The Reader: Book Two

Chapters

Chapter 1: On the border
Chapter 2: Serenity
Chapter 3: Airship talk
Chapter 4: Pisa
Chapter 5: Aethris
Chapter 6: Break down the walls between us
Chapter 7: Little ears
Chapter 8: Old sins
Chapter 9: Restless

Chapter 1: On the border

"Guard duty sucks..." Shera complained as she stretched her wings in the evening sun, "How did we even get stuck with this?"

"Lord Blackbeak commanded we should take our share of the work..." Krovas replied next to her, the griffon stifling a yawn as he did, "But I agree... this is just plain boring."

The two griffons watched the deck of the airship as it gently hovered over the forest beneath, tied to the surrounding trees with several ropes. They still had enough supplies loaded to keep them in the air for a week, but the next portion of their journey would require them to cross the Avian mountain range, something far too dangerous to do during night.

Behind the mountain range, the city of Pisa would await them, and from there... they would head towards the capital city, Gryphus.

For now though... they had to wait.

"Hey... what's the gnoll doing?" Shera was pulled from her thoughts as Krovas spoke up next to her.

Her gaze traveled towards the stern of the airship and indeed, there was Scar standing next to his maul. His huge form cast a long shadow over the deck as the setting sun basked his face with its light. Shera raised an eyebrow as she observed his still form, "That's new... he's never walked that close to the rim before. I wonder what he's up to..."

Scar slowly tilted his head as his good eye carefully searched the forest below. Something had waken him from his sleep... but what was it? The forest didn't look unusual, and the height still made him feel queasy... nothing to hold on to should he fall. The gnoll idly scratched the other side of his face, his claws running over the scarred flesh surrounding his blind eye.

"Master, is everything alright? You seem... anxious." Tag spoke up softly next to him, feeling the troubled emotions of the gnoll like they were his own.

"Doesn't know that word, anxious... Quiet now..." Scar replied, trying to find the reason for his unrest. He shifted his weight on his hind legs, trying to find a position that would grant him protection from the constant swaying of the airship under his feet. The gnoll closed his good eye and took a deep breath, the air filling his lungs as his nose started to pick up the countless scents in the air.

Bunny, to the east... tasty, but not tempting enough to raise him from his sleep let alone pull him this near to the edge of the deck. Water to the west, muddy... Purple Haze would have his hide if he came back to their cabin fresh from a mud bath. Featherclaws behind him... he almost chuckled to himself as he recognized the two watching him. They still flinched whenever he would show up from some dark corner beneath deck... he shook his head and carried on.

To the north, night flowers... pretty, good for coughs as well. Further... snow on the mountains. He felt a grumble start to rise in his throat, there was nothing here that he wouldn't expect so why couldn't he sleep? The gnoll was about to go back to his cabin when he picked up another scent.

It was weak... distant and almost covered by the cold air coming from the north, but it was there and it immediately caught his attention. The scent was strangely familiar, like something he had forgotten a long time ago... but where? Or even when, for that matter? His eye shot open and a whisper escaped his mouth, "Impossible..." Scar turned his head towards the north, letting his gaze travel over the forest as it crawled up the mountains.

Somewhere at the foot of the mountain range, the origin of the scent was waiting for him... even here the faint smell served to fill him with an urge to go and find the source.

Without even noticing it until he was already in the air, the gnoll picked up his maul, stepped up to the railing of the airship and...

The two griffons stared at the railing where Scar had been only a moment ago with open beaks and wide eyes, utterly speechless at what had just happened.

After what seemed like minutes, Krovas finally managed to stammer, "Did the gnoll just jump off the ship?!"

Shera did not turn to him, still too shocked to find an appropriate response, "He did..."

"While we were on guard duty?" the griffon asked.

Shera only managed to nod as she swallowed down a non-existent lump.

After another moment of silence, Krovas spoke up again, "Shouldn't we... you know, tell the Marshall?"

"Yeah... probably." Shera hung her head with a groan, "She's going to go nuts when she hears this..."

The drop from the airship had not been far, the first leaves had met his face after a mere second and the gnoll had skidded down branches and tree trunks from there, his sharp claws easily finding hold within the wood. Once on the ground, he had taken a moment to orientate himself before heading north with quick strides. Every now and then Scar would stop to take in the scents around him, as if fearing that the faint note would disappear. But it was still there... and it continued to lead him north.

As the gnoll continued to head further towards the mountains, he felt strangely at home. The thick underbrush, the tall trees and dark shadows... it felt like a good place to hunt. Even now, while carrying his heavy weapon and not actually caring for game, the gnoll blended in perfectly with the dark shadows of the forest.

It felt good to move between trees again. Even the earth under his feet seemed to welcome his presence. It was a welcome change of environment for him after all these weeks, were it not for the scent that gave him no rest.

"Master?" the maul spoke up carefully, "Where are we going?"

The gnoll did not respond, but instead stopped at a small rock covered with moss. Slowly, Scar bent down and started to remove the plant life from the stone, and what he found beneath them confirmed his suspicion... his nose had been correct. In his other hand, Tag gave off an astonished whisper, "Oh my... is that what I think it is?"

Scar placed his hand on the small rock, comparing the size of the claw marks in the stone to his own. After a short moment of contemplation, the gnoll stood up again, "Maybe... is old, faint too... but Scar will see for itself." he hefted the maul onto his shoulder and continued to head north at a slower pace.

This forest, the gnoll knew by now, had once been or still was the territory of another pack... he'd have to be careful of the path from here on. Scar tightened the grip on his weapon... Or at least... he would have to show his respect to those that had passed before him.

"What the hell has gotten into him?" Purple Haze mumbled to herself, her leathery wings twitching with her annoyance, "Just getting off like that without even telling me..." she paused, "Lieutenant Berryshakes! Which direction?"

"He's still heading north!" the unicorn replied as she kept her eyes glued to the ground and used her magic for illumination. Scar's lessons were paying off, she had gotten a lot better as a tracker but still... she had seen sparrows that left more signs of their passing than the gnoll.

While the other members of the squad had used the time to train fighting, Berryshakes had visited the grumbling gnoll on a daily basis... and had nagged him until he had given her more tracking lessons. Unlike the last time though, she had learned to listen. Scar's lessons never took long, especially when the wind made the airship shake, but whenever the gnoll did share his knowledge... she was there to listen.

Though she still refused the whole 'learn by tasting' idea with her whole being.

Tracking had gotten easier, more natural to her... but tracking the gnoll himself? That was something different. Even with his weight and size, he barely left any marks of his presence. "It doesn't seem like he's hunting anything..." Berryshakes commented, "Strange... he's not even making any turns at all..."

At the back of the small group, a female griffon huffed, "Can't you track any faster? We've been going for hours now!"

"Shut it, Vayu." Purple Haze snapped, "We're lucky Berryshakes is able to track him at all... but where is he going all alone?" she mumbled the last part to herself. He had never just run off like that before, and it unnerved her greatly that Scar would just...

Greenfield leaned closer to Whistler, "Marshall's missing her teddy..." the two earth ponies leaned on their spears and shared a quiet chuckle over the whispered joke, "Watch out, she gets cranky without him..."

"Care to repeat that, soldier?" two golden eyes gleamed at them as Purple Haze hovered in the air above them.

Both Greenfield's and Whistler's faces turned pale as snow, "NO, SIR!"

Purple Haze's eyes narrowed, "Are you two sure? I could have sworn I heard..."

"Marshall!" she was interrupted as two pegasi dropped through the trees close to them.

"Cloud Dancer, Star Glaze." Purple Haze greeted them, "Have you been able to spot him?"

Cloud Dancer shook his head, "No, but we've found something interesting..." he turned to Berryshakes, "Did he head north from here?"

Berryshakes did a double check, "Seems like it."

Star Glaze turned to Purple Haze, "Then I think we know where he went..."

A short walk later, Purple Haze wasn't sure what she was seeing.

The forest had started to wear thin as they continued to head north and up the base of the mountain range, and after a short walk... they had arrived at a large canyon. The canyon itself was nothing surprising, the whole mountain range was full of them. What was unusual, was that there were countless holes in the walls of this one.

"What is this place?" Vayu asked next to Purple Haze, "Are those caves?"

"Looks like it..." Purple Haze's gaze searched the canyon walls, "But what would Scar be looking for down there?"

"Uhhmm... guys?" the squad turned to see Berryshakes walk up to them from behind a large rock with a worried expression on her face, "Scar passed through here, I'm sure of it..." she paused, "And I think I know why he came here as well."

Purple Haze gave her a quizzical look, "What did you find?"

"I..." Berryshakes started, but then shook her head with a sigh, "You better see it for yourself, Marshall."

Without another word spoken, Berryshakes led them around the large rock and down a small path that took them down into the canyon. There, deep in the shadows of the stone cliffs, half hidden under the dust and dirt with what could only be Scar's footprints next to it, Purple Haze spotted something that sent a chill down her spine.

It was a skull... the size, shape and many sharp teeth remaining in its upper jaw telling her all too well what this place was. By the looks of things, it had been here for a long time. Purple Haze felt a gut-wrenching feeling wash over her.

"Everypony..." she spoke up while the others still stared at the huge skull, "Don't touch anything and keep quiet." a sad expression spread over her features, "This is a graveyard."

Chapter 2: Serenity

"This place..." Star Glaze swallowed a non-existent lump, her dry mouth making it hard for her to talk.

"I know what you mean..." Cloud Dancer whispered next to her, "It scares the hell out of me too." even now, he could feel the hairs on his back stand up, "What the hell happened here?"

Berryshakes had followed the gnoll's tracks and they had entered the seemingly endless maze of tunnels. The darkness was overwhelming, and the little light Berryshakes could provide barely helped to illuminate the dark walls. It was enough though to spot some things, strange paintings, claw marks... and bones, some of them big enough to remind them of Scar, others small enough to spread sadness over their minds.

"Quiet back there..." Purple Haze spoke up at the front. Throughout their journey down the tunnels she had been more silent than they were used to and unknown to them, she was paying very close attention to every detail of the paintings that surrounded them. She couldn't completely decipher what the paintings represented, but she was sure that they were an account of what had happened here.

