Drifting Away

by ANearPerfectStudent

Stories: Part 2

As I entered the tent, I noticed Ker’iah in the far end of the chamber, her knife brandished as she made repeated stabbing marks into the floor next to our bedding. She had riddled the floor in these holes over the last few days, and I could tell something was gnawing on her mind.

“Ker’iah? You alright?” I asked, setting my stuff down by the entrance with her own.

""It’s nothing, I have and will deal with it,"" she muttered in reply.

“It really doesn’t seem like nothing to me. It sounds like it’s something you need to talk about,” I said, stepping closer to her slowly.

She turned her back towards me, flickering the knife between her talons. ""Buck off Sparkle, this is for me and not you.""

“Ker’iah…” I murmured, carefully avoiding her flicking tail.

""Shut up. Leave me to my peace.""

“You can tell me anything-”

""It isn’t anything you could ever understand!""

“I’m sure I could get at least a part of it. It's been about two months since we’ve been together in the jungle. We know each other more than ever. I know something has been bothering you these last days, and whatever it is, I’ll listen. I promise,” I said, pulling myself closer to her.

I could feel her tail beating rapidly against my hooves, thrashing between my forelegs. I lightly took it in my magic and set it aside. Ker’iah, however, took the opportunity to let out a screech and push me away from her, her entire position flipping over in a second into a crouch. ""This is for me and me only!""

Her talons were digging into the earth as she stalked closer to me, prowling in a circle around me, her knife in one claw. ""Pony feathers, Sparkle, you’re digging yourself deeper and deeper into my past. I can assure you it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows.""

“I-I know!” I cried out, curling my tail around myself as she stepped around me.

""Then stop picking at it! You’re only bringing up back memories that should stay dead,"" she growled.

“Ker-Ker’iah! I can tell that this is hurting you. You have to let me help you!”

""Like you’d bucking know what it’s like, you sun-worshipping horn head! Go back to your sweet Equestria where people solve their Helios-forsaken problems with a buckin’ song!"" she screeched, stabbing the knife between us.

I flopped back onto my haunches, wordlessly gaping at her sudden outburst. We sat across from each other, silent for a moment. She rubbed her forearms softly, turning away from me again with a sort of pained look on her face.

“I-I wish I could go back…” I whispered.

Ker’iah looked back to me in horror, before she flinched away as our eyes connected. ""I-I’m sorry, that was out of line."" She began to hide her face with a wing. ""You didn’t deserve that. I know you can’t go back.""

“Ker’iah… You can tell me. I promise I’ll listen to you.”

She sniffled softly, wiping away a tear from her eye. ""You know, I used to sing to you when you were in a coma. You just reminded me so much of them...""

“Who?” I said, crawling forward until I could wrap my foreleg around her.

""Faunis and Eslewood, my bros."" She pulled away from my hug and stared into her claws. ""You won’t understand what it was like to lose them.""

I frowned softly, moving closer to her again, leaning my head against her shoulder. “I think I do, Ker’iah- I lost my brothers too, the best friends of my life. I’ve know Spike and Shining for most all of my life… Now I’m gone,” I murmured softly, gesturing to our tent.

""I’m getting too worked up about this. I shouldn’t be thinking about it."" She tried to pull away from me, but I kept against her, holding myself against her.

“You’ve done so much to support me, it’s about time I start returning the favor,” I said. “What happened? Just talk and I’ll listen.”

The gryphon grimaced in return, setting aside her weapon as she laid on her back, her wings stretched out almost like she were flying. She stole a glance at my knife lying on the table, the one she had given me only a few days ago. She breathed, shaking her head. ""One look at that stupid knife and I’m already over-reacting…""

I moved, laying down next to her, careful not to step on her wing as I joined her. “The knife? It has something to do with your hometown, doesn’t it?” I murmured softly, carefully.

""Yes. Yes, it does,"" she breathed, nearly silent.

“So the blade you gave me-”

""Yes,"" she said, forcing a neutral facade. ""It was one of theirs who came, to destroy everything...""

-o-0-O-0-o-

Ker’iah purred quietly between the two beds, glancing tenderly between the two as she sang softly. She smiled gently down at the two smaller gryphons.

I see the moon, the moon sees me

shining through the leaves of the old oak tree.

Oh, let the light that shines on me

shine on the one I love.

Over the mountain, over the sea,

back where my heart is longing to be.

