The Harpy’s Sire
By Limewah
Patron reward for Flarfenarfle (September 2023)
18+
SNEAK PEEK

The forest was deathly, almost unnervingly quiet at this time of the night - except, of course, for the distant hum of music and carousal coming from the inn in a glade. It was an aural beacon, a crumb trail for the ears. So Clayton Foxfire wasn’t concerned about getting lost. Besides, he knew these forests innately; he’d grown up in them for most of his life, even before he established the Foxfire Inn.
It was a bit loud and busy there tonight, but Clay wasn’t really needed. His capable staff could handle things; half the clientele were already ensorcelled by the time he left. When he got back he’d take his pick of who he’d keep on as new staff members, as well as one or two personal paw warmers to give his current one a little bit of a breather-in more ways than one.

For now, though, it was just him and the dark forest. The fox-witch meandered, enjoying the cool night breeze and the floral scents all around him. A perfect time to reminisce on good old times, and brainstorm for new ones. He tried to find inspiration for the entertainment from the world around him; the breeze whistling through the trees, for example, made him consider snagging and entrancing a few bards to create a woodwind ensemble…
In fact, he was almost certain he could hear some other music in the woods. Some wandering traveler with a beautiful voice, perhaps…?

His mind was not wandering so much, though, that he wasn’t aware of his surroundings. When the music came to a stop, he heard a sudden rustle from the treetops, and felt the telltale air-rush of a diving strike. He slipped his magic wand out from inside his bushy tail and twirled it. From the enchanted twig, a sigil-shield bloomed like a flower, and the talons of the creature collided and scratched at it with a sound like iron scraping against glass. Clayton shuddered from the sound.
Past the shield, and behind long strands of matted green hair, he could see a humanoid face with very pale skin, and deep violet eyes that almost matched his own. Where the human’s limbs would have been were two equally green wings, and two long talons.

A harpy?! All the way out here? They were supposed to be further north..!
“Put that thing down!” the bird-beast whined, pulling back and floating in the air. “Come onn…” she seemed like a young adult, with that petulant pout in her eyes. 
“I’d rather not!” Clayton shot back. “I prefer my innards inside my body, thanks!”
“I don’t wanna kill or eat you, though!” the harpy shook her head quickly. “I need you for something else… I need your help!”
“You don’t say?” Clayton kept his wand at the ready, down by his hip and tilted slightly upward like a cutlass. 
“Yeah! We’ve got the same eyes, which means you’re exactly who I need right now, more than anything…”
She was rubbing her thighs back and forth, too. Clayton was pretty good at bartering and negotiating with monsters, and he was sure this bird girl would be no exception. 
“I’m sure we can come to some sort of arrangement,” he said, still keeping his wand at the ready. “Perhaps you can accompany me back to my little establishment, and we could discuss things further. Can you sing?”
“Oh! Oh yeah, I can!” 

The look that spread across the harpy’s face was a worrying one. Like she suddenly knew something Clayton didn’t. He hated that look.
The harpy fluttered back, still keeping herself aloft with slow, shimmering wing-beats. She cleared her throat, and began to sing.
It seemed to be an improvised melody, no specific words to it, but… her voice was divine. She seemed to sing with more than one voice, each one trilling and harmonising with the other in a way that sent shivers down the fox’s spine.  Each rhythmic beat of her wings created a metronomic skeleton to the melody as it flowed, sweet and comforting like a lullaby.
Clayton only briefly realised his mistake before it was too late, and his body ceased to obey him.
Clayton felt his energy drain out of him, like he was sinking into quicksand. 
The waves of sound washed over him, and his wand slipped out of his slackening paw and onto the forest floor. He stepped forward towards her, only faintly feeling the snap of the stick beneath his boot. 
He didn’t understand the words she was crooning. But he felt their meaning, their intent.
He had to come closer.
He had to come to her.
He had to come…

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