Chapters Wind blew quietly through the trees, giving Kathranis a chance to relax for the first time in months. He led the small elven regiment in the Zulkir’s army, fighting vainly to contain the undead forces of Szass Tam. After the war with the phaerimm, the elves of Myth Drannor had scattered, some to the Sun-elf home of Evermeet, others formed mercenary bands or joined in the fight in Thay. Kathranis and his brother, Huron, had gathered a small group of battle worthy elves and set out, soon getting dragged to war.
Kathranis took a deep breath, trying his best to get a whiff of clean air from the breeze around him. He snorted when he found nothing but the same stale decay he always picked up on the trail. Szass Tam was on the march again.
He turned around and gestured to his brother who was crouching in a tree with his cloak drawn. He turned to Kathranis.
“You sense it too?” Huron signed
“Yes,” Kathranis signed back “We need to let Alliana know of this development and quickly. Our army is directly in Tam's path.”
“Our?” Huron signed.
“Yes brother, our. We have as much stake in this as they do. If Tam wins he could march next to Luskan, Neverwinter, or Silvanus forbid Evermeet”
His brother nodded and hopped down from the branch he was crouching on. Kathranis waited silently as the rest of the elves filtered in. All of the elves together made an elite fighting force of thirty. Each elf had a different survival story, some warriors, others mere teenagers by elven standards. The group had a former cook, blacksmith, painter, even a novice mage named Fordred.
Yes, Kath thought, we have one a hell of a group. With a silent nod, the elves sprinted through the trees. As they ran, each elf drew out his weapons, keeping pace with the elf beside him. Kathranis chose to draw his bow instead of the pair of curved short swords at his belt. The range would be helpful if they came upon an undead scouting patrol. Swerving around a tree Kathranis began to slow his run as the trees parted around him. The smell of decay worsened and his face slipped into a scowl.
Kath held a closed fist in the air, slowing the group to a halt just outside of a clearing that led to an outlook over the Zulkir’s army encampment. In the silence of the woods, he listened for a few moments.
Just above the sound of the breeze through the trees, Kathranis caught the sounds of swords clashing and men dying. He crept alone to the edge of the outcrop and cursed.
They were too late.
The former camp was now filled to the brim with the living fighting the dead. Spells from both sides lashed out, the wizards behind them uncaring in what they hit. A group of zombies burst into flames near a company of archers who vanished in a flash of purple, leaving behind nothing but ash.
The rest of the elves crept forward and displayed different levels of shock. Kathranis drew an arrow from his quiver and whispered a spell into it. He drew back his bow and sent the arrow through the throat of an enemy Red Wizard. The wizard then burst into flames as Kath’s spell did its work.
“Help where it is needed, find Alliana. We need to pull as many of her troops out of this as we can.”
Several other elves drew their bows and began picking out targets in the writhing mass of fighters. The rest of the group formed into a tight block, drawing swords and shields. Fordred sketched a small rune in the air and called out a series of mystical phrases. The block of elves disappeared, only to reappear in the battle below. Kathranis dropped his bow and drew his swords as a group of zombies appeared where the elves once were. Knocking Fordred out of the way, Kathranis decapitated one of the zombies with a single stroke of his enchanted scimitars. The blades had been in his family for millennia. Despite being younger than Huron, the blades had chosen him for whatever mysterious reason when had entered the military academy at Myth Drannor. A century later, Kathranis was almost unmatched in his fighting abilities.
Spinning on the ball of his foot, Kathranis swept the legs out from a zombie while cutting the arm from another. As the first zombie fell, Kathranis planted his foot on its stomach for balance and propelled himself towards another of the undead creatures. As a follower of Sylvannus, he prided himself in destroying anything that violated the laws of nature, chief among those, the dark art of necromancy. His swords plunged deep into the zombie’s chest and he had to yank back heavily to pull them out.
Unbalanced, Kathranis reversed the grip on his scimitars and used his backward momentum to stab another undead soldier through the chest. As the corpse fell back, Kathranis let it drag him down. He then continued the motion by pulling his feet over his head, rolling backwards and effectively pulling his swords from the walking dead man. Kathranis stood up straight and watched grimly as the last zombies was burned to ashes by Fordred, who stood a few feet away. The enchantments in his swords made sure that the dead stayed that way, so none of the corpses moved.
“What in the Nine Hells was that?!?” Kathranis yelled at Fordred.
The mage elf panted from his magical exertions.
“The teleportation spell isn't perfect. If… if the space you're sending something to isn’t empty, it brings whatever’s there, back.”
Kathranis scowled.
“Well at least warn me next time!” he snapped.
Don’t get mad at him now, he’s trying his best I’m sure.
“Shut up! Where in the hells have you been anyway?”
His familiar yawned and lazily hopped down from the tree it had been napping in. Secil’s calm attitude was usually helpful in clearing Kathranis’s head, but sometimes the cat just got on his nerves.