"Strange..." Berryshakes suddenly spoke up, causing them to stop, "Marshall, look at this." she pointed to the ground before her.

Purple Haze walked up next to her and followed her gaze. Down in the dust, she could clearly make out footprints that could only belong to Scar, and next to them a new trail appeared. She inspected the strange depression in the sand, and after a moment she realized... the gnoll had started to drag his maul from here on.

"He's dragging his weapon." Berryshakes said next to her, "Why would he do that? The ceiling is high enough to carry it on his shoulders, and he can't be that worn out yet..."

"He's tired." Purple Haze answered with a strange voice.

"Tired?" Vayu spoke up with a raised eyebrow, "He's been sleeping the whole time..."

"Not like that..." Purple Haze replied with a calm voice, "Can't you imagine what this has to feel like for him?" the others felt their hearts sink, "He's not physically tired..." she managed to choke out a small laugh, "He can go for days without sleep if he has to... No, he's mentally exhausted." she let a soft sigh escape her throat, "Come on... we should go on."

As they continued their trek into the darkness, she remembered the story of his clan that he had entrusted to her so long ago. Purple Haze mouthed a small whisper that none of the others could hear, "Scar... please wait for me..."

After what felt like hours, the group exited the tunnel... and stopped dead in their tracks. They were in a huge chamber of stone, the light of the moon falling inside through a small opening in the top and illuminating the chamber in an eery, soft glow. It would have been a beautiful sight, if not for what the light revealed to them.

All over the walls of the chamber more paintings could be seen, and on the ground... huge bones and skulls were scattered everywhere. Purple Haze let her gaze travel over the countless bones, each skull she counted making her heart feel heavier... and then, in the same moment as the rest of them, she saw him.

The gnoll was sitting in the center of the chamber, directly under the small opening of the ceiling and in the soft light of the night moon. To his side, the maul stood silently, one of Scar's hands gripping the handle of the huge weapon as the gnoll sat facing away from them without moving. Only his back rose occasionally whenever the gnoll took a breath in.

"Wait here..." Purple Haze whispered to the others softly, "I don't know how he'll react..." she detached herself from the group and with careful steps, she slowly approached him. There was no need to announce their presence, she knew. The opening in the ceiling caused a constant flow of air to travel through the tunnels and towards the large chamber. She had felt it in her wings the moment they had entered this place. He was likely to have smelled them the moment they had entered.

Still, she felt nervous about approaching him here. She knew nothing of the rites of the gnolls... and she silently cursed herself for never asking him about them. Purple Haze hoped he wouldn't take their presence here as an offense. Gnolls never talked of sad things... and this was definitely one of them.

He did not move even as she reached his side. Purple Haze carefully sat down next to him and searched his features, and was surprised to see him stare straight ahead with an absolutely emotionless face. No sadness, no anger... his face was absolutely still. Even his single, red eye did not move as he stared ahead. For a moment, Purple Haze lost herself in his face... why did he seem so calm? Or was it the opposite?

"Scar?" she finally spoke up quietly, almost afraid to disturb the silence of this place.

The gnoll did not respond at first, but after a moment he opened his mouth, all the while continuing to stare at the walls of the chamber, "Does Purple Haze know what this place is?" his voice sounded softer than usual.

Purple Haze gave a sad nod, "I think I do... did you know this clan?"

The gnoll shook his head with a sigh as he closed his eye, "Scar did not." this time, she could hear how tired he really was. Purple Haze wasn't sure what to say next. One part of her wanted to get him to leave this place as quickly as possible, she herself wanted to leave this place as quickly as possible... but she was also determined to stand by his side during this, no matter how long it would take him to find peace.

"Was strong clan..." Scar finally spoke up, "Large pack with many good hunters..." he pointed to several skeletons to his left, "Sharp claws and strong bones." he pointed to his right, and his voice became grave, "Many cubs too..."

"What happened to them?" Purple Haze somehow managed to ask after she tore her eyes away from the small bones. She already had a terrible suspicion to what had happened, but she dared not to say it.

The gnoll's head dropped a bit, "Black Sleep." he lifted his free hand again and pointed to the far end of the chamber. There, painted onto the wall were the last days of the clan that had once lived here, "Others should come as well..." the gnoll raised his voice so the rest of the squad could hear him, "So they can hear what stories ghosts of past have to tell."

Slowly, the others approached him and Purple Haze, with heads held low and careful steps... as if fearing that any sound they made would draw the wrath of some unseen force upon them. When they had finally gathered around him, the gnoll started to read the paintings on the walls of the chamber, his deep voice echoing softly off the stone walls and bones that surrounded them.

"Clan lived here for many generations..." their eyes followed his hand, spotting paintings of figures that looked like him. There were many of them, small and big... hunting, sleeping... they looked happy. "Then... one day, strange things happen." their gaze followed the painting as it traveled over the wall, "Gnolls started to behave wrong... stopped talking, stopped hunting..." they saw several of the figures sitting apart from one another, their heads turned to stare off into the distance, "Started to forget. Forgot others, then forget themselves."

"In the end..." the gnoll's voice sounded heavy, "Forgot to wake up..." the painted gnolls seemed disappear into the ground, as if they were lying down, "Was Black Sleep... and one by one, all gnolls slept." the figures started grow thin, and then the paintings broke off.

None of those present managed to speak after the gnoll had finished his reading, all of them trying to comprehend what had occurred in this place. They felt disbelief that a whole clan of creatures like him could simply disappear like this... but everything around them told otherwise, and it felt wrong that they had to die like this... terribly wrong.

"Is more though..." the gnoll's voice surprised them, it suddenly sounded very different. Seemingly effortlessly, Scar lifted the maul and pointed to the wall at the other side of the cave, "Look."

Purple Haze stared, first confused but then shocked at what was painted there. She squinted her eyes to make sure she was seeing correctly, but without a doubt... the painting showed rats. Countless twisted little bodies formed a painting that almost looked like a black cloud.

"The izelim?" Purple Haze muttered in disbelief.

"Rats." the gnoll nodded without looking, "Look further up."

Her gaze traveled up further, and she saw something that startled her even more, "Is that a snake?"

Above the ball of dancing rats, a painting of a huge snake could be seen twirling around itself, set in red and black clouds.

"Is snake." the gnoll nodded, "Was drawn badly, Scar can't read very well and isn't sure... but rats dance to movements of snake." he put down his maul with a heavy thump, "Scar does not understand yet, but snake is set in empty dreams... black dreams." a low rumble escaped his throat, "If that is true..." he tightened the grip on his weapon, the joints in his finger starting to crack loudly and making the others shudder, "Then Scar has a lot of work to do."

"This is insane..." Purple Haze whispered, "Just how long have they been here? If this is right, then the izelim have been active for far longer than we have thought..." she looked at Scar, "Do you really think..."

"Scar will find out." he replied before she could finish her question, "But now, it needs to do something..." he stood up from his position, "Everyone, step back to wall... Scar needs space." he started to trail his claws over the soft ground beneath him, etching strange patterns into the earth as the members of the squad quickly backed up.

"What are you doing?" Purple Haze asked with surprise.

"Is written on walls that clan mother was first to sleep..." the gnoll mumbled absentmindedly, "But without shaman, ghosts had no guide to leave." he picked up his head, "Scar intends to help ghosts."

For a moment, Purple Haze did not understand his words but then realization hit her. That strange feeling, that unnerving chill they had all felt since they had entered this place... it weren't just the bones or the darkness, there was more. She felt a cold sweat run down her back, "Everypony, get to the walls... give him space." she turned back to the gnoll, "Have you done this before?"

The gnoll paused to look up, a sad expression on his face, "Once... for mother." before continuing to draw more strange patterns into the ground beneath him. Purple Haze only nodded in response and joined the rest of her squad at the edge of the chamber, anxious at what he would do next.

"Marshall?" Greenfield spoke up with uncertainty, "What's he doing?"

Purple Haze sighed, "You don't know this, but Scar was trained to be a shaman for his clan... and if I understood him correctly, he wants to perform a last rite for the dead." she passed her squad a meaningful look, "So show some respect and keep quiet." she hook her head, "Wait until he's made his peace with this place."

In the center of the chamber, the gnoll gave the patterns in the ground a proving look. They were far from perfect, but they would do. He had honestly hoped he would never have to do this again, but respect demanded it. His mother had done it for his clan members and father, and he had done it for her when the time had come.

Scar let out a heavy sigh as he sat down in the center of the patterns. He had drawn three rings with different symbols, representing the forces of nature that the gnolls recognized as their life givers... water, earth, and air. Scar placed his maul next to him, his hand holding the handle of the weapon in a firm grip. He closed his eye, and started to remember the songs his mother had taught him so long ago.

At the edge of the chamber, the Hunter squad watched in wonder, as a soft whine started to escape the gnoll's throat. Slowly, the gnoll started to lift the maul. For a moment, it hovered above the ground. Then, Scar started to thump it up and down with a slow rhythm, the sounds of his growing voice in tact with the thuds.

The gnoll started to sing.

Purple Haze listened to his voice, captured by the unfamiliar sounds he was creating. It was a strange mix of growls and whines; deep and high sounds alternating constantly, clear tones and rasping huffs filling the chamber and their ears.

Next to her, Vayu suddenly gave off an astonished, fierce whisper, "By the winds! Look!"

Purple Haze was about to scold her, but then she saw it too... and just like the others, her mouth fell open.

All around them, the chamber started to fill with lights. Countless tiny, blue stars started to detach themselves from the skeletons, dancing over their heads and through the air as if they were carried by an unseen current. As the gnoll continued to hum to himself and pound the maul into the ground, the lights started to dance around him, a whirling pool of stars with him at the center.

Purple Haze understood, and a tear ran down her cheek as she realized that these were the souls of those that had once lived here. Never before had she seen something so beautiful, and never before had she witnessed something so sad.

