The grand expanse of the strange human city stretched under them as they hovered on the border of it.
Thick clouds brushed past their wings as the three of them took it all in.
'Daaaamn. Thats a big city.'
She thought with awe when gazing at it, fascinated by the thousands of humans that bustled around. From this view they looked like ants. That felt good to Kristen, like she was above them, literally and figuratively.
Lucia was the first to stop staring and gave a signal for the other two to follow her, diving down onto one of the roofs for a closer viewpoint.
The temperature of the city was actually a lot colder than Kristen had thought, a perpetual frost covering everything from the plants to bricks.
Her talons touched the tile and she immediately slipped.
"WHY is it ice?!" she hissed, windmilling her wings to regain balance.
Olivia landed much more cleanly beside her, adjusting her footing. Lucia touched down last, steady as ever, barely disturbing the thin layer of frost coating the roof.
From this lower vantage point, the city felt even stranger.
A pale glaze of frost clung to roof ridges, window ledges, and the edges of chimneys despite the sun hanging fully in the sky. The cobbled streets below shimmered faintly white. Even the breath of the humans drifting between buildings fogged in the air.
Kristen puffed her feathers instinctively.
"…Okay. That's literally unnatural. It's not even winter."
Olivia studied the rooftops. "The frost is coming from something, besides the seasons.
Her gaze shifted toward the center of the city.
The buildings grew taller there with stone structures and slanted slate roofs, their architecture more rigid and imposing than the scattered harbour warehouses. At the heart of it all rose a larger structure, its spires dusted in white like a crown of ice.
The frost seemed thicker in that direction.
"It's spreading outward," Olivia murmured.
Now that Kristen focused, she could feel it, a faint chill in the air that wasn't just temperature.
It brushed against her feathers in thin, needling threads.
Lucia stepped closer to the roof's edge.
Below them, humans moved normally despite the cold. Merchants adjusted stalls. Workers hauled crates. Children ran between adults, boots crunching lightly against the frozen stone.
No panic.
No fear.
'What the hell is wrong with this place?'
"Do you think they know?" Kristen asked quietly.
"That something is freezing their city?" Olivia replied. "If it's been gradual, they might consider it normal."
Kristen stared down at a small tree planted along the street.
Its leaves were rimmed entirely in ice.
And yet it was still green.
"…That's weird."
Lucia finally spoke. "We won't stay here for long so its not our problem. Don't go looking for trouble and it won't go looking for us."
Kristen blinked. "We literally rob humans for a living."
"Yes, well, how do you think we ended up here?"
'Ugh. I hate it when she's right.'
The frost made their dark forms stand out sharply against the pale surface.
Lucia hopped back into action, dashing toward the shadowed side of the roof where a chimney cast partial cover. The other two followed without hesitation.
Lucia cleared her throat and Kristen and Olivia gathered round in response.
"Okay, here's the plan.
All the ships that go out to other continents or countries are usually pretty massive, a lot bigger than the other ships. This means that we need to be on the lookout for any of them and when you spot one, make sure to alert me."
The two of them nodded in approval and waited for her to continue.
"We need to enter the ship on land due to the formations engraved onto the sails, deck and hull. Any good ship worth their salt has at least one of them to ward off the monsters that lurk in the deep."
Kristen raised a wing.
"…Monsters that lurk in the deep?"
Olivia didn't look surprised.
"Sea beasts," she said matter-of-factly. "Leviathans, serpents. Things that mistake ships for snacks."
Kristen stared at her.
"I would like to formally return to the forest."
Lucia ignored the dramatics.
"The formations are usually carved into the outer hull and stitched into the sails," she continued. "If we try to land directly from the air, we risk triggering them."
Kristen tilted her head in confusion.
"They react to us?"
"They react to our energy," Lucia corrected. "And to anything approaching from above or the water."
Kristen blinked.
"So… we walk?"
"Yes."
There was a brief silence.
"You want three highly conspicuous black birds," Kristen spoke slowly, "to walk through a freezing human city."
"We aren't gonna be in public," Olivia rolled her eyes. "We can use the rooftops. Drop down near cargo and blend into the shadows. And plus, if we ever get discovered Lucia can just cover us with a disguise."
Kristen muttered under her breath about how this was absolutely not fullproof.
'I'm calling it, we are SO gonna die.'
Below them, a horn sounded from the harbour and all three immediately turned toward the source.
Through gaps between buildings, they could see masts rising above the buildings. One vessel in particular towered above the rest. Broad hull, triple masts, heavy rigging. Workers swarmed its deck, hauling crates up ramps.
"That one," Kristen whispered.
Lucia narrowed her eyes.
"It matches our requirements.
Olivia studied the pier traffic. "And it's being stocked heavily. Probably departing soon."
Kristen peered over the roof edge again.
From here, the harbour was a maze of movement with dockworkers shouting, ropes creaking, barrels rolling across planks. The frost thinned closer to the water, but it was still present, like a thin white veil over everything.
But that frost was a problem for future Kristen.
"Remember, stick to the plan and follow my lead. Everything should go smoothly." Lucia said before signalling for them to dive off the roof.
The two of them jumped down just as Lucia did and made their way through the back alley's and shadows.
'I cannot believe I'm thinking this, but I miss the forest. At least there weren't any formations designed to kill us.
Oh well, wish me luck.'