Gryphon Aerie
#13 of Dragon Hunter Saga
The next morning our group left the little town behind with Lina traveling with us until we reach the land bridge and the gryphon home. On the journey I ask her why her and Terrance decided to remain behind, she had a good reason. "Well, Ma'am Hunter when we were wandering about the homes we saw how poorly those people lived. We both know we have skills needed to help them, however without a strong leader being put in place we probably would not have offered. Harry's a good man, he got caught in something bad. Now he can make it better than it was, his vision for the village isn't a bad one either. Maybe someday you will be able to come and see it." I ponder over what she said and admit I hope I do get a chance to see how Harry handles his town some point in the future, once the city I want to found is all set up and training of the twins is past what I need to show them.
The trip from the village to the gryphon's home by the sea took us three days, with Alberich, Cheshire and me out in front with the small cart of gryphon remains attached to Alberich. Cheshire was walking in front of us as if he were an honor guard. When we could view the ocean Cheshire stops and indicates a spot near the water, "best to have them set up camp there. We need to convince Harriet to let Mauve and Lance come with us, it's important." I tilt my head wondering how to best approach Harriet, and Alberich speaks. "I'll speak with her, I am sure she will see some reason. However Cheshire, you get to explain to Shadow he's not coming with us."
Alberich gives me a look and I side off his back and unhook the cart from him as he walks back to where Harriet was as Jake walks up to me. I see Shadow get off of Coal's back and Cassie looking amused as Cheshire walks stiffly over to my body guard and sits in front of him to converse. Most likely mind to mind as Shadow tends to not like to speak. Jake looks around and I wave toward the shore where Cheshire indicated.
"Cheshire suggests camping there, and it looks like it is near this side of the land bridge." I then nod to my left where the ground met rocky ground that spanned into the ocean. Jake nodding turns to look and stops a moment, "I traveled here once as a child and it was flat land then. There seems to be cliffs in the distance there where the birds are flying." I turn to where he was looking and watch for a moment, "Jake. Those aren't birds, well not quite birds. Those would be the gryphons.
Cheshire walks over and I see Shadow shaking his heading over to where Cheshire recommended camp to be built with Coal following like a puppy.
"Yes that would be the Gryphon's Aerie," he watches his cousins flying for a minute. "They will mourn those who died, that's why it is best to not have any humans come with us to speak with them. While they are expecting us, and;" He indicated the few who broke off to fly in a pattern. "They are aware we are here, we will need to head there soon before they come to discover why we are here." Cheshire looks to the group where Alberich is returning with the twins on his back and Lina walking towards us. Cheshire stands, "Lina I need you to wait till tomorrow to talk with their head Flight Leader. He will be the one to discuss you bringing humans to fish here, but they need to take care of their lost ones first." Lina looks at the cart with the remains and nods her head and goes to help set up camp.
Alberich stops in front of me, "she didn't argue with me. She only asked if they would be safe which I did assure her of. Can you help them off please it would be best if we approach with us all walking, it will show we have something grave to tell them." I help the two children off Alberich's back and Jake takes another look at the gryphons flying then pats my shoulder and walks to our soon to be camp.
I take Mauve and Lance's hands and walk over to the cart, with Cheshire getting in front of it and Alberich behind me. Cassie goes to come with us and Alberich shakes his head and she give the cart a sorrowful look then heads to the campsite. Cheshire looks to me briefly, "this will probably take an hour walking at the kids' pace. Most likely everyone in the Aerie will be waiting when we get there, they know my normal coat color is that of an orange house cat." I nod my head and we start walking towards the new cliffs that the gryphon's were flying around.
When we reached the halfway point the gryphons had stopped flying and had started gathering at the edge of the cliffs. Though there was a cleared area just before the beach area, which is where we were headed for. There was a lone Gryphon standing in the center of it while the others were on what appeared to be platforms along the cliffs. Cheshire explained the layout of the Aerie, "The Earth Dragon who made the land bridge had also along the coast areas of either side created cliff faces where there wasn't any for creatures who love the sea to make homes in. The lower cleared area is a gathering place for the leaders to address the whole of the Aerie, I asked some dwarves to construct the cliff platforms for the gryphons to gather on." I take a closer look at the cliffs, and the platforms did look like they were a constructed thing.