In the center of the chamber, Scar picked up his pace and increased his volume. Responding to his song, the lights started to dance even faster, and slowly... started to travel upwards and towards the ceiling before disappearing in a final burst of light. One by one, all of them started to vanish before their eyes.

In the end, a single blue star hovered before the gnoll for a short moment, as if observing his chanting form with interest. Then it too, disappeared.

The gnoll stopped his meditation and opened his eye, the maul coming to rest on the ground once more. Scar let out a deep breath before starting to get up again, leaning heavily upon his weapon for support as he rose to his feet. He observed the faces of his friends, they seemed to be in a state of complete shock... but he also saw wonder and sadness wash over them.

Scar shook his head with a small chuckle as he started to drag the maul behind him once more, too tired to pick it up. "Didn't think gnoll could do that... did you?" he let out a tired sigh, "Is more wisdom in world than just in books... Scar will teach you sometime."

"That may all be fine and well, master. But could you please stop dragging me around like some piece of luggage? And if I remember correctly, I was promised that there would be rats to smash."

A small smile grew onto the gnoll's face as he passed the still startled squad, "Will smash... will smash them all."

Author's Note

Here's a little something for a 'what if'. Imagine Scar would somehow suddenly wind up in your room, or you wind up in front of him, either with or without knowledge of his story. How would you react?

Chapter 3: Airship talk

"Daughter." Vayu turned around to see her father approach, "How are you?"

"Fine dad..." she looked at the ground, "Just fine."

"Are you sure?" Blackbeak asked with a careful voice, "Purple Haze told me what happened. You know you can always talk to me."

Vayu sighed, "It's just... when I see him and how strong he is..."

"You mean Scar?"

"Yeah..." Vayu replied before looking into the face of her father, "I just can't understand it... I mean... I saw the bones, dad. I saw them and I still can't believe that they... they just..."

"That they simply died without the rest of the world noticing?" Blackbeak spoke softly.

Vayu nodded, "It's... it's just not fair... it simply feels wrong."

"I know." Blackbeak replied with a heavy voice, "It is a terrible thought that he could be the last of the mountain gnolls."

"You know what puzzles me even more?" Vayu continued with an agitated voice, "The gnoll, I mean... Scar. I would have expected him to be furious or devastated... anything! But instead, he was just quiet. I just don't understand how he could remain so calm after seeing... that!"

"The gnolls never show sadness, Vayu. It is their way not to talk of sad things, no matter how deeply it troubles them." Blackbeak sighed, "I can only imagine how deeply this loss torments him."

"How do you know so much about them?" she asked with a frown, "I thought you only ever met one?"

"I did." Blackbeak replied, "But your great grandfather was allowed to visit one of their clans on a rare occasion, and he wrote down what he learned in his journals." he smiled softly, "You should read them some time, there is a lot to know about the gnolls."

"Can you tell me?"

Blackbeak raised an eyebrow in surprise, his daughter had never been one to hold interest in history and much less so in the old journals of their family, "What do you wish to know?"

"Everything!"

"You think the big guy is alright?" Whistler took a short look at his hand of cards, "He's was awfully quiet the whole way back to the ship."

"I'm sure he's fine." Greenfield replied as he drew another card, "I mean, he's the damn gnoll, ain't he? He's as tough as it gets..." he chuckled, "And he's got Purple Haze to keep him comfort. I'm sure he'll be okay." a taint of worry escaped his voice, "I'm sure..."

"I'm not so sure..." Berryshakes spoke from her side of the table, "Didn't you see how hard it was for him to carry his maul? He was probably on the verge of breaking down..."

"Don't even make me think about it." Star Glaze commented from her bunk, "I am going to have nightmares of that place for weeks!" she turned on her blanket, "And it sucks that we can't do anything to help..."

"Don't I know it..." Greenfield raised a tired eyebrow as he picked a card, "I've never felt so useless in my whole life."

"Still..." Cloud Dancer spoke from the top bunk above Star Glaze, "I never thought he could do something like that. That was pretty impressive..."

"And incredibly sad as well." added Berryshakes, "I just hope he doesn't have to do that again, ever."

"I wonder though..." Whistler put down a card, "Do you guys think there are any of his kind left?"

"That, would be totally awesome!" Greenfield chuckled as he countered with his own card, "I mean, after seeing what just one gnoll can do back in Manehatten? Imagine what a whole squad of the big guys could manage! I already see flat rats everywhere!"

"All those helmets they'd eat." Cloud Dancer whispered with a grin.

"Don't make me smack you." Star Glaze grumbled, "Though I wouldn't mind it if we found some more of his kind. He'd probably be overjoyed."

"Let's make a pact then." Berryshakes surprised them by standing up, "No matter how this goes, no matter what... if there are still some of the gnolls alive; we will find them!"

"Hear! Hear!"

"Purple Haze should stop worrying..." his voice still sounded tired, "Scar is fine."

"You don't sound fine to me." Purple Haze replied with a worried expression, "You need some sleep, and a hot meal before that."

The gnoll gave a soft chuckle, "Purple Haze looks like she could use some sleep too."

"And I'll get it once I made sure you're getting yours. Come on, let's go to the canteen."

Scar was about to protest, but he was hungry... and he was tired. More than he would like to admit. There wasn't much else to do on the huge ship anyhow, "Alright." the gnoll nodded, "First Scar eats, then it sleeps."

He started to follow her down the corridors of the ship, occasionally ducking to avoid hitting his head on any support beams. He still had sore bumps from the last two times. It was an amazing construct in his opinion, and it still puzzled him how they got it to fly... he figured that there was probably some sort of magic involved.

As he was following Purple Haze though, the gnoll noticed something. "Purple Haze." he spoke up softly, "What is troubling you?"

"Me?" Purple Haze stopped, surprised at his sudden question, "Nothing, really. I'm just worried about you."

"Purple Haze is lying." the gnoll frowned, "Scar can see it in how Purple Haze moves, and can smell it too. Something is troubling you."

Purple Haze sighed, "You're right. Something is troubling me."

"What?"

"What we saw back... back in the cave." Purple Haze's voice was almost a murmur, "The painting we saw..."

"The one with the rats?" Scar asked.

"Yeah..." she looked into his face, "If they have been here for so long... what are they planning? What if they are connected to the Black Sleep? Why did they go after the elements of harmony? But most importantly... what if the griffons are next?"

"Next?" the gnoll raised an eyebrow, "Next for what?"

"It's only a speculation... but what if the gnolls were just a test? What if the Izelim are preparing for something even worse?"

"Mmm... is troubling thought indeed, Scar agrees. But why would rats go after gnolls?"

"I don't know..." Purple Haze shook her head, "I still need to figure it out... and the thing with the snake too."

"Purple Haze worries too much. Will find rats, then will find answers."

"I hope you're right." she took a moment to observe his face, "How are you dealing with it?"

"Dealing with it?" Scar asked confused.

"You know, about what we found at the cave? You didn't say a word during our way back. Are you alright?"

The gnoll closed his eye and took a deep breath, "Scar feels... tired... sad too. But gnoll will be alright."

"You're not angry? I know you're not one to act out of hate, but even so... don't you want revenge?"

"Revenge?" the gnoll looked at her with his tired eye, "Gnoll wants many things... to read books..." he smiled, "To spend time with Purple Haze... but revenge? No. Scar wants to protect friends." a soft laugh escaped his lips, "And smash some rats too if time allows it, just to make sure."

Purple Haze smirked, "I can agree to that. Now come on, lets get you something to eat."

"The gnolls..." Blackbeak started, "Are part of the elder races of this world, or at least they were." he sighed, "As long as the world remembered, the mountain gnolls lived in the mountains of this world... watching and protecting their sacred homes from the outside world, isolated from everyone else."

"They were always wild at heart, ferocious hunters and powerful warriors and yet... they have always striven for something entirely different."

"What?" Vayu asked from her side of the table.

"Tranquil mind." a third voice spoke up. Both of the griffons turned to see the gnoll and Purple Haze enter the canteen.

"Tranquil mind?" Vayu recovered from her initial surprise and gave the gnoll a skeptical look, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"The gnolls are rooted far deeper to nature than you can imagine, Vayu." her father replied as he gave Scar a short nod, "And so are their instincts."

Scar sat down at the table with Purple Haze, the bench beneath his form creaking under his weight, "Are two paths of life, one is path of beast, other path of tranquil mind. Path of beast is simple, is live and die... thoughtless..."

"Feral." Blackbeak finished the sentence.

The gnoll nodded, "Very dangerous. Loses control, only moves by anger and hunger."

"So they go wild?" Vayu asked with surprise before asking, "Did you ever go wild?"

Scar remained quiet for a moment, "Once..." he took a deep breath, "When it was alone and hurt, it walked path of beast for long time... was like bad dream filled with old ghosts..."

"Was it after..." Purple Haze carefully asked.

"Was." the gnoll nodded and turned to Vayu, "When gnoll goes wild, it knows no friend, no family... only fight... and hunger." the young griffon cringed as she heard him say that last word; there had been something very strange in his eye when he had said it, something that made her feel very nervous.

Next to Scar, Purple Haze remembered their first encounter with the Izelim, and the changeling living with the teacher in Ponyville... she had seen what a feral gnoll looked like, and the memory still caused her to shudder.

Princess Celestia went through the notes of the day a final time, checking if everything had been clarified and solved. And yet, she couldn't help but wonder how the Hunter squad was doing. Was everyone safe? Had they reached Pisa yet? Most importantly; how would Scar deal with coming so close to his old home?

She got up from her seat with a sigh and started to leave the audience chamber with worried steps, there still had been no new messages from Saddle Arabia concerning the events unfolding in the far east and it troubled her greatly that a war taking place in such a distant land would still manage to reach them. She could only hope that Purple Haze would send her news of the situation once they reached Pisa, and that it would be good news for once.

Celestia wondered what the Izelim could possibly search for in... the door to the audience chamber suddenly slammed shut behind her, making both her and the two guards stationed in front of the doors give off a yelp and jump in surprise.

After she had recovered from the initial shock, princess Celestia gave the door a curious look, she had not noticed an air draft when she had been inside... but how else could it have fallen shut?

