Chapter 5
Gryphon looked around, making a slow 360 on the spot; an azure blue sky greeted her, painted with perfect cumulus clouds and not another terra in sight. She stood in a rich wild field on a small spit of land, too small to be classified as a terra. Closing her eyes she ran her fingers through the tall grass, inhaling the intoxicating scents of wildflowers and dirt. The Theran opened her eyes, and in the distance before her she could see a large and very beautiful terra with a steep mountain dominating the center of it.
A dark shape came into view from behind the terra, slowly increasing in size. Gryphon shaded her eyes, trying to make out mysterious form. The wind threatened to push her over, and the stormy sky camouflaged the form. It's a bird. She concluded finally as the dark bird continued to grow. A hawk's shrill cry cut through the wind above her. Gryphon craned her neck, a great red hawk soared over her, its wingspan was enormous, each beat of its wings creating another gust of wind. The hawk's eyes seemed to be a different colour every second without ever changing. The raptor directed its intimidating gaze towards the other bird and Gryphon did likewise, taking in the sinister sight. A vast black vulture hovered in the air, piercing red eyes stared out of its murky features, and its immense inky wings cast a shadow over the land. The vulture creature emitted a hoarse screech that tore at her ears. Both birds then shot towards each other, the wind from their wings creating whirlwinds of dirt and debris that swirled around her. The two giants met with a clash of talons and beaks, feathers and flesh. Lightning sparked and thunder rolled as the titans fought. Soon it began to rain over the vast barren terra, Gryphon wiped the wetness off of her upturned face, her hand came away red. It wasn't rain. It's blood. She thought calmly. Blood rained down, staining the clouds countless shades of crimson. The field itself began to wither and die, remnants of life blowing away like ash, leaving a dry and desolate wasteland. The bloodthirsty ground was soon quenched by the downpour, forming small pools of bleeding earth as the scarlet rain showered down from the birds.
Lightning burned the air and the wind tore Gryphon's breath away as the battle raged on above her. She couldn't move, she needed to stop them from fighting, the world was dying along with them and she could sense that if one of them fell, it would leave a ghastly wound in the sky that might never heal, but she couldn't move. Gryphon looked down at the ground; she was buried in dirt and rock up to mid-calf. She reached down, panting, and desperately scratched at the earth with her nails and claws. Noo… she moaned inwardly. There isn't much time!
It was quiet, not even a breath of wind stirred the air. Gryphon stood alone on an empty terra. The Theran searched the skies, where were the birds? Was she too late? Wait, what birds? Blood-red clouds raced across the sky despite the absence of wind to guide them. A large terra stood in the distance, a dark, jagged thing with broken spires surrounded a sharp steep mountain pinnacle. Something stirred in her left hand; Gryphon turned her palm upwards to see a bloodied clod of dirt. A croak emanated from the dark lump, she brought the reddened mud closer to her face as it began to shift and morph. It finally settled on a shape of a tiny vulture. The creature fixed its beady red eyes on Gryphon, gave another little croak and flew into her face stabbing its dark beak into her golden eye.
o o o
Gryphon bolted upright, clawing her way out of the dream with a choked off yell, panting, she felt her face carefully but everything as it should be. She looked around at unfamiliar room and panic filled her again. I've been caught! The Cyclonians have found me! It took a moment to remember where she was and what had happened. She fell back to her pillow shaking with relief. Safe. She stared blankly at the ceiling of the Condor's guestroom, her breath began to slow as well as her heart. The memory of pain was fading but the intense feelings of the dream still gripped her.
It was a warm night and the room began to feel too stuffy, too confined. She needed out, she needed to see the stars, to breathe the fresh air. She untangled her legs from the single sheet, swinging her legs out to sit on the side of the bed. With three days of flying with little to no sleep she barely had enough time to remove her armour and sword before she was fast asleep. Gryphon rubbed her face vigorously to wake up and organized her braid as best she could before leaving the guestroom. She made her way through the quiet ship to the bridge balcony. Reaching her destination, Gryphon leaned against the railing, drawing in a ragged breath of the clear night air, and tried to shake off the remnants of the dream.
x x x
Aerrow's eyes opened. He stared at the plain grey ceiling of his room, wondering what had roused him. He propped himself up on his elbows and looked over at Radarr; the sky monkey was sprawled out in his hammock, limbs everywhere and snoring peacefully. Aerrow spared him a quick smile before returning to search the rest of his room for anything that could have disturbed his sleep. His armour was where he had hung it, no photo's had fallen of the wall, no books had fallen off the precarious pile on his dresser, and everything was in place on his desk, nothing. Aerrow eased himself back down to his pillow, but sleep eluded him. The Sky Knight's thoughts wandered as he stared at the ceiling. After Gryphon had told them what she could about the Warders Piper set a course for Atmosia. If they could convince the council to help free Terra Skythern, the reappearance of the Warders in Atmos could turn this war.
