Hey, veame! (look at me) XD Sorry. What I really wanted to tell you was that I'm actually WORKING on a chapter! Yes! Right after I posted a new one! I am…not lazy! Whooooo! *does dance of the girl who wasn't lazy*
Nako-Chan: Mwa…thanks! I vaguely remember SWAT Cats…even though you didn't mention it, I'll read it! Although I'm not promising I'll understand it…lol. Does anyone remember Road Rovers? I think they were on Cartoon Network five or so years ago?
Dana Dancer: …maybe. Now that you've brought it up, it seems more and more like a good idea.
And that, boys and girls, is why you should ALWAYS review each chapter! *poke* Oh, and if the name Steppenwolf sounds familiar to any of you…it was one of Knuckle's ancestors. As in Sonic the Hedgehog. -.o
Okay…I own nothing. Well…actually I do. Sort of. But nothing concerning this story except Draika, the gryphons, the idea of Sraelyth but not his character (which is actually really confusing), and…um…various other peoples that might pop up that have never appeared in the books or the movies. I also do not own Sonic the Hedgehog. It is © to someone much richer than me.
I have no idea where I have heard the name Grindenwald, but it sounds familiar! If anyone could tell me where that name is from…?
Well, this chapter gets sort of depressing…in a different way that normal for this story…um…yep. A little bit angst-y at the end, but not in a self-pity kinda way. *shudder*
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~Draika~
Chapter Thirteen: The Trial of Steppenwolf
~Oh boy…~ Draika thought as she was marched into the castle. ~Guess I really blew it…~ But it had been worth it. Every second. Even the whole crashing-onto-Snape thing…which hadn't been intentional. She hadn't even SEEN him. But something very obvious gave her a feeling that she wasn't into trouble for giving the Potions master a black eye.
Yes, a black eye. She glanced over her shoulder to see Snape's sallow skin puffing out a bit around his right eye. It would be very colorful, she supposed. A real shiner. Draika shuddered. Yeah, sure! That would look sooooo good against her defense…the defense that was just then being hastily thrown together in her frazzled mind, nerves still tingling, laughing uncontrollably from the thrill of flight.
But still…what would happen? She would probably get ages of detention…or would they expel her? Would they really?
~No.~ She thought, a sudden glimmer of hope blossoming in her mind. ~They would have already if expulsion was an option with me…I mean…all the other stuff I've done…~ It was a happy thought…but spending hours of cleaning filth with Filch and Mrs. Norris, his mangy cat, wasn't exactly something she was looking forward to.
Much to her surprise, they were not headed for the Headmaster's office. Snape led her down into the dungeons, past his office, past the common room, down the tunnel where every student in the castle had been forbidden to go. The gryphon's den. As the tunnel grew darker, Draika's mind began to whirr once again. Why the hell was Snape taking her down here? He hadn't said anything since "get in the castle", so she assumed it was something only the gryphons could deal with.
Her thoughts turned to Linwe. Where was she now? Did anyone know what had happened? Well…they had to! It had been almost an hour since Draika had left the castle…nothing like that went unnoticed for long. Were they looking for her now? Why did she keep asking herself questions? Draika had to laugh a bit at that last one…it was true. Just like trying to lay out her options, asking questions that might never be answered was not a particularly bright notion.
Snape glared at her, obviously put off by the small laugh. Draika blinked, running her claws along the stone walls. They needed sharpening.
Then…a small light. It grew bigger very slowly, and it was a few seconds before Draika realized they had stopped, and that the light was moving towards them. It looked to be an enormous torch, held by a tawny gryphon with bright copper wings. He studied them for a moment, then nodded. Snape gestured Draika forwards, turning around to walk hastily out of sight.
Draika looked up at the enormous beast. He wasn't as large as Steppenwolf, that was for sure, but big all the same.
"Hello, Grindenwald." She smiled, hoping to at least try to be friendly.
Grindenwald's eyes showed no change in emotion or any other reaction, save for the reflection of the torch's dancing flame.
"This way, please." He said kindly, waiting for her to step ahead before continuing behind her. That made Draika even more suspicious…whatever she was here for, it was obvious they didn't want her getting away. They walked in silence. Every noise echoed off the curved tunnel walls, making them as audible as a shout. After awhile, it did seem like there were people shouting…or something.
