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The village was bustling with activity; even in as morning fog still lingered around the edges of the village wall. The Elder stood on the porch of his grand hut, leaning on his staff for support. His eyes had long since begun to fade away, leaving him virtually blind to anything more than nine feet away, but his ears had not faded away. He was able to take in the sounds of early morning chatter between adults, and the groans from children as they awoke. The Elder sighed, this was a wonderful thing to hear.

The new blood and the old brought joy to his tired bones. He knew all their names and voices, and considered it a bad thing to not hear them each day. All of them were obeying the maker's plan of taking little from the land and thus leaving it plentiful for generations to come, well, all of the Rapax except one. Sarah.

The Elder thought fondly of the falconess, for she'd done much for the tribe; and done it with a gift they'd once called a curse! He wished for her to return to the village and set up her home here, but she preferred her shack in the trees to the north, and he could not fault her for that. He walked through the village, observing the goings on within and noticed something about the villagers; they were all pointing to a sky. Soon the sounds of frantic wing beats filled his ears and not too long after that a young avian landed in front of them. He was a well-built youth, with all manner of satchels slung around his chest. He kneeled before the elder.

"Hello there my dear Elder." Said the avian. "I come from the lands under the domain of Madam Ginger with an urgent message." He pulled a letter from a pouch and handed it out to the Elder. He knew of Ginger, a gryphon from the north and the ruler of a large and powerful domain. Her people were far more technologically advanced than his people were, constructing great buildings of stone instead of huts of lumber. They also had weapons and armor far superior to the leather and stone sort the Rapax had. Great as her lands were, she had been on the Elder's mind a good deal of time before hand. Ginger was a powerful individual, and it would be best to get on her good side, but she was also quite greedy when things came to land size.

"My ability to read has become nullified due to my old eyes. Please, read it yourself." The youth nodded enthusiastically and stood sharply.

"Certainly Sir." The avian tore open the letter and cleared his throat. "My Dear Elder of the Rapax tribe, I, Madam Ginger of the Haila Kingdom, invite you to come to my Hall for drinks and parties and the discussion on future expansion and growth of our territories. I wish for us to become fast friends and powerful allies. If you wish to take up my offer for a friendly talk be in my home by this time next week and, if you do come along, that you should stay with us for two days. I also request that, should you come, that you bring along Sarah. Her reputation has spread far and wide and I long to speak with this famous falcon."

The youth had stuttered a bit on the last part, and hand tugged at his tunic. "I err, ran into her by the way my Elder Rapax. She's, sort of aggressive Sir."

"She's probably hungry, and you showing up without invitation, well...no telling what goes through her mind when her belly is rumbling. What did she do?" Said the Elder. The youth scratched the back of his head.

"Well, she didn't do much but tell me of what her duties are, that she would eat me if I cause any trouble and that she would escort me here. She's perched upon that hill behind me now; I can feel her eyes on me." The Elder looked up and could see the vague shape of the hill, but not the shape of the tribe's beloved warrior, but he didn't doubt she was there.

"I appreciate your effort my good bird," Said the Elder. "I shall consider her offer." The courier bowed to the Elder and then took off, flying quickly back the way he came. The old avian stepped back into his hut to think. A moment later Sarah entered the Elder's home, looking curious as ever.

"I take it he was indeed a courier?" She asked. The Elder nodded and motioned for her to take a seat on the floor with him. "What did he have to share with us?" She continued as she crossed her legs.

The Elder sat quietly as he mused, rubbing a finger over the wood of his staff. Did Ginger wish for the Rapax lands to fold into her lands? If so a war would be inevitable between them, for he couldn't agree to those demands, but with only a thought of her forces a chill went down her spine. He hoped, for the sake of goodness, that she wanted to discuss something far more positive.

"Sarah, do you know who Madam Ginger is?" Sarah shook her head. "Ginger is a strange bird indeed. I know of her merely from the time our last Elder took me to meet her. She eliminated many tribes to include our far, far neighbors, the Blues, in one single day." The Elder paused, and took a breath. "But her iron fist isn't what her strength is completely comprised of. It is her voice. She has an incredibly sweet and smooth tone, its motherly even and incredibly persuasive and hard to say no to. I swear she could convince someone to commit murder just by talking to them."

"Did she do anything about the Killions?" Asked Sarah, interrupting the air of silence that fell after the Elder finished speaking. The Elder tapped a finger against his staff and shook his head.

"No, from what I understand they came to a peaceful resolution...unfortunately; again its possibly due to her voice. Now she has sent us an invite that we cannot possibly refuse. But the fact that she has asked for you specifically Sarah confuses me most of all."

"What should we do?" Asked Sarah.

"I've not a clue. My only hope is that we can somehow please her and escape with all our feathers intact. But I see no way around it other than going to her home and doing our absolute best to not offend her. Still, the bit about you bothers me. Asking us to bring our best to her door step when word of her domination has spread so far makes me very concerned for you." Sarah suddenly stood.

"Then let's simply go and do that." Said Sarah, standing up. "She has amassed an incredible territory and runs it well, thus she should be of a sane and reasonable mind and would be open to politicking. And I am capable of defending myself if this turns out to be an elaborate ruse." The other's looked at the Elder, curiosity gleaming in their eyes.

"Sarah, Ginger would be a foe unlike any you've faced before. She is not some bird you can easily devour."

"I swallowed Frnth didn't I? I doubt that a gryphon would be much more of a challenge to deal with than a dragon...granted Frnth was a small dragon, but the point still remains." The Elder sat still.

"Are you hungry Sarah?" Asked the Elder. The falconess raised a brow, confused as to what her hunger would have to do with anything, but she still nodded. "I thought so. Sarah, I don't know if you're aware of it but you don't exactly...think when you're hungry. I know that we've got to go and answer Ginger's call, but we cannot carry the aggression you've got right now, understand?" Sarah stood in silence for a few minutes, her gut gurgling nearly silently but hungrily. "Sarah, I've got something's to attend to if we're to meet Ginger's call, but you need to get your head together for this. If we go into this with any sort of animosity she will be able to tell and the very last thing we need. Now, help yourself to what I've got hanging in the smoker...and if you will, hang about the village for a little while instead of heading right back home."

Later, Sarah sat on her bed in her home; a wooden shack built into a small cave. She laid on her back with one hand rubbing her distended belly full of a bull elk, (even after devouring the hanging haunches in the Elder's hut she still had to go out and find something more) and thought over and over about various things, some concerning the upcoming venture, but mostly it was the same random things she thought about all day. Her guts gurgled as her prey writhed within and made her belch a little; she giggled at herself.

Her mind began to wonder at what exactly Ginger had in mind. Her tribe had had enough with fighting folks, dragon, human, gryphon or otherwise, and with the words of warning from her Elder she did see the benefit of going into this with a clear, rational mind. Looking back at her protruding gut and poking it, she could feel her mind preforming a little more proficiently. She analyzed her mindset before she'd devoured anything today and confirmed that she did in fact have an issue with thinking clearly on an empty stomach.

She grabbed a leather-bound journal and wrote her thoughts into it, thinking that it would be behooving of her to keep track of this discovery of herself. Sarah soon fell into a rocky sleep. Her bedding was long overdue to be replaced by something fresher and more relaxing, and her meal still kicked and writhed for the better part of an hour. But she did at last drift off to the dream world.

The day to depart finally came three days later and Sarah found herself packing lightly, placing only her journal and ink bottle into her messenger's bag; she knew if food were an issue she could simply hunt something down. She also made doubly sure that her home was locked up tight. When she'd gone to the aid of the blubbery dragon she'd returned to find her hut ransacked. She knew who'd done the crime, for he'd left his signature mark on her door, but she couldn't catch him since he lived in Killion territory; the one place she could not go. She went to a nearby stream and gurgled water in her crop, washing both it and her mouth out. After finding all things ready and secure, she left for the village.

When she arrived she found the Elder making last minute preparations; including sending out a letter to his gluttonous dragon friend, claiming that he asked his old friend to keep an ear open in case any word of trouble creeps along the mountains. Sarah however felt it was unnecessary.

