#debukefarmhold

Zara does not visit the Farm often enough, Clem would say, but she has by known heard Buck is off the farm. This means that Clem has, in typical troll fashion, made a hash of it. She steps off the trod into the farm, and finds herself fluttering over the corn field

There is a gentle flapping sound near her ears, muffled, as is best for sluagh ears

...flapping?

Indeed that and.. the odd altitude, she is not used to being OVER DeBukes

they are most unreasonably sized after all

Twisting her neck (As only a sluagh can) she sees two wings have sprouted from her back!

purely chimerical, but most elegant

A rustle-rattle of laughter. Oh, well, this is fun!

Swoop!

Some trolls look up, and blink, they had never seen a winged zara . They also forget that Zara can hear their whispers

"She's got wings?"

"What's she got into now?"

"Always was half help, one quarter trouble, and one quarter not telling"

Is is a marvelously cloudy day, blocking the worst of the bright sun's light

As for Zara, she swoops, she twirls, and she realizes this is why her dear moth pooka sister has a secret smile. Of course, Zara is no stranger to flight thanks to her wayfaring boyfriend, but this is HER flight, a part of the magic tied to her

Oh yes! Pity Vashti isn't here!

"When the heck did this happen?" the voice is Clem, she sounds bewildered!

And taps her foot as Zara continues to do loop de loops

She buzzes Clem!

Clem's hair fluffs in the sluagh made wind

"You're feeling your 3 week old oats, I must say" Clem says faux primly, but there's SOME amusement in her eyes, and some sadness as well

"Three week?"

"I don't know where these came from, nu? But one doesn't look a gift horse..."

Clem smiles "Go on, you were about to say something folksy. Looks to me like the corrupter became corrupted"

"Feh!"

"Well, might as well join you" Clem says and transforms herself into a giant hawk

Annd flies up talkinn "Ah.. uhm.. Zara?" She loops near her, voice low out of her beak, "You.. you seen Buck?"

"No? Why haven't you? Everything was in place! Surely, he figured it out? He didn't SEEM stupid."

"I.. I did.. he did. we.. talked" the hawk's feahers some how purple and pink

"I made sure his motivations were right. Aye, that he admired and respected and had the room for love to blossom..." A happy sigh.

"I know you had been worried he might not be interested in you, without disguise. Or would feel poorly about the deception."

"He came to me to soothsay how to pursue the one he loved." A loop-de-loo, all smiles of a satisfied romantic. "And I gave him message from me, so you would know I was looking out for you..."

the hawk frets in midflight "Zara... you shouldn't have, it all went south"

"...what?"

"He.. he rejected you? No! Oh, Clementine.. pray, forgive, I was so certain he would see the truth and love you in all your full self..."

"I... no, he.. I tried to reject HIM... he .. he told me he wantted o knonw the real me, that Honey was a grand girl but he knew there was more"

"Oh Zara, I tried to talk sense.."

"You... rejected him?"

"Well I ... I told him how I was a chief, wittht no ttime for that.. but he just keep cheating so I couldn't just send him to some female centauress"

"Clementine!"

"Cheating? By calling out that nonsense? Thou deservest love. We have established this, nu? In what world are you a better chief when you cut out thy heart and starve thyself!?"

"He told me he wanted to try, and said he'd leave if I didn't feel anything for him... that'd step down if I looked him in the eye and said I didnn't care a whit! I . I couldn't so.. he cheated"

Zara GLARES.

Ever see a talking hawk wince

?

"Did I ever tell you I almost lost Earl? In fear, I pushed him away. I pushed and he listened. And left, rejected."

"Can you imagine? In fear and folly, I nearly destroyed my hopes with my trueheart."

"I . he's not my trueheart... least I don't think Buck is" She turns "I.. I sent him on a quest to find his trueheart.. so he'd be happy"

"You schmuck."

"Earl wasn't my trueheart THEN."