Grindenwald sighed, walking beside Draika as natural light came into view. They were still undeniably underground…but somehow there was sunlight streaming through to warm the large cave she now found herself in. There looked to be a million tiny holes in the ceiling of the place, each letting in a miniscule amount of light. Joined together, though, you couldn't tell the difference.
But what caught Draika's attention were the gryphons. Gryphons of every color imaginable…well, not really; there wasn't anything absurd like green or purple, but like Aeris' feathers, you could see undertones of green or purple, though the main colors were much more natural. Most did have golden eyes. A few had orange, and she even spotted one whose were a bright emerald green. The coloring was actually the last thing she noticed.
They were all fighting. Yelling, screeching, even some were bristling at others, on the verge of fighting. Linwe laid in a corner. Stunned? Draika's breath caught in her throat until she saw the black gryphon's side steadily rising and falling with sleep.
"Sleeping potion." Her guide placed the torch in a bracket on the wall, shaking his head. "It's better that she not see this." Grindenwald did not join the fight, but stayed to the edges, like a few others Draika could see. Looking around, she spotted Steppenwolf on a ledge, almost like a podium. But there were two fierce-looking gryphons on either side of him, one pure white and the other pitch black. Like guards. She watched as Steppenwolf tried to move to the side…the two gryphons grabbed him by the shoulders, holding him firmly in place.
Those were no bodyguards. They were there to make sure he didn't escape. Draika cast her eyes around again, and quickly spotted the ash Aerisan, who was then screeching and bristling at a bulky golden gryphon, whose return actions were not too friendly himself.
"What…what is this all about?" Draika whispered to Grindenwald.
"You. And Steppenwolf. Mainly Steppenwolf." He corrected himself, sitting down. "That's…what…twice now you've gotten away while he was supposed to be watching you. Crevyl has accused incompetence of Steppenwolf to do his job." He paused. "It's a great dishonor, and even if it's not true and he is not…removed…he may step down anyhow."
Something about the word removed sent shivers down Draika's spine. "And why is keeping me in the castle so important?" She demanded.
"Well, see…" Grindenwald shifted uncomfortably. "I really don't know. Just a few do…secrets, you know. Just Steppenwolf, probably Aerisan, and the judge."
"Judge?" Draika asked. She hadn't known gryphons were so…democratic. "So…this is like…a trial."
"Yes." He stretched his talons in front of him, lying down more comfortably. "Not as fair as in the Muggle world, sadly. The judge will be jury and witness. Prosecutor. Defense. Executioner. It's a bloody job, and quite a biased one, though we very rarely get into disputes that need this sort of treatment. Most judges are very old, almost senile. But no one else wants the job, so they let them carry on with it until they drop dead."
"So…who's Crevyl?" Draika tried to ask the simplest question she could, still attempting to comprehend the facts Grindenwald had just told her.
"The judge. A young one, too: Our old Demoir passed away before we came here. Since Crevyl's the one actually making the accusations, Steppenwolf doesn't stand a chance."
"So he'll be…removed?"
"I'm afraid so." The tawny gryphon stretched one copper wing, preening a loose feather out. He smoothed the edges very carefully before giving it to Draika. "Here. No doubt it will come in handy."
Before Draika could ask what he meant, exactly, a smallish gryphon the color of tree bark stepped up in front of Steppenwolf and the two guards, waiting for the disturbance to settle. Which it did, rather quickly. Crevyl.
"I address you, the North Cliffs Clan of Steppenwolf." Crevyl spat the name out, orange eyes burning. He had dark green undertones, much like moss on the bark-colored feathers. For such a small being, he had a loud, commanding voice. No wonder they settled so fast. "Of the treason of said 'leader'."
Many mumbles met the silence readily. Crevyl paused for effect before continuing, a grim smile on his beak. "I charge him with incompetence to fulfill his duties as assigned to guard the child of Dori Sage-V'tana, long friend to all the Cliffs clans." There was more silence.
Draika nearly stumbled, even though she wasn't walking. Leaning against Grindenwald, she tried to make sense once again.
~To guard the child…the child of Dori Sage-V'tana…Dori Sage…~
"If even our most trusted cannot do the job, who can we trust?" Several calls rang up from the crowd below. "So it is with much weight do I ask of you to choose! Do you really wish to keep your treasonous friend?" It was like a campaign speech. He couldn't officially do anything without pretending to have the people's support, although it would have been done anyhow.
