An Unpleasant Meeting
Players
Faleen
Hydenk
Ja'hreet
Khasra
Krysa
Laurel
RehKal
Talkeenta
Setting
Fresh blood. The scent of the kill. Offal and buffalo. The kill is spread on the east side of the bridge, and most of the gryphons have had their fill, sprawling indolently in a small hemisphere around the center of the kill which has now been neatly eviscerated. Nearby sits a female human, cross legged, observing the gryphons and occasionally making notes in her book. She has not partaken of the feast, but seems very interested in observing the social behaviors of the gryphons involved.
The group rests, unaware that the changed political climate to the east will soon have a greater impact on their lives than they might have once imagined. Indeed, diving out of the sun, a wing of five Shkrill stoop on the surprised group. The human is ignored, being considered no real threat, but the trained wing of Shkrill warriors have eached picked a target to engage, and now, utterly silent, they plunge towards them.
Faleen 's sensitive hearing picks up the sounds of stooping gryphons just in enough time to chirup a warning to all the others. She rolls to strike upwards with foreclaws at one of the Shkrill as they swoop over her.
Talkeenta dives with her wingmates, wind whistling in her ears, eyes below. The most exciting prey of all. She sees Faleen alert the others, the element of surprise lost at last... It took them FAR too long to see that coming. Fat Windhaveners. Now that they're noticed... Time for a proper warcry.
Talkeenta gives out a loud predatory skree!
Krysa lets out a yelp of shock, not the best at anticipating or dealing with a suprise attack. SHe stumbles back, flailing a bit as she's assaulted, trying to regain her footing to better fight off her attacker.
The first cry comes shrill, followed by the echoes of nine other Shkrill, swooping from the skies, breaking into the group here.
Hydenk hears Faleen's screech, then rolls onto his back with a yelp. He scrabbles his claws at the air in any hope to protect himself, immediately cursing for having passed up the offerings of training from the Windhaven fighters. He spots them all and his eyes go wide.
Ja'hreet comes to his feet, rearing up, taking a fast swipe at one of the Shkrill who come in for him... But he doesn't simply roll onto his back and give his belly to his foes... He shows the signs of a warfighter, long, long ago... But out of practice.
Khasra drops to earth as Faleen rolls to defend herself from the first hunter, leaving her open against the wingleader. He gives her a new set of stripes along her ribs, careful not to slice her open entirely before he wings on past--aiming to induce shock and fear, to take the fight out of the disorganized Windhaven before they put up a united defense.
Talkeenta dives with her wingmate, splitting up into pairs, she and her partner falling onto Hydenk, who so obligingly gives up all too quickly. What a shame. She'd been hoping to have some fun. She darts in, getting a hindleg on his wingroot, heavy enough to pin him, with the funny angle, and a claw to tie up his, her beak finding his throat, while her partner gets his other side. He's quickly tied up, and she spends a moment looking to the other fighting pairs, seeing if any need help.
Laurel leaps to her feet, clutching instinctively for her pistol, then cussing fiercely as she realizes it will be of little use. She draws a small, curved knife instead, already knowing what a feeble weapon it will be against the attackers, staring helpless as the Shkrill wing stoops upon her companions.
Krysa desperatly tries to fight off her two attackers. Her youth betrays her in a fight like this, having no espierecne and little taining. Her small size would normally be an advantage, but her assailants are likely to be skilled at fighting smaller gryphons. Nevertheless she continues to duck and weave, catching some nicks and bruises from her attackers.
One shkrill breaks off, wind stirring around Laurel's shoulders as he strikes the ground behind her, nearly at a full run, knocking her to the ground. He settles down, pinning her easily under his chest, one foreclaw pinning her shoulders. He meets her only with a gape of his beak, a cruel grin down at her.
Hydenk mreeeps as he's found himself pinned rather painfully, squirming only until he finds a beak at his neck. He squeaks as he feels it, then squeaks out, "Don't kill me!" His tail lashes around uncontrollably.
Faleen hisses sharply and skrees a feable battle cry at the Shkrill fighters. She takes to her feet and the leaps into the air, literally taking the fight to the Shkrill. Being small, agile and used to flying through thick forests gives her a small advantage.. she's used to dodging! She manages to strike almost as many times as she is struck.
