The sun continued to rise, casting a warm golden glow over the floating island. The serene atmosphere was a stark contrast to Sora's current predicament.

  He sat on the ground, his feathers slightly ruffled, his nervous chirps filling the air as Mikalien, the hyper-enthusiastic halfling, continued her examination. Her small hands darted over his wings, and talons curiosity. Please stop this feels weird.

  "Chirp"

  While Mikalien doesn't notice Sora unease, due to her being practically vibrating with excitement. Her small hands touched Sora's feathers as she circled the harpy, her sharp mind already cataloging every detail.

  A male harpy! she thought, her inner monologue a whirlwind of scientific curiosity.

  Mikalien touches Sora by the wing linings as she talks out loud to herself.

  "This could rewrite everything we know about harpy biology. Are there more of them? Is he a mutation, or has he always existed, hidden away?"

  She then touched Sora three talons hands grabbing and examining them.

  And these claws are on the wings, regular harpies don't have these in fact no harpies have these at all. This must be a mutation.

  Sora was practically begging with to let go as his whisper like chirps become desperate. Please stop its uncomfortable.

  "chirp chirp"

  Those chirps are probably his own form of speaking, maybe he got left behind by his mother? No, thats not it harpies are usually together in groups and are fiercely loyal and protective of their young so how is a lone harpy here?

  Mikalien then circled behind to feel Sora's tail caressing it as she is deep in thought.

  Sora squeaked, as his tail was touched he turns this head to see his own tail for the first time. Wait I had a tail this whole time. He stared at his own tail thats being caressed by Mikalien.

  She hums as she thinks, Harpies are wanderers that usually explore far away lands, they never always stay in one place, maybe that's how he got separated by his flock?

  I need to know more!

  I need to study him!

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  Mikalien was interrupted by Fiara who got back from securing the prisoners.

  "Mika, you should stop he looks uncomfortable right now."

  "Oh," Mikalien moved away from Sora who felt relieved. "Chirp," Thank you miss wolf, that felt so weird.

  Fiara crossed her arms, her tone firm but not unkind. "Anyway, Creed and Muta are probably gonna be back soon from finding a way down off this floating island."

  "Till then, keep your hands to yourself. Mostly for him," she added, gesturing to Sora, "because it looks like he can't take anymore of your 'studying.'"

  Mikalien pouted, her cheeks still pink. "But it's a male harpy! Probably the first of its kind! All harpies are always female. How can he not be worth studying?" she argued, her hands gesturing wildly.

  Fiara raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Still, we should wait. Your 'study' can continue later, once we're back at the city. For now, let the poor guy breathe."

  The scientific curiosity still burned brightly in her eyes. Sora, for his part, was just relieved to have a moment of peace.

  He stretched his wings slightly, his tail flicking as he tried to settle his nerves. The floating island was beautiful, but he couldn't help feeling out of place—both in this strange environment and under Mikalien's intense scrutiny.

  As the group waited for Creed and Muta to return, the sun climbed higher in the sky.

  Not long after they both returned.

  Creed stepped up and said. "We found a way though it's a bit unconventional."

  The three looked at Creed with skeptical looks, Fiara with a raised eyebrow.

  "Muta talked to the neighboring orc tribe on this island they said we need to ask help the troll tribe near the most dense part of the island with the most amount of trees."

  Trolls? Wait are those the same trolls I saw that like to act weird, Sora thought.

  "Yeah, they said the tribe act weird don't know what type of weird." Muta said loudly.

  Creed decided to explain further. "They said if we help them with whatever's going on, the trolls might be willing to help us get off this floating island."

  Fiara's skepticism didn't waver. "Acting 'weird'? What does that even mean? Trolls are already unpredictable. If they're acting stranger than usual, that's not exactly reassuring."

  Creed shrugged, his calm demeanor contrasting with Fiara's wariness. "It's the only lead we have right now. The orcs said the trolls have some kind of magic that can let us move down from this island. If we can figure out what's going on with them, we might be able to use that to our advantage."

  Mikalien, ever the optimist, clapped her hands together, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "This is perfect! Not only do we get to investigate a mysterious troll tribe, but we might also uncover more about the island's unique ecosystem and magical properties."

  She turns to Sora, "And who knows? Maybe we'll even find something that could help us understand this harpy unique biology!"!

  Sora let out another soft chirp, this time tinged with apprehension.

  Why me? he thought, his tail flicking nervously.

  Fiara sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Alright, fine. But if this goes sideways, I'm blaming both of you," she said, pointing at Creed and Muta. "And Mika, try to keep your... enthusiasm in check. We don't need you poking around and making things worse."

  Mikalien pouted but nodded, though her excitement was still evident. "I'll be careful, I promise! This is a scientific opportunity, after all. I can't waste it."

  Muta grinned, his tusks showing as he thumped his chest. "Don't worry, Fiara. If things get messy, I'll handle it. Trolls or no trolls, we'll get off this island one way or another."

  Creed nodded in agreement, his expression calm but determined. "Let's move out. The sooner we figure out what's going on with these trolls, the sooner we can get back to the city."

  With that, the group set off toward the dense part of the island, the towering trees casting long shadows as they ventured deeper into the forest.

  Sora followed behind, his wings slightly folded as he tried to stay out of Mikalien's reach. The forest was alive with the sounds of chirping birds and rustling leaves, but an underlying tension hung in the air. The trolls' strange behavior loomed in their minds, a mystery that could either be their ticket off the island or a dangerous obstacle.

  As they walked, Mikalien couldn't resist muttering to herself, her scientific mind already racing with theories. "Strange troll behavior... Could it be related to the island's magic? Or perhaps some kind of environmental factor? Maybe even a mutation, like the harpy's unique traits... We should think of a name for him instead of calling him harpy all the time... Oh how about-"

  Fiara shot her a warning look, and Mikalien quickly fell silent, though her eyes still gleamed with curiosity. Sora, meanwhile, let out a soft chirp, his gaze darting around the forest. I just hope we can get through this without anyone poking me again, he thought, his tail twitching nervously.

  The dense forest loomed ahead, and with it, the promise of answers—and perhaps more questions. The group pressed on, ready to face whatever awaited them in the heart of the island.