A New Culture with Old Ideasby XvernChaptersThe HuntFrom the ForestBloodied CaptureThe HuntHe woke up to something poking his leg. The all-too familiar weight of his vest, the back pads of his helmet, and the tight chinstrap served to inform him that he was still in full battle kit. Right, he remembered, I fell asleep while en route to camp. Something poked his leg again, the tip so sharp that he felt it through the ACU trousers. “Fuck?” he mumbled questioningly, the heat and muffled effect letting him know that he had fallen asleep with his neck gator pulled over his nose and mouth. His eyes opened to the blurry vision of post sleep, the blinding sunlight causing him to shut them again. The sound of something moving in dirt reached his ears. A sleepy chuckle escaped his lips as he used gloved hands to rub the sleepiness from his eyes. “The hell you guys doing?” he asked, opening his eyes and turning his head to the source of the noise. He froze, his breath caught in his throat. He didn't blink... and neither did they. A handful of avian heads peered from behind a bush. Their heads were much too large for normal birds, their eyes too large for their heads. Their feathers were predominately of the gray scale but at least two had some feathers dyed a different color while another had red... paint on it's face. Their eyes widely varied in color from orange to blue. And... Is that one wearing eye shadow? Without breaking eye contact with the strange birds, he began to pull himself to a sitting position. As he did, the bird with the face paint let out a high-pitched screech, hovered up from the bush and began to fly right at the human. As he raised his hands to defend himself, he realized that he was not looking at a bird. No, birds weren't quadrupeds; nor did they have paws or lion tails. “Gryphons!” he voiced in surprise as it hit him, literally. The Gryphon, claws leading, rammed into his chest... straight into the plate inside the vest. He heard the loud crack of it's beak and the cry of pain. Ignoring the fact that a Gryphon had tried to run him through with it's beak, he scrambled to his feet. The injured Gryphon fell to the ground, clutching it's beak as he backed away from the bush full of mythological creatures. Squawking, noticeably more developed than the pained Gryphon whimpering on the forest floor, filtered into his ears. The Gryphons in the bush pried their eyes from their fallen friend to look toward the sound, their relief evident in their much too big eyes. Gryphons. Cubs. Bush. Injured. Ground. Adults coming. Fight or flight kicked in as he turned and sprinted away from the Gryphons. As he began his retreat, he heard the high pitch squawks of the cubs join the calls of the adults. he knew what they were: calls for help and protection. Protection, aka kill the offending creature, he thought as his boots dug for purchase and his muscles screamed with the sudden activity. -_-_-_-_- “Dad!” screamed one of the cubs as the group of adults burst into the clearing. “Remus!” one of the Gryphons yelled as he sped over to the injured cub, cradling the young Gryphon in his claws, “Are you okay?” “Hurts,” the cub groaned. “What happened?” questioned Remus' father, a growl escaping with his words. A claw rested on the father's shoulder, drawing his attention just long enough to see who it was, “My child is hurt Marius!” “So he is, but prodding him to speak will only hurt him more, Pratius,” Marius replied. Pratius looked back down at his son, the scowl on his beak giving way to a strained smile as he tried to calm his injured kin. Marius turned to the other cubs, who had gathered as a group a couple paces from the hurt Remus, looking on in worry. “Cubs,” Marius began, softening his voice, “what happened?” The eldest, a young Gryphoness named Nereida, stepped out of the group. Marius wasn't surprised that his daughter had been the one to step forth. “We were just looking ahead of the group,” she began. Marius had already known this, but he stayed silent as she continued in the same breath, “When we entered this clearing, Arcadius spotted something laying in the dirt. It's coat was hidden underneath strange clothes and most of it's head was covered by a strange mask and helmet.” Nereida paused to take a breath before continuing, “Arcadius walked up to it and poked it in the leg, thinking it was dead. It didn't stir, so Arcadius poked it again. It then rubbed it's eyes, mumbling in a strange language, and looked at us from where we... hid behind the bush. It stared at us for a bit before trying to raise itself.” Another pause as the Gryphoness looked at Remus, who was now silent but still wept tears of pain and held his beak, “That was when Remus charged it. He tried to pierce it's chest with his beak but the thing's clothing must have been armored...” Marius looked at the injured cub. His cracked beak would take weeks and many potions to heal properly. He then looked back at his daughter, “And what of the creature?” Nereida pointed farther into the woods. Upon close inspection, Marius could see the footprints of a creature in flight. Though they seemed strangely spread out. “It got up on it's hindlegs and ran away. I guess it heard you coming,” Nereida commented. Marius looked back at his daughter, “On it's hindlegs? Like a Diamond Dog or Minotaur?” Both Diamond Dogs and Minotaurs were known to sneak into this forest to capture unsuspecting Gryphons. Some of those captured would be killed on the spot for sport or food. Others would be taken to work as slaves. Though denounced and condemned by the corresponding species' governments, the events still occurred. Even Marius' mention of the creatures had put the rest of the hunting party on edge. “No,” Nereida informed, shaking her head, “it was much too skinny and agile to be either.” Marius let a sigh of relief slip from his beak before looking back at Pratius, “Pratius, take Remus and return to the village. Make sure they know of the creature and send letter to Lord Appius informing the same.” Pratius nodded as he took to the sky with his cub cradled in his forelegs. Marius turned back to Nereida, “Gather the other cubs and follow Pratius.” “But father-” “Now Nereida!” Nereida stared at her father, her eyes burning with a desire. A desire, Marius guessed, to take revenge upon the creature for her friend. That desire, however, lost to his authority and, with a nod of the head, she took wing after Pratius, the cubs wordlessly following her. “Now,” Marius began as he turned to the rest of the hunting party. Four Gryphons had followed him out to both hunt wild boar for the village and to help protect and teach the cubs. Now, they were going to help him bring down this creature, “let the hunt begin.” Author's Note Had an idea for a new story so I churned out this first chapter. Sorry to say, however, that updates will be sporadic at best. Still, I thank you guys for reading and hope that you enjoy this new tale. From the ForestSliding to a stop, Odom undid his chinstrap, pulled down the neck gator, and redid his chinstrap. Breathing unrestricted, he sucked in air as he looked around. He was now in the middle of the thick forest, the tree coverage having restricted the growth of anything that wasn't a fungus. Looking down at himself, he sighed at how much the digital camouflage of the Army Combat Uniform stood out from nature. “Universal camo my left nut,” he muttered under his breath as he began jogging, deciding to alter his course to the left a little to, hopefully, throw off any pursuers. Though he bad-mouthed the camouflage, Odom knew what it was intended to do. Humans, by instinct, are able to spot another human from a distance simply by the familiar shape. Camouflage were designed to break up that familiar shape. With that shape distorted by the camo, one would then be harder to spot... at a distance. Once close enough, someone would still be able to spot the shape of a human body, even with the camouflage. That “recognition distance” grew or shortened depending on whether the camo matched the terrain or not. Woodland camo in an artic wasteland would stand out pretty easily and vice versa for artic camo in a forest. And since ACUs tried to be “universal”, they stand out everywhere, Odom thought to himself. Without stopping his jog, he reached to his left shoulder and grabbed the capped nipple of his CamelBak. Uncapping it, he brought it to his mouth and took a good long sip before recapping it and living it to hang on the strap again. All the while he did so, he never stopped scanning the forest around