Pendar - Session 10.5

44 Merrysest, Shadesday -
That night, while the others are deep in sleep recovering from the long day, Sana wakes with a start.
Sana sharply remembers seeing, in her dream, a twinkle of light being blotted out by tiny darknesses, made greater by numbers. A clearing in a forest, filled with twinkling lights. And as she wakes, she feels undeniably called toward the forest north of Brightshire, feeling she instinctively knows a path to take.

Sana: "...huh?"
Atremis seems soundly asleep, exhausted from the turmoil.
Sana gently nudges Atremis while lying down still, attempting to gently rouse him.
Atremis: "(...mmm... pastries... sausage... chi--) Ah? Miss Sana...?"
Sana: "(I... feel like I need to go into the forest, Atremis, I had a dream that something was calling me...)"
Atremis: "(...calling you?)"
"(...It's dangerous to go alone. Take me with you.)"
"(I don't want you hurt, miss Sana...)"
Sana: "(...please come with me... it's kinda scary being alone in the woods...)"
"(You will keep me safe, won't you, Atremis?)"
Atremis: "(I'll do my best, miss Sana.)"
As Sana walks through the forest, she finds her way quickly to a clearing, its appearance identical to her dream but with a more ominous cast to the shadows.
Atremis looks around, on edge.
Atremis steps forward cautiously, ready to put himself between Sana and danger.
With a screech, a swarm of tiny birds, reeking of death and carrion, swoops down from one of the trees, scratching and pecking at the duo.
[Damage: 5]

[Sana - Initiative: 19
Carrionstorm - Initiative: 18
Carrionstorm - Initiative: 13
Atremis - Initiative: 12
Carrionstorm - Initiative: 12
Carrionstorm - Initiative: 11]

Sana: "Ah!"
Atremis yelps in surprise as he's attacked by birds.
Sana: "Atremis, are you okay?"

Sana makes an overhead slash at the birds!
[Sana : Greatsword, Attack: 14, Damage: 7]
Sana cuts down a few of the birds with the slash, and more swoop closer.
Sana: "There's so many..."
Atremis: "I... I'll protect you, miss Sana!"

The rest of the swarm continues their furious attacks. [Damage: 1]
The birds fly back toward the trees, away from Sana.
[Sana: Greatsword Attack of Opportunity, Attack: 20, Damage: 10]
[Atremis : Fox Bite Attack of Opportunity, Attack: 9, Damage: 4, Sneak Attack: 3]
Sana rips apart the rest of the birds with a single slash.

Atremis lunges at the next nearest swarm of birds, attempting to head them off from harming Sana.
[Atremis : Fox Bite, Attack: 29, Damage: 5, Sneak Attack: 6]
Atremis manages to take out and disperse another flock of birds.

Another group of them flies toward Sana.
[Sana : Greatsword Attack of Opportunity, Attack: 6, Damage: 10]
Sana misses wildly, birds scratching at her. [Damage: 2]

The other swarm goes after Atremis.
[Atremis : Fox Bite Attack of Opportunity
Attack: 22, Damage: 5, Sneak Attack: 4]
Atremis manages to take out a few birds, taking light wounds from the rest pecking at him. [Damage: 2]

Sana focuses her divine power letting off a burst of positive energy to strike the murders of crows. [Channel Energy, Damage: 9]
The positive energy scorches through the birds, and they fall in droves to the ground, screeching in agony.

