Elizabeth held the 'bird-caller' in her small hands, staring down at it, as if it might burst into a thousand pieces if she took her eyes off of it. The young girl stood alone on the balcony of the large library, sunlight shining through the large window behind her, casting her small shadow over the balcony, and onto the floor below. Her hands gripped the instrument, shaking as it nearly broke in two. She turned, the instrument's finish glittering in the sunlight like a jewel, or the pristine beaches she always dreamed of. Raising it to her lips, she blew, playing the notes she knew by heart. Setting it down onto the wooden floor, she waited, staring out the wide window expectantly.
'Please come, please come' she thought, stepping backward to get a better view of the clear, blue sky above.
She didn't have any reason to fret, of course, he always came, even when she wasn't expecting him. He was always there for her, whether it was his company, or he just brought books for her. It was mostly the latter, but he stayed when he could...
...still though...
A telltale screech filled the air, as well as the sound of heavy claws thumping harshly against the walls outside snapped her out of her thoughts. An enormous shadow blotted out most of the sunlight as it moved to the window high above, dousing her in its form. With a practiced hand, the great figure unlatched the window, and entered the room, squeezing its wings through. The wings were broad, and large, allowing him the capability of flight, even though there were a few holes among the outer edges.
The floor shook beneath her as he landed, his glowing, green eyes staring down at her, a small bag in his grasp.
"Is that what I think it is?" she asked excitedly, running up to him.
She grabbed hold of one of his large legs, meeting his gaze.
He nodded, lowering his great fist to the floor. He released the bag from his gasp, and she went to it, opening it like a christmas present- quickly and excitedly.
"Thank you!" she said elatedly, clutching the books to her chest.
He responded by rubbing his hand against her cheek, the small girl leaning into the affectionate gesture.
Taking the books, she headed down the stairs, her shoes echoing throughout the empty library. Elizabeth got to the table, and she set the pile down, moving papers and other miscellaneous things out of the way. As she did so, she saw him leap over the railing of the balcony, and land on the first floor. She smiled at him again, imagining he was returning the gesture.
He walked over to her, somewhat clumsily as he tried prevent his wings from knocking the books from their places on the shelves. He came to a crouch, watching her with interest as she dove into the books he brought. She sat down, a book in hand, and rested her head against his knee, losing herself in the adventure in the pages behind the cover.
He landed, his claws digging into the rock of the Monument, stabilizing himself as he made his way over to the window built into the stonework. Cracking open the window, he squeezed through, his wide, leathery wings slipping through as the wind raged on outside. Shutting it, he hopped down to the balcony, being careful not to damage the bag in his claws.
"Is that what I think it is?!" the small girl asked, excitement in her voice as she ran to him.
He stared down at his hatchling, hugging his kneecap as her sparkling blue eyes connected with his.
He nodded, his fist clunking as it gently met the floor, releasing the bag from his grip. She dug into the bag excitedly, pulling the books from the bag.
"Thank you!" she said joyfully, holding the books close to her person.
His large hand set itself against her cheek, gently rubbing up and down as she hummed happily.
She was his hatchling, and he'd always protect her, no matter what.
She took the books, and practically skipped down the stairs, careful not to drop her cargo. As she was about to reach the table, he leapt over the railing, spreading his wings to slow his descent. He landed rather roughly, his body making a commotion as he stood, walking over to the small thing already cracking open a book with a faded brown cover. With yet more clanking and grinding, he managed to crouch next to his charge, his great head tilting to the side so he too, could catch a glimpse of what she was reading. She sighed happily, then tilted, setting her head against his armored knee. He guessed that he was content, laying his arm down in order to support himself.
"See that?" she asked from below.
He was brought into the present, and arched his head, appearing to stare at the wall, when actually, one of his eyes was pointed downward, in her direction. She was pointing to a picture in the book, of a girl in pigtails, wearing a checkered dress, walking a path with a man of straw, as well as a metal man.
'A man of tin...' he mused, almost bitter.
"Where did you find this one?" she asked, pointing to the same book.
He shrugged, careful not to crush the fragile thing beneath him.