The great silver gryphon was sitting, expressionless. He had said nothing. Nothing would be said, Draika had a feeling. She knew the expression all too well, seen it on her own face. He had given up. She looked away, focusing on studying the runes engraved into the torch. Pretty. It was impossible to block out the words being said, of course. From time to time she looked up at Grindenwald, but he said nothing.
After awhile Draika managed to zone out, staring into the pocket of air in front of her face. It was always important to know how to zone out. Especially for stuff like this. It saved a lot of undue stress and perspiration. Crevyl seemed to have reached a general consensus…an ancient looking gryphon, feathers drained of all their pigments to grey, carried a staff to him. The staff was beautiful polished wood, though a bit gnarled. It had a brilliant glowing stone attached to the top, radiating immense warmth and power.
Crevyl took it hastily, almost greedily. No one moved, or scarcely breathed. He seemed to be growing larger, more terrible as an otherworldly flame began to dance about the staff. Draika flinched, drawing back. Grindenwald shifted, drawing her closer with a foreleg, for comfort. All of a sudden she wished she hadn't chosen to tune out, however horrible it might have been to listen. The gryphon raised the staff, turning to face Steppenwolf.
The strong leader Draika remembered cowered, eyes afraid. He was saying something, speaking quickly. She couldn't hear it, but she could guess. Pleading. A dull murmur arose…it was not the gryphons. It was as if millions of disembodied voices had chosen to descend. Names, places, times forgotten were now echoed forth, rising to a deafening roar as they echoed and those echoes were echoed in return.
She wanted to close her eyes. She wanted to look away. But she couldn't. If she did, she would regret it for the rest of her life. Several gryphons had turned away, including Aerisan. Crevyl paused, smirking. He was enjoying taunting the doomed one. It made Draika sick. But she had to watch.
A noise behind, so contrasting with the mystical voices echoing in her ears, made her jump. It was Snape. How long he'd been there she couldn't guess. Maybe he'd been there the entire time, turning around to follow as soon as she had walked out of sight. He did not see her looking up at him, just as fixated on the scene as she had been. Draika looked back, swallowing the lump in her throat.
Crevyl screamed, making every being within hearing range jump with surprise. Draika wondered what the students in the castle thought about the strange noises, if they could hear them at all. It echoed along with the voices, never fading. With a savage stroke, the merciless accuser brought the staff down.
Draika swayed, all of a sudden dizzied. Blackness, blackness…
And the trial of Steppenwolf was ended.
Nako-Chan: Mwa…thanks! I vaguely remember SWAT Cats…even though you didn't mention it, I'll read it! Although I'm not promising I'll understand it…lol. Does anyone remember Road Rovers? I think they were on Cartoon Network five or so years ago?
Dana Dancer: …maybe. Now that you've brought it up, it seems more and more like a good idea.
And that, boys and girls, is why you should ALWAYS review each chapter! *poke* Oh, and if the name Steppenwolf sounds familiar to any of you…it was one of Knuckle's ancestors. As in Sonic the Hedgehog. -.o
Okay…I own nothing. Well…actually I do. Sort of. But nothing concerning this story except Draika, the gryphons, the idea of Sraelyth but not his character (which is actually really confusing), and…um…various other peoples that might pop up that have never appeared in the books or the movies. I also do not own Sonic the Hedgehog. It is © to someone much richer than me.
I have no idea where I have heard the name Grindenwald, but it sounds familiar! If anyone could tell me where that name is from…?
Well, this chapter gets sort of depressing…in a different way that normal for this story…um…yep. A little bit angst-y at the end, but not in a self-pity kinda way. *shudder*
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~Draika~
Chapter Thirteen: The Trial of Steppenwolf
~Oh boy…~ Draika thought as she was marched into the castle. ~Guess I really blew it…~ But it had been worth it. Every second. Even the whole crashing-onto-Snape thing…which hadn't been intentional. She hadn't even SEEN him. But something very obvious gave her a feeling that she wasn't into trouble for giving the Potions master a black eye.
Yes, a black eye. She glanced over her shoulder to see Snape's sallow skin puffing out a bit around his right eye. It would be very colorful, she supposed. A real shiner. Draika shuddered. Yeah, sure! That would look sooooo good against her defense…the defense that was just then being hastily thrown together in her frazzled mind, nerves still tingling, laughing uncontrollably from the thrill of flight.
But still…what would happen? She would probably get ages of detention…or would they expel her? Would they really?
