Battle Of Brothers

"I got you now you air-headed gecko!" Jaeden shouted, flaring his avian wings and leaping on top of his draconic brother, pressing down on his back with a brazen-faced grin.

Raheem growled, pushing the gryphon's underside with his wings until he was forced off. While Jaeden was regaining his balance, Raheem leapt forward, knocking him onto his back while hovering over him. "No, I got you, fish-breath." He smirked, hooking his talons around brother's shoulders.

Jaeden laughed, kicking the dragon's belly and squirming beneath him, struggling to break free. He made sure his claws we sheathed then shoved his paws into the fleshy immature plates of his brother's chest, kneading them softly. Raheem bared his teeth in an exuberant snarl. He pressed his muzzle against the fur of the avian's forehead, licking it once then shaking him gently. The gryphon, however, didn't budge. Grabbing Raheem's shoulders he adjusted himself to get a little more comfortable.

"Noooo! Let me go!" he cawed, although returning the lick. Jaeden grabbed the dragon's ear in his beak, tugging on it lightly in a playful manner.

Raheem roared, but instead of pushing him away, he pulled him closer, squeezing him tight with a soft rumble of amusement.

He let go of him, stood up, and then sat down with a smile. "I won! You can't beat a dragon at his own game, you know that. We were built for combat!"

"I've beaten you before, I can do it again!" Jaeden protested, jumping up and pressing his forehead against his flank, nipping and nuzzling it with a chuckle.

"That was before I grew my scales! We were small!" he pushed the gryphon back with his wing and snorted.

"We still are small, half your scales still haven't grown yet and your face is still soft skin!" He batted the dragon's wing away and shoved his side with his paws. "And your chest plates haven't hardened yet," he added.

"You still have half of your down feathers!" Raheem retorted. "And you can't fly yet, unlike me."

The gryphon snorted, giving up, and then leaned into the dragon's warmth. Sighing softly, he made himself comfortable.

The dragon snorted back, a puff of smoke leaving his nares. He looked away, to the clouds above, smiling a little. Jaeden followed his gaze.

From the sky, Fabron, their den-father burst through the clouds, riding the wind-currents towards their den, a large deer hanging from his talons and a proud smile across his muzzle.

Raheem's stomach gurgled at the sight of food and he leapt ahead of Jaeden, running to the den without a word. The gryphon followed.

Together, the family sat down in a small circle, sharing the meal and the news of the day.

It wasn't long before they were left with just scraps and bones of the animal.

Raheem walked away and settled himself down at the back of the cave while their father disposed of the leftovers. Jaeden followed him, laying down by his brother's side and resting his head on the dragon's forearms. He felt his wing slide over him, pulling him closer. The gryphon began to purr as Raheem groomed his cheek feathers lovingly.

Fabron trotted over to them, laying down on his belly beside them, smiling. "Hope you guys aren't too sleepy for a story."

"Never too sleepy for a story Pa..." Jaeden yawned, stretching his beak wide then closing it.

Raheem nodded, grooming a few of his brother's feathers back into place then resting his head down on his brother's head. He lifted his paw over the gryphons back and pulled him to his stomach, ruffling the feathers of his chest and then caressing them lazily.

Fabron rumbled contentedly and nodded his head. "Alright... I call this story Battle Of Brothers... It all started when..."

***

I had just gobbled down the last of my prey, licking the blood and juices from my lips and talons. I stood with my eyes closed. Raising my nose to the air, I drew in the sweet scents of the glorious forest and sighed happily. I made my way to a clearing, bathing in the sun's warmth, a deep purr vibrating from the back of my throat. I perked my ears, listening to the chirping of birds, the crunching and hopping of rabbits and other small critters as they explored the undergrowth. It was the perfect day. Or would have been.

Suddenly, violent hisses, snarls and growls harried my eardrums. I heard the sound of talons scraping against stone. My heart skipped a beat. I was not alone. I headed towards the disruptive sounds. As I drew closer to the conflict, not two - but three forms grew into my view. One was my brother; he stood, cornered against a wall of stone, his wings flared to the side and a long hiss dragging out from the back of his throat. He faced a pair of gryphons.

There was no time to think. Before you could say, "Gryphons!" I had launched myself into the battle. I balled the male gryphon over onto his side; we rolled, clawed and nipped at each other furiously. I held him against the ground and snarled, digging my claws into his shoulders. I leaned over to bite at his neck - hard but not too hard, just enough to hold him down. He winced as my teeth pressed against him. I was surprised when he spoke; "Stop! I yield! He can have the boar! Please don't let him hurt her!" He pleaded.

