Chicken Chase [Job/Solo]

Famine groaned to herself after reading the request for a third time. She folded the parchment and resumed her stroll of Clover Town, headed for the destination of the task. This job was hardly dangerous which made it an easy one for the guild master who was still recovering from the wounds of her previous and hard fought missions.  Famine knew she could get away with nabbing a feathery creature like a little chicken without much trouble… Though, she couldn’t stop thinking how pathetic it was for someone to lose a chicken and to waste time sending out requests to mages….. Lost animals were all such mundane tasks, something Famine wanted to believe a neighbor of the farmer was equally capable of.

Clover Town was small, just like famine had remembered or... so she felt. The shadow mage hadn't been to this little keep in quite some time, not since her legal days. Compared to the cold, relentless depths of the mountain she lived on clover town was quite cozy, and more lively than those ice and livestock farmers down at the base of Mt. Hakobe. Though this particular town was was close to Magnolia Town she took the chance today, even dark mages needed work and the one thing she didn’t mind about work was travel. She had to hide much of the time, keep a low profile but it was always worth it... Home smelt like dust and here Famine  was welcomed by not the people but the city’s fresh and warm air, the scent of pollen, grass, and blooming flowers.

Azure optics skimmed down to the parchment in her hand, It was almost hilarious, the guild master of Basilisk fang walking around with a paper saying “LOST CHICKEN” She thought to read it again as she walked but was already sick of the job… Instead, she re-evaluated the farmer’s address. Famine turned right, irises darting to the page again, she turned right twice and then allowed herself to head straight Famine continued this course and walked down the designated path. Minutes passed until she arrived in front of an old fashioned home just outside clover town

Famine craned her head, brunette locks shifting downward as she turned to glare over one of the picket fences in front of the building there she saw out behind the home several more fenced areas one for cows, sheep, ducks, and a coop for chickens...  She didn’t see a farmer however. She cleared his voice. "Oi, Gramps, I’m here to help look for your damned chic---"

"Shshhshshs,” Came a sudden, irritated and hushing voice. “Shut up, chick. It still could be peckin' 'round here!" Interrupted an old, hoarse and crabby voice. Yes,  this had to be her damned client. Famine turned and found him through a fence on the other end of the home. His bald head was adorned with an oddly large straw hat and like any old folk He had wrinkles here and there and a face of white whiskers. The man had a natural tremble which brought Famine’s attention to the bag of chicken seed wavering in his palms, yellow balls of bird food popping out of the bag and falling at his feet every time his arms trembled. He wearily looked left and right, looking for something. Famine sighed, the paper in her hand hadn’t been enough of a hint that she was here to help, was it… Maybe it was the stolid expression on her face. That’s what always threw people off when she said she was there to help.

"Looks like you didn’t hear me. I’m here to bag that chicken. The one you're probably standing here looking for" She explained, eyes still half lidded in an intense and unamused expression

There was a long pause, the only sound being the distant mooing of cattle and rattling of corn pellets as they flung out of the feed sack...Famine waited a moment longer, her frown growing as the old man contemplated life--

"Yeah, yeah. - Just  be hurry up and get in ere' I need help to catch this thing!" He groaned after two minutes of registering her words, He popped open the latch on the fence, letting it swing open as he moved further into the fenced area, disappearing around the corner.

Famine only rolled her eyes as she walked  through the opened gate, she followed behind the wobbling man, his hunch becoming apparent to her. She followed him past the coops and past the cattle. Famine’s eyes scanned for a misplaced chicken for several minutes but found nothing They searched for several minutes,

He stopped and turned back to Famine "Come on now, take another look yer' eyes outta be better than mine. Chickie outta be--...!!" He quickly snapped his mouth shut and stopped speaking after he laid eyes on the mage, or rather, what was  standing behind Famine.

Dark lashes batted and Famine stared dumbly at the farmer, unsure what it was that had him so shocked--- maybe he’d recognized her… The guild master of Basilisk Fang. Famine got ready to take him out that instance but withdrew. When he said something else.

"T-There, right there."

Famine looked down and detected a MASSIVE beaked shadow looming over her "What, the chicken?..."

BAAAAWK!

"...!!!!" Famine quickly whirled around, only to be greeted by a chicken, one that was standing just as tall as her. She felt a great bead of sweat accumulate on her brow… What the hell-- the things people left out of job descriptions sometimes! The chicken was enormous, it looked like it could eat an infant whole. Famine moved immediately  dashed forward in an attempted to tackle it, only for it to flap out of the way just in time. It ruffled it’s feathers and clucked a few times in laughter and cluck and cluck, as if laughing at him.

This process repeated... several times.


Both Famine and the farmer ran and stumbled. Tripped and fell. Tackled and chased. This was the process for many many minutes! And by the time ten minutes had passed the maker mage’s clothes  were dusted and practically covered in dirt. The farmer, as expected from a man his age was tired out and had stopped to hold his knees as Famine continued to wrestle with the giant bird, Finally she managed to corner the clucking beast

"Oh I got you now mother clucker" Famine smirked wildly, suppressing a wild victory laugh. She threw her hands in front of her, a black aura pulsing in her palm before a black net formed and threw itself at the egg layer. Bird now tangled in the shadowy ropes, Famine panted and immediately sat down in the dirt, dust wafting upwards.

1179/750 words

-Exit-