The two of them flew over fields and mountains and brooks and streams with calm and content wing strokes, confidant in themselves that this would go over smoothly and that they would return to find their home intact; The Elder had left his eldest son Flynn in command of things until he returned. The Elder called for stops regularly for his old bones and joins required a rest every so often, but only needed ten minutes at a time before he was ready and able to go yet again. Sarah were grateful for that, for it meant they would arrive sooner, and get home sooner, but she did have a secret desire for the Elder's tongue to grow tired.

He lectured nonstop about how to behave, that they set precedent for the Rapax in this land. He spoke of manner of talk, greetings and eating properly; all of it interesting at first and quite important, but when he began to repeat himself it became boring. Soon a large settlement appeared in the valley beneath them, large and dwarfing anything that Sarah had seen before; only by being up so high was she able to see the entirety of the city. In the center of it stood a large, towering building which she knew to be Madam Ginger's home. Shortly thereafter they were greeted by two gleaming soldiers; a roc and a gryphon, both of whom demanded what business they had here.

"We've come to answer the call of the Madam. Could you please take us to her?" Said the Elder. The roc looked the two of them over, studying their faces intently.

"Are you the one they call Sarah?" He asked.

"I am that bird indeed." The roc and the gryphon exchanged glances of a curios sort; they looked unnerved, frightened even. They whispered something in each other's ears while they had their eyes trained on Sarah, and her gut. The gryphon then cleared his throat and began speaking.

"Then you two are indeed welcome to join our dear Madam, for you are the most welcome of guests, my dear Rapax duo...come, let us show you to the Hall's grand doors." And so the two guards flew them to two large and imposing doors; the things towered over them and were so heavy that it took three strong eagles on each side to push them apart. Sarah noticed that they looked rather pale and sickly and defeated. They also wore threadbare clothing that had to chafe something fierce. The Elder didn't seem to notice and walked right on inside, but Sarah hesitated, looking at the six eagles with a concerned expression. They noticed this as well and gave her an equal look back. She felt a hand on her shoulder that began to push her inside.

"Ginger is waiting Sarah." She looked behind and saw it was the gryphon ushering her inside. She complied, after flicking the gryphon's hand off her shoulder, but still gave the birds a longing expression. She mentally prepared herself to meet the infamous character, pondering what she looked like and how she carried herself; Regal and Powerful, or Arrogant and full of herself? Inside she found the place to be beyond words, for it was truly breath taking. Thickly veined marble on the floor, great pillars at lengths, upholding a brilliantly painted ceiling and statues of every manner of creature to exist dotted the floor. In the center was a long dining table that led to a tall and wide throne of gold. And in that seat sat a green and pink feathered gryphon; Ginger.

Ginger's feathers gleamed in the light, amplifying her brilliance. She wore a red and gold robe, and a pointed silver crown, and had greatly oversized wings, almost comically so. She also had a very large belly that hung between her legs as she sat in a reclined position; Sarah could see that some of the buttons on the top of her clothing were missing, thus was probably why the buttons in the middle of her form were undone. Sarah stared for a moment at the glutinous gryphon intently for a moment, trying to decide if she was the same size or large than Firth; the dragon Sarah had eaten some time ago. She decided that, due to her belly, that Ginger was slightly larger. Ginger was in the middle of having her belly rubbed by two other gryphons (in the same manner of clothing as the avians outside), and another eagle tending to her feet. She appeared to be at the brink of falling asleep, for her eyes were closed and her breathing calm.

"What is it Reginald?" She called to the roc. "I'm in the middle of relaxing." The Elder hadn't lied about the Madam's voice; it was indeed soft and alluring.

"Madam Ginger, the Rapax group has arrived." Ginger's eyes snapped open and she looked down upon the male falcon in front of her and her eyes grew confused, but when they shifted towards where Sarah was standing and they softened, growing warm and inviting.

"Ah, so glad you decided to come!" She shouted with delight; her servants where doing their best to button Ginger's robe back together, but were finding some difficulty and it took the third servant to bring it to a close. The gryphon seemed to show no gratitude for them however, and stood up so quickly that the servants were bowled over. The gryphon came towards the Rapax Elder, who began to bow to her, but she pushed past him to stand before Sarah. "So you are the one I've heard such a great deal about. You! Then one who ate an entire village to save your tribe, and then ate an entire dragon just as a favor for another. I'm, honored to talk with you." She extended an arm out and shook Sarah's wing-hand vigorously.

"T-Thank you Madam." Sarah spoke with uncertainty, stuttering a little. She'd never experienced this sort of greeting before, much less had someone admire her like a celebrity. Far as she'd been concerned she'd only done what'd been necessary to save her tribe. "Umm, that's my Elder there. I think you and he had some matters to talk about."

"Oh of course! He and I do have a good deal of politicking and debating to do. But you and I must converse later. I am a huge fan of your..." Ginger's eyes darted towards Sarah's gut. "Gift. Reginald, see to it that our guest here is shown to our finest room."

"Um, Madam, not to be offensive but I'd much prefer it if I stayed and heard the matters we've come here to discuss." Said Sarah. Ginger folded her arms across her chest, well attempted to anyway, and looked at the falcon with a curious expression.

"But a poor, hungry thing like you must desire a bit of rest no? Go along to your room dear." Without any reason to be compelled to do so, Sarah began to turn on her heel and follow the roc down a hallway. After she'd begun walking she glanced back at Ginger (who'd gone to greet the Elder), she marveled at how quickly her voice had gotten to her, and made her act against what she wished to do.

The roc and gryphon guard pulled her along (Sarah promptly shook their hands off her shoulders) and lead her up many, many flights of stairs to the very top of the Madam's home. Along the way they pasted many statues and paintings, all of which depicted a great bird devouring some massive celestial object, a sun, and then belching fire. She thought it was strange to see the same image done over and over again, although done by a different artist, but she wasn't going to tell Ginger what to do with her coin. Eventually they reached the top and came to two doors facing each other.

"That one there is the Madam's room, the other shall be yours." Explained the gryphon in a cold tone. Though when the falconess whipped around to look at him he cowered and shied away from her. Sarah stared at the doors for a moment, and then back down the stairway.

"Where shall he stay?" She asked.

"He'll stay in the rooms bellow us." Said the roc. "Ginger is quite the follower of yours and insisted that if you did come that you got the best room she could offer. I know you probably won't feel comfortable being above your leader, but it is her orders to place you here. And, truthfully I say this from experience, don't turn down her generosity." Sarah's uncertainty of Ginger's affinity for her grew even more. She certainly didn't want to upset the Madam, but this sort of, dare she think it, worship bothered her. So, with a good deal of hesitation she stepped inside.

The room was immaculate and exemplary in every way. Everything she took in proceeded to wow her mind, for the room was crafted with the same love and affection as the rest of the building. The bed was plush and cozy, and far more inviting than her bed of furs back home. But as she began to look around she noticed things. Strange things. The room's furniture seemed to have been made for someone that had eaten a very large meal or were bestowed with the figure that Ginger had.

"Let us know if you need anything Sarah." Said Reginald. The falcon nearly jumped at his voice; she'd become so lost with the room's furnishings that she'd forgotten she wasn't alone in here. The duo began to leave the room but the roc stopped and stood still for a moment. "Sarah, I know it's strange, even for the Madam, but she was so looking forward to meeting you and well, she'd ordered a dress be made for you. Now, of course it isn't ready yet but now that you're here I can send for the maker to come get your measurements. So be expecting a knock on your door in an hour or so."

"Beg your pardon?" Retorted Sarah. Reginald sighed and stepped back into the room.

"I said Ginger is having an outfit for you made."

"Whatever for? Mine is perfectly crafted and more than I could ask for. Why do I need another?"

"It is the Madam's wish."