I looked over to my brother who fought with a female gryphon. He held her against the ground. They struggled against each other. I had experienced my brother's strength first hand in battle. He was strong, but not as strong as I was. He could kill her I thought, but it was already too late. My brother's jaws clamped down on her throat and her body pulsed and shook for a few moments. Blood oozed out between my brother's teeth as he snarled, letting her body drop to the floor, dead.

***

"I thought I was doing the right thing by helping family. But at that moment I had forgotten what he was really like. I had forgotten the past we had shared. The dark past..." Fabron sighed, turning to look at his kin.

"What do you mean by Dark past, Pa?" Raheem asked quietly.

"Well... Longhorns - my brother and I were always super competitive in our youth. We battled and fought, a lot like you two. Every evenly matched. We fought until one of us yielded. But one fight went too far. His arm broke. While he was recovering, I grew stronger, and stronger, leaving him in the dust. When he recovered he found that he could never beat me - no matter how hard he tried... he grew jealous of me, he blamed me as if I had broken his arm on purpose. He still blames me for it to this day... he did something bad, very bad." He sighed. Before any of his kin could say anything, he continued.

***

"I hope you've learned your lesson, gryphon. Never steal from a dragon, or I'll kill you too. Maybe I'll kill you anyway, it could be fun." Longhorns threatened.

"You touch him, or his mate again and I'll slit your throat. Go home before I kill you." I snarled.

He walked up to me, muscles rippling and his head held high. He was bigger than I'd last seen him. He was stronger, more powerful. Don't pick fights with him, you don't know how much he's changed since you last saw him, a voice in the back of my head told me but I ignored it.

"Brother, it's been years..." I watched as he began to circle me, comparing my body to his. Perhaps he was imagining snapping my neck? Sounded about right.

I snorted, frowning at him. "I told you what I would do if I saw you again..." I growled.

He snarled. "I see you haven't changed? Still not ready to forgive?"

"What you did was unforgivable... now get out of my territory! Or I'll kill you!"

"Come at me. Show me your teeth, your claws, your fire! Ah, fire, another thing you stole from me... as if a broken arm wasn't enough; you pierced my throat and destroyed my fire gland as well."

"I've told you one thousand times, that was an accident! Yet, sometimes I wish it wasn't, sometimes I wish my claws had pushed only a few inches deeper. Then you'd be dead."

"We both know you're not a killer." He snorted. "Why are you protecting this gryphon anyway? Do you feel sorry for him? Or are you thinking about your mate again? You know what it feels like to have someone you love ripped away from you don't you? Is this what it's about? Do you empathise with this gryphon? Pathetic!"

"You leave her out of this!" I growled, baring my teeth and digging my claws into the ground. "And leave him out of this too!" I threw my wing back, gesturing towards the gryphon.

He hissed. "Take your place, Fabron, for I challenge you to a battle, a duel."

"Fine. But I make the rules. This gryphon -"

"Rio, my names Rio." He said quietly.

"When Rio says the battle is over - or one of us is dead, the battle has ended. If I win I want you to leave and never come back."

"And if I win, you're all dead!"

We all took our places. I stood a few tails lengths away from my brother and we waited for the start of the battle. My talon twitched in anticipation yet I wasn't sure if I wanted to do this. He was right, I wasn't a killer... If only things didn't have to be this way...

Rio screeched the start of the battle. Longhorns charged, horns down, an unfriendly snarl across his muzzle. I dodged to the side, avoiding his attack, rolling across the ground then jumping up again. He charged me for the second time. For a moment, I was tempted to blast his scales with fire, but I turned down the idea. I fight with honour. I bent my head and burst forward. Like two bulls, our horns crashed together. We ground our heads, bashed horns against each other, then parted. I swiped at him - he reared back. I thrust myself forward and managed to pin him against his back on the ground. My claws pressed dangerously on his throat, right beside the scar I had given him years ago. I couldn't do it. "Rio. Please end the battle."

Longhorns smiled. "I knew you wouldn't ... wimp. I killed your mate and still, you won't kill me" I ignored his words and looked away as Rio called the end of the battle. I had won - this time. But I knew the war wasn't over...

***

"After that fight, I brought Rio home and we became great friends, we spent a lot of time together... he helped raise you, both of you."

"Why don't I remember him?" Jaeden whispered. "What happened to him? Will we see Longhorns again?"

"You were too young... and he well... he passed away in a glorious battle..." He sighed. "It's time to go to sleep..."

"But I want to know how Rio-- dad died... and you didn't answer my final question."

"That's a story for another night. And... well... I don't know if we'll see Longhorns again...."

The gryphon opened his beak to speak and then closed it. He nuzzled into his brother and closed his eyes.

"Goodnight..." Fabron whispered, stretching his wing over them protectively.

"Goodnight..." The two replied, closing their eyes.