other side of the tree, the whites of his eyes the only thing visible in the dense shadows where he stood.

Kapalphatau stopped and listened for just a moment after hearing the sound, and the feathers on the back of his neck rose. "Here on the ground, I am vulnerable..." he thought, thinking of jaguars. He sniffed the air, but the rain masked all scents. After a few seconds, he continued to walk, his thoughts once again on what he would say to Alvara...

The noises of the bird-man's movement stopped. Once they continued again, Cras peered around the tree, his eyes narrowed as he silently followed him. He seemed lost in his thoughts; Cras has snuck up on less oblivious creatures before, though. Tracking this one, even in the rain, would be easy. Cras made his every movement deliberate and disguised, made sure to keep in shadows... Nothing could go wrong. He'd have the location of these bird people and in a month he'd be filthy rich. Unless this is the only one, Cras thought, the thought leaving an unpleasant taste in his mouth.

Kapalphatau walked on for nearly two hours, as if in a daze. But now, the cold of the rain was starting to get to him, and he decided he would have to nest for the night. He looked into the trees, scanning for a suitable nesting site. Finally, he found one, a hidden spot he would be able to climb to. With his talons and clawed fingers, climbing the massive tree was easy, and he settled on a wide branch. Working quickly, he reached up and wove the branches above him into a sort of canopy, then interlaced smooth leaves between the woven branches to waterproof it. His handiwork was completed after about half an hour... then he laid on his branch and fell asleep. He was about a mile away from the village.

Cras almost snarled at that point. Right now the big bird was looking to be the only one. He looked around, recognizing the area as near where he had met the first American, and the second... He raised an eyebrow. The second had been heading in the same direction as where the bird man was headed, up until he stopped.

Leaning against a tree near the nest but out of sight of it, Cras looks towards what was the village, contemplating it. On the one hand, he could find more bird people. On the other... the big guy could only need a few minutes of sleep, and when Cras got back, he'd be gone. Cras glanced down at his pocket, where a picture of the guy rested. It was a good picture, clear, but he heard about manipulated photo's... He's not stupid. It might not be good enough, and he could be chasing after a dream for a very long time.

Cras thought about his sister and with an almost-audible growl stood up straight and began extrapolating the path of both Kap and Laura to find where they crossed, plus any signs of life, keeping hidden from anything in the air.

Another screech rent the air as Alvara perched herself in the tallest tree near their village with Hoktl flying in circles around her. She was furious. Angry at herself, angry at Kap. The only thing keeping her from going into rage was the fact that Laura, the human; he hurt her badly. Tearing the cloth from around her hips revealed hastily and violently drawn symbols, depicting the anger she had within her.

Cras frowned at the sound. He recognized it as one of screeches he had been hearing lately, but had shrugged it off as one of the eagles the rainforest boasted. However... Cras perked up at the possibility of another winged creature. It was even in the direction the other one had been traveling. Being extra-careful to be quiet and conceal himself, he continued heading towards it, pausing and listening occasionally for signs he was still heading towards the noise.

Kapalphatau was awakened after a few minutes of sleep by the cry of Alvara, and he winced at the sound. My love and my mate, I beg the great eagle that you can forgive me... he thought. His shame hit him like an icy wave. He felt unworthy, weak. He was no longer worthy to be called the Prophet, as he could already sense that the gifts given to him by the Great Eagle had been repealed. And he was certainly not worthy to be Alvara's mate, she deserved a man who could be strong in any situation. But thinking about it wasn't going to help things. He would have to face her, or else his cowardice would be complete. Without giving himself time to reconsider, Kapalphatau jumped down from his branch and made a full sprint towards the Bewinged Village.

Cras barely heard the guy in time to press himself into a few dense bushes as Kap rushed past. He gritted his teeth and began to wait for the winged man to go past. Apparently, he had been called in the direction of the screech... Which could definitely mean the existence of more than one. Cras peeled himself away from his hiding spot and hurried after Kap while the trail was still fresh... No guesswork needed.

