#let's roll

Commander Tsubya: Several years ago, the colony reported attacks from animals that they didn’t recognize. Monstrous things the height of a man, dark and winged, but not flying strongly. There are many strange creatures in the wood, but this wasn’t one anyone had seen before, or at least recognized. They attacked with no obvious pattern, striking settlements on the border several times before we went out to investigate. No one was killed, but several people were hurt, some seriously.

Commander Tsubya: Issues with wild animals unknown or otherwise are call for Rangers, so we went to check it out ourselves. It was good indeed that he came with me, since once we tracked the creatures down, they weren’t anything that I had seen before; Similar to a gryphon, with two beaks set crosswise like the mandibles of a spider, with four sets of red-glowing eyes and four taloned feet. Interesting enough looking when they weren’t trying to eat you.

Commander Tsubya: They were also young, hungry, terrified and half-blind from being out of the dark, even in the dim forest. And that is what l'waelin ilareth saw. He has a most impressive rapport with animals, one I envy even now. They didn’t even try to eat him.

Commander Tsubya: It was a full clutch of what I learned to be deep-crows — l'waelin ilareth knew them from his time in the wilds of the Underdark — that had stumbled from the caves. Being abandoned by their parents, they did what young, scared things do best; lash out in an attempt to protect themselves.

Commander Tsubya: L'Waelin ilareth suggested that we lead them back underground instead of killing them. I knew of a cave system that would go deep enough where they would have room to live, and then it was very much a game of tag to lure them there. It took a long time. One would get spooked and flap off in a random direction, and the rest of the flock would follow that one instead of either of us, no matter how much I tried to sound like wounded prey to get their attention...

(They scratch the back of their neck idly and smooth the front of their hair,)

Commander Tsubya: ...Which was amusing enough. If they had managed to kill anyone, I might not have gone along with it. But, by the time we had lured them into the caves and far enough in that we could double back, I was almost fond of the creatures myself. I’d picked up several of their shed feathers, mostly out of curiosity — their grooming left a great deal to be desired. We took a bit of time to close the entrance of the caves to discourage them from backtracking and getting back into the forest, though l'waelin ilareth said they’d be more likely to keep going deeper if they could now that they were back in the right environment. Still, if you balance things properly you won’t have to pack twice. If they came back it would probably be looking for softer things than they find below to eat, so better they didn’t.

(The Commander takes a moment to think after their story is done. Their face is somber when they speak again,)

Commander Tsubya: It might be best to remember that, in some ways, he too is much like those wild beasts. A dangerous, scared young thing, feeling out of his proper place.

~~~

(( *Na'ceroth does mean barbarian, but it has an explicitly negative connotation.