We walked into a small clearing. The sun was just barely touching the top of what I was pretty sure was Mount Gundabad, turning the snowcap a vibrantly glowing, pastel pink. I loved watching the sun rise like that. Setting every mountain top ablaze in pink, then crawling further down the slope it would turn it fiery orange, then, like a forest fire spreading, it would make its way into the forest at the foothills of the mountains and set the tops of the trees on fire with golden light, and then, like a fire being quenched, the color would fade and die and the normal day would begin, in the normal light.
The only time I ever normally got up early enough to watch the sun rise was when I was in middle school. In the winter, as my mom drove me the short fifteen minutes to my school, I would look out the window and watch everything light up in the bright pastel colors of the morning. I'd watch the clouds first, then the sky on the horizon where the sun would soon rise, and then the mountains all display the colorful, Coloradan sun rise.
Since I was watching this I wasn't paying much attention to my walking, in fact I think I actually stopped walking altogether, and just stood there and watched the sun rise.
"Come on Narwakwesse, you'll get to see it again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. Now hurry up or we'll be late." The blonde Gryphon urged me.
I started walking again, and then, noticing that the blonde Gryphon was running I sped up my pace, catching up to her. We entered neck-and-neck into a much larger clearing, and came to a stop next to a group of Gryphons that looked about our age.
"You're late!" A stern voice said over all the other socializing Gryphons.
"Sorry," the blonde gryphon apologized, "it wasn't my fault, Narwakwesse just stopped to watch the sun rise, I tried to make her hurry, but we're late anyway."
The stern Gryphon sighed, "Let's begin. First we'll do some drills and then we'll do a hunt or two."
The drills weren't too bad, I caught on pretty quick, like an athlete who was a little out of practice, but got back into the swing of things very fast. We practiced tracking, stocking, chasing, pouncing, and finally how to kill our prey item.
It was a little before midday when the stern, silver haired Gryphon, who was obviously our teacher called for a break, and then said that after the break was over we'd begin the hunt.
"Pair up! Pair up!" The teacher instructed, "You and your partner are to 'hunt' each other. One of you will stay here while you partner goes off into the forest. You'll give them a five minute head start, and then follow their trail. Every time one person finds and catches the other you both come back here, switch roles, and do it again. Remember the rules! No flying, no rough housing, and no dilly-dallying around, remember this is training for your real life, this is how you're going to provide for your family when you are older. Now begin!!!" One Gryphon from each of the pairs took off running into the forest, I was one of those Gryphons.
I took off into what I though looked like the most densest part of the surrounding forest. He said no flying, but he didn't say I couldn't use the trees, I thought to myself. With one small leap I was up in the lower branches of the tree above me and with another small leap I was moving through the treetops.
I did zigzags, and loops, all over the place. I didn't stop moving even though I thought my partner would never be able to track me.
Upon hearing movement directly beneath me I suddenly froze. Had my partner caught up with me already? I looked down, something red was crouched down, hiding out of sight, stalking someone I couldn't see. Suddenly, I recognized who it was that was down beneath me, it was Karanikwesse, my little sister in the story. A blinding hatred swelled up inside me and for a moment I saw red. Actually, it was for more than just a moment that I saw red, and heard a voice that echoed in my head, "Going to kill her, going to kill her, to kill her, kill her, kill her, KILL HER!!!" I couldn't control myself, red kept flying in my vision, my face; splashing up in it, drenching it. Before I knew what had happened I was being dragged backwards by two pairs of very strong talons.
"Keep a good hold on her!" Someone commanded. One pair of talons forced me to my knees while the other grabbed my talons and held them tightly behind my back.
More Gryphons were gathering, I could hear them. I could also hear something moaning in the background. "You two! Get some help from the village!" the same voice that had spoke earlier barked.
My vision was clearing and I focused on my beak, it was dripping with blood. I looked around startled. Was it my blood? I did a quick visual sweep of my body, I was scratched and bleeding, but not very badly. Then I saw what was groaning, it was my sister. She looked like she'd been mauled by a wild beast. Then I realized that the blood on me was hers, I had mauled her. I tried to get up, shake myself, run away, anything to make this horrible vision stop. I was afraid of what I had done, what I had heard, what was going to happen to me. Wait, what had I heard? That echo sounded familiar, then I realized I had said that, earlier somewhere, before I was here. Had I really, just by saying it, written a part of the book, a part of my fate as a character in the book? I panicked and tried to escape, and received a blow to my head that kept me stunned for a while.
When I regained enough sense to figure out what was going on it was too late. I was bound, hands, feet, and wings, and lying on the floor of what I could only guess was the "city hal" of this village, receiving my sentence.