The place where Alvara waited in a copse of trees known to the warriors as Strangler's Glen. A ring of dead trees that were killed by special type of vines mark the training grounds for the Bewinged warriors. It was a common occurence for the tribe to solve problems at this location, which is why Alvara was here and was also why she was so worked up. Tradition indicates a duel if certain things are to be worked out. Alvara screeched again with a small breath inbetween; the call lasted two minutes before she stopped and listened carefully, the rage still evident in her black eyes.

It was a few minutes before Kapalphatau came into veiw, trying to catch his breath. He looked up at Alvara, perched high up on the tree, and he saw the symbols written upon her skin. He lowered his eyes and fell upon his hands and knees. "Tribal Mother, I have returned." he said quietly, in a strangled voice that was almost drowned out by the pounding of rain.

"Kap...alpha...tau." Alvara hissed heavily, an accent of Bewinged instincts making speech difficult. She was fighting the urge to glide down and rip out his throat... which is what any previous mated Tribal Mothers would have done. However, Alvara climbed down and splashed to the ground in front of her betraying mate, her breasts heaving with each breath she took. Her claws and fingers flexed, eager for violence that she resisted as best as she could this close to him. "How... could you?"

Kapalphatau bowed so low that his forehead nearly touched Alvara's talons. "I'm unworthy to even be in your prescence, Alavara. I'm so sorry, I just...I lost control." he said with a tone of begging. "What I have done is deserving of....deserving of death." he said, choking on the last words. His wings were allowed to fall limply at his sides, in the position of submission.

"That is no excuse!" She nearly screeched again but held it back, sliding her claws back in the mud away from him, "How am I to decide your fate my mate?" Alvara whispered ever so softly, "Tradition, law requires your life if I so choose... should I kill you Kap? Should I hurt you like you did her... by hurting her you hurt ME!" Alvara lashed out with a claw, closed in a balled fist and kicked him in the face, unable to control her anger any longer.

Kapalphatau fell onto his side from the force of the kick, three scratches on his cheek trickling blood to his chin. He got back up to his knees and looked up at Alvara. "Deal with me as you see fit, Tribal Mother." he said in a tremulous tone.

"You deserve to DIE Kap!" Alvara whined, unsure of what to do. She loved him... yet at this time she couldn't understand if she was feeling disgust or her love. "I...can't kill you Kap... but how could you have done that to her? To me? Did you want to hurt us?" Tears dripped from her cheeks, intermixing with the rain that drenched her and her wings.

"I am so sorry, Alvara! I've sinned against you and the human tribe and our tribe...Kill me, Tribal Mother, and end my humiliation!" he finally said, sitting up, and he grabbed her hand and put it against his throat.

"No..." Alvara pulled her hand away, "No, I will not kill you." Motioning with her hands, four Bewinged stepped forward, two with sharp small knives, meant for splicing feathers and removing unwanted ones, and the other two for holding him. "Your punishment, Kapalphatua, is the clipping of your wings."

Cras hid silently off to the side, his hand ready on his rifle. More. So many more. For a second it looked like they were about to kill each other, and now several moved forward with knives, advancing on the one who had obviously done something wrong. Were they still going to kill him? Cras just sat there, quiet.

To have one's wings clipped was the greatest humiliation and limitation of freedom that a Bewinged could suffer. Kapalphatau looked up at Alvara, an expression of horror upon his face. "B-b-but, Tribal Mother..." he started to protest, then realized that he was in no position to argue. "Th-the p-p-punishment is...is j-j-ust." he choked, looking down at the ground as tears began to flow freely down his cheeks, and he submitted to the Clippers.

"It had better be." Alvara growled, finalizing it. A scream from the air pronounced Hoktl's arrival, the great harpy eagle circling them once before landing on the Tribal Mother's arm. "...The humans are leaving?" Alvara repeated after Hoktl, "Laura... she told them?" the eagle nodded vigorously then took off again, flying over Cras' position. The other Bewingeds had paused, half finished with Kap's wings, "Stay here and finish." Alvara hissed and they bowed to her as Alvara opened her wings and screamed, taking off in a flurry of feathers and anger.