"Where you usually get 'em, huh?"
He nodded- the action would appear odd to anyone watching, given the position of his head.
She suddenly set the book down, and stood, himself doing the same. Plucking it from the floor, she set the book onto the table with the others, in a 'to-read' pile for later. Yawning, she stretched her small arms.
"I think I might take a nap," she said tiredly "could you please wake me up if Ms. Lutece comes again?"
He nodded, knowing the exception to his rules of protection applied to the mysterious woman. She was one of the few people he trusted, and he knew she knew the consequences if she harmed his charge.
Picking up his discarded bag, he slung its small strap over his shoulder, securing it into place as he flared his wings. Eyes turning to the girl, he thought a moment, before they closed. He'd stay with her, he felt he was needed. After all, as much as he protected her, he never really had the chance to just...be...with her. Taking one last glance around the library, he settled into one corner, his wings flexing as he crouched. His hunched form sat, and after a short time, his eyes went dark, shutting off as he took in the sounds of the silent summer day outside.
Unbeknownst to him, a thousand feet below, trouble stirred, in the form of the protesters of Comstock, namely, the Vox Populi. The mob had fought for control of the Monument, knowing that if they took down the Lamb, Comstock's reign would crumble soon after. The riotous group stormed the entrance, pouring out of the crammed cable car, armed to the teeth with knives, guns, and other makeshift weapons. All the while, many shouting 'Bring it down!' or 'It ends now!'. Unfortunately for them, the platoons stationed on the island were armed as well, most of them sniping in the parapets, or lobbing fireballs into the oncoming crowd. Bullets peppered the walls of the entrance, bouncing off the stonework as a few attacked from the sky-rails, bombarding the guards inside.
Songbird awoke, his eyes flashing yellow as he felt the floor rumble beneath his feet. He stood, taking a short time to stretch his wings. He then flew to the window, throwing it open as the harsh winds greeted him. He stretched his wings once more, and jumped, propelling himself as he cirlced the island, his eyes picking out a crowd storming the entrance. He grew enraged, angered at their actions. He wouldn't let them get to her, not if he had anything to say about it. Snapping his wings closed, he dove, as he grew closer, he righted himself, his claws outstretched, prepared to greet the ground rushing to meet him. He landed, crushing a few of the rioters and cracking the pavement beneath him. He swung his fists, flinging the armed protesters this way and that. The ones near the front took notice of his prescence, and turned to open fire, bullets tearing away at the top layer of his thick, leather hide. The battle went on, both sides refusing to back down until someone gave in. He turned, just in time to spy a group of the rebels come running out of the building, dodging and getting caught in the cross-fire.
"It's gonna blow, everyone out!" one of them shouted, miraculously being heard over the roar of gunfire and the clashing of swords.
His head snapped up to the peak of the monument, his mind growing panicked as he registered what was going on.
With a mighty screech, he shot off the ground like a rocket, speeding towards the one thing that meant more to him than his own life.
The tower was already beginning to crumble as he shot through the window, sculpted rock and metal showering him as he broke through the wall, clawing his way into the bedroom, where Elizabeth lay sleeping, oblivious to the happenings several floors below.
He gripped the heavy iron door, and pulled at it- his muscles burned as the door came free of its hinges. Relieving himself of it, he entered the room, pushing the frame as he entered, finding the young girl wide awake, and trembling in fear.
"What's happening?" she asked worriedly "What's going on?"
He didn't answer as he picked her up, securing her as he ran. He felt her shaking in his arms, and it forced him to be come more determined to get her out alive. His hopes were dashed, as he felt the floor beneath him shift, indicating the tower was beginning to fall. Rock and girders were beginning to fall, as books and papers bounced off of the shelves, littering the floor. He couldn't fly out now, the entire window was bent, forcing it to be glued shut- and he couldn't just bust through the wall while he was carrying Elizabeth.
"Put me down, put me down!" she cried over the din.
He hesitantly obeyed, staying close and shielding her from the falling debris with a broad wing.
