Navani

Runic Batling

Meat

This was an odd thing to enchant.

26

3

Navani's greatest strength was also her greatest weakness. Light. Simply put, she couldn't see it. She was an excellent hunter when in darkness, but light was a horrible thing to her. She was completely hidden in the dark, unable to be seen but able to see everything at the same time. She was blind. Even her heat vision had dimmed greatly. Despite this, she was an excellent hunter and guard, one of the clans best. She could hear a fly land on a blade of grass from a mile away, seeing it through an echo. It had taken her a long time to get used to the blindness, but she had found out that she could see with sound. She could paint out the world in better detail than she had ever been able to see. She was the entire reason the clan hunted at night. She was so efficient at pinpointing prey that the clan practically revolved around her wellbeing.


Navani's unnatural hearing was not merely a gift, though. It was wonderful, of course,
but there were certain... issues. Her hearing was so delicate that hearing would become painful at times. She found that storms were the worst. The howling wind clawed its way into her head and lightning rang so loud she felt her body vibrate with the hum of it, flashing its bright light through her mind. During these times the pack would huddle around her, covering her in their wings, muffling the sound. She was able to hear the changes of weather, the quiet lull of a summer shower, the ominous hissing of a bad storm, the sharp sound of a windstorm, the growling of an earthquake. She was also able to hear direction. A ringing that would get louder or quieter depending on where she was, like a magnetic pull towards something out of sight.


Navani remained outside the entrance of the cave, clinging to a dead tree, enjoying the warmth of the sun. She dozed throughout the day, listening as the rest of the pack occasionally chattered to themselves, darting out of the cave into the sky, then closing their wings and falling down before spreading them open again to skim the grass in a beautiful game. One would trail after another and they'd dart from side to side across the grass, then the one being chased would spin around and pursue the other, who'd climb into the sky then drop back down, the other following. A game of 'chicken'. Whoever opened their wings first was considered the loser and would fly around to chase another. It was a rare moment of peace within the clan, not fighting and hissing over a carcass or preparing for another hunt. Her crest twitched and she became aware of another sound, one she had missed as she was distracted watching the play. She chirped quietly, watching as the sound spread out, slowly coating the area in a glow that dimmed after a while. There. There it was. Sitting concealed behind the trees. Slowly, silently, moving towards them. Spreading its wings out to its full size. Crouching forward. Preparing. Navani let out a sudden cry of alarm, creating such a sudden loud and horrific sound that she managed to startle the massive banescale -- and herself -- yet only for a moment. It darted at the pack, but Navani had given enough of a warning. They were prepared, they all darted away rapidly, too fast for the banescale who hissed at their failed ambush. Within moments they were all safe inside in the tunnels, which were too small for the banescale to get into, and even if they could have fit into the cave the winding narrow passages were confusing for anyone who wasn't in the Searing Swarm. For a few days the clan was weary about leaving the den and every few hours one would fly out to make sure the banescale scent continued to fade.