Clipped wings was to Bewingeds as nakedness was to Humans...the utmost disgrace and humiliation. Kapalphatau winced in pain as the Bewingeds doing the clipping first yanked out his primary flight feathers, then used the knives to cut the secondary flight feathers, then chopped away at the coverts and the down. Then the clippers applied a liquid from a bottle of black glass to the feather folicles of the primaries,which burned painfully. It was a chemical that would damage the folicles, preventing feathers from growing back for many years. When they were done, they simply stood and left him. Kapalphatau hesitated, he didn't want to look at his wings. But when he did, he let out a low moan of anguish. They were tattered, ugly. Without his expansive wings of full, bright blue-black feathers, Kapalphatau looked significantly less imposing, less impressive, less. He stayed kneeled on the ground, shivering.

Cras stayed peeled to his spot, his eyes never taken off of Kapalphatau. He didn't know if there was symbolism, but the meaning was clear. This one was punished for something. Cras' sharp mind put Kap, the picture of him dropped by Laura, and the memory of the injured Laura together in his head. Cras could feel the corner of his mouth twitch into a snarl as he reached for his rifle.

This one hurt a woman. This one could be the one Cras dragged home dead. This one... the world could do without.

After a few minutes, Kapalphatau got to his knees, and wiped the tears from his face. He felt so ashamed, and afraid. He had heard of Bewingeds who, after their feathers grew back, had forgotten how to fly. He was afraid of that.
He heard a slight rustle in the foliage. He turned and looked right at the spot where Cras was hiding....but the shadows blended him in. Eyes narrowed, he slowly walked to the spot. Then he saw the movement, saw the gleam of something made of wood and metal....just as Cras was about to pull the trigger, Kapalphatau jumped to the side...

Cras twitched as Kapalphatau jumped, his gun firing but still not getting the target on-center. He also jumped and rolled, out of the way of a counter-attack, if one were to come. At the same time, Cras looked to see if he had at least wounded the guy. He was hoping he didn't. Most wild animals had a tendency to just get angry if they were wounded, rather than confused and frightened if not.

Kapalphatau screamed in pain as the bullet tore through his left shoulder, throwing him back and spattering blood on the tree behind him. Once his vision had cleared, he saw Cras hiding among the foliage, with...some sort of weapon. Instantly he thought of Alvara, then the rest of the village. He locked eyes with Cras for a moment, before taking off at a sprint, holding his injured shoulder and gritting his teeth. "GUARDS! PREDATORS!" he screeched with considerable effort as he ran.

"Sh-shit," Cras cursed, giving chase as he reloaded his rifle running. He needed to get a clean shot. ...or not, he thought. Just not to waste ammo. Somehow, he knew that even battered remains would get him a hefty sum. Cras didn't waste his energy with unnecessary movement, just darted through the trees after the retreating birdman, knowing at least the guy couldn't fly and was probably much more tired than Cras.



Laura finished bandaging herself. As she tied off the bandage she noticed that she had been gritting her teeth throughout the entire process, hard enough to hurt. Laura shook her head and rummaged through her bag until she found the one long-sleeved shirt she owned. If she didn't make any sudden movements, it would even cover her heavily-bruised shoulders, and... Laura tugged the sleeves over her hands, until just her fingers were showing. She couldn't do anything about the bruise on her face, because she never carried makeup, but... With the shirt, they'll just believe it was a fight... right?

Her mind involuntarily jerked back to the temple and Laura fought dry heaves, feeling the sting of bile in her throat. However stupid it seemed to her logical side, she just hated herself for not preventing it. There must have been something she could have done, and she blamed herself for being such an idiot... She subconsciously tugged her shirt over her arms again, glancing nervously at the door.

Annah entered the hut before Ryan, and when she caught sight of Laura the happy smile that had quirked her lips faded, "Laura, what's wrong, what happened?" She sensed almost immediately that something was amiss.

"We need to leave," Laura said, turning around. She just hoped the bruise was enough to convince them. Laura took an unconscious step away from Annah, feeling suddenly dirty when she saw the innocent girl. "I don't know if we can trust the locals. I... it's not safe."

As if on cue, Zusoir entered the hut. He chirpped happily at the three humans. "Laura!" A smile naturally curved on his face.

"Laura..." Ryan stepped in behind Annah and frowned, "Laura-" He repeated, "You're hurt, what happened?"

