Rebirth Into Brotherhood: A Gilda Story

~~~

“It is better to have less thunder in the beak and more lightning in the claw.” - Ironfeather wisdom

~~~

Huyana discretely opened an eye and regarded her son, Omawnakw, as he quietly dragged his prone form closer to the supine one of Gilda. Dinner had been filling and night had fallen. The warm coals barely lit the cave to reveal the three ‘sleeping’ griffons. Gilda had been the first to succumb, clearly exhausted after what must have been a long flight to Black Mesa from wherever she came from. Huyana had been fighting off sleep for a very important task, but she just wished her nervous son would finally go to sleep so she could leave without alerting either of them.

After a few more moments of slow scooching, Omawnakw had managed to wedge himself right next to his new and much larger female friend without waking her. With a sudden and unexpected motion, Gilda rolled and wrapped the smaller male in a warm embrace.

Omaw had to stifle an eep of glee as he felt his blushing cheeks get wrapped into the breast feathers of the large female griffon. It wasn’t long before he too succumbed to the warm embrace and fell into a wonderful sleep.

Huyana sighed at how desperate her son was for companionship, but then realized it was a similar gesture that Enapay had performed on her when he desired to court her. The only difference was that Enapay had not been in the cave when Huyana had fallen asleep. Enapay received a severe lashing from Huyana’s mother come morning when she found her eldest daughter with a male under her very own roof. But there was something romantic in seeing a suitor take a beating from one’s own mother so gallantly. He certainly lived up to his name.

When Huyana was certain that the pair were nestled in dreams, she slowly rose to all fours and leapt as quietly as possible to the roof entrance. She pulled herself up and out and looked at the star-filled open sky with a smile on her face. Sparing a moment to glance down into the cave she noticed the couple breathing softly in their embrace. Huyana turned and leapt from the edge of the mesa to glide silently around the western side. With a quick flap of her wings she caught up with the nearest guard post on the corner of the mesa top.

The young cloaked red-feather on guard was startled as an older yellow-feather alighted next to his tall outpost. He knew invasion was unlikely but it was still his duty to be on the lookout for dragons or other predators that could approach them at night. “Well met, yellow-feather, how can I assist you?” He held his wooden spear and shield at attention as he addressed his clan mate.

