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Urthwyfe, Ch 8 comidacomida copyright 2026 Tahra had traveled with Shael long enough to realize that there was a certain schism between the reasoning and logic of a Human or one of The Folk and that of a Beast. Shael, for instance, greatly enjoyed the empathic experience he received when Tahra was reveling in the feel of a particularly pleasant flight when she was left alone to her own thoughts, but he always made it a point to address that very phenomenon and, in so doing, knocked her out of her reverie. Beasts were open and direct, meaning that Shael was unable to NOT mention it and let her continue to enjoy the sensation and, by extension, let him experience it through her. She found it endearing, and he found it troublesome. He also made it a point to let her know that and, when she invariably pointed out that he should be able to enjoy the sensation without pointing it out all the time, he would consistently respond that the problem wasn't with him letting her know; the problem was that she always lost focus when he did. It was an endless argument she'd come to expect but she had a feeling that he didn't mind it any more than she did... after all, it would happen a handful of times during a journey and, if anything it brought them closer. On that day, traveling high over a large, agrarian stretch of land, it had happened twice. The Urthwyfe didn't often find herself so far south, but a task had presented itself and the pay was good so she would at least visit the city and consider the task... even if it was predominantly a Human settlement. Paidu, unlike most of the regions Tahra visited, was part of a kingdom-- the Kingdom of Ayoma. While not the largest city, it was still easily four times the size of most settlements she visited and, therefore, rife with issues that she didn't want to address... few spirit-minded people would. It was rare for an Urthwyfe to be summoned to the kingdom of Ayoma since few citizens there put much stock in spirits and fewer would think to recruit a professional-- most settled for conmen or, worse, hedge mages. As her mind left the realm of carefree flight and began to focus on those thoughts, Shael's mood soured. More than she, the gryphon disliked large cities and they both knew that he wouldn't be able to get anywhere near the walls without guardsmen trying to shoot arrows at him before they realized that he had a rider-- that meant that they'd need to touch down somewhere and she'd be off on her own, walking the rest of the distance. That realization meant that he objected to the whole affair and Shael didn't understand why she had to go into such a place. She'd learned to explain things in terms he could understand and reaffirmed for what was the third time during their journey that she had to hunt. It wasn't a lie; it was an oversimplification. "There's a spirit somewhere in the city and it is misbehaving. I have to find it, and make it leave." Often, when she was explaining complex concepts simply, she found it easier to speak it aloud as well as to let him absorb her thoughts. She had, in fact, been hired to explore what her employer thought could have been a spirit-based crime; someone had possibly bound a spirit and was using it as a tool to commit larceny, and perhaps even worse. Shael didn't have to understand the entirety of the situation and, he most certainly didn't, but he understood the importance of a hunt-- he just wished that he would have been able to join her. Tahra gave his shoulder beneath his outstretched wing a hearty pat, letting him know that it was alright and that they could go hunting together after she was done. That thought seemed to placate him and, shortly thereafter, he indicated that he found a decent place to land. She realized that it was far enough from a main roadway to avoid frightening travelers and mounts but close enough that she wouldn't have to worry about much cross-country traveling. Confirming that she agreed, Tahra held on as Shael folded his wings back and began a rapid descent. Hunkering down on his back, Tahra wrapped her arms around him to keep the wind from buffeting her as they bled altitude at what would have been an alarming rate if she wasn't such an experienced gryphon rider. The first few times she'd experienced it her mind had gone blank, but after a hundred or more such dives she'd grown accustomed enough that she could continue considering her task. Very few people were capable of binding a spirit enough to use them in such a manner and her potential employer thought that a witch, warlock, or summoner was the most likely culpret; Tahra didn't like any of the options which was yet another reason for her to take the job: whoever was responsible, they needed to be stopped. Shael spread his wings less than a hundred feet above the ground, his entire body going taut as he slowed their descent and landed with all the impact of a sparrow. In his opinion, anyone messing with spirits got what they deserved... and doubly so if they bothered Tahra, because in THAT case they usually deserved her wrath. Smiling, she gave her mount a hearth pat on the thick part of his neck. "Thanks, Shael. I'll make sure they get what's coming to them. Don't you worry." She had been hired by 'the powers that be' within Paidu, partly because the crimes indicated spirit involvement but also because most governors of cities within Ayoma only kept power if they could prove to the crown that they could rule with minimal disruption. The royalty of Ayoma did not abide fools in positions of power, and doubly condemned any of their lessers who would let spirits become involved in any way in political landscapes, including affecting one of their towns in a crimespree. Spirit activities would be a large amount of disruption, and so would hiring a wizard or sorcerer to fix the issue; an Urthwyfe, on the other hand, could be quite inconspicuous and were nowhere near as self aggrandizing. In Tahra's experience, Wizards would talk the ear-off of anyone who would listen about their list of accomplishments, past victories, and accomplishments to their name while Sorcerers bragged to anyone and everything about their plans, goals they were about to achieve, and what they were up to in the immediate future; neither would be subtle to the level required by a governor. Then again, she reminded herself, her patron wasn't a governor... which gave her all the more reason to believe that she was indeed being hired by the city governor: any skilled politician in Ayoma would use an intermediary. Shael, for as much as he cared, pointed out that Humans were even more frustrating than The Folk when it came to the way they thought and did things. Laughing, Tahra slid off his back, giving him another pat as she gathered her gear from where she'd secured them to his back. "I'm with you there, Shael, but, like I said: I have business in the city, so, like it or not, I'm going in." He definitely didn't like it but he also wasn't about to try and suggest that she couldn't go on; he hadn't done that since he still had hints of fledgeling feathers on him early in their relationship. As she secured her belongings and gave him many hugs and pats. Once she was in the city there was almost no chance that they'd be able to keep their mental link so she confirmed that she would check back in with him within a week. Shael acknowledged her timeframe and he wanted to know where they would meet up. Tahra provided him the impression of a tall treee merched in the open near a gully that they'd passed over as he was coming in for a landing. That location seemed to satisfy him and he flicked his wings, stepping back so he wouldn't hit her when he opened them. He made sure to let her know that he would miss her and she freely admitted the same. He then conmfirmed that he would be nearby if she needed him; he'd be looking forward to hearing from her. With that as their goodbye, Shael took to the air, launching powerfully off the ground and rapidly beating his wings as he gained in altitude. He circled upward into the sky; it was a harder ascent, but she could tell that he wanted to be near her longer, giving her a warm feeling which, she could tell, he received in turn. Once he was of a decent altitude, the gryphon slowly wheeled around in the sky and headed east toward some low hills; Tahra was confident that he'd probably remain just as close as he'd indicated. For the next several minutes Tahra still felt the little tell-tale signs that their minds were still joined. It wasn't anything obvious and, as they drew further and further away from one another the strong empathic bond grew weaker until she could barely tell that there was the faintest touch of a second mind tentatively brushing against hers and, by the time she reached the paved road leading to Paidu, that too had faded. Despite Tahra's willingness to be alone, when she couldn't feel Shael she oftened found that she felt lonely. Pushing the thought from her mind, Tahra stepped onto the road and began her journey of several leagues to the city. The Urthwyfe was on the main road which was joined by numerous side paths converging on it from the surrounding lands which meant that, as she approached the city walls, the number of travelers joining her began to increase. Being a northerner, her light colored hair and fair skin earned her more than a few glances but if anyone thought anything of it they didn't say a word; one good thing about large cities were that people from many different cultures, points of origin, and race mixed-- sometimes for better and sometimes for worse, but it meant that she wouldn't stick out too much and she could appreciate that. The trip through the city gates was as tedius as she would have thought. Four sets of four guards were going through all travelers, asking questions and demanding answers. For those in carts, two guardsmen would inspect the transport while the other two questioned those guiding it. She didn't speak the language of the southlands and so she didn't have the slightest idea of what was being discussed but, fortunately, when her turn arrived the man who approached her stopped and seemed to call someone else over; the new guard, a woman with skin the color of damp soil approached and spoke to Tahra in heavily accented Northlandish. The questions seemed to be mundane in nature, and easy to answer, except for her purpose in Paidu. In the end, Tahra answered as truthfully as she could without giving away too much. "I am here on business." Sadly, the guardswoman did not relent. "And what is your business?" Tahra offered only what information she had to. "I am an investigator." Her interrogator paused at that, turning to regard her male companion and she spoke to him, with what Tahra hoped was indifference. Sighing, the Urthwyfe realized that her ability to get into Paidu would have to be worth expending some spiritual energy and, under her breath, she spoke the incantation needed to increase her empathy with languages; it wouldn't allow her to understand what was being said, rather, it extended her sense of comprehension to the Southlanders in a way similar to how she could understand Shael. Fortunately, the guardswoman was speaking with the guardsman not because she doubted what Tahra was saying, but because she didn't understand why someone would hire a foreigner to serve as an investigator when there were many good options within the city itself. The guardsman, for his part, pointed out that the prior shift had told him to be on the lookout for a Northlander woman who would be coming into Paidu on business and would explain as little as possible. Apparently, they were ordered to let her in. Tahra was, in that moment, further convinced that she was almost certainly working for the governor. Jumping on the moment, Tahra interjected in a polite but self-important way, hoping very much to play the part of someone who was not used to being delayed. "Excuse me... but will this take much longer? I was told that I would be expected." The female guard nodded to the male one then returned to address Tahra. "Very well. Welcome to Paidu. Please enjoy your stay, and do not cause problems." Having overcome the issue at the gates, Tahra entered into the city and, with that, her investigation could begin. The task of uncovering any activity in a largely populated area always began the same way: gathering info. She arrived in Paidu shortly after noon, which gave her several hours before dusk to begin her investigation, and she elected to put that time to good use. During that time, she checked out every bar she could find, listened in on discussions, and looked for criers who were shouting out information in Northlandish. There were also a surprising number of written postings, which, she reasoned, wasn't abnormal for cities where literacy rates were higher than in small towns. So she checked in on any that were in a language she could read; she was honestly surprised to see that more of the written postings were in the langauge of The Folk than in Northlandish. It was during one such observation when she learned, that 30% of Paidu's population were The Folk, while less than 10% were Humans from the north. That was less relevant to her investigation than the other thing she discovered: there were a lot of missing people reported. People going missing was not particularly eye-catching news in small communities since they usually butted up against wilderness; people going missing in big cities also wasn't all that abnormal-- differet predators, but same hunts. The one thing that she did realize, however, was that the vast majority of missing people in the announcements were Humans. Moreover, she learned that these Humans had one specific trait in common: they were north landers. That was particularly intriguing. In her experience, Tahra knew that most successful predators, whether in the wild or in cities, chose to hunt easy prey. Within the wilderness, the weak and infirm were choice targets while in settled areas the predators targeted the powerless and easily forgotten. Considering north landers were the smallest segment of the population that certainly tracked. Tahra smiled, realizing that she had her first big break in her investigation, and it was a very fortuitous one. The first part of her investigation complete, Tahra resolved to get herself a room at an inn and prepare for that evening. The missing people were all north landers; she was a north lander. If she played her cards right she wouldn't have to go seeking the puppet master of the spirit crimes since they would come to her. Sometimes, she mused, things just had a way of working out. * * * * * The Kingdom of Ayoma stretched across miles and miles of desert and, even though the northern part of the kingdom was a collection of scrub land and steppes, the city of Paidu was still far warmer at night than most cities of the Northlands. As such, Tahra was able to go about the streets after dark wearing a simple tunic, breeches, and a shawl; the shawl wasn't necessary for warmth but it did help hide several tools of her trade in a shoulder satchel. Considering the city was in the midst of a rash of kidnappings she was surprised at just how many people were willing to wander the streets. Not a professional investigator by trade, Tahra, nevertheless had many skills that served her well since there was a fair degree of crossover between the role of an Urthwyfe and a 'professional snoop'. Her first day in Paidu had been focused on gathering info as she dug deeper into the disappearances and trying to find a connection among those who went missing. Other than the fact that every missing individual was a Human female wasn't a lot around which to focus her investigation. She spent the next two trying to uncover whatever other information was available on the victims; most kidnappers who selected a specific segment of the population were even more specific and she intended to narrow down the scope of the search when it came to the kidnapper's preference in targets. Over those three days she'd managed to identify the part of the city where the disappearances were said to have happened; that helped narrow down her focus. She'd also learned that all of the Human women were between late teens and early 30s, they all had dark colored hair and, while they were not all Northlanders, all of them had lighter shades of skin than most of the Humans in Ayoma. Tahra had also discovered on the third day that none of the women who disappeared were permanent residents of Paidu. It still wasn't a lot to go off of, but it did improve her chances of using herself as bait since she met all of those traits. Then, on the morning of the fourth day, Tahra learned that another Human woman had gone missing over the course of the night. According to the information she'd been able to collect, the young woman was just two streets over from where the Urthwyfe had been making her rounds which meant that she was on the right track, but not quite fortunate enough to be able to catch whomever was responsible in the act. What it did help with, however, was further refining