~No.~ She thought, a sudden glimmer of hope blossoming in her mind. ~They would have already if expulsion was an option with me…I mean…all the other stuff I've done…~ It was a happy thought…but spending hours of cleaning filth with Filch and Mrs. Norris, his mangy cat, wasn't exactly something she was looking forward to.
Much to her surprise, they were not headed for the Headmaster's office. Snape led her down into the dungeons, past his office, past the common room, down the tunnel where every student in the castle had been forbidden to go. The gryphon's den. As the tunnel grew darker, Draika's mind began to whirr once again. Why the hell was Snape taking her down here? He hadn't said anything since "get in the castle", so she assumed it was something only the gryphons could deal with.
Her thoughts turned to Linwe. Where was she now? Did anyone know what had happened? Well…they had to! It had been almost an hour since Draika had left the castle…nothing like that went unnoticed for long. Were they looking for her now? Why did she keep asking herself questions? Draika had to laugh a bit at that last one…it was true. Just like trying to lay out her options, asking questions that might never be answered was not a particularly bright notion.
Snape glared at her, obviously put off by the small laugh. Draika blinked, running her claws along the stone walls. They needed sharpening.
Then…a small light. It grew bigger very slowly, and it was a few seconds before Draika realized they had stopped, and that the light was moving towards them. It looked to be an enormous torch, held by a tawny gryphon with bright copper wings. He studied them for a moment, then nodded. Snape gestured Draika forwards, turning around to walk hastily out of sight.
Draika looked up at the enormous beast. He wasn't as large as Steppenwolf, that was for sure, but big all the same.
"Hello, Grindenwald." She smiled, hoping to at least try to be friendly.
Grindenwald's eyes showed no change in emotion or any other reaction, save for the reflection of the torch's dancing flame.
"This way, please." He said kindly, waiting for her to step ahead before continuing behind her. That made Draika even more suspicious…whatever she was here for, it was obvious they didn't want her getting away. They walked in silence. Every noise echoed off the curved tunnel walls, making them as audible as a shout. After awhile, it did seem like there were people shouting…or something.
Grindenwald sighed, walking beside Draika as natural light came into view. They were still undeniably underground…but somehow there was sunlight streaming through to warm the large cave she now found herself in. There looked to be a million tiny holes in the ceiling of the place, each letting in a miniscule amount of light. Joined together, though, you couldn't tell the difference.
But what caught Draika's attention were the gryphons. Gryphons of every color imaginable…well, not really; there wasn't anything absurd like green or purple, but like Aeris' feathers, you could see undertones of green or purple, though the main colors were much more natural. Most did have golden eyes. A few had orange, and she even spotted one whose were a bright emerald green. The coloring was actually the last thing she noticed.
They were all fighting. Yelling, screeching, even some were bristling at others, on the verge of fighting. Linwe laid in a corner. Stunned? Draika's breath caught in her throat until she saw the black gryphon's side steadily rising and falling with sleep.
"Sleeping potion." Her guide placed the torch in a bracket on the wall, shaking his head. "It's better that she not see this." Grindenwald did not join the fight, but stayed to the edges, like a few others Draika could see. Looking around, she spotted Steppenwolf on a ledge, almost like a podium. But there were two fierce-looking gryphons on either side of him, one pure white and the other pitch black. Like guards. She watched as Steppenwolf tried to move to the side…the two gryphons grabbed him by the shoulders, holding him firmly in place.
Those were no bodyguards. They were there to make sure he didn't escape. Draika cast her eyes around again, and quickly spotted the ash Aerisan, who was then screeching and bristling at a bulky golden gryphon, whose return actions were not too friendly himself.
"What…what is this all about?" Draika whispered to Grindenwald.
"You. And Steppenwolf. Mainly Steppenwolf." He corrected himself, sitting down. "That's…what…twice now you've gotten away while he was supposed to be watching you. Crevyl has accused incompetence of Steppenwolf to do his job." He paused. "It's a great dishonor, and even if it's not true and he is not…removed…he may step down anyhow."
Something about the word removed sent shivers down Draika's spine. "And why is keeping me in the castle so important?" She demanded.
"Well, see…" Grindenwald shifted uncomfortably. "I really don't know. Just a few do…secrets, you know. Just Steppenwolf, probably Aerisan, and the judge."
"Judge?" Draika asked. She hadn't known gryphons were so…democratic. "So…this is like…a trial."