Huyana spoke quietly and quickly, “The chieftain’s daughter has returned.”

~~~

Gilda was crawling through darkness. The tuff tunnels got thinner and thinner and she was moving into the pitch black before her. The only illumination came from the wall of lava approaching her from behind. The ancient compressed volcanic ash of the Mesa was not supposed to be an actual volcano. But still she had awoken in the cave alone and panicked as lave began to flow through the circular entrance in the roof.

With desperate clawing motions she squeezed and pulled her large frame through the tunnel. Then it became too narrow to even breath. Gilda couldn’t even turn her head to watch the approaching wall of heat and death. She cried for help. The stifling heat and pressure of the earth around her and the molten rock approaching her rapidly whipping tail was unbearable.

A pinprick of light appeared next to her. A single ray of sunlight shone across her vision in the cramped tunnel and illuminated the motes of dust. A few more scraping and cracking sounds could be heard and then her eyes beheld a wondrous sight. A bright green and tiny hummingbird poked its head into the tunnel she was in. He glowed with vibrant emerald excitement. The hummingbird spirit guide trilled excitedly when he made eye contact with the trapped griffon and then he disappeared.

“Wait! Come back, don’t leave me here!” Gilda shouted, she tried to roll onto her back and extend a talon to snatch him but all she could manage was to reach into the ray of light that shone into her tunnel. The tunnel that would soon become her grave as she felt her tail beginning to catch fire.

“Save us.”

Gilda recognized the voice again. The same ominous and musical tone that infected her each and every nightmare since Ponyville.

“Dig.”

Then she saw it again. Gilda laid eyes once more upon her own spirit guide that had appeared in front of her in the dark cave. The stoic purple phoenix raised a wing to the wall and indicated the tiny hole that the hummingbird had poked its head through. With a calm motion the phoenix, her spirit guide, raised a talon and scratched at the crumbling tuff rock near the point of light and pulled a bit free. The light grew a fraction brighter and the hole was visibly wider.

Gilda gasped in understanding.

With frantic and desperate motions she turned on her back and clawed at the wall with all of her strength. Her spirit guide seemed to sense her urgency and in a rare display of companionship she joined her. The two of them worked at a feverish pace ripping chunks of compressed volcanic ash away. Gilda savored every inch of sunlight that met her eyes but had to shut them as the dust and falling dirt got in her eyes. She squawked in pain as the lava caught up to her tail and curled her leonine legs in as far as they could go. She picked up her pace and yelled for help. Her spirit guide joined her. With screeches and caws the two worked as a team to free themselves from the tunnel that could be their grave.

A trilling sound and a buzzing of wings met Gilda’s ears over the roar of blood pumping through her body. “Where is she!? In here?”

The voice was not her own. Gilda paused in amazement. An darting emerald silhouette of a hummingbird could be seen flitting in and out of the hole Gilda and her spirit guide had created. Just then a firm talon reached into the hole and the voice said. “Grab on! I’ll pull you out!”

Gilda grasped the proffered claw with all of her might. It squeezed back reassuringly and even the small hummingbird held into the edge of a talon and began to pull backwards as well.

With the sound of a crumbling mountain Gilda felt herself being pulled from the stone tunnel and through the widening gap. She blinked her eyes in amazement as she slid down the scree of the side of the mesa. The dirt in her eyes and the harsh sunlight temporarily blinded her but she blinked it away and her pupils adjusted to see her savior.

“Omaw?”

The male griffon flew proudly above and landed gently on the soil before her. He was orbited by a fast and agile glowing emerald spirit guide. A hummingbird.

“Gilda!? What were you doing in that cave? You should be outside enjoying the great weather!” Omawnakw seemed oblivious of the fact that he just saved her life.

Gilda was shell-shocked. Her eyes followed the small spirit guide as it darted to and fro, inspecting her from every angle and plucking bits of rock from her feathers and fur. It was fussing over her and grooming her, she realized. “Um, didn’t you see the lava, dude? I was trying to escape.”

Omawnakw raised his eyebrows. “Well then, I guess I’m glad I helped you escape.” He swept a wing low and bowed before the female griffon.

Gilda stood and felt a weight rest itself on her shoulder. She turned to see her spirit guide sitting there calmly. “This is a dream isn’t it?” She looked at her spirit guide as it glowed in a vibrant violet shimmer.

Omaw laughed, “Of course it is! Does your spirit guide speak to you in real life as well?”

Gilda had to frown at that. She pointed a talon at Omawnakw as the happy hummingbird perched itself on his head. “Hey, I’m still new to this you know. My spirit guide didn’t speak to me for nearly five years since my ordeal. I’m not too happy with her.” Gilda turned to her phoenix and frowned.

The phoenix stuck out a tongue and blew a raspberry.

Gilda gasped and reached a claw to throttle the rude bird. Her claw met air as the majestic creature flew through the air around Gilda narrowly avoiding her every attempt to capture her.

Omaw shrugged, “Perhaps it’s you who didn’t speak to her.”

The hummingbird atop his head peeped out a high-pitched, “Truth!”

Gilda gave up on trying to capture her spirit guide and fumed as she watched the smiling male griffon and hummingbird look at her expectantly. “Whatever, my spirit guide’s a total dweeb anyway, I don’t need her.”

The hummingbird happily peeped out once more, “Lying!”

Gilda grit her beak in frustration. The purple phoenix landed on her head but she was too angry and upset to even care anymore. “I’ve had it with these dreams! I don’t know what they mean, or why I even listen to them, I’m not a purple-feather! I was never meant to be a purple-feather!” Gilda clawed, pawed, and kicked at the ground as she flapped her wings in anger.

“Lying.”

“Hush, Omawnakw, can’t you see she’s upset?” Omaw brandished his spirit guide with a look of disapproval as the hummingbird flitted behind an outstretched wing in shame.

Gilda was busy trying to bore her gaze to physically hurt the annoying little green spirit. “You named your spirit guide after yourself? That’s like, next level dorkiness.” Gilda looked at her phoenix as it flew around and chased the hummingbird playfully.

“Elder Achak says the spirit guide is part of us, at least that’s what he told me at my last brotherhood ritual. But it didn’t help me pass. Me and Omawnakw, we’ve been through so much together but still we can’t pass the ordeal, we always get separated or lost in the elements.” Omaw looked crestfallen as he watched the two spirit guides race each other around the low valley they stood in below the mesa. The dream world was vibrant and the two flighty creatures chirped and tweeted at each other.

Gilda frowned. “Well, I guess that makes both of us losers then. I haven’t even named my own spirit guide, much less attempted the brotherhood ordeal. I was just too angry when this girl showed up and told me I was going to follow the path of the purple-feather.” Gilda held a claw out and extended a talon to let the phoenix hovering near her land. “But I guess if I had to give her a name it would be my own as well, Gildalahi. She was the only one to return to me after... well, it’s not important.” She looked at it calmly and watched it trust her enough to land once more on her body. It nodded it’s approval at the name Gilda had given it.

Omaw was not swayed by the guarded words of Gilda “Why did you come back home, Gilda? If your heart told you to leave Black Mesa and Ironfeather clan, then what made you want to return?” Omaw looked on with concern to the female before him. His hummingbird spirit guide, Omawnakw, joined him as it perched on the side of his head to hear the response as well.

Gilda looked down to the soil below her in shame, admitting weakness was something she was not accustomed to. It was during her first ordeal as she starved and cried alone in the forest after getting sick from the “black drink” that she cried to the spirits for aid. It was the first night she met her spirit guide. “I... I was–”

“Brotherhood.” The phoenix interrupted her.

Gilda looked to Gildalahi in shock, “That’s not true! I didn’t–”

“This is great, Gilda!” Omaw was ecstatic and his hummingbird spirit guide zipped about in joy. “We can undergo the ordeal together! I’m sure that our friendship will help us to the take the next step down our true path!” He shuffled in place with happiness.

Gilda was almost frightened by the glee being exuded by the smaller male in front of her. She just couldn’t say no to that face. “Yeah, well, you did sort of save my life from that lava up there a moment ago, so I guess I can help you out with that. Or whatever.” Gilda rolled her eyes and looked to her spirit guide as it simply nodded in approval.

Omaw laughed and put on what he thought was a smoky look. “I guess that makes me your savior then, eh?” Omaw slid forward and wrapped Gilda up in an embrace, “Well, wouldn’t it only be proper for a hero to get a kiss then?” He leaned in and roughly mashed his inexperienced beak against hers.

Gilda opened her beak to squawk in shock and anger but that turned out to be a big mistake as her tongue was met with another.

