Earth Calendar: 2117
Equestrian Calendar: 15 AC (After Contact)
April 7th, Gregorian Calendar
"Attack Group North, Transport lead, Requesting deck assignments and vectors to initials."
Fyrenn dipped his left wing to bring himself closer to the VTOL containing Lantry, Skye, and Carradan. He shifted his right ear slightly to block out more wind noise as a response came back on the open channel.
"Transport Flight, Attack Group North Zone-Control, Sierra One and escorts are cleared for portside low entry to North Carolina aft deck. Sierra Two is cleared for aft high entry to Columbia aft deck. Sierra Three, Four, and Five are clear for low aft entry to Indianapolis aft deck."
Fyrenn watched in fascination as one VTOL peeled away to the destroyer flanking the North Carolina on its port side. The remainder, save for the lead craft, began stacking themselves in an orderly hover-taxi line over the churning wake to the rear of the Indianapolis, which flanked the North Carolina on its starboard side.
Fyrenn pulled back, keeping formation with the other Gryphons as the VTOL pulled ahead, made a quick, sweeping yaw-turn, and brought itself to rest on the Battleship's aft recovery deck. The Gryphons followed suit as soon as it was safe to do so, alighting as the aircraft's rotor blades began to brake, and the side doors popped open.
As a flood of technicians rushed to prepare the craft for storage, and do post-flight inspection, Captain Orik came striding across the armored surface of the deck plating towards the group, firing off a disenchanted glare at Fyrenn and Neyla.
"I thought I'd seen the last of you. What are you doing back on my ship?"
Lantry straightened his jacket as he disembarked, and speared Orik with a glare. Despite the fact that the General was from a different branch, his seniority demanded a certain level of respect. Orik snapped off a salute, and pulled himself into an attention stance.
The General nodded towards Fyrenn, Neyla, and the remainder of the Gryphons.
"They're here on my request and by my leave. Get your senior staff together for a briefing in fifteen minutes, and prepare to submerge the Attack Group for the remainder of the approach."
Orik nodded, and snapped off another salute, before turning on one heel and making his way swiftly back to the central island structure. Carradan made his way to the red Gryphon's side, and cocked his head.
"What's *his* problem?"
Fyrenn snorted, and shook his head.
"I have the vague sense that he doesn't like me. I strongly suspect he is working off memories of his time as my CO... Though it might also have something to do with the fact that I cut his executive officer into five separate pieces. Who can say."
As the red Gryphon ambled away towards the nearest access hatch, Skye whistled, and shook her head slowly.
"He scares me when he gets sarcastic."
In spite of its comparatively large scope, the briefing room felt slightly cramped to Fyrenn. The fact that the space had only been designed to accommodate the ship's senior staff contributed to the problem, given that they were all assembled, along with all four Gryphons, the Captains of Columbia and Indianapolis, and General Lantry.
The latter man stood at the head of the room, arms folded behind his back as he waited for the other occupants to settle into place. As soon as he was sure he had everyone's undivided attention, the General nodded to Skye, who was seated next to a terminal by the door.
The Unicorn tapped away at an interface panel, and Lantry began to speak as a map, a schematic, and four waveform readings filled the wall's main holoscreen.
"Early this morning an unmarked ship clocked at Battlecruiser tonnage, accompanied by a heavy guided missile Submarine, attacked and seized control of a Barrier Retarder platform. Minutes later, the platform's onboard reporting systems went dark, and the entire area fell under an ECM blanket."
Lantry gestured with one finger to the four waveforms.
"Though we're prevented from gathering LADAR information, and there is a visible light scrambling net over the platform-proper, SatVision constellation nine was able to record these electromagnetic profiles as it passed overhead."
The General nodded at Skye as he continued.
"Several of my specialists, along with a subject matter expert, were able to identify two of the profiles as part of the ECM field. The third is the field the platform itself produces. The fourth is our cause for concern."