"But this," Sarah grabbed at her top to exemplify it. "Was crafted by a friend. Well, actually a friend of a friend, I'm more of an acquaintance with the crafter. But nonetheless I am greatly appreciative of it and would feel as though I were betraying my loyalty to one that's done such a kind thing for me by accepting the Madam's dress."

The roc sighed and scratched his temples. "Look Sarah, I said it before; it is most unwise to turn down the Madam's gifts. That is how the tribes such as the Blues had war declared upon them. I say this not to threaten you, but to alert you to the consequences of what you're thinking. I've grown tired of seeing decent folk slain because they upset the Madam with something quite small. I'll let you make your decision." The roc then left before Sarah could say anything back.

She stood there thinking. The Madam was indeed a fan of hers if she was to go as far as having an outfit sown up for her. But she couldn't help but find it a tad creepy that the gryphon was going to such lengths to gain her friendship. She looked over her own clothes and pondered what the Madam found wrong with them. But she supposed that it was because she came from a life in the trees and Ginger one of luxury in the city that led the gryphon to desiring her idol be fitted with newer, fresher attire.

Sarah sat on the bed again, relishing its plush, downy goodness. It was like sleeping on a cloud in comparison to her bed at home, and it wasn't long before she slipped away into a blissful snooze; but unfortunately it wasn't a long one, nevertheless she felt as though she'd had a full night of it when the dresser arrived. He was a tiny bird, as most swallows are; he barely stood to her gut but insisted he could do the job better than one twice his height. He had in one hand a large leather pouch and in the other a stool. Behind him was Ginger, towering over both of them.

The gryphon took a seat in one of the wide chairs with her arms crossed and resting on her girth, looking over the dresser's work very intently, which proceeded to make Sarah uncomfortable, not to include the unfamiliar feeling of measuring tape zipping and stretching around her as the swallow wrote down her sizes on a small piece of paper. She tried to make out the scribbling that the bird made, for it was wiry and hardly legible and eventually giving up and concentrated on remaining calm under such scrutiny.

"Done!" Said the dresser after what felt like an eternity for poor Sarah. Grateful though she was to be done, she had noticed that the dresser himself had seemed to be in a hurry to leave, and he looked tense under Ginger's scrutiny.

"Let me see the measurements." Demanded the Madam as she stood up. The swallow handed the paper over, his hand shaking. Ginger looked them over with the same intensity as she'd watched him at work, and Sarah worried that the poor swallow would be punished for doing something incorrectly. But Ginger's face softened and she nodded with vigor, and her voice showed her approval. "Looks perfect. You'll have it ready before dinner tonight, right?"

"Well, Madam I don't know if I can have it done that early, but-"

"You'll have it ready before dinner tonight, right?" Ginger repeated, sounding less pleased than just a moment ago. The swallow fidgeted and rubbed his hands together, and then nodded so hard Sarah thought he'd broken his neck.

"Yes Madam, I'll have it prepared for Sarah before dinner. Forgive me for even implying that I couldn't accomplish such a feat in such time." The dresser shrank away from the gryphon, looking meeker and meeker by the second.

"Good. If you manage it I will double your pay." The swallow brightened up at that and gave Ginger many thanks and assurances before departing, a far happier avian than he'd been when Sarah had first laid eyes on him. "Poor thing, I shouldn't have placed such a demand on him like that. But I just want to show my admiration for you Sarah."

"Madam, if I must speak freely...I-I," Sarah swallowed and caught her words, remembering what the roc had said about the Madam's generosity and wish to be on good terms with her. "I cannot thank you enough for all you've done for us. Grand rooms and from what I understand a meal, it's more than enough. You've defiantly made earned my admiration, and I can assure you that you've acquired my friendship." The gryphon raised a brow and stared at Sarah a moment, looking slightly puzzled, but then started smiling.

"Thank you and you're welcome. But this dress is something that simply must be done. As does this. Reginald!" The roc entered the room with a small box in his hands; it looked like a tiny chest. He came to stand before Sarah and presented it to her, kneeling down like one would do when they're about to be knighted. Sarah took the little chest from him, her hands shaking a little. "Open it Sarah, open it." Ginger continued.

Sarah did just that and discovered a large ruby necklace inside. Weather it was due to her avian instincts to find such a shiny object attractive, she couldn't say, but she did know that she wanted it dearly. Ginger's hands intruded her view of the gem as the gryphon plucked it from the box's plush interior.

"I know I'm being rather generous with the gifts," Said Ginger as she fastened the necklace around the falcon's neck, the ruby resting against Sarah's chest piece; she was then able to see a sharp contrast between her attire of the forest and that of the city. "And can tell that makes you uneasy, but trust me when I say that this necklace and the dress are the last gifts I give you."

"What about dinner?" Sarah asked, relieved at last with the knowledge that these major gifts would stop being thrust upon her. The gryphon chuckled and dismissed Reginald once again.

"Oh yes, how could I forget such a thing as dining? Yes, you have a promised Dinner and Breakfast and Lunch whenever you should want them." She spoke with a wing stretched out around Sarah, pulling her against her side. The falcon tried not to squirm, but when she sank into the gryphon's side just from the casual contact she got a bit squeamish. But the gryphon seemed not to notice, and instead hugged Sarah tighter against her flab and began to walk out of the room and into the hall, pulling the falcon along.

Sarah tried to distance herself but found the wing to be just as strong as it was constricting, refusing to budge; she began to grasp that Ginger was physically strong, despite what her massive gut would suggest. So she relented and went along with the Madam to a shutter door at the end of the hall. Stepping through it and taking Sarah along with her they came to a large balcony overlooking the city below. The madam sighed and released Sarah from her grasp.

"I love the view from here." Said Ginger. "I can see for miles around and even glimpse the sea on the horizon. Does your home have a place so high up, Sarah?"

"Besides the mountains, no there isn't. But I don't need a large perch to see that far Madam." The falcon fanned her wings, creating a cool gust of wind. "These provide me with the best of views."

"Ah, that is certainly true. Wings do offer quite the view, unfortunately mine grow tired easily...but they served their purpose to me well enough in my younger days, and thus deserve rest."

"Younger days? You don't look all that old to me." The Madam batted a wing at Sarah and giggled.

"Oh you flatter me, but I do not turn down the compliment. Trust me Sarah, I am quite possibly old enough to be your mother." Ginger walked to the other end of the balcony, towards a table and two more of those wide chairs. Looking back over her shoulder the gryphon motioned for Sarah to join her. Walking towards it herself, Sarah noticed a long tassel hanging from the wall, like what would be found at the end of a bell rope, and she pondered whatever could such a thing be used for.

Her curiosity was soon replaced by a feeling of meekness as she sat in one of the large chairs. She felt swallowed by the oversized thing, finding it hard to even rest her arms on its sides comfortably and it gave her a greater sense of scale with Ginger, who completely filled her chair. And it was at that moment that Sarah began to reevaluate her initial comparison between the gryphon and Frnth. Ginger was indeed larger, much larger.

"Are you thirsty Sarah?" Asked the gryphon. Sarah wasn't the least bit parched, but nevertheless found herself nodding along to Ginger's soothing voice. The gryphon appeared pleased and pulled on the tassel above them. Sarah could hear the chiming sounds of little bells inside the wall, traveling down to the bottom of the tower. "I've grown quite lazy. Use to I'd drop down and ask for a drink to be brought to me, now I can just pull one of these and a servant comes running up. Isn't technology grand?"

"I suppose it is. Ginger, may I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Ginger, how did you come to power here? I noticed on the flight down to your doors that the majority of the people here are eagles and rocs, hardly any gryphons present. I mean absolutely no offence with this; I'm merely trying to figure out a bit about you since you know so much about me." Ginger chuckled and leaned back in her chair, as though she were reminiscing on some fond memory.

"Offence has certainly not been taken my dear, it is a perfectly valid question. Yes, my kind is few in number here, but I am not in any way related to any of those who live here. I was cast out of my home long ago, for reasons...too painful to bring up again, but I was thrown out into the world nevertheless. I was found one day by the former king that lived here, and he took me to be his own child. I learned much from his teachings, and even more from his library...much more. I grew a small following, of which Reginald was my first, and I began to plot revenge on my hateful tribe but couldn't gain enough of a following to command any sort of force. I also learned that I couldn't inherit any part of the kingdom when the king would die, for I was not family by blood and I feared that my step brother would have me cast out, for he hated me.

