In the Everfree Forest there walked a Gryphon flanked by a Dire wolf, he left the Gryphon Empire and has been wandering he found a Dire wolf pup that has been with him for three years. The Gryphon is not like normal Gryphons instead he is part of a race from a far northern province of the Empire, they are taller than thier southern cousins, they also have Falcon head and Panther bodyinstaed of an Eagal and Lion. The Gyphons of the north are not well known because they rarely leave the north and the southern Gryphons belive that they are Barbarines. But enough about that for that will come later as for him, he comes to the end of the forest and finds himself in an apple orchard. He shifted the wieght of his Dragon Bone Battleaxe and Dragon rib Great-bow and the great arrows around his waist and looked to his four legged compainon and they continued onwards. As they went they heard some noises from ahead a clearing curious he and the Dire wolf crouched behind an apple tree and saw a group of Gryphon bounty hunters harassing large group of mares.
"Are you sure you have not seen a Gryphon with a mark on his right arm." said the lead Gryphon.
"How many times do ah have to tell you we ain't seen no Gryphon with no mark on his arm. Now get off my families farm." awnsered the Orange mare, not satisfided with that awnser the Gryphons surrounded the Mares and saw three fillies with them and grabbed them, the red and orange mares were smacked away from a yellow red maned filly and a brown red maned filly , the white unicorn mare was pushed from a white unicorn filly and a cyan pegasus was knocked back from an orange purple maned filly.
As the fillies were held hostage two Gyphons started to search the barn, having enough of this The Gryphon and his Dire wolf stepped in the open and said, "I belive you are looking for me." all Gryphons looked at him and tossed the three fillies away and the four mares rushed and held them close. The bounty hunters pulled their weapons which consisted of sword, bows and maces.
"Well, well looks like we finally found what we our big score," The lead bounty hunter said, "You have big price on your head that could set all of us up for life. GET HIM LADS!"
They all rushed him and the Dire wolf jumped on the nearest Gryphon and ripped his throat out and went for the Gryphons with the bows. The Gryphon pulled his axe off his back and made quick work of a few, but got slashed across his chest and a arrow found it's mark in his shoulder after a few minutes eight Gryphons lay dead and one flying away, seeing this he pulled his bow and a arrow and drew it back. When he released the taunt bow it flew throught the air and struck the bounty hunter through the heart. After a few moment the weight of his injuries caught up to him and his vision went black and he fell unconscious.
Applejack and Macareina were just planning the apple family reunion with the help of thier friends when out of no wherea group of Gryphon bounty hunters come down and started asking about a Gryphon that has a with some sort of brand on his right forearm and claw. When they didn't like the awnser that Applejack gave they surrouded her and her friends, then they took Sweetie bell, Scootaloo, Babs and Applebloom. Then a giant Gryphon steps into the open with a Dire wolf they quickly took care of the bounty hunters but not before the Gryphon was wounded and fell unconsious and the Dire wolf has been trying to get him to wake up.
Fluttershy was the first to approach the Dire Wolf amd as it growled at her, she said "It's okay we aren't going to hurt you and your friend we want to help him is that okay with you." she reached out with a hand and the Dire Wolf let her pet it.
The others all got up and started to look over the Gryphon's injuries. After sometime Applejack sent the CMC to find Zicron and bring him back to the farm. Macareina and Applejack lifted the Gryphon up and took him in to the house and up the stairs to one of the guest bedrooms, where Fluttershy patched up the arrow wound in his shoulder and slowed down the bleeding from the wound on his chest. A few minutes later CMC came back with Zicron, and was about to put some healing salve on the Gryphon when the Dire wolf hopped up on the bed and growled at him. Zicron about to back away when Fluttershy said, "Now Jager, be good Zicron here is only trying to help your friend." Dire wolf then backed down and hopped off the bed and walked over to Fluttershy and sat down.
