We got up early the day we planed to leave. All our things had been packed the night before so all we had to do was eat breakfast and leave. We were given one pack horse to carry our extra clothing and supplies. It's not like the trip was going to be a long one, two weeks at most, but we were going to stay at Arnor for a good long time, a few years at least, so we needed to bring all our belongings.
We planed to follow the Forest River out of Greenwood, this would aim our path directly at Mount Gundabad, then, passing right by the Mount we would continue on to Arnor.
"Look! We're going to pass right by your homeland, Narwakwesse!" Analoren pointed out. "Maybe we could spend a day there and you could show us around."
My stomach lurched, "Um... Maybe not, I mean I'll think about it." I said with a nervous laugh. This could be bad, if I didn't convince them not to go near Mount Gundabad we could all be at risk because of me.
As the days of our journey passed we drew ever nearer to Mount Gundabad, and I grew ever more anxious about the situation.
Soon we were dangerously close to Mount Gundabad, in fact we could see almost all of it, when we set up camp that night. I volunteered to be the watch that night, since I doubted that anyone else in this group knew how to guard against a would-be attacking Gryphon.
There was a full moon that night, a blessing, and a curse. No one could hide on a full moon. I picked a spot in the shade of some overhanging trees near the dying fire.
The breeze had been blowing steadily from the west when all of a sudden it changed. Just a split second of wind from the opposite direction told me that the camp sight was being watched by a Gryphon. I sat unmoving, pretending I hadn't smelled anything out of the ordinary, hoping the other Gryphon would buy it. Then the wind blew toward me from that direction again, longer this time, and I smelled something that brought back so many memories of which I had locked away hoping I would never have to reopen them. Dark, hateful, painful memories, ones that could only be caused by one source, my sister.
This disturbed me so much I stood up, and before I could stop myself, headed off in the direction of the smell.
I wasn't exactly sure what I was doing, I should have just ignored her, but somewhere in the back of my mind something was telling me that if I finished what I had left undone I would be better off. I was too tired, and too absorbed in finding my sister that I didn't argue with this strange logic, and just continued searching.
A snapping twig, a whiff of a scent, and soon I was quite lost, but I didn't care I kept following the little hints, longing and dreading the creature I was determined to meet.
Soon I was in a small clearing, it looked vaguely familiar. Something didn't feel right. I turned around just in time to dodge an attacking Gryphon.
The Gryphon turned, and skidded to a stop about ten feet away facing me. She stood up, "Narwakwesse, it's been a long time."
"Years, Karanikwesse." I said. Our eyes met, and locked.
"You want to finish me? There's no one here to stop you. Go ahead." she tempted.
"If you think that I'm going to attack you like I did the last time, with no regard to peril, then you're dead wrong." I warned taking up a fighting stance.
"I was expecting nothing less." she said taking a fighting stance, "One more thing: no swords or weapons of any kind except for the ones you were born with. I want it to be just like last time." she of course wasn't caring any, no Gryphon around here was allowed to carry a weapon.
I took off my weapons belt, and my quiver and bow, and tossed them behind a tree, not taking my eyes off my sister for an instant. I wasn't going to leave them in plain view of my opponent, "out of sight out of mind", if I couldn't use them neither could she.
We stood there for who knows how long, sizing each other up, waiting to see who would make the first move. The wind blew and rustled the trees and the grass in the clearing. Then a cloud blew over the moon.
I almost wasn't ready. I heard my sister take off, and prepared myself for her attack. There was a break in the clouds and I could see Karanikwesse's body stretched out, mouth open, claws extended, seemingly frozen in midair. Then the moon was gone and darkness consumed the field once more.
I dodged a little left, and struck her on the right side of her face and her right shoulder. She twisted in mid jump using her wings, and got me in the same spots. Both of us were roaring in pain and frustration as we attacked each other with rapid dodging, slashing, twisting, undercutting, swerving, kicking, and weaving. We both appeared to be equally matched which made things all the more frustrating. We couldn't beat each other, but neither of us would admit defeat. We'd keep fighting until we destroyed the other, and our selves if it came to that. We shrieked insults and smart-ass remarks at each other, got even more pissed at one another, and fought even harder.