When we finally approached the clearing in front of the cliffs Cheshire changed his head to his eagle head, and I had a good look at the 'leader' in front of us. The cat portion of his body was spotted like a leopard and his head was more shaped like a falcon. Cheshire tilts his head slightly to look at me from one eye, {gryphons chose leaders based on flying ability not strength. The head of a whole Aerie is generally a smaller stature if they are a good flier. While good fighters tend to run the military wings.}
The gryphon ruffles his feather walks over to me and sniffs the cart and squawks and looks at Cheshire. Cheshire starts speaking in an assortment of whistles with a few shrieks added in, the leader looks in the cart again carefully. Then he turns to me and bows his head, {He's greeting you Gwen. He knows you can't understand his speech and is expecting me to translate}. I glance at Cheshire who hasn't taken his eyes off the Gryphon. "I greet you as a Hunter." I say uncomfortable as I don't know how to address the Gryphon, I wave at the cart. "We've returned you're lost brethren, and hope once you are done mourning to ask your aid to cross the land bridge. I also have a female waiting in my camp to discuss her bringing groups of humans to fish in these waters. I have also done as Cheshire asked and brought you the twin Hunter children in my care." I turn toward Mauve and Lance, the gryphons tilts his head as if thinking while looking the children over. He then glances at Cheshire who makes a sound akin to an owl's hoot. And the Gryphon turns to the larger group and makes a sound that merely sounds like he is repeating "kak" over and over.
{Like hyppogryphs gryphons cannot speak as a human does and very few can speak mind to mind as I can do}. I nod my head slightly in Cheshire's direction, and I see some movement up on the platforms as well as some random sqwaking. Then six rather large gryphons launch into the air and land gently near our group, and open their beaks slightly and look at me expecting something. {Take each bundle of remains and set one in each of their beaks, they will carry them out to sea. These are the Wing leaders, they decided it would be best to have them carry them to their final home.} I quickly comply with Cheshire's statements and once the six had all the bundles they launched into the air again heading out to sea.
The group on the platforms shuffle about again with a bit more sqwaking, then two fuzzy young gryphons walk down a ramp I hadn't noticed on the side of the platforms. {Children of the age these two are can't fly as yet their wings aren't developed enough to hold their bulk. It will probably be a year or two before they can.} I stay still as the two youngsters come closer and notice they are two separate colors one all black and one all white. {Their coloring is an oddity but that comes from the fact they are not quite normal for a gryphon.}
The white one bounds closer leaving the black one behind, {what uncle Cheshire means is we're considered inbred. The feline type we are is what is commonly called a Liger and our raptor type is a harpy eagle.} The white one bounces in front of me like a kitten, oddly reminding me of Cheshire when he hears the women are going to be baking sweets. The black one reaches us, {my sister forgets her manners Hunter. I am Dusk my exuberant sister is Dawn, and as our different}; his speech halts a minute as if looking for a word. {Breed? I guess is the right word, our different breeds of feline types tend to mate with similar types to not create any}. He pauses to mentally chuckle, {oddities}.
I watch as the remaining gryphons take flight out to the ocean shrieking as they fly off the leader taking off with them. Cheshire reverts to his orange color and his cat head, "and they have already decided you don't exist anymore younglings. I am sorry for the fact they think you are so strange, you can go to the water's edge and shriek for your parents there." I turn my head to Cheshire with a questioning look and he answers. "There parents had been missing in the last year, some of the feather's match the patterns for them. While their parents were truly mated the rest of the group considered it like humans do marrying your sibling." I nod my head and look between the two sets of twins.
Dusk, who at current size was as big as a mastiff dog; came forward and bumped his head against my chest. {It's alright Hunter, we mourned them a year ago when they never came back. As to which we are paired to?} Dusk turns and looks at Mauve and Lance, then walks up to Mauve. Who looks at him for a few minutes then she breaks into laughter, I had never heard her laugh the entire time she had been with us. Dawn bounds over to Lance who was trying to not smile at her antics.
Cheshire chuckles, "I believe it has sorted itself out Gwen. We should return to the camp, leave the cart for the Aerie. They'll probably collect water in it." I nod my head and climb onto Alberich's back and turn to tell the twins to come over and get on Alberich when they both jumped onto the two young gryphons excitedly. Cheshire settles behind me on Alberich's rump and chuckles, "oh they're not just guardians Gwen they are meant to be mounts as well. Have you ever seen how large a Liger can get?" I shrug my shoulders not knowing how big they can get, but guessing on Cheshire's comment I imagine they are huge.