Someone was speaking high above where I lay on the floor, "and for attempted murder I banish you from our humble village." Banish?!?! Hey, I didn't even get a fair trial!! I didn't get the chance to plead insane, and hearing voices in my head. Wait, that probably would've made things worse, since people are probably highly superstitious. I sighed inwardly, at least they weren't going to execute me. "You are to leave tonight immediately." Does that mean I don't get a chance to shower off or get medical attention or have something to eat?
The only time I ever normally got up early enough to watch the sun rise was when I was in middle school. In the winter, as my mom drove me the short fifteen minutes to my school, I would look out the window and watch everything light up in the bright pastel colors of the morning. I'd watch the clouds first, then the sky on the horizon where the sun would soon rise, and then the mountains all display the colorful, Coloradan sun rise.
Since I was watching this I wasn't paying much attention to my walking, in fact I think I actually stopped walking altogether, and just stood there and watched the sun rise.
"Come on Narwakwesse, you'll get to see it again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. Now hurry up or we'll be late." The blonde Gryphon urged me.
I started walking again, and then, noticing that the blonde Gryphon was running I sped up my pace, catching up to her. We entered neck-and-neck into a much larger clearing, and came to a stop next to a group of Gryphons that looked about our age.
"You're late!" A stern voice said over all the other socializing Gryphons.
"Sorry," the blonde gryphon apologized, "it wasn't my fault, Narwakwesse just stopped to watch the sun rise, I tried to make her hurry, but we're late anyway."
The stern Gryphon sighed, "Let's begin. First we'll do some drills and then we'll do a hunt or two."
The drills weren't too bad, I caught on pretty quick, like an athlete who was a little out of practice, but got back into the swing of things very fast. We practiced tracking, stocking, chasing, pouncing, and finally how to kill our prey item.
It was a little before midday when the stern, silver haired Gryphon, who was obviously our teacher called for a break, and then said that after the break was over we'd begin the hunt.
"Pair up! Pair up!" The teacher instructed, "You and your partner are to 'hunt' each other. One of you will stay here while you partner goes off into the forest. You'll give them a five minute head start, and then follow their trail. Every time one person finds and catches the other you both come back here, switch roles, and do it again. Remember the rules! No flying, no rough housing, and no dilly-dallying around, remember this is training for your real life, this is how you're going to provide for your family when you are older. Now begin!!!" One Gryphon from each of the pairs took off running into the forest, I was one of those Gryphons.
I took off into what I though looked like the most densest part of the surrounding forest. He said no flying, but he didn't say I couldn't use the trees, I thought to myself. With one small leap I was up in the lower branches of the tree above me and with another small leap I was moving through the treetops.
I did zigzags, and loops, all over the place. I didn't stop moving even though I thought my partner would never be able to track me.
Upon hearing movement directly beneath me I suddenly froze. Had my partner caught up with me already? I looked down, something red was crouched down, hiding out of sight, stalking someone I couldn't see. Suddenly, I recognized who it was that was down beneath me, it was Karanikwesse, my little sister in the story. A blinding hatred swelled up inside me and for a moment I saw red. Actually, it was for more than just a moment that I saw red, and heard a voice that echoed in my head, "Going to kill her, going to kill her, to kill her, kill her, kill her, KILL HER!!!" I couldn't control myself, red kept flying in my vision, my face; splashing up in it, drenching it. Before I knew what had happened I was being dragged backwards by two pairs of very strong talons.
"Keep a good hold on her!" Someone commanded. One pair of talons forced me to my knees while the other grabbed my talons and held them tightly behind my back.
More Gryphons were gathering, I could hear them. I could also hear something moaning in the background. "You two! Get some help from the village!" the same voice that had spoke earlier barked.
My vision was clearing and I focused on my beak, it was dripping with blood. I looked around startled. Was it my blood? I did a quick visual sweep of my body, I was scratched and bleeding, but not very badly. Then I saw what was groaning, it was my sister. She looked like she'd been mauled by a wild beast. Then I realized that the blood on me was hers, I had mauled her. I tried to get up, shake myself, run away, anything to make this horrible vision stop. I was afraid of what I had done, what I had heard, what was going to happen to me. Wait, what had I heard? That echo sounded familiar, then I realized I had said that, earlier somewhere, before I was here. Had I really, just by saying it, written a part of the book, a part of my fate as a character in the book? I panicked and tried to escape, and received a blow to my head that kept me stunned for a while.
When I regained enough sense to figure out what was going on it was too late. I was bound, hands, feet, and wings, and lying on the floor of what I could only guess was the "city hal" of this village, receiving my sentence.
Someone was speaking high above where I lay on the floor, "and for attempted murder I banish you from our humble village." Banish?!?! Hey, I didn't even get a fair trial!! I didn't get the chance to plead insane, and hearing voices in my head. Wait, that probably would've made things worse, since people are probably highly superstitious. I sighed inwardly, at least they weren't going to execute me. "You are to leave tonight immediately." Does that mean I don't get a chance to shower off or get medical attention or have something to eat?