My Little Pony: Griffonia
Chapter 2: Pax Equestria
The slaying of the envoys to the Northlands prompted swift action from Princess Celestia. Some griffons tribes were massacred in thousands. Others allied themselves with Equestria seeing a chance to settle old feuds with neighboring tribes. Many nobles of these allied griffon tribes would send their hatchlings to be educated in the ways of Equestria.
Fortified outposts were being built along the River Guto for the Equestrian Legions. There were blacksmiths and potters, barracks for the soldiers and special villas for the officers to make live for 'livable' for these troops with minds set on conquest. Meanwhile in the village in the Forests of the Ari, the chief of the Hauk tribe came to see his cousin.
"Glond, good to see you," said Gerulf, a handsome griffon himself, Glond is a dark grey eagle-lion griffon with a golden-yellow beak,
They greeted each other with taloned paws on their shoulders, "Gerulf, I see you gave the pony envoys your hospitality?" he joked,
Glond wore a similar helmet to Gerulf with his cousin boasting a horned helmet instead of wings with a black crest made on the top made from the tail of a slain pony envoy. Gerulf wore chainmail armor with chainmail shoulder guards. Glond wore iron scale armor with a Spatha at his side on his belt, a shield on his back, and holding a hewing spear.
Where Gerulf wore wolf skins on his helmet that go down to his wings, Glond wore a brown bearskin cloak as his sign that he has earned his right as chief of his tribe. Both chiefs had the skinned head with the teeth still attached rested on top of their helmets making them intimidating foes on the battlefield, "Goda, what a griffon you have become,"
"You seem to be in good spirits yourself, even with the enemy trying to bring us to heel," Goda said, proudly wearing her war paint,
"They may try, but they do not know these lands like we do," said her uncle, "your day will come when you will rule the tribe, rule well,"
Like Gerulf, Chief Glond were a knew a warrior when he saw one. With two talons from his left front paw, he gestured for Goda to approach him. Glond inspected her by touching and lightly gripped her right shoulder, and lightly tapping the side of her war-painted left flank making it lightly wiggle. She grinned, and nodded to him. He nodded back.
"A warrior indeed," said Glond, doing what he did as a check of Goda's muscle tone, and not violate her in any way, shape, or form. Female griffon warriors often went as they are into battle armed with shields and weapons and no armor. This is to let their enemies know that they do not fear them, and they will fight to their last dying breath.
Using a scramasax, Chief Glond pointed out all the outposts on the map, "The enemy is encamped along the river, here...here...and here,"
"We cannot attack each fort headlong, we need to lead them out into the forest," said Gerulf, "the Equestrian Army is designed for open warfare,"
Goda raised her talon for permission to speak. In this society, women were treated as equals in the village and even during a war council, "Father...Uncle Glond, our enemy has been warned to never venture into the forest, the problem I see is that they want to get us out into the open, and fight a battle on their terms," Goda explained to them,
"The pony legionary fight in what they call a 'testudo', it has a weakness, everything has a weakness," said Chief Glond, scratching his chin,
"Hmm...If that is so, then I am sure we can comply," said Chief Gerulf with a fox-like grin on his beak, he had a plan for these ponies. Chief Glond put his scramasax back in it's sheath, and rolled up the map. The meeting was adjourned with a plan for battle that both chiefs agreed on. The village she-griffons soon began the preparations for the battle.
Oil was being boiled in cauldrons, and weapons and warrior were blessed, "Goda, I need for you to go and scout ahead," said Gerulf to his daughter,
"Yes, father," said Goda, she knew her part in the battle, there is no better honor than to fight side-by-side with the chief, "do not worry for my safety,"
"I trust you will make it make to the village safely, now off you go," said Chief Gerulf, and saw his daughter fly out of the village into the night. She climbed up the posts without any of the guards noticing, and overheard the officers gathered and making their plans. The ponies plan to bring the griffon 'Barbarians' out in the open at Forthwind Fields.
'Alright you decadent ponies...we will play games...your way' Goda thought, and leaped off the posts of the fortified outpost, and flew off into the darkness of the night. The ponies were to march out in two days. This gave the griffons time to prepare. The dark brown color of the earth made it easy to hide oil, and to lead these ponies into a trap.
Goda returned to the village, "The ponies will march out in two days, they will be at least ten thousand strong," said Goda to her father and Chief Glond,
"Good work, Goda, see to it that your warriors are prepared to fight," he ordered with a grin to his daughter for accomplishing her task without problems,
Meanwhile, Chiefs Gerulf and Glond made preparations to the field. Nothing grows on Forthwind Field. Warriors from the Ari and Hauk tribes painted areas of the field with oil. Goda's warriors sharpened weapons, and applied war paint in dazzle designs from spirals to zigzag designs to their smooth and dark-colored fur. The Ari and Hauk will go to war