#avitamis

Another warble met their ears, and another responding call — sharper and more song-like — followed. It wasn't long before the birds came into view. They were large, about four feet in height. If Avitamis had to hedge a guess, they were nearly ninety pounds. Their plumage was dark purple with a hint of deep red. Their feathers looked almost like silk in the light. They were beautiful creatures, truly. In the months outside of the hunting and migrating seasons, Avitamis admired them from afar, finding some contentment in letting nature go about its course.

But they could not observe today. These fowl could contribute to the shared survival of the Cranes that still remained. For that, they would be killed quickly and with great reverence.

Avitamis shifted their weight and took in a deep breath. They let it out sharply through their nose as they charged forward. They kept their sword steadied against their back as they raced towards their prey. The birds startled easily. Unfortunately, one of them was too slow to act. Avitamis flattened his feet and turned his body suddenly to the left. He skid in a half-circle, taking another breath as he did. His right arm swung freely, pulling the sword gracefully from behind and using the momentum to slice upward. The bird's head went flying as its body slumped down to the ground. The other fowl quickly took the hint to flee. Avitamis watched them go before exhaling carefully.

A breath in, a breath out.

He chose his next prey.

And chased.

He didn't want to torment them for long, so he focused all of his attention on the bird the third from the front. It was farthest from the group by an elbow's reach, but it was also the largest. Avitamis raised his sword up to his eye level and adjusted his grip. His aim was true, his thrust percise. He launched the longsword, only adjusting it a twitch higher out of muscle memory. The birds all cried out as another of its brethren was felled. The heavy body hit the ground with a graceless bounce. One of the birds nearly tripped over its body, and that was enough to make the whole flock race away faster. Avitamis didn't pursue them though. He slowed down to a jog then, once he was close enough to the second kill, to a walk.

He retrieved his sword from the bird's body. Before wiping off the blood, he raised the blade vertically and closed his eyes. It wasn't very much in a Witcher's code to say a prayer to anyone or anything, but it had become a habit of sorts for Avitamis to say a quiet thanks after he hunted. Even if that slowed down some of his fellows in their eagerness to return to the homestead. The seconds passed in peaceful silence. Blood languidly moved down the length of Avitamis' blade to the guard and over Avitamis' fingers. A quiet exhale. Avitamis flicked his arm out to the side, casting blood back to the earth as they did. They knelt down beside the bird's body to clean their blade.

As they did, they felt a change in the air, heard a newcomer. Footsteps, humanoid. Ah... slow but not predatory. Familiar in their gait. Avitamis looked back the way he came and saw someone with curly gold-brown hair looking in his direction. Another Crane Witcher, Baz, watched with a steady smile.

    "Ah, and here I was coming to check on you."

    Avitamis didn't say anything in reply. Instead, he just gave a reserved smile in kind and looked down to his work. "Mm."

The acknowledgement wasn't missed, this much he knew. Baz walked to retrieve the body of the first kill. From the corner of his eye, Avitamis saw a spark of Igni flare up. Smoke coiled up and died almost as quickly. He finished cleaning his blade, at least well enough, shortly after that. He sheathed his blade and reached out to take the bird in both arms. Ooh, this was a heavy one indeed. He adjusted his grip before walking over to join his companion.

    Baz carried the first kill underhanded like a basket. He raised his free hand and gave a sharp wave. "I'm surprised you came out here alone. I would've come with you."

    "Hm? Would you've?"

    Baz laughed and motioned to the two of them. "Clearly. You took all the fun."

    Avitamis shrugged a shoulder and led the way out. "I wanted to be efficient. Wasn't really aiming for fun."

    "I hear ya; I hear ya." Baz followed suit easily.

    "And you shouldn't be that surprised."

    "Hm? Ah! Well, considering who I'm talking to, I guess not, huh?"

    Avitamis smiled a bit, laughing in a sense. "Yeah..." He looked up towards the trees. "I prefer solitude is all for things like this."

    "I can understand that, but we get enough of that on The Path, don't you think? It's nice to enjoy the company of our fellows and just absorb all the time we have together."

    "I guess that's true too. Maybe being on The Path just set me in my ways a bit."

    Baz grinned, his teeth crooked and his smile endearing. "Same with me! I stil lget a bit jumpy when one of the others tries to eat off my plate."

    A laugh this time, soft and sincere. "I saw you how almost stabbed Aevon the other day."

Baz held up a finger to his lips and playfully shushed Avitamis, who shook his head gently. They continued towards the homestead in relative silence. Though once they arrived, Baz loudly greeted everyone and celebrated the kills even pretending to have taken part in it.

    "Don't listen," Avitamis said in a raised voice while curving languidly towards the meal house. "He just helped me carry them."

