Realms of Magic: The Realm of the Gryphons

by TheEighthDayofNight

Chapter 4

The hours of walking passed largely in silence. Zefuris eventually moved ahead of Valan, acting as a point guard for their little party. That left Kathranis beside Secil and Aquila, who moved cheerfully through the woods. Her emerald eyes seemed to always look outward, and her mouth never turned down in a frown. It reminded Kathranis of a few of his elves, and he was extremely glad for the company. While he and Secil made an excellent team, being alone with the cat for long stretches of time made him quieter, and less energetic.

With his new companions however, Kathranis felt alive and happy despite the circumstances. Aquila’s light steps and energetic demeanor left him feeling hopeful for the future. Something told him that she was right, that they would be able to find information on his fellow elves once they reached Stonetalon Peak. Thinking of the gryphoness, Kathranis cast a sideward glance at her. He hadn’t really noticed before, and had assumed that they were larger because he was hunched over due to his gut wound, but walking among the trio of gryphons, he finally understood that they were much taller. Zefuris was easily a head and a half taller than he was, while Valan was perhaps just a half taller. Aquila was a full head taller, and her clothes did nothing to hide the rippling muscles beneath her fur. Kathranis briefly wondered if all gryphons were so physically powerful.

He cleared his throat, drawing her happy eyes to him.

“So Princess, what is your home like? Where I came from, gryphons were beasts, not people.”

She tilted her head and gave him a sly smile.

“Is that so? And what were these beasts used for?”

Kathranis matched her smile and shook his head.

“Not what you think,” he replied. “Some peoples found a way to domesticate some gryphons, and used them as war mounts, but mostly they remained feral and wild. They are fearsome to deal with, and are best avoided if possible.”

Aquila giggled.

“I could say the same of many of my people, save for the part about being war mounts. Tell me Shadowsong, are you looking for a history lesson, or just the notes?”

“I have always enjoyed a good tale,” Kathranis replied, “and besides, I am over a century old! What may be history for you is simply another year of life for me.”

He looked to the treetops as he awaited her reply. After a moment or two of silence, he looked down to find her staring at him with her mouth slightly agape.

“Did I say something wrong?” Kathranis asked.

Aquila snorted.

“You’re over one-hundred years old? You think that’s normal?”

Kathranis shrugged and his smile returned.

“It is for elves. We are a very long-lived people. If one is careful, an elf can live for thousands of years. Usually the wizards are the ones that survive that long, but still, I’ve got at least five or six more centuries in me.”

‘If you manage to keep from getting yourself killed,’ Secil said.

Kathranis shot a glare at the panther, but Aquila let out a long sigh of wonder.

“Wow,” she said. “To live that long, the adventures you could have. Only the Equestrian warlords can live that long, and well, they aren’t exactly wandering about in the forest.”

Kathranis tilted his head.

“Equestrian warlords?”

“A pair of ponies from the southeast,” Aquila explained. “Very powerful magic users, and fast fliers, leading a nation that is similar in speed and magical power. We gryphons are much tougher though, and in a one on one fight,” she punched her palm and cracked her knuckles, “we’re much stronger.”

“Are these Equestrian’s friendly?”

Aquila met his eyes and shrugged.

“The regular ones are, but the pegasi are arrogant as can be, and the unicorns have a stick firmly rammed up their…”

Zefuris cleared his throat loudly. Aquila rolled her eyes, and amended her cut off words.

“They’re stuck up, and don’t like dealing with species they deem “magically inferior”.”

“Like gryphons?” Kathranis asked.

Aquila frowned and nodded.

“Yes, but also minotaurs, zebras, diamond dogs, just about anyone who isn’t a pony. I’m sure you’ll fit that criteria once you meet one.”

Kathranis chuckled.

“Probably, but one of my younger family members is quite the wizard. I’m sure he has a trick or two they haven’t seen. Who knows?” He smiled faintly, then looked toward Zefuris and asked; “So, humans, where do they fit in the pecking order? I couldn’t help but notice some disdain for them, yet you were ambushed by a group of them.”

Kathranis could feel anger radiating from the large gryphon, and his speech was short as he spoke.

“They are barely intelligent cowards with no sense of honor or culture. Humans roam every speck of wilderness and build nothing for themselves. They are parasites that target the weak and leech off the underbelly of better races.” He looked at the ground. “I was arrogant and didn’t see one of them hiding in the trees. The wretch stabbed me, and then his friends crawled from their holes to ambush the unprepared Prince and Princess.”