I was looking for Alliana. She isn't nearby and I suspect she has fled the battle with most of the more powerful wizards in her command.
Secil licked a paw calmly and stared at Kathranis who mulled over the news. If the wizards were already gone, then the battle was virtually hopeless. It would be better to cut their losses and try to run. He turned to Fordred and said,
“Link me with what battle commanders you can find and then teleport out to Huron and pull them out. We’ll meet later.”
The mage cast a short series of sending spells before turning to Kathranis with a nod.
“Sweet water and light laughter General.” he said
“Sweet water and light laughter Fordred, until blades cross again.” Kathranis said back. The elven parting didn't quite fit the situation, but they preformed the small ritual anyway. Some habits die hard, Kathranis thought.
As Kathranis waited for the commanders' voices to filter in, he gave instructions to the bowmen elves.
“Peel off in pairs,” he signed “we will withdraw to the woods and meet with Huron and his group later. Sephis, Aran, you two are first.”
The two elves each let fly one more arrow before jogging softly into the shadows of the forest. Kathranis grabbed his bow and waited a few moments before addressing the commanders that had been contacted by the sending spells. He scowled when he noticed how few were still alive. He had no doubts that the others had fought and died to try and stave off the undead horde; none of the fighting men were cowards like the Red Wizards.
“Alright, listen closely.” He thought. “Gather as many of the men near you and pull back as quickly as possible. It does not matter who they are supposed to be under, we need to save lives here. Tam knew we would be here and wants to crush us as fast as possible. Run until you reach a spot you know is safe.”
“You should know by now that nowhere is safe from me child.” A voice said out loud. Kathranis spun toward the voice, a dagger flying from his hand. The blade vanished from the air in front of the grinning lich. Kathranis scowled and cut off the connection with the commanders. Szass Tam smiled broadly, his gray hair blowing softly in the breeze.
“Shame, I was about to offer them an option for surrender. No matter, they will join my army one way or another.”
Kathranis gritted his teeth and began circling the lich. The necromancer’s smile merely grew his face bright with humor.
“So, you’re the famous General Shadowsong. You've been a pain in my side child. However, if you join me, those sins can be forgiven. In fact all of your elves could join my forces and I would guarantee protection for that little hole, oh what is it?…” the lich tapped his chin before snapping his fingers. “ah yes, Evermeet I believe.”
“Like hell I’d join you monster! Attack!”
Kathranis leapt forward as the elven bowmen behind him launched their arrows. Tam frowned and began spell casting.
“So be it.” he growled.
The arrows all clattered uselessly against a projectile shield surrounding the lich. Undeterred, the lich sent a fireball streaking towards the archers at Kath’s back. Kathranis winced as loud screams punctuated the hill, filling the air with horrifying screeches. He strode on, closing the last few feet to Tam. Kathranis crossed his swords in an x and sliced at the lich’s throat. From thin air an onyx black staff capped with a skull appeared in Tam’s hands, blocking the blades. Faster than Kathranis could follow, the staff pushed his swords back and swung towards his head.
Ducking, Kathranis tried to stab his swords upwards through the lich’s stomach, only to have the staff again knock them out of line. Kathranis cried out in pain when the staff cracked into his hand, causing him to drop a sword. He hopped back slightly and flexed his hand, which thankfully, was not broken. Kathranis growled and wadded back in, waiting patiently for the staff. As it came around to hit him again, Kathranis caught it in his open palm and used it to yank Tam forward. Cocking back his head, Kath slammed it into the bridge of the lich’s nose.
Kathranis stumbled backwards and tripped over his fallen sword. He grabbed the fallen blade and stood on to shaky legs as he tried to brush off his disorientation. He’s got a hard head, Kathranis thought. The lich was clutching at something on his face. Kathranis almost gagged when he realized that was his face. The lich boiled with rage as he dispelled his illusion.
Without the disguise, Szass Tam was little more than a skeleton. A few white, stingy hairs hung off of his bald head. His eyes were mere burning pinpricks in large dark sockets. The red robe that seemed to fit him just right at the beginning of the fight was now loose and hung off of the wizard like a drape. His skin was thin and shriveled, leaving the mind with no imagination on what lay underneath.
The necromancer pointed at Kathranis and shouted,
“So! You dare challenge me? When I’m done with you, your corpse won’t even be fit for use! I am Szass Tam! Conquer of worlds! I've leveled cities single handed and enslaved even the most powerful of demons.”
His red eyes smoldered as they bore into Kathranis.
“And you child, will be nothing more than another dust speck on my shoulder.”
He twirled his staff around and its tip lit with a deep purple glow. Tam only spoke one word to cast the spell.
“DIE!”
A twisting bolt of dark purple energy spiraled at Kathranis. It splashed against his chest and the world vanished in a pool of black.