Ja'hreet puts up a good show of it... He lasts a little longer than the rest seem to... Experience over youth, for once in his life, as little as he gets out of that to show for it. But he's quickly subdued, wrestled down with a beak at his nape, one foreclaw twisted painfully behind his back.
Screams... the chaos of battle. The Shkrill came from nowhere, in overwhelming numbers. Even a trained wing of Windhaven warriors would have been hard pressed to repel such an attack. But outnumbered, with few fighters in the group, the conclusion is all but foregone. But, strangely, as yet none of the group have died beneath the Shkrill claws. It seems they have something else in mind...
Khasra comes around as the feisty Faleen engages his wingmate, but the Windhavener is only small and agile compared to other Windhaven. The Shkrill hunters are all of the falcon phenotype, and their wingleader is far more experienced than the hen. He plunges onto Faleen's back and grips the roots of her wings, pulling her away from the other Shkrill and toward the ground.
Talkeenta watches Khasra drag Faleen down. It reminds her, for just a moment of the first time he fought her. But... no matter. She grins, tracing talons along Hydenk's throat. "After as sad a fight as that was? No, no." She purrs. "We might just let you go, so you could have another try at it." The hen grins, and plucks a feather from Hydenk's throat. "And /then/ we'll kill you," she giggles.
Faleen squawks as Khasra plunges onto her back, she should pay more attention! It is a good thing she wasn't too high, she can't support the extra weight and falls into the ground heavily. The air knocked from her, she can't really struggle against the drake anymore. She lies still, dazed and panting heavily.
Krysa gives a vailant effort..trained or no she simply isn't going to go down gently. But the sad fact of the matter is that the hen is still raw and untrained, and expierence matters. She's simply overwhelmed by her assailants, although even pinned to the ground she continues to struggle and fight, growing almost frantic, her struggles a bit feral in nature but still not quite enough.
Hydenk gives an undignified squack as the hen holding him down seems to be toying with him, shivering a bit. "Then what... what do you have planned for us, if you're not going to kill us?" He looks up into the hen's eyes, wide with fear. Damn him for not learning to protect himself!
Ja'hreet growls. "You fools, these are Windhaven lands, to the river and past it We've kept our truce, and we're staying out of your..." He cuts his words short though, managing only a soft cry, as the drake atop him twists his arm harder, trying to take a little of the strain off. He's too damn old for this.
Khasra snarls, standing over Faleen and pressing a heavy claw to her neck, lest she try any more heroics. "Do you want to tell him, Talkeenta, or shall I?" he grins, as the rest of the wing settles in a rough circle around the prisoners. He looks around a little, peering closely at the water. "I think you're on the east side of the river. Don't you?"
Talkeenta giggles. "Past the river. Oh, too far, too far, I think..." She gives a firm bite at Hydenk's throat, twisting, just a little, before she lets go, being perversely playful. The last Grylra she did that do pissed himself. "Taking our prrrrey... We'll have to have something in return."
Faleen struggles weakly against Khasra as she starts to get her breath back. She finally manages a fierce growl as she pushs upwards against him, her tail lashing back and forth violently. If she could just manage to push him off...
Krysa is growing much more frantic, probably taking a beating in the process. There's no way the hen could possibly throw off the two SHkrill keeping her pinned, and yet she still continues to fight, apperantly not knowing when she's beat
Hydenk just kind of... lays there. A rather pathetic catch. The drake just stares wide eyed at the hen above him. He almost wets himself when she twists his neck like that, but he doesn't, miraculously, but his tail still flicks about wildly. "Meeeeep...."
Ja'hreet growls quietly. "You can't kill all of us, and you can't take all of us. You think we won't be missed? The full of Windhaven, and the full of Grylra, will not stand for this." He seems to be developing as the voice of the group.
Laurel grunts. "All right," she states flatly, she probably smells frightened but she's been in tight binds before, and knows how to control her fear. "You've got us. Now what is it you want? It isn't a pile of corpses, clearly." She nods to Ja'hreet's words. "There is no profit in this." None that she can see, anyway.
Khasra presses his claw down hard on Faleen's throat, choking her as she starts to struggle. "Lay still, hen, or you'll lay still forever," he hisses to her. Louder, he replies, "Lay down and shut up, old drake. Save your last breaths for the work details." He nods to the other gryphons. "Get them tied."
