Soaring across the Cityscape

The sun dips low into the fringes of the earth, making way for a dark change. The sky dresses in the brilliant colours of dusk. The heavens no longer it’s pure blue, but a mixture of intense purples, rich oranges and deep reds. The hours of night waltzes in and stomps out the last of the daylight. The city soon began to lighten them up against the approaching darkness. The sun, no longer the bright, golden and blazing form it was, but now just a meekly warm droplet of enticing crimson. The winds whoosh through the city blocks, like tormenting spirits it haunts the streets causing it to feel the chill and shiver of the grim hours of the night. As the sun finally disappears from mankind’s sight, the moon takes its place. Now the centre of attention and the queen of this dark throne, surrounded by a court of dazzling stars. In this nightly take-over, a beast of flight birthed from the deepest jungles watches from up high on its nest of this nocturnal coup.

This beast is a grand bird of prey of outstanding size and majesty. Their plumage from its back to its wings was a coal black, it chest coloured in a marble white and it’s neck to its beak a silvery grey. This trio of colours, a perfect set to fit within this urban jungle that it now claims residence. With eyes like obsidian balls, as it stares out into the city, shuffling in its nest and raking it with its frightening talons. This winged create, a Harpy Eagle now settled as the ruler of these heights. It caws and screeches out into the air, its royal call carrying through the wind. All the other smaller birds, fly out at once to hide or part away from the territory of this terrifying beast.

The terrace where its nest inhabits at is a lavish rooftop garden connected to an equally rich top-floor apartment. In this high-end abode, it laid dormant and inactive through the shining sunlit hours of the day. The sun now no longer the ruler of the sky, does the luxurious accommodation finally wakes up. The lights of the living room slowly brighten up as a young woman enter the scene.

This woman stands in the centre of this gorgeous modern interior, over a little yoga mat. Dressed in fashionable sportswear in the same trio colours of the eagle. Her trainers were black with a white bottom, her sweatpants had a dark greyish smokey pattern and a black and white striped sports bra. In her home alone she stretches and commits to little exercises. Her body has a fit and athletic figure, trained in tip-top fighting form. Her muscular arms were marked with scars and cuts, each with a brutal story. Broad shouldered and strong, for she’s a huntress, a warrior in this modern world that few would trifle against. Besides her brawn, she’s blessed with beauty like no other around her. Her curly hair a glossy angelic pearly white cut short to her neck. Her eyes are dark as oil trapping those who gaze into them. Her skin, a terra-cotta brown like that of clay idol posed in museums of history. She was beyond the meek reach of man to claim her, for she is a goddess of war.

She finishes her work-out, with not even a sweat on her brow, cracks her neck and heads out into the garden. Striding out to the cool night air, she takes a breath and looks to celestial moon high in the night sky. With the normal citizens at the streets, dressed in sweaters and coats to keep warm from the chilling winds, she’s out in her own sportswear and nothing else. Not even a shiver or a flinch from the brisk winds that nip at her exposed skin.

She goes towards the fierce eagle, her companion and pet from a home that they share, now together far away from the heat of the Amazon. She coos at it in a singsong tone approaches as she gently scratches at the back of its feathery crown. It coos back in its own silvery pitch as its feathers puff up from the touch. Enjoying the scratches, it brushes closer towards their master and looks to her awaiting eagerly of what to do. She gives a smile, steps back and gives a sharp whistle, that causes the eagle to unfurls and straighten itself.

It then unleashes its long and fearsome wings, in a few flaps, it sets off and flies through the air. The modern huntress runs and follows her pet in the air. She trails behind it as she goes across the rooftop to rooftop. Sprinting, jumping and climbing with such athletic skill and acrobatic prowess, over the tops and heights of this metropolis with such insignificant ease. The Harpy eagle glides close by, a master of flight and ruler of this concrete amazon.

As she travels swiftly over these roofs and tops of building, she is soon going to hit an edge. She will soon be approaching a drop towards a wide busy street. From the height that they were racing it is nine stories fall to hit solid ground. However, she didn’t slow down. She passes her animal companion. For she is running faster towards the edge of this building. The bustle of the city was unaware, its preoccupied citizens focused on their own nightly duties had no idea of this terrifying stunt from below.

She gets closer, closer and as she steps on the border of this roof, she jumps. She floats for just a moment in the air, suspended as the winds of nature hold for a second. But gravity starts to wrap invisible tendril around to bring her down to the earth. She twirls and twists in the air, where she descends down headfirst as if by natural instinct. She dives towards the concrete streets, the wind roaring in her ears and the thrill of this leap has her heart pounding.

She stretches out her arms like wings and closes her eyes to focus. It is then that her smooth skin begins to sprout feathers across her body. Her human figure shifting and metamorphosing away from her mortal shape, as she shifts to that of a beast. No longer human, she was like her animal companion only larger and awe-inspiring in her visage. With her wings outstretched, she pilots upward, flaps once and shoots past her pet. Soaring high above the cityscape, bathed in moonlight as the stars stare at her divine appearance. In a victorious screech, that echoes across the city like a roaring wave crashing on the coast, mankind looks up in wonder at the darkness. Accompanied by her flying compatriot, they race past several buildings, climbing higher to the abyss of the night sky and above the lights of this city of man.

#fiction #flashfiction #supernatural #inspiration