Oh, let the light that shines on me

shine on the one I love.

She watched each one’s eyes slowly start to close peacefully, her words flowing like silk from her beak as she lulled each of her brothers to rest. Her claws were clicking softly on her stool in a light rhythm.

I hear the lark, the lark hears me

singing from the leaves of the old oak tree.

Oh, let the lark that sings to me

sing to the one I love.

Moving to the desk, she checked one last time to see both of their eyes shut before she lifted up the lantern, adjusting the valve to dim it.

Over the mountains, over the sea

back where my heart is longing to be.

Oh, let the lark that sings to me

sing to the one I love.

She set the lantern down, the lullaby over, yet she still hummed the melody in her head as she leaned over the two gryphons. “I love you, Lil’ Faunis,” she murmured softly, kissing his forehead. “And you too, my sweet Eslewood.”

Ker’iah slipped as silently as she could out of the room, letting the door click behind her. She let out a sigh, stepping down the stairs, back to her main workspace, or ‘lair’, as Faunis had so dubbed it. Their house was a small luxury that her work as an alchemist had afforded the three of them.

It wasn’t much, but having a room for her work saved her from having to run around their house looking for supplies. Around her, there were various lines where materials like meats and herbs hung to dry, as well as containers to hold the messier ingredients, like her aloes.

She slid effortlessly into her chair, pulling out her satchel onto the desk, and carefully extracted her supplies. Her trip to market had proven quite fruitful, selling and purchasing many different items today.

Ker’iah allowed herself to crack a small grin. There were some advantages in living in a town with only one alchemist. She was well-loved in the town, and she enjoyed it as well; at least the older folk who didn’t call her a shaman or witch-gryphon.

With a blissful sigh, she set herself to work with the supplies. Plucking some leaves from her lines and pulling out her mortar and pestle, she began to mix the ingredients together. The strength potion had been a huge success among the hunters this month, and she had found herself having to make several more trips into the jungle to simply restock from the demand for them.

A pinch of diamond dust

A feather of the crystal eagle’s wings

The petals of a rose is a must

Ground together with the bark of a oak brings

A potion to empower one’s power

And to stop addiction, a little bit of sour

She smiled softly as she squeezed the lemon over top of the paste. It wasn’t one of the main ingredients, but something her mentor had once emphasized during her teachings. Never let someone become dependent on your crafts, lest they ever lose potency.

Setting the mortar down, she pulled out several empty bottles and unscrewed their bindings. Carefully, she’d start to pour the mixture inside, adding around the same amount of liquid into each one before setting aside her craft to lay on her bench.

Her life wasn’t a quiet one, nor was this the first time she was staying up late to prepare for the next day. She closed her eyes slowly as she breathed in the various scents around her, the rosemary, thyme, moonshine, and even the freshly made potions. She adored moments like this, however, that seemed to stretch out forever and calm her mind.

Suddenly, she heard the town bell ringing in a distance, the loud clangs ringing in her head, vibrating the table. Her ears flickered softly. The bell? At this time of night? she thought, pulling herself towards the window. It can’t be...

Her pupils dilated immediately at the scene before her. Several of the houses in the town were on fire, the unnatural light brightening up the night in a sickening orange blaze. “Oh, sweet Helios…” she breathed. Her claws twitched softly, tightening around the window sill. She didn’t know whether it was a minute, or simply a few seconds before she tore her gaze from the scene.

“Faunis! Eslewood! Get down here right now!” she cried out, likely wakening them if the bell hadn’t done so already. Soon after a flurry of thumps and crashes, the pair of gryphons tumbled down the stairs, landing in a pile before her.

“Sis, sis!

“Did you see-?”

“There is fire everywhere in town!”

“What’s going on!?” they said at once, their eyes wide with a horrific curiosity.

I didn’t stand still, though, my body working on instinct as I pulled items from storage, grabbing various jars and substances. I pulled two squares of cloth from a line, dropping the items into the two clothes as well as my own satchel. “N-no time to explain, boys. Just... Just meet up at our clearing in the forest, alright? I’ll try and explain everything once we get there.”

I folded the clothes, wrapping them tight and tying off the ends to form their make-shift bags. I gave one to each of them before placing my own satchel over my neck.

“Sis…”

“Where are you going then?” they asked, staring up to me in their wide eyes.