Hens and drakes get to work, pairs putting their prey into holds, much as Ja'hreet already has been, while the other of the pair binds... It's not long until all are secured.
Faleen hisses and growls vailently, not that is does a lot of good. But she has a feeling talking won't do much good either, so she settles on simply glaring at her captures.
Krysa eventually stops fighting, but only because it's become impossible to fight. It seems even now that she's take a bite if anyone got too close, but they'd have to be pretty dumb (or obliging) to give her the chance.
Hydenk just, um, cowers. He has nothing he can do, once he's bound, but watch.
Laurel isn't struggling at all, it seems. She lies completely still, placid. She's already recognized that her best hope in escape is to make the Shkrill believe she's helpless, and then use that to her advantage when the moment is right. She grunts when her own bonds are fastened over-tight. "Stop," she grunts, panting, her teeth gritted and turning slightly blue as she tries to breath. "I'm not a gryphon, if you tighten that much further you'll have no prize to show for your efforts."
Ja'hreet watches, as he can, for a chance to get free... or even just, a little more so. But the two Shkrill with him don't let their easy victory get to their heads.. He's tightly bound, wrists to hindpaws, and a band over his wings.
Talkeenta stands, making her way from Hydenk toward Laurel, kicking a bit of dirt and grass at his face as she takes her first step away. Two others come with her, a group of four surrounding Laurel. She nods, and lets the bonds be loosened just a little. There's not much this one will be able to do with four Shkrill around her. "Take those clothes off her and search them," she directs the nearest one. "Don't leave /anything/ in her pockets. You don't know what's magic. Collect her things and bag them."
Khasra hrrrs quietly as Talkeenta oversees the binding. Hmmm... the biggest ones will be a problem to carry aloft, and going on the ground makes them too easy to find... "Bring the little one and the human," he decides, nodding toward Faleen. "Leave the rest bound for their own patrols."
Faleen growls low under her breath, looking around the clearing. She scans the skies hoping to maybe see a Windhaven patrol. Not seeing anything, she decides to skree a distress call.. loudly!
Laurel doesn't understand Talkeenta's words, as their spoken in gryphon. But she takes their meaning soon enough, when none-too-gentle claws tear through her shirt, and pants, and her pack is seized and taken away from her. She wears garments underneath its soon discovered, considerably daintier than those that have been destroyed. She snarls, but doesn't shrink back, though her cheeks redden a touch. "I'm no danger to you," she growls flatly in common.
Krysa glares but keeps her beak shut, unable to do much else now
Hydenk meeps and wriggles to watch. "Uh, hey, I'm not that heavy... jeez..." Then he realizes what he says, and shuts his beak. He looks to see who is closest to him.
Ja'hreet struggles a little, against his bonds. "Faleen," he calls, having grown by now quite attached to the hen. "We will come for both of them" he growls. "We are IN our OWN lands, and you trespass within them to kidnap our people. The Windhaven and Grylra will not stand for this."
Khasra eyes Ja. "So you're saying we should leave you dead, instead?" He twitches an eartuft and calls to the pair that took down Krysa, "Oh--and take the kill, too."
Talkeenta nods. "Mmmmhmmm. Of course you aren't," she answers Laurel. She spends a moment, looking with her head cocked at the undergarments. But, it's obvious that they don't contain or conceal anything other than Laurel herself, so there's no need to waste the time searching them. "Put everything you find in her bag. Give her clothes back to her when you're done, she's no good to our queen frozen solid. Bring me the bag when you're finished." She purrs, and traces her claws, feeling the strange, smooth skin of Laurel's belly. "Nothing to protect you. Why do you come to such a harsh place as Shrilk?" She turns, without waiting for an answer, stepping back to Khasra's side, leaving the rest of her party with their orders.
Faleen turns her attention towards Ja once he calls her name. She growls upon hearing that they are taking her with them, her eartufts laid back against her head. She is tempted to snap at the Shkrill assigned to her, but knows it won't do any good at this point.
Laurel glares fiercely after Talkeenta when she departs, but bites back further retorts, pleased to have obtained this much graciousness from her captors. She shrugs her clothes back on, hurriedly, when they are returned. "Don't be foolish," she tells Ja, and the other gryphons gently. "Threats are no use here. This will be solved by negotiation, at a later time." She says this with more confidence than she feels, but she has a sense for the ruthlessness of their captors. She doesn't doubt they would hesitate to kill.