"I began looking for ways to assert my position in the line, but found no paper work regarding this and wouldn't stand to be cast out again. I suppose you could say I was...hungry for power. For if I hadn't I wouldn't have even considered the Ritual of Mnemiuth. I was quite a skeptic at first, for how could a ritual exchange my place in line with that of the king. But, it did. It was hard at first to adjust myself, but I did it to assure my place on the throne. I had to have it you see."

"And the old king, let you do it?" Ginger nodded.

"Yes. He was quite hesitant at first but in the end he accepted it. The ceremony took some time to prepare, for his body wasn't in the proper condition that the ritual called for. Poor old bird, died sometime after. I did extract my revenge on my tribe with my followers and the strategies inherited from the king, but my stepbrother got away, fleeing off into the unknown. I've tried to find him since but have come up empty handed."

"What was his name?"

"Rexan." Sarah's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, simply shocked at the coincidence that came to her ears.

"Madam, I've had a thief sack my home before. A quite infamous one at that, and one who shares that same name. No, I can't chase after him because he flees to Killion territory when chased, a place I'm not to enter." Ginger's face showed her own surprise. She then smiled widely.

"Well, I am on good terms with those folk. I'll see what I can do to remedy our situation." At that time a servant came up with a tray holding two tall goblets, both gold, and placed it on the table. Yet another observation Sarah made in the string of oversized things, the goblet she took filled both her hands where only a few of Ginger's fingers could support hers. Looking down in the cup she saw that the liquid it held was yellowish in color, and had a sweet smell coming from it. Before the servant left Ginger spoke with him about Rexan, and gave a strange word that Sarah had never heard before. But the servant nodded and left quickly. "Well, now we play the waiting game. We may see justice done at last. Drink up dear."

Again Sarah found herself swayed by Ginger's motherly tone and drank from the large goblet. The liquid taste exactly as it smelled, sweet. Actually too sweet for Sarah's liking and she found herself running her tongue across her beak to try and remove the outrageous flavor.

"The wine takes some getting used to. Trust me though, it will become more tolerable as you drink it." Said Ginger, to which Sarah replied,

"I hope so. It's overpowering my sense of taste right now." The fat gryphon simply chuckled.

"Sarah I think I did well with giving you that necklace, it just seems to make you pop out of a crowded room, despite there not being a soul here but the two of us." Sarah cracked a smile, thanking the maker for giving her feathers that hide blush. She took another swallow of the drink alongside Ginger, almost in a mechanical fashion and purely out of a need to not seem awkward as the gryphon drank hers.

"I have to thank you yet again for it, it does seem rather glorious."

"I should say so, its magic after all!"

"Magic?" Sarah said, suddenly very intrigued with the jewel dangling from her neck. Ginger clucked.

"Yes magic indeed. That's the second part of a set. The other was given to a dragon far to the north, as a gift to appease him and keep him from being a threat to my kingdom. Hmm...its actually been some time since I've seen him, he's probably still absurdly heavy...in wealth that is. The necklace gave him great skill in acquiring a massive hoard which has thus nullified his want to expand his territory; which was a strange side effect I must admit I didn't-" Ginger finally noticed that Sarah was too lost in thought over the ruby and was paying very little attention to what the gryphon was saying. The Madam chuckled. "Sarah...you're letting your drink go to waste."

Still staring at the necklace Sarah took another gulp of the yellow liquid, finding it to be a bit bitterer than before, and she also felt hungrier. They sat there for several minutes in utter silence, with Sarah drinking in tandem with Ginger.

"Sarah, mind if I ask something of you?" The falcon looked up at the gryphon and nodded; it was only fair since she'd asked something of Ginger. "I know of your exploits. Saving your tribe from destruction by eating whole those who would kill them, and eating a dragon for spreading lies, but I have to ponder if you have ever wanted a break from it all."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Began Ginger. "From what I can ascertain, you devote your days to patrolling the skies above your home day in, and day out. Quite a noble profession if I do say so. But I think that all that time on deserves a little time off, wouldn't you say?"

That gave Sarah cause to pause and reflect. Now that Ginger had brought it up, yes, she did feel a bit worn from her task; one she'd performed dutifully for several years now. She took several swallows of the drink offered, longer and deeper than the ones before, and yet her stomach felt emptier all the more. Before she knew it she'd downed the whole concoction. She placed her cup on the table and leaned back into the plush of the large chair, thinking of what Ginger had brought to her mind. But as she stared off in the distance, her eyes began to droop down to her middle, which was bulging slightly from the goblet's drink. She shifted a bit and felt and heard the liquid slosh about in her belly; it occurred to her that by drinking such a large quantity of fluids she'd teased her stomach into thinking it was dinner time.

"Here, have some more, dear." Said Ginger as she poured the contents of her goblet into Sarah's. Sarah nodded with thanks and took hold of the cup and began drinking; not noticing that her cup had nearly been filled to the brim again as she was too preoccupied with thought. She drank and drank from the oversized glass, despite it seeming to become ever bitterer, and her belly grew ever more ravenous and swollen as she finished off her second glass. As she placed the goblet back on the table she noticed Ginger observing her belly with fascination.

At that moment Reginald burst through the doors to announce that dinner was almost prepared and that the swallow was on his way up with Sarah's new attire. Ginger smiled contently, and told the roc to give the swallow a larger sum for his efforts. Sarah and the gryphon stood but Ginger stopped Sarah from moving on, pulling her into yet another tight embrace, this time with an arm instead of a wing.

"Sarah, your Elder said you two intend to leave tomorrow," Ginger spoke with her warm, motherly tone as before but this time it seemed extra sweeter and smoother than before. "But after what I've said, do you want to go back so soon?" Sarah couldn't come up with an answer immediately, which is to be expected; her heart and mind couldn't agree. The Rapax were all she'd ever known, but at the same time Ginger had brought up some points she felt were true. "Tell you what, you go slip into your outfit and give me an answer before we begin dinner. Sound good?" Sarah could only nod as a response. Ginger giggled and squeezed the falcon a little tighter.

Sarah was given privacy of course to change into the soft blue and gold dress, with a section of stretchy black fabric across where her belly was. It fit her snuggly but not so much she struggled for room and all in all she as impressed that such an outfit could be crafted on such short notice; though the hanging stands on the outfit's back did confuse her. If there was one problem with it, it would be the middle. The elasticity of the black fabric and waist sections made her gut look more pronounced, drawing attention to it and making appear far more rounded and full than what it actually was; though she supposed having drank from that large glass didn't help the dress' case all that much.

She couldn't find any further issues with the dress for her mind was focusing on what Ginger had said. And though she was loath to turn away from her tribe, she did find herself wanting to be free of the Rapax burdens, even if it was for a little while. She decided to tell the Elder of her intentions when she saw them at dinner. Looking at herself in the washing-bowl she smiled, proud of herself, despite not doing anything worth being proud about just yet. Again her eyes became entranced by the ruby necklace, becoming all but lost in its glimmering glory. But she had to cut the pondering and musing short because her belly growled loudly, declaring its hunger to the world. Stepping through her room's door she found Reginald and the gryphon guard standing in front of Ginger's room.

"From the look on your face it seems you've decided to keep us company."

"Indeed I shall. Any idea how long she'll want to keep me around?" The roc exchanged a glance with the other guard.

"You're quite free to stay as long as you like, but she'll want you here at least a week."

"Then a week it shall be." Sarah began the long trek down the stairs when the gryphon stood beside her, offering someone to converse with as they made their way down. However, Sarah's own hunger was more on her mind than talking, and so the majority of their conversation was the male gryphon talking at her. At the bottom of the stairs she found the Elder Rapax making his way to the table. She joined him on the walk there and asked what he'd spoken with Ginger about.

