The boat continued its steady pace toward the island the wind from the south east filling the half masted sails. The island was a decent size. Escutcheon could see a small sandy beach which separated the ocean from the large heavily dense forest. Escutcheon's ear perked up and his coat stood on end. Even eight knots away he could hear screeching, and strange sounds coming from the island.
"You best ready yourself colt." Drag Net readied a harpoon. "Dealing with these creatures won't be as easy as floating me around a tavern, and they won't give up an attack just because you get the drop on them." Turkeylegs looked around the large bird seemed on edge.
"Twenty harpies coming on the bow!" Full Mast called out pointing to the front of the ship toward the island. He grabbed a harpoon and move to the middle of the boat, where they formed a circle. Escutcheon grabbed a long cleaning knife with his mouth, and scrunching up his face created a golden shield around the circle of ponies and large bipedal bird.
"How long can you hold up this shield, Escutcheon?" Trail Life asked harpoon in her front hooves. She gave him a concerned glance.
"It just depends how hard they hit it."
"Good job Escutcheon, just do your best okay?" Her brother looked over his shoulder to the colt, and giving him a small reassuring smile. Escutcheon gave him a weak smile back. His horn still glowing, and his head throbbing with a migraine at having to maintain a shield of this size.
It took the flock of harpies only two minutes to fly from the island to the boat. Their wings were colored like that of a hawk's. They were bipedal, several landed on the boat's deck. Their talons so sharp that they splintered the wood of the deck. Though their limbs were like that of a bird of prey their body and head were both pony like, and deep red. Their mauls were filled with two rows of razor sharp teeth. Their screeching made Escutcheon's blood run cold in his veins, and made his migraine intensify ten times over.
"Hold the circle sons don't let them pull you out," Drag Net shouted over the screeching of the harpies. The three other fisher ponies acknowledged the order.
"Sis stay closer to Escutcheon, in case anything goes wrong." Trail Life stepped back a bit her brother readied his harpoon. Turkeylegs gave a low warning call, as the harpies on the deck advanced against the circled ponies behind the golden shield.
Escutcheon's legs buckled and he grunted as three harpies dive down striking the shield with powerful kicks before quickly flying of, as six harpoons were thrust through the golden barrier at them. The screeching continued as wave after wave slammed into the shield pushing Escutcheon's will to it's limit. The harpies struck so fast however that they were able to fly off before the harpoons were able to skewer them. After twentieth or so such run Escutcheon was at his limit, and was breathing out of his mouth as two red streaks ran from his nostrils.
"Just hold on Escutcheon, we need you to hold out a little longer okay." Trail Life stood over him thrusting her sharp tipped harpoon through the shield stopping a dive of one of the harpies. Escutcheon just nodded. "Come on guys he's not doing so well."
"Right. Don't worry in about fifteen minutes, and we'll run ashore. Then we'll get under the cover of the thick vegetation, and these wretches won't be able to harass us." Drag Net thrust his harpoon through the golden shield this time it ran into the gut of the harpy it screeched and flopped to the deck bleeding out as he pulled the barbed point.
"I don't know if he has fifteen minutes. The more they strike the shield the worse he's getting." Trail Life screamed over a loud screech. The harpies charged the group and dived down on them all at once the harpoons stopped the charge of the harpies on the deck. The harpies diving down struck the shield with extreme force and ferocity seemingly in revenge of their fallen fellow. Escutcheon screamed as the shield shattered, as the harpies took back to the sky now ready to dive on the small crew.