him. Squirrels darted along the forest floor, stopping to stare at the human trampling through their forest. The call of birds echoed in the treetops, Odom spotting a few flying from branch to branch. SNAP! “Fu- Oof!” Even with the pads in his helmet, he felt his head hit the ground as the snare took his feet out from under him before hanging him upside down. Keys, a phone, and loose change fell from his front pockets to the forest floor as Odom groaned from having his brain rattled about. It took only a couple seconds for the pain to recede enough for him to take stock of the situation. Looking up, down for him, he saw a small rope holding him upside down by his right leg, his boot having kept it from breaking his ankle. Even so, he could feel his ankle throbbing at the sudden twist. “The shit?” he whispered as he let his head hang again, wondering who had set the snare. It doesn't matter, he thought, Those Gryphons will find me if I stay hanging here. My knife is in my calf pocket so all I gotta do is grab that and cut the rope. He took a deep breath and, after a second of thought, undid his helmet and lightly tossed it so that he wouldn't fall on it, Five pounds less. Alright, let's do this. Grunting, the soldier contracted his abs to bend his body. Using his hands to help pull him up, he was able to reach his right calf pocket. Opening the veclro secured pocket carefully, he stopped the knife from falling to the ground, instead having it fall into his hand. Flipping it open, he ignored his screaming muscles and, holding onto the back of his ankle with his left hand, sawed at the rope with his right. “Come on, come on,” he growled through grinding teeth. Having sawed through half of it, the rope finally snapped from the stress, dumping Odom onto the forest floor. He hit the ground hard, all of the air in his lungs leaving in one surprise gasp as his head hit the dirt. A sharp pain from his left butt cheek served to inform him that he had also fallen on his keys. “F-fuck,” he coughed out, rolling onto his left side as he held his head in both hands, the knife having been knocked from his hand upon impact. Shouldn't have taken off the helmet. Having caught his breath, he rolled onto his hands and knees and spit out some phlegm that had caught in his throat. Pushing himself up so that he was now kneeling with his hands on his thighs, he surveyed his surroundings. He froze. There, not even six meters from his three o'clock, a Gryphon stood between two trees, staring at him with it's too big eyes. It's body was small and sleek, it's large wings folded at it's side. Dark brown fur and light tan feathers covered it's body and head. For but a second, Odom thought that it looked adorable, especially with the way it had it's head tilted in confusion. That adorable image was shattered as he spotted a leather harness of sorts on the Gryphon, a knife hanging from the harness over it's chest. Odom shook his head lightly before looking back at it's big, blue eyes. Eyes full of intelligence. Setting aside that it's a Gryphon, this thing is not a normal creature, he thought as he spotted his helmet laying next to him. Without taking his eyes off the Gryphon, he slowly reached out, grabbed his helmet, and dragged it back to himself. It hasn't ripped me apart yet, he thought. As if on cue, the Gryphon let out a squawk, causing Odom to freeze and tense his muscles to bolt. Shockingly, the Gryphon seemed to read his stance as it's face softened and it began to coo at the soldier. It's claw was raised and held in a placating manner, if it was anything similar human mannerisms. Odom recognized the behavior as he, himself would do the same thing to skittish cats and dogs back home. Fuck me, this is weird, he thought as he glanced down at his helmet. His goggles and cat eyes were still wrapped around the helmet, held in place by loop retainers in the back and the rhino mount in the front. Keeping an eye on the Gryphon, who was now just watching him curiously, he donned his helmet and buckled the chinstrap. Out of habit, he gave it a couple love taps before looking at the Gryphon. Again, it had it's head tilted in confusion. Whatever, so long as it doesn't come closer, he thought. A distant squawk momentarily drew his attention away from the brown Gryphon as he scanned the forest. That had come from where I had came from. The parents are closing in, he thought. He had to move. Seeing his knife a couple feet away, he scrambled over and grabbed it before jumping to his feet. The Gryphon near him had let out a squawk at his sudden movement and when he started running, he heard it squawking at him. A quick glance back showed that it wasn't following him, however. With that bit of good luck, lessened by the throbbing pain in his ankle, Odom closed the knife and slipped it into his front pocket as he sprinted once more into the forest. -_-_-_-_- “Hey, wait!” the Gryphoness shouted at the retreating bipedal. It was something that she had never seen before and she had watched it escape one of her snares and run off. The loss of food didn't disappoint her as she had no interest in eating it. Instead, she was curious about it. It's eyes were so small, yet seemed to be filled with more knowledge than most of the Gryphons she knew back home. That wasn't to mention the fact that it was wearing some kind of armor and clothes made of a strangely colored fabric. “It's coming from this way!” The Gryphoness turned toward the voices to see a small party of Gryphons charging through the forest with reckless abandon. Upon seeing the lone Gryphoness, they changed course and headed straight for her. They look to be a hunting party, she thought, examining their blades and the crossbows on their backs. Are they after that creature? she asked herself as she turned her head to see that it had already disappeared into the forest. Hearing the party slide to a stop, she looked back at them to see one was already picking at the ground under where the creature had hung from her snare. “The ground is wet,” the examiner, a dark gray Gryphon with black feathers, announced, “It must have urinated here.” Another of the party, an all gray Gryphon, picked up a ring from the ground, three or four keys jingling next to a strange shaped item. Sitting down, the same Gryphon used it's other talon to grab two metallic circles from the same place he had picked up the keys. “Keys and,” he peered closely at the circles before arching a brow, “coins, by the looks of it.” “Ahem,” the Gryphoness loudly cleared her throat, drawing the attention of the party. As if they didn't see me before, she thought with a roll of her eyes. The apparent leader of the party, a Gryphon whose feathers were a bright white and fur was two shades darker, stepped away from the group and approached her. Five steps away, the Gryphon gave a small bow with a claw to his chest. “My deepest apologies Miss, I am Marius of Winterpeak. Have you seen a strange bipedal creature come through here?” The Gryphoness raised a brow as she put a claw to her own chest and reciprocated the small bow, “I am Silvia of Leafwing. You are far from home, Marius. Hunting trip with the guys?” The Gryphon frowned as he set his claw back on the ground. Silvia let her claw drop as well, hiding a smirk at the male's irritation. Behind Marius, Silvia spotted the other four of his party examining a small, black rectangle that must have also fallen from the creature's pockets. “Pardon my rudeness Silvia, but I do not have time for small talk.” Silvia let her smirk show as she nodded her head, “Of course, of course,” she paused as she put a claw to her beak in mock thought, “strange bipedal creature,” she hummed before snapping her talons in a dramatic 'Ah-ha!' moment, “I did see such a thing. In fact, it had been caught in my snare, the remains of which is dangling over the heads of your fellows.” She watched Marius's eyes widen, “It was caught in a snare? How did it escape?” Silvia raised a brow, an act that she found was becoming common with this Gryphon, “It drew a knife and cut the rope. How else might it have escaped?” “It has a knife?” Marius asked, shocked. Silvia nodded, “It was small and the blade seemed to fold into and out of the handle but, yes, it has a knife.” “A folding knife?” Marius mumbled incredulously, looking at a spot on the ground a meter to Silvia's right. “Hmm, a strange concept indeed,” Silvia noted, drawing Marius's attention back to her, “May I inquire the reason to your pursuit of this creature?” “It's dangerous!” Marius replied with vinegar. Silvia tilted her