"Yes." He stretched his talons in front of him, lying down more comfortably. "Not as fair as in the Muggle world, sadly. The judge will be jury and witness. Prosecutor. Defense. Executioner. It's a bloody job, and quite a biased one, though we very rarely get into disputes that need this sort of treatment. Most judges are very old, almost senile. But no one else wants the job, so they let them carry on with it until they drop dead."
"So…who's Crevyl?" Draika tried to ask the simplest question she could, still attempting to comprehend the facts Grindenwald had just told her.
"The judge. A young one, too: Our old Demoir passed away before we came here. Since Crevyl's the one actually making the accusations, Steppenwolf doesn't stand a chance."
"So he'll be…removed?"
"I'm afraid so." The tawny gryphon stretched one copper wing, preening a loose feather out. He smoothed the edges very carefully before giving it to Draika. "Here. No doubt it will come in handy."
Before Draika could ask what he meant, exactly, a smallish gryphon the color of tree bark stepped up in front of Steppenwolf and the two guards, waiting for the disturbance to settle. Which it did, rather quickly. Crevyl.
"I address you, the North Cliffs Clan of Steppenwolf." Crevyl spat the name out, orange eyes burning. He had dark green undertones, much like moss on the bark-colored feathers. For such a small being, he had a loud, commanding voice. No wonder they settled so fast. "Of the treason of said 'leader'."
Many mumbles met the silence readily. Crevyl paused for effect before continuing, a grim smile on his beak. "I charge him with incompetence to fulfill his duties as assigned to guard the child of Dori Sage-V'tana, long friend to all the Cliffs clans." There was more silence.
Draika nearly stumbled, even though she wasn't walking. Leaning against Grindenwald, she tried to make sense once again.
~To guard the child…the child of Dori Sage-V'tana…Dori Sage…~
"If even our most trusted cannot do the job, who can we trust?" Several calls rang up from the crowd below. "So it is with much weight do I ask of you to choose! Do you really wish to keep your treasonous friend?" It was like a campaign speech. He couldn't officially do anything without pretending to have the people's support, although it would have been done anyhow.
The great silver gryphon was sitting, expressionless. He had said nothing. Nothing would be said, Draika had a feeling. She knew the expression all too well, seen it on her own face. He had given up. She looked away, focusing on studying the runes engraved into the torch. Pretty. It was impossible to block out the words being said, of course. From time to time she looked up at Grindenwald, but he said nothing.
After awhile Draika managed to zone out, staring into the pocket of air in front of her face. It was always important to know how to zone out. Especially for stuff like this. It saved a lot of undue stress and perspiration. Crevyl seemed to have reached a general consensus…an ancient looking gryphon, feathers drained of all their pigments to grey, carried a staff to him. The staff was beautiful polished wood, though a bit gnarled. It had a brilliant glowing stone attached to the top, radiating immense warmth and power.
Crevyl took it hastily, almost greedily. No one moved, or scarcely breathed. He seemed to be growing larger, more terrible as an otherworldly flame began to dance about the staff. Draika flinched, drawing back. Grindenwald shifted, drawing her closer with a foreleg, for comfort. All of a sudden she wished she hadn't chosen to tune out, however horrible it might have been to listen. The gryphon raised the staff, turning to face Steppenwolf.
The strong leader Draika remembered cowered, eyes afraid. He was saying something, speaking quickly. She couldn't hear it, but she could guess. Pleading. A dull murmur arose…it was not the gryphons. It was as if millions of disembodied voices had chosen to descend. Names, places, times forgotten were now echoed forth, rising to a deafening roar as they echoed and those echoes were echoed in return.
She wanted to close her eyes. She wanted to look away. But she couldn't. If she did, she would regret it for the rest of her life. Several gryphons had turned away, including Aerisan. Crevyl paused, smirking. He was enjoying taunting the doomed one. It made Draika sick. But she had to watch.
A noise behind, so contrasting with the mystical voices echoing in her ears, made her jump. It was Snape. How long he'd been there she couldn't guess. Maybe he'd been there the entire time, turning around to follow as soon as she had walked out of sight. He did not see her looking up at him, just as fixated on the scene as she had been. Draika looked back, swallowing the lump in her throat.
Crevyl screamed, making every being within hearing range jump with surprise. Draika wondered what the students in the castle thought about the strange noises, if they could hear them at all. It echoed along with the voices, never fading. With a savage stroke, the merciless accuser brought the staff down.
Draika swayed, all of a sudden dizzied. Blackness, blackness…
And the trial of Steppenwolf was ended.