Ja'hreet growls quietly. "Your queen will be hearing from us," he reasserts again, simply, and lays his head down upon the ground once more. There seems nothing else to do.
Khasra smirks faintly. "I'm sure she will," he replies, then nods to the rest of the wing. "Prepare them for carry."
Talkeenta steps over to Ja'hreet, standing over him. "Since you seem to be the brains of this little trip, pay attention." She settles to her haunches, behind him, mostly unseen... "These borders... So poorly marked, you know. You really should be careful, it's so hard to see where yours ends and ours begins. You're getting off lucky." she purrs, tracing his cheek with a talon. "But the Windhaven should be more careful how close they get to the borders in the future. The next might not be treated as friendly." With that, she turns, helping prepare. Faleen and Laurel are quickly trussed into carryharneses, Two gryphons for Laurel, three for faleen, the rest as escorts, and the Shkrill wing into the air. Now, for the rest, is only to wait... to be found.
Krysa just continues to glare..as angry as she is she won't risk getting hurt when she can't defend herself
Hydenk beings to squirm once they're gone, over to the nearest to him. Seems to be Krysa. He begins to use his beak to gnaw at her bindings. "Damned Shkrill... those bastards! Hold still, we'll get each other free... maybe we can move fast enough..."
Krysa tries to help undo the bindings herserlf "It'd be pointless..we're right on the boarder as it is..if we chase them there won'tbe any doubt about crossing into their territory..they'd just kill us."
Ja'hreet sighs quietly... He doens't argue, but he knows it's useless, for the moment. The bindings are thick leather, specially cured... It'll take most of a day to chew through, they'll be found sooner anyways.
Laurel doesn't struggle. Her face looks... remarkably still, her expression neutral, allowing the gryphons to tie her in the carry net. Closing her eyes as she's lifted from the ground, and carried away.
Faleen growls lowly still, simply wanting her displeasure known to the Shkrill. Even though it's quite obvious in the way her eartufts are laid back. She doesn't struggle against her captures as they put her in the carry net and lift her away.
Northwestern Sky - Near Wirtkil Mountains
Sky Above the Pyramid - Shrilk
Southeastern Sky - Magnarth Range
Above Fort Crag
Front Entrance - Fort Crag
Main Courtyard - Fort Crag
Talkeenta comes in, dragging Faleen and Laurel in from their nets. She mmmms. "Keep the hen bound. The human, you can let go. There's nowhere she can go." She steps over to Khasra's side, rubbing up along it. It was a good day. Even if she didn't get to kill anything.
Laurel stands when she's freed of the nets, brushing herself off, stretching quickly just to work some of the stiffness out of her limbs. She hugs herself snugly. Even with her uniform back she's chilly at this altitude - she didn't bring clothing suitable for high mountains on a trip to the open plain.
Faleen snorts and shakes her head, looking about with a fierce glare. Though it's obvious she is truly curious about her surroundings in the way she looks around, her eartufts don't lie back quite as sharply either.
Khasra rumbles and nips at Talkeenta lightly, draping his wing over her. Several of the other Shkrill pair off as well, or meet friends in the huge courtyard.
Laurel glances around covertly assessing her surroundings as she rubs aching joints. She's feeling frightened, and pessimistic, but she's also been in hostage situations before and knows the drill. That makes things a little easier, but not a lot.
Talkeenta rrrs, stepping past Khasra, her tail flicking up to bat under his chin, teasing him a little, as she steps back to the two they've brought. "What shall we do with them," she purrrs, looking over her shoulder to Khasra.
Khasra rumbles softly. "Mmm. For now, lock them up. Seperately. And.. mm.. find out what humans eat."
Laurel spares her captors only occasional glances, watching from the corner of her eye, trying to judge posture and interaction, deciding who is in charge.
Faleen snorts softly and turns her attention back towards Khasra. It isn't long though before her attention is drawn elsewhere again.. Fort Crag looks oddly. Familier to her.
Talkeenta rumbles. "Shouldn't we summon the queen, or take this one to her? She'll want to see... Um." She thinks back, to the few humans she's seen at the winter festivals of previous years. Hm. Female. "Her... personally, before she's caged, wouldn't she? It's not every day we bring a human to Crag."