A soft whoosh brought him back to the present. Aerrow got up out of his bunk hurriedly, almost falling flat as his sheets tangled in his green pyjama pants, but made it safely to his door. He opened the door manually and peeked out in time to see the tip of a feathered tail disappear around the corner. The redhead ducked back inside his room and dug out a faded black t-shirt from his dresser before returning to the door. Radarr snorted, losing the rhythm of his sleep as Aerrow slipped out soundlessly, closing the door behind him with a faint click.
Aerrow walked quickly down the silence of the hall, the cold of the metal floor seeped through the skin of his bare feet, chilling him slightly. He reached the corridor and took the same turn as the Theran. The Sky Knight had a pretty good idea on where she was heading, he himself had made the same trip countless times. It was amazing what a little fresh air and quiet could do to help you think.
The bridge doors opened with a soft hiss and Aerrow stepped past. Moon and starlight shone through the great windows, casting a soft glow into the Condor. Gryphon stood just outside, leaning against the railing of the balcony that overlooked the flight deck and Atmosia beyond that.
She spun as soon as she heard the door open. "I'm sorry," she started, abashed. "I shouldn't be walking around your ship in the middle of the night..."
Aerrow waved a hand absentmindedly, joining the Theran and rested his arms against the railing a couple feet off from her left. Gryphon smiled thankfully and relaxed back against the railing. After a while she lifted her head to look up at the sky, the redhead followed suit and gazed up at the stars. They stood there in silence, Aerrow peeked at the Theran out of the corner of his eye, her face was blank and she was focused on something that was somewhere far past the stars. She has a lot to think about. He returned his eyes to the sky. I'm surprised she slept at all.
"If you could choose, how would you want this war to end?" She said suddenly.
Aerrow looked at her with a stunned and confused expression. "What?" He was not expecting that kind of question and his mind was blank for the moment.
Gryphon continued to stare through the stars. "I know it seems like an odd thing to ask, but this war has been going on for decades. I guess what I'm really asking is; do you think it has a chance to end peacefully?"
Aerrow finally looked away and searched his thoughts carefully. "Don't get me wrong, I have always hoped for a peaceful solution, but as you said, this war has gone on for far too long and as it continues I can't help but wonder… is it a false hope?" The Sky Knight turned back to Gryphon to meet her mismatched eyes.
"It doesn't have to be."
"How?" Aerrow asked a little fervently, he needed to know there was still something to aim for.
Gryphon gave him an encouraging smile. "Things will change whether you want them to or not. The world won't stay the same forever, just look at what happened today. What you need to do is help push things in the direction you want them to go." She turned back to the twinkling lights of Atmosia, "which is exactly what I plan to do tomorrow."
Aerrow nodded to himself. "Have you thought of how to approach the Council?"
The Theran grimaced. "Yes and no, and if those council members are even half as rigid and narrow-minded as you say, then I think I may have my work cut out for me."
The young Sky Knight barked a laugh. "Well, whatever happens the Storm Hawks are behind you." He said sincerely.
Gryphon turned to him again, this time with a look of relief. "Thank you."
x x x
The Theran returned to her room, the door closed behind her and she stood there for a bit, silently recalling the dream to her mind. She couldn't remember all the details but the feelings were still there. Gryphon walked across the room and cracked open the shutters of the single small window. She took a deep, calming breath of the night, savouring the taste of Atmosia in the air that was so unlike home. Could the dream have been a warning? Foreshadowing events to come? Gryphon exhaled in frustration. Or maybe it was just the ramblings of a tired mind. She wished she could remember the dream properly. In the end she pushed the dream out of her thoughts, she needed to focus on the events at hand. Tomorrow, Atmos will determine the fate of the Therans.