"Sorry, princess." one of the guards tried to apologize while silently cursing to himself, "This is the third time this week, and it still makes me jump every time."

"I'll say." replied the second guard, "Yesterday it fell shut on my tail, and I couldn't get it out for almost half an hour! It wouldn't even open!"

Somewhere in the wood of the door, a little chuckle passed unseen by the rest of the world.

Chapter 4: Pisa

"Mommy, Mommy, look!" the three little griffons bounced up and down in joy, "The airship's here! Daddy's back!"

"Calm down, my little ones." Aethris smiled at her fledglings, "Wait until it docks."

She watched the airship as it slowly approached the main tower of Pisa, happy that her husband and oldest daughter had finally returned from his trip to Equestria. It seemed that his audience with the alicorns had shown results, finally something would be done regarding the mysterious disappearance of young griffons... as well as the strange creatures that had infiltrated their home.

At the same time though, she felt a deep worry... If the alicorns were truly sending a special squad, then it meant that the threat was indeed very real. Aethris gave her fledglings a sad look, the thought that they could be taken from her was terrible. And that her letter her husband had sent... Was he really going to allow Vayu to accompany the equestrian squad on such a mission? And the one he called Scar... what a strange name for a pony.

The airship gave off a soft hum as it floated closer to the port, numerous of the griffons jumping into the air to secure it with heavy ropes. Slowly, under the strain of many arms, the ship was pulled down and secured.

"Can we go now? Can we? Can we, mommy?" the triplets chimed in unison.

"Don't be impatient, wait for them to set up the gangway." Aethris replied softly. There was a loud thud as the huge board was pushed forward and onto the port. Aethris waited for another moment as she saw her fledglings' grins broaden. On the ship, she saw her husband step onto the gangway, "Now, you can go."

"Yay!" the triplets shot off and towards their father, little wings flapping furiously as they flew to greet him. "Daddy!" they collided with the griffon half-way down the plank, their father laughing heartily as he stepped onto the port, "Did you meet the alicorns? Was their castle big? Did you bring us anything?"

"I'm happy to see you three as well..." Blackbeak chuckled as the three hovered around him.

"The three little monsters never change, do they?" Vayu gave her siblings a smirk, "You didn't get into any trouble while I was gone, did you?"

"Vayu!" the three detached themselves to greet her sister, "Did you have an adventure? What... PONIES!" the griffons shot off and flew around the first members of the Hunter squad to deboard the airship.

"What the..." Greenfield took a startled step backwards as he suddenly found himself surrounded by three small pairs of flapping wings.

"Are you a real pony? Can you fly? Can you really do magic?"

"Huh? No, I'm an earth pony, we don't..."

"Boring!" they shot off to Star Glaze, "Are you a real pegasus? Can you fly as fast as big sis?"

"Faster than that feather brain?" Star Glaze struck a pose, "Any time!"

"Hey!" Vayu squawked from the back.

"What a show off..." Greenfield shook his head and shouldered his spear.

Whistler walked up next to him carrying his own spear, "Don't worry, wait till they get a load of..."

"UNICORN!" three happy voices shouted with glee.

"Woah!" Berryshakes gave a shout of surprise as six little clawed hands traveled over her in wonder.

Whistler gave Greenfield a happy smirk, "Told you..."

At the other end of the port, Aethris greeted her husband. "Welcome back, Therdeon." she nuzzled his beak, "How was your meeting with the two sisters?"

"We come back bearing troublesome news, I'm afraid." Blackbeak sighed, but then a small smile appeared on his face, "But we also come with friends."

"Are those ponies from the Hunter squad you wrote about?" she observed the ponies as they gathered on the port, "They don't look very experienced..." she paused, "Except for that one..."

Blackbeak followed her gaze, "Who?"

"The pegasus with the scars on her face..." Aethris fixed her with her sharp eyes, "She's seen battle."

"Ah... you mean Marshall Purple Haze?" Blackbeak chuckled, "You still have those beautiful, sharp eyes of yours. You should talk to her, I'm sure you two will get along quite well. She reminds me a bit of yourself in your younger day..." Aethris gave him a clap on the back of his head.

"My younger days? Must I remind you that you are the one who's been growing gray feathers lately?" she gave a small laugh as her husband flinched, "But you're right, I would like to talk to her... She looks interesting."

"Hey, you three!" Purple Haze could be heard barking, "Stop troubling the Lieutenant! Star Glaze, Cloud Dancer! Stop daydreaming and help the others unload the cargo!"

"Yes, Sir!"

"Boring!"

Aethris smiled, "She seems like a good leader too..." she did a quick count, "I take it the one to appear yet is the one you wrote about? Scar, was it?"

"Sharp as always." Blackbeak laughed.

"Strange name for a pony though..." she remarked.

"Ah, thing is..." Blackbeak started, "Scar isn't..."

"Scar! Come on, you can get off now." Purple Haze called behind her and towards the ship, "Don't carry Tag over the board, I'm not sure it can support the combined weight of both of you."

"Tag?" Aethris raised an eyebrow, but both her eyes became wide as something huge and black jumped over the railing of the airship and onto the port in one leap, a heavy thump sounding through the morning air as it landed on the ground with two strong hind legs. Aethris could feel her mouth start to drop as a blood-red eye scanned the surroundings and an impossibly huge maul was rested on broad shoulders.

"Is... Is that a..." she started to stammer.

"Sure is..." Blackbeak grinned.

"DOGGIE!" three little griffons cheered with joy.

Once again, Scar was miserable. He had been overjoyed to finally get off the constantly-swaying ship and onto solid ground again... But the moment he landed on the port, he was assaulted by three flying, tiny featherclaws that immediately attached themselves to various parts of his body.

"He's so big! Even bigger than daddy!" one of them laughed as it dangled from his arm.

"He's so fluffy!" one of them played with hair on his cheeks, "Whoa! Look at those teeth! They're huge!"

"Look at his tail!" the third gave it a yank.

The gnoll couldn't bring himself to protest though, no matter how annoying the tiny featherclaws were. The first had its head in his mouth, the second was inspecting the claws on his paw and the third one was constantly darting around his leg. He feared that one wrong step or movement would be enough to squash them.

He was missing the tiny ponies by now.

"Hey! Get off of him! He's not a pet!" the gnoll let out a thankful sigh as he heard Purple Haze's voice. She would save him.

"Naha! He's a big doggie!" the three little griffons started to dart around his head, adding to his confusion, "He's even got a big stick!" one of them hung from his maul.

"Kelba! Trusar! Illeon! Stop it!" a stern voice called out.

"But mommy!" three little griffons wailed in unison, "We want to play with the doggie!"

"Right now!"

Scar watched in surprise as the three griffons detached themselves from him and flew a short way up the port, where another adult griffon was standing next to Blackbeak. The gnoll checked his nose, she was female... and by the smell also likely to be the mother of the three and the mate of Blackbeak.

"Hey, you alright?" Purple Haze checked on him, "Seems that not only foals love you, but fledglings too." she gave him a small smile of sympathy.

"Scar is thrilled..." he sighed and watched as the mother spoke to her young ones. He couldn't help but think that she looked very much like Vayu, were it not for the difference of color of their beaks and the long Scar that ran over her left eye. "Scar wonders..." he turned back to Purple Haze, "Female featherclaw looks like warrior."

"You mean Blackbeak's wife?" Purple Haze gave her a glance, "I wouldn't be surprised. Most of the griffons are in the military service at some point. She's probably seen some action too, by the looks of it." she passed him a curious look, "Do female gnolls become warriors?"

Scar barked out a laugh, "Warriors? No." he missed Purple Haze's sour expression as he studied the female griffon another time, "Female gnolls are smart. Smarter than males. So females take more important tasks. Heal, gather herbs, keep stories of clan and tell males what to hunt..." he chuckled and turned to her, "Though females can bite too..."

"You talking from experience?" Purple Haze gave him a smirk.

The gnoll chuckled, "Could say that... It remembers when..."

"Excuse me..." Scar turned around to see that the female griffon had walked up to them, accompanied by the three little ones, "You are Scar?" she eyed his form with a strange look.

"It is." he replied with a short nod.

"What do we say to the gnoll?" she turned to her fledglings.

The three little griffons lined up in front of the gnoll, "Welcome to Pisa, mister Scar. We hope we haven't troubled you."

"Is alright, is happy to be on ground again."

"He talks funny." one of the little ones giggled.

"Kelba! Don't be rude. Go and help your father, all of you. I'm sure you can talk to him later." the fledglings protested, but took off anyway. When they were out of hearing, their mother returned her attention to the gnoll once more, "I am Aethris, of the Blackbeak clan." she bowed her head before Scar, "It is an honor to finally welcome one of your kind here." she turned to Purple Haze, "Just as it is to meet your companions. You must be Marshall Purple Haze."

Purple Haze saluted before her, "Thank you for welcoming us, we hope to help you as much as we can."

Aethris returned her salute with a smile, already impressed by her. The young mare really did remind her of herself when she was still younger. Aethris turned back to the gnoll, "May I ask, which is your clan?" she paused as she saw his features harden, "I hope I have not asked something wrong?"

Scar shook his head, "Has not..." he seemed to hesitate, "Scar is of clan of red eyes... but clan is gone. Runs with ponies now."

"I understand." Aethris searched his face, her gaze traveling over the countless scars. His expression was calm, but there was something incredibly sad hidden beneath his eye as well... she would only later realize that it was the eye of someone who had already seen too much sadness in his life.

She studied his weapon and the strong hand that held it in a firm grip, "May I ask something else as well?" a small smirk found herself onto her face.

"Ask."

"Even though you have only just arrived... I would like to test something that my husband has been boasting about for many years..." the gnoll raised an eyebrow as he noticed her look.

A good way up the port, Blackbeak could feel the blood leave his face as he heard her words, "Why didn't I expect this to happen?" he said with a groan, "At her age, too. I'll never hear the end of this if her mother finds out..."

"Would you give me the honor of a fight?"

