Chapter 29 – The Wingless Harpy
After a bit more discussion, all of us got on the same page. Lulu and I told Alice and Mina our titles, and showed that we’re not technically demon lords, but we just have the potential to become one.
“Man… Had you told me just a week ago that I would end up becoming the lover of a pair of twin demons, I’d just walk off. Now you’re telling me that I’m kin to a pair of potential twin Demon Lords? Wow… Eventful week.”
Alice sighs as she says this. Mina nods her head and laughs lightly,
“Hahaha! I know right! I was just selling monster skewers a few days ago, and it led to this! I’m glad, though. I couldn’t ask for a better outcome to my life. Especially after…”
Mina suddenly goes silent and squeezes Lulu’s hand. I reach over and put my hand over hers before crawling over the bed and planting a deep, lasting kiss on her lips. I cup her cheek as I pull back and give her a warm smile,
“Would you like to talk to us, Mina? I promise you, we’ll listen to everything you have to say, baby girl.”
Her eyes go wide as I say this, and moisten as tears threaten to spill from them. She wipes her tears away before nodding her head,
“Yes please… I would like to get this off my chest.”
I sit down beside her while Alice and Lulu sit up as well. We all surround her before leaning her down onto the pillow of the bed and laying beside her. All three of us touch her reassuringly while she speaks,
“Well… As you know, Harpy society is typically tribal in nature… It’s only been a few thousand years that we first made fire for ourselves, and a few centuries since we were no longer considered true monsters.”
We all nod.
“Well, my tribe… Believed deeply in survival of the fittest… If you couldn’t hunt, you didn’t eat. If you couldn’t fight, you were left to yourself. Hobbies… Were basically non-existent… Anything that didn’t help you survive.. Was useless…”
I lean over and lay my head on her shoulder as she continues, squeezing her hand reassuringly,
“Cooking was one of those skills… Harpies are perfectly capable of digesting raw meat… And cooking was considered a human taboo that defied nature… I had always hated eating raw meat and plants… So, when I came across a group of human adventurers… I saw them cooking for the first time… The smell instantly drove me mad…”
She chuckles lightly as she remembers what happened next,
“Haha… I was so starved for flavor that I flew down and begged them to let me taste some of their meal… They were nice enough to agree, and gave me a piece of the cooked and seasoned boar. It was… Okay. I mean, the raw pieces of monster meat I ate tasted just as good… but it got me thinking… If cooking it made this bland meat taste just as good as monster meat, what would cooking monster meat do?”
Her eyes grow sad once more as she continues on,
“So… I tried cooking in the village… I had never known what cooking was… Our tribe never spoke of it, really… And I wasn’t fully of age yet, so I wasn’t properly told the laws of the village… My brother found me when I was eating the cooked meal… He dragged me out of the house by my wings and showed the elders what I had done…”
My eyes darken at this. So… Her brother did it, huh? Well… He better hope I never find him… If I do… I’ll make sure his soul never has a chance to reincarnate…
“The elders… Found me guilty of taboo… And my punishment… To be banished, and be thrown out into the world… As a human… After all, if I enjoyed the cooking that humans did so much… Why not become one, right?”
Scratch what I said earlier… Her entire village better hope we never find them.
“My wings… Were chopped off… And to prevent me from getting a healer to reattach them… They were cooked… And I was forced to eat them… Hence… My taboo…”
I grit my teeth as anger threatens to spew forth from my body. I don’t even have to look to know… Lulu feels the exact same way… I want to tear them limb from limb… Make them all pay for what they did to MY girl! To MY Mina!
But, the rational part of my mind overpowers this. I know: what Mina needs right now isn’t two rampaging demons to burn her old village… She needs people to rely on. I take a deep breath, and push back my anger. I sit up and take Mina into a hug. I rub her back before Lulu follows suit, wrapping her arms around her and hugging her from the other side. Alice crawls on the bed and straddles Mina’s legs, pulling her into a frontal hug.
I lean in and whisper in Mina’s ear,
“Mina… Baby girl… I’m so sorry you had to go through that… Nobody should ever have to face something so awful… To be cast away by those closest to you… Mina. You’re part of our family now. We’re your sisters. Not by blood, but by choice.”
Lulu nods and nuzzles against Mina’s cheek,
“Mhm. Blood relations and family are two seperate things, Mina. Often times, those who we share blood with can be less than strangers to us. Family are those whose love is unconditional. If someone requires you to follow a strict set of guidelines to be their family, then that person isn’t family at all.”
Alice chimes in afterwards,
“Mina. Your cooking… I may not have been able to enjoy it when we first met… But I would love to try it… I’m glad that you kept up with this hobby, despite all you’ve been through. You’re strong, Mina. Stronger than you think.”
I nod my head and plant a kiss on her cheek.
“Very strong. Not many could continue on after that at all, let alone keeping up with the hobby. I’m proud of you, Mina. I love you.”
Mina’s tears finally start to flow as she feels the genuine love from all of us directed right at her. We shower her with praise, and gentle touches while she cries her heart out to us. Our eyes also get a bit misty as we feel her sorrow starting to fade. She looks at all of us before nodding her head and speaking through her soulful sobs,
“You guys… I-I love all of you, too… I’m so… Unbelievably happy… For the first time… In forever… I love you.. I love you all… Thank you… Thank you for being my happiness…”
I take her hand and plant a gentle kiss on her lips before pulling back, and holding her up against my chest. I let her listen to my heart before telling her,
“Thank you for being ours, Mina… I can’t imagine ever parting with you now… You’re one of us, baby girl. You may not literally be our kin, but I can change that… Mina… Will you join my kin?”