~~~

Gilda opened her eyes as she awoke from the strangest dream she ever had.

Then she realized that she was looking into the closed eyes of a male griffon who had his tongue in her beak. Gilda unwrapped her arms from around his back. Then with a rough shove of her claws and a knee to the stomach, Omawnakw was thrown across the cave into the opposite wall.

“Dude! What the freak!? I knew you were a weirdo, but that’s off the creep-scale!” Gilda began to spit and wipe her beak as she tasted the male griffons morning breath on her tongue.

Omawnakw groaned in pain as he awoke unpleasantly to the feeling of hitting a cave wall and getting kneed in the abdomen. “Ohhh, what happened?”

Gilda pounced on him in an instant, “I don’t know what funny business you thought you could pull on me last night. But wrapping my arms around you in my sleep and making out with me is grounds for a clobbering!” Gilda raised a balled up claw above her head menacingly.

Omaw laughed in his dreary state, “I didn’t wrap your arms around me, that was all you.” He playfully smirked at the large female before him and laughed. He was too engrossed in the happy knowledge that he had kissed the female. Dreams had a strange way of reflecting reality like that.

Gilda scoffed at Omaw and felt her arm hesitate, “As if! You know what, I don’t care if your spirit animal is a hummingbird, I’m not gonna make this easy on you.” She raised her balled claw once more and prepared to bring it down on his beak.