Khasra bobs his head. "I'm sure she'll want to see both... but we can bring them up at her convenience." He preens the hen's eartufts. "Don't worry."
Faleen looks over at the pair of gryphons. "What do you want with us?" she choose now of all times to finally speak.
Talkeenta tucks her head under Khasra's nibbles, and nods. "Yes, sir," she answers, and rises, stepping to Faleen's side. "You'll be unbound." She pauses, for a moment, before going on. "If you try to escape, you will be caught, and stopped. And then you will be taken to the infirmary. If you try to fight." She purrrs. "You will learn what it is to fight a Shkrill. And then... you will be taken to the infirmary." She steps closer. "If you are disrespectful, you will be taught respect." She smiles. "And then you will be taken to the infirmary." She is quiet for a time, looking down at the hen. "Do you understand?"
Faleen snorts softly. "Will I learn what it is like to fight a Shkrill as I did in the plains? Many on one? Or will it be one on one?" She bristles just a bit to show what she thinks of the cowardly fight in the plains.
Talkeenta purrrs. "This one has ambition, Khasra." She grins over her shoulder. "You could fight her, like you first fought me," she suggests. "But first, to her cage." She grins, tracing her claws, hinting at Faleen's bindings. "You want to learn to fight as a Shkrill does? You'll bleed," she croons down.
Laurel, lacking further direction, just sits cross legged and rests her hands lightly on her knees. Nothing further to be done, at present. She just hopes they underestimate both the agility of her hands at undoing locks and bonds, and her ability to climb.
Khasra presses up beside Talkeenta. "It's bad tactics to use less than your full force," he notes. "Perhaps you shouldn't test our... hospitality." He coos quietly and nips Talkeenta firmly for her suggestion, chuckling again.
Faleen growls deeply now, glaring at the two gryphons before her. "You may find me a surprising challenge in a more fair fight." She bites at Talkeentas paw as she traces the bindings, even if the leg is out of reach. "I am not afraid to bleed, nor am I afraid to bleed others."
Talkeenta gives a firm push of her hips up against Khasra's side, after his nip. The two clearly have affection for each other that goes far beyond their place in the Shkrill army at each other's side. She looks to Laurel, and speaks in common. "You can try to escape. The fall from the front gate is fifty wingspans." She smiles. "So. Where would you go." She nods, and takes Faleen's bindings, nodding to Khasra to take his place beside her, in case she tries anything. "Then I think you'll get the fight you want, downstairs... And your first lesson."
Laurel just nods to this piece of 'advice' but says nothing. She was watching on the way in; she has some idea what she's up agains.
Khasra sits next to Talkeenta, resting on his haunches. "You see, little one, that's why you never WANT a fair fight." He stands by in case the hen tries anything, tail twitching.
Faleen turns her head about to glare at Talkeenta, but stays silent for the moment.
Talkeenta nods. "Both of you. Come along," she instructs, in common, and points out the way.
Lower Level - Fort Crag
Talkeenta nods, and keeps pointing out the way, escorting Faleen, with Khasra on her other side, while Laurel is left relatively to her own devices. There's enough gryphons around, in general, that attempting escape would be met with a few volunteers, who would in all likelyhood be more entheusiastic than Laurel might like.
Faleen steps lightly between her two escorts, not that she is afraid of stepping on anything. But she is keeping herself on edge, looking all about as she she is walked along.
Talkeenta directs along, down the stairs.
Staircase to Armory
Armory
Talkeenta goes across, where part of the room has been built into cages. She measures the space between the bars with her claws, considering them, and directs Laurel in. They should hold her. The cells here are rather large. Enough for three or four gryphons to be comfortable, and have a little space.
Laurel glances at the cages, and without letting her eyes linger, absorbs the locking mechanism. Then drifts into her cage, turns about, and sits cross legged again without a word, staring past Talkeenta as though she doesn't see her.
Talkeenta works the lock. It's a simple lever that moves back and forth, with a pin to hold it in place. The problem, of course, is that the lever is on the end of a six foot long pole. There's simply no way to reach the pin from inside the cage. She moves along, to the next cage over, and opens it.
Faleen tilts her head, looking at the cage quietly. "What happened to the infirmary?"
Laurel doesn't seem to be studying these facts, but she is.
Talkeenta smiles. "You've been good so far. You'll need the attention after you've fought. In."