Lantry crossed over to the other side of the screen, and gestured for Skye to push focus onto the information in question. His tone acquired a hint of well-concealed nervousness as he spoke.
"According to independent verification by several of our best theorists, this waveform is indicative of a new quantum-active element being introduced to the platform's local environment. Now I'm not much of a math nerd..."
A nervous chuckle made its way around the room, dying out swiftly under the gravitas of Lantry's gaze. The General tapped at the screen' surface with a stylus.
"...But my specialists are. In layman's terms, they all agree that this waveform is being generated by a device, or series of devices, designed to interact with, and hijack, the effects of the Retarder mechanism itself."
The Columbia's Captain squinted up at the screen, and shook his head slowly.
"What does that mean, precisely, in terms of risk profiles? What is the HLF playing for here?"
Skye's voice piped up from the rear of the room, abruptly drawing all eyes to her.
"Risk profiles?"
The Unicorn chuckled harshly, and shook her head emphatically. She gestured with one hoof towards the screen, narrowing her eyes.
"Are you *kidding* me? The last time one of your quantum field devices malfunctioned, it destroyed this planet's atmosphere, eventually leading to extinction for the vast majority of all life on the surface! The Barrier Retarders?! Compared to that, they are like... Blast furnaces, as compared to a box of matches!"
The room went silent. Fyrenn felt a chill run down his spine. Skye blinked, and continued to gesture emphatically.
"These platforms cause visible slowing to something with the inertial properties of a *universe!* They actually slow down the freight train of forces that constitutes the Barrier! You're talking about the forces at play on the horizon of a naked singularity! What does the HLF want with that? They want to blow up the freight train."
Skye sat back, and snorted.
"And you know what? It probably won't work either. They think they can make the problem go away by turning the Retarders into annihilators. Little pocket black-holes. Make them chew up Equestria's space-time as it arrives on our plane, and pump it back into the aether as harmless directionless energy, by changing the rules mediating the reaction you refer to as the 'Bubble.' Prevent any more of the planet from being destroyed."
The Unicorn glanced to the side, and chuckled darkly.
"But any *real* scientist will tell you right off; It just isn't that simple. They're playing with forces on a cosmic scale. We're talking colossal god-like power here... The stuff galactic clusters are born from. Not even the Royal Sisters can be precise enough to handle something at that scope. Your best computers are millennia away from being able to do the necessary math at the necessary speed."
Orik tilted his head, squinted, and exhaled slowly.
"Please cut to the point. What happens if they lose control of the system? And how soon are we facing that eventuality?"
Skye snorted, and tossed her mane, tilting her head and raising an eyebrow.
"What part of 'humongous colossal god-like power' did you fail to grasp? How soon would they lose control? The picosecond they turn their devices on. When will that happen? Any moment now. This second, five hours from now... Depends on the configuration of their setup."
The Unicorn leaned forward, and leveled a hoof at the assembled officers.
"What happens then?"
The tip of Skye's horn exploded without warning, giving birth to an ear-shattering bang, and a brilliant flash of light. The Humans, and Carradan, jumped several feet into the air, blinking rapidly to clear the spots from their eyes.
Skye sat back, and exhaled slowly.
"That's what happens. On a two hundred lightyear scale. Everything any of us have ever known, in both worlds, will go up faster than a firecracker in a frying pan. If they turn their device or devices on? Their little pocket singularities will be quantum strangelets before they can even say 'oh frak.' And then everything else across a huge portion of both universes will be quantum strangelets. And all that's left will be God, and the aliens, laughing their collective asses off at the stupid kids who finally blew off their heads with a nebula-sized dry ice bomb."
The Unicorn raised an eyebrow, and pointed to the screen.
"*That* is your risk profile. That is what happens when you leave a device that can mediate the reactions between *colliding worlds* in a relatively undefended state. Maybe you don't see it as dangerous, because the guys in lab coats said there was no inherent risk. But did you ever stop to think about what happens when someone starts pushing buttons in ways they weren't *designed* to be pushed?"