"It's strange indeed," Said the Elder. "She asked me more about you, asking more and more information after each time I finished speaking but when it came time to ask about territory borders she was very lenient. She asked if we wished to become part of her territory and gain her protection but when I said it was against the Maker's wishes she dropped the subject shockingly quick and never brought it up the rest of our conversation." The Elder shook his head.

"It's irony you're experiencing. We came here expecting to be walking on thin ice but Ginger has proven to be as I said before, of sane mind and to my surprise very knowledgeable and caring." Sarah said, breaking the silence that had fallen over them when the Elder. The old bird chuckled.

"Well, all the same I'm glad we're leaving tomorrow."

"Actually my dear Elder that something I want to talk to you about."

"Oh? And what would that be?" Curious as to what it was just as much as he was taking note of Sarah's more, aggressive tone she took when hunger clawed at her belly.

"Well," Began Sarah. "She brought up some good points in our short time together, namely that it would be well warranted for me to take a good few days of rest from my...our duties." We should perhaps enjoy the week here in Ginger's hold.

"We?" Asked the Elder, for he'd been certain Sarah had intended to say that she deserved a few days. "Is this you or the Madam talking?" Sarah began to speak but stopped, surprised at the truth in what the Elder was asking. Now that she truly thought about it, she didn't really exert herself at all while doing her patrols, nor was there any restriction on how long she had to fly. Her task was quite an easy one. But for all her doubts, they all seemed to float away when-

"Ah my favorite falcons, all together in a circle." Said Ginger, announcing her presence to the room. The plump gryphon strode over to the Rapax and took a spot alongside Sarah. One of her arms stretched out around the falconess, resting on her shoulder. "Come my good people, let us eat!" The gryphon again pulled Sarah along and the falcon had some trouble keeping up with Ginger's quick and long strides, though thankfully she didn't pull Sarah into her gut again.

"I told him Madam; I told them we are staying here for a week." Ginger suddenly stopped in her tracks and pulled Sarah from her side to stand in front of her; behind Ginger was a long an empty hallway with the other falcon still at the far end.

"A week!" Ginger said excitedly. "Well, that's most wonderful, most wonderful indeed, and what a benefit that your Elder decided to stay to. Poor old thing, couldn't imagine him flying back all on his lonsome." The gryphon then proceeded to pull Sarah into the deepest embrace she'd yet received from the gryphon, sinking quickly into her soft belly. When she was finally released from the hug Sarah took a moment to inhale deeply, having been nearly suffocated, but Ginger was already on the move again and soon they were back at the long dinner table. Bustling around it in a flurry of motion were more poorly dressed servants, each taking the silver covers off the dinner plates and placing glasses of water down.

The small dishes were placed up and down the table's length, mostly small game like fish or larger rodents, but what Sarah found strange was that at the far end, the one that stopped in front of a high arching chair, were two large stags, all prepped and smoked to a golden color and ready to be eaten. Well, thought Sarah, Ginger has to have gotten her figure somehow. She resisted the urge to laugh at the gryphon's exuberant dinner, but found her achingly empty stomach wanting to trade places with the Madam.

Sarah made to take one of the other places at the dinner table but Ginger kept forcing her along until she was placed before the tall chair. She tried to stand still, tried to think about what Ginger was doing but for all her strength she couldn't stop the gryphon from plopping her down in it. She sat there glancing between Madam Ginger and the two cooked stags before her, mind not wanting to even conceive of what she thought the Madam was suggesting.

"Madam you can't be serious? This is quite overzealous."

"Sarah," Interrupted the gryphon. "I've come to understand that the traditions of your tribe are not to take much from the land, but here under my roof the laws of your tribe do not apply, so go ahead and splurge a bit." At that time the Elder arrived at the dinner table, looking far more cheerful than just a moment ago now he'd they'd seen and smelt the food. Along with them came Reginald and the other gryphon, as well as a few other regal looking figures from throughout the tower; they all paused when they saw Sarah, and even seemed to shy away. But Ginger motioned for them to join them at the table they came quickly, not wishing to offend the Madam. The Elder finally noticed where Sarah was sitting and stared from across the table with a hanging jaw. Ginger leaned over to Sarah and whispered into her ear. "Don't let him tell you any different dear, you are like family to me so long as you are here. So please, Sarah, enjoy yourself."

The gryphon then sat back in her chair, which appeared to be comically undersized beneath her and the creaking noises it made seemed to exemplify this, as if the chair itself were screaming. She then plucked the thin fish off her plate with two long fingers and plopped it into her mouth. The petite meal didn't so much as make her neck bulge through her bulk as it slid down to her gullet. She then turned to look at Sarah expectantly.

Sarah didn't notice this at first, however, for as soon as Ginger had finished speaking her hunger took over and she grabbed hold of the first stag and began devouring it. As with any large meal she had to take it a bit slow at first to make sure it was secured in her maw; the taste of the smoked and seasoned flesh made her salivate around the deer. She took large swallows and used her hands to guide the creature further and further down her throat; which was bulging outwards in the lumpy shape of the stag.

Soon enough gravity had taken over and pulled the deer down without any further assistance on Sarah's part and it hit her belly quickly enough to make her jump and let out a tiny belch. The other's at the table looked between her and Ginger with unsure expressions, but when they saw the gryphon finding more interest in her glass of water than Sarah they paid her no mind as they continued to dine. The falconess clucked, and glanced down at her belly, plump and round as ever. She giggled and drank from her own glass; water now not the yellow stuff from before. It was cool and crisp and far more welcome than that other bile, but as she drank she found her gut was still hungry for more.

She leaned forward and grabbed hold of the other stag and proceeded to devour it as well. The juices from the meat soaked her feathered hand, and to her chagrin some of it dribbled out onto the floor. She cringed a little at that but then saw that the others at the table were dinning very sloppily without any concern for Ginger's watching eyes. Her little binge went uninterrupted, save for when a servant came up and replaced Sarah's water with more of the yellow drink. The falcon would've stopped him if she hadn't been mid-swallow when he'd done it she'd no choice but to continue to ingest the deer and deal with the drink in a moment.

When the second deer landed in her gut she heard the fabric in her dress strain as it stretched to accommodate her new girth. Leaning back into the plush of the great chair, she could see that her gut now stuck out greatly from her form and hung over the throne a little, taunt as a drum but far from full. As she licked away the lingering juices on her hand she noticed one of the poorly dressed servants mopping up her mess and she felt ashamed. She tried to lean forward to speak with him but found herself struggling to sit upright, but she did manage it just before he finished.

But the servant took off before she could say much more than a word to him, and had she noticed something curious about his behavior when he'd been cleaning. He'd glance up at her gut with a worried expression every two seconds. Sarah began to ponder if he feared that she had begun to lean forward because she wished to devour him? Come to think of it, all the others she'd met today, save Ginger, had seemed to be afraid of her. She voiced this thought to Ginger but the gryphon merely chuckled.

"Why my dear Sarah what did you expect? You've made a name for yourself with that gut of yours and that is why they fear you. Though I must agree it is a tad irrational to remain so while you are here. You couldn't possibly escape if you ate one of my own, and with such numbers around you," Ginger motioned about to the others at the table and the guards at station in the room. "I doubt even you could get through them."

"I managed to subdue that tribe before I ate them all, and they were of greater numbers than what you've got here. Not that I'm threatening or anything of the sort, it's just that I see their fear as being quite rational."

"Oh yes I'm quite aware of how you had to beat them into submission before devouring them. I can just imagine it. You zipping about the enemy, bashing them and beating them with your strong and...slim form, as though you were completely weightless as you dueled them. I have to admire your skills and, oh don't let your Haila Berry wine go to waste now, and I find that to be an incredible feature to your skill as a warrior." Sarah didn't hear the last bit of what the gryphon said, for she focused heavily on the glass of wine before her.