head and smirked, “So are you.” Those three words caused Marius to take a step back in shock and blink rapidly. He opened his beak but whatever words died in his throat as a member of his party called out. “Marius, we have a direction of travel!” Marius nearly snapped his neck as he focused his gaze on the speaker. Silvia couldn't keep back a chuckle as she lazily swing her head to also look at the speaker. It was the same gray and black Gryphon who had been examining the wet ground. “Good work Pantera,” Marius complimented, “Make haste, I'll rejoin you shortly.” “Understood,” Pantera nodded before taking off at a brisk pace into the forest, his eyes solely focused on the ground. The other three followed him in a loose 'V' formation, their eyes scanning the forest for any threats to their group, the creature included. Silvia looked back at the Gryphon to see him giving another bow, his claw on his chest once more, “I bid you farewell, Silvia. May the winds be in your favor.” “Not so fast, Marius. I wish to join your pursuit.” This caused Marius to raise a brow at her, his claw still held to his chest, “Why? Surely the loss of a snare is not worth the effort to pursue the creature.” Silvia shook her head, “The snare is not the reason, no.” The Gryphon looked at her with expectation, awaiting for her to reveal the true reason she wanted to pursue the creature. Instead, she remained silent, simply smirking at the male. Finally, the Gryphon sighed, “Alright, you may join my party but just remember that I am in charge,” he stated. Silvia bowed her head, putting a claw to her chest, “Of course Marius, I would never dare to challenge your lead.” Marius snorted before turned and taking wing after the other males. Silvia unfolded her wings and rose to a hove a foot above the ground. She gave a hearty laugh before flying after Marius. Today is promising to be interesting, she thought as she easily caught up to the Gryphon. In just under a minute, they had caught up to the rest of the party. While Marius joined Pantera at the tip of the V, Silvia took up the empty spot at the of the V's right “leg”. Now I just need to find a way to convince these males that capturing will be better than killing. -_-_-_-_- Marius looked back at the Gryphoness who had joined his party. Silvia from Leafwing. Leafwing was a village residing within the outskirts of the forest and was where Marius's group had rented their inn rooms. Pratius and the cubs should have made it back by now, he thought. “Why did she join us?” Pantera asked suddenly. Marius, realizing that he was staring at the ground in thought, looked to Pantera. The Gryphon was still scanning the ground for tracks but Marius knew that he had glanced his way. “She asked,” Marius answered. “Why?” “I don't know.” Pantera gave a quick glance back with a raised brow before looking back to track the creature. “Let's just say that I have a feeling that having a local with us will help,” Marius explained. The Gryphon tracker merely hummed at the explanation. After a moment of silence, he stated, “Well, you may wish to know that Zoticus more than likely backs your decision to bring her along. Though his reasons for it may not be as... logical as yours.” Marius smiled at this before looking over his left shoulder. He spotted Zoticus easily enough at the back of the formation left “leg”. The Gryphon's fur was a light gray while his feathers were a dark gray and his orange eyes were locked on the Gryphoness across from him. Marius chuckled at the sight as he looked forward again, shaking his head. Zoticus was the only adult Gryphon in the group who didn't have a mate and kids. Having just recently entered adulthood, Marius invited him on the trip only because he was Pratius's nephew. “He has much to learn,” Marius commented. “Aye,” Pantera began, “thought the best lessons are those learned on your own.” “Aye,” Marius agreed. Let's just hope his “learning experience” doesn't let the creature get a jump on us. Author's Note Hey guys. Surprise! Here's the next chapter of A New Culture with Old Ideas. Thank you everyone for reading and thank you to those who liked/fav'd/commented so far and a virtual cookie to anyone who can figure out the reason behind this chapter's title. To the two that gave me a thumbs down, I only wish that you would have left a comment explaining what you disliked about it. Have a good week everyone! Bloodied Capture“By the Gods, does this thing not require rest?” Zoticus grumbled as he brought up the rear of the group. Nearly two hours had past since encountering Silvia and they hadn't spotted hide nor hair of the creature. It's prints were steady but they changed direction often and, when they came across a stream, had disappeared until Pantera had found more farther upstream. Whatever this thing is, it's not stupid, Marius concluded as he watched Pantera studiously follow the tracks. Marius and his party were moving at a brisk pace, yet even this pace seemed to be slower than the creature's. “Marius, we are nearing Minotaur territory. I suggest ending the search here,” Silvia informed, “The local village can be very territorial.” Marius glanced back at the Gryphoness. Her eyes, though they had sparkled with a playfulness when they first met, were now cold and serious. Her stature was wide and her wings looked ready to snap open. Though he didn't know the Gryphoness, he respected her viewpoint as a sort of local guide. “Very well,” Marius replied, “We'll stop here for now.” On those five words, the Gryphons following him came to a tired halt. “Drink water and relax your muscles, we take wing for Leafwing in five,” he ordered. Getting nods in reply, his party sat in a loose cluster as they produced canteens from their pouches. Marius sat down next to a tree and pulled out his own canteen. Unstopping the top, he took a drink, relishing the feeling of the water sliding down his throat. “It's nearby,” Pantera commented, sitting down beside Marius, “I can feel it. It might even be watching us right now.” Marius looked at Pantera with a raised brow before looking out at the surrounding forest with squinted eyes, struggling to pick out even the smallest sign of the creature. “I doubt it. It's been moving at our pace or faster and has no reason to stop. With the lead it had on us, I assume it's deep into Minotaur territory now,” Silvia argued as she also sat down beside Marius. Pantera's throat rumbled in a growl. “Leave us Pantera,” Marius ordered. “Gladly.” The tracker stood and walked away from the two, glaring at Silvia as he did. Silvia glared back while Marius took another drink from his canteen. When Pantera finally broke his glare to sit with the others of the party, Marius sealed his canteen and returned it to it's pouch. “We Gryphons of Winterpeak are proud folk. You're lucky he didn't challenge you there and then,” Marius explained, unnerved as Silvia's glare was now focused on him. “Hurt pride? From hearing the opinion of another?” “He is the proudest of the proud.” Silvia raised a brow, “That pride seems to falter for you, however.” “Does it now?” Marius chuckled. “It does,” Silvia confirmed, “So, Marius of Winterpeak, how does a Gryphon from the mountains find himself chasing a creature in the forests?” The Gryphon looked at her with a smirk on his beak, a glint of playfulness in his eyes. A roar echoing off the trees killed that glint and left whatever response he had to wilt on his tongue. “What was that?” Zoticus asked, startled. Another roar echoed off the trees, causing the bones in Marius's wings to rattle. “Minotaurs,” Silvia growled, “we should leave.” “They must have found the creature, Marius,” Pantera theorized, “They aren't far from here. We can take wing, swoop in and-” “Are you mad?” Silvia shouted, “Minotaurs don't just carry axes and warhammers! If they're in these woods, they are likely to be carrying crossbows!” Pantera closed the distance between himself and the Leafwing Gryphoness, murderous intent in his eyes. “Then it'll be a sad sacrifice for Silvia of Leafwing to take a bolt, won't it?” he growled, a claw on the handle of his blade. With a flap of wings and creaking of wood, Pantera instead found himself going cross-eyed to focus on an arrowhead. Having pushed Silvia back, Zoticus now stood between the Gryphoness and Pantera, his wings out and helping him balance as he held a bow in his claws. Pulled taut, he had aimed the arrow at Pantera. “You will not harm her,” he muttered darkly, his eyes burning with rage. Shock stunned Pantera for only a moment, “Following the whim of your libido