Aquila sighed and rubbed at her forehead.

“That was stupid of all of us. To let them corner us like that. My first experience with real combat and I cower like some little hatchling. Stupid.”

Kathranis frowned and placed a hand gently on her shoulder.

“Don’t beat yourself up Princess, everyone freezes at least once.”

He grinned and spread his hands. Secil weaved his way closer to the elf, rubbing against his hip as he continued to speak.

“My first time was against wretched little goblins," Kathranis said, looking down and scratching his familiar’s head. “Secil here had to rescue me from the sneaky little stabbers, and it took nearly a month to get back into fighting shape. It isn’t cowardice until you run twice.”

Aquila smiled at him, and Kathranis nearly tripped as she suddenly moved closer, wrapping a wing around his body. She squeezed him tight in a hug.

“Thank you Shadowsong,” she said. “Believe it or not, that makes me feel heaps better coming from you.”

Kathranis blushed lightly as she nuzzled his hair, and Secil’s smug smile didn’t help any. Aquila pulled back from the hug, and grinned at him, a grin that lessened slightly when she saw his flustered state.

“What is wrong Shadowsong? You are flush.”

Kathranis cleared his throat and looked toward the trees.

“It’s nothing Princess. We elves are just a bit… less physical than other races. Not out of any sense of coldness, just…”

He frowned at his small lie. Technically, most elves were very comfortable with physical affection, he just wasn’t. Spending years alone in the forest with just Secil had separated him from a few elvish cultural traditions, and while he did his best to get comfortable with his adopted family and their constant touching, he still often remained a bit aloof. Kathranis shook his head to clear his thoughts.

“It’s nothing. Apologies for drawing attention to it.”

Aquila grinned and threw her wing around his shoulder again.

“Well then Shadowsong, I suppose you can consider this the start of your education about Stonetalon Peak. We gryphons are second only to the ponies in love of physical contact, and you are going to get a lot of hugs from people you don’t know.”

Kathranis tried to suppress a second blush as she hugged him to her chest, and to his luck, Valan helped with a derisive snort. Aquila eyed her brother evenly.

“Not a word Valan, or I’ll make you help me desensitize our new friend to physical contact.”

The younger gryphon threw up his hands as if to say, ‘I didn’t say anything’. Aquila stared at her brother’s back for a moment more, then smiled down at Kathranis.

“So Shadowsong, what are the humans like where you are from? You mentioned a human city; Waterdeep was it?”

“Yes, I visited it once during my travels.” His face curled in a mild scowl. “The people were relatively kind, but I did not much like the city itself. Too much stone, not enough trees. Fordred loved it there though. He was like a child with his first bow, wildly running about trying to sweep through every shop for regents and tomes.”

Kathranis rolled his shoulder.

“Books that I’m carrying actually. I only wish that I had curbed his buyer’s enthusiasm before he had created such a leaden pack.”

“A word to the wise then,” Aquila said, “keep Fordred away from Equestria. The ponies do so love their tomes.”

They shared a chuckle, then fell into a comfortable silence for a long while. Kathranis tried to move away from the gryphoness, to put his usual comfortable space between them, but each time he nearly escaped her wing, she would step just a bit closer, ensuring that he was always walking comfortably within her feathers. After the third failed attempt, he stopped trying, and he could almost feel the satisfaction in Aquila’s movements as she kept him close. It certainly didn’t help his situation that he did like being close to the gryphoness. What fur poked through her clothes was incredibly soft, as were her golden feathers. The experience was overall pleasant, and if her stated mission to desensitize him to physical contact was true, it was already working.

Deciding that talk would best distract him from the uncomfortable comfortability he found himself in, Kathranis looked out into the woods again.

“I vaguely remember you all mentioning newly intelligent humans when we first met. What did you mean by that?”

Zefuris cast a hard glance back.

“Why do you care? You already said that you are not related to humans.”

Kathranis shrugged.

“It is just curiosity. I arrived in this place by a mis-fired teleportation spell, and if these “intelligent” humans of yours arrived at a similar time, then perhaps my family was brought along as well.”

“Well,” Aquila said slowly, “when were you teleported here?”

Kathranis could tell that the pair of male gryphons were listening intently to his words. Fortunately, he knew he had nothing to hide.

“Yesterday,” Kathranis said. “some time after mid-day. I hit a tree.”

