Howl Pendragon had always been a creature of motion—swift, sharp, untouchable. As a harpy, he was known for his elegance in flight and his charm that could make storms blush. The wind was his closest companion, the open skies his truest home. Soaring through the forest canopy that morning, silver-feathered wings slicing through the crisp air, he felt utterly alive.

Until he saw them.

A flash of brilliance caught his eye—feathers like fire and sky woven together, resting in perfect stillness atop a high branch. Howl slowed mid-glide, hovering as he turned his gaze toward the figure perched with effortless grace among the leaves. A harpy, like him—but unlike anything he had ever seen before. Wild, radiant, and utterly captivating.

They sat like they belonged to the forest, yet somehow more divine than mortal. Their wings shimmered with hues that defied naming—sunlight seemed to cling to them, enchanted. Their posture was relaxed, but every muscle held an untamed strength, and their eyes, half-lidded in thought or peace, held a quiet power that made Howl’s heart stumble.

In fact, all of him stumbled.

So mesmerized was he, so utterly lost in the sight of them, that he failed to notice the massive tree looming directly in his flight path. There was no time to react, no chance to dodge.

WHAM.

Howl’s body smacked into the trunk with the grace of a dropped sack of pinecones. Wings flailing, he tumbled down through a cascade of startled birds and snapped branches, landing in a heap of tangled feathers, bruised ego, and mortified silence.

He groaned, flattening himself to the forest floor, willing it to swallow him whole. But even through the ringing in his ears and the sharp throb in his temple, one thought remained clear, bright, and completely unwelcome.

They saw that, didn’t they?

And yet… despite the sting of bark and humiliation, Howl couldn’t help but smile faintly to himself. Whoever they were, they had already done the impossible—left him breathless, dazed, and completely enchanted.

He had to meet them. Even if it meant flying into ten more trees.