is dangerous, cub. Your uncle will hear of this, I assure you of that.” “Enough!” Marius roared at the same time that another Minotaur roar came echoing from the trees, “Both of you will quit bickering like cubs! Zoticus,” the young adult glanced at him, “you will lower your bow and return that arrow to your quiver.” A second's hesitation, “Of course.” As Zoticus followed the order, Marius turned on Pantera, “And you will fly back to Leafwing and notify Pratius of our imminent return.” “Surely you jest, Marius,” Pantera laughed, “Let us use this Leafwing wench to-” Whatever Pantera would've said was lost in the pained grunt that escaped his beak after Marius's fist had crashed into his face. Spitting blood onto the ground, Pantera looked into Marius's fiery eyes with his own shocked ones. “Take wing,” Marius growled, “before I offer you to the Minotaurs as a coat!” Pantera said nothing as his eyes hardened into a glare. A glare that flickered between Marius and Silvia. Spreading his wings, he propelled himself straight up, out of the forest before flying in the direction of Leafwing. “Let's go,” Marius ordered when Pantera was gone from sight. “You still want to head toward the Minotaur?” Silvia asked incredulously. “We won't 'swoop in',” he explained, “We'll asses the situation before we act. Though we may have to act fast.” Silvia nodded after a second thought, “Very well.” Without further speaking, the group of Gryphons took off through the forest in the direction of the roars. We haven't heard one in a while, Marius realized, Either the creature is dead or it has fled again. Weaving through the trees, Marius's eyes narrowed, Without the roars to warn us, we could be right on top of them before we realize it. As if the world heard his thought, the next tree he passed brought him in view of the Minotaur. Skidding to a halt, he ducked behind a tree while motioning for his companions to do the same. The other four Gryphons slammed against trees in sudden stops, peeking around at the Minotaur. Marius studied the Minotaur, raising a brow at it's kneeling posture. Kneeling on the ground, unmoving, it looked serene amidst the flora of the forest. Serene. Exactly what a Minotaur isn't, Marius thought. The Gryphon spotted what looked to be a crossbow laying in the dirt a couple feet from the kneeling Minotaur, confusing him even further. No hunter, let alone a Minotaur, would allow such distance between themselves and their weapon. Looking at his companions, Marius motioned for Silvia to follow him while the others kept watch. He saw the hesitation flicker across her face before she nodded. Her curiosity has gotten the better of her, he thought as he moved from the behind the tree. With Silvia moving in line with him, they approached the Minotaur, wary of sudden movements. Stepping on branches in his path, Marius was sure that the Minotaur knew of his presence. Even so, “Excuse me, honorable Minotaur, we wish to speak with you,” he said as politely as possible, disgusted with himself at calling such a savage creature honorable. Still, there was no response from the Minotaur. It neither stirred nor twitched at the noises and voice behind it. It just knelt, arms hanging at it's side and head...hung...low. Realization began to dawn on Marius as he picked up his pace. Surely I'm wrong, he thought as his jog turned to a sprint. Silvia, now a couple steps behind, sped up to match his pace and, within a second they were upon the Minotaur. Even the increased pace didn't stir the beast and, rounding to it's front, they found out why. An axe, the Minotaur's own if the ring on his, as it was a male, hip was any indication, was imbedded in the middle of it's face. It was at such a angle that had not allowed them to spot it from behind the deceased Minotaur. Looking closer, Marius saw many smaller cuts across it's body and a single stab wound on it's right forearm. Would explain it losing it's axe. That stab would have caused it to drop it in pain, he pieced together, And this Minotaur looks to have been early in his adolescence ages. Though powerful and unpredictable, he would have still been lacking skills in battle. “Uh, M-Marius?” Silvia called to him, her voice breaking and sounding scared. Marius looked for her to find her standing by the crossbow. The weapon wasn't what she called him for however, as she was pointing into the forest, in the direction that the dead Minotaur faced. Turning his body to look, his eyes widened in shock, “By the Winds.” There stood the creature, covered in blood, it's breathing ragged and labored. It's clothes were ripped in places, revealing the bloodied skin underneath. Blood ran from it's nose and mouth like rivers and Marius spotted the feathered bolt from the crossbow sticking out of it's left upper leg. Standing between two trees, it leaned on neither. Instead, it stood in the slightly bent posture of a fighting stance with a small knife in it's right claw. “H-how is it standing?” Silvia stammered, examining the creature as Marius was. Her voice drew the creature's sight to her and, in it's tiny eyes, Marius thought he saw something akin to recognition. “Silvia,” Marius began. Instantly, the creature looked at him and raised it's knife slightly, readying to fight. He stayed quiet, worried that it might try to attack him if he said any more. Though he was certain that he could take it in it's current state, he was shocked that it was still able to even be ready to fight in it's state. “Shhh,” Silvia cooed, holding a shaking claw out toward the creature as if offering it assistance, “I-it's okay.” It's eyes darted to Silvia, before resting on her shaking claw. Licking it's lips, it readjusted it's grip on the knife. Marius tensed his legs, ready to jump between Silvia and the creature. Instead, Marius was shocked when the creature suddenly threw the bloodied weapon on the ground before the Leafwing Gryphoness, falling to his knees shortly thereafter. Marius locked eyes with the wounded creature and saw the fear, hurt, and anger swirling in those small orbs. It's mouth moved, but no sound came out before the creature tipped backwards. Silvia moved as quick as the wind, catching the creature before it fell too far. Carefully, she moved it's legs so they were straight out before gently laying the being onto it's back. She then looked at Marius, allowing the Gryphon to see the stern look in her eyes. “Don't just stand there!” she hissed, “We have to help it!” Marius didn't try to argue. Instead, with a final glance at the Minotaur, he moved to assist Silvia. He must be highly skilled, Marius thought, Or incredibly lucky. -_-_-_-_- Hazel eyes fluttered open to a wooden ceiling. Orange light flickered across the grains of the boards. He raised his right hand... to have it stopped barely an inch off the ground the sound of clanking chain echoing in the room. Looking at the hand, he spotted a metal bracelet with the offending chain hanging from it. Again, he tried to raise his hand, watching as the chain went taut and stopped his hand once more. Looking left, Odom spotted another metal bracelet. His tired mind dragging the name 'shackle' from the depths in regard to the bracelet. He raised his feet one at a time to find that they were also shackled to what the posts of the bed he realized he was in. Odom sighed as he stared at the candle on the nightstand, the flame dancing atop the wax. “Where the hell am I?” he muttered under his breath. He thought that it was a good guess that he was still not back at Fort Carson, nor anywhere near there. In fact, he was fairly certain that he had been captured by the Gryphons. How though? What happened before I passed out? His leg ached, as if in response to his question. Raising his head and upper body as far as the chains allowed, Odom hissed as pain flared across his body. Ignoring the pain, he looked upon himself to see that his uniform, torn as it was, had been removed from his beaten body. Only a small blanket covered his crotch. Most the rest of his body was also covered, though by bandages instead of clothes or a blanket. “Right.” I remember the Minotaur bursting from the trees, roaring. Sighing, yet resigned to a fate yet unknown, Odom laid back down. As he awaited the arrival of his captors, he uttered but a single word. “Fuck.” Author's Note Update! Yay! Sorry I've been gone for so long, I just had to take a break for a bit. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this new chapter. Also, if the style of the last little bit with Odom seems different, it may be because the rest of the chapter was written months ago. So yeah...