Lantry folded his arms, and allowed the stunned, fearful silence to drag on for nearly thirty seconds. Finally, the General rapped one fisted hand on the table to bring attention back to the front of the room.
"Obviously time is of the essence. We initially intended to target the platform with remote strikes, but the ECM blanket knocks that option out. Without proper targeting telemetry we are trying to hit an acre-sized object inside a two thousand acre area. I've been told that destroying the platform is, relatively speaking, the safest choice at this time, because it's expedient. So we're here to make that happen, up close and personal."
Lantry nodded at the screen once more, and several schematics popped up, accompanied by a map.
"Missiles will only work with solid point-to-point, or heat-seeking lock inside the ECM field. Railguns will need line-of-sight through targeting equipment, or beam-riders. As such, the plan is to insert strike teams by VTOL, while the battle group engages the enemy vessels. We will secure the platform and tag it with spot-beam guide-lock beacons, then withdraw and destroy the entire assembly from a safe distance."
The General nodded to Captain Orik, and moved aside as the officer stood, and took his place by the screen. The Captain picked up where Lantry had left off, gesturing to the map as a series of indicator icons moved back and forth.
"In the interest of time, the plan is simple. Our vessels outnumber the enemy, so we will surround and annihilate them. The North Carolina will enter the combat zone first to draw out the Agincourt. As soon as the arsenal ship is committed, the Columbia will rise from behind and we will crush the enemy between us. Indianapolis will surface nearer the platform, and deploy strike teams, while engaging the submarine. Columbia will move to assist as soon as possible. When all mission objectives are complete, the task force will withdraw for coordinated bombardment."
Orik glanced around the room to ensure there were no major questions. He nodded curtly, and gestured to his third officer.
"My interim XO will be passing out the detailed action plan, and coordinating full staff briefings for Columbia and Indianapolis. We arrive in thirty minutes, so make sure your ships are fully rigged and ready in no more than twenty five. We will be going dark, and submerging, as soon as you return to your vessels."
The majority of the Human officers rose, and began to break into smaller groups, making their way out of the room gradually while speaking in hushed urgent tones. Orik made his way over to Lantry, and the Gryphons.
He pointed at Fyrenn, and fixed Lantry with a stare.
"You have the prerogative to bring them here. But you have no authority to re-organize my strike teams."
Lantry glared, and leaned forward.
"I am the senior officer in charge here."
Orik raised an eyebrow, and shrugged.
"And I am the senior *naval* officer in charge. As such, the crews of all three ships are under my jurisdiction, and that includes the strike marine forces. I've seen how your Gryphon friends here behave in the field, and I won't have them on the main strike force. That's final."
Fyrenn leaned in close, bringing his beak perilously close to the Captain's neck. His tone was so low, it practically shook the deck plating.
"Unwise."
Orik glared, and inhaled sharply.
"What? You gonna slice me up, the same way you did my first officer? I have no place for murderers in my command. You want to take exception to that? I don't give a damn. You feel free to light off as soon as we surface, and go tear into the enemy however you please. My men won't interfere. Though they certainly won't take any pains to avoid friendly fire."
The red Gryphon chuckled grimly, and sat back, his eyes cold and sharp with anger.
"You're lucky I don't think of you as much of a threat. Your relative unimportance is the main thing keeping you safe."
Orik's stoic visage finally caved into an angry sneer. For the first time, to Fyrenn's knowledge, the man allowed himself to rise to the bait. The Captain reached out to deliver a backhand to the red Gryphon's beak.
Fyrenn caught his wrist effortlessly in mid air, and twisted down casually, without even coming out of his seated position. The movement snapped Orik's right arm in half just below the elbow, cleanly severing bone and muscle alike.
The Captain staggered back, gritting his teeth and biting his tongue to suppress a screech.
"SON OF A---"
Neyla shrugged, and sighed, her tone and expression all-but conversational.
"You should be more careful. He's not in a good mood today, and I doubt he's feeling any better given that the world may come to an end at any moment. Small prey should not provoke large predators."
