Harpies are a rarity to the human eye, often living far away from civilisation. This specific group is settled in an ancient forest that covers a wide area. It has barely been touched, with only humans near the corners far away from their nesting area. When they migrate is the only time they're near civilization, but even so, they're too far up in the sky to be seen.

Humans are the subject of horror stories the adult tells their offspring to keep them in the forest, and no one wants to be an outcast. This is the safe space, the flock, the forest, where it always have been.

Skree had just reached his reproductive maturity, and breeding season was starting. He really wanted a mate, as his sister had already gotten one and he was slightly envious. But no one in the flock was attractive to him.

He repeatedly found himself straying slightly from the flock, wondering what was beyond the forest and north. They went south every year, same path every time. He was curious about what was further away than so. The humans kept popping up in his head.

He had seen their civilizations from afar and the stories about them intrigued him. They were told to look like naked harpies that ran around with stew that shot nets and exploding rocks. Unfortunately his sister did not share his curiosity, and very much judged him.

Forests and forests as far as the eye could see. He could not be gone for too long, or his family would notice he was gone. Yet he yearned for the faraway land. For a mate, to explore new land, and break free from family. It was frowned upon, no one wanted to be a willing outcast. Except for Skree.

He told his family he would leave. They did not look proud, but didn't stop him. He promised to be back, but he knew they were disappointed in him. Curiosity or interspecies relationships where not something good.

Skree flew for several days, the forest as thick as ever before swiftly thinning out into yellow fields. There where the weird shaped cubes and rectangles, black and grey wide lines going through and to the land. Skree was in human civilization. He made sure to keep a high altitude, but that also meant less to see below.

Skree saw something moving far down. Was it a human? He slowly circles down, watching them walk around in the yard and doing something in the bushes. The human seemed to be alone. He really hoped so, as he made his way down.

He landed on the roof of the house, peeking over to watch the human. It was like the stories told. Harpies without feathers and wings, and it had odd feet. Skree's eyes wandered over the place. There were scary tools by the wall that could hurt him if he came near. But nothing that looked like it could shoot nets or rocks.

He crawled over the roof to get closer to the human, but the moss under him slipped off the roof and he tumbled down with it. Any harpy that landed on the ground were dead meat.

He looked up at the human a few meters away. Skree's legs were not made to walk on, but he could very flap himself up and fly away. The human however, it was pretty. It didn't look harmful, if anything, it looked as scared if not more than him.

Skree already knew what he wanted, he wanted this human as his mate.

He realizes how unprepared he is. No nest to impress the human with, he should leave and fix it his mistake but he finds himself staring at the human. It was so interesting. Skree momentarily forgot he was on the ground.