She picked the glass up and examined it. Haila Berry Wine? She'd heard of it before, several years ago in fact. She stroked the bottom of her beak in thought and noticed Ginger's eyes upon her. Suddenly a moment of clarity befell her as she analyzed what the gryphon had said. She looked about the room and saw how many guards there were; on this floor alone were enough to make her chances of battling them all quite slim, not to include the other levels and those in the rest of the city. Then she glanced at her gut, protruding greatly already, but still gurgling for more.

Sarah met Ginger's eyes and found herself with the urge to shiver; Ginger wanted her to stay under enough watchful eyes so that she couldn't leave. But why? What did she have to gain by doing this? Certainly not a meal, she hoped. She had to play along with the gryphon for now, at least until there was some way she could get out of this, or at the very least get her Elder out and deal with this on her own. She tipped the glass towards Ginger, as a toast, and then swallowed it down in one gulp, shivering as the bitter flavor struck her tongue.

Ginger's eyes relaxed and she called over a small youthful eagle to her side. He looked barely of age to claim anything as his own, but that could possibly be due to his scrawny figure.

"Tell the chiefs we are ready for the second course." Ginger told him and then shooed him away. The young avian scrambled to the kitchen as quickly as he could, nearly tripping over himself. Sarah looked back to the gryphon.

"Second?"

"Why of course second. Then a third, and then a fourth and a fifth; the two latters in that prepared just for you my little falcon." Ginger reached over and rubbed the massive bulge that was Sarah's gut, caressing the lumps that were the stags within. "You appear to need it desperately." Ginger then removed her hand and downed her cup of water, content with herself. Sarah on the other hand was quite disturbed by the gryphon's actions, and her voice all the more. It was like something out of a fairy tale, with Ginger playing the part of a voracious witch with a kindly voice.

Soon trays and platters of steaming seafood were brought out to the others and Ginger, which was more or less the same stuff they'd just had moments before with the exception of shellfish being included with them. But they were all yet again dwarfed by what was brought before Sarah. A large pike was placed before her, its tail and head drooping over the edges of the table; she discovered that her glass of the Haila wine had been refilled yet again. She gulped as she looked at the fish before her, trying to fathom what Ginger had in store for her later. She grabbed hold of the pike's head and brought it to her own and then proceeded to slurp it up like one large pasta noodle. Like the deer it settled heavily in her gut and made her belch. The fabric of her dress, already stressed out, expanded and thinned even more; the black middle had become so swollen it seemed to envelop the blue and gold of the rest of her outfit. But still her gut craved more.

"Drink dear, you needn't waste such a fine beverage." Cooed Ginger as she lightly picked through her plate, not really appearing hungry for anything at all. She turned away and observed the rest of her guards, who were devouring the rest of their meals with fervor. Sarah glared at the gryphon as she drank the concoction down; though as she did she pondered if she could 'accidently' pour it out. But some part of her knew that if she did do that it would simply be refilled. But to her surprise water was brought to her this time instead of more of the wine.

Soon after that the third serving of meals was brought out, and then the fourth and then the fifth; the latter of which had been the meal that sent Sarah into a food induced sleep with her dress ripping and tearing along her middle. She'd tried to stay wake, truly tried, but her stomach, greatly bloated and engorged as it was, had at last grown full and her eyes became heavy and she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

When she awoke she found herself in the plush of her room's bed, covered by equally soft blankets. Her vision was a little hazy so she rubbed her eyes, as though that would help, and when she opened them again she made a startling discovery.

Normally after a large meal, or any meal for that matter, her drakine metabolism would break down anything in her gut and leave her with her naturally slim form. But this morning she found her belly still as swollen as it'd been just before dinner; however it was soft and squishy instead of taunt like before. It took her a few attempts to get into a seated position, for her own weight nearly pinned her down, but when she did manage it she could only stare down in disbelief at her immense belly; still partially hidden by the torn fabric of her dress. She grabbed hold of it and found her feathered hand sinking deeply. She then noticed her wing-arm was also touting a new girth.

She stood up and waddled over to the washing pool and peered into it, discovering that her face too hadn't been exempt from it; her cheeks were swollen as well with pudge. She looked herself over, spotting the many rips and holes in the dress made by her gut's expansion. Sarah knew quite well what the effects of Haila Berry wine were, but it wasn't this. The drink made one's gut ravenous, like it'd not eaten in days, but certainly did not bring one's ability to burn off the food to a complete and utter halt. She couldn't think of anything that could be put into her meal that would've done this, but as she looked at her own reflection her eyes were caught by the twinkle of the ruby necklace she bore and her mind instantly recalled Ginger stating rather plainly that it was magic.

She reached behind her and tried to remove it, but found her feather-fingers to be far too flimsy to dislodge the tiny lock of the necklace. She then tried to simply yank it of but it simply sank into her neck flab, refusing to break its links. Sarah tried again and again to pull the dratted thing off but only proceeded to make a mess of herself and the wash room. Eventually she gave up in it and leaned against the wall, sliding down until she sat on the floor. There she sat in deep thought, silence broken only by her breathing. Sarah held her head in her hands, rubbing her temples.

"Ok, ok. She has me and the Elder under lock and key, has given me a necklace that subdues my drakine metabolism and I've drank several glasses of Haila Berry wine. What could she gain by doing that?" Then it hit her like a shaft of lightning. She recalled what Ginger had said at dinner and it occurred to her quite clearly what she'd meant by that. Sarah looked at her swollen belly as it wobbled and giggled. Too fat to fly home. Too fat to fight Ginger's guards. Too fat to come to the aid of her tribe. Using the rim of the bathing pool to pull herself upright Sarah stood shaking, trying to remain calm about this. She also remembered Ginger mentioning of a dragon and thought of the one she'd done that favor for; he'd become a gluttonous, flightless blob of scales with an affinity for Haila Wine.

"You can think a way out this, Sarah." She said to herself. "You can do this." There was a knock at her door and she went to open it as quickly as she could. She opened it to find the Elder; who's eyes widened drastically when he saw what'd become of Sarah. But, rather than let him sit there and stare with his jaw agape, Sarah quickly pulled him inside.

The Elder stuttered and stammered for words but Sarah saved him from further incoherent speech by clamping her hand around his beak. She sighed and quickly explained what she'd deduced; the Elder's eyes just grew all the wider. When she finished her legs felt like jelly, like she was about to topple over; she took a seat in one of the over large chairs, though they weren't quite as small now, matter-of-fact she nearly filled it with her girth. The Elder too took a seat, seemingly propped up by his staff alone.

"I've heard and seen many strange ways that rulers have subdued their enemies, but that," He said pointing at Sarah's middle. "Is the strangest I do believe I've ever heard of. We need help."

"How do you intend to acquire it? Ginger wouldn't allow a letter to our tribe to simply fly out the window."

"No, I suppose not. She'd order the courier to dispose of any message we would intend to send to them...but, suppose she let me go visit a nearby friend...one who she believes to be out of commission." The Elder seemed to grow excited, as though he'd found a way out of this. But Sarah just simply blinked.

"Your dragon friend?" She asked. The Elder nodded.

"Yes, I just need to convince Ginger that I wish to visit him since we're so close to his home." The Elder stood and made for the door, but Sarah could only squirm in the cushion of her chair, unable to get out. The Elder offered his hands to help but his old bones and muscles couldn't budge the plump avian. "I suppose I'll have to send some of the guards up to aid you."

"Yes, I suppose you'll have to do that." Sarah returned, sinking deeper into her chair, pressed down by embarrassment. Soon she was alone again with nothing but her thoughts, and the feeling of dread pressing down on her. "That could be just my gut." She thought out loud. Dread, weight or whatever, she knew she'd placed herself in a tight spot.

After what felt like an eternity, but was in fact but ten minutes, she heard the sound of foot falls coming up the stairs and she let out a sigh of relief, happy to have the attention she needed at last. But as Sarah listened to the steps she noticed that they sounded...heavy. She gulped as the feeling of dread came back into her chest double fold. The falconess took three deep breaths, knowing how important it would be to remain calm before the gryphon, to not show any fear lest it give her away. Yet for all her deep, calming breaths, her knees still knocked together.