Lantry exhaled sharply, and narrowed his eyes.
"Enough, please. We're short on time and resources; The last thing we can afford is infighting. I'm asking, politely, that we tone it down a notch."
The General pulled Orik into a shoulder-carry, and made his way towards the hatchway. As he worked the handle, he muttered into the Captain's ear.
"She's right though. If you keep poking the lion, you'll get your head bitten off. Don't push them."
"So... End of the world huh?"
Carradan slid onto the steel bench, forcing out the words around the plate clutched in his muzzle. He set the dish down on the table, licked his lips to remove the taste of plastic, then glanced across at Skye as he stuffed a kelp-roll into his mouth.
The Unicorn nodded slowly, her eyes conveying a deep sense of sincerity.
"This isn't entirely my field, but that's my assessment. And when have you ever known me to be wrong?"
The two Ponies shared a brief, gallows-humor chuckle, before Skye hung her head, and sighed.
"Besides... Seven specialists who do study this field confirmed the findings, each independently of the other. The physics are sound, but the math just doesn't work out. I imagine you'd have to invent an entirely new discipline of Quantum Geometry just to begin to lay the groundwork for something like this."
Carradan winced, and tilted his head as he started on another kelp-roll. The Pegasus grimaced as he spoke around the food, trying not to think about the foul taste.
"Any chance the planet *won't* go splat? Any chance the big Earth shattering kaboom might be just a bit less... Earth shattering?"
Skye took a long sip from a glass of water, and nodded slowly.
"Sure. What I described is the worst case, but it is the most likely case. But only by about seventy percent. In the other thirty percent are some pretty big explosions, but not enough to destroy the entirety of both worlds. There's also a chance that one world will be destroyed, and the other will get off scott free."
A new voice joined the conversation as Varan appeared at the end of the table. His approach had been so silent, that Carradan was visibly startled.
"I, for one, would rather not take chances with such odds."
Carradan dipped his head, and snorted.
"No argument there. I'd like to be able to sleep tonight, thank you very much."
Kephic mimicked the snort as he arrived at the opposite end of the table, collapsing to his haunches and shaking his head slowly.
"And Humanity wonders why we get tetchy with them from time to time? This makes the second time this *month* that one of their devices has presented great danger to both worlds. Both times at the hands of the HLF."
Skye tossed her mane, and held up a hoof.
"Don't make the mistake of blaming the technology. Your swords and your bows are technology, but you don't advocate throwing them away when your enemies bring the same weapons into battle against you."
Kephic shook his head, and perked one ear.
"No, of course not... My point was more along the skein that the HLF have stepped across a line in the sand. This goes beyond the affairs of Humans, or the joint affairs of our species."
Carradan swallowed the last of his kelp with an enormous gulp, licked his lips, then tilted his head.
"How do ya mean?"
Varan nodded across the table, and his ears pulled back slightly.
"He means that given the way recent HLF actions have endangered Equestria itself, it may be time for direct intervention on our part, without the supervision, permission, or regulation of Humanity."
Silence fell for several moments. Carradan glanced awkwardly away to the deep blue vista of the nearest porthole. Skye's mouth fell open. At last, the Unicorn mustered her words, her ears flattening reflexively as she spoke.
"You can't be serious. What you're talking about could be construed as an invasion!"
Kephic raised a claw, and inclined his head.
"True... But it doesn't *have* to be. Varan is right; We'd be within moral bounds to act without permission to defend ourselves, but that doesn't mean we won't ask first, once, for the sake of diplomatic nicety."
Varan nodded, and ruffled his wings.
"If the Humans are wise? They will allow us to remove the threat for them. They may say whatever they wish to save political face."
Carradan wobbled his head laterally, then began nodding slowly. He raised an eyebrow, and shrugged across at Skye.
"You gotta admit... You'd sleep better at night knowin' these guys had put the HLF firmly in the ground."
Skye sighed, and closed her eyes for a long moment.