Faleen steps into the cage quietly.
Khasra stands by, holding the edge of the door for Talkeenta.
Talkeenta purrrs, and rubs up against Khasra's side. She gives a firm nip at his shoulder, and a shove of her hips. "You too," she grins to him.
Khasra blinks a bit and steps into the cage with the hen, eyeing Talkeenta as he passes.
Faleen steps backwards to the back of the cage, eyeing the drake as he enters. "Putting your own mate into a cage hmm?"
Talkeenta closes the door, and works the lock, carefully sliding the pin into place. She steps back forward. "You wanted the chance to have a /fair/ fight," she croons to Faleen. "So I'll give it to you." She traces her talons down, rattling the pin that holds the lock. "It's not many who get what what they want, their first night in Crag. Khasra taught me most I know about fighting. And being a Shkrill," she settles down, a claws reach and a half from the bars. "He'll teach you some of what he taught me tonight."
Khasra smirks faintly, circling the hen in the large cage. "I guess you get your chance to prove your 'surprising challenge' right away," he chuckles. "Come on."
Talkeenta watches quietly, from where she lays, in front of the cell. Laurel, certainly, will see a side of gryphons she's likely never seen before as well, through the bars that separate her cell from the one beside it. She hasn't told them yet, but she plans on leaving them both until the morning. They'll fight, now. But if either of them wants to sleep, they'll have to learn, in time, to get along.
Faleen laughs softly, lowering her head a bit to watch the drake. "You are frightened of me." she says in a even soft tone. "Not wanting to attack the "soft Windhavener" as you call me..." Not waiting for a response from the drake she leaps forward to slam her body into the drakes with a deep growl.
Khasra lunges easily to the side, dodging the clumsy blow. "You think bravery means charging every enemy alone and headlong? Fool. I've been fighting longer than you've been alive. Don't think to lecture me." He twists and delivers a stinging slap to the hen's rump as she passes him.
Faleen uses her forward moment to leap at the bars. It almost seems as if she bounces off the bars as she leaps back towards the drake again. This time she manages to hit the drake, using her weight in an attempt to pin the drake down. Her talons pressed firmly against your shoulder and neck. "How long you have fought means nothing to me and I spoke nothing of bravery. Only of being afraid."
Khasra rolls with the impact, snapping his beak to keep her claws away. "What would you know of fear?" he bites back, sliding smoothly into a crouch, ready to spring any direction, baiting the hen into attacking again.
Faleen growls and crouchs low to the ground, her eartufts laid back. She makes no move though, simply watching the drake closely. "I know being lost in the woods.. knowing what food is but too young and clumsy to catch it. Not knowing where an adult is to be fed. I know the fear of starvation." Her tail slowly swishs back and forth, betraying her agitation with the drake. Even with all of her anger and her attacking, it is noticable she has not truly attempted to hurt the drake.
Talkeenta settles one foreclaw across the other, watching on, listening to those words.
Khasra makes his attack suddenly, with barely a twitch of muscles to telegraph it. He lunges in low, twisting to grapple the hen, to bring his beak in under her belly while his hips twist away from her head..
Faleen leaps lightly upwards and over the drakes attack, twisting her body a bit to drop down on top of him. This time her talons are ready to claw him, growling as she falls and grips the drake firmly in her talons. She bites down at his neck to get a firm grip.
Khasra balls a fist and drives it into the hen's belly, up at the base of her ribs, to knock the breath out of her while his neck
Faleen gasps and pants heavily as she stumbles away a short distance. In stumbling away from you she rakes a paw of talons along your side, not enough to do major damage but there is definately blood. She tries to growl again, but ends up coughing heavily as she catchs her breath.
Khasra has had worse wounds playing with gryphlets. He takes advantage of the opening, leaping onto the hen's back to pin her to the floor, his beak going for her neck while his claws try to grip her wrists.
Faleen is knocked easily to the ground, still trying to catch her breath. It would seem she isn't having a good time holding onto her breath lately. After several moments she manages a growl back at the drake, twisting her head about to bite at him..
Khasra 's beak clenches on her neck, warning her not to try it. He pants softly, holding the hen against the floor as he relaxes a little. "It's over.. hrrrf.. settle down."
Talkeenta watches quietly, her tail flicking over against her flank. She gives a moment's glance to Laurel, who's been watching this fight with some interest... She smirks, just slightly, and looks back to her mate, and the hen.