Ginger flung the doors open and strode in confidently, licking the tips of her fingers with long savoring strokes of her tongue. Sarah risked a glance at Ginger's gut and saw that it was bulging out a bit more than it had last night; and Sarah couldn't tell if it was a trick of the eyes or not but, her belly appeared to be squirming. She looked up at the gryphon and to her horror discovered Ginger filling the tips of her talons with the spear end of the Elder's staff. Ginger noticed Sarah looking at her and clucked.

"Pity he couldn't be as compliant as you my dear falconess. He wanted to check out of my hotel early and that...well that never happens. I find it hard now to continue with your," She pointed at Sarah's midriff. "Humiliation. You won't be as compliant as before now but I think I can find a way around that."

Sarah had obviously grown quite angry while Ginger had spoken, obviously, and was more than ready to explode towards her in a furry of anger; but the declination of her seat kept her from bolting after the gryphon. Faced with this she opened her mouth to speak but Ginger's fingers quickly clamped her beak shut.

"I wouldn't be so quick to blurt out just anything yet dear, you now have the fate of your tribe's folk teetering on your shoulders and your behavior now dictates weather or not I send my forces to stomp your tribe from existence. You see, I requested you to come here for two reasons.

One, to show my followers that through me anyone can be defeated and anything can be done. And two, to put an end to yet another supposed 'unbeatable' warrior. Though I'll be the first to admit that this is by far the strangest way I've ever dealt with one. You might as well mark up a third motive as well, and that would be to humiliate you and then make a meal of you." Sarah's eyes widened as she stared up at the gryphon, both horrified and angry and sorrowed at the same time. Ginger gave a sly smile and released her grip on Sarah's beak and sat in the chair across from her. The gryphon continued to slide the Elder's staff over her talons.

"So, if you want your folk to remain unharmed you will be compliant and do exactly what I say. Understand?" Sarah just sat there, unable to think for the magnitude of what Ginger was saying was nearly too much to comprehend. The gryphon's gut lurched again as the Elder gave another struggling writhe; Ginger hiccupped and pawed her paunch, as if it would make the trapped bird within settle down and accept his fate. "Do you understand or not, dear?" Ginger repeated, sounding icier than before.

"Yes Madam, I understand." Sarah bowed her head as she spoke, her mind racing double time to find a way to beat Ginger. The gryphon stood up and pulled Sarah out of the chair with relative ease and wrapped her wing around her again.

"I knew you had a brain Sarah, and it takes a great one to admit defeat. Now I've had a large breakfast prepared, for you of course. That gut isn't going to swell itself now is it?" The gryphon laughed and ushered Sarah out of her room and down the stairs.

They came to the bottom of the stairs and Sarah noticed servants cleaning up shattered pots and straightening crooked paintings; signs of a struggle. Her eyes fell on an eagle going around and plucking fallen feathers from the ground. Grey feathers. Before she could make any further observations Ginger pulled her away towards the throne. She noticed two guards standing on either side of her, armed to the teeth with spears and knives and talons; she recognized them from the night before as some of the ones that'd seemed oh so afraid of her.

"Told you there was nothing to fear." Ginger said to them and then looked at Sarah. "Your meal should be of interest to you love, I assure it." The gryphon then vanished from sight, leaving Sarah sitting helplessly. From the corner of her eyes she saw two servants come up to the throne with coils of rope. The knelt down before her and proceeded to bind her legs to the chair tightly. Then they moved behind the throne, out of Sarah's view, but didn't cease with binding her. She felt them tug at the tassels that'd hung off the dress and with a sharp twist of her head she saw them feeding the strands through loops in the throne; as they pulled on them she felt the dress grow tight around her upper torso. They then tied the strands together snuggly, firmly securing the falconess to where she sat. With that completed, peeled away the black and stretchy fabric of her dress, ripping it out of its stitches and tossing it aside allowing her belly to spill out and hang upholstered. They then began to give her gut soft, caressing rubs. Their faces showed her something that this wasn't something they weren't used to. They showed no sympathy for her, no remorse, just routine working faces.

The clinking of chains came to her ears and a small, pitiful whine just barely muffled by the rattle. To her surprise the thief Rexan was brought to stand before her, beaten and defeated. The pitiful soul looked up and met Sarah's eyes, begging, pleading for mercy and looking as though he was having difficulty standing upright. The chain leaders came and undid his bindings, but pushed him towards the falconess. A shadow fell across Sarah's vision, Ginger.

"Well go on Sarah, rid us both of our little problem." Rexan whined and begged for mercy, trying to go to one knee to show his humility but the guards pushed him forward and he tripped and fell against Sarah's belly. He tried to push himself off but his weak arms couldn't muster the strength to do so. Their eyes met again and Sarah felt a twang of sympathy for the thief, knowing that he'd been merely scrapping by on a pitiful existence in the wild. But the fact still remained; he'd robbed her and now stood between the assured safety of her people. She leaned forward and grabbed him by his sides and pulled him towards her maw.

"To your belly Sarah, not your crop. I will know if you do." Said Ginger, pressing a finger down on the little lump just above her belly where the organic storage sack was housed. And Sarah did just that. Swallowing Rexan down with two powerful gulps, the avian slid down into Sarah's belly and created a large lump in her gut; which the servants instantly began rubbing and caressing. Sarah shuddered and ran her tongue around the rim of her beak like before to try and remove or reduce the taste of sweat and fear that Rexan had had on his body. She also felt sickly; for once in her life she felt sorry for devouring someone. "Good, good." The Madam cackled. A goblet was shoved into Sarah's hands. "Drink up dear, you've got quite the day ahead of you." Looking down Sarah saw that the Haila Berry Wine swirling about in the goblet. As Sarah raised up her goblet in compliance with Ginger's orders she noticed that the Madam had her own goblet in hand.

"That for me too?" The falcon asked. Ginger looked confused just for a moment but laughed when she figured out what Sarah had been referring to. She took a sip of the drink to calm herself.

"Oh no love, this is my own cup of wine." Her hand reached out to Sarah's gut and grabbed a fistful of feathery flab. "You're not to perfection yet, but I nevertheless must build up my own appetite in order to compensate for your soon to be acquired mass." She released her grip on Sarah, but before pulling away she gave the falcon's belly a tender caress. A single talon shot out and raised towards Sarah's face. The falcon cowered in fear but the claw went to the base of the goblet and tipped it towards Sarah's maw.

Needing no further hint Sarah began to down the goblet and managed to down the bitterness in one solid go; though not of her own accord of course, Ginger's talon had continued to tip the cup in an unending pour. Sarah gasped heavily for air when she was at last able to push the goblet away. Ginger handed the cup to one of the eagles that'd been administering Sarah's belly rub and ordered him to go and refill it quickly. The meek avian nearly dropped the heavy cup when The Madam released it but he managed to stay upright long enough to run to the kitchen.

More chain rattles came to her ear, this time an entire train of them. Hawks, all wearing foot-locks and head's covered by thick sacks were marched towards Sarah; several guards down the length of the chain poked the fourteen hawks along with their spears. She blinked. Fourteen? She counted again and found that her eyes were indeed in good health; fourteen hawks stood before her, bound and gagged. Guards began to undo the links that bound them together, their spears resting on the avians chests and backs. As they did this, Ginger once again invaded Sarah's bubble with another goblet of the wine. But she didn't hand the drink over for Sarah to drink at her leisure, oh no, the gryphon forced the falcon's beak apart and poured the entire contents of it down Sarah's gullet. The dress groaned as it stretched, and more rips occurred as her belly swelled.