"Well... Yes. That's true. But at what cost? How will Humanity sleep knowing that its own government had to bow to an outside force?"
Silence again descended. No one had a good answer to the Unicorn's open question.
Fyrenn rolled his eyes as the metal bar deformed once more, allowing it to fall out of its mounting fixtures with a resounding 'CLANG!'
A familiar voice from behind startled him, as he bent to retrieve and straighten the steel beam for the fifth time.
"Why not strike at something that strikes back?"
The red Gryphon turned to see Neyla, standing in the doorway to the gym. He shook his head slowly, and discarded his punching-rod on a nearby bench.
"How is it that you do that? I've *never* been able to sneak up on Kephic, or Varan, or even you for that matter."
Neyla shrugged her wings, and grinned ever-so-slightly as she stepped into the compartment. The Gryphoness withdrew both of her short, curved swords from her under-wing sheaths as she answered.
"Sentinels must be the undisputed masters of the stealthy hunt. We often fight alone. No one to catch us if we fall. The element of surprise is our only ally."
Neyla tossed one of the weapons into a shallow arc. Fyrenn plucked it from its trajectory, and spent a moment carefully examining the hilt. He depressed part of the filigree with his thumb talon, and a shorter blade, with an opposing curve, flashed into existence at the bottom of the weapon.
Fyrenn raised an eyebrow, and shook his head slowly.
"I usually practice with Varan, or Sildinar. And I'm not especially good with short blades."
Neyla deployed the secondary blade on her weapon, and began to circle slowly on her hind legs, grinning wryly.
"Well it is time you branched out. You're allowing your emotions to get the best of you. That's understandable. You are still learning the depths of feeling our kind can delve to. And you have had no true rest for weeks."
The Gryphoness slowly, gracefully swapped the sword between her left and right claws in an almost lazy arc. She repeated the gesture several times as Fyrenn spoke.
"Is this about Orik's arm? Because he had it coming, believe me."
Neyla inclined her head, and twirled the weapon around her right claw effortlessly. Fyrenn began experimenting with the balance of the blade she had given him, taking up a slow circular dance of preparatory movement as well. The Gryphoness exhaled slowly, and flicked one ear.
"Not precisely. But I've noticed the stress you've been under. Each of us have been dealing with similar difficulties, save that most of the others are not dealing with new parental responsibilities. And none of us, aside from you, are struggling with losing our former homeworld."
Fyrenn sighed, and experimentally slashed the air with the blade in his claw.
"In more ways than one. I'm not afraid of losing my Human spirit, mind you. I've even come, mostly, to terms with the loss of the places I know so well. I'm just... Sad to see everything falling apart this way. Societally, I mean. People are afraid, and in their fear they've put their trust into things that do not, and can not, last. Innocents are dying, and more each day, because people refuse to change when the time comes. There is no faith. Let alone any faith in things worthy of it."
The red Gryphon narrowed his eyes, and made a stabbing thrust, grunting in frustration as he did so.
"In their faithlessness, people attack and despise the agents of change who are here to protect them. People like you and me. Human society, as-is, has no place for us. Even Equestrian society at large struggles to accept our ideals. Celestia wanted me to be something I couldn't. Gilchrist wanted me to be something I despise. Lantry just wants me to go away."
Neyla made an unexpectedly harsh pass at Fyrenn's chest with the tip of her blade, causing him to bring his weapon up sharply to knock her assault aside. The parry devolved swiftly into a counterattack, and the two Gryphons quickly moved into a series of impossibly fast maneuvers.
After upwards of half a minute, Neyla pulled away, and inclined her head slightly, before beginning another slow circling maneuver.
"You have improved in the last three years. Appreciably. Perhaps more than you give yourself credit for."
Fyrenn raised an eyebrow, and twirled the short blade in his right claw experimentally.
"Why do I feel like we're talking about more than just my swordplay and paw-work?"
Neyla snorted, and flared both wings slightly.
