Thread Closed
“This ain’t workin’, Thya.â€
“Hush it, Pahja.  Hush it tight.â€
“It ain’t!† The shadow gestured towards the whimpering chocobo.  She lay in the grass under the darkness of The Shroud at night, Menphina’s light blotted out by towering, oppressive trees whose branches reached over the ground below, imprisoning the pair of women.  “Look at ‘er!  She’s done gone bad just like all the others.â€
“Hush it or you’ll be talkin’ out of a mouth in your neck.â€
“Them damn Gridanians don’t know nothin’ ‘bout raisin’ chocobos, Thya.  They’s all sick, every one.â€
The bird let out a warbling cry of pain, and the second shadow turned back to her, hissing.  “They can’t all be sick, Pahja, that ain’t possible.  We’re gonna get some, and we’re gonna-â€
“Gonna what?† The first shadow gestured wildly around them at the night, empty of sound and light.  “This job’s a bust!  Every time we snatch one she gets sick.  They probably got what the one had, the one what went under the knife that first night.  It’s spreadin’ the sick around to all of ‘em.  We got nothin’!â€
The second shadow stood, and the thick bladed raptor claw gauntlets she wore flexed, “I said you shut it, Thya.  Last thing I need is some loudmouth givin’ away our position like ya did last time!  We barely made it outta that mess with our skins intact.â€
“Oh shite, ya bringin’ that up again?  You saw ‘em.  We took ‘em apart.  You saw that shot, whoosh.  Right inta that hyur’s chest.  Dropped like nothin’.  We weren’t caught, they wasn’t even Wailers.â€
“They was adventurers, you bloody arse.  And they’s a hell of a sight more dangerous than Wailers.  We got lucky lucky.â€
“All’s the more to cut and run then!† The first shadow snapped, her fingers tightening on her bow.  “We been at this a moon and we ain’t got nuthin’ to show.  These birds is sick.  Ain’t no money sellin’ sick birds.  We gotta do somethin’ else, Thya.  We gotta do it quick.â€
The clawed shadow tensed, and for a moment the pair stared at each other, both bowstring taut, sizing each other up.  Then the clawed one stepped back, and they both relaxed.  “Yeah, Phaja, yeah.  Maybe you got a point.  This ain’t workin’.  But Twelve in a hole, this was a bloody goldmine!  Curse our luck!â€
‘You got that right,†the first shadow said.  “We shoulda known ain’t no way Gridanians is raisin’ chocobos, not in The Shroud.  Them birds ain’t built for it!  They live up there with them dragons I heard.â€
“Fine, fine, we move out.  Ain’t no call for stayin’ ‘round here no longer.  More adventurers gonna be comin’ up quick, and I don’t wanna be here when they get here.â€
“Where we goin, Thya?â€
“I been hearin’ rumors, Phaja.  Rumors ‘bout someone needin’ some good hunters.  Best hunters.  Lookin’ for some special kind of hunt.  I’m thinkin’ we’re just the girls for that, ya think so?â€
There was a flash of white teeth in the dark, “I think we might just be, Thya.  Come on.â€
In a few moments the shadows had faded into the pervading darkness of the forest, and all was silent except for the sick chocobo, crying out in pain as it convulsed, the sickness slowly running its course through it as it had all the others.
“Hush it, Pahja.  Hush it tight.â€
“It ain’t!† The shadow gestured towards the whimpering chocobo.  She lay in the grass under the darkness of The Shroud at night, Menphina’s light blotted out by towering, oppressive trees whose branches reached over the ground below, imprisoning the pair of women.  “Look at ‘er!  She’s done gone bad just like all the others.â€
“Hush it or you’ll be talkin’ out of a mouth in your neck.â€
“Them damn Gridanians don’t know nothin’ ‘bout raisin’ chocobos, Thya.  They’s all sick, every one.â€
The bird let out a warbling cry of pain, and the second shadow turned back to her, hissing.  “They can’t all be sick, Pahja, that ain’t possible.  We’re gonna get some, and we’re gonna-â€
“Gonna what?† The first shadow gestured wildly around them at the night, empty of sound and light.  “This job’s a bust!  Every time we snatch one she gets sick.  They probably got what the one had, the one what went under the knife that first night.  It’s spreadin’ the sick around to all of ‘em.  We got nothin’!â€
The second shadow stood, and the thick bladed raptor claw gauntlets she wore flexed, “I said you shut it, Thya.  Last thing I need is some loudmouth givin’ away our position like ya did last time!  We barely made it outta that mess with our skins intact.â€
“Oh shite, ya bringin’ that up again?  You saw ‘em.  We took ‘em apart.  You saw that shot, whoosh.  Right inta that hyur’s chest.  Dropped like nothin’.  We weren’t caught, they wasn’t even Wailers.â€
“They was adventurers, you bloody arse.  And they’s a hell of a sight more dangerous than Wailers.  We got lucky lucky.â€
“All’s the more to cut and run then!† The first shadow snapped, her fingers tightening on her bow.  “We been at this a moon and we ain’t got nuthin’ to show.  These birds is sick.  Ain’t no money sellin’ sick birds.  We gotta do somethin’ else, Thya.  We gotta do it quick.â€
The clawed shadow tensed, and for a moment the pair stared at each other, both bowstring taut, sizing each other up.  Then the clawed one stepped back, and they both relaxed.  “Yeah, Phaja, yeah.  Maybe you got a point.  This ain’t workin’.  But Twelve in a hole, this was a bloody goldmine!  Curse our luck!â€
‘You got that right,†the first shadow said.  “We shoulda known ain’t no way Gridanians is raisin’ chocobos, not in The Shroud.  Them birds ain’t built for it!  They live up there with them dragons I heard.â€
“Fine, fine, we move out.  Ain’t no call for stayin’ ‘round here no longer.  More adventurers gonna be comin’ up quick, and I don’t wanna be here when they get here.â€
“Where we goin, Thya?â€
“I been hearin’ rumors, Phaja.  Rumors ‘bout someone needin’ some good hunters.  Best hunters.  Lookin’ for some special kind of hunt.  I’m thinkin’ we’re just the girls for that, ya think so?â€
There was a flash of white teeth in the dark, “I think we might just be, Thya.  Come on.â€
In a few moments the shadows had faded into the pervading darkness of the forest, and all was silent except for the sick chocobo, crying out in pain as it convulsed, the sickness slowly running its course through it as it had all the others.