Flying took Loki's breath away. Looking down at his kingdom from above riding the soft air currents that were captured under the translucent curtain of light that served as Nixfa's wings. He was impressed with his older brothers ability to ride Pharo so well, but he soon realized it was because of how the Griffin was built. It was much more horse like then Nixfa was, with him having to shift his legs in a awkward push sitting position to keep from hitting her wings or cutting himself at the obviously sharp crystals that grew out of her skin.
"Do you think we should land Nixfa?" he asked leaning threw her wings so she could hear him "again my prince, if that is what you wishthen I shall obey". With a slight turn of her body Loki was granted the perfect view of the setting sun before taking the softest nose dive hes ever seen, never a bird would be able to pull off such grace.
Landing on the dock with Thor in toe the blond boy dismounted with haste jumping into his father's arms "did you see us father? We were flying really flying!" The king laughed looking back at his younger son who with help from his new guardian dismounted but stayed at her side. "Do you like her son? She seems to be vary gentle" Loki nodded his head. "I do like her father and I hope we can learn to be friends" he spoke as best he could trying to find the right words to make Nixfa think she was no slave, but a dear friend to the boy, he watched her roll her eyes.
The walk back drew meany eyes. Thor wanted to ride on Pharo's back which the Griffin was more then happy to accept, Loki on the other hand took to walking beside Nixfa, asking questions that she would only half answer. "Do you like it here?" "Yes its a beautiful place" "would you need anything when we get home?" "I have everything I need" "do you like games?" "Yes".
Loki wondered what Nixfa's other form was like. Pharo was a man with red hair and skin that was marked as if alive with fire. Would Nixfa be like that as well? A translucent woman?
His thoughts wandered so far that he had no idea that they were already in the courtyard at their home. Servants finely dressed in silk came to greet them stroking Pharo and helping Thor, putting a leather strap around his neck they led him away to the stable were he will stand with Odin's prized horse the sleipnir. He had no idea why he would be fine with such a thing.
They came to get Nixfa as well, as a man went to put another leather rope around her fluffy neck she backed away only for him to try again tying it quickly around so she could not shy away. Her eyes widened with fear and rage, Nixfa exploded at the restraints her wings taking shape in a bast of color, rearing showing off her deadly claws at the man as he fell to the ground flapping her wings wildly and giving a sharp ear piercing cry that sounded like a wounded dragon. Swinging the red aura ribbon to the leather it ignited in a bright flame that licked at her fur. Another servant ran for Loki "my price" he said pulling him away "get away its to dangerous"
Loki could not take it as he watched the servant come at Nixfa, some armed as the wolf continued to lash out at the people who tried to hold her as if she were some piece of live stock. He broke free from the man's grip, racing back to the enslaved guardian as she continued to thrash about. "Stop it all of you" he said reaching his hands out to separate them. His heart was racing as Nixfa beard her fangs at the people who still held the ropes now looking like pitiful twin in their trembling hands as they stared at the perfect white spears of smoothed bone encased in curled lips and hard stairs.
"She is not a animal, shes a Vunto a person just like us and dose not deserve to be restrained. She thinks like a person and even if she dose not show it now she has a form of a Vunto. Don't put her in the stable with the animals, give her a room, treat her as a guest." Turning to Odin who stood with Thor behind him staff in hand he swallowed hard "father please don't treat her like a animal because she is not one" he pleaded with a trembling voice.
Odin hit the butt of his staff on the ground, a tired look on his wrinkled face "prepare a room in the west wing big enough for her to be comfortable"
Loki stalked down that halls trying to be as quiet as he could, hiding in the shadows of his own home, not to be caught of doing something bad but to stay clear for his brother, he would never hear the end of it if he saw his brother sneaking to his guardian's bed chamber.
finding the door of beautifully crafted ivory with a wolf in the center of copper leaves he knocked three times, ears alert for signs of movement. The door creaked open to revile that Nixfa has yet to transform, her white fur taking on a blue tinge in the moonlight as she sat in the center of the room staring at him with her deep blue eyes. "What do you need my prince" she asked "well for starters I was wondering if you could just call me Loki, your no servant" Nixfa thumped her tail on the stone floor a amused growl rumbled in her throat. "You might not think me of being a servant, but I was picked, tracked and captured as if I was some prize for selling on the black market. Thats just what would happen to me if Pytro hadn't come along thinking I could make a useful guardian to you". The words stung him but still he walked in sitting down next to the massive wolf. "Well what could I do to grant you freedom?" She lowered her head the shine leaving her face "Freedom? No I can never have freedom, I must make it myself for I will never be free back home" Loki turned to face her, reaching out to pat the center of her face causing her long ears to twitch at the touch. "Well you could try and make a home here".
Nixfa pushed her cold nose to his chest make him sway back a bit "one day I might think of this place home". A smile creeped on the boy's face, he finally got through, maybe only a little bit but he still got through.
He spent long hours in that room, hours turned to days and days turned to a full took turns asking questions. "What do you do for fun here?" "What do you do for fun there?", "Could we Play sometime?", "What the craziest thing you done?"
"Hey Nixfa, do you have another form like Pharo dose?" The wolf nodded her head "yes I do", "can I see it?" he asked leaning in to see her eyes closer as if her other form was held in the blue orbs.
Crystal formed around her feet engulfing her entirely, Loki jumped to his feet, heart pounding what was going on? "Nixfa!" he yelled just before the crystal prison engulfed her head. Reaching out to touch the cool surface he turned and ran for the door about to find help when a shatter was heard fallowed by laughter, a sweet laughter that sounded like the smoothest bell ever rung. There in the center of the room sat a beautiful little girl. Her skin was as pale as moonlight with hair black as the night sky trailing down to her knees like a silky cloak. Her eyes shined in deep blue pools and her body was covers in markings that traced around her limbs like vines barley visible, only a shade darker then her skin.
She looked to be only a year younger then Loki. Nixfa laughed again "you did not expect us to be the same age huh?" He shook his head causing her to laugh in her song filled tune.
Loki got cloths made for her as the weeks went by. The white sparkling of silver and gold did not suit her though, the seamstress in charge of her took her in as a challenge, making her gowns of bright vibrant colors, and pants of blacks greens and white for when she played with the princes.
Thor liked Nixfa when he saw her true form, asking all sorts of questions saying she was shield sister material when they took to fighting against each other. When she was only with Loki however they thought that fighting was useless. They liked telling stories to one another Loki even took to brushing her long black hair when no one was around saying it was relaxing to play with the endless streams of ