To Candlekeep

In the years since the last attack, a handful of our warriors have found their way home to the Star Mounts. Each of them bears the scars of that day, inside and out. I spent my time mixing salves and pastes to soothe cracked and broken beaks; applying oils to encourage the regrowth of shredded plumage, now ingrown and infected; and doing my best to calm my battle-weary kin when they awoke in the night, screeching the names of the ones we lost. With time and care, I can mend bones and renew feathers, but to heal a shattered mind is quite another thing.
 
I spent a few weeks traveling to Candlekeep in the hope of discovering some new medicine to aid my colony. Along my way, I came to a Temple of Torm. There, I met Ontharr Frume, a human Paladin, and his pet, a slightly undersized coal black dire wolf named Ash. He granted me safe harbor for the night and we talked a long while as he helped me make camp.
 
“You’re only the second Aarakocra I’ve ever seen in these parts,” said Ontharr. “A little over a year ago, I met one. He and his friends brought Ash to me. They said they’d had to put down his mother. Some kind of corruption, they said.”
 
“What did the Aarakocra look like?” I asked. “And who was he traveling with?”
 
“He was a bit older with red feathers. There was something wrong with his wings. I’m not sure what it was. He wouldn’t talk about it,” said Ontharr. “He was with a blue Dragonborn, a Harengon, and an Elf, as I recall. Strange little menagerie, they were.”
 
I nodded. Aarakocra seldom leave the colonies in the mountains, so my appearance sparked whispers and conversation wherever I went. Ontharr’s story matched the rumors I’d heard. Against my better judgment, a tiny flicker of hope sparked in my chest.
 
“Did that Aarakocra’s name happen to be Quirk?” I asked.
 
“Yes, actually! Do you know him?”
 
“He’s my uncle. Did he say where he was going?”
 
As the night wore on, I explained the plague of dragon attacks in the Star Mounts and how, even after 8 years, our warriors, those who’d found their way back anyway, were still reeling from the aftermath. Ontharr smiled as I told him what I hoped to learn in Candlekeep.
 
“If Quirk came this way, then maybe there are others who’ve seen him. Maybe they could point me in the right direction. If I could bring him home…” I felt tears welling up.
 
“Admittedly, I don’t know much about your goddess, Syranita,” Ontharr continued. “But it seems to me that she’s put you on a path to bring your people home - in body and in spirit. You’re going to need all the help you can get.” I nodded. “You know,” said Ontharr with a sigh. “Ash is an excellent tracker. Never forget a scent, do you, boy?” Ash thumped his tail contentedly. I stared at Ontharr, shocked. Was he saying what I thought he was saying?