“Wait! You had the same dream!?” Omawnakw was jolted to his senses. He had never heard of anyone except for the elders sharing dreams before. It was remarkable. Then he remembered what his audacious dream-self had done before he woke and paled in fear. It seems he really had stolen a kiss from her, intentionally too.

Gilda halted her fist inches away from the beak of the male griffon. His gaze didn’t flinch as he stared beyond her and mumbled to himself. Gilda instead grabbed him by the scruff and lifted him against the cave wall, “Speak fast, dweeb, I’m getting out of here as soon as you finish talking.”

Omaw was reeling in shame and embarrassment once more but fought with every ounce of his will to form words. He hoped they’d be the correct ones, “I saved you! Me and my spirit guide pulled you from the caves and you were there with your spirit guide. You promised to undergo the brotherhood ritual with me.” He panted with desperation as the female griffon held him against the cave wall with one claw and had the other balled up threateningly close. She watched him intently switching her gaze from eye to eye.

“What was my spirit guide?” Gilda asked calmly.

Omawnakw hesitated, it was inappropriate to name a spirit guide with anyone other than loved ones or in ceremony. A small social custom that Gilda inadvertently violated moments before. And Gilda was hardly his mate, as much as he felt the growing desire in him for that to be true, he knew it was not. “I... It wouldn’t be appropriate to–”

“Say it!” Gilda scraped her claw against the cave wall and pieces of it crumbled away under the razor sharp talons.

Omaw spoke in a low whisper as he looked into the sharp golden eyes, “Phoenix, it was a phoenix. You named her... Gildalahi.”

Gilda released her grip and felt as if ice water ran through her veins. She had heard tales of griffons sharing dreams when she was a child but it was only supposed to be between souls that were in harmony. Close friends, family, clan elder, and lovers.

Gilda ignored the words as she felt more confused than ever before. “I... I gotta go.” She leapt to the cave dwelling roof and climbed outside. She was stunned to be met with a spear tip to her throat as she extended her wings.

“Don’t move, outsider.” The red-feather growled low at her and gestured to the top of the mesa. “Fly to the top and stand before red-feather Otaktay to answer for your charade.”

Gilda began to back away from the obsidian spear tip in fear. A shove from behind by another red-feather griffon made it clear that escape would be impossible. Gilda gulped nervously and rose to fly to the top of the mesa, and confront her father.