Making a break for the stairs, she ran as he moved to shield her- the small girl quickly grabbed the whistler, then frantically glanced around, as if something might leap out and grab her. She held her hands in front of her, as if she were stumbling in the dark. Bringing her hands together, they flung apart with difficulty, opening a window-like vaccuum, sucking in loose debris.
"C'mon! We need to go!" she shouted over the noise of the collapsing building, desperately tugging at his large hand.
He followed, ever obedient, and questioning how she managed to do this...and ready for anything, to protect her from anything. His vision blurred as he continued to feel her hand in his own, passing through the 'window'.
He collapsed, his armor making a racket as he felt grass beneath him. He vaguely felt Elizabeth's small hand stroke his head as he steadily lost consciousness. He willed himself to get up, to force himself upright.
"Shhh...please don't move, you'll...you're going to be fine...just...stay still okay? Everthing's gonna be alright-"
Though he didn't have much belief in those words, he was happy she was at least safe...
She waited, tears pricking her eyes as she sat beside her knight, hugging the great head, and running her hand along a dark eye, hoping he'd wake soon. Sniffling, she glanced around at her surroundings, finding the great bird and herself set on a patch of grass beside a dirt road, leading where or when, she had no clue.
'Please, wake up soon,' she thought, tears gathering once more as she felt the possibility he might not wake up 'I don't want to be alone...'
Her small form curled up, and sat in the safety of the crook of the bird's arm, shivering, despite the warm sunlight radiating down on them.
"Good fishing today?" Grist asked, his claws full with the net in his grasp.
"'Suppose," Sharpfeather, his friend, replied, carrying the other part of the net in order to keep it from dragging on the ground "have to count 'em when we get home"
The former nodded, and the two griffons continued carrying the net, the smell of fish permeating the air as they traveled, their destination slowly coming into view. In a hurry to get home before their cargo got worse under the summer heat, they picked up the pace, soon exchanging the grass for the dirt road ahead of them.
"Jus' a little further" Sharpfeather added helpfully, both of them stopping for the moment.
"Yep" Grist responded, wiping his forehead.
"Well-"
"Wait a minute..."
Silence fell over the area, save for a small, miniscule noise in the distance.
"I don't get it...what 'm I supposed t' be hearin'?"
Grist cuffed him upside the head.
"What sounds out of the ordinary?" he sighed, rolling his eyes.
Sharpfeather thought a moment, his ears listening intently to the silence.
"The snifflin'!" he realized.
"Exactly" the other confirmed.
"You want t' go check it out? They might be in trouble" Sharpfeather reasoned.
"Sounds like it's coming from up the road, we're going that way anyway, we'll see if we can't help 'em out"
Elizabeth felt Songbird's arm shift next to her, pulling her further into his embrace as his eye flickered to life, glowing yellow, then switching to green shortly after. Slowly, he got up on one knee, his hands on the ground as he pushed himself up.
"Please be careful," she said, concerned "we're not in a hurry, really"
He seemed to think on it, and picked her up, placing her on his shoulder as his claws dragged the ground, still exhausted from the trip through the tear. She appreciated it, really she did- here he was, carrying her, when his body must've been working overtime to
catch up.
'Thank you,' she thought, rubbing the side of his neck 'for everything'
"The flying feather is that?" Grist shouted, dropping his end of the net, pointing to the monstrosity limping down the road.
"Looks like it's hurt..." Sharpfeather replied, catching a quick glimpse before fumbling with the net, trying to pick up the entire thing.
Now he didn't consider himself strong, but to his credit, he managed to gather the slippery net in his grasp before dropping it, a few
fish slipping through the netting.
"Well, uh, what'dya suppose it is?" Grist asked, scratching at the light grey feathers lining the skin beneath his t-shirt, a nervous habit he couldn't seem to kick.
"Beats th' hell outta me," Sharp grunted "little help here?"
"Huh? Oh...right..."
He scooped up the escaped fish, their smell reaching his nostrils faster due to the summer sun, and dropped them back into the net. He gripped his end, and lifted, working together with his friend as they hauled their catch further down the road. Ruffling his wings, he looked back to the mystery-creature, still ahead of them by a good distance.