Faleen growls deeply, obviously not happy about having the drake on top of her. She doesn't make anymore attempts to bite him though.. at least not yet. She pants lightly, looking out of the cage to Talkeenta.
Talkeenta's eyes catch the hen's, and she gives just a slight cock of her head, as her only answer.
Meanwhile, in another part of Shrilk...
A gryphon shaped shadow whisks overhead.
Hydenk growls. "Damnit!" The drake can't seem to make a dent in the bindings.
RehKal glides easily through the sky, just below his favorite skyborn objects.. clouds. His white plumage allowing him to blend in quite well with them from below. He is flying in to the pyramid, anixous to not miss any moment of the winter festival this year. He spies something odd north of the pyramid however, and banks and drops in altitude a bit to investigate.
Travel weary is the pale hen that comes into the area, the few satchels worn across her shoulders bulging with newly hoarded items gathered on her travels. A wanderer is Moonfrost, one long gone from the sphere, and once more making that return trip to fly familiar skies, to walk familiar trails. It might be a good thing too, that she returns when she does, for it means she happens upon this unlucky looking group of gryphons. The hen pauses, head pulled back, tilted, blue eyes to look from one trussed gryphon to another. "Hmm.." Well, she wouldn't want to be interrupting anyone's fun, right?
Hydenk pants softly and continues to swear, until he spots the form above and gives out a screech.
RehKal dips lower upon seeing the gryphons tied up as they are. Approaching even closer he notices numerous familier beaks and goes into a sudden dive to save time. His dancing skills come in very handy now as he brakes at the last moment and hits the ground at a trotting run, slowing down more fully only then. "Ja! Krysa and.. Hydenk? What happened?" He starts to work at Ja's bonds first, age before youth an all.
Ja'hreet rrrs. "Shkrill." he answers simply. "They came at us, after we brought down prey," is his explanation. As he's unbound, he rolls to his belly, giving a stretch. He's been laying in one place for a long time now... A few hours. Rrr. And he needs to piss. But it can wait for a few moments. He goes to Hydenk, helping unbind the other drake, as RehKal gets to Krysa.
Hydenk pants, rising, needing to do the same as Ja. The drake pads over for a few, then relieves himself, and returns. "Damn them! Stealing us off our own land like we're... we're, sheep or something, to use us to get what they want? Bloody Bastards!" He helps with Kyrsa at that point.
RehKal nods silently and moves to free Krysa, only just now noticing the new gryphoness standing close by. He chirups a soft greeting to her, "Good day.." he eyes the bulging bags at her sides. "I fear you chose a bad time to return to Shrilk. The Shkrill are starting to cause problems once again. They have a new Queen that is stirring things up."
MoonFrost only knows one within the group, hearing Ja's name she tilts her head, stepping forwards, watching as others rush to untie and release others. "Ja'hreet?" Quiet is her voice, oddly accented as if she's spent far too much time speaking other languages here lately. When addressed, she snorts lightly, "The Shkrill are always causing problems at one point or another." Finally stepping into the area, she ruffles her wings against her back, black striped tail to sway with her movements.
Ja'hreet returns, with Hydenk, walking a fair bit more naturally when he returns. "We must send a delegate to the Gryrla, and send news to Windhaven, as well. The Shkrill are stretching their borders. We are... Skies, fifteen minutes flight from the border here... They took one of ours, and a human who was the guest of Windhaven, with them."
Hydenk shakes his head. "Ja, who is a faster flyer, to go to Gryrla? The others can go back to Windhaven and we can start patrolling, or, or something..." He didn't like his helplessness at all, it seems.
RehKal bobs his head a bit and hrmps softly. "I may very well be the fastest flyer here at the moment. But I am rather.. lost on how to get to the Gryla aerie from here. Who did they take with them from Windhaven?"
Hydenk sighs, and looks to Ja for an answer to that one.
MoonFrost speaks up, after a moment, "Grylra is my home, or was. I know the way there, if you but give me the message to pass to those within the aerie." And yet, her voice is soft enough that one might miss it in all the varied comments being made, however loud the others are speaking.
Ja'hreet rumbles. "They took Faleen," he answers RehKal, before he nods to MoonFrost, having known her as a Grylra from past meetings. "Thank you," he asks her. "Relay this news. We leave it to your people to make of this what you will. I'm sure our delegates will be meeting you soon, with more."
