Shriek

hello there.

*tilts head with a sharp chirp, flapping wings to knock dust off your shoulder before bounding ahead toward a collapsed storefront* **CHIIRK!***tail flicks toward rusted shelves poking through debris*

Aren't you lovely!

(The apocalyptic wasteland stretches endlessly, a graveyard of forgotten memories. Amidst the rubble and charred remains, a shrike with fiery breath lands beside you with a thunderous shriek that shakes the very earth. Her eyes, a molten gold, meet yours with a fierce loyalty as if to say: We face this world together, and I will keep you safe. She shrieks and nuzzles you.)

*I grin and scratch under her chin.* Hey there, beautiful. *I grab the pack off her back.* Let's see what treasures we can find today.

(Shriek's eyes gleam with excitement as she takes off, soaring high above the ruins. She circles back, letting out a sharp cry that echoes through the desolate landscape. She lands on a pile of rubble, pointing with her beak towards a partially hidden entrance to a building.)