[PA] - Searching The Tombs

With the return of the strange… creatures to the islands. (Blaith hesitated to call them dinosaurs.) There had been whispers of where these new dinosaurs had come from. The small, strange creatures causing trouble by bringing strange new plant life with them, some of which had even begun to overgrow the Dead City that Blaith called home. These new plants, toxic and strange making it difficult for her aerie to hunt as they normally would, or build suitable nests. An annoying feature that had ended in the lavender coloured tapejara ordering out scouts to go find and track the new denizens of the island.

The thought of the Oviraptors alone enough to make her beak click, rapidly in agitation as Blaith flew overhead, looking about for the sinkhole from the sky above that would lead to an area one of the scouts of her group had mentioned in a sighting of one of the strange newcomers. The sky dark overhead as it began to pour, slicking the leather of her wings with rainwater as she spotted her way in from above, almost concealed by greenery, and dove, tucking her wings in to dip between thorn and branch, down into a sinkhole where oddly… remnants of human structure sat, rotting in the went of the earth and damp as once through the squeeze she flared her wings out again, giving them a few flaps to come to a stop, perched on a water damaged beam.

The tapejara giving her hide a shake, flicking rainwater from her skin before she began to peer about in the dam gloom. A crack of lightning overhead heard but not seen outside the sinkhole itself. The tomb of tomes some called it, pieces of man’s knowledge left behind… which Blaith held no care or interest for.

Ignis flew in the air high above the sinkhole, wind whistling past his feathers and water dripping down his feathers and coming away grey with soot. Even this unattended bath was unable to wash the ash and grey away from him, however- a mark of the countless fires he had started. This storm may have left him without his greatest weapon, but he had no choice in venturing out- rumors of new land dwellers had been creeping around the island. While he held no fondness in his heart for those who could not fly, he could not help but be curious. The new plant growths were of little concern to him- he could simply fly away and burn them down. Still, it was better to be informed.

Folding his wings, Ignis dove down and settled amongst the remains of an old human settlement. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a flash of movement- another flyer. For the moment he ignored them- their presence was tolerable. Clinging onto a long damaged human structure, he scanned the area for any clues of what the rumors had claimed- strange seeds and feathers popping up across the islands, dangerous plants left in their wake. 

Glancing about the dimly lit, water logged ruins. Blaith paused for a moment, claws gripping at the crumbling beam under her weight, sending little little pieces of damp, soggy wood tumbling downward to the the ground below. The rain having already crated a small amount of flooding in parts she could see below. The other Tapejara among the roofing noticed by her, but ignored, not even making eye contact with him, or raising her head to look at him as she peered around from her place on high.

Her claws awkwardly scrabbling as she made her way along the beam she currently perched on, not taking flight yet, but more surveying her surroundings.The space filled with greenery and the smell of mold and rotting wood as she looked around for any sign of what her scouts had reported. In either case caution was warranted. This would be a difficult space for even a Tapejara to fly in, some of the sharp, poisonous thorns and prickly vines the newcomers had brought with them were already blanketing swaths of this old ruin.

The lavender Tapejara paused, blinking for a moment before she hopped forward, extending out her wings to glide down, like a falling leaf to land, perching on a tall bookshelf this time overgrown with moss. Her eyes studying the area in a calculating manner. Maybe the oviraptors had left behind some prints in the mud brought up by the rain…

Ignis took silent notice of the way the other tapejara worked, observing the way she searched around for clues in the abandoned area. Curious. He tapped his beak, before taking off. Ignis’s below average size for his kind made navigating the chaotic mess much easier, yet he chose to err on the side of caution and instead he landed upon what might have once been a metal table- the inorganic surface made it impossible for the various plants to devour.

From his view much closer to the ground, Ignis was able to notice a small indent in the mud. Curious, he hopped forward to the edge of the table before peering downwards. There- underneath the table there were smears of mud and a few loose feathers, as if something had tried to rub sticky mud off of themselves and only succeeded in spreading it further. Raising his head, Ignis smugly clacked his beak towards the other tapejara. He was the first to find proof of something having been here- even if it was not yet clear if it was oviraptor or not, it was a start.

The clack of a beak catching her attention. Blaith’s eyes darted to the other Tapejara, lower now and a bit further down the row of the towering shelves than her. A roll of her eyes following the smug look he gave her, like he was proud of himself as she used her hind legs to kick off from the bookshelf she roosted on, gliding down to land on an overturned chair, rusted and metallic. The lavender Tapejara surprisingly even smaller than the male was as she cocked her head to peer under the table he perched on at the evidence he’d found. The female silent as she craned her neck around, following the dip and smear of the mud and the direction it came from the spot footprints, set shallowed in the mud.

 A hiss coming from her. But not in aggression. Maybe the male was more observant than she gave him credit for. The Tapejara giving her hide a quick shake before taking to the air again, leaping and nearly descending into the mud before her wings carried her up and away, using on leg to kick off the shelf of one of the sodden bookshelves, knocking a few limp, damaged books loose as she took up to circle, high near the roof beams of the sunken library, eyes following the path and direction of the prints she saw in the mud to glide through the tight space, continuing her silent search and leaving Ignis utterly and completely alone.

Ignis cared little for the retreating back of the strange tapejara. Jumping down into the mud he hissed lowly, before reaching out and quickly grabbing a feather in his beak. Long and light, it was familiar to a utahraptors feather- but much smaller. Quickly dipping his head over, he noted the footprints. Tiny, and lacking the key sickle claw. Definitely an oviraptor, then. It seemed his work here was done, then.

Perhaps had times been different, perhaps a fight would have broken out between the two aggressive individuals. Perhaps one would have died, been preyed upon by the other. Perhaps they would have struck up a dangerous alliance. But the order of the islands had been shaken up. The sooner it was back to normal, the better. Ignis really couldn't stand this “working together” concept. Ugh.