The sudden darkness took Gerard by complete surprise. He immediately landed on the branch of a nearby tree. Flying without sight meant flying towards the Great White Bird.
Carefully, as to make as little sound as possible, he climbed down from the tree using his claws and the years of experience he had amassed.
Finally there were no more branches below and he quietly lowered himself to the ground. When he touched down a few leaves crinkled in anger under his paws due to their slumber being disturbed. The noise cut through the silence like a knife. Gerard froze.
However, after a few seconds spent like a living statue, nothing seemed to react to the noise and the forest appeared silent and motionless. His racing heart calmed enough to allow him another breath.
That was a mistake. His ear swiveled. Something fast was coming!
From the right!
He jumped to the side, not a moment too soon, feeling the air displaced by the attack graze his feathers. He retaliated by slashing towards the spot where he previously stood. His claws only nicked his attacker, but a quiet hiss reassured him that he was still able to do some damage.
He quickly sniffed his hand. It was blood. Too little to tell what kind, but blood was a good sign. If it bled, it could be killed.
Suddenly he heard another incoming attack. This time he merely ducked and as he felt the invisible limb tear through the air above him, he thrust his talons upwards with fearsome speed.
He tore through something and he felt the familiar feel of living flesh surround his claws. He grasped and the thing it was attached to screamed in pain. Wait…
“A pony?” The words slipped from his mouth without even thinking. Though he still couldn’t make it sure with his eyes, the sound was unmistakably telling.
Impossible, the thought flashed through his mind. Was it that pegasus?
Instead of waiting for a counterattack, he yanked his hand out, tearing muscle and eliciting another yelp which quickly died down. He followed with another thrust, but by the time his claws sprang forward, they merely sailed through the air.
Whoever this mysterious pony was, they were far faster than he anticipated, even after such a grievous wound. Gerard was an old hunter, who had already long burned through most of his pride to reach such an age. He did not bother with pretenses and rather just admitted it to himself that under the rush of adrenaline and the sheer iron will the want to survive granted him, he was deeply afraid. A single pony had never stood a chance against a griffon. It was sacrilege to even think otherwise!
But then?
Yes. That’s it.
As if to confirm his suspicions his ears picked up two different sounds at the same time. He jumped up and flapped his wings. As he hung in the air, the attacks passed harmlessly under him.
A group of earth ponies then?
Before he could even finish his thought, he heard the flap of a wing behind himself. He propelled himself higher, careful not to reach the branches, and felt the attacker rush past him. A quiet thud confirmed that they hit the ground and wouldn’t be part of the equation again for at least a few moments.
So even the air is dangerous?
Gerard felt the little hope he gained from assuming the fight to be a ground skirmish melt away. He dove forward and landed again. Without sight he was at an even greater disadvantage in the air.
Another kick! This one came from far closer than before and he didn’t have the time to dodge. Focusing on the sound of rushing air, he took a stance and held out his palms, catching the leg mid-flight. The impact threw him off balance and his hind legs buckled, but he was at least still conscious. Had the attack hit his body instead or, even worse, his head, he would likely not be breathing anymore. He grunted as the leg continued to push against him, threatening to break his arms.
He had to think fast.
In the blink of an eye, his tail shot forward and wrapped around the leg, yanking it to the side. Simultaneously he put all his strength into his arms and pushed back. He could feel the limb bend in an unnatural way until he heard a sickening snap. The pressure on his hands disappeared and a wail cut through the silence.
Gerard used the distraction to jump to the side and change his position. His chest rose and collapsed painfully from his forceful pants. Moments passed, but no new attack came at him.
“That is quite enough,” spoke a voice in the darkness. “Cease your attack, griffon.”
“I have injured three of you and yet I am unharmed. Am I supposed to be intimidated?” he spat back. In truth it was a bluff. He felt his joints aching and his breathing was short and shallow. He could not keep up for longer than a few more minutes at most.
His ears picked up a new sound. It sounded like a punch… but faster? Before he could move, he saw a flash of light and his arm jerked back by the impact of an invisible force. Gerard stumbled back and grit his beak. He groaned from the pain as he shifted his weight onto his other side.
“Is that the best you got?” he growled into the darkness. “I’m still standing.”
Suddenly a ball of light sprang into life. The unicorn whose horn it was attached to trotted closer to the griffon. He was dressed in black from top to bottom with green-tinted crystal glasses on his eyes.
“No, that was just a warning shot,” he replied in a measured tone as he pulled the mask off his face. To Gerard all stallions were the same. This one didn’t seem any more memorable either, though the absolute calm he showed did get on his nerves.
“Do you realize that fighting in the light gives me an advantage?”
“Certainly, but I will not fight you.”
Gerard did not like his tone one bit.
“Well, that’s too bad.” He tensed up, flaring his wings, as he prepared to pounce.
The unicorn held up a hoof. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Look around.”
The griffon’s instinct told him he should listen, so he hesitated for a moment and obliged. As his eyes scanned his surroundings, his heart skipped a beat. What seemed like merely illusory specs in his vision caused by the darkness, turned out to be at least ten if not fifteen tiny balls of light all around him.
He glared back at the pony, but did not make a move.
“I see you finally understand the situation. Just surrender, we aren’t here to kill you.”
Suddenly the unicorn’s right ear began to glow in a gentle blue light. He took his eyes off the griffon and seemed to be in intent focus as he listened.
“Understood. Good job… Yes, we got him… No, we don’t need it anymore, just clear it away.”
Suddenly, as if a lazy shepherd finally decided to call his unruly sheep, the clouds above began to drift apart, allowing the sunlight to shine through again.
As his eyes slowly adjusted to the brightness Gerard saw about twenty ponies around him. Pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies all in form-fitting black clothes and the same green glasses. Two unicorn medics were already tending to the three injured, their wounds shimmering in a soft green light. He looked around, every single direction was covered by at least three or four ponies.
His stance slowly lost its tenseness. He raised his claws. Two earth ponies rushed to his side and moments later he found himself with his wings bound to his body and his hands chained together.
“Tsk, at least while you were busy with me, I’ve bought the others time to slip away,” he sneered.
The unicorn, who until now had spoken with little emotion, let out a chuckle. “Oh, I’m sorry to disappoint,” he said in a tone far more jovial than before. “But I’m afraid you’re mistaken. We’re merely the smaller contingent of this group. The B-team, if you will. The main detachment stormed your little hideout and I’ve just received confirmation that they had been successful in the capture of two griffons… with zero casualties,” he added with a wide grin.
Gerard hung his shoulders. He wasn’t even sure why, but a smile played on his beak.
It was truly over.