Kathranis floated, his entire body writhing in agony. Even though he felt his vocal cords vibrating, he couldn’t hear his screams. Kathranis tried to open his eyes, only to be blinded by a brilliant white light. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried vainly to cover them with his arms. Another wave of pain raced through his body, causing him to scream more. Every muscle in his body clenched and unclenched at the same time. As more and more pain raced through his body, Kathranis began to hear a very soft tone in his ears. It slowly began to crescendo. As it grew louder, Kathranis realized that it was song, and a familiar one at that.
As the song began to reach its peak, a soft pop echoed through his head and the pain disappeared. Kathranis let out a breath of relief, only to have it knocked out of him as he slammed forcefully into a tree. He landed on the ground with a thud and a groan. Bird song rang clearly through the air, which had an edge of cold to it. Kathranis took a moment to just lie on the ground and recover. As the minutes passed, he slowly opened his eyes.
Above him a canopy of redwood trees stood tall against the clear blue sky. Sunlight streamed through one of the openings in the leaves and shined directly into his eyes, prompting him to roll to his feet. Kathranis immediately regretted doing so as a wave of nausea caused him to trip and fall flat on his face.
You look as bad as I feel.
Secil walked drunkenly next to Kath’s head and plopped on his belly, wheezing.
That was painful, let’s never do it again.
“Agreed.” Kath mumbled. After a moment of lying with his face in the mud, Kathranis; using a tree for balance, pushed himself up and slowly got to his feet. He closed his eyes as the world spun in circles again, and he waited for the nausea to pass. When it did, he opened his eyes and took a more careful survey of their surroundings. For the moment, the trees stretched as far as the eye could see in all directions. The forest floor was moist and fallen leaves littered the ground. Kathranis took a whiff of the air. While crisp, it lacked scents common to civilization, like the smell of cooking fires.
‘Or like the smell of rotting garbage.’ Kathranis thought to himself.
Taking his thoughts away from the lesser things of the “civilized” world, Kathranis confirmed the fact that they were completely alone and were not likely to be attacked by bandits or other thieves.
Satisfied with their safety, he began a personal check of his belongings. Both his bow and his swords had survived the teleportation, along with most of his arrows. As he opened the flap to check his bag, he realized with a slack face that his bag was full of books.
“Secil, when did Fordred and I change gear?”
The cat grunted out loud.
A day or two ago. The books were slowing us down, so you took them so Fordred would move faster. He took the rations you still had in your pack.
Kathranis shook his head in disgust.
“What am I supposed to do with wizard tomes? These won’t help me survive! They’re completely useless!”
Secil grunted again.
You could try learning spells, I know so much work. Secil sat up and looked Kathranis in the eyes. But honestly, if you set your mind to it, you could be an incredible mage. I’ve heard of human battle mages in the Gryphon legion, is it too difficult of a leap for you to learn a few helpful cantrips?
“I suppose not.” Kathranis grumbled. Slightly less disgusted with the tomes, Kathranis closed the bag and slung it over his shoulder. Following the sun’s angle he pointed north.
“Come on, we need to find shelter before night fall. The air has a bite, and I don’t want to be stuck outside when the sun is gone.”
Secil got to his feet and the two set off through the trees.
Steel rang against stone as Kathranis struck his dagger with the rock in his left hand again and again. The pile of tinder below the blade gave no hint of smoking as he struck his dagger again, sending sparks everywhere. He had gotten so used to using his flint that he had grown complacent in his other means of fire building. Secil flinched as another clang sent a shower of sparks onto the pile of twigs and dried leaves. Kathranis grinned as a small stream of smoke flowed up from a leaf. Cupping his hands around the ember, he lightly blew the heat onto other dry bits of leaf. As more and more of the tinder caught fire, Kathranis fed it larger and larger pieces, slowly building the blaze. Once the flame reached a comfortable height, Kathranis settled back, using his bag of books as a pillow. Secil growled softly at him.
Aren’t you getting food?
Kathranis chuckled to himself.
“We’ll get food in the morning. We got lucky to find this cave, and I am loathe to leave it.”
Secil grunted, but settled his head in his paws and closed his eyes. Kathranis smiled again and joined the cat in sleep. It felt like he was asleep for only a moment when a piercing shriek woke them from their rest. Kathranis was on his feet in an instant, one hand gripping his sword hilts. The fire had burned low, so he focused his eyes until they changed to see heat patterns rather than light. Another shriek pierced the night. Following the sound, Kathranis drew his bow.
As he followed the sounds, he noticed a large shape loping next to him. He knocked an arrow, only to realize it was Secil, changed into his panther form. Kathranis shook away his jumpiness and continued on at a light jog. They didn’t have to run far until Kathranis saw a flood of heat signatures. Changing his eyes back to normal, he crept to the edge of the torchlight and watched.