“To help the people in town,” I said, ushering them quickly outside. “Now, fly, go! Go to our clearing!” I shouted, pushing them out of the house. My own wings fluttered out against my sides. With two flaps, I shot into the air, wind rushing by me as I sped towards the town proper.

Why now? Hadn’t there been promises of peace? Being on the border had given the town prosperity as a trade center, but now, they were reaping the punishment of their success. Her eyelids cleared her eyes of the tears that threatened to blind her.

She didn’t make it far into the town before she was tackled by something heavy and metal. She gasped, coughing dryly as fresh smoke filled her lungs.

“Well, looks like we found ourselves a hero…”

She blinked away the tears of pain as the thrashed around beneath the weight on her body. “Who are you?” She grimaced, trying to tilt her head up to get a look at them.

“I- We are the Asa’alani. We are here to reclaim our birthright you have unjustly stolen from our ancestors!” He clanked his claws against his armored breast with a deep laugh.

“We never-!” Her beak was forced shut by a metal gauntlet, her muffled screeches ignored by the unnamed gryphon. The weight lifted from her back, but the claw remained on her beak, no matter how she squirmed.

“Now, now, we need to take you back to our camps. General’s orders of course. Mares and gryphonesses are not to be harmed- Beyond what is necessary~” He swooned softly, his tongue uncomfortably pressed near her ear.

Her eyes widened as she started to panic, trying back out of his grip. Her screeches grew in furiosity as she felt a rope tying around her neck. A tug jerked her forward a little as he tested its strength.

“Though… You do seem like quite the catch.” He chuckled darkly, his claws curling under her chin. “You won’t mind if we gave you a little trial run, right?” He purred, pushing her into one of the nearby building, one of the many pubs in the town.

“N-no! S-stop…” She tried to grip against the doorframe for a few moments before she was pushed through, falling to the floor in a tumble.

“You’ve got quite the fire to you. An adventurous one are we? Those are my favorite-” He murmurs softly walking through the frame and advancing towards Ker’iah, his beak curled upwards in a lustful expression.

She whimpered softly as she scrambled, trying to find anything to help her. He was quickly stepping closer to her. She could start to feel his breath against her tail. She curled her lower body up in resistance, even as she felt his claws slowly wrapping around her tail.

“Oh, playing hard to get? Very lovely~” He rumbled softly, letting his talons pry away her tail, followed by the sickening feeling of his tongue against her haunches. He pressed his claws against her lower half, forcing her against the ground as he started crawling up her figure.

She was clawing for her bag, right at the end of her talons. She desperately tried to grab it as his body pressed against hers, his stench filling her nostrils. She pulled desperately, until she felt her claws close around it.

Ker’iah closed her eyes and twisted herself around, trying to get as much power into her arm. Her heavy satchel, filled with those potions she had worked all the late nights to make, came crashing down on his face. The clanking of bottles was followed by the cracking of at least a dozen containers over his beak.

She felt him pull back, giving her the brief moment to push out of his grasp, kicking off his legs as she slide out of from under him. “Get the buck away!” She screeched with renewed vigor, her eyes lit with burning fires.

The armored gryphon attempted to right himself, groaning from the hit to his face. He spat a wad of blood onto the bar floor, wiping off his beak. “Buck, I was wrong. You would be so much better dead.”

She reached into her bag, pulling out the remnants of one of her strength potions. In the back of her mind, she was reciting the dangers of drinking contaminated potions, but she pulled her head back and gulped as much of the liquid as she could possible scoop into her beak.
She could feel its effects almost immediately, her limbs feeling much more powerful, her claws digging into the wooden floors. She let the crumbling glass fall to the floor as she stared at her opponent.

Her wings flexed against her sides, her fear numbing under her adrenaline and the thumping of her heart in her ears. He was clearly larger than herself, with the muscles to go with his weight, but she knew muscles couldn’t remove all vulnerabilities.

Her talons flexed once more before she shot forwards, her wings folding behind her as the world seemed to stretch around her. She crashed into his waiting figure headfirst, her elbow catching his neck as she used her velocity to wrap around him.

He grunted, his claws digging into her arm while he flipped over, using his weight to crush down on her form. She didn’t let up, however, only increasing the pressure of her arm against his neck as her paws started to sink into his thighs, finding room right were his armor ended. She unclasped his helmet with her other claw, letting it fall away with a clank.

His talons seemed to press deeper into her flesh into bone while the other arm scratching madly at her, leaving gash marks along her upper arm. He was starting to gasp for air, however; his eyes looking about in a new found fear as his screech was dying into a hacking breath.