Chapter 5: Aethris

Were all of the featherclaws going to be like this? Scar let out a tired sigh as he watched the eager look in Aethris' eyes. Practicing was one thing, but this... how was he supposed to hunt rats if every featherclaw he met was going to challenge him? Not to mention that it was much to early in the morning for his liking.

"Why does featherclaw want to fight Scar?" he asked her with a hard gaze.

"We griffons always strive to prove our strength, so we are always eager to challenge a strong opponent." Aethris replied with a smirk, "Also, if I do this my husband will no longer be the only one able to claim that he has fought a real, living mountain gnoll."

"He isn't actually the only one..." Purple Haze interrupted with a frown, "Vayu also challenged Scar back in Equestria." She was not necessarily anxious to get the gnoll into a fight the moment they set foot in griffon territory... even more so if it was against Blackbeak's wife.

"She did?" Aethris raised an eyebrow in surprise before turning her gaze back to where her husband was still standing, "You allowed our daughter to fight a gnoll?"

Blackbeak visibly cringed, "I tried to talk her out of it, but you know her... she wouldn't have it any other way."

Aethris gave her husband a meaningful look before turning back to the gnoll, she'd have a talk with her husband later concerning his parenting. "How did she do?"

At the other side of the port, Vayu whispered a silent prayer that the gnoll wouldn't tell her just how badly she had done.

Scar scratched his head in thought, "Is young, not much experience... Also quick to lose temper and grow frustrated so attacked without thought in straight line." he closed his eye for a moment in thought, "Did last longer than it had anticipated though... strong will and hard skull." he chuckled, "Scar thinks that Vayu can become good warrior, but still has to learn a lot. Much potential, but too little patience and not enough wisdom."

Aethris studied his face before a small smile found its way onto her beak, "That does sound like her, alright." she turned her face slightly to the side, "You hear that, Vayu? Just like I told you too; Patience and observation..."

"Are the key to victory." Vayu groaned, "Yes, mother. I know."

Aethris shook her head with a small laugh, "Always willing, but never listening." she returned her attention to the gnoll, "So? Will you fight against me as well?"

The gnoll shifted his shoulders slightly, feeling the weight from his maul on them. Just as a precaution, he had told Tag to be quiet for the time being as his mere appearance would likely already serve from some raised eyebrows. He studied the griffon another time, trying to judge her strength.

She looked to be in good shape and her eyes were sharp... she was probably more experienced than her daughter too. Then there was the matter of her wings. Out here in the open it would be difficult to catch her, though it would be just as hard for her to get close enough to him... Scar came to the conclusion that he would probably be able to beat her, but it would definitely take more time than with Vayu. Time he had originally intended to spend napping somewhere dark and quiet.

He weighed the two options he had; either pummel the featherclaw in front of her fledglings or find a quiet place to nap... "Featherclaw wants to prove strength?" he asked her after another moment of thought.

"I'd like to know how strong a gnoll is in comparison to a griffon." she corrected him.

"Mmmh..." the gnoll scratched his chin, "Then there is better way of doing."

Before Aethris could ask what he meant, Scar gave a small grunt and lifted the maul from his shoulders, holding the huge weapon out in front of her to see, "This be Scar's weapon, is Tag."

The griffon gave a confused nod, wondering why a weapon like this would carry such a ridiculous name. She was even more surprised to see that someone had painted a huge mustache onto its head of stone, something that by griffon standards would have been totally unacceptable.

The gnoll turned the maul slightly in his hand before setting it head first onto the ground before her, the force of the impact making her squirm a little as she felt the tremble go through the foundations of the port. "If featherclaw wishes to know how strong gnoll is, then can try and lift Tag. If featherclaw can lift, then gnoll will fight too."

Even as Scar removed his huge hand from the heft, he could feel a slight chuckle go through the wood. It seemed that Tag had understood.

"That's your condition?" Aethris asked with a smirk, "You should know that we griffons are a lot stronger than we look." she placed her talons on the heft, gripped the wood tightly, gave a strong pull and... nothing. The weapon did not move, not even an inch. She pulled again, feeling her muscles strain but from the feeling in her talons she might as well have been trying to lift a mountain.

"Go mommy! You can do it!" the triplets cheered for her.

Aethris gave off a small curse and pulled from the side, trying to at least to get it to fall over. But no matter how hard she pulled, no matter how furiously she flapped her wings, the maul was unmovable. She gave the gnoll a blank stare, "How can you even lift that thing? It must weigh a ton!"

Scar gave a small huff, reached out and picked up the maul again, giving it a small whirl as he held it in the air, "Is heavy, good weapon for gnoll... also makes nice sound when it hits skull. But..." the maul came down again with a heavy crack, "Is condition. If featherclaw can lift, gnoll will fight."

With that said, Scar started to head up the port with Purple Haze in tow and leaving the befuddled Aethris alone with Tag. "You do realize that she'll probably be furious once she finds out that Tag can turn himself unmovable?" Purple Haze whispered to him with a small chuckle.

"Let featherclaw be furious." Scar replied with a small grunt, "It has more important things to do."

"Already rearing to catch some rats?" Purple Haze asked, "We haven't even gotten all of our stuff from the ship yet..."

The gnoll shook his head, "No. Is too early for gnoll to be awake, so Scar goes and looks for someplace to sleep..." then find some food, then sleep again.

"That's your important thing?" a small sigh escaped Purple Haze, "Alright, go find yourself someplace to nap. I'll make sure that the rest get settled in and everything gets unloaded." her face scrunched up for a moment, "We can't have you go through the castle alone though..."

The gnoll raised an eyebrow, "Why not?"

"You're a gnoll." she stated flatly.

"Oh..."

"Yeah..." Purple Haze did a quick check of the port, a small smirk appearing on her face as she spotted the three fledglings dangling from Scar's maul, "Hey! You three..." the blood started to leave the gnoll's face as he realized what she was about to do, "Want to give Scar here a tour of the castle?"

"DOGGIE!"

A good hour later, Aethris was still struggling with the maul. Everyone else had already left and the few guards present were smart enough not to ask what it was she was doing. No matter how hard she tried or how she pulled, the maul would not budge. Ever so slowly, the griffon became furious, "Damn it! This is ridiculous! Let yourself be moved, you confounded piece of shrubbery!"

"Nay, I say thee!" Aethris gave a surprised squawk and jumped backwards, almost falling over herself but quickly going into a fighting stance instead.

"By the wind..." she whispered in disbelief, "It talks!"

"Pah! Talk I can, indeed! And much more!" Tag happily sang, "I am Sir Tag, herald of heroes, slayer of rats and bearer of honor! I only have one master! Only one who may wield me and use me to bring his art to the world! And you..." his voice lowered a bit before rising again, "Are not worthy! Never shall I let myself be lifted by such scrawny little arms! Nay, I say!"

Aethris' eyebrows furrowed, "Talking maul or not, I will lift you and have my fight with the gnoll!"

"You?! Fight my master?! Allow me to rear back my head and laugh at this preposterous notion!" there was a short pause, "Ha ha ha ha!"

"You don't even have a head!" Aethris fumed and wrapped her hands around the heft again.

"Get your filthy claws off me you damn, dirty griffon! A good beating with a door is enough for the likes of you, I say!"

"Shut up!"

"Good lord, how do you even expect to lift anything with that pose? You'd sooner break your own back than lift me!"

"I am Aethris, of the Blackbeak clan. I have proved my worth against many adversaries and my name is written on the wall of warriors in the maiden chambers! And I will lift you!" Aethris gave a grunt as she tried to lift him again.

"Your name is written on a wall? Be it as it is that I already have difficulties believing that, but many things are written on walls, my dear. Profanities included. My master's name though is sung by the bards of Canterlot and the Crystal kingdom! How would you even compare to that?" Tag was quiet for another moment as Aethris continued to pull on him, "But most importantly... I have a mustache!"

"I hate you!"

"I know..." a sinister laugh escaped the maul.

A good distance off, the guards on duty made worried faces as they watched their esteemed monarch scream and shout swear words at a huge maul standing on the port.

Scar wasn't sure how he had done it, but after a good hour of being led around the castle by the almost frantic fledglings he had somehow managed to lose their interest. While the three little griffons were busy troubling the kitchen for pastries, the gnoll had used the opportunity to sneak off and down an old set of stone stairs.

By the looks of things it was an old storage, unused, covered in dust and filled with old furniture in the dark... perfect for a nap. No one would disturb him here.

The gnoll settled down in one of the corners of the room, next to an old gargoyle set in stone. Even as he shifted to a more comfortable position, he couldn't help but feel that there was a very familiar smell to this place... though he couldn't quite place it yet. For a moment his red eye searched the room, his ears turned and he took another smell of the air; faint... familiar... unpleasant... what could it be?

A small sigh escaped him, it was too early for him to go on a wild search. He'd find out after his nap.

Inside the dark, old storage, the gnoll went to sleep.

A small creak penetrated the silence of the dark room, "Careful! What if someone's down here?" a tiny voice whispered fiercely.

"No one ever comes down here!" a second voice whispered back as a tile in a wall slowly swung open, "See, completely dark."

Four little feet landed on the floor and two small figures carefully crept through the dark, big round ears standing on attention. "What are we looking for?" the first voice whispered.

"Chest with threads..." the other replied, "They put their old clothes in there and..." there was a small squeak, "Watch it! You stepped on my tail!"

"I can't help it, I can't see a thing!" the first voice replied, "Where is it?"

"There's an old gargoyle to the left... Should be right in front of us." a tiny hand reached out and touched something soft, "That's strange..."

"What?" the little voice asked with a stressed tone, impatient to leave again.

"This doesn't feel like stone..." the little hand gave the object a tentative squeeze, "Feels wet..."

"Wet?" the other voice replied with impatience, "Did they move the stuff again? Wait, let me get a light..." a small hand drew out a match, drew it over the floor and held it up like a torch.

In the radiance of the small source of light, two big mice in ragged and makeshift clothes looked around themselves and tried to see what lay in the dark... and from the dark, a head bigger than themselves stared back at them with a single, red eye while the mouse's hand rested on a wet nose.