Zicron administered the healing salve and everyone went down to the living room and let the Gryphon rest for a while with the Dire wolf at the foot of his bed. While everypony sat in the room Applebloom, Babs, Scootaloo and Sweetie belle went to get dinner started while all the grown ups talk.
"I say we should call the guard to take that Gryphon away," said Rainbow Dash "I mean those bounty hunters were looking for him for some reason."
"Me and Macareina would have ta disagree with you on that one Dash," said Applejack " We can't turn him over to the guard after he saved the youngsters from those Gyphons at least not until we hear his side of the story at least."
"Okay...fine we hear his story then we decide what to do with him"
They kept talking for awhile until the heard a crash come from the other room and went to see what it was, they saw that the axe that the Gryphon used had fallen over and his pack was open. Curious about what was in the pack they rummaged through it only to find a map of the Gryphon Empire and Equestria, as well as a talisman and on the back was a name 'Joranth Black-Beak' and on the front said, 'May you find a honorable death, motto of the 191st criminal wing brigade'.
Everypony was sitting in the in looking kitchen eating dinner in complete silence after looking through the Gryphon's bag they found out that name is 'Joranth Black-Beak' and that he was part of a Gryphon brigade that was composed of criminals. So this raised a few questions one, 'why was he part of this brigade in the first place?' and 'why was he being hunted now after being part of this brigade?'. Then there was his weapons, both of them were made from dragon bone, the battle axe was so heavy that Macareina could barely carry it and his bow was taller than her to, but the arrow were about the size as the Royal guard's spears tipped with the fangs of a dragon. So this raised everypony's suspicion of Joranth, they had no idea as to why he was being hunted maybe he was a dragon slayer as Twilight put it considering that his weapons were made from bone. Then Rainbow thinks that he deserted from the brigade he was from, but Applejack wanted to get to the bottom of this. But little did Everypony know that four fillies left the kitchen with some food for their guest and his wolf, they were followed by Applejack's dog Winona.
Back up in the guest bedroom Joranth was still sound asleep totally unaware of the discussion going on down stairs but his faithful companion was laying at the foot of the bed waiting for his friend to wake up when he heard the sound of hooves coming close to the door. Sensing a possible threat Jager stood watching the door in a crouch, when the door opened to show the four fillies and the Collie the Dire wolf relaxed and sat back down. Applebloom put a bowl of wet dog food down for the Dire wolf and then put some food on the night stand for the Joranth. Jager got up and sniffed the food and ate a little, then he realized how hungry he really was and started to gorge himself. Applebloom and the other fillies approached Joranth and looked at his right hand and saw the mark on it looked a lot like a brand mark going from the top of his hand all the way d his forearm up to his elbow. Just as they were going to leave they saw his hand starting to move quickly they ran out of the room to get the others, leaving Winona the room as she walked closer to the Dire wolf and they started to sniff each other, as that happened the others all arrived and waited for Joranth. Joranth opened his eyes and saw all the ponies in the room with his wolf companion that jumped on his bed and started to lick him. "It is good to see you as well Jager," he said while laughing ,"I really need to stop getting injured so much eh boy." He then looked up at the ponies and one zebra in the room.
Applejack walked up first and said, "I first want to thank you for helping my sister, her friends and cousin, But I want why those gryphons were after you in the first place?"
He looked at her then to the others and said, "Well my name is Joranth Black-Beak. I am a northern gryphon our southern cousins call us barbarians. But we just tend not to go down to the southern lands and my people tend to fight a little more savagely than them as well. But to answer your question on why those bounty hunters were looking for me no idea."
"Oh yeah! Well I bet it is because you deserted." said Rainbow Dash who then got in Joranth's face, "Yeah we saw your medallion and I bet the reason why you deserted was because you wanted to go kill more dragons am I right?" she finished with a smug look on her on her muzzle.
"You could not be more far from the truth." that statement wiped the smug look right off her face, "The reason I am out here is because I am banished the Gryphon Empire. The mark on my arm is a symbol of that, I can never go back."