The HuntHe woke up to something poking his leg. The all-too familiar weight of his vest, the back pads of his helmet, and the tight chinstrap served to inform him that he was still in full battle kit. Right, he remembered, I fell asleep while en route to camp. Something poked his leg again, the tip so sharp that he felt it through the ACU trousers. “Fuck?” he mumbled questioningly, the heat and muffled effect letting him know that he had fallen asleep with his neck gator pulled over his nose and mouth. His eyes opened to the blurry vision of post sleep, the blinding sunlight causing him to shut them again. The sound of something moving in dirt reached his ears. A sleepy chuckle escaped his lips as he used gloved hands to rub the sleepiness from his eyes. “The hell you guys doing?” he asked, opening his eyes and turning his head to the source of the noise. He froze, his breath caught in his throat. He didn't blink... and neither did they. A handful of avian heads peered from behind a bush. Their heads were much too large for normal birds, their eyes too large for their heads. Their feathers were predominately of the gray scale but at least two had some feathers dyed a different color while another had red... paint on it's face. Their eyes widely varied in color from orange to blue. And... Is that one wearing eye shadow? Without breaking eye contact with the strange birds, he began to pull himself to a sitting position. As he did, the bird with the face paint let out a high-pitched screech, hovered up from the bush and began to fly right at the human. As he raised his hands to defend himself, he realized that he was not looking at a bird. No, birds weren't quadrupeds; nor did they have paws or lion tails. “Gryphons!” he voiced in surprise as it hit him, literally. The Gryphon, claws leading, rammed into his chest... straight into the plate inside the vest. He heard the loud crack of it's beak and the cry of pain. Ignoring the fact that a Gryphon had tried to run him through with it's beak, he scrambled to his feet. The injured Gryphon fell to the ground, clutching it's beak as he backed away from the bush full of mythological creatures. Squawking, noticeably more developed than the pained Gryphon whimpering on the forest floor, filtered into his ears. The Gryphons in the bush pried their eyes from their fallen friend to look toward the sound, their relief evident in their much too big eyes. Gryphons. Cubs. Bush. Injured. Ground. Adults coming. Fight or flight kicked in as he turned and sprinted away from the Gryphons. As he began his retreat, he heard the high pitch squawks of the cubs join the calls of the adults. he knew what they were: calls for help and protection. Protection, aka kill the offending creature, he thought as his boots dug for purchase and his muscles screamed with the sudden activity. -_-_-_-_- “Dad!” screamed one of the cubs as the group of adults burst into the clearing. “Remus!” one of the Gryphons yelled as he sped over to the injured cub, cradling the young Gryphon in his claws, “Are you okay?” “Hurts,” the cub groaned. “What happened?” questioned Remus' father, a growl escaping with his words. A claw rested on the father's shoulder, drawing his attention just long enough to see who it was, “My child is hurt Marius!” “So he is, but prodding him to speak will only hurt him more, Pratius,” Marius replied. Pratius looked back down at his son, the scowl on his beak giving way to a strained smile as he tried to calm his injured kin. Marius turned to the other cubs, who had gathered as a group a couple paces from the hurt Remus, looking on in worry. “Cubs,” Marius began, softening his voice, “what happened?” The eldest, a young Gryphoness named Nereida, stepped out of the group. Marius wasn't surprised that his daughter had been the one to step forth. “We were just looking ahead of the group,” she began. Marius had already known this, but he stayed silent as she continued in the same breath, “When we entered this clearing, Arcadius spotted something laying in the dirt. It's coat was hidden underneath strange clothes and most of it's head was covered by a strange mask and helmet.” Nereida paused to take a breath before continuing, “Arcadius walked up to it and poked it in the leg, thinking it was dead. It didn't stir, so Arcadius poked it again. It then rubbed it's eyes, mumbling in a strange language, and looked at us from where we... hid behind the bush. It stared at us for a bit before trying to raise itself.” Another pause as the Gryphoness looked at Remus, who was now silent but still wept tears of pain and held his beak, “That was when Remus charged it. He tried to pierce it's chest with his beak but the thing's clothing must have been armored...” Marius looked at the injured cub. His cracked beak would take weeks and many potions to heal properly. He then looked back at his daughter, “And what of the creature?” Nereida pointed farther into the woods. Upon close inspection, Marius could see the footprints of a creature in flight. Though they seemed strangely spread out. “It got up on it's hindlegs and ran away. I guess it heard you coming,” Nereida commented. Marius looked back at his daughter, “On it's hindlegs? Like a Diamond Dog or Minotaur?” Both Diamond Dogs and Minotaurs were known to sneak into this forest to capture unsuspecting Gryphons. Some of those captured would be killed on the spot for sport or food. Others would be taken to work as slaves. Though denounced and condemned by the corresponding species' governments, the events still occurred. Even Marius' mention of the creatures had put the rest of the hunting party on edge. “No,” Nereida informed, shaking her head, “it was much too skinny and agile to be either.” Marius let a sigh of relief slip from his beak before looking back at Pratius, “Pratius, take Remus and return to the village. Make sure they know of the creature and send letter to Lord Appius informing the same.” Pratius nodded as he took to the sky with his cub cradled in his forelegs. Marius turned back to Nereida, “Gather the other cubs and follow Pratius.” “But father-” “Now Nereida!” Nereida stared at her father, her eyes burning with a desire. A desire, Marius guessed, to take revenge upon the creature for her friend. That desire, however, lost to his authority and, with a nod of the head, she took wing after Pratius, the cubs wordlessly following her. “Now,” Marius began as he turned to the rest of the hunting party. Four Gryphons had followed him out to both hunt wild boar for the village and to help protect and teach the cubs. Now, they were going to help him bring down this creature, “let the hunt begin.” Author's Note Had an idea for a new story so I churned out this first chapter. Sorry to say, however, that updates will be sporadic at best. Still, I thank you guys for reading and hope that you enjoy this new tale.
From the ForestSliding to a stop, Odom undid his chinstrap, pulled down the neck gator, and redid his chinstrap. Breathing unrestricted, he sucked in air as he looked around. He was now in the middle of the thick forest, the tree coverage having restricted the growth of anything that wasn't a fungus. Looking down at himself, he sighed at how much the digital camouflage of the Army Combat Uniform stood out from nature. “Universal camo my left nut,” he muttered under his breath as he began jogging, deciding to alter his course to the left a little to, hopefully, throw off any pursuers. Though he bad-mouthed the camouflage, Odom knew what it was intended to do. Humans, by instinct, are able to spot another human from a distance simply by the familiar shape. Camouflage were designed to break up that familiar shape. With that shape distorted by the camo, one would then be harder to spot... at a distance. Once close enough, someone would still be able to spot the shape of a human body, even with the camouflage. That “recognition distance” grew or shortened depending on whether the camo matched the terrain or not. Woodland camo in an artic wasteland would stand out pretty easily and vice versa for artic camo in a forest. And since ACUs tried to be “universal”, they stand out everywhere, Odom thought to himself. Without stopping his jog, he reached to his left shoulder and grabbed the capped nipple of his CamelBak. Uncapping it, he brought it to his mouth and took a good long sip before recapping it and living it to hang on the strap again. All the while he did so, he never stopped scanning the forest around him. Squirrels darted along the forest floor, stopping