Two little faces with long whiskers and small noses froze in sheer terror as a huge mouth filled with teeth longer than their limbs opened itself to speak a single word with a deep, rumbling voice, "Rats..."

The match went out, the dark returned... and the screaming began.

Author's Note

Sorry for the slow updates... been writing on a lot of stuff recently. I plan to put up another chapter tomorrow, so stay put ^^

Chapter 6: Break down the walls between us

Scar was angry... even furious. Angry at the rats and most importantly, angry at himself. The pesky critters had escaped him, given an advantage by the countless objects stored inside the small room... most of which had been turned to splinters during his chase. In the end they had disappeared in a small hole behind one of the tiles.

"Stupid rats." he grumbled as he paced down the corridor he had used to enter the castle, ignoring the surprised stares of the featherclaws he passed.

Even in his annoyance the gnoll couldn't help but wonder; they hadn't really looked like rats... more like mice for that matter. They had smelled different too and had carried no recognizable weapons. Scar frowned, had it been his imagination or had they seemed even more shocked when he called them rats?

He pushed the thought aside with a snarl, making two griffon guards who would normally have questioned his presence jump out of his path in shock. Scar didn't even notice, still too angry at his failure.

Scar was a hunter, he could pursue his bait for days if he needed to... but those pesky little rodents were hiding inside the blasted walls! It was almost like they were mocking him! His brow furrowed further at the thought... They would find out very soon that escaping a gnoll took a lot more than just a few feet of stone.

"This is ridiculous!" Aethris barked and gave the maul another tug.

"Oh my, I think I'm about to fall over! Oh, woe is me to be defeated by a descendant of the common sparrow! Nooo!" ever so slightly, the maul started to tip over... but just as Aethris was sure of her victory, "Or am I?" With an evil laugh the maul became unmovable again and returned to its upright position with a jerk, sending the griffon flying several feet in the process, "Ha! I don't know about you, griffon. But I am having a ball!"

"Aaargh!" Aethris jumped onto her paws with a snarl, "Stop mocking me! I'll tear you to shreds for this!"

"Is that a challenge I hear?" Tag laughed, "If I didn't know it any better I would think you are trying to threaten me! Oh, the terror!" he continued to taunt her, "Will no one save me from this horrid, unending and terrifying boredom! I can actually feel myself growing a splinter!"

Aethris ground her claws into the ground, "Why... you little..."

She was cut off from her threats as the gnoll suddenly stepped by her and towards the maul with determined strides.

"Hey! I still wasn't finished with him!" Aethris started to protest as Scar picked up the weapon.

"Are we going on stroll? Anything to smash? Are we..."

"You still owe me a..."

"ENOUGH!" the gnoll boomed at her and made her flinch backwards as she saw his teeth and anger for the first time, "Both! Is no time for games! Scar has work to do, will fight featherclaw later!"

"Work? Splendid!" Tag chirped happily as the gnoll hefted him onto his shoulder, "What are we going to do?"

"Tear down wall." the gnoll replied with a low grumble as he headed past the baffled Aethris and towards the castle.

"Ahh... excellent! The glory of reconstruction awaits us! Onwards! Show me the wall that would defy us so cruelly!" The gnoll only shook his head with a small grumble, "A tad too much, perhaps?"

"Maybe..." Scar huffed in reply, "Will soon see."

Aethris watched them leave with a dumbfounded face, still shocked at the rage she had seen in his face. Whatever had caused him to lose his temper like this? Something clicked in the back of her head... had he actually said... "Tear down wall?" Aethris' face began to pale as she remembered the look in his eye, "Is he serious?!"

Marshall Purple Haze gave an impressed whistle as she took a stroll through the corridors of the griffon castle. They certainly knew how to build a fortress. It was far more oriented towards withstanding a siege than any Equestrian castle she had seen before... not that there was much need for high walls when you had magic to defend yourself. Still, there was a certain flair to the battle-hardened griffons that was simply undeniable to any soldier.

All those ornamental weapons and shields, all the paintings and statues of great warriors and battles... it was the complete opposite of Canterlot castle and she liked it. Such a place would be much simpler to defend in the case of a siege. As she continued to walk through the corridors she tried to memorize its layout. Hopefully it would protect her from becoming lost and it would give some interesting insight into how a race without magic planned their defensive positions.

She took a glance outside one of the windows. By the position of the sun Purple Haze judged it would be time for lunch soon... the first official appearance of their squad before griffon royalty. She'd have to find Scar soon, or he'd probably oversleep. For a moment she wondered if she should whistle but immediately felt like a fool for thinking about it. He wasn't a dog, after all.

Purple Haze was about to take a left when a voice reached her ears, "MARSHALL!" To her surprise, a clearly agitated Aethris shot around one of the corners and towards her, "You have got to do something about this!"

She watched the griffon's face in wonder, seeing a strange mix of fury and horror dance across Aethris' features, "Why? What happened?" Purple Haze asked with a rising feeling of worry.

"It's the gnoll! He went insane and now he's destroying my castle!"

For a moment, Purple Haze simply stared at her with a blank expression, "Come again?"

"The gnoll is using his maul to tear down the walls!" Aethris repeated with clear impatience, "He has already wrecked two corridors and shows no signs of stopping! Do something!"

Unknown to Aethris, Scar had already finished with corridor number three.

"You think we should do something?" Whistler asked Greenfield with a concerned voice.

"Be my guest..." Greenfield replied with a frown and both of them along with the gathered griffons flinched as the gnoll hammered another huge hole into one of the walls, "I'm not going to argue with him as long as he is swinging that thing like that."

"Out of the way!" a voice they both recognized could be heard from the back, "Make some space!"

"Took her long enough..." Whistler sighed, "Those griffon guards are becoming more by the minute."

"Not that they look especially keen on intervening..." Whistler chuckled as the gnoll broke out another chunk of stone from the walls, "Can't blame them though."

"Aye." Whistler replied.

Purple Haze finally managed to push through the griffons and reach the two ponies at the front, "What in all of Equestria is going on here?! Why are you two not at your..." she trailed off as her gaze traveled down the remains of the corridor, "You have got to be kidding me."

The whole corridor looked like an earthquake had hit it, the walls and even the ceiling were covered in holes and debris... And there was Scar, his head stuck in one of the holes.

"Scar! Have you gone insane?! What are you doing?" she started to approach him but froze when he turned to her.

"In the walls! Evil little rats!" there was a crazy look in his eye, "Laughing at it! Smell is everywhere but Scar will find them!"

"What are you talking about? You're not making..."

"Wait!" Tag suddenly spoke up, "We haven't checked the floor yet!"

Scar whirled around and faced the floor with a growl, "Of course! In floor!"

Purple Haze's eyes widened as she saw him rear up his maul, "Scar! Don't you dare!"

"You think... you think we lost it?"

"I don't know..." the other mouse replied as it gasped for breath, "It's sounding as if he's tearing the place apart up there!"

"This is bad! What do we do?"

"Don't panic! We'll just wait here until it settles down again and then we go warn the rest. As long as we stay out of sight we'll be okay..." the mouse tilted his head upwards, "Wait... I can't hear the pounding anymore."

"Do you think it stopped?" the first mouse carefully looked up, "What in the world was that thing anyways?! Did you see those teeth?!"

"Don't know... never saw anything that big..." the second mouse replied, "At least it can't get down here..."

An explosion of cement and rubble cut them off as a huge stone burst through the ceiling next to them, flooding the tunnel in light and dust. Immediately, the object was pulled back and a huge paw shot through the hole.

"Jump!" the second mouse pushed the its companion out of the way, saving his friend only to be grabbed himself.

"Meck!"

"Run, you fool! Run!" the mouse struggled in the grip of steel, "Warn the others! Tell them to..." before he could finish his scream, the paw was pulled backwards and outside... leaving behind a terrified and devastated mouse.

"I don't believe it..." Purple Haze whispered in awe as Scar held the squeaking creature up like a trophy. Behind her, the griffons and the other members of the squad let out startled gasps as they heard the small rodent scream in terror. At the same time, she couldn't help but think that this rat didn't look anything at all like the Izelim they had seen before.

"Scar knew it! Evil little rats hide in walls!" he brought the small creature up to his face, "Now... Gnoll and rat will have little talk!"

The mouse stared at his face, then at his teeth... and simply fainted with one last squeak of terror.

Chapter 7: Little ears

"I don't know Scar... this doesn't look like one of the Izelim..."

The world around Meck slowly started to become alive again, sounds and smells the first things to break through to him.

"It looks so funny! Look, mommy! It even has a little hat!"

"Kelba! What have I told you about getting to close to it? Let the hunter squad handle this." there was a short pause, "Are you sure it is still alive?"

"Still breathes... little heart still beats... is alive."

Meck wasn't sure where, but he had heard that voice before...

"I think it just moved!"

Slowly, the mouse opened its eyes and for a short moment it wondered what it was looking at. It certainly wasn't the ceiling... Instead, Meck found himself under the skeptical gaze of two magenta-colored eyes, "You're awake?" the pony asked with a frown, "Good."

Meck's eyes fully sprang open, suddenly realizing with terror that he was out in the open and surrounded by ponies and griffons... all of them staring at him with dubious expressions. Completely by instinct, the mouse jumped to its feet and made a dash for the nearest exit... only to run face first into a huge slab of stone with a mustache drawn on it.

"No running." a deep voice grumbled at him, "Scar doesn't want to put any more holes in castle."

Its small head rearing from the impact, the mouse fell on its behind with a small squeak of surprise.

Meck rubbed his head in confusion, eyes blinking furiously to see what he run into. At first... he saw the stone, then the rest of the maul. His gaze traveled up further... and his eyes finally locked with the red eye of the gnoll.

For a moment, the little mouse and the gnoll simply stared at one another, the gnoll waiting for the mouse to make another attempt to flee... and the mouse in a state of pure terror.

As Meck continued to stare at the huge monster towering above him, the events of the day finally became too much for him to bear... and what he did next served to surprise all of those present inside the room.

