The Raiders from the Sea

by Shadowheart161

The Fleet

"Sir, are you sure this is wise," asked the griffin sailor.

This was a royal ship of the Griffin Empire. They heard that one of the pony sailors was attacked by a fleet of unknown creatures, now officially, called humans. The griffins, knowing that the ponies were cheap when it came to the selling fish, acted immediately, sending out a royal ship. The captain being the griffin prince, Ravenwing, which was an appropriate name for him, since his feathers copied that of a raven. Ravenwing was one of the rarer griffins, getting a look from a bird other than an eagle. He was trained by the elite of the griffin army, and now he was off to stop the humans from attacking Manehatten, hoping to get a reward in the process.

"Yes, I do believe it is wise to sail out to open seas, rather than staying near shore," the griffin prince replied. "It is most likely that these humans, whoever they are, are going to invade from the sea, not by land. So, it is best if we intercepted them, instead of staying near the shore."

The griffin soldier thought about this for a second, and then nodded. He thought that it was a reasonable plan, and that it was most likely thing to happen. So, he went back to his post, which was in the bird's nest. He scanned the horizon for hours, but found no ship for miles. Then, near the end of his shift, he saw them. The sight left his mouth agape, as he called down, "Enemy ships ahead!"

The crew, preparing for this moment got their swords and shields, and ran to the bow of the ship. What they saw, shocked the living daylights out of them, that some even fainted. The sight that was before them was what they have never seen the likes off.

There, on the horizon, were about a hundred ships. Each one varying from the other, some having triangular sails, while others had squares. Some were big and powerful, while others sailed ahead of this with outstanding speed. Some had oars sticking out on the side, slowly turning. They could hear the sound of drums beat in certain areas, mostly on the ones that had oars. But all of them had one thing in common. They all had the burning skull flag, high above the mainmast.

The griffins had a choice. They could rather turn around, and hope to outrun the enemy ships, or to wait until they came close and attack. They calculated that, at this wind speed and the mass of the ship, they were no way that they can outrun the enemy. So, they waited several minutes until the first ship arrived.

At the very moment the first ship was side by side with them, and the first men boarded, they were doomed. The humans, were big and powerful, and could easily beat a griffin in single combat. The humans, were also very clever, and had a small device that sent invisible fireworks that killed griffins in an instant. They swarmed the deck, killing and slashing the unlucky griffins that were taken aback by the first wave. Soon, however, the griffins got a hold of the situation, and started fighting back. They flew high up in the sky, and then came down; swords extended, and stab as many humans as they can, then repeat the process. They were successful killing many of the creatures, but they were no match for their numbers. It seemed that, every time one of them falls, two replaces him.

The griffins, running out of options, finally surrendered. Ravenwing was unlucky however. During the battle, he was shot by one of those devices the humans hold. He's death was slow and his last sight of the battle was has brother griffins dying like soldiers. He had smiled, for he knew, that even if they lost the battle, those who died, died with honor.

The griffins were now lined up in rows, each one with a raider behind them. Their wings and talons were tied up, destroying a means of escape. The Grand Master appeared at the bow of the ship, and viewed the survivors. His look was of annoyance, and the griffins had mixed feelings of what is going to happen to them.

"Filthy birds," the Grand Master muttered. "They don't know who their master really is." He turned to the nearest ship and yelled, "Wizard! Get over here, damn it. I'm about t' kill all o' them, and I want t' know if I know t' griffins might be useful still."

The cloaked figure approached one of the griffins, and put a smoking plant under his nose. The griffin felt woozy for a second, and then shook his head, cleaning it up. The cloaked figure looked at the griffin disapprovingly, and then turned back to the Grand Master.

"They're worthless, master," he said. "They are no good to us, just like a boat is worthless without a river."

"Well then," the old man said, grinning with a hint of death, "me buckos will have their fun." He turned to his crew mates, and yelled, "Kill them however you like."

In unison, the pirates start killing the griffin survivors. Some had talons cut off, for a trophy. Others were not as lucky. The blood and feathers stained the deck, and the bodies of the griffins were thrown overboard. The deck filled with human cheers, as they bring down the flag of the Griffin Empire and replace it with their own.

Comments

[Gibn89]

2597492
Meh, have to agree there. There is ALOT of those Pony maker horrors out there, and frankly, I for one NEVER liked them one bit.

[buster_Bro]

So griffins are worthless so only dragons should be able to stand up to them good thots tho I think that there should be at least one kind human. -buster