Alberich starts walking towards the camp noting how swiftly the gryphons can move with a rider. "They will need some very good training to strengthen, especially if we plan on the possibility for them to fly with those two on their backs. I will handle their strength training Cheshire, I expect you to teach them some fancy flying, then once they are good at it we'll work on them doing the fancy flight with riders. As to fighting, it'll have to be a group effort." I wonder what he meant by his statement there as of course it would be a group effort to train a Hunter gryphon pair.
I look to Cheshire, "how is it all the different 'breeds' of gryphon understand each other so well? As they all have a different sounds?" Cheshire lifts his head off his forelegs, "simple. To them they are all speaking the same language, a human ear hears them as different sounds. I change my head to speak to them as it is easier for them to understand speech in their own language. While SwiftFoot could understand what you were saying, it took him four years of listening to me speak in human tongue to get him to that point."
I nod my head in understanding and ask an important question, "so why can those two speak to humans?" Cheshire's head shoots up, "well." Alberich tosses his head in annoyance, "might as well tell her; she might need the information later." Cheshire lowers his head slightly conceding some point to Alberich. "My species thinks that Gryphons at one point could speak like most other of the 'mythical' species can. However over time they just bred that ability out of their lineage, and I think the key is in mixing of their lines that would give them that ability again. I also do not think they are the only ones of their type, but inquiring of a gryphon's heritage is like an elf." I could feel Alberich's laughter at the comment as he adds in, "that is because like elves they have a long proud line of ancestors going back so many generations of pure breeding. It can be quite boring to listen to." I chuckle hoping I never have to sit through one of those.
When we enter the camp Harriet who was walking towards the edge of camp once she knew we were back; took one look at the gryphons and paused. It looked like she was trying to decide if the two fuzzy and fluffy gryphons were dangerous or not. Alberich seeing the look on her face walks over with me still on his back and lays his head on her shoulder. "I solemnly promise Harriet those two not quite fledglings are their guardians and mounts they would never harm them." Alberich reassured her and she looked up to me and I say. "Well think now you have a majorly extended family, unlike the other's of their kind they can speak though just mind to mind." Harriet nods slowly and straightens her top as if gathering herself to settle her emotions correctly and walks over to the children. Lance speaks, "Hey look Dawn it's our new mom; her name is Harriet. You'll like her," I was astounded. These two youngsters had gotten the twins out of their silence, this pairing was already looking very positive.
As I slide off Alberich, Jake walks over. "So new additions I am guessing?" The tea he had just taken a drink from spewing out of his nose when he hears Mauve laughing. "They're talking? Laughing? OK I am sold on them being part of the group." Cheshire chuckles from up on Alberich's rump. Harriet takes the children off hopefully to feed them all, and I notice that Cassie is watching Calliope. I turn to Jake, "so what's going on with Calliope that has Cassie so interested?" Jake turns and looks not looking very happy, "Calliope berated the child for not having a full horn. The youngster is not angry with Calliope, she pities her. I think she is keeping an eye on the baby, as we all know she can read minds if necessary I am guessing Cassie 'heard' something that bother's her." Alberich shakes his head, "if the girl thinks it's important she'll tell us otherwise it's best to let her do as she wishes on this. What was Tammy's reaction to what Calliope did?" Jake smiles a little, "she had her spanked then washed her mouth out with soap." Alberich starts heaving from laughter, "oh that one is good. Neither will harm the baby either. I shall have to go and thank her." Alberich wanders off with Cheshire still asleep on top of him.
Jake grabs my shoulder, "so when do you think we will be able to start crossing?" He asks while looking at the land bridge, I look at it too slowly picking out little bits of green starting to grow on the barren pathway. "I think at the earliest tomorrow, and the latest next week. I suggest using Lina while we are here and catch some fish to salt, we do have a few barrels in the wagon. If we can fill them we'll definitely have plenty of food for the trek across that thing."Jake takes his hand from my shoulder and heads into the camp to notify everyone of the plans. I keep looking out over the bridge and the ocean and hope that our journey across the ocean will be uneventful.