"Bring them." She announced with a shockingly booming voice and a flap of her wings. And so they were brought, one by one to Sarah's awaiting maw, cuffs undone, head sacks removed and one by one they were devoured by her. The first three went with as much difficulty as Rexan, but the rest had to be carried over her swollen gut and shoved down her throat. This was no tribe, nor was it a dragon like Frnth had been, but her gut began to burn from the strain. Yet Ginger still ordered them to be shoveled down Sarah's gullet, and in between the feedings the gryphon poured more of the wine into her maw. "You can do this love." She said. "The fate of your people rests on your belly and will now." Such wicked words Ginger spoke, always the same thing but with greater and greater ferocity as Sarah's gut continued to expand far off the edge of the throne and down the short steps the chair sat upon.

She'd been stuffed to a truly massive level by the end of the fourteenth hawk; all of it just a very taunt belly and not flab, at least not yet. She could still fell some of the unfortunate avians tucked away within her gut as they writhed and struggled in the dark. The falconess wanted to cry for them, she truly did but it was her hatred towards Ginger that kept her from doing so. Ginger swirled her third goblet about, the wine within sloshing over the lip of it a little.

"I have to admit dear," She began in that motherly voice of hers. "I didn't think you'd do it. Yes it was nothing like what you've accomplished before yet I'm still very surprised."

"You told me to do it and that's what I did." Sarah spat, words just coherent enough to be understood despite her raging heart. The Madam nodded and downed a bit more of her drink and watched as her servants continued to rub Sarah's bloated belly, helping along the process of digestion.

"You're quite right Sarah, quite right indeed. Or was it your desire to rid the world of Killions?" Sarah blinked.

"What?"

"The Killions, you remember right? The enemy of your tribe? You just ate the last of them. Fools didn't stand a chance against my forces in the dead of night."

"But I thought you were allies, I thought you-" She blinked again, realizing the implications of what Ginger had said were. "You-you never were going to spare my people where you?" The pink and green gryphon tipped her goblet in Sarah's direction and shook her head.

"No I never did. Nevertheless you have turned yourself into quite the appetizing looking meal I've seen in some time." She finished off the rest of her wine and tossed the cup behind her. "Well, I suppose I'll give an hour to sit here alone and digest both your thoughts and meal. Enjoy your last hour warrior of the Rapax." With that Ginger ordered the guards and servants to depart from Sarah's side, leaving the falcon with no one in the room to speak with, no one to beg for help. She was just alone, a blimpish parody of her former self brought on by her own naivety and stupidity.

Her gut gurgled and she let out a loud and juicy belch; the only sound she had for the rest of her time in this solitude. She tried to grab the ropes at her feet and undo the strands that held her to the chair, but the weight and girth of her middle kept her from doing so. She tried tearing at the dress but for all her efforts and all the rips already in it she couldn't force them to grow wider.

She gave up.

Sarah found herself completely defeated and without the strength to free herself as her limbs grew heavier and heavier as the Killions digested within her.

Then there was a sound, an alarm rang out from outside.

Suddenly guards filled the throne room, all bolting for the front door shouting something about a dragon from the north. That gave her new life, for she remembered the letter the Elder had sent before they departed to...wait, that dragon was but a helpless blob of scales...which meant that a new player had entered the match. She began shouting at the guards as they rushed by.

"Cut me loose! I can help! Cut me loose I beg you!" But none of the rushing militias paid her any mind, well save one who shouted 'What ya gonna do? Sit on 'em?" She still continued to bay out a call until a hand clamped her beak together. Ginger's hand. And the gryphon didn't look the least bit joyful about the commotion going on outside. When she spoke there was no hint of a motherly tone, no, it was the howl of an enraged witch.

"How did you get a message out? How?!" She screamed at the falconess but didn't release her beak to allow her to answer. Ginger gripped Sarah by the back of her head roughly and with two swipes of her claws split the tassels from the chair and the rope around Sarah's legs. She then pulled Sarah roughly down the short steps beneath the throne and towards the great doors. "That thing is smashing buildings, burning crops and making a snack out of my men, I figure him eating you is just as good as if I had the honor."

The doors suddenly exploded inwards sending large chunks of wood flying through the air; one fairly large piece struck Ginger squarely in the gut. Sarah had been fortunate enough to avoid being hit by the spray of debris, though the shockwave left her dazed and her vision blurry.

Her head throbbed and she held it in her arms in an attempt to soothe the dull ache. But as she did she noticed the moaning, squirming form of Ginger trying to roll to her feet. The pain in her head fueled her anger and hatred for the gluttonous gryphon. She shut out the screams from the people outside. Forgot about the flaming chunks of wood that set alight the tower. And she ignored the dragon roaring and demolishing everything insight. All that mattered now was that Ginger was for once, helpless.

One of her wing-arms hurt nearly as bad as her head and had folded up instinctively against her chest. But what was one extra arm to a rage fuelled falconess? She crawled forward using only her right arm, inching her way towards Ginger. It felt as though she'd never reach the gryphon, but Sarah persevered as she slid pass shattered wood and broken glass as the roof caught fire. She had to get Ginger. She had to!

After five minutes of wallowing in on the floor her hand came to rest at last on one of the gryphon's feet, and she gripped it with as much force as The Madam had just gripped the back of her skull. She took them into her mouth and inched forward, swallowing the gryphon a little at the time. Down went her feet, then her knees, thighs, waist, the belly took Sarah quite a fair amount of time to overcome (she had to use a hand to mold and move Ginger's fat rolls to fit into her mouth.) But she managed and soon had swallowed the witch up to her shoulders.

Ginger suddenly came to then, and began to thrash, well as much as she could anyway. Why couldn't she move? She tilted her head down and met Sarah's angry eyes and Ginger's own grew wide with fear. She glanced to either side of the falcon but saw that her strong, powerful limbs were incased by Sarah's body.

In most cases like this, the villain would plead for mercy or something like that, but Ginger took defeat bitterly and spat into Sarah's face and cursed the day she was born. But soon enough the harsh language of the gryphon faded as Sarah closed her beak for the final time around Ginger's body. It took her seven strong gulps to force the bird down but she managed to accomplish devouring whole the one that would've done the same to her. She felt a claw strike her belly walls; The Madam was trying futile to escape Sarah's belly but the talons only sank into the soft flesh of Sarah's stomach.

Sarah tried to move but found herself unable; she was truly stuffed till immobility. But she had to get out of here all the more urgently as a flaming crossbar fell from the ceiling, sending burning embers across the floor; some of which landed close to Sarah's massive middle. She tried and tried but only managed to make her gut wobble with her efforts. The wall across from her was suddenly ripped apart by a large clawed hand and through it she could see the dragon...but it couldn't be who she thought it was. She thought for a moment it was a trick of the fire's heat messing with her eyes, but when the wyrm plucked her from the burning wreckage of the tower and she could see him in full daylight her beak dropped open. It was that slob of a dragon only...slim. And flying!

The great whooshing sound of dragon wings were unmistakable, the great dragon was flying away, carrying her within the palm of his paw. She looked back at the city, now a burning and trashed mess of stone. She felt a mix of emotions looking back at it; anger for the avian within her gut, and sadness for the folks suppressed by Ginger's rule.

"Well this is a surprise." Said the dragon. "Last time we met I was the one a great gluttonous blob and you the one coming to my aid. I suppose this is what is known as irony."

"Yes, I believe it is Sir." Sarah replied, but her voice was lost in the wind. So she sat in silence the rest of the way to wherever it was that the dragon was taking her. But like last night, her full belly made her eyes heavy and the rhythmic sound of the dragon's wings didn't help much and soon she drifted away into dreamland. When she awoke familiar fields and streams caught her eyes, and an upcoming dip into a valley marked the home of her tribe.

"When I heard about you're venture to Ginger's home I came as quickly as I could but the winds where I live kept me grounded for some good deal of time. I learned of her plans the moment I discovered what the necklace she'd given me did; apparently you've suffered its effects too. I can remove it, but I cannot tell them what has occurred in your time gone...that is your task my lady. Your people are going to need a leader now...you could fill that spot for them...er, in after a month long fasting of course."

Sarah nodded even though she was quite sure that the dragon couldn't see her do it. She sighed and braced herself for what she must do. She ran a hand over her rounded form, and smiled a little when she felt no trace of the glutton gryphon.