the scarlet's bird. malenia | Elden Ring

her first friend

 Deep within the consecrated snowfield, Miquella's haligtree lies still with many of its creatures resting against its thick branches, bathing from the cold breeze as it softly whispers past their ears. Vacant and empty without the twins and their shadow, the creatures brought by Miquella could only wonder what transpired with the three.

At long last, they found their answer. In the midst of a frosty wind, a golden light glows in the sky and it extends like wings. The size of the light expands and as trolls and envoys hone their focus, they begin to suspect that the figure was coming straight for them. Closer and closer, they began to make what they saw. A giant raven glamoured in gold swooped past the tree, shining so brightly that the arrows and blood pricked onto the ends of his tails were hard to notice. The envoys pulled their horns to their mouths, a triumphed tune escaped out of their mouths. It rings like a song of celebration.

At long last, Malenia the severed and her shadow, Remus, had returned. Only they had no idea of the predicament they had endured.

His wings fell flat after landing hard against the marble tiles in the main hall. The remnants of the clean rot army fell from the impact, their backs hitting the floor with a few groans ripping out of their throats. Some, still injured from the fight while others shuddered from what almost looked like their ultimate doom. Finlay was quick to get up and with her hands on her padded pants, she looked at the raven. He closes his eyes and lets out a strained cry before laying still, breathing heavily. The bird seemed relieved to rest on something cool as the marble tile.

"Remus..are you alright?" She asked.

"He's still injured.." A fellow soldier detects his injuries once the glow of his body dies out, turning his feathers to a charcoal color. Crimson blood seeped out of the ends of his feathers to his tails, longbow arrows still sticking out. Finlay wants to pluck them out but she gulps, worried he'll be left in more pain if she takes them away.

The soldier continues, "Let's get Malenia off of him.''Of course, how could she forget? She was the sole purpose of the mission. Finlay apologized before hopping onto his wing before pulling an unconscious Melania into her arms. The girl held her, closely inspecting her face for just a moment. There were no wrinkles on her face. She looked peaceful and calm as she slumbered and Finlay couldn't help but let out a low laugh.

"Even after all that, she's still sleeping."Suddenly, her ears nearly shatter when a loud screech ripples behind her and throughout the hall. She stumbles, clinging hard onto her princess while the others try hard to keep balance. The clean rot soldiers cover their ears as the bird raises his wings in the air before the feathers dispersed into the air, vanishing to nothingness. His form shrinks until it has shaped itself to a form of a human being. The figure, taller than Finlay, stands behind her. She turns back and her eyes widened, glimmering with hope,

"R-remus.."

His silver hair, damped with blood and dirt but nevertheless, his stance stood strong. He ignored the wound on his shoulder as he approached the girl. His black-scaled armor jingles before stopping an inch close to Finlay, his hands out towards her.

"Give her.. to me," He managed to croak out but Finlay's heart could only drop of how exhausted and fatigued he looked. He was a wreck and even though his eyes stay firm, behind them, she can see a desolate man. A man traumatized what he and the clean rot soldiers had to see before their timely escape.

She trembles once more, her grip loosening around Melania and so Remus takes the chance to hold her.

Grafting..She could never wipe away the image of grafting in her mind.

"It's alright, Finlay. I can take it from here. For now, you and the others need to rest." Her thoughts snap away by the suggestion. A gasp slips out of her throat,