where she'd search in the future. It was a race against time, and she knew it; the longer she spent catching whoever was responsible the less likely that the captured victims would be alive and the more likely that the one doing it would collect even more women. All-in all, Tahra was able to determine more patterns than just a choice in victims; she was able to determine likely places the kidnapper would strike and, if her estimates were correct, that the one responsible for the missing persons engaged in their crimes every three or four days. That gave her at least two more days to refine her plan, and she put that span to good use, stopping her work only to check in with Shael. The gryphon was pleased to see her but was not particuarly keen on the idea of her becoming prey for someone that hunted Humans. She had to explain that his assessment was an oversimplification but he didn't relent: if she got in trouble he would come to help her and, since they both knew THAT was a bad idea she'd have to avoid getting in trouble. It was a silly sentiment... but a sweet one nevertheless. With that annoucement from him, Tahra said her goodbye and made her way back to Paidu, ready to update her plan accordingly. The following two days were spent in heavy research, mostly with Tahra walking the streets, eyeing possible alleys, blind corners, in the lower class part of towns where the rich didn't fund covered candle lamps to provide lighting, and any other place that might be considered suitable for a kidnapper to try and claim a victim. Her plan was to do a patrol of the most likely places for a kidnapping, hoping to catch the eye of the perpetrator and, with any luck, stop them. Considering she was confident spirits were involved, she knew that she would probably be the only person in Paidu who could. As the third night since the last kidnapping approached, Tahra put her plan into action, hitting the street at dusk and circling the block until the sun had set. She made it a point of doing an indirect route, meandering around town but never too far from any of the potential kidnapping sites. It was a long night and she stayed out nearly until dawn, but to no effect. By the time she returned to the inn she was exhausted and, with little fanfare, grabbed some cooled stew, ate, washed, and then went to bed. The first night of her patrol had, once again, passed without event... but the second night would be far more eventful. A light haze had settled on the streets that evening; although it felt like rain, Tahra knew that there would be none... not so close to the desert. Still, the murky surroundings made visibility difficult and, in any such circumstance, any normal citizen of a city traveling on the street would probably find the fastest and most direct path home but, in Tahra's case, she was hoping that the murky, dark, shadowy night would help her create results. The moment she heard a small, young voice call for help, the Urthwyfe sprang into action, confident that she would finally be making progress on her task. Turning in that direction, Tahra was barely able to make out a small, slight, cloaked form in the mist. It waved at her with both hands. "Please! Come quickly! Help! We need help! This way!" Waving to the child, Tahra called out. "Wait! Let me come to you!" Moving quickly to catch up, the Urthwyfe was displeased that he or she didn't bother obeying, sprinting off down the street in obvious distress. As an adult, Tahra was definitely faster, but she was more concerned about the little one attracting too much attention and possibly get hurt. Fortunately her little guide recognized that Tahra was there to help. "Thank you! Thank you! Quick, this way! hurry!" Tahra called out again, lowering her voice to avoid projecting it, but throwing it toward the small child with urgency. "Don't run so far ahead! You won't help anyone if you get into trouble too!" The child only ran another half a block before coming to a stop, turning back to regard the Urthwyfe, gesturing to the alley at which she'd stopped. "In here! It's just in here! Quickly! Please!" Even the most ignorant of travelers wouldn't have missed the obvious set-up; anyone with an ouce of sense would have expected a trap, and Tahra was no exception... only, she was more than ready to trigger it. In addition to knowing the alley was a dead end since she'd already mapped out that section of the city, there was something to the child's movement that was just a little off and, when her 'guide' turned back to regard her, even with the mist and darkness separating them, Tahra was able to detect the all-but-invisible sheen of spirit essence that most mortals would not have sensed. Her investigation was finally going to bear fruit; she just had to be wary. Playing along, Tahra continued hustling. "Wait there for me! Don't go into the--" she had easily anticipated the 'child' doing exactly what she requested it not to: the moment she approached it ducked into the alley, continuing its task of delivering the Urthwyfe to whatever ends it had planned. The small shape gave one more plea. "In here! Please! We need help! I think she's bleeding real bad!" Hiding a sigh, Tahra checked to make sure that her cloak wouldn't get in the way of movement and, expanding her attention beyond her simple five senses, the Urthwyfe slowly entered the alley, moving toward the far end which was all but completely cloaked in shadow. She honestly didn't need her expanded senses to tell when two shapes moved to block the entrance to the alley because the already shaded surroundings darkened even more due to their bulk. She didn't have to turn around to know that she was blocked in by two of The Folk-- based on the amount of light they