Secil yowled out a laugh, earning him another glare from Kathranis. Zefuris looked to Aquila with one eye.

“Then respectfully,” he said. “I don’t believe you need to know about the intelligent humans until we are in Stonetalon Peak. They arrived well over a month ago.”

Kathranis looked up to Aquila, who bit her lip.

“I think I have to agree with Zefuris,” she said with a sigh. “It’s not that I don’t trust you Shadowsong, but the intelligent humans have caused some trouble, and were it not for your actions in helping us, you would have been pursued and killed with some prejudice.”

Her wing tightened around his shoulder, and Kathranis found his cheek resting on her shoulder.

“As it is, you will need to stay close to one of us from now on,” she continued. “We passed by a border marker a quarter mile ago, and we are in a patrolled zone. If any of our guards catch you alone in the open, we won’t be able to protect you, and while clearly a capable fighter, you won’t survive against ten well-trained gryphons.”

Kathranis wanted to voice playful protest, but he could tell by Aquila’s tone that now wasn’t the time. He glanced toward the sky, which seemed a bit more intimidating with its sharp blue and occasional wisps of white.

“And if we are separated,” he said, “what should I do? Return this way until I am out of your territory?”

Zefuris shook his head as he continued staring forward.

“No, all you’ll do is wander toward the changeling lands. Even if you moved south, you would wander into pony lands, and they would also be wary of an intelligent, human looking creature. While a gryphon would slay you, a pony is more likely to cut out your tongue and enslave you.”

“A fate best avoided,” Kathranis said with distaste. “So what then? Was this all a clever way to tell me I am a prisoner?”

He felt Aquila tense up, but when he glanced at her face, he didn’t see an offended look, but rather a panicked one. It brought a small comfort to him that she hadn’t even considered that he was now a de-facto prisoner. Her eyes flicked wildly around.

“Maybe we can paint our clan marking on your face,” Aquila said. “Valan, go find some berries!”

Before the younger gryphon could protest, his sister snapped her fingers.

“No, I know what to do!”

She reached beneath her tunic and began drawing out a golden chain, when Zefuris seemed to appear before her, grabbing her wrist tightly. It gave Kathranis pause at how fast the older gryphon moved, and he wondered briefly how he would fair if he encountered one of their patrols all by himself.

“That isn’t wise Princess,” Zefuris said calmly, “and while I can understand, and even agree with most of the calls you’ve made yesterday and today, this I will not abide.”

Aquila began to protest, but Zefuris held up a taloned hand.

“Please, I will give him my clan emblem. I know for a fact that your father has told you time and again to never let your emblems off your person.”

Aquila froze in thought for a moment, then sighed and let her hand drop.

“Of course, thank you for reminding me. I just don’t want a person that I’ve taken responsibility of to come to harm because I was too stupid to think this all the way through.”

Zefuris sighed, and his eyes softened as he brushed her cheek.

“It’s alright Princess, you’re still learning. It will take you at least another few years to get as quick at these things as you want, you just need to keep practicing is all. It’s just like-“

“Sword fighting,” Aquila cut in with a smile. “Yes Zefuris, I’m aware. I haven’t forgotten anything you taught me. I just… got excited is all.”

Zefuris chuckled.

“You’ll learn to temper your excitement Princess, just give it time.”

His gaze hardened as he glanced at Kathranis, who felt like he was intruding on the moment by remaining so close. Aquila’s wing had not lessened its grip on his shoulder however, so he was stuck as Zefuris reached beneath his armor.

“I do not know of your customs, nor do I particularly care Shadowsong,” Zefuris said. “Listen well to my words, because if you shame me while you wear my emblem, not even the kind words of Princess Aquila will save you, am I clear?”

Kathranis stared in shock at him for a moment, then felt a tick of irritation float across his mind. Aquila’s wing seemed to slip away as Kathranis butted chests with the much taller creature.

“I am many things Zefuris,” Kathranis said evenly, “and one of them is not disrespectful. You could learn something from me.”

Anger flashed across Zefuris’ face, but the knife that appeared in Kathranis’ hand cooled his temper as it brushed aside his neck feathers. Kathranis held the gryphon’s gaze as he spoke.

“Listen well to my words,” Kathranis continued. “I am a patient sort of elf, but I have also been spilling blood since before you were suckling on your mother’s teat. I have been nothing but kind and understanding of your suspicions, but even my patience has its end. I saved your life, and I can just as easily end it.”