A group of no less than nine humans had trapped what looked like three griffons. Except that one of the griffons had a sword in one claw and was trying to fend off the humans. As he sighted a target, Kathranis noticed the humans weren’t exactly the regular breed either. Most of them were dressed in scant rags, carrying nothing but wooden spears and stone axes. They circled the griffons with the air of a pack of wolves. Whispering the words to a quick flame spell, Kathranis picked the biggest and smartest looking human of the lot.
The arrow hadn’t even touched the man’s throat when Kathranis drew his swords and charged in with a war cry. He knocked a man’s spear out of line and quickly stabbed a blade through the man’s heart. Keeping with the edge of his surprise attack, he lashed out with his right blade at one of the humans with an axe. When the man brought his axe in a block, Kathranis tipped his blade low, stabbing the steel blade through the man’s stomach instead of his throat.
If he had scared the humans with his quick killing of three of their friends, the sight of Secil tearing the throat from another sent them into a panic. Most dropped their weapons as they ran screaming, crying out “Demon! Demon!” in a language similar to goblin tongue.
Taking a deep breath, Kathranis sheathed his swords and turned to the griffons, only to find a sword pointed just below his nose. He held his hands up.
“Whoa now, no need for that. Can you talk?”
The griffon with the sword snorted.
“Of course I can talk, but how can you? Did your master teach you? Is that where you got those swords?”
Kathranis grinned cautiously and took a half step back.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about friend, but if you put that down you could come with me to the camp I set up in a cave not far from here. It’s sheltered and I have a fire. Just put the sword down.”
The griffon opened his beak to argue, but was interrupted as one of the other two called out.
“Valan! Stop messing with the human and help me, Zefuris is bleeding badly.”
Kathranis dipped under Valan’s sword and took his holy symbol from around his neck. The small leaf charm had been a gift from a druid that had lived in the forests near Myth Drannor. The old man had taught Kathranis most of what he knew now about Silvanus and being a ranger.
Kathranis squatted next to the two griffons that sat crouched on the ground. One was thinner than the other and wore no armor. Assuming it was a female, Kathranis also noticed that her head feathers were a golden color while the other two had deep brown feathers. She looked at him in shock, but seemed to calm when she noticed the charm in his hand.
The wounded griffon had a broken spear shaft sticking out from between two plates of thick armor. Blood seeped thinly from the wound, but Kathranis quickly determined that the griffon was indeed, dying. He drew a small gasp from the female griffon as he tore the spear end from its place, causing a river of blood to flow free from the wound. In one fluid motion Kathranis whipped the knife from his boot and cut off a lock of his own hair. Compared to some elves, his thick, black hair was short in length. He kept it at his shoulders and usually locked the majority of the mass in a loose ponytail. Several strands however, stood free of the wrapping and he cut the hair free from his head.
Taking both his holy symbol and hair in one hand, he pressed it on the wound and intoned a prayer. A soft green glow enveloped his hand and the wound faded from sight. As he put his necklace back on he said a quick thanks to Silvanus and got to his feet.
As he turned to face Valan again, his vision blurred as fist met face. Kathranis staggered back and grabbed for the hilts of his swords. Another fist cracked into his face, causing him to instinctively bring his arms up to protect his face. Kathranis grunted as a fist planted itself in his ribs, and while his arms drifted down, another broke his nose. The force of the punches pushed him back until he slammed into a tree.
Anticipating where the next blow would come from, Kathranis dove to the left and drew his swords, giving him ample breathing room. He shook his head clear and shouted at Valan.
“What in the Nine Hells is wrong with you? I just saved your lives for gods' sake! This is how you would repay me?”
The griffon glared at him and brought his sword up.
“I don’t know what careless fool was your owner, but you can rest assured, your temporary freedom is gone. I will not have a spell casting human running free in my kingdom.”
Kathranis yanked his swords from their sheathes and carved an x in the air with them.
“I have no idea what is running through that bird brain of yours, but if you think you can take me down…” He brought the tips of his swords near his face. “You’re dead wrong.”
The two fighters stood at a tense stand-off, waiting for the other to move. Kathranis began breathing faster, trying to fool his opponent into thinking he was about to strike. He shifted his right foot just enough to provoke reaction from Valan. The griffon charged forward quickly and without sound, putting Kathranis off-balance. He dipped under the large steel sword of the griffon and brought his own blades at Valan’s wing. Before they could touch a feather, the griffon leaped back.
Now over-balanced, Kathranis shifted his weight into a roll and dove towards the griffon. Again the creature hopped away before Kathranis could touch him. Shocked at the speed of the creature, Kathranis wove a defensive pattern with his swords and jumped back a few feet. As the griffon tensed for another attack, Kathranis began bouncing on the balls of his feet, trying to throw Valan off-balance. He had to hide his surprise when he found that it actually worked. Kathranis almost grinned as he watched the griffon try to bob in time with his feet.