blocked she wagered a bear and a bovine, most likely. Turning to face them, she felt a moment of gratification that she identified the Bear correctly, but the second was, in fact, a Warthog-- one of the largest she'd ever seen and both of them carried truncheons, presumably so they could take their 'prizes' alive. Size was irrelevant, however, when Tahra acknowledged that they were, in truth, Spirits in the form of The Folk. Spirits in mortal guise meant trouble for any mortal that they meant to harm, but their failure in attempting to capture Tahra was that she was no ordinary mortal. Tahra was beyond playing the victim; she had two spirits to bind and question and she was confident that they would lead her to the perpetrator responsible for the kidnappings. Dropping pretense, she spoke plainly, drawing a short staff to help her keep their bludgeons at bay. "If you surrender now, I'll see to it that you're treated fairly." The Bear let out a low growl, her voice rumbling along with it. "You are pretty confident for a weak little Human." Lowering herself into a fighting stance, Tahra prepared for battle. She had the foresight to hide her nature from any observers; lessening their 'spiritual footprint' was one of the first things all urthwyfes learned how to do and it served them well. Her two assailants had no idea what they were in for. "You don't want to do this. Believe me." The two Spirits in mortal form spread apart, widening their angle of approach so they could work toward flaking her. As theyd did so, The Warthog snorted. "You are right... we do not, but we have to." Even as the Spirit in porcine form spoke the Bear lunged forward, bringing her truncheon down at an angle, but she skillfully knocking the weapon to the side with her staff then, lashing out to strike her would-be attacker in the elbow and, as she did so, Tahra spoke a word of power, sending a jolt of disruptive force into the socket. The power was immediate, disrupting the spirit's ability to maintain a portion of its physical form, and blowing its arm clean off of its body. The Bear recoiled, her good arm going to the stump of where the other used to be, sheared off at the elbow. When in mortal form a Spirit's body was usually capable of bleeding; it reacted to trauma in the same way as any other, but the attack Tahra had used was not one that affected mortals-- just Spirits. The effect she'd used returned Spirits back into their ephemeral form at strategic locations, causing their mortal forms to dissolve. That was when the Spirit apparently came to the conclusion that their prey was not going to be easy to hunt. "She's a witch or something." Tahra smirked, returning to her stable combat stance, staff held at the ready. "And now you're insulting me? You're intent on making this harder on yourselves, aren't you?" The Bear was much more mindful when she lunged again, intent enough on defending herself that her attack was easily parried by Tahra. The Warthog, on the other hand, rushed in almost like a natural member of The Folk's porcine people would do, head lowered down to threaten a gore, though Tahra expected he'd be more likely to use his bludgeon to take her alive; in response, she fell back, evading his tusts and slamming the end of her staff down to intercept his hooves, stepping to the side as he slammed down onto the cobblestone, sliding a few feet before stopping. The Bear squared off against her, calling to the Warthog. "She's no normal Human witch... that's for sure." The Warthog shook his head, standing up and shaking his head back and forth. Focusing on her, he roated so that Tahra was directly between the two of them. "We're not supposed to hurt you, Human... but if you keep resisting we'll be forced to wound you a little." Smirking, Tahra held up two fingers, focusing another spark of spirit energy into them. "You should be more worried about yourselves." The Bear behind Tahra spoke in the Spirit language; it wasn't a voice, rather, it was simple intent and, unfortunately for the Spirits, the Urthwyfe knew what they were saying. Diving to the side as both of them sprang forward at her, she nimbly evaded their pincer attack and was well out of the way when the two collided. Realizing that she was being far too careless in her show of superiority, Tahra decided it was time to conclude the game. "We all know that neither of you should be here, so I'm going to send you back to where you belong." The two of her attackers separated themselves, squaring off against Tahra again. The Bear, still speaking in the Spirit Tongue, wondered to the Warthog what Tahra was talking about. The Warthog, in return, said it didn't matter; he would approach her from the left and the Bear would take the right. No longer interested in letting the charade continue, she responded just as clearly in the Spirit Tongue that she could just as easily finish them off with one hand each. THAT got them to stop. It was the Warthog that put the puzzle pieces together. "She's an Urthwyfe!" The Bear wasn't ready to believe it. "She's a Human. There aren't any Human urthwyes." A small voice behind Tahra spoke up; it sounded like a Mouse. "She is definitely an Urthwyfe. It changes nothing." So caught up with her own superiority over her two, huge attackers, Tahra had neglected the small 'child'. Before she could wheel around, a blast of agony ran up her spine, causing her to collapse as palsey made all her muscles cramp up. The Mouse, suddenly a much, larger member of The Folk passed by her; as a Rhinocerous, it had no trouble hefting her up and tossing her over its shoulder. As blackness began to take her, Tahra heard the Rhino state "We did not expect an Urthwyfe... the Mistress will want to meet you."