Secil growled loudly as he paced behind the large gryphon, but Zefuris’ eyes never shifted from Kathranis’.

“If you want me to be your enemy, then let’s end it right here,” Kathranis said. “But if not, then cease your aggression toward me. It’s bullheaded and pointless.”

Kathranis tilted his head slightly and let his knife slip back up his sleeve and into its sheathe.

“Are we going to have further issues, or would you like to finish this with swords?”

Zefuris held his stare for a moment more, then a small grin broke out on his face.

“I suppose we won’t have any further issues Shadowsong, and I offer my apologies if I was rude. I don’t like anyone I can’t read, and I certainly don’t like someone that acts as nice as you do.”

Kathranis grinned and took a step back.

“I’m afraid what you see with me is what you get. I’ve found that a smile helps make more friends than a scowl, and the more friends you have, the less enemies you have to worry about trying to slit your throat.”

“A sensible policy,” Aquila said.

Her wings fluttered as she stood by Zefuris, and Kathranis could have sworn he saw a dagger in her hand as she patted the small of the larger gryphon’s back. If Zefuris was being held at knifepoint, he didn’t react, and he finished withdrawing a golden chain from beneath his armor. On it hung a medallion with an odd transcription on it that Kathranis couldn’t read. Zefuris passed the medallion to Kathranis.

“Wear this,” he said, “and keep it safe. That’s my clan emblem, and any gryphon that sees it will know that you’re my guest and my responsibility.”

Kathranis turned the medallion over in his hands, looking for any obvious signs of foul play, but when he found none, he shrugged and slid it over his neck. The medallion was a bit heavy and put his weight off slightly, but he imagined it wouldn’t take too long to adjust to the extra weight. Kathranis spread his hands and looked to Zefuris and Aquila as Secil trotted over to sniff at the medallion.

“Like this?” the elf asked.

Aquila flashed a smile and grabbed Zefuris’ arm.

“Perfect Shadowsong. If you’ll excuse me, I need to relieve myself.”

Zefuris shot her a look as she dragged him toward the trees.

“You don’t need me to go with you Prin-“

Aquila growled at him, and the larger gryphon fell silent as she yanked him into the trees. Kathranis faintly heard the sound of the gryphons talking in their bird-like language, but decided not to even bother trying to discern what they were saying. Instead he stroked at Secil’s ears and looked toward Valan, who was glaring hard at him. Kathranis met the young gryphon’s glare with an even gaze.

“Anything I could help you with Prince?”

Valan snorted and looked away.

“Yeah, do us all a favor and get lost. You might have Aquila fooled, and she might keep Zefuris on a leash, but I’m not letting my guard down around you. My father taught me to follow my gut, and my gut says you’re the enemy.”

“Then your gut is stupid,” Aquila said cheerfully as she skipped out from the trees.

As she moved toward Kathranis, the elf spared a glance toward Zefuris, who looked fairly ruffled. He refused to look in Kathranis’ direction, especially once Aquila was scratching at Secil’s back, and instead glared at Valan.

“Nobody holds my leash,” he hissed.

Valan shrugged.

“I’m just saying what I see.”

“Then see less,” Zefuris spat, swatting the gryphon’s head.

Valan began to protest, but a shove forward shut him up. Aquila smiled at Kathranis as she threw her wing around his shoulders once more. Her arm quickly followed, and she hugged him to her chest as they set off again.

“I think you look good with a clan emblem,” Aquila said with a wink. “Perhaps if we become good enough friends, my father can grant you an honorary title. That’s in the future, however. What I want to know is,” she poked a finger at Kathranis’ hair. “Why do you have prissy hair like a pony stallion?”

Kathranis let out a loud laugh as they walked further into the woods.

Comments

[Xanderfox]

Clear the. Earth ponies are not the bulk of the Equestrian Military as the Griffions clearly don't known they are the physicaly strongest of the tribes and can likely punt a griffin in a fight. Pretty easy to buy thought, except Mighty Helm there aren't really Earth Pony warriors. Some things you can't believe till you see it happen. A good Warlord wouldn't show off how much damage this. "ordinary" citizens can cause, it's too good a Trump card. Would confuse the hell out of the enemy, then ponies withdrawal the elite troops an dispatch the town milita? You drop your guard, then the milita wrecks you shit? Humiliation and Terror in equal measure. You lost too peasants and said peasants displayed frightful strength? You don't mess with that country any more.