"Laura?" Zusoir stepped forward, his smile dissipating.

"Kapalphatau," Laura breathed, struggling to not show her combination of fear and disgust. "He... He attacked me. We have to leave. Now."

"Laura...what's wrong?" Zusoir only understood Kapalphatau's name. Gently, he reached out to touch a bandage.

Laura yanked away from him, all the fear she felt rushing to her face. She subdued it and casually covered the bandage again with her shirt. "Kapalphatau... <bad>," she said, trying to remember the word in Bewinged. "<Laura, Ryan, Annah to go.>"

Zusoir took a step back, surprised to hear words in the Bewinged tongue. "Bad?" His eyebrows furrowed, and his mind whirred. If they leave, I may never get an opportunity like this again... He felt disappointment wash over him - these were not people you could come across everyday. Then, something inside flared up, something unexplained, and was determined to keep the company. "No!" He squawked in English, "I don't want you to leave!"

Laura's mouth dropped open. "Zusoir, if you could speak English, why didn't you just do that all along?" she snapped angrily. "Were charades just your way of making us dance for your entertainment?"

"No...I...it just...just happened!" he stammered. "I don't know how but...I don't want you to leave." Even he seemed confused by the English coming from his mouth. "I don't know what Kaphalatau did but...I'm sure we can do something."

"No, we can't," Laura said, getting angrier, treating Zusoir's claim with suspicion. She could feel the sting of tears at the corner of her eyes and it only made her more mad. Tears. Great. "I have to leave. If you stop me I swear, I'll..."

"How could I stop you?" The Bewinged shrugged. "I guess I just don't know why you suddenly have to leave. I wish...I wish you didn't."

"We all wish a lot of things," Laura muttered, turning around rapidly to get away from everybody, at least a little. The shoulder of her shirt slipped slightly and she pulled it up, again tugging at various parts to make sure she was covered.

"Just tell us what happened..." Ryan prodded quietly.

"No!" Laura yelled, glaring at him. "Because it doesn't matter. We're in the middle of a goddamn rain forest! There is no police station, there is no goddamn trial by a jury of your peers! There is nothing to do about it, so mentioning it is useless!"

Annah frowned, she'd been standing silently a few feet away as the other three spoke. "Fine, we won't ask then, Laura." She said at last, "We shouldn't have let you leave alone with that Bewinged, but none of us were thinking properly. We will leave once we've gathered our things." She looked sad.

"I'll wait," Laura said, lowering her voice with effort. She crossed her arms in an act of defiance, but more to stop her hands from shaking, and went to sit down nearby.

Ryan muttered something about his stuff being in Alvara's hut, thinking it stupid to mention Kapalphatau in front of her and left quickly.

Zusoir sighed then bit his bottom lip. He watched as the humans began to gather their things. This just wasn't fair...he wasn't sure what Kap had done, but all he knew was that it now ruined his chances of cultural exchange. His eyes narrowed, his talons clenched. How dare Kap do this to him. "You know what?" Zusoir said at last, not shouting, but edging his words. "I have to say something now because I don't know how long I have until you can't understand me any longer." Zusoir's brow furrowed. "I've waited my whole life for something new to come around, for that one opportunity that would change my life. Well, your coming here...this is that moment. Nothing like this will ever come along. And I'm sure it must be the same for you. How many times have you seen something like me in your human world? This is something big for all of us. I don't know what Kap did and frankly, that is a whole other issue for me to deal with because...he took away something that means the world to me. He took away something that won't come along, not like this, in a thousand years. I would know...it's been thousands of years and then you three show up. He's taken away my one chance to...experience something...real." His chest heaved. Zusoir had never spoken out before, he was usually mild-mannered and did as he was told. But not now, now that he had gotten so close to something he really wanted.

Laura saw her vision go watery as tears welled up in her eyes. She almost felt the same as Zusoir--this was the discovery of a lifetime. But his speech just drew her further into her memories as she told herself exactly why she was leaving. She stared at the floor, unable to speak as she just tried to control herself, hands gripping her sides tightly despite the pain that brought.

