Tension
I recommend reading it here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yrxjPJ-mCX9AzULPY-v-lBUn_8niSEwhsQNN5JmZRMw/edit?usp=sharing
24/02/2018
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"Hawk! Stop it! You don't know what you're doing!" A gryphon shouted to the other, flaring his wings and smacking his tail on the ground.
"I do, brother, It's killed or be killed! It has always been that way! I will be the one to quell you!"
Hawk lunged forward, talons outstretched and claws unsheathed as he harried his brother, slashing across Zuberi's shoulder and snapping his beak at his neck, plucking a feather or two and spitting to the side with a click of his tongue.
The older gryphon pulled back, bashing him with his wings and pushing him away hissing. "Stop! How would Mother feel seeing us like this? And what about father! We have strayed apart, Hawk, where's my brother? The soft being that'd cuddle under my wing when it was cold and splash with me when the weather was warm. Where's that guy? My little brother."
"They're dead! All three of them, each a relic of bygone times. There's nothing we could have done, even if we tried. They were destined for death, as I was destined for power. It's fate brother, it was bound to happen."
"Do you think they'd be proud to see what you've become? A selfish being, only ever interested in his own affairs. Not even you could bother to catch Ryker a mouse when his stomach swelled and I left him in your wing. Despite being his brother you refused to care for him as I or another would do, you left him in the dark, alone. He cried for the warmth of another's touch, your wing around him but you were nowhere to be found."
"Oh shut up! I don't care, the past is the past, I look to the future!" He snarled, flaring his wings, going in for another attack, running forward and leaping to the air, claws bared to his kin.
Zuberi threw himself to the ground, dodging him, muscles tense as claws nipped his hind and tor through a patch of his tail, warm blood summoning to his skin and drooling out into the pine-scented air of the open forest.
"I've been training for years, brother, you must give in to my power. I may be younger, yes, but I have surpassed you with my mighty intellect and my physical strength.There is no reason for you to deny my transcendent power over you. You are weak brother."
"H-Hawk-"
"No! Just give up for your own sake, I will kill you!" He leapt forward onto his back, digging his digits into the flesh of his own, raking across Zuberi's shoulders, and the much-important flight muscles. Now his brother would never fly again.
Zuberi groaned as pain consumed him, he threw his head back and cried to the sky but he knew no one would hear.
"Join me, brother, join the dark side, I do not wish for your life to be a dissipate. But if so I will have to tear your soul from your body and eliminate you."
"Do what you must. I shall never join you!" he hissed, closing his eyes and lowering his head. "So you will have to kill me."
Hawk took a few moments to ponder then bit down hard on his brother's nape, pushing him to submission and clenching his talons on his shoulder and ripping up additional tissue and meat.
"I never wished for this to happen. I had never thought of killing you. You were meant to rule by my side but you remain unwilling. It's nothing personal brother, you lie in the path to my great victory. I can't have that. The prophecy says my own blood will be the one to stop me. You are of my blood, yet Ryker is too, but he is being... handled... but I won't kill him... For now."
"You are sick, Hawk, sick, this isn't the real you."
"It is, why do you keep insisting that. I was born for greatness and greatness I will grasp. Either with or without you. But you have already chosen your fate. My responsibility no longer."
Scraaap, scraaap.
Hawk curled his tail around the sword that lied next to them and his beak curved upwards slightly in a small smile. "I bid you farewell... my brother..." He dragged the sword towards himself with his tail then picked it up in his paw, admiring the blade for a few moments before lining it up with Zuberi's chest and plunging it down, cutting through the flesh and digging it deep, trough his heart and out the other side.
Slowly a green light became visible, emitting from the sword and growing, pulsing with flashes of bright light and humming quietly in his paw. As the light began to fade Hawk cracked another small smile. "Your soul is now mine. Bound in my sword until the end of time... I'm sorry brother..."
***
Ryker felt his feathers prickled along his back as shadows crossed his gaze and the clicking of talons against wood rung his ears. His eyes widened as two matching shadows came from around the corner and he sunk further into the wall holding his breath. He didn't know what they desired nor what they were, yet. They had claws, tails wings and he could tell most were quite large yet he still couldn't figure it out. At first, he thought they were his brothers, Zuberi and Hawk returning from their afternoon hunt but when he had heard their voices he knew they were not of gryphon blood. Perhaps he was mistaken or paranoid? Maybe it was all in his head... he wasn't sure and wasn't ready to risk finding out... he would wait a little longer...