So focused on his feet, Valan wasn’t prepared as Kathranis leapt forward, swords flashing. Kathranis easily batted Valan’s sword out of line with his left hand and slammed the griffon’s face with the right. Pressing his advantage, Kathranis pivoted on his right foot and kicked Valan in the chest, sending the griffon further off-balance. Kathranis ducked low under a desperate sweep from Valan’s blade and surgically opened two cuts on the griffon’s wrist, causing him to drop the sword.
Silence fell over Kathranis as he narrowed in for the kill. Vaguely he heard a shout echoing through the clearing, but he ignored it. His face set in a grim scowl, he opened two more cuts on Valan’s other claw, causing the griffon to hiss with pain. In one fluid motion, Kathranis sheathed a sword and kneed Valan in the face. Using his free hand, Kathranis yanked the griffon forward and slammed his forehead into the griffons chin. Kath’s vision narrowed further to the point that he saw only points on the griffon’s body that would put the beast down. His right sword descended in a vertical arc and closed the distance to the griffon’s neck.
Time slowed down as Kath’s surroundings flooded back into his perception, particularly the four hundred pounds of griffon slamming into him at full speed. Kathranis pin-wheeled away and slammed into a tree, giving a shout as a loud crack echoed through the clearing. He landed on the ground with a thud and immediately cradled his left arm. Kathranis took a piece of string from his pocket and whispered through gritted teeth a small spell Fordred has taught him. The string grew in size until it was about the size of a boot strap. It coiled around the break site and with a sharp snap, constricted the bone back into place. During the entire process, Kathranis could do nothing but grit his teeth and wait for the pain to stop.
He flexed his arm a few times and checked to see if the bone was properly set. Though it couldn't move around, Kathranis knew that his arm was out of action until it could heal. Kath growled and grabbed his sword from the grass. The second griffon, the one he had healed, was aiding the one called Valan to his feet.
Kathranis scowled and prepared to attack again, but then thought better of it. Kathranis sent a mental message to Secil and then sheathed his sword. Not making a sound, Kathranis slipped backwards into the shadows and ran silently for a while. Then, when he judged he was far enough away, turned around and crept back to the clearing. He circled around the edge of the torchlight and crouched behind a tree near the body of one of the dead humans.
He watched as the female of the group wrapped Valan’s claw in strips of torn white cloth. The other male griffon, a soldier by Kath’s guess, stood guard a foot or two away. He listened as they talked rather loudly, causing several night predators to take notice. More than once Kath saw Secil growling at any animal that came near, chasing them away when they got too close.
“What were you thinking Valan? That was clearly not your average human. It could have killed you!” the female said.
“It shouldn’t have been that smart! Humans are naturally stupid and spell casters are few and far between. I’ve never even seen one that could fight and cast spells. Stupid Equestrians are treating the beasts too well, they are nothing but animals! This is why i've been pushing for father to permanently banish their enslavement! Teaching them the basics of speech is bad enough, but this! Any more knowledge and the damn things will destroy everything!”
The female griffon sighed and shook her head.
“Valan, you must learn to calm that imagination of yours. This was probably a singularity; we will likely never see a human like that again. What we must focus on now is finding somewhere to rest before returning home tomorrow. Father is likely unhappy at our timing for this… outing.”
“Would’ve been fine if we didn’t have a certain guard hanging around like dead weight.” Valan grumbled.
The armored griffon said nothing, but gave a loud snort. Now out of combat, Kathranis noticed that the armored griffon was larger than the other two. The soldier had the scars of battle while the smaller two griffons looked relatively… soft. Both of the males bore weapons, but Valan wore no armor and his brown feathers gleamed in the torchlight. Kathranis was knocked from his scrutiny of the griffons when the soldier spoke.
“Princess, I suggest that we make haste in finding shelter. I’m surprised that animals haven’t already arrived to pick the corpses clean. If we stay out here much longer, we may be trapped in another fight we don’t want.”
Kathranis raised an eye brow. What was royalty doing in the middle of the woods at night? And with only a single guard?
"What do you think Secil?" Kathranis projected to his familiar.
I think that more wolves are gathering than I can handle. Its going to get worse soon, wolves aren't the only beasts gathering out here. If these fools don’t leave soon, they will die. Secil stated flatly.
Kathranis pondered the thought for a moment.
See if you can lure them back to the cave. Kathranis replied. I will take care of whatever beasts comes our way.
Kathranis slipped away from his hiding spot and crept to the shadows of the forest.
Kathranis stalked silently through the woods, carrying his bow with an arrow at the ready. Secil had told him of wolves, yet Kathranis had found only paw prints and soiled dirt. Every few minutes a faint howl would echo on the wind, but the forest was otherwise quiet. Kathranis paused as he came upon a rather large game trail. Inspecting the prints, he found that though most of the imprints were for wolves, one set was much larger than the rest, and in a very different shape. They also led in a different direction than any of the other tracks.