"Please, Laura..." Zusoir reached out tenderly, but making sure to keep his distance, for he understood that his closeness made her uncomfortable. "This could be something."

"I'm not staying," Laura said, looking at the floor and letting her loose hair fall over her face. She could feel the tears escaping. "Not for you, not for anybody. I'm sorry, Zusoir." Kap's feather fell free to swing over her shoulder.

"Laura... why- why is there a feather in your hair?" Annah questioned, reaching out to touch it automatically, though drew her fingers back once she regained control of herself.

Zusoir's face paled, his hand falling to his side. His mouth fell slack. "Kaphalatau....and you...?"

Laura looked up, startled, and saw the feather out of the corner of her eyes. She hurriedly wiped away tears and grabbed it, trying pull the thing out with a painful yank. She noticed it was tied in with horror and fumbled around the base, finally just getting it and more than a few hairs free before throwing it away from her. "GodDAMNit!" she yelled, burying her face in her hands. "I...!" She choked and leaned forward. "I... I told him to stop," she whispered. "He... h-he didn't... he didn't stop..." Laura bent over double in the chair, hating herself silently as she sobbed, wishing she could just disappear.

Zusoir shuffled over to the feather and picked it up from the ground. "Kap has a mate...why would he-- I mean, he didn't even like-- How could he?" For a second, Zusoir felt a pang of guilt as he doubted Laura's story. But her tears brought him back and he knew that no woman - bewinged or human - could fake those tears. "I'm so sorry." was all he could whisper.

Laura kind of quieted then, her hands balling up into fists. "Aren't we all," she murmured, her voice thick, sick to her stomach with fear, disgust, and loathing.

Zusoir was at a loss. He wanted to comfort Laura, but knew she would only flinch from his presence. "I...I'll have you know...even in Bewinged society, what he did..." he trailed off. He could say nothing to improve the situation. He felt torn: let the humans leave or wish them to stay.

Opening the door, Ryan entered with his things and saw the mix of hair and feathers on the floor and didn't say a thing, instead he walked over to Annah and asked in a quiet whisper about what had happened.

Annah bit her lip as though wondering if she should say anything or not, before coming to her decision. In a hushed voice she explained what seemed to be going on.

"Oh..." He looked away, "I... see." Ryan put his pack down and folded his arms, feeling the depressed feeling within the room.

Laura straightened up slightly, the shaking in her shoulders stopping. "I can't stay, Zusoir," she said. "I just... I don't want to be here when..." When he comes back. She remembered the reluctance of the group to leave, and she clenched her fist when she continued. "I can go alone. But I need to... to leave..."

A low coo sounded from the doorway and it drew everyone's gazes, showing the Tribal Mother, naked and soaking wet and as plain as any other Bewinged. The markings had been washed away and her wings dripped water onto the wooden porch. Alvara cooed again, her eyes only for Laura as she slowly approached her with open arms.

Laura tensed up, her shoulders stiffening. She stared at her fist, instinctively curling up a little into herself, her fist tightening and her nails digging into her skin. However, she didn't move; some part of her wanted Laura to stay. Somehow, she knew she needed to stay for at least a little longer. Maybe she wants to kill me for sleeping with her guy, Laura thought, the corner of her mouth twitching as she suppressed a grimace. ...Good.

As if sensing her thoughts, Alvara unfolded her wings in an act of peace and submission, "Laura... human I am so sorry..." She twittered softly, her eyes dripping tears.

Ryan side-stepped to Zusoir, "What's going on?"

"Why?" Laura said, her voice dry, still not looking up. She had heard the word 'sorry.' "What did you do?" She was getting sick of people telling her they were sorry.

"Alvara...she apologizes for what Kaphalatau did." Zusoir said quietly. "As do all of us. I know... it doesn't make things right. But we still do apologize."

Laura finally looked up at Alvara. She saw pity, sadness. Shit, the girl wasn't that much older than Annah. And she had just lost the trust of a mate. And the look she was giving Laura, the older one, was making Laura sick. Laura gritted her teeth and forced herself to stand, wiping tears away with brisk gestures that made her chest and shoulders scream in pain. "Tell her I'm fine," Laura ordered Zusoir, fighting to control herself. She had to appear strong, as least as long as it took to get back to civilization. "I'm a strong girl. I can take this." Laura looked at her bag, already packed. "And ask her... how she's doing." She could have said as much in the Bewinged language, but she needed Zusoir. She needed to keep that distance.