How many hours have passed? He wondered. Have they left?
There had been no sound for a while now. Maybe he was safe? Had Zuberi and Hawk came home? They may have rid them of the manor? He had to find them. It had to be past dusk by now, twilight quelling and the cold air flooding the land further.
Ryker slowly stood and stretched his cramped legs, shaking them out and ridding the dust from his feathers with a wiggle of his body.
He crept towards the window, floor creaking under him and the clicks of his unsheathed talons echoing down the hall. Peering out the window his eyes widened, the courtyard filled with fire-breathing drakes! Dragons!
They're bound to hear me!
He tried counting them One, two, three, four but soon gave up. There wasn't time. They were inside the building, he could hear them. His heart tugged him one direction, to his brother's room, but his mind to another. He followed his heart.
Creeeak, creeeak, click, click, click.
Running down the hall he threw himself into his brother's room, leaping up onto the bed and crawling under the blankets like a rabbit rushing to its burrow, a fox on its tail.
Closing his eyes he silently prayed for his life and imagined his brother curling around him. His brother had always been there for him, so where was he now? At his time of need when he most longed for a wing around him and his back cushioned against the feathers of his brother's chest. He craved a talon caressing along his head through his feathers and a voice telling him everything would be alright. Yet, none came...
Ryker tensed and his ears flared to the sniffing of a snout and the stench of one of the drakes poisoned his nares. It was close. Very close. Could it smell him?
Before he could answer the blankets were ripped from the bed and a dark-coloured muzzle hovered in front of him. The beast opened his maw but Ryker rolled out of the way as it slammed down where he had laid only seconds ago. It spat the mattresses contents from its mouth and Ryker kicked it's nose and ran as it lunged towards him.
It shot flames from its mouth and fire singed his tail feathers. Turning and twisting, jumping and leaping down the hall Ryker found himself exhausted but he couldn't give up! He wouldn't! Zuberi wouldn't and Hawk wouldn't either!
He strode to the end of the hall and disappeared into the nearest room.
Panting, the dragon came around the corner huffing loudly, blood dried around his nostrils from where the gryphon had kicked him earlier blocking his sense of smell.
Ryker slowly shuffled and put his ear to the wall listening out for the dragon but it had completely stopped. Had it found him?
"You let him go? You useless mushroom muncher!"
Ryker tensed at the voice. It was a female, for sure and she sounded mad. Very mad. They want to capture me. Why? Do they want to eat me? What're their motives, their intentions? I bet Zuberi would have already figured it out...
"I think I smell something..."
"What is it, your majesty?"
Ryker waited for an answer but heard nothing but the clicking of talons towards... towards his door! Before he could do anything the door swung open and he jumped back, falling to the floor across his belly with a soft, Oof.
"Please! Don't hurt me!" he shouted as talons slammed onto his back, wrapping themselves around his shoulders, the blades of her talons pressing through his feathers, against his skin but not piercing it.
"What's your name?" she hissed.
Ryker parted his beak, his whole body shaking but as he went to speak his throat tightened and his eyes moistened with tears.
"Answer me! You will speak when spoken to! There's two ways this can be polarized. You either tell me your name or I will kill you! My name is Bacia if it makes you feel any better." she growled, drawing her lip back and flashing her teeth in his face.
Ryker struggled for words, panicking to form a sentence, tears welling up in his eyes and overflowing over his cheeks. "M-my names R-Ryker." He managed, scrunching his eyes tight underneath her.
"Good whelp... now, tell me... where's your brother? The big one."
"Z-Zuberi? H-he's out hunting, H-Hawk is with him..."
"As I thought... Hawk is obeying orders then."
"O-orders? W-what do you mean..?"
"You'll see... soon enough..."
***
Hey, little brother... wake up...
Oh, Ryker, you're so cute when you're tired...
"W-whos there?" He raised his head, blinking open his eyes and looking around, but all he saw was black. Not even a single light could be seen. The only thing visible was himself, crouching alone in the dark, a soft voice speaking to him but the entity that owned it was nowhere to be seen.