Everypony in the room just sat and stared until Twilight broke the silence, "Then how did get those Dragon bone weapons and arrows?"
He sat and thought for a while then he said, "Well in order to hear that I would need to tell you the story of my life so far, and it is a long a story."
They all looked other and as if having a silent conversation they all looked back and nodded in agreement. "Very well. It all started with my mother she went to the south after her village was destroyed by a rival clan. She took up a job as a scullery maid for Lord Iron-beak, a very prestigious noble whose family has been in the military over a hundred years and helped the current Emperors bloodline claim power. So while Lady Iron-beak was away the lord got a little grabby with my mother and forced into his bed. A few weeks later she found out that she was carrying his egg and so she fled into the countryside out of shame and to protect me from what Lady Iron-beak would of most likely done. When she laid my egg she took a job on a farm. When I hatched she took a loan out from a farmer for more food, but when I turned eighteen he decided that the debt my mother would owe is me working for him for free. I didn't care all I wanted was for my mother to be safe so I did it no questions asked, that was until he started to use me as slave labor. He me away from the other workers so he could whatever he wanted to me, he did everything from work me for long hours all the way to whip me. One day after about three years he snapped and started to whip me and wouldn't stop until some of the other farm workers heard his howling and the crack of a whip. By they time they got there I was barely concusses, and then passed out from the pain thing I remember is waking up two days later in a hospital the farmer had been executed. A few months later I joined the Gryphon military and my mother decided that now I was enough to be on my own she moved back to the north with a new clan.
"When I was in the military for about a year, they put me as second in command of the 191st Criminal Wing Brigade with Wing Commander Black-Feathers and he despised me for two reasons, one was that I was northerner and the second because of my last name 'Black-Beak."
"Why is that such a big deal?" asked Applebloom.
"Because the surname 'Black-Beak' is only given to Bastard children," answered Joranth, "anyway he would always try to get me and the men killed but he only did it passively that was until about four years ago when a dragon attacked a village along the border we were in the area and were trying to get civilians out but in order to do that we needed a distraction. So the commander sent one squad to distract the beast but it wasn't enough civilians were so I disobeyed orders and took the rest of the brigade and together we were able to distract the beast. But the dragon was not happy and soon started to go after the civilians while they were escaping as well as those who were wounded, I ended up taking the dragon head on and I ended getting burned shoulder but it missed my wings thankfully and my feathers grew back. But after a few hours I found the dragons weak spot where the head meets the spine, I sunk the blade battle axe in the back of the dragons head and severed its spinal cord, killing it instantly. I took the tips of its teeth and its bones and weapons for the whole brigade, the meat and scales the village so it can get back on its feet. Black-Feather tried to have me court marshaled disobeying orders and I would have been had it not been for the casualty report for the civilians eighty-three were killed eighty-eight wounded and forty-eight of those wounded had there wings amputated do to sever burns and twenty of those are now orphaned and wingless children. He was the one who ended up court marshaled and executed for endangering civilians, I was promoted after they tried several times to put a new commander in charge. But was clear that the men would only respond to my orders so they promoted me. About a year later I truly met my father and my half-sister who was put under as my second in command, we found out later that we were half bother and sister and I decided to train her. About two years later she asked me for leave and I gave it to her, when she came back she was in tears that she just lost a friend stupid argument and that she went there to ask her friend if be willing to be in a relationship with her but she never got the chance. Then this year she was on a routine border patrol when a massive force of changelings came across the border and lured her into a trap and I had to save her. In the end a lot of gryphons lost there lives and I blame for it to protect her and I ended banished for it."
"Who was your half-sister Joranth?" asked Rainbow
"Her name was Gilda Iron-Beak"
Rainbow then fainted from the news, but the next to ask a question was Fluttershy, "When d-did you become fr-friends with your Dire W-wolf... if you don't mind me asking."
"I befriended him when I found him almost dead from being shot with an arrow from a farmer who assumed he was to blame" answered Joranth, "But now the question I have is who are all of you?"