The old mouse carefully wrote another sentence into his book, the memories and thoughts of all those years spent in this part of the world kept inside for the next generation to.... Senquine paused. Did he really want the young ones to remember? How they came to live here and of the things they had done? What they had been a part of?

Senquine sighed and let his tired gaze travel over the countless pages. Even now, with his sight almost gone and his hairs white he still couldn't forget. These days, his memories were returning to him in the form of bad dreams, his past haunting him. He was the last of those that remembered... of those that knew of what they had done and why they lived like this... in hiding and in fear.

His time spent in reminiscence came to an abrupt end though, as Peck came storming into his burrow with a frenzied expression and gasping for breath.

"Calm down, boy..." Senquine patted the young mouse's back, "What's gotten you so upset? Weren't you and Meck supposed to get new threads?"

"Inside castle!" in his state, Peck was having problems forming the sentences, "Storage Room!" he used his tiny paws to mimic a set of jaws in front of his face, "Huge!"

Senquine nodded, "Yes. The chest is next to the old gargoyle..." he chuckled, "Nice fellow, been here longer than any of us. Doesn't talk much these days though... Did you and your brother get into a fight again?"

"No!" Peck shook his head frantically, "Inside the castle! Meck!" the mouse started to sob.

"Calm yourself." Senquine spoke to him clearly and slowly, "There now, tell me what happened."

After taking several long breaths to calm himself, Peck finally managed to blurt out a single sentence, "A huge black monster with a red eye and huge teeth is inside the castle! It's got Meck!"

For a moment, the old mouse simply stared at him with a dumbfounded expression. But then, his gaze became inquisitive, "How big was it?"

The question surprised Peck, but still he raised his arms in the air and started to make gestures, "It almost reached the ceiling! It had fur as black as the night and teeth as long as my arms!"

"Did it talk funny?" Senquine asked with sudden interest, "Did it say anything?"

Peck shook his head in confusion, "No... not much... it sounded pretty angry..."

"Concentrate boy." Senquine spoke, "What did it say?"

Peck lowered his head as he furiously tried to remember the words the savage mountain of teeth and claws had shouted at them... most of it had been drowned out by their own screams.

"I think... I think it said; Gnoll will catch little rats..." the mouse scratched its head in wonder, "I don't remember much anything else..."

Already confused by the old mouse's strange questions and trying furiously to find out to what end Senquine was asking them, Peck felt what little of his sanity was left start to slip away when a broad smile found its way onto Senquine's face.

"Scar can't take much more!" the gnoll held his ears in terror, "Make it stop!"

"You got it to start in the first place!" Purple Haze retorted.

Inside the room, sitting on the floor... the little mouse was crying its heart out.

"Waaaaaahhh!" big tears ran down its face as it sobbed, "I don't want to be eaten! I'm not even tasty!"

The gnoll let out a bark, "Quiet! Scar isn't going to eat you!"

The mouse stopped its crying for a single moment to stare at the gnoll with teary eyes in shock.

"See? Is alright..." the gnoll tried to sooth the mouse's panic with a small smile... a small smile that failed to hide his teeth.

"Waaaaaahhhh!" the mouse continued its sobbing with new-found vigor, "I don't want to die! It's not fair! I haven't even finished my button collection yet! Waaaaaaahhh!" surprisingly, the volume of its cries was still rising.

"Scar! Don't scare it any more!"

"Then Purple Haze do something!" the gnoll shouted back, "Scar is here to smash rats, not take care of crying mice!"

"Sm-Sm-Smash?" the mouse began to tremble, "I don't want to be smashed! Waaaaaahh!"

"What am I supposed to do about it?" Purple Haze tried to shout over the mouse's screams, "This is your mess! The least you can do is..."

She, the gnoll and everyone else present in the room became quiet and watched in fascination... as a white mouse leaning on a small stick came walking out from behind one of the curtains.

Seemingly completely ignorant of its surroundings, the white mouse started to walk towards the still-crying mouse in the center of the room... only to bump into one of Purple Haze's legs on the way, "Pardon me there, young lad..." it rasped with a chuckle, "My eyes aren't as good as they were back in the old days..."

"Senquine!" another mouse poked its head out from behind the curtain, "Come back here or they'll..." it froze as it spotted the others, "Oh, no..."

"Look, mommy! There's more of them!"

The griffons, the ponies and the gnoll let their gaze travel over the room... everywhere, little mice were poking their heads out from behind pictures, furniture and curtains... even the occasional stone tile was lifted to show tiny eyes staring out in wonder.

"Children, stay behind me..." Aethris carefully observed her surroundings. Next to her, Vayu looked like someone had just set her on the moon.

"What in the world is this..." Blackbeak whispered in surprise.

Purple Haze was carefully counting the little eyes, even over the mouse's continuous sobs she could hear them whisper to one another... She saw Scar grip the handle of his maul tighter and both he and the other members of the squad search her eyes for a command, but shook her head quietly.

Something tapped on her leg, "Pardon me, lad." it was the white mouse again. It was tapping her leg with its stick, "Could you move a bit?" Purple Haze slowly stepped to the side, "Thank you."

The mouse stepped past her and continued to the still-sobbing captive. When it reached him, a small thwack could be heard as the old mouse smacked the younger one on the head with its stick, "Settle down, Meck. This isn't the time for crying!"

Meck sniffed, "It... it isn't?"

"No!" Senquine hollered at him, "It's the time for joy!" he chuckled and squinted his eyes to search the room, "Now where's the big one? Come a bit closer, I don't see so well anymore." he started to waddle around the room, tapping around with his stick, "Come on, now. Don't be shy! I won't bite!"

His stick came into contact with something soft, a careful check of his eyes telling Senquine that it was a toe... covered in black fur. He looked up and squinted his eyes until he could make out the frowning face of the gnoll above him. Unlike Meck, his expression was not one of terror. Instead, a huge grin broke out over his face.

"Ha! Ha Ha Ha! I knew it!" the old mouse laughed with joy, "I knew there were still some left! Ha ha ha!" he whirled around with his stick held high, "The gnolls are back!" Senquine started to dance, "Everyone! Come out! The gnolls are back!"

As countless mice started to hesitantly appear from their hiding spots, Purple Haze couldn't help but think that this was going to be one hell of a report to write to the princess... but she was certain that it would be an interesting one as well.

Chapter 8: Old sins

"Well, come on then. Where are the others?" Senquine's eyes scanned the room, as far as his almost blind eyes allowed him to.

"The other what?" Purple Haze asked, still confused at the little mouse's strange behavior.

"The other gnolls, of course!" Senquine laughed.

"There's more?" Meck asked with a trembling voice, already seeing himself on a dinner plate.

Scar only shook his head and scanned the other mice carefully peeking at them. "Aren't any others."

"What?" Senquine asked with confusion. "But gnolls always run in packs! There have to be others!"

"Mouse is right." Scar answered with a heavy voice. "But all gnolls went to sleep... Scar is only one left."

The sentence hung in the air, everyone silent and Senquine staring up at the gnoll with an empty face.

"You're... you're the only one left?" Senquine asked, feeling his hopes and dreams shatter as the gnoll nodded with a grim face. "Oh, oh no... I..." he hung his head. "This is terrible... I never thought..." he looked up at Scar. "I'm so very sorry, this is all our fault."

"Your fault?" Purple Haze asked with an inquisitive voice. "How is this your fault?"

"We should have done something..." Senquine whispered to himself and shook his head. "I should have done something." His shoulders sagged.

"Senquine?" Peck carefully spoke up as he walked to the old mouse, all the while keeping a weary eye on the gnoll. "What's going on? You're not making sense."

The old mouse let out a tired sigh, heavily leaning on his stick. "Peck, Meck... go get the others, we're done with hiding... and I need to tell you all a story."

"There's so many of them." Kelba whispered in awe. "They're so cute!"

Aethris had very different views of the situation. Guided by the two mice, countless others had appeared and slowly had gathered in the room; making each of them look down at their feet as the mice went around them and gathered in the center of the room and around the old mouse.

"How did they stay unnoticed by us?" Vayu asked in disbelief. "There is no way all of them could stay hidden right under our very beaks..."

"There are many holes and empty passages in the walls." Vayu looked down at the sudden voice and into the face of a little female mouse with an oversized bow in her hair. "You're Vayu..."

"I am..." Vayu replied with a raised eyebrow. "Is that my old bow?"

The little mouse nodded with a small smile. "You threw it away. Mommy got it for me."

"Gather around little ones." Senquine spoke up, already surrounded by most of them. "This is important."

The little mouse passed Vayu another smile before heading of to join the others; sitting down among them and staring up at the gnoll with big eyes. "Huge..." she whispered in silent wonder.

"Old mouse." Scar spoke up, feeling incredibly at unease with all the little eyes staring up at him; even more so when they all flinched as one hearing him talk. "What is this?"

Next to Purple Haze, Blackbeak carefully leaned to her. "Should we do anything, Marshall?"

Purple Haze slowly shook her head. "Let's see where this is going. I'm curious to know why they've been hiding here... and how they're connected to the gnolls." She gave her squad a short glance. "Stay on the ready though, just in case." Blackbeak and the others gave a short nod of understanding, careful watching the mice for any sudden movement.

"Aethris." Blackbeak turned to his wife. "We should get the little ones out."

Aethris gave a short nod. "You're right," before turning to her little ones. "Go wait outside." The little ones started to protest. "I am not arguing about this. Wait outside."

"There is no need to be scared." Senquine spoke up, his little voice rasping in an effort to be heard. "We don't want to hurt anyone... and we are done hiding." He turned his attention back to the gnoll. "And there is much to be explained, to everyone."

"Does that mean we can stay?" Illeon asked. "Please, mommy?"

Aethris sighed. "Very well, but stay close to me." She would tear any mice to shreds should they make a wrong move towards her little ones. At the same time she couldn't help but wonder... how long had they been hiding?

"Settle down everyone." Senquine addressed the mice. "It's time you all learned something about where we came from."

"Didn't we always live here?" Meck asked with confusion, the other mice nodding their heads in agreement.