    "Yeah, that sounds more his speed," a woman, broad and heavily scarred, replied from where she was leaning against a wood-axe.

    Baz looked hurt but followed Avitamis as always. "So mean to me," he said with great mimicry of hurt.

    Avitamis lowered down a bird onto the table and smiled at him. "You wanted to come along, did you not?"

    Caligarus patted Zvonimir on the back heavily before pulling their hand away. "Don't worry about it right now. Just eat. Come. Avita caught us something."

It said something about his current state that Zvonimir didn't ask what exactly the catch was or how long they had already been down here. In fact, he didn't reply at all beyond a tortured grimace before setting his attention on his food. The meat was cooked just right; the fruits seemed fresh, though not from this immediate area. Zvonimir ate slowly at first, but with each bite, he realised he had a powerful hunger. He sank forward and commited the taste of food to his memory. It was all that mattered: the savoury flavours, the sweet juices. He chugged his water without a second thought; he ate without pause.

Caligarus refilled his cup with water; Avitamis got up to retrieve the cutting board of meat and the bowl of fresh fruit. Zvonimir continued on a ravenous tear, and it was then that the other two witchers noticed the curious change in their companion. Their pupils dilated, seeing the flash of fang and the textured tongue that licked at his lips. They looked at each other again, trying to find acknowledgement in each other's eyes about what they saw. Their attention was torn away when Zvonimir pulled back with an uncomfortable groan. He had the back of his hand placed against his mouth. His plate was empty save the sauce and fruit stems left behind.

    Caligarus hesitated a moment before reaching out to rub the smaller man's back. "Please don't get sick. You need your dignity."

Zvonimir muttered something profane in Elder Speech. Caligarus raised a brow, hearing their name while Avitamis gave a soft whistle in response. Zvonimir placed his free hand flat against the table and started to stand.

    "Augh. I need to rest."

    Avitamis stood quickly and walked around the table. "Let us help you then."

    Caligarus rose as well and helped keep Zvonimir steady as he stepped over the bench. "You two go ahead. I'll clean up here."

    "How domestic," Zvonimir mumbled before lurching with a heave. Caligarus immediately held him steady while Avitamis swooped in to carry his weight. "By Melitele... what did I do."

    "We'll tell you in a minute, won't we?" Caligarus spoke as they ruffled Zvonimir's hair.

Avitamis gave a sympathetic hum before rubbing his back. With that, they pulled away from Caligarus, and Avitamis began guiding Zvonimir away from the table. He walked with his eyes closed, completely relying on Avitamis for guidance. She moved slowly, giving him enough time to gather himself.

    "Where to, sickly?"

    Zvonimir snorted and opened his eyes, staring off forward. After a few seconds, he said, "Over there, on the chaise lounge."

    Avitamis laughed gently. "That dusty thing?"

    "The chaise, Avitamis. Not the judgement."

    Another laugh. "Yes, sir."

Avitamis deposited Zvonimir onto an emerald green chaise lounge. He curled onto himself immediately, but the groan of relief he gave pushed away any concern Avitamis may have had. Instead, she let out a long sigh and then sank down to the floor in front of the chaise. She leaned her back against it and stared up at the ceiling. After a few minutes, Caligarus walked over and sat down across from Avitamis.

    "So. How're you feeling?"

    Zvonimir opened his eyes and glared through squinted eyes. "Like death reborn. Well then? Out with it."

    Caligarus looked over to Avitamis and smiled. "He really wants to know."

    Avitamis shrugged and let out a dramatic sigh. "Let me know if I need to dig a grave."

    Zvonimir paled and sat up quickly. "Huh!?"

    Avitamis leaned her head back. "Because you're clearly going to die of embarrassment."

    Zvonimir bristled visibly, and Caligarus leaned forward. They braced their elbows on their thighs. "You remember how you told us your spell would have the best results only if you have a clear mind?"

    Hesitation. "Yes...?"

    "Let's just say we learned a lot about you last night," added Avitamis, gaze returning to the ceiling.

    "I can't say what was on your mind, but I think you were feeling... hm. How to say politely?"

Zvonimir moved quickly, standing up on top of the chaise lounge with balled fists. His face was turning a fine shade of red. The other two witchers watched him from the floor.

    "Zvoni—" Caligarus began, but before he could add much to the thought, Zvonimir's were already moving.

The Elder Speech was hasty but fluent. Flickers of green and white smoke filled the air, and after the incantation, Zvonimir was gone. Avitamis squinted her eyes and waved a hand through the air to dismiss the smoke.

    "He's going to have to come back sometime," Caligarus said.

    "I'm going to go take a contract and head back home. I'll see you two in some days," Avitamis replied, standing up.

    "Safe travels. Take Seelie with you just to be safe."

    "Will do." With that, Avitamis headed towards the armory to grab her equipment.