A branch snapped behind him. Kathranis spun around and pulled the bowstring to his cheek. He waited for several tense moments, and when nothing appeared, he relaxed. Kathranis replaced his arrow in its quiver and crouched down to inspect the game trail more thoroughly. As he knelt in the dirt, a loud thunderclap echoed overhead. Kathranis gazed up as lightning flashed across the sky, followed immediately by another peal of thunder. Kathranis drew his cloak over his head as the first rain drops began to pour down. Unbeknownst to the elven ranger, the bushes behind him rustled almost silently, concealing a large creature whose growls mixed with the rumbling thunder.
Secil, still in his panther form, jogged into the torchlight and growled at the griffons. He then sat and waited as they reacted. The griffon that was getting a claw bound cried out in alarm first.
“It’s the human’s cat! Zefuris, kill it!”
The armored griffon, Zefuris, Secil assumed, drew his sword and approached the panther. Secil calmly sat and waited as the griffon approached. Once he drew close, Secil moved back a few feet and again sat down. Zefuris stopped and looked back at the other two griffons. He looked back and forth between Secil and the griffons a few times before he turned around and took up a guard position closer to the griffons.
Secil snorted with mild frustration. He had made it as clear as day that he wanted them to follow. ‘They have thicker heads than Kathranis at sometimes’ he thought. Growling softly, Secil again approached the griffons. When Zefuris waved his sword at the cat, a plan hatched in Secil’s mind. He crept inside the range of the sword and waited for the griffon to swing. Ducking under the sweep of the glistening blade, Secil pounced on the griffon’s claw and nipped the griffon until he dropped the sword. Secil then caught the handle in his mouth and dragged it towards the trees.
Zefuris called out as Secil sprinted to the edge of the tree line and looked back. Even though the griffon looked angry that his sword was gone, he still didn’t move beyond a certain point in the clearing. Secil snorted again and dropped the sword. Secil looked to the other two griffons. They both seemed smaller, maybe if he could...
Secil trotted into the shadows and circled around the clearing until he was closer to the smaller pair of griffons. He crouched down and waited for the one called Zefuris to go to retrieve his sword. As Zefuris cautiously reached the blade, Secil lopped out and sat down silently next to the smallest of the griffons, a female by the smell of it.
So quite was he, the griffons didn’t notice he was beside them until Zefuris gave a cry. The two griffons panicked and quite literally jumped out of their feathers. Secil merely sat and idly watched their feathers float through the air as the pair calmed down.
Once the female realized that Secil wasn’t trying to kill them, she approached slowly. Once again, Secil took to studying the griffon. She was just a little smaller than Secil himself, who, standing on two legs, was several feet taller than Kathranis. She also seemed to be lighter than the other two; her wings were smaller and looked more graceful. As he studied the griffon a new plan formed in his mind, and if cats could smile, Secil would have done so.
With claws sheathed, he pounced on the griffon, laying her flat with his sleek, but well muscled body. He then grabbed her by the scruff of the neck with his teeth and did his best to sprint towards the edge of the clearing. Both of the other griffons shouted and gave chase. Normally, Secil could have left the griffons in the dust, but with the extra weight in his jaws, and the body tripping up his front paws, he was only barely keeping ahead.
What surprised him the most was the lack of resistance from his chosen captive. The she- griffon hadn't even yelped when he had snatched her, and it was starting to become worrying. Had he hit her too hard? The trees parted ahead and Secil jogged the final stretch to the cave. He lightly placed his captive on the ground and moved a few paces away. The griffon remained still for a heartbeat before getting to her feet and turning around. Before she spoke, the other two griffons came crashing through the trees. They both quickly spotted Secil and the smaller of the two charged him.
“Die monster!” the griffon shouted.
Secil flattened his ears and growled, but before he could attack the female griffon stopped the charging one.
“No Valan! He’s not trying to hurt us!”
Valan stopped in his tracks and stared at her then at Secil.
“Did you hit your head Aquila? That thing just dragged you through the forest after almost mauling you! Of course it’s trying to hurt us!”
Aquila looked over shoulder at Secil and shook her head.
“Valan, you can be such a drama queen. No, I think it was trying to… lead us here?”
Secil sat up straight and inclined his head toward the mouth of the cave. Aquila turned around fully and sat on her haunches in front of Secil.
“You understand me?” she asked.
Secil nodded and growled softly moitioning again with his head towards the cave. Aquila looked towards the cave.
“Zefuris, what’s inside of there?”
Secil watched calmly as the solder griffon peeked his head around the cave entrance. The soldier relaxed when he saw the contents.
“Nothin, just a mostly burnt out fire and a bag. I guess we can check it for some food.”
Secil’s pupils dilated and he leapt towards the cave entrance. He bounded off of Zefuris and dove into the cave, landing on top of Kathranis's travel bag. He circled around the bag and did his best to cover it with his body. Secil growled softly as the three griffons entered the cave. While the two males tried to stay as far away as possible, Aquila sat close to Secil. She made no move towards the bag, and Secil, though wary, made no attempt to provoke any attack.
