I stood before the great beast that had terrorized the small fishing village for months. The village elder had messaged the capital, saying that a giant, rabid halcyon had been attacking them.

I suppose a halcyon is the closest thing that these people might recognize. But this bird was no halcyon, calming the winds and the waves, helping the fisherman.

No, this firedrake was far from its home. And it was angry. And, they couldn't see it, but it was also scared.

Thankfully, they hadn't called for a knight. A knight would've just cut the beast down.

No, in their confusion, they had thankfully asked for me, the duke's chief birder, although most just called me the bird whisperer.

I could understand and help all avians, including this lost and scared firedrake.

It took time. I had to teach it to trust me. Rather, I had to teach her to trust me. In time, she told me her name. There's no way to write it unfortunately, and I couldn't pronounce it. She let me call her Branwen, "Blessed Raven", and she chose a draconian name for me.

By this point, she no longer frightened the village, and was no longer frightened by the village. She even thought about staying. They had come to respect her.

But she had family. She needed to see them again. So, we left together. I knew how to get back to her land. I'd been there before. I'd even met her village elder.

But before she left, she promised to return. They would miss her, this strange halcyon that had come to mean so much to them.

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