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Preview - Harpy Fast Travel Written by PsychoVyse https://www.furaffinity.net/user/psychowolvesbane/ https://www.furaffinity.net/user/lunaviolet https://aryion.com/g4/user/PsychoVyse https://twitter.com/PsychoVyse https://bsky.app/profile/psychovyse.bsky.social My other stories for sale can be found at https://psychovyse.itch.io/ or if you’d like to contribute I have a Ko-fi page found at https://ko-fi.com/psychovyse To read more please purchase the full story at https://psychovyse.itch.io/harpy-fast-travel — I stumbled onto the rocky ledge, lungs burning and legs shaking with exhaustion. Blood - some mine, most belonging to my dead companions - streaked my face and armor, and monster blood coated my blade. I was the only one left. The rest of my party had been slaughtered one by one during the relentless chase up the mountain pass. The monsters pursuing us were relentless: twisted, ravenous things, and ruthlessly unsympathetic to reason. Behind me, I could still hear their distant howls growing closer. In front of me lay a sight that crushed whatever hope I had left - a gigantic canyon stretching for miles, its sheer walls plunging into shadowed depths filled with who knew what horrors. The only paths down looked like a death sentence of their own. Certain death behind me, certain death ahead. I dropped to one knee, sword still gripped tightly, gasping for air. My kingdom was slowly turning to stone. An insidious magical petrification had begun at the northern borders and crept southward week by week, encasing villages, forests, and people in unyielding rock. Nothing slowed it. The king’s last desperate gamble had been to send small teams of elite adventurers in every direction, searching for the mythical Heart of Unmaking - an ancient artifact said to be capable of reversing even the strongest curses. I had been one of the best. Now I was the last. A heavy flap of wings snapped me out of my despair. I spun around, raising my sword in both hands as a massive figure alighted on the outcrop just a few yards away. A harpy. And not just any harpy - she was enormous, easily twice my size, with powerful avian legs, razor talons, and vast wings of mottled gold and brown. Her upper body was strikingly feminine and beautiful despite her predatory nature. For a moment, her sharp eyes and calm posture almost disarmed me. Almost. "Stay back, beast!" I snarled, voice hoarse but steady. My arms trembled as I held my blade ready. After watching my friends torn apart by creatures like her - or worse - I had no trust left for any demi-human or monster. "I’ve killed things bigger than you today. Come any closer and I’ll take my chances with the canyon." The harpy didn’t lunge. Instead, she tilted her head, regarding me with soft, intelligent eyes. Her voice, when she spoke, was warm and melodic, carrying a gentle chirp that somehow eased the knot of terror in my chest. "You look exhausted, little warrior," she said softly. "And terribly alone. Do you need assistance?" Before I could answer, the monsters that had been hunting me burst onto the ledge - five of them, snarling and drooling, eyes glowing with bloodlust. I tensed, preparing for my final stand. I never got the chance. The gigantic harpy moved like lightning. With a single powerful leap and a few devastating strikes of talon and wing, she tore through the pack. Bones crunched. Blood sprayed across the rocks. In less than a minute, the creatures that had massacred my entire party lay dead or dying at her feet. She dispatched the last one with casual efficiency, then shook the blood from her talons as if it were nothing. I stood there, sword still raised, staring in stunned silence. "Why…?" I finally managed, lowering my blade slightly. "Why would you help me? You don’t even know me." The harpy folded her massive wings and turned to face me fully. A small, gentle smile curved her beak-like lips. "You looked like you needed a friend," she said simply. Then, softer, "My name is Lira." That single sentence, spoken with such unexpected kindness after days of horror, cracked something deep inside me. The beauty of her - the calm strength, the warmth in her eyes, the sheer power she had just displayed to protect me - disarmed me in more ways than one. My grip on my sword loosened further as a strange heat bloomed low in my belly. I lowered my weapon completely. Lira took a slow step closer, her voice gentle. "Now… tell me where you’re trying to go in such a hurry, little one. Perhaps I can help you." I stared at the corpses of the monsters for a long moment, then back at Lira. Even with these five dead, I knew it wasn’t over. There would be more behind them. The horde that had wiped out my party was vast, and they had our scent. Going back down the mountain pass meant walking straight into a slaughter. And the canyon in front of me… that was just another kind of suicide. A weeks-long nightmare of sheer drops, labyrinthine paths, and who-knew-how-many more monsters. I sheathed my sword, though my hand still hovered near the hilt out of habit. My eyes traveled up Lira’s towering form. She was majestic. Easily twice my size, powerfully built yet undeniably feminine. The way the mountain sunlight caught on her gold-flecked feathers, the calm intelligence in her sharp eyes, the gentle strength in her posture… something deep in my chest (and lower) stirred despite everything I’d been through. After days of nothing but violence and fear, her warmth felt almost unreal. "I… my name is Elara," I said hoarsely. "My kingdom is dying. A slow, magical petrification is spreading across the land, turning everything and everyone to stone. We were sent to find the Heart of Unmaking - an ancient artifact that might be able to reverse it. The only clues point to ruins on the far side of this canyon." I gestured helplessly at the abyss. "Going back means death. Trying to climb down and navigate that maze alone… that’s also death, just slower and more painful. I’m the last one left." Lira listened quietly, her wings folded neatly. She didn’t interrupt or press closer, which only made me trust her more. I swallowed hard, feeling heat rise in my cheeks as I looked at her again. She was beautiful. Powerful. And right now, she felt like the only living thing in this forsaken place that wasn’t trying to kill me. When I finished, she was quiet for a long moment, her clawed toes flexing against the stone. Finally, she spoke, voice tentative. "There… may be a way for me to help you cross in a single day. But it requires a leap of faith that I imagine most people would immediately scoff at and walk away from." My heart leaped. "Please," I begged, stepping closer. "Whatever it is, I’m listening. I’d do anything - climb, fight, starve, whatever it takes. One day instead of weeks? I’d take that in a heartbeat." She shifted uncomfortably, feathers ruffling as if she were embarrassed. Her reluctance was palpable; she glanced away, then back at me with a sigh. "Most humans react poorly when I suggest this, they assume the worst and flee. But… you seem desperate enough, and your cause sounds noble." She took a breath. "I could carry you in my stomach." — To read more please purchase the full story at https://psychovyse.itch.io/harpy-fast-travel