"I will go gather firewood." Zefuris announced "I won't be long, so you two stay put." There was no request in his voice, making clear that it was an order.
Secil snorted and laid his head in his paws, already impatient with Kathranis.
He better be back soon , Secil thought, or I'm going to eat the stupid one.
The fire crackled softly, easily more inviting than the pouring rain and thunder outside the safety of the cave. While Zefuris had gathered wood, Secil had moved out of the cave and had taken to staring into the woods. Now as the rain poured down, he still sat, waiting his master's return. Secil's fur was matted close to his body and he could see his breath in puffs in the cold night air.
He perked his ears forward as he listened to a crackle in the bushes. Secil couldn't hide his disappointment when it turned out to be only a ground squirrel. He resumed his watch.
So intent on watching forward, he nearly jumped in surprise when he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He spun around and growled loudly, only to be faced with Aquila. He calmed immediately and turned back to his vigil.
"I might seem crazy for doing this, but I can tell you are not some mere house pet." Aquila said
Secil looked over his shoulder and snorted with contempt. Really, Secil thought, I wouldn't have noticed . She continued, unaware of the cat's thoughts.
"I don't know what you are watching for cat, but it will not come this night, not in this weather. Come in where it is warm, I wouldn't want our savior to freeze out here."
Secil sighed and wished he had the ability to speak in any manner of language. Instead he flicked his tail in the direction of the cave and snorted again, hoping the general message got across.
Instead the griffon sat beside him and leaned against him. Secil recoiled and stepped away. He growled and gestured sharply with his head towards the entrance of the cave. He then sat back down and resumed his vigil of the forest. She moved again and sat beside him. Secil snorted in agitation, but didn't move again. Instead he went back to staring into the woods. He mentally cursed the rain for mucking up any trails he could potentially follow. If only he could track Kathranis's scent, then he could help the ranger in whatever trouble he was involved in.
Instead he was stuck guarding three griffons, one of whom who was trying to engage him in a one sided conversation.
"There's just something about you. It's obvious that you understand every word I say, and yet you can do nothing beyond what any animal can do. You seem... Limited by your form. Why is that? What happened to make you such different in such a way?"
Both jumped as someone answered from behind them.
"He is intelligent for no other reason than he's just that magnificent of an animal. He can understand us because he is my familiar and it would seem rather pointless to have him if I couldn't speak with him.
They spun around, and Secil almost yowled with happiness to see Kathranis standing behind them. The cat bounded forward and rubbed heavily into Kath’s side. To his surprise, the ranger tried to dodge the sign of affection. Secil gazed at the ranger in confusion, and only then did he see why the ranger had moved.
The ranger clutched at a heavily bleeding wound in his left shoulder and was limping with his right leg. Score marks ran up and down his armor, a few scratches bled on his face, and several large spines stuck out of his left leg. Kathranis grinned weakly.
“It’s alright Secil, the beasts were just a little rougher than expected. Just… a couple of scratches.”
He gestured with his head towards the mouth of the cave.
“Come on, let’s get warm.”
The ranger took one step before collapsing to the ground, his blood mixing with the rainwater. Secil loped to his side and grabbed Kathranis by the collar of his armor, dragging him inside. The younger of the male griffons laughed as the panther entered.
“Look what the cat dragged in, literally!”
Secil growled and took a menacing step towards the griffon. Aquila was right behind him though, so she was quick to interrupt the two. She tossed down Kath's bow and quiver, both of which were splashed in blood.
“Valan, be quiet! The human is clearly hurt and needs help.”
“Help?!?” the griffon spit, “It attacked us! And its mangy beast tried to steal you away! Let it die for all I care!”
Secil ignored the pair’s bickering and began rifling through Kath’s bag with his teeth. While they had traveled together, Fordred had also been the makeshift medic for the company of elves, so he should have…
Secil grabbed the flask in his teeth and trotted over to Kath’s still form. Setting the bottle down, Secil licked Kath’s face roughly, trying his best to wake the ranger. Mentally he shouted at the ranger.
GET UP! GET UP! GET UP!
Kathranis groaned and clutched at his head.
“Ruth la cat, you don’t need to shout.”
Secil nudged the flask towards Kath.
Drink up; this will make you feel better. He mentally prodded.
Kathranis took the flask gingerly in one hand and took a small gulp from it. He shouted with pain as a large snap echoed through the cave.
“By the gods, cat! You could’ve warned me that it was elf draught!”
The ranger winced as he sat up, still clutching at his bleeding shoulder. Kath almost laughed at the expressions of the three griffons sitting across the fire from him. Instead he patted Secil’s damp fur. Secil, still not satisfied Kathranis wasn’t going to die immediately, pulled a roll of bandages from his pack and placed it in Kath’s lap. Kath smirked and looked at Secil.