I'm not sure how long we fought, but the moon was hanging quite low on the horizon when I heard a voice off in the forest next to the clearing say, "Narwakwesse, what do you think you're doing!?!?" it was Erikwataware.
I was up in the air, preparing to attack Karanikwesse who was on the ground preparing to attack me. "Aren't you supposed to be asleep?!?" I shrieked back at her.
"How are we supposed to sleep with this racket going on!?!" Inari answered me from some where in the trees.
"Answer me Narwakwesse!!!" Erikwataware said threateningly, "What are you doing!?!?"
"Finishing what I started!!!" I shrieked back as I dove at Karanikwesse.
"I'm sorry," Erikwataware said solemnly, "but this is for your own good."
I was two feet from completely crushing Karanikwesse when I heard five bows snap and feel five arrows bury themselves in me in various places. I screech as I received one final blow from Karanikwesse before she took off, and I rammed into the ground.
I tried to get up, pull the arrows out, and continue fighting my sister, but I was crushed before I could.
"Now just hold still and we won't have to do anything drastic." Celelas' voice floated down from the darkening sky above me. My hands feet and wings were being bound in a way even I couldn't escape.
Suddenly I felt exhausted, and so limp, not because I had just been fighting like hell, this came on too fast. Then I realized, "You poisoned those arrows didn't you?!" I said thickly, trying to get up, but becoming defeated when everything started spinning.
"Well yes, but it will only put you to sleep, it certainly won't kill you." Analoren said pulling one out. I recoiled and tried to get up again, only to be held down while she finished pulling out the other four. I was near fainting when she had finished, there was no way I would be able to get back to camp.
Celelas sent Sehavain back to the camp sight to pack up, and bring the horse back here for it was to be my ride for the remainder of the journey.
Just then Karanikwesse appeared in front of me. "You know, it's a good thing your friends stopped you because you would have lost." she said arrogantly, but she looked worse than I did.
I tried to get up and say something witty, but I couldn't do either so I just flipped her off Gryphon style, and then, satisfied, fainted.
We planed to follow the Forest River out of Greenwood, this would aim our path directly at Mount Gundabad, then, passing right by the Mount we would continue on to Arnor.
"Look! We're going to pass right by your homeland, Narwakwesse!" Analoren pointed out. "Maybe we could spend a day there and you could show us around."
My stomach lurched, "Um... Maybe not, I mean I'll think about it." I said with a nervous laugh. This could be bad, if I didn't convince them not to go near Mount Gundabad we could all be at risk because of me.
As the days of our journey passed we drew ever nearer to Mount Gundabad, and I grew ever more anxious about the situation.
Soon we were dangerously close to Mount Gundabad, in fact we could see almost all of it, when we set up camp that night. I volunteered to be the watch that night, since I doubted that anyone else in this group knew how to guard against a would-be attacking Gryphon.
There was a full moon that night, a blessing, and a curse. No one could hide on a full moon. I picked a spot in the shade of some overhanging trees near the dying fire.
The breeze had been blowing steadily from the west when all of a sudden it changed. Just a split second of wind from the opposite direction told me that the camp sight was being watched by a Gryphon. I sat unmoving, pretending I hadn't smelled anything out of the ordinary, hoping the other Gryphon would buy it. Then the wind blew toward me from that direction again, longer this time, and I smelled something that brought back so many memories of which I had locked away hoping I would never have to reopen them. Dark, hateful, painful memories, ones that could only be caused by one source, my sister.
This disturbed me so much I stood up, and before I could stop myself, headed off in the direction of the smell.
I wasn't exactly sure what I was doing, I should have just ignored her, but somewhere in the back of my mind something was telling me that if I finished what I had left undone I would be better off. I was too tired, and too absorbed in finding my sister that I didn't argue with this strange logic, and just continued searching.
A snapping twig, a whiff of a scent, and soon I was quite lost, but I didn't care I kept following the little hints, longing and dreading the creature I was determined to meet.