to stare at the human trampling through their forest. The call of birds echoed in the treetops, Odom spotting a few flying from branch to branch. SNAP! “Fu- Oof!” Even with the pads in his helmet, he felt his head hit the ground as the snare took his feet out from under him before hanging him upside down. Keys, a phone, and loose change fell from his front pockets to the forest floor as Odom groaned from having his brain rattled about. It took only a couple seconds for the pain to recede enough for him to take stock of the situation. Looking up, down for him, he saw a small rope holding him upside down by his right leg, his boot having kept it from breaking his ankle. Even so, he could feel his ankle throbbing at the sudden twist. “The shit?” he whispered as he let his head hang again, wondering who had set the snare. It doesn't matter, he thought, Those Gryphons will find me if I stay hanging here. My knife is in my calf pocket so all I gotta do is grab that and cut the rope. He took a deep breath and, after a second of thought, undid his helmet and lightly tossed it so that he wouldn't fall on it, Five pounds less. Alright, let's do this. Grunting, the soldier contracted his abs to bend his body. Using his hands to help pull him up, he was able to reach his right calf pocket. Opening the veclro secured pocket carefully, he stopped the knife from falling to the ground, instead having it fall into his hand. Flipping it open, he ignored his screaming muscles and, holding onto the back of his ankle with his left hand, sawed at the rope with his right. “Come on, come on,” he growled through grinding teeth. Having sawed through half of it, the rope finally snapped from the stress, dumping Odom onto the forest floor. He hit the ground hard, all of the air in his lungs leaving in one surprise gasp as his head hit the dirt. A sharp pain from his left butt cheek served to inform him that he had also fallen on his keys. “F-fuck,” he coughed out, rolling onto his left side as he held his head in both hands, the knife having been knocked from his hand upon impact. Shouldn't have taken off the helmet. Having caught his breath, he rolled onto his hands and knees and spit out some phlegm that had caught in his throat. Pushing himself up so that he was now kneeling with his hands on his thighs, he surveyed his surroundings. He froze. There, not even six meters from his three o'clock, a Gryphon stood between two trees, staring at him with it's too big eyes. It's body was small and sleek, it's large wings folded at it's side. Dark brown fur and light tan feathers covered it's body and head. For but a second, Odom thought that it looked adorable, especially with the way it had it's head tilted in confusion. That adorable image was shattered as he spotted a leather harness of sorts on the Gryphon, a knife hanging from the harness over it's chest. Odom shook his head lightly before looking back at it's big, blue eyes. Eyes full of intelligence. Setting aside that it's a Gryphon, this thing is not a normal creature, he thought as he spotted his helmet laying next to him. Without taking his eyes off the Gryphon, he slowly reached out, grabbed his helmet, and dragged it back to himself. It hasn't ripped me apart yet, he thought. As if on cue, the Gryphon let out a squawk, causing Odom to freeze and tense his muscles to bolt. Shockingly, the Gryphon seemed to read his stance as it's face softened and it began to coo at the soldier. It's claw was raised and held in a placating manner, if it was anything similar human mannerisms. Odom recognized the behavior as he, himself would do the same thing to skittish cats and dogs back home. Fuck me, this is weird, he thought as he glanced down at his helmet. His goggles and cat eyes were still wrapped around the helmet, held in place by loop retainers in the back and the rhino mount in the front. Keeping an eye on the Gryphon, who was now just watching him curiously, he donned his helmet and buckled the chinstrap. Out of habit, he gave it a couple love taps before looking at the Gryphon. Again, it had it's head tilted in confusion. Whatever, so long as it doesn't come closer, he thought. A distant squawk momentarily drew his attention away from the brown Gryphon as he scanned the forest. That had come from where I had came from. The parents are closing in, he thought. He had to move. Seeing his knife a couple feet away, he scrambled over and grabbed it before jumping to his feet. The Gryphon near him had let out a squawk at his sudden movement and when he started running, he heard it squawking at him. A quick glance back showed that it wasn't following him, however. With that bit of good luck, lessened by the throbbing pain in his ankle, Odom closed the knife and slipped it into his front pocket as he sprinted once more into the forest. -_-_-_-_- “Hey, wait!” the Gryphoness shouted at the retreating bipedal. It was something that she had never seen before and she had watched it escape one of her snares and run off. The loss of food didn't disappoint her as she had no interest in eating it. Instead, she was curious about it. It's eyes were so small, yet seemed to be filled with more knowledge than most of the Gryphons she knew back home. That wasn't to mention the fact that it was wearing some kind of armor and clothes made of a strangely colored fabric. “It's coming from this way!” The Gryphoness turned toward the voices to see a small party of Gryphons charging through the forest with reckless abandon. Upon seeing the lone Gryphoness, they changed course and headed straight for her. They look to be a hunting party, she thought, examining their blades and the crossbows on their backs. Are they after that creature? she asked herself as she turned her head to see that it had already disappeared into the forest. Hearing the party slide to a stop, she looked back at them to see one was already picking at the ground under where the creature had hung from her snare. “The ground is wet,” the examiner, a dark gray Gryphon with black feathers, announced, “It must have urinated here.” Another of the party, an all gray Gryphon, picked up a ring from the ground, three or four keys jingling next to a strange shaped item. Sitting down, the same Gryphon used it's other talon to grab two metallic circles from the same place he had picked up the keys. “Keys and,” he peered closely at the circles before arching a brow, “coins, by the looks of it.” “Ahem,” the Gryphoness loudly cleared her throat, drawing the attention of the party. As if they didn't see me before, she thought with a roll of her eyes. The apparent leader of the party, a Gryphon whose feathers were a bright white and fur was two shades darker, stepped away from the group and approached her. Five steps away, the Gryphon gave a small bow with a claw to his chest. “My deepest apologies Miss, I am Marius of Winterpeak. Have you seen a strange bipedal creature come through here?” The Gryphoness raised a brow as she put a claw to her own chest and reciprocated the small bow, “I am Silvia of Leafwing. You are far from home, Marius. Hunting trip with the guys?” The Gryphon frowned as he set his claw back on the ground. Silvia let her claw drop as well, hiding a smirk at the male's irritation. Behind Marius, Silvia spotted the other four of his party examining a small, black rectangle that must have also fallen from the creature's pockets. “Pardon my rudeness Silvia, but I do not have time for small talk.” Silvia let her smirk show as she nodded her head, “Of course, of course,” she paused as she put a claw to her beak in mock thought, “strange bipedal creature,” she hummed before snapping her talons in a dramatic 'Ah-ha!' moment, “I did see such a thing. In fact, it had been caught in my snare, the remains of which is dangling over the heads of your fellows.” She watched Marius's eyes widen, “It was caught in a snare? How did it escape?” Silvia raised a brow, an act that she found was becoming common with this Gryphon, “It drew a knife and cut the rope. How else might it have escaped?” “It has a knife?” Marius asked, shocked. Silvia nodded, “It was small and the blade seemed to fold into and out of the handle but, yes, it has a knife.” “A folding knife?” Marius mumbled incredulously, looking at a spot on the ground a meter to Silvia's right. “Hmm, a strange concept indeed,” Silvia noted, drawing Marius's attention back to her, “May I inquire the reason to your pursuit of this creature?” “It's dangerous!” Marius replied with vinegar. Silvia tilted her head and smirked, “So are you.” Those three