Face your daylight horrors!

This is for jabberart, who totally gets what a total badass the Trickster is (and is not judging me for being sad about killing it).

“There it is!” Vaan exclaimed as the creature jumped out at them, seemingly from nowhere. It was… beautiful, Karl noted, with its shimmering white and gleaming gold feathers.

It promptly headbutted Anders with such force that he flew several steps away to land in a pile of snow, as if it knew he was the one after them. Karl could not find it in his heart to blame the bird, especially not since Anders managed to climb up by himself, not even in need of any healing.

It went for Basch next, who parried with his sword as Vaan cast a spell Karl doubted existed in Thedas. More things than the wildlife were different here.

The bird was bizarrely quick, evading physical and magical attacks both before attempting to run off.

“Pull it back!” Anders demanded, which Karl did before making a demand of his own.

“Put it to sleep, and then do not touch it until I say so.” Some things were wrong no matter where you went. “Now,” he asked with his head turned to Basch, “is it the colour that sets this particular bird apart? Are there no other white birds around?”

“I have heard of white chocobos at the Phon Coast, but never with golden feathers,” came the response.

“Do we need to bring the petitioner the entire corpse as proof?”

“Yuck, no, just something as a trophy usually –“ Vaan started before Karl interrupted.

“A few golden feathers would be indisputable, then, considering that they are its mark of distinction. And Anders wants them for his… project.” From the corner of his eye, he could see a hint of a smile on Basch’s face.

“Maybe some white ones too, but –“

“Then this is what we will do. I will hold this bird, you two youngsters pick the golden feathers off before healing it, and then what do we have? A white bird that we do not need to kill.”

“Isn’t that… cheating?” Vaan wondered.

“Well. Some games ought to be cheated on. We are not killing this bird.”

Karl turned to Basch once more as the others carefully removed the desired feathers. “How upset would Balthier be if we were to show up with this thing, demanding that he give it a lift to that coast in his airship?”

“Rather upset, I would imagine.”

Karl grinned, widely. “Want to upset Balthier?”

“Ancestors, yes.”