"Who are you? And where am I?"
You're here. With me, baby brother! It's Hawk! Does it really matter where we are? As long as we're together, right?
"Where's Zuberi?" He asked instead. "Is he okay? O-oh, and what about you?"
I am fine. What about you? Are you okay?
"I-I am, yes, but... There's dragons back home, at the manner, they invaded it, there was: fire, smoke, growls, snarls, they scared me. I hid in Zuberi's room... but they found me, I kicked one dragon in the nose and it bled... I ran but they caught me then... I woke up here..."
You shouldn't have resisted, Ryker...
"What do you mean?"
There was no answer...
The world around him began to shake, shift and flash, colours painting themselves across the sky and earth moving underneath and around him, grass growing, rivers flowing and the wind now blowing. The temperature grew cold, then warm, then somewhere in the middle and another flash blinded him.
"Agh!" Ryker swore as a sharp pain hit him on the back of his head; he fell to his knees and groaned. He moved a talon to feel where the projectile had hit but nothing was there.
One moment the pain left, but then more came thundering in, like lightning zapping his wings in flight.
He found a sword in his talon and blood splattered across the ground in front of him. He raised his head and the world flashed. He found himself staring down at his brother, Zuberi, the sword he held pierced through his kin,s chest.
Ryker screamed... but made no sound...
There was another flash.
He's gone now... Came Hawk's voice again.
Another burst of light flooded the land, he found himself hovering in the air, his two brothers below. The same sword he had held in his paw only moments ago pierced through Zuberi's chest... but it was not he whom held it... Hawk did...
He had to go, Ryker, he had to, trust me, brother. I wouldn't hurt him unless I had to... you know that. It's kill or be killed.
"NO! YOU'RE WRONG, THIS ISN'T REAL! YOU'RE LYING!
The fledge closed his eyes, shielding them but even through his eyelids, the image remained, the blood of his own drooling from his older kin...
"Make it stop, make it stop, please, make it stop!"
"Ryker! Wake up! Please! It's not real!"
"Zuberi? Zuberi! Where are you!" He yelled.
I'm right here! Right next to you holding your paw! It's okay... Don't be afraid...
The world around him began to fade and blur, then disappear, his brothers face hovering over him.
"Ryker! You're awake! You're okay!"
Before Ryker could respond his kin's beak pushed up against him, nuzzling him gently for a few moments, the larger gryphon pulling the fledge close into his embrace, moving his head to his little brother's shoulder and lazily caressing the back of Ryker's head with a paw. "Y-you started talking in your sleep... and then yelling, and I got worried and you wouldn't wake up... I-I love you..." He whispered.
"I love you too..."
The two laid together in silence, enjoying the nest-like feeling of being pressed in their kins warmth. Ryker told him everything, the dragons, the mystery world, Zuberi's death, everything.
His nest-brother just sat there listening, a small spot between his fur soaking up the whelps tears as he cried.
"Z-Zuberi... I don't know what I'd do without you..."
"Well, you'll have to work that out soon... Zuberi's dead... and your dream? All real, my brother."
"W-wait... H-Hawk?"
"Took awhile for you to recognize me."
Ryker ripped away from him, spinning around and hissing at him. "Where's Zuberi! I want Zuberi!"
"It's kill or be killed." He took a step forward.
"You tricked me! How?"
"Magic. The dragons have bestowed their gift on me. Ancient magic from the gods themselves runs through my blood, my dear brother."
Ryker shook his head and screeched, "Why? Why did you kill MY brother?"
"Our"
"MY! You are no brother of mine! I don't know you anymore! The magic has consumed you... Y-you're dead to me... you're gone."
Hawk growled, the feathers along his back rising to the dark sky. "Choose a side brother, you're either with me... or against me... kill for me, or be killed by me. Kill or be killed. What'll it be?"
"I would rather die than serve you!"
"You'll change your mind brother... you will... sooner or later.... I know it..."
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11/03/2018
~By Grrthesecond~
Wonder what happens next... Hmm
So that's the end of this part. Dunno if there'll be more for a while but yeah! Hope y'all enjoyed!
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