"You were all born here, as were your parents." Senquine sighed. "But we didn't always live here. A long time ago..." he scratched his head in thought. "I think it was forty years ago."

"That's not that long, is it?" Greenfield whispered to Whistler.

"For you maybe not," Senquine remarked, his little ears having caught the comment. "But for us, it certainly is. We don't grow very old." He rasped and cleared his throat. "Now, forty years ago; we lived in a far-away land, where there is only sand and the sun burns hotter than everywhere else."

"We lived peacefully, and everything was fine. But one day, things became... difficult. The dark brethren returned, former banished cousins to our race with twisted minds and evil hearts." Senquine sighed. "The Izelim were always wretched in their ways, but never before had they been so powerful. We had always been able to hold them off, but on that day they stood united by a force we did not know... and our whole kind fell into slavery."

"Did he just say Izelim?" Berryshakes asked with a quiet whisper.

"Keep listening." Purple Haze merely replied in wonder.

Senquine shook his head with sadness. "And in slavery, our ancestors were loaded upon ships like cattle, and brought to these lands to serve the Izelim in their terrible plans."

"So why are we living in the castle then?" Peck asked.

"Patient little one. This is where things become important." He turned to Scar, who had been quiet throughout the whole story. "And where we come to the gnolls."

"Our ancestors where forced to work underground, driven by the whips and knives of the Izelim. They never told them what it was they were doing, but it wasn't long before they started to find out." A long breath escaped Senquine. "What they found, was terrible. The Izelim were seeking to poison the lands and those that lived there..." he shook his head. "When they found out, they were terrified. But out of that terror, a new resolve was formed."

Senquine took a moment to collect his thoughts, the old writings their ancestors had left them with passing through his mind. "They started to secretly leave their prisons, following the very tunnels they had to dig and looking for a way out of their misery." The old mouse turned to Scar. "And it was on one of those excursions, that they found the gnolls."

"They brought back stories of huge beasts that roamed the mountains of these lands, and that they were the protectors of the earth and forests." Senquine gave Scar a sad smile. "And hoping they would be able to help us, our ancestors made a decision. One fateful night, they set fire to the installations of the Izelim, collapsed the tunnels they had dug... and escaped. Two parties were formed back then; the majority of them headed towards the griffon castle, seeking cover in the night and within its walls while the other few selected would seek out the gnolls... and ask for their help."

Senquine shook his head with sadness. "But they never returned... and our ancestors grew fearful. They decided that we should stay in hiding, and wait for the gnolls to arrive... and generations passed, spent in hiding and fear... hoping for a sign that never came." He turned to the gnoll again. "Our sabotage should have put back the Izelims' plans for years, whatever terrible goal it was they hoped to achieve... some of us even hoped they would give up and simply go away." His head dropped. "But if you are truly the last... then we were terribly wrong. And I fear that our failure may have lead to the disappearance of your brethren as well..."

The old mouse stepped before the gnoll, laying down his staff and bowing his head. "I am sorry, this is all our fault."

The gnoll stood above him, observing the mouse before him in silence; his face unmoving and only the hand on his maul trembling ever so slightly. ...And then, he simply turned around, and he left.

Chapter 9: Restless

Purple Haze had left the mice behind with the griffons and the rest of her squad. She hadn't even bothered to come up with an excuse as to why since it was likely obvious to everyone present; she needed to look after Scar. His silent departure had left her more than worried.

But as always as when the gnoll disappeared, finding him turned out to be somewhat troublesome. Out in the open, there might have been tracks, some kind of clues to his passing even though he barely left any. In the castle itself though, it was even more difficult.

"Dammit," Purple Haze rubbed her brow in frustration. "I should have brought Berryshakes for this," she sighed and shook her head; continuing her search of the castle in the vain hope of finding a clue to Scar's whereabouts.

"He left me!" Tag wailed. "Simply leaned me against the wall and walked off! Oh, the sadness it spreads in my heart not to be with him!"

"Uhm... okay?" the first griffon tilted his head in complete confusion. "Could we come back to the part why you can talk?"

"Oh, never mind the confounded details!" the griffons flinched at Tag's rise in volume. "I can't be without my master! How can we bring our beauty to this world when are not one?! Ahh, how it tears at my heart to be without him!"

"Who?" the second griffon asked with a dumbfounded expression.

"The gnoll!" the first griffon turned to his comrade with a frown. "Who else?!"

"The what now?"

"The gnoll!" the first griffon repeated himself with growing frustration. "Didn't you see him?! Huge guy with big teeth! Everyone is talking about him!"

"So..." the second griffon rubbed its head. "What's a gnoll?"

"Ah! The despair is unbearable! I'm surrounded by heathens and the ignorant!"

"A gnoll is like a diamond dog, just way, way bigger..." the griffon tried to explain.

"Blasphemy!"

"How big?" the other griffon asked with a frown.

"Well," he rubbed the underside of his beak with a talon before pointing at Tag. "Big enough to carry that thing around on his shoulders."

"Hold on?! That thing is actually a weapon?!"

"Well, what else would it be?!"

"How should I know?! It looks like a tree growing a rock!"

"Ironwood... it's called Ironwood."

"So why can it talk?"

"I don't know! That's what I've been trying to find out all this time!" the first griffon wailed with frustration.

"To be quite frank I'm still surprised you can talk myself."

"Yeah, and I... wait, what that's supposed to-"

"Focus on the matter at hand, will you?! I have been left behind in the prime of my youth and I need to be with my master! NOW!"

"Will you stop yelling?!" the griffon held its head. "You're driving me insane!"

"What do I care for your sanity?! I demand to be brought to my master at once!"

Purple Haze mentally scolded herself; she should have thought of this earlier. She knew the gnoll long and well enough by now to know what he would do when troubled and it only dawned on her when she heard the soft prattle of the rain coming from an open window.

She took a short moment to take a breath of the cooling air, then with a small leap she left the window; her wings immediately catching onto evening air and the upwinds surrounding the castle.

Purple Haze slightly adjusted her wings, coming to a slow glide and starting to survey the castle below her as she searched. It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the dying light, but when they did she finally spotted what she was looking for: A black figure, perched upon one of the walls and watching the mountains as the rain continued to softly fall around it.

A slight adjustment of her wings, a small shift in her posture and she quickly but quietly descended towards him; catching herself to softly land a few feet from him while he simply stared into the distance.

"Hey," she spoke softly and walked up to him. "How are you?"

Scar didn't respond at first, small drops of water clinging to his fur as he sat next to her.

"Tired..." Scar finally mumbled without turning to look at her. "Scar feels... tired." The gnoll thought for a moment. "No... is wrong word. Scar feels, what is word?" he tilted his head slightly. "What is word for being without rest, Purple Haze?"

Purple Haze quietly took a seat under his head, his huge frame protecting her from the rain.

"You mean restless?" she asked with sad voice.

"Restless," Scar nodded. "Scar feels restless."

Purple Haze didn't reply, there was no need for him to explain why he felt restless. She let her eyes travel over the landscape in the distance, searching the mountains lining the horizon.

"Were they your home?" she quietly asked, her voice barely louder than the prattle of the rain.

"Was home," Scar nodded, several drops of rain falling from his head and making her flinch slightly as they landed on her ear. "On mountain behind that one," he pointed to one of the mountain ranges. "Deep valley beneath with trees as far as it can see, clan lived in burrows high up on home mountain. Warded by earth, snow and stone."

"Scar wanted..." the gnoll sighed, "Scar left so he could forget. Wanted to forget ghosts of past, forget himself." He shook his head. "And Scar almost did."

"You mean the path of the wild?" Purple Haze asked carefully.

"Path of wild," the gnoll nodded gravely, "but not by choice. Was because search only lead to more ghosts and signs of black sleep."

"More ghosts?" Purple Haze asked in wonder before understanding. "You looked for other clans..."

"Scar did. Went to other clan territories..." the gnoll closed his eye for a moment as he accounted for the lost tribes. "Clan of Blackbacks, clan of Two Fangs, clan of Black Trees, clan of Stoneteeth," he opened his eye again, "and many more. But no matter where Scar went, only found silence, bones and nightmares drawn on stones."

The gnoll sighed softly. "And when Scar couldn't find any other, Scar became sadder and sadder... so Scar forgot himself and walked path of wild," he shook his head, "but path of wild only lead to more pain and into cage."

Purple Haze was silent for a while, simply watching the horizon with him as the last rays of light caught within the soft rain and skimmed the edges of the mountains.

"Scar," Purple Haze started, "you know you don't have to do this."

"Scar knows," the gnoll replied with a small sigh but then turned his head to softly smile at her, "but Scar wants to help too." He reached out and softly patted her head. "More than it even wants to forget, Scar wants to help, and maybe... maybe it will find peace along the way."

Purple Haze took a moment to smile back at him, enjoying this little moment of peace next to him.

"Want to go back inside?" she finally asked with a small smirk. "I'm sure you're hungry after tearing half the castle apart."

The gnoll cringed slightly. "Featherclaws aren't mad, are they?"

Purple Haze chuckled. "They'll forgive you, I'm sure," she patted his paw and got up. "Come on, let's get you something to eat."

"Left! Left I tell you!"

"Give us a rest!" the griffon huffed as he and his colleague carried the huge maul down the corridor. "We're doing our best so at least be quiet!"

"How did we convinced to do this again?" the other guard's eyes bulged under the weight of the weapon. "We don't even know where to look! Just tell us where you want us to go and we'll give you directions!"

"The righteous and faithful need no directions! Love shall be my only guidance!" Tag yelled in defiance. "Onwards! Through that door awaits my master and glory! My heart shall lead the way!"

The two griffons gave a final heave of anguish, carrying the huge maul forward and pushing open the doors in front of them in the process; only to feel fatigue wash over them when they saw where Tag's directions had led them to.

Before them, an arrangement of ponies, countless little mice and their patriarchs were staring at them with dumbfounded expressions.

"Gods, confound it! You led me in the wrong direction!"

Author's Note

Not quite back yet, but on the way :)