Omawnakw watched the scene in surprise from the entrance to his home. He didn’t understand what was happening but he would not allow his new friend to come to harm. He’d be brave, like his father.

~~~

Otaktay stood on the mesa top and instructed his warriors to keep the crowd at bay. Every feather of griffon was present to see what the situation was but the color red dominated the open circle being formed with him at the center. A soft thud of a landing sounded behind him and Otaktay mentally prepared himself for what would come next. He adjusted his drab brown and red stitched cloak marking him as the leader of the guard and sighed. With a slow motion he looked over his shoulder and regarded the female imposter coolly.

“Who are you, outsider, who takes up the identity of my child?” Otaktay spoke with no inflection or hesitation. His words were soft but powerful like a distant boom of thunder. No griffon on the mesa uttered a single sound. They all knew the tale of how his daughter had fled home. It had been years and a body was never found, she was presumed dead.

Gilda felt her words fail her. She saw an aging male in front of her weary from time and sorrow. Gone was the fierce look of determination and the hunger for battle. Left was a hollow shell of a griffon who had lost his inner fire. “I-I... I’m sorry I didn’t mean to–”

Otaktay began to walk forward calmly. His temper didn’t rise like it would have in days gone by. His anger didn’t flare up at the sight of someone disgracing his greatest regret. “You are a fool to think you can come to Black Mesa, dye your feathers in the Ironfeather fashion, and dig up a name and past which deserves to rest in peace.” Otaktay closed in on the female and scanned her features. Her violet dye was faded, a cheap knock-off, her frame was fat and soft. The only thing this female had in common with his daughter was her eyes, and even then, bright gold was common among griffons. “My heart aches that my daughter’s name be spoken by a coward who hides behind such thin lies.” Otaktay turned from the female and spoke aloud, “Take this deceiver to–”

Gilda panicked, she would be branded and exiled, she could not leave home empty clawed after coming so far. “Dad, it’s me, Gildalahi!” Gilda reached forward and grabbed her father’s arm. She pulled his right claw to her own and grasped it in the Ironfeather shake. “May our feathers catch the wind.” She spoke quickly but softly. “Please, believe me!”

Otaktay looked down in disgust at the claw wrapped around his wrist. The two talons were stretched up his arm, the razer ends close enough to his veins to be life-threatening but they did not apply pressure. He adjusted his own claw to complete the shake and looked on in sadness to the griffon before him. “It only proves that you are a member of the clan, and doubles your shame. No blood of Ironfeather Clan should ever dare to insult my family in such a way.” Otaktay didn’t return the sacred words to the female. He wrenched his claw free and turned away from her.

Gilda felt tears falling from her eyes as she watched her father turn away. Two red-feathers moved to flank her and grab her arms. She was defeated, all of her effort to come home and find, solace? Redemption? Whatever it was she was looking for was slipping through her talons.

“Your daughter reaches out to you and you turn your back on her!”

Otaktay froze in his place. He turned to the voice and the newcomer who pushed his way out of the crowd and into the clearing.

“Your daughter returns home after a five year journey of self-discovery to undergo the brotherhood ritual and you ignore her. Why don’t you ask her what her spirit guide is?”

Otaktay saw the words leaving the beak of a young green-feather. The male griffon moved swiftly to the female’s side and supported her. Otaktay felt something stirring within him he had not felt in many years. He felt fear.

“You are brave to stand up for this female who walks in shadows but know that your words of defense have only given me the means to prove her guilt.” Otaktay strode with purpose and undid the red clasp on his brown cloak before throwing it from his neck. If he was to speak of spirit guides he would do it without ornamentation or station. Leaning in low and bringing the side of his face next hers he spoke in the barest whispers to the trembling female griffon.

Gilda breathed out the one word response to the question and felt a shudder of terror run through her father that matched her own. She knew there was no denying the truth of the matter now.

Otaktay stumbled backward and held a claw to his chest. He raised his eyes to look at the sky and then lowered them to the female before him. He saw the claws of the female prostrated before him clasped in a gesture pleading as surely as her tear-filled eyes were. He realized with a blink of surprise that he was crying as well.

“Take...” Otaktay blinked rapidly and wiped his forearm across his face. “Take her to Elder Achak. I... I need to consult the chieftain.” And with a speed that he had not moved at in many years, Otaktay fled from the crowd to the grand pueblo on the north cliffside.

Omaw looked to Gilda in trepidation. “I’m sorry, Gilda, I did my best, I won’t leave you, I promise.” Omaw was pressed aside by the red-feather guards as they escorted Gilda away.

Gilda simply smiled at Omawnakw and then bowed her head in acceptance as she was lead to a large building.

~~~

Omawnakw returned to his home to find his mother sitting on the roof looking across the sky towards the fading sunrays. He had remained outside of the dwelling of Elder Achak all day waiting to hear word of Gilda but nothing was forthcoming. He landed on the roof of his home hungry and afraid, his newest friend was gone. And the only way anyone could have known about her was if his mother had told them.

Omawnakw alighted next to his mother and spoke angrily, “Why did you tell them a–”

Huyana squawked at her son to silence him, “Do not raise your voice at me. I did what was best for us, and for Gildalahi. If her father chooses to remain with his eyes closed then the matter is out of my claws.” She turned from her son to look at the sunset once more and closed her eyes. She knew it would be difficult to earn back the trust of her son after tonight.

“What will happen to her? What will elder Achak and the chieftain do to her? She was going to take the brotherhood ritual with me, she promised!” Omawnakw said nervously.

Huyana sighed and turned to look at her son. “Omawnakw, the chieftain, Alsoomse, is Gildalahi’s mother.”