RehKal perks his eartufts a bit. "Faleen? The huntress kit? Why would they take barely fledged gryphon? To make her into one of them...?" He doesn't know any better, he's only been living in Shrilk a year and has not had any direct dealings with the Shkrill at all.
Ja'hreet shakes his head. "Who knows the reasoning of the Shkrill," he answers. "What's important is what comes next."
RehKal nods silently and sighs. "Indeed." He looks back in the direction of the festival. "Didn't look like anything was starting quite yet anyways. I guess we head back to Windhaven?"
A dip of Moonfrost's head is given to Ja, showing she will spread the news to those who need to know at the aerie, wings to rustle against her back as they prepare to head off. "Fair skies to you all. Take care, and may the gods watch over you." With a flick of her tail, she starts to move off, her form to blend into the whiteness of the snowscape, a sense of duty about the quiet hen.
Ja'hreet nods in quiet thanks to Moonfrost... And to RehKal. "We go home," he answers quietly... Though he gives one glance back over his shoulder, to the southeast.
RehKal nods silently at Ja. He pauses for a moment and looks after the other hen, for a moment wondering who she is. Though he is sure he'll find out later, more important things need to be taken care of now. He nuzzles softly at Ja's shoulder, looking concerned for the drake. "Are you ok my friend...?"
Ja'hreet gives a quiet sigh, and shakes his head. "No," he answers, before he steps forward, spreading his wings, and leaping into the skies, heading northwest.
RehKal nods silently and follows after the drake, staying just slightly behind him.
Bridge over the River Bayrd
This is obviously an ancient bridge, but its been built solidly using enormous stones, which have been ground into shape with astonishing precision for a medieval society! Looking closer at the stone, it appears as though it has been machine tooled at some point, then constructed using common mortar. The river Bayrd rushes underneath the bridge, about twenty meters across at its narrowest point which is here. It seems to be fairly shallow and fast flowing, the water whisking rapidly from the north down towards Lake Evarim. Farther upstream, and a little bit out of sight you can hear the roar of what would seem to be a waterfall. The fine spray that hangs in the air here would seem to confirm your suspicion.
Main Courtyard - Fort Crag
Cleared of the debris and redecorated with several large cloth tapestries this courtyard has regained a lot of its original ancient splendour. It is a large, wide open area sheltered by a smooth rock ceiling at least forty feet above the ground. The acoustics here are very good, and the slightest whisper carries easily from one side of the courtyard to the other, making a gryphon giving an announcement or a speach to gathered gryphons sound all the more impressive. On two sides, ramps lead either down to the lower levels of the fort, or up towards the administrative complex embedded higher within the mountain's protective embrace. The dominant feature of the courtyard is a large, black rectangular slab of rock embedded in the ground, which sports a blood red chevron on the side facing the entrance.
The floor of this chamber has been returned to close to its original condition, interlocked bricks of grayish-blue colour and rough texture for easy traction while mobilizing attack wings. At the entrance to the gates the shkrill emblem has been painted, a bright red chevron that matches the one seen on the monolith. The gates are open, allowing anyone to walk into or out of the fortress.
As with the change in leadership, new changes have also come to the Courtyard. For one thing, new cages have been set in the courtyard on the edges, or hanging from retractable chains from the ceiling. The 'fight rings' no longer exist, the concept banned in the main courtyard. Instead, gryphons can be found only training in the most part of it. Sparring, learning the use of newer weaponry, learning to stand at attention and in groups, as well as a mild amount of marching duty. The last two are not quite so major, but needed. At the entrance, scouting wings come and go and a continuous and more ferocious pace, the lands of the Shkrill being watched for more thuroughly. Also, on the very opposite side of the courtyard, a section has bee roped off from normal gryphon traffic. Here, for the time being, blacksmiths, metalworkers, and leatherworks busy themselves with small forges and tables, creating armors, creating new cages and shackles, creating weapons, and creating other necessities of the Fort.
Armory
This was a special armory originally used for the most valuable and powerful of magical weapons. Though most have lost their charge or rotted away over centuries some weapons are still intact, and these are kept in one corner under close guard of two Shkrill. Aside from the weapons the room has been converted to storage, a few barrels are stacked to one side.