“You worry too much cat, it’s just a scratch. It’ll be fine by morning. While the draught specifically mends bones, it does help clot blood a little.”
Secil snorted and pawed the roll closer to Kath’s stomach.
I'm sure those spikes in your leg are just a scratch too, right? What about the limp?
"I get it, it's a little worse than a scratch, but I'll be fine, don't worry."
Aquila giggled.
“I guess he’s not taking no for an answer.”
She’s right, I’m not. Clean it up or you’ll get an infection. Her name is Aquila by the way. The armored one is Zefuris and the small male is…
“Valan.” Kathranis finished with a mumble.
“What did you say?” the young griffon demanded.
Kathranis smirked again.
“Nothing you need worry about. Just the ramblings of a mad fool.”
Kathranis grunted as he sat up fully and removed his hand from his wounds. With his right hand, he grabbed his water skin and began lightly pouring the cool water into the cuts. Once they were semi-clean, Kathranis stuck one end of the bandages in the blood of his cuts and began wrapping the wound as tightly as he could manage with one hand. After making a few loose wrap-a-rounds, his hand was slapped away from the bandages.
The female griffon, Aquila, Secil had said, kneeled beside him with an irritated light in her eyes.
“You’re doing this all wrong! Just look at those wrappings!”
She quickly removed the bloodied cloth and started again, wrapping the wound tightly. As his skin met the cloth of his undershirt, she used her claws to cut away strips, leaving the area bare to the bandages. While she moved up his shoulder blade, she gestured at the straps of his armor.
“That needs to come off if you want this wrapped properly.”
Kathranis pulled the knife from his boot, causing the griffon to back away. He gave her a confused look as he wiggled the tip under the buckle of his armor, causing the left half to fall away. He then brought it to the opposite buckle and undid it in the same manner. The leather breast piece didn’t fall away as he expected though. Instead, Kathranis slipped his knife back into its sheathe and pealed the piece of armor away from his chest.
He groaned at the pain as the armor pulled back to reveal an expanding patch of blood in his shirt. Shaking his head, Kathranis attempted to reach for the role of bandages, only to have it pulled away. Aquila shook her head.
“We will have to cut away your covering before finishing your bandages.”
As Kathranis opened his mouth to protest, Valan butted in.
“Have you lost your mind sister? Wasting bandages on a dangerous human that is clearly alive only by miracles. Let it die!”
The young griffon was cut from his rant by a clawed hand meeting his face. Zefuris glared fiercely at Valan.
“Still your tongue! I will not have you insulting your older sister in such a way! If you are too ignorant to see the signs, then fine! Be blind! But leave your sister to her tasks! She would make a far better ruler than you purely because she is more intelligent and has clear foresight!”
The griffon pushed close in to Valan.
“And please, tell your father I struck you. It would do me great pleasure for him to find out.” he hissed.
Valan quickly shut his beak and turned away from Zefuris. Aquila continued wrapping Kath’s shoulder. The ranger tried his best to stare blankly at the ceiling as Secil began removing the spines in his leg.
What were you fighting that did all of this?
"I don't know," Kathranis replied aloud, "they had the tail of a scorpion, but the head of a lion. It was unlike anything I've ever encountered. They were fast too, almost like they were flying from tree to tree."
"It sounds like you fought a manticore, Aquila said, "you are very lucky to be alive."
Kathranis grimaced as Secil pulled a particularly large spine from his leg.
"Ah, actually, there were two of them, that I could see at least."
Aquila's eyes widened, and she momentarily stopped bandaging his stomach.
"You fought off two manticores?"
Kathranis nodded.
"One of them pounced on me from behind, if it wasn't for my quiver, it would have killed me there and then. When it bit down however, it broke the fletchings from many of my arrows, and the damn thing sure didn't enjoy having a dozen shafts of splintered woods in its mouth."
"And the other?" Aquila asked, resuming her bandaging.
Kathranis did his best to shrug. "It stayed in the trees. That's how I got these damn spines in my, ow!" Kathranis yelped as Secil yanked the last spine from his leg. Finished with his stomach, Aquila moved on to Kathranis's leg, wrapping the seeping wounds tightly.
Kathranis flexed his right leg, surprised that the break had already been completely healed. He leaned his head back against the cavern wall a sighed, trying to relax. Aquila tied off the bandages on his leg.
"There, all finished. Now, lets have a look at those cuts on your face."
Kathranis shook his head.
“Get some rest, I'll clean them in the morning."
Aquila looked ready to protest, but seemed to think better of it and nodded. Placing the remaining bandages next to his pack, she sat next to a dozing Valan, and Zefuris.
Kathranis scooted himself closer to the entrance of the cave, sitting just far enough inside to avoid being rained on. Secil said nothing, content to lay next to Kathranis. Kathranis drew one of his swords from its sheathe, and laid it gently across his lap. Kathranis closed his eyes and did his best to ignore his throbbing wounds, slipping quickly into Reverie.