words caused Marius to take a step back in shock and blink rapidly. He opened his beak but whatever words died in his throat as a member of his party called out. “Marius, we have a direction of travel!” Marius nearly snapped his neck as he focused his gaze on the speaker. Silvia couldn't keep back a chuckle as she lazily swing her head to also look at the speaker. It was the same gray and black Gryphon who had been examining the wet ground. “Good work Pantera,” Marius complimented, “Make haste, I'll rejoin you shortly.” “Understood,” Pantera nodded before taking off at a brisk pace into the forest, his eyes solely focused on the ground. The other three followed him in a loose 'V' formation, their eyes scanning the forest for any threats to their group, the creature included. Silvia looked back at the Gryphon to see him giving another bow, his claw on his chest once more, “I bid you farewell, Silvia. May the winds be in your favor.” “Not so fast, Marius. I wish to join your pursuit.” This caused Marius to raise a brow at her, his claw still held to his chest, “Why? Surely the loss of a snare is not worth the effort to pursue the creature.” Silvia shook her head, “The snare is not the reason, no.” The Gryphon looked at her with expectation, awaiting for her to reveal the true reason she wanted to pursue the creature. Instead, she remained silent, simply smirking at the male. Finally, the Gryphon sighed, “Alright, you may join my party but just remember that I am in charge,” he stated. Silvia bowed her head, putting a claw to her chest, “Of course Marius, I would never dare to challenge your lead.” Marius snorted before turned and taking wing after the other males. Silvia unfolded her wings and rose to a hove a foot above the ground. She gave a hearty laugh before flying after Marius. Today is promising to be interesting, she thought as she easily caught up to the Gryphon. In just under a minute, they had caught up to the rest of the party. While Marius joined Pantera at the tip of the V, Silvia took up the empty spot at the of the V's right “leg”. Now I just need to find a way to convince these males that capturing will be better than killing. -_-_-_-_- Marius looked back at the Gryphoness who had joined his party. Silvia from Leafwing. Leafwing was a village residing within the outskirts of the forest and was where Marius's group had rented their inn rooms. Pratius and the cubs should have made it back by now, he thought. “Why did she join us?” Pantera asked suddenly. Marius, realizing that he was staring at the ground in thought, looked to Pantera. The Gryphon was still scanning the ground for tracks but Marius knew that he had glanced his way. “She asked,” Marius answered. “Why?” “I don't know.” Pantera gave a quick glance back with a raised brow before looking back to track the creature. “Let's just say that I have a feeling that having a local with us will help,” Marius explained. The Gryphon tracker merely hummed at the explanation. After a moment of silence, he stated, “Well, you may wish to know that Zoticus more than likely backs your decision to bring her along. Though his reasons for it may not be as... logical as yours.” Marius smiled at this before looking over his left shoulder. He spotted Zoticus easily enough at the back of the formation left “leg”. The Gryphon's fur was a light gray while his feathers were a dark gray and his orange eyes were locked on the Gryphoness across from him. Marius chuckled at the sight as he looked forward again, shaking his head. Zoticus was the only adult Gryphon in the group who didn't have a mate and kids. Having just recently entered adulthood, Marius invited him on the trip only because he was Pratius's nephew. “He has much to learn,” Marius commented. “Aye,” Pantera began, “thought the best lessons are those learned on your own.” “Aye,” Marius agreed. Let's just hope his “learning experience” doesn't let the creature get a jump on us. Author's Note Hey guys. Surprise! Here's the next chapter of A New Culture with Old Ideas. Thank you everyone for reading and thank you to those who liked/fav'd/commented so far and a virtual cookie to anyone who can figure out the reason behind this chapter's title. To the two that gave me a thumbs down, I only wish that you would have left a comment explaining what you disliked about it. Have a good week everyone!
Bloodied Capture“By the Gods, does this thing not require rest?” Zoticus grumbled as he brought up the rear of the group. Nearly two hours had past since encountering Silvia and they hadn't spotted hide nor hair of the creature. It's prints were steady but they changed direction often and, when they came across a stream, had disappeared until Pantera had found more farther upstream. Whatever this thing is, it's not stupid, Marius concluded as he watched Pantera studiously follow the tracks. Marius and his party were moving at a brisk pace, yet even this pace seemed to be slower than the creature's. “Marius, we are nearing Minotaur territory. I suggest ending the search here,” Silvia informed, “The local village can be very territorial.” Marius glanced back at the Gryphoness. Her eyes, though they had sparkled with a playfulness when they first met, were now cold and serious. Her stature was wide and her wings looked ready to snap open. Though he didn't know the Gryphoness, he respected her viewpoint as a sort of local guide. “Very well,” Marius replied, “We'll stop here for now.” On those five words, the Gryphons following him came to a tired halt. “Drink water and relax your muscles, we take wing for Leafwing in five,” he ordered. Getting nods in reply, his party sat in a loose cluster as they produced canteens from their pouches. Marius sat down next to a tree and pulled out his own canteen. Unstopping the top, he took a drink, relishing the feeling of the water sliding down his throat. “It's nearby,” Pantera commented, sitting down beside Marius, “I can feel it. It might even be watching us right now.” Marius looked at Pantera with a raised brow before looking out at the surrounding forest with squinted eyes, struggling to pick out even the smallest sign of the creature. “I doubt it. It's been moving at our pace or faster and has no reason to stop. With the lead it had on us, I assume it's deep into Minotaur territory now,” Silvia argued as she also sat down beside Marius. Pantera's throat rumbled in a growl. “Leave us Pantera,” Marius ordered. “Gladly.” The tracker stood and walked away from the two, glaring at Silvia as he did. Silvia glared back while Marius took another drink from his canteen. When Pantera finally broke his glare to sit with the others of the party, Marius sealed his canteen and returned it to it's pouch. “We Gryphons of Winterpeak are proud folk. You're lucky he didn't challenge you there and then,” Marius explained, unnerved as Silvia's glare was now focused on him. “Hurt pride? From hearing the opinion of another?” “He is the proudest of the proud.” Silvia raised a brow, “That pride seems to falter for you, however.” “Does it now?” Marius chuckled. “It does,” Silvia confirmed, “So, Marius of Winterpeak, how does a Gryphon from the mountains find himself chasing a creature in the forests?” The Gryphon looked at her with a smirk on his beak, a glint of playfulness in his eyes. A roar echoing off the trees killed that glint and left whatever response he had to wilt on his tongue. “What was that?” Zoticus asked, startled. Another roar echoed off the trees, causing the bones in Marius's wings to rattle. “Minotaurs,” Silvia growled, “we should leave.” “They must have found the creature, Marius,” Pantera theorized, “They aren't far from here. We can take wing, swoop in and-” “Are you mad?” Silvia shouted, “Minotaurs don't just carry axes and warhammers! If they're in these woods, they are likely to be carrying crossbows!” Pantera closed the distance between himself and the Leafwing Gryphoness, murderous intent in his eyes. “Then it'll be a sad sacrifice for Silvia of Leafwing to take a bolt, won't it?” he growled, a claw on the handle of his blade. With a flap of wings and creaking of wood, Pantera instead found himself going cross-eyed to focus on an arrowhead. Having pushed Silvia back, Zoticus now stood between the Gryphoness and Pantera, his wings out and helping him balance as he held a bow in his claws. Pulled taut, he had aimed the arrow at Pantera. “You will not harm her,” he muttered darkly, his eyes burning with rage. Shock stunned Pantera for only a moment, “Following the whim of your libido is dangerous, cub. Your uncle will hear of