"Well?" he said finally.
"Well what?" Sharp responded.
"What do you think it is?" he asked, tilting his head towards the thing.
Sharp shrugged, a look of confusion adorning his beak as they continued to work.
"Don't know," he said simply, then after a short time "I reckon if we'll meet 'em soon enough, if they're headin' into town"
"You sure you want something like that just wandering around?" Grist asked, quirking a brow "It looks humongous!"
"So are minotaurs, but you don't see anyone makin' a big deal about them"
"Doesn't look like a minotaur, head looks smooth from here"
Sharp shrugged once more, shifting his grip on the net.
"Like I said, I don't know"
The continued walking in silence, the sounds of nature and the occasional rustle of the net between them the only sounds.
"Look!" Elizabeth shouted from the perch on his shoulder.
He looked to where she was pointing, and found what he already knew was there: a village.
He thought he caught something scurry off in the corner of his vision, but found nothing but empty space. His loud, thumping footsteps echoed amongst the buildings ahead, huts and modern buildings alike all jumbled like an elaborate puzzle. He noticed the small girl upon his leathered shoulder give him a worried look, a faint tinge of red rebounding off of her blue dress.
"Are you alright?" she asked, her hand gently touching his neck.
He looked down, and realized he'd had his fists clenched, and the red on her dress only confirmed his suspicions. Unclenching them, he chirped quietly, assuring her. He felt he could control himself perfectly well, but if someone so much as threatened to touch her, he got angry, he got angry and took it out on the offender. She was his responsibility, and he'd be damned if he'd let anything happen to her.
Looking down, he noticed (and came to the realization) that these thing weren't humans. They looked like humans, walking on two legs, yet they possessed beaks, wings, feathers, and claws, and to his greater confusion, feline features.
"Griffons!" Elizabeth said excitedly "Real live griffons!"
He didn't care what they were, they he didn't trust them, so he wasn't letting them near her. Anticipating what was going to come next, his left hand pinched the neck of her dress, preventing her from climbing down and investigating further. She looked up at him, her eyes pleading and lip quivering.
Damn it
He slowly set her down, the girl letting out a 'thank you' as she wandered the street, his watchful eye watching her every second. He might've been a beast of death and destruction, but even he couldn't say no to her sometimes- that face was just too unbearable to watch. If he could smirk, he'd do so, watching the girl's antics as she excitedly talked with a 'griffon' about the same size as her, shaking her (or was it his?) hand rapidly as the avian hybrid just regarded her with confusion, her words lost to her. She soon exhausted all of her words for the moment, allowing the griffon to return the favor, going on about her as well, then nodded to him. She replied in kind, his sensitive ears picking up every word.
"...sort of like my father"
"Well, you're father's pretty big" the griffon replied, laughing.
He didn't understand...was there some sort of joke he missed?
"Yeah...I guess he is..." she replied, a small laugh of her own escaping.
Something about the avian rubbed him the wrong way, he didn't know what, but he was going to be watching her.
"Hey pal, you mind?" a voice from behind him shouted.
He turned, and saw a larger griffon, staring up at him.
"You mind not taking up the whole street?! Some of us actually need to get through, you know!"
He wanted to backhand the boisterous humanoid, unfortunately, he was too tired to fight off all of the avians in the surrounding area if he did decide to attack the loudmouth. He simply stood, and made his way towards his charge, still being stared at by the humanoids in the rather-cramped street. As if sensing his presence, Elizabeth turned, smiling up at him.
"Hello," she said, then pointed to the small griffon "this is my new friend, Artemis"
The humanoid stared up at him with no small amount of fear, her green eyes wide.
"H-hello," she stammered, her claw outstretched "it's- it's- nice to meet you"
She was staring at him, grinning like a madman.
'What?' he thought.
Elizabeth nudged his leg.
"Shake her hand" she whispered.
He turned to stare down at her, as if to ask 'Do I have to?'.
Begrudgingly, his large hand took hers, careful not to crush it, and gently shook it.
Looking back down at his charge, he saw she had a toothy smile on her face.
'The things I do...'