Zusoir whistled in low tones to Alvara, relaying Laura's message. He added, in the Bewinged tongue, "She's trying to be strong about it, even though it's tearing her up inside."

"I have already dealt with my grief... and have dealt with Kap. Explain to her our clipping process..." She turned to Zusoir, anger in her heart, "I have chosen humiliation for my mate, even if he deserves death." A loud scream errupted from a corner of the village and Alvara's feathers on the back of her neck rose, "...Something has happened."

Zusoir's head jerked in the direction of the screech, his attention diverted momentarily from the humans.

Laura twitched at the sound, her head jerking towards it. She walked over to her bag and rooted around, digging out her machete and sliding the sheath into the loops on her pants. Laura wasn't going to be caught by surprise this time. She looked up at Zusoir. "What was that?" she asked.

"I...don't know." Zusoir was still focused on the sound, but spoke to Laura, "It came from the parameter area of the village."

Kapalphatau ran through the village, looking desperately for Alvara. The guards had to have heard him by now. He ran first to his own nest. When he did not find Alvara there, he ran to Zusoir's. He banged on the door, then let himself in, stumbling as he entered. There was blood everywhere, dripping onto the floor, running down his front and back, since the running had amped up his blood pressure. "A-alvara." he panted breathlessly. "Th-theres a human...with a weapon..." he said, holding onto the doorframe for support.

Alvara let out a cry and ran and supported him, twittering at his condition before calling out orders to the villagers, "Get inside your huts NOW do not come out for any reason and keep your children safe!"

"And the humans, Alvara?" Zusoir whistled worriedly. They've already been through a lot...he didn't want them hurt.

"They need to stay here, till the threat is gone or has been dealt with..." Alvara glanced at Kap's wound and she shuffled her talons restlessly before setting him down as far from Laura as possible.

Laura pressed herself against the wall, her eyes wide and staring at Kap. Her heart pounded in her ears as adrenaline raced through her system. Her hand was gripping the hilt of her long knife so hard the knuckles were bone-white, and she could barely breath.

Cras darted into the shadows just outside the village, kneeling in the bushes, invisible from above and below. He could see the sentries now--much more obvious than a pair of rare birds, that's for sure. And there was a lot of commotion occurring inside the village, since the larger one had yelled; he could hear the smaller one doing the same now.

Hell, he didn't care. He had found it now. Cras couldn't leave at the moment without possibly being captured, but if he waited it out, grabbed just the tiniest hint of evidence... This would all be worth it.

Annah cursed when she saw Kap's injuries and moved forward despite herself, "I'll tend his wounds." She said slowly, glancing back at Laura for a moment. He deserves to die for what he did to her... But... it is not my place for this to be decided, and besides that... Looks like he was given his punishment by Alvara. That wound in his shoulder though... that wasn't done by them.

She reached into her bags and pulled out a first aid kit, she rarely had to use it, but kept it always amongst her possessions. "Ryan." She said, looking back at him for a moment, "That wound in his shoulder, that wasn't done by any weapons that these people possess."

Laura's eyes tried to focus on the wound. She could see, vaguely, that it looked a lot like a gunshot. Laura could also see that a lot of his wings were gone. Was that a punishment? Laura could feel a part of herself cruelly glad at the fact that he looked practically naked without them, but an even deeper part tell her that this just wasn't enough. She shoved that part away. "G-gun," she stammered, not letting go of her knife. Others might be in danger. "Somebody is out there with a gun and they've found this village." Her mind flashed to when she had met that local. He had a rifle. And... Laura slipped a hand in her pocket to find only her picture of Zusoir. No Polaroid of Kap. She kept that bit to herself.

Annah nodded at Laura's comment, "It does look like a gunshot wound." She said, frowning as she remembered the man she'd met earlier, "I met somebody... A human, when I got lost while we were exploring the village, remember, Ryan? I ran into him a short distance from the village. He had a gun on him..."