"Because you *need* to talk about more than war, weapons, and tactics. You can't simply hold in all your struggles, they need a voice, and they need ears to hear them."
The red Gryphon narrowed his eyes, and made a faux lunge, before pulling back and dodging to the left.
"I *do!* With Varan, and Kephic, and sometimes even Stan of all people!"
The Gryphoness pivoted gracefully over Fyrenn's head on a cushion of air from both wings, making a pass at his back as she did so. By the time she landed, Fyrenn had ducked, twisted, and rose to meet her next assault.
The two Gryphons stood beak to beak, weapons locked in a static contest of wills and wits. Neyla grinned slightly, lowering her voice due to the proximity.
"Not about everything. And you don't find release for your emotions. A 'vent' in Human terms. You find wisdom, true. Our little family group is full of wise counsel and open hearts. But you so rarely express the complete depths of yourself. Both your inner soul, and the changing emotions it carries."
Fyrenn pivoted the short blade up and around, twirling it first one way, then the other to try and divert Neyla's attention. The Gryphoness spied his ploy at the last moment, and gave his head a solid thwack with both of her wings, before touching the tip of her blade lightly to his chest.
"I know there is more to you than the weapons and arts of war. That is a deep part of ourselves we share in common, but there is more to you than that."
The red Gryphon grunted in frustration, and spun around his own central axis, knocking Neyla's weapon away effortlessly with a fisted claw. He dropped the sword she had lent him, and began grappling directly with the Gryphoness' outstretched claws and wings.
"So?! I keep some of my feelings to myself for *good* reason!"
Neyla pressed her attack, twisting Fyrenn's entire body to the floor with surprising strength, using her wings as a barricade to keep him from rising easily.
"Oh? Share with me your good reason, if you please."
Fyrenn growled, and tensed his own wings, forcing the pair upwards on the strength of his shoulders alone. The combat devolved swiftly into something of a mock boxing match, as the pair lashed out mercilessly with fisted claws and the joints of their wings.
"You know that already! You know more about me than almost anyone now living!! Why make such an issue of this?!"
The red Gryphon continued unabated, practically shouting as he finally let his frustrations, fears, deferred hopes, and suppressed anxiety get the better of him entirely.
"I am just as bad at this whole faith thing as everyone else! I put my faith in all the wrong people... In pointless Human institutions, and now that I know where it truly belongs, I still can't sleep some nights for worrying if everything really is going to work out according to the plan, and more than anything I'm afraid of screwing it up, myself, because in fearing reliance on others, I pin too many hopes and responsibilities on myself! And I know I'm not perfect, so I know I'm going to KEEP SCREWING UP! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?!"
Fyrenn lashed out as hard as he could with his right wing, forgetting the fact that he was still recovering from a serious injury. Neyla's defensive block sent a wave of latent pain and muscle spasms through his body, and he pitched forward on blind momentum, crashing to the floor hard enough to make a resounding 'CRACK!'
The red Gryphon lay prostrate, breathing heavily as he re-collected his faculties at a leisurely pace. Neyla knelt beside him, and tilted her head to lock eyes with him.
"Before I met you that day? In the library? I behaved *exactly* the same way. Then you convinced me to follow your family onto that glacier. Whether you know it or not, and whether you meant to or not..."
Neyla extended a claw. Fyrenn inhaled slowly, then took it firmly, and allowed the Gryphoness to help him back to his paws. She smiled sadly, and placed a comforting claw on his shoulder.
"Having someone to pick you up is the most valuable mortal thing you can attain. Put enough of those people together? And you have a family."
The Gryphoness plucked a primary from her wing with the sharp edge of her beak. She transferred the object to her right claw, and used her left to probe gently at Fyrenn's bruises as she continued.
"You understand the importance of faith as much as any of us. That's clear. What you don't seem to grasp, is that you're not anything less than we are. We are, all of us, regardless of species, imperfect. No one attains God's perfection in this life. We all struggle. Where we truly fail, is if we allow those imperfections to rule us, particularly if we let them hold us back from striving for things that matter."