Sana: "We did it..."
Atremis takes deep breaths, staggered from the bird bites.
Sana moves over to Atremis, focusing healing energy into him. [Cure Light Wounds: 9]
An aura of peace returns to the clearing, fireflies beginning to gather.
Sana: "Thank you for protecting me, Atremis..."
Atremis looks around, puzzled by these lights in the darkness.
Sana: "Fireflies, they're pretty~"
Sana steps forwards and reaches out a hand to the fireflies.
Atremis walks over to a swarm of fireflies, pawing at them playfully.
Sana: "Atremis... I hear something, over there."
Atremis: "Hear something?"
Sana: "Yes, this way."
A firefly lands on Atremis's nose, blinking, as a small creature snuffles quietly, poking its head out of the undergrowth.
Atremis sneezes.
Atremis tilts his head.
Sana: "A... winged horse?"
Young Pegasus looks up at Sana curiously, stepping closer to her.
Atremis: "Peh... ga... sis?"
"Like a horse but not?"
Sana: "Hello, friend~"
"A Pegasus?"
Atremis: "Looks kind of like Maximatthias's horse."
Sana reaches out her hand for the pegasus.
It nuzzles Sana's hand, shaking slightly.
Atremis: "I wonder if it was afraid of the birds."
Sana: "Afraid of the birds..."
[Speak With Animals] "{Hello, Pegasus, I'm Sana, I want to help you. How are you?}"
Atremis tilts his head.
Atremis: "I don't know if it speaks fox, miss Sana."
Young Pegasus: "{Scared. Alone. Black things. Nice things now.}"
Sana: "Atremis, it is an ability that lets all animals understand me."
Atremis: "Oh... I thought you knew how to speak fox."
Sana: "It is how I can speak to Marigold, Max's horse, too."
Atremis attempts to speak fox to the Pegasus, making playful yowls at it.
Sana: "{The fox is my friend, he wants to help you too, we both do. Do you want to be our friend?}"
Young Pegasus nickers back to Atremis, gazing at him curiously.
Atremis: "D-does it speak fox?!"
Young Pegasus: "{Friends. Nice. Light things.}"
Sana: "I wonder if..."
"Miss Pegasus, if you can understand this, can you flap your wings for me, please...?"
Young Pegasus stares at Sana for a long time, and finally flutters its wings very slightly.
Atremis: "...That might have been a coincidence."
Sana: "Once more... can you flap your wings three times for me, please, if you can understand my words...please?"
Sana smiles warmly at the pegasus
"If I can talk to it this way... it will mean my limited magic will not be used too much.."
Atremis wonders if he can jump onto the pegasus's back, but remembering something about their shyness, as well as how well Marigold responded last time he tried, he decides otherwise.
Young Pegasus continues to nuzzle Sana, not moving its wings in particular any further.
Atremis: "Going to take that as 'can't speak people'."
Sana: "That is... unfortunate..."
Sana rubs the winged horse's snout.
Atremis attempts to make soft yowls at the pegasus, trying to ask it in fox for it to flap its wings if it can understand.
Young Pegasus gently prods Atremis with a tiny hoof.
Atremis: "Ah!"
Atremis gets startled.
Sana: "{Um... pegasus... are you okay, and... would you like to come with us?}"
Atremis: "(I'm not sharing a bed with it.)"
Young Pegasus: "{Listening easier now. Words hard. Nice. With you.}"
Sana: "(You can always share my bed, Atremis, you're lovely and warm to snuggle up with~♥)"
"{Could you... could you understand my words earlier, Miss or Mister Pegasus...?}"
Young Pegasus: "{Flap wings. Please. Three.}"
Sana: "{So if I speak like before....can you flap your wings once for "yes", and twice for "no", please, so I do not have to speak like this?}"
Sana pulls out a small piece of honey bread and offers it to the Pegasus
Young Pegasus: "{Try. Words hard. This nicer. Food!}"
Young Pegasus nibbles the honey bread.
Sana: "{This is the last time I can speak like this, so... will you come back with me with my friends, Pegasus? You would be safer with me and I would feed you more of this food!}"
Young Pegasus: "{With you! Nice people. Food. Warm light.}"
Sana: "...I've exhausted my communication magic."
"It... seems she wants to be our friend, Atremis, and be with us, is this okay?"
Atremis: "A second Marigold wandering around the camp?"
Sana tries to nuzzle the horse best she can with her people face.
Sana: "(Good Pegasus~)"
"She would be a nicer Marigold, Atremis."
"Less grumpy, better friend."
Atremis: "Oh."
"I guess we don't need Marigold anymore then."
Sana: "This Pegasus is too small to ride..."
"Marigold is needed for Max to ride and beat up bad guys with..."
Atremis: "Why would you want to ride it?"
Sana: "Because horses are faster than people, Atremis
Atremis: "So are foxes but people don't ride foxes."
"...Right?"
"Please tell me people don't ride foxes."
Sana starts moving slowly back to came, making beckoning motions to the young pegasus
Sana: "No one I'm aware of rides foxes."
"Horses are big animals and are usually around humans for riding. Humans give the horse food and shelter and care, and the horses give the humans better movement, so I've heard."
Atremis lets out a small sigh of relief, worried what might have happened if someone like Max in his full armor attempted to ride him.
Sana: "But... we might have a have a new friend to help us fight bad peoples~"
Atremis: "Well, I guess we're friends now. Nice to meet you, Marigold Two."
Young Pegasus nickers softly, following Sana.
Atremis: "I'm Atremis. I'm a fox."
Sana: "She will be named something that isn't Marigold Two at some point, though, Atremis..."
"(Maybe Lily...)"
Atremis tilts his head, not quite catching what Sana mumbled to herself as he walks behind the two.
Sana and Atremis make their way back through the forest, the pegasus following them back.
Sana tries to motion going to sleep.
Sana: "We. Sleep. Now. Pegasus. We speak. More tomorrow?"
Young Pegasus flaps her wings enthusiastically once, watching Sana.
Sana: "Goodnight, Pegasus, I will see you tomorrow~"
Sana leaves the rest of the honey bread on the floor for her, going back to her bedroll and beckoning Atremis to join her for snuggling.
Atremis curls up next to Sana, enjoying the warmth, and quickly falls back to sleep.
Young Pegasus eats the honey bread happily, before settling down nearby to sleep as well.
Sana, before sleeping, scribbles down a note on a piece of paper and leaves it nearby her bed for people to easily see when they wake up, reading:
"Maximilian and other people, the winged horse in our camp is my new friend, please treat her well if you wake up before me and wake me up so I can care and speak with her."