this, I assure you of that.” “Enough!” Marius roared at the same time that another Minotaur roar came echoing from the trees, “Both of you will quit bickering like cubs! Zoticus,” the young adult glanced at him, “you will lower your bow and return that arrow to your quiver.” A second's hesitation, “Of course.” As Zoticus followed the order, Marius turned on Pantera, “And you will fly back to Leafwing and notify Pratius of our imminent return.” “Surely you jest, Marius,” Pantera laughed, “Let us use this Leafwing wench to-” Whatever Pantera would've said was lost in the pained grunt that escaped his beak after Marius's fist had crashed into his face. Spitting blood onto the ground, Pantera looked into Marius's fiery eyes with his own shocked ones. “Take wing,” Marius growled, “before I offer you to the Minotaurs as a coat!” Pantera said nothing as his eyes hardened into a glare. A glare that flickered between Marius and Silvia. Spreading his wings, he propelled himself straight up, out of the forest before flying in the direction of Leafwing. “Let's go,” Marius ordered when Pantera was gone from sight. “You still want to head toward the Minotaur?” Silvia asked incredulously. “We won't 'swoop in',” he explained, “We'll asses the situation before we act. Though we may have to act fast.” Silvia nodded after a second thought, “Very well.” Without further speaking, the group of Gryphons took off through the forest in the direction of the roars. We haven't heard one in a while, Marius realized, Either the creature is dead or it has fled again. Weaving through the trees, Marius's eyes narrowed, Without the roars to warn us, we could be right on top of them before we realize it. As if the world heard his thought, the next tree he passed brought him in view of the Minotaur. Skidding to a halt, he ducked behind a tree while motioning for his companions to do the same. The other four Gryphons slammed against trees in sudden stops, peeking around at the Minotaur. Marius studied the Minotaur, raising a brow at it's kneeling posture. Kneeling on the ground, unmoving, it looked serene amidst the flora of the forest. Serene. Exactly what a Minotaur isn't, Marius thought. The Gryphon spotted what looked to be a crossbow laying in the dirt a couple feet from the kneeling Minotaur, confusing him even further. No hunter, let alone a Minotaur, would allow such distance between themselves and their weapon. Looking at his companions, Marius motioned for Silvia to follow him while the others kept watch. He saw the hesitation flicker across her face before she nodded. Her curiosity has gotten the better of her, he thought as he moved from the behind the tree. With Silvia moving in line with him, they approached the Minotaur, wary of sudden movements. Stepping on branches in his path, Marius was sure that the Minotaur knew of his presence. Even so, “Excuse me, honorable Minotaur, we wish to speak with you,” he said as politely as possible, disgusted with himself at calling such a savage creature honorable. Still, there was no response from the Minotaur. It neither stirred nor twitched at the noises and voice behind it. It just knelt, arms hanging at it's side and head...hung...low. Realization began to dawn on Marius as he picked up his pace. Surely I'm wrong, he thought as his jog turned to a sprint. Silvia, now a couple steps behind, sped up to match his pace and, within a second they were upon the Minotaur. Even the increased pace didn't stir the beast and, rounding to it's front, they found out why. An axe, the Minotaur's own if the ring on his, as it was a male, hip was any indication, was imbedded in the middle of it's face. It was at such a angle that had not allowed them to spot it from behind the deceased Minotaur. Looking closer, Marius saw many smaller cuts across it's body and a single stab wound on it's right forearm. Would explain it losing it's axe. That stab would have caused it to drop it in pain, he pieced together, And this Minotaur looks to have been early in his adolescence ages. Though powerful and unpredictable, he would have still been lacking skills in battle. “Uh, M-Marius?” Silvia called to him, her voice breaking and sounding scared. Marius looked for her to find her standing by the crossbow. The weapon wasn't what she called him for however, as she was pointing into the forest, in the direction that the dead Minotaur faced. Turning his body to look, his eyes widened in shock, “By the Winds.” There stood the creature, covered in blood, it's breathing ragged and labored. It's clothes were ripped in places, revealing the bloodied skin underneath. Blood ran from it's nose and mouth like rivers and Marius spotted the feathered bolt from the crossbow sticking out of it's left upper leg. Standing between two trees, it leaned on neither. Instead, it stood in the slightly bent posture of a fighting stance with a small knife in it's right claw. “H-how is it standing?” Silvia stammered, examining the creature as Marius was. Her voice drew the creature's sight to her and, in it's tiny eyes, Marius thought he saw something akin to recognition. “Silvia,” Marius began. Instantly, the creature looked at him and raised it's knife slightly, readying to fight. He stayed quiet, worried that it might try to attack him if he said any more. Though he was certain that he could take it in it's current state, he was shocked that it was still able to even be ready to fight in it's state. “Shhh,” Silvia cooed, holding a shaking claw out toward the creature as if offering it assistance, “I-it's okay.” It's eyes darted to Silvia, before resting on her shaking claw. Licking it's lips, it readjusted it's grip on the knife. Marius tensed his legs, ready to jump between Silvia and the creature. Instead, Marius was shocked when the creature suddenly threw the bloodied weapon on the ground before the Leafwing Gryphoness, falling to his knees shortly thereafter. Marius locked eyes with the wounded creature and saw the fear, hurt, and anger swirling in those small orbs. It's mouth moved, but no sound came out before the creature tipped backwards. Silvia moved as quick as the wind, catching the creature before it fell too far. Carefully, she moved it's legs so they were straight out before gently laying the being onto it's back. She then looked at Marius, allowing the Gryphon to see the stern look in her eyes. “Don't just stand there!” she hissed, “We have to help it!” Marius didn't try to argue. Instead, with a final glance at the Minotaur, he moved to assist Silvia. He must be highly skilled, Marius thought, Or incredibly lucky. -_-_-_-_- Hazel eyes fluttered open to a wooden ceiling. Orange light flickered across the grains of the boards. He raised his right hand... to have it stopped barely an inch off the ground the sound of clanking chain echoing in the room. Looking at the hand, he spotted a metal bracelet with the offending chain hanging from it. Again, he tried to raise his hand, watching as the chain went taut and stopped his hand once more. Looking left, Odom spotted another metal bracelet. His tired mind dragging the name 'shackle' from the depths in regard to the bracelet. He raised his feet one at a time to find that they were also shackled to what the posts of the bed he realized he was in. Odom sighed as he stared at the candle on the nightstand, the flame dancing atop the wax. “Where the hell am I?” he muttered under his breath. He thought that it was a good guess that he was still not back at Fort Carson, nor anywhere near there. In fact, he was fairly certain that he had been captured by the Gryphons. How though? What happened before I passed out? His leg ached, as if in response to his question. Raising his head and upper body as far as the chains allowed, Odom hissed as pain flared across his body. Ignoring the pain, he looked upon himself to see that his uniform, torn as it was, had been removed from his beaten body. Only a small blanket covered his crotch. Most the rest of his body was also covered, though by bandages instead of clothes or a blanket. “Right.” I remember the Minotaur bursting from the trees, roaring. Sighing, yet resigned to a fate yet unknown, Odom laid back down. As he awaited the arrival of his captors, he uttered but a single word. “Fuck.” Author's Note Update! Yay! Sorry I've been gone for so long, I just had to take a break for a bit. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this new chapter. Also, if the style of the last little bit with Odom seems different, it may be because the rest of the chapter was written months ago. So yeah...