“Bucking die” She screeched into his ear holes, pulling down harder, as she tried to ignore the pain in her forearms. She could feel his thrashing starting to die away above her and let out a sigh of relief.

“Bucking bastard…” She says as she finally noticed his legs falling limb, the desperate clawing at her forearms ending as they fell down at his sides. She reached down with her less injured hand and pulled out his gauntlet from her arm, biting down on her beak as she removed the serrated metal.

She pulled herself from underneath him with great difficulty as both of her forearms were nearly shredded. Once she had pulled out, she finally got the moment to inspect herself. Her adrenaline was fading now and she could feel a cracking in her chest as she moved. The impact of his body much have broken a few of her ribs. Her arms were quickly becoming more painful, blood dripping from many of her cuts. His gauntlets had torn her skin apart, especially deep gashes from where he had gotten a grip on her forearm.

She wordless flapped her wings, using them instead of her forelegs as she crawled towards her bag. She pulled out a few of the bottles which hadn’t completely shattered, nosing through the small collection, before finding the one she needed, one for expediting injuries. She quickly downed the entire bottle before continuing.

She reached in, pulling out the stained rolls of cloth for bandages. She winced as she held down the roll with her paw, using her beak to start dressing her wounds. She felt the mixture of liquids seeping into her gashs, the remnants of strength, healing, and others she had brought on the previous day.

The next hour, she sat down, calming herself as she worked on her satchel. She emptied it of its glass and liquid filled insides, before replacing the containers she could repair as well as the supplies she could dry. She found herself looking back at the dead soldier in the bar.

“Sick bucking bastard…” She murmured softly, eyeing him carefully, as if his dead corpse would suddenly come back to life.

She turned, pulling her refilled satchel over her neck, maintaining a hover just a few inches off the ground to avoid placing any weight on her forelegs. She stepped past the corpse, walking through the doorframe, and taking one last glance at her claw marks on the wood before she carried herself into the night sky.

Faunis! Eslewood- Sister’s coming!

-o-0-O-0-o-

I stared at my counterpart, nuzzling away some of her tears as she finished her story. Throughout the story, we had moved closer, her forelegs wrapping around my chest as she burrowed her head into my shoulder as she spoke.

“Ker’iah, I didn’t realize-”

She sniffled softly, her one visible eye gazing up at mine. ""I left them. Alone in the jungle for hours. How could I? I shouldn’t have gone into the town. I should have stayed with them!"" She whimpered.

""I failed them. For what? What did I do that night that was even worth my two brothers? M-mother, she asked me to take care of them. H-how could I even-""

I cut her off, wrapping my arms around her as tears filled our eyes. “It’s alright. You did what you thought was right. I know they would understand that.”

""I-I can’t though! I left them all alone."" She gripped my back. I could feel her talons digging into me, but I clenched my teeth. Her body was shuttering against mine. I envied the princess for a moment, wishing I could have wings of my own to wrap her with like Celestia had done with me in the past.

Instead, I found myself tightening our hug, “Don’t forget them. Remember them and use your love to push forward.” I spoke lightly, murmuring into her ear. “Its how I’m getting by, without my family here, my friends… Minus one”

""W-who is that?"" She chirped, her breath caught in her throat.

I pulled away, so I could get a good look at her, each of us with tear-stained faces. “You are that one. You’re still here with me, Ker’iah. You’ve been with me all of these days. You are my friend.”

She burrowed her beak into my chest, sobbing quietly into my coat. I pulled her slowly down, laying us down on our mat, curling my forelegs around her head in an embrace. I looked down at her, a small smile on my tear-stained snout.

""What a pair we’d make, a unicorn from Sun-knows where and a gryphon going insane by the minute"" She snorts softly, still pressed against my chest.

“Only the two of the craziest people that could have ever meet,” I chuckled, “Though to be fair, I think Pinkie Pie may beat us there.”

""You will have to tell me more stories of those friends of yours"" She says, finally pulling away from me and wiping off her face. ""They seem like quite the excitable group from what you’ve already told me""

I nodded, smiling softly at her as I gave her a rag to clean off. She accepted it gratefully and carefully dried herself off.

-o-0-O-0-o-

Comments

[Arngeir]

Hmm... not bad, not bad at all.

[sadron]

You're never going to update this again are you? :_(