"Wait, wait!" Zusoir pleaded, "This human, he had a what?"

"Gun," Laura said. "Fires projectiles at high speeds, very deadly. Tell Alvara this."

"Alvara...they say...they say there's a human out there." Zusoir chittered quickly, "With quick fire-arrows!"

Kapalphatau watched and listened. He watched Annah take out the first-aid kit, and saw the bandages and supplies for healing when she opened it. He waved her away. "Keep the human woman away from me, I am unworthy." he said to Alvara. "I-I'll go to the bewinged cleric." he said, gasping sharply for breath every few words.

Alvara hissed heavily, but did not open her wings, but still a clear threat to Annah, "Zusior, tell her not to touch him... Ryan, is there anyway you can... negotiate with this human?" Ryan looked to Zusior to translate, for he recognized Alvara saying his name.

"Yes, yes...uh..." Zusoir clicked in Bewinged amazement. Everything seemed to be happening at once, as well as his ability to speak with the humans. For a moment, he was overwhelmed. "Annah! Please, don't touch Kapalphatau. Ryan...can you speak with the human? Can you negotiate?"

"Not him alone, certainly." Annah sighed, setting the kit down, there was no point in trying to help one who didn't want it, especially when the tribal mother seemed to agree with him, "I've met him, talked for a moment, if I thought that there was a chance in hell he'd find this place... I'd have done something sooner, she frowned, guilt twisting in her stomach.

"I... I don't think he'd shoot us," Laura mentioned, staring at the floor. Why was Kapalphatau still there? He should go. Leave. Laura couldn't leave without getting within five feet of Kap and he could step forward and grab her arms and... "We could talk to him," Laura said, her stare becoming glazed. "We should at least try to reason with him. Is he even still in the area, though?"

Zusoir shrugged. "We'd have to go see. But...should Alvara go with you? She IS the Tribal Mother..."

"No," Laura said, firmly. This she knew. "The Bewinged are what he's hunting, and if he's willing to shoot over it, bringing her with us is too risky."

"...Laura is right," Alvara said after a few moments, "-But I want Ryan to go with you. It is never safe to go alone."

The human male heard his name again... and looked to Zusior, "It's a pity we all speak different languages..."

"Yes, yes..." Zusoir chittered. "I'm sorry, I forgot to translate... Alvara would like you, Ryan, to accompany Laura for negotiations."

"Languages are indications of cultural diversity," Laura muttered under her breath, on autopilot. "But I think we should try to find this guy. Now." She stared at the door. Too close. Kap was too close to the door. Laura didn't move an inch.

"Well, I'm gonna go with Laura and Ryan." Annah said firmly, "I don't want them going alone. Besides, the guy has a gun, it's dangerous."

Kapalphatau watched Laura move towards him, then stop. He lowered his eyes in shame, and moved laboriously a few feet over, to allow Laura to pass.

Laura bit her tongue, tearing her eyes away from the door, straightening up and walking past Kap. Her posture was defiant, but her fists were clenched and her nails dug into her palm. If he hadn't moved so far she'd still be stuck in place. Laura just forced herself to keep moving until she was outside, the rain falling on her face and waking her up just the slightest amount. She began looking about the village for signs of life... Life with a gun.

Ryan followed her out, keeping a arm's length from her so she would not get uncomfortable and glanced around caustiously. They were out in the open, there was no way that they would be able to come out of this unscathed if the shooter wished it.

"Hopefully we'll be able to deal with this nonsense without anymore trouble." Annah said to the group left in the hut, "We'll be back as soon as possible, for now- remain indoors." With those words she slipped outside after her companions.

Laura looked around, heading towards the entrance. Nothing was moving in the rain, and she felt incredibly tired on the inside. Too much so to deal with this crap. "Oye!" she shouted. She remembered his name at that point, and that he spoke at least some English. "Cras! Come out! We need to talk!"

There was a pause, then a voice shouted out a reply: "A peaceful talk. A... negotiation." The rain covered where the voice was coming from.

Remaining silent, Ryan's eyes roved around the village, trying to spot the intruder named "Cras".