Neyla reached out and gently, but firmly, took the side of Fyrenn's head in her left claw, holding it still. She carefully worked the light bluish primary into Fyrenn's crest, near his right ear, using the shaft of the feather to form a long-lasting weave that would hold it in place indefinitely.
As the Gryphoness pulled away, smiling, Fyrenn tilted his head in confusion. Neyla chuckled, and blushed ever-so-slightly as she explained.
"It is a custom among female Gryphons to mark a male this way when we have developed strong feelings for him. It lets all others know that unless we release him, he will be either ours, or no one's."
Fyrenn winced, and blushed himself, rolling his eyes high into their sockets to try and catch a glimpse of the feather.
"And if one of the males marked wishes to pursue a different relationship? Or if he wishes to pursue none at all?"
Neyla raised an eyebrow, and shot the red Gryphon a good-natured glower.
"As to the first; A female never *ever* marks a male unless he is free of other romantic ties, and has expressed at least some measure of reciprocation. As to the second..."
She sighed, and her ears drooped as her tone dipped into a more somber key.
"Well... If you don't work to keep it there, it will fall out eventually."
Fyrenn smiled slightly, trying to impart some measure of reassurance. He stepped closer to Neyla, and brought his head down and around to meet her floor-bound gaze. The Gryphon stuck out his tongue, and chuckled.
"Some people just give an engagement ring."
Neyla smirked, and shook her head.
"This is different. It is both a promise, and a request. The promise is that the one giving the feather will not pursue anyone else, nor break off her pursuit of the potential mate, until such time as he blatantly ends all chance of a relationship. The request is for further reciprocation. In the present, or in the near future."
Fyrenn sighed, then nodded slowly.
"You're not wrong. I've said it before, but I'll make it plain again; I certainly reciprocate on some level. A part of me wants to give in and do so fully. But I am still so afraid..."
He glanced up, and Neyla winced as she saw the pain in his eyes.
"I've done some very extreme things in defense of my daughter. Looking back on that? I fear that means there is danger in allowing myself to love. When I compare what I've done to what Gilchrist did---OOF"
Fyrenn rubbed his chest where Neyla's fist had connected, and glared. The Gryphoness' expression was laden with powerful anger, which brought Fyrenn up short. Her tone was equally forceful.
"You will *stop* comparing yourself to him, or I will *make* you stop! Even in death, you allow him, and you allow his foul demoness partner, to control you, when you do this to yourself!"
The red Gryphon exhaled slowly and raggedly, then nodded once more.
"Fine. You, as usual, are right. Just please... Stop bruising me on the eve of battle!"
Neyla stuck out the edge of her tongue slightly, and grinned. Fyrenn sighed, and dipped his head in acquiescence.
"I'll put it this way; Were it so simple, I would ask you to be my mate right here, right now. And I freely admit that I wish it were that simple. More than anything. But it isn't. Not after all I've been through, and said, and done, and seen."
Fyrenn held up a claw, and again lifted his head to lock eyes with Neyla.
"That having been said; As we agreed before, I am not ruling out the near future. I'm not. I promise you, on my honor. So I'll accept your mark, if you'll accept this promise..."
The red Gryphon inhaled slowly, then spoke evenly and cautiously, carefully picking his words one by one.
"I promise that I will explore this with you. Slowly. Carefully. At my pace. And I promise that should I find no reason to hold back, that I won't... And if I do? I will not put an end to it without first helping you understand why."
Neyla's eyes narrowed, and she held up a single index talon.
"One condition."
Fyrenn raised an eyebrow, and Neyla's frown morphed into a mischievous grin.
"You find time to spar with me at least thrice a week."
The red Gryphon groaned, and nodded.
"Fine. Starting the week after next. Because I really do need to find some time for my poor ribs to recover."
Neyla chuckled, and made a faux pass at Fyrenn's side with a fisted talon. He glowered, and shook his head.
"IJ and Stan are a terribly bad influence."