Johnny was born into slavery because of his parents extremely low status, which made almost everyone ignore and discard him the second they saw him. Slaves were a very common thing in this world and it was easy to ignore them due to this.
Even his parents didn't bat an eye when he got bought off by some group of travelling merchants.
That was how he found himself walking down the carriage hurriedly, fear in his actions as he moved the most valuable things down into the rear. A wooden grate in his hands held many spirit stones, diamonds and other goods.
Opening up the door he stepped through it and placed the box down, looking up he saw an imposing, graceful bird almost 2 meters long and half a meter tall.
He met its eyes and found that it seemed like there was nothing there - just a deep, dark well of darkness.
Snapping out of the staring contest, Johnny rushed toward it with all his might, determined to stop the intruder.
He reached out and tried to grab it but it shot up above his head before he could even touch it. Looking up he saw a sharp claw coming down on his neck, then his head rolled and he could see his swaying body from the ground, after that, it all went black.
..
.
.
'WHOOP WHOOOOP! Lets goooooooooooooooOOOOO!!!!!!'
Still riding on the high from her small victory she did a little shimmy around the dead body of Johnny before moving into the next carriage, completely failing to notice the treasures right behind her.
The second carriage was a little darker than the first, the curtains drawn tight to keep the morning light out. Kristen hopped up onto a narrow bench and pecked open a small sack with her sharp beak.
Dried meat spilled out of it, and she wasted no time helping herself.
It was almost as good as Olivia's cooking.
Outside, the sounds of chaos still lingered, hooves scraping against dirt, crack against the wood and the clang of steel.
She swallowed another strip of meat and tilted her head, listening so that there wouldn't be a repeat of before.
No sounds could be heard beside her mouth full of food.
"Don't get distracted."
Lucia's voice came from above, making Kristen jump in fright.
'GOD! They must have broken through the formation already.'
Kristen glanced up to see her and Olivia perched along a support beam near the ceiling of the carriage, feathers barely brushing the wood.
"I'm not," Kristen protested around a mouthful.
"Yes you are. In the room before this one there was a crate full of valuables and you skipped right passed it!"
At Olivia's words heat creeped up her feathers.
Olivia gestured to the open door behind her and the crate just beside the dead Johnny, it had sparkly gems and tightly bound pouches of valuables, practically buzzing with spiritual energy.
Kristen stared, speechless.
"…Oh, err, I was just...."
"Celebrating?" Olivia supplied.
Kristen sheepishly nodded.
Lucia nudged the crate with one claw. "Take what you can carry, quickly now."
They moved without another word, helping to shift the crate toward the opening in the carriage wall. The spirit stones clinked softly together. She could feel their weight — not just physically, but energetically, like it was speaking to something inside of her.
Tossing it out of the rear and onto the side of the road, Olivia saw one of the surviving merchants shouted something inaudible in the distance.
Looks like they're regrouping," Olivia said.
Lucia's gaze shifted back to the carriages.
"Yeah well, we're not finished," she said stubbornly.
Kristen shifted grip on one of the gems, then set it back down carefully. "There's more?"
"There's always more," Olivia replied, grinning.
Kristen gave one last glance at Johnny's still body before turning away. The initial rush was long gone now.
They moved to the next carriage.
This one was heavier, reinforced with thicker planks and iron brackets along the outside. The door was barred from the inside, but Olivia made short work of the latch with a precise twist of her claws.
Inside, the air was much cooler.
Shelves lined both sides, stacked with sealed jars and tightly wrapped bundles marked with inked symbols. The scent of dried herbs and alchemical ingredients filled the enclosed space.
This was different than the stuff before.
Kristen's eyes widened. "This isn't just regular stock."
"No," Lucia agreed. "This is contracted transport."
Which meant more danger if they took it, but she didn't tell Kristen that.
Kristen hopped up onto a shelf and nudged one of the jars. The faint shimmer of spiritual energy flickered within the glass.
Olivia was already sorting through it all efficiently. "Take the compact items first, in my experience those are the best ones. But don't take too much.
Lucia moved toward a small iron-bound chest at the end. With a sharp strike of her talon, the lock snapped.
Inside lay neatly arranged pouches of coins, gold statues with gems embedded in it, and a scroll sealed with wax. Most of it was useless besides the scroll that caught Lucia's eye.
She examined the scroll briefly with glee, then tucked it into a satchel strapped beneath her wing. "We'll look at this later hehe."
Kristen worked pretty quickly now, wasting no time. She slid vials into a silk cloth wrap that she had found in the room before and secured it, then passed it down to Olivia.
Outside, a merchant finally approached the rear wagon.
His footsteps crunched against gravel.
He didn't make it past the torn canvas before freezing at the sight of three massive birds dismantling his cargo.
His face drained of colour when they slowly turned their head toward him.
The silence stretched uncomfortably.
''Soooo ummm this is awkward-'
The man stumbled backward without a word and ran.
Kristen watched him go but didn't move as the others hadn't.
"Don't chase him," Lucia spoke. "It will just make them aware of us faster."
They finished clearing the most valuable shelves within minutes. What remained were pieces of cloth, sacks of grain, and common trade items, useful to humans, but not worth the effort for them.
And besides, Olivia's satchel and their claws already were basically full.
Kristen moved back out into the open air to see what was happening and was met with absolute chaos. Scattered goods, dead bodies and horses still trembling on the floor.
The merchants had retreated farther down the road now, keeping their distance from the bandits and birds.
Olivia emerged behind her carrying a bundled wrap of supplies.
"One more carriage left."