Little nuisance

Without a word more Noctis picked the owl up in his arms once more and hid behind a tree as the snake had gotten up by now and was angrily hissing all around the vicinity.

Trying to reason still, Noctis thought of his next course of action. The accursed hounds were on its way, a snake the size of a 4-storey building was stalking him and he had the kid of a giant magical bird in his arms.

'It just keeps getting worse doesn't it.'

Noctis tried to calculate his position and distance from the ridge but the rain and dark disoriented even the bird, saying nothing of him and he couldn't hope to outmaneuver both the beasts.

'Ughhh. Why today of all days. And do those hounds not have any other priorities than a puny little man. All day all night those goddamn f****s. Wouldn't even be enough for two of those beasts for even a-'

Noctis stopped cussing out his frustration when he suddenly felt the surroundings go unnaturally quiet once more. It had happened once not too long ago.

Without waiting for his death senses to kick in, Noctis ran ahead and jumped up high using a low branch.

Without missing a beat the area, and the trees in it, got reduced to sludging mud and debris without so much as a warning.

The giant snake this time didn't even bother waking up and just started slithering with its massive frame towards the elf and the bird like a massive spectre claiming their very existence.

Without a choice Noctis started running towards the ridge, figuring if the fight was to come sooner or later then better start moving towards the place he'd have marginally better chances.

Noctis ran on the wet mud and puddles of the forest floor as the rain kept on hammering him, shielding the owl, keeping his nerves and hoping for some miracle as the growls came closer and closer, and that too from his front.

As he was preparing his energy to employ forest manipulation at the slightest notice, he felt some movement in his bosom.

Looking just a little down, he saw as the bird looked at him and then extended its wings in a general direction as if imploring him to go towards it.

"You want me to go there?"

A short nod from the owl confirmed it.

"Like… right now?"

Another short nod.

Noctis looked in the direction that the owl was pointing. Pretty much the opposite direction of the location of the ridge.

"Are you for real here girl?"

Krrrrk~

A sharp whistle, almost like chastising him, sounded from the critter in his arms.

"You know I don't understand how you are understanding me but this is really not a good time to be throwing a tantrum."

Kwook!~

Okay that was most definitely an admonition. A little bird was chiding him now.

Despite it Noctis kept running towards the ridge, his heartbeat getting faster by the second as the growls got louder and louder with every second.

As he concentrated his energy to feel his surroundings with the stage technique the giant owl taught him, a process he discovered made the following manipulation much more efficient when he suddenly felt a sharp stab at his chest.

'Ack!'

Noctis looked below only to see the little bird biting him on his chest with its beak.

'What the hell!?'

"What do you think you're doing!?"

He asked as the pain only increased as he moved.

Krrr~ krrr~ kroook~

"Are you serious right now!?"

Hoot-hoot~

The owl replied before once again biting at his chest.

"Okay fine! Jeez this family!"

Without a choice Noctis jumped straight upward the next second, flipped a little and landed upon the head of the snake slithering on the forest floor, although it reached the height of the tree at its highest easily.

Before the snake could react he concentrated his energy in legs, using the blast to propel himself in the direction that the critter forcefully wanted to drive through.

"If anything happens I won't be the one taking the blame you hear?"

He sighed a little knowing how insane he sounded. Yet it couldn't be avoided, the giant bird was too mysterious. Not to mention he saved him numerous times already.

'This world I swear. I can't even.'

Now that he was running in the opposite direction of the coming hounds he at least had a little more time to him, a silver lining if you will, and who knows maybe some friendly fire between these two groups… or entities… or whatever.

Running on the now almost buttery forest floor, fatigue caught to him fast, the drumming of rain drops against the leaves, his feet thudding on the muddy water puddles along with his heart squirming heart added to the tension of the constant edge of the situation, intrepid only by the casual motion of the bird in his arms showing him direction to move next as if out an casual outing.

Finally as Noctis' energy almost depleted and the hounds almost reached his steps, the aimlessly wandering elf found a strange sight ahead.

A small hill or mound on which a peculiar stone structure was placed.

What made it actually strange however was the absence of rain in its vicinity and instead bright moonlight enlightened the structure.

It had what he interpreted as an arch and an opening, it, along with the almost divine sight in front of him cued him to this being some sort of temple perhaps.

Just taking note of its peculiarity Noctis had almost crossed when the bird struggled violently in his arms before jumping straight into the opening in the structure.

Jolting some alarm into the tired languid eyes of Noctis the action made him skid violently against the surface of the floor in an effort to stop before himself crashing towards and into the opening.

'Oh my word. What a great… just great night this is going to be.'

***