Soon I was in a small clearing, it looked vaguely familiar. Something didn't feel right. I turned around just in time to dodge an attacking Gryphon.
The Gryphon turned, and skidded to a stop about ten feet away facing me. She stood up, "Narwakwesse, it's been a long time."
"Years, Karanikwesse." I said. Our eyes met, and locked.
"You want to finish me? There's no one here to stop you. Go ahead." she tempted.
"If you think that I'm going to attack you like I did the last time, with no regard to peril, then you're dead wrong." I warned taking up a fighting stance.
"I was expecting nothing less." she said taking a fighting stance, "One more thing: no swords or weapons of any kind except for the ones you were born with. I want it to be just like last time." she of course wasn't caring any, no Gryphon around here was allowed to carry a weapon.
I took off my weapons belt, and my quiver and bow, and tossed them behind a tree, not taking my eyes off my sister for an instant. I wasn't going to leave them in plain view of my opponent, "out of sight out of mind", if I couldn't use them neither could she.
We stood there for who knows how long, sizing each other up, waiting to see who would make the first move. The wind blew and rustled the trees and the grass in the clearing. Then a cloud blew over the moon.
I almost wasn't ready. I heard my sister take off, and prepared myself for her attack. There was a break in the clouds and I could see Karanikwesse's body stretched out, mouth open, claws extended, seemingly frozen in midair. Then the moon was gone and darkness consumed the field once more.
I dodged a little left, and struck her on the right side of her face and her right shoulder. She twisted in mid jump using her wings, and got me in the same spots. Both of us were roaring in pain and frustration as we attacked each other with rapid dodging, slashing, twisting, undercutting, swerving, kicking, and weaving. We both appeared to be equally matched which made things all the more frustrating. We couldn't beat each other, but neither of us would admit defeat. We'd keep fighting until we destroyed the other, and our selves if it came to that. We shrieked insults and smart-ass remarks at each other, got even more pissed at one another, and fought even harder.
I'm not sure how long we fought, but the moon was hanging quite low on the horizon when I heard a voice off in the forest next to the clearing say, "Narwakwesse, what do you think you're doing!?!?" it was Erikwataware.
I was up in the air, preparing to attack Karanikwesse who was on the ground preparing to attack me. "Aren't you supposed to be asleep?!?" I shrieked back at her.
"How are we supposed to sleep with this racket going on!?!" Inari answered me from some where in the trees.
"Answer me Narwakwesse!!!" Erikwataware said threateningly, "What are you doing!?!?"
"Finishing what I started!!!" I shrieked back as I dove at Karanikwesse.
"I'm sorry," Erikwataware said solemnly, "but this is for your own good."
I was two feet from completely crushing Karanikwesse when I heard five bows snap and feel five arrows bury themselves in me in various places. I screech as I received one final blow from Karanikwesse before she took off, and I rammed into the ground.
I tried to get up, pull the arrows out, and continue fighting my sister, but I was crushed before I could.
"Now just hold still and we won't have to do anything drastic." Celelas' voice floated down from the darkening sky above me. My hands feet and wings were being bound in a way even I couldn't escape.
Suddenly I felt exhausted, and so limp, not because I had just been fighting like hell, this came on too fast. Then I realized, "You poisoned those arrows didn't you?!" I said thickly, trying to get up, but becoming defeated when everything started spinning.
"Well yes, but it will only put you to sleep, it certainly won't kill you." Analoren said pulling one out. I recoiled and tried to get up again, only to be held down while she finished pulling out the other four. I was near fainting when she had finished, there was no way I would be able to get back to camp.
Celelas sent Sehavain back to the camp sight to pack up, and bring the horse back here for it was to be my ride for the remainder of the journey.
Just then Karanikwesse appeared in front of me. "You know, it's a good thing your friends stopped you because you would have lost." she said arrogantly, but she looked worse than I did.
I tried to get up and say something witty, but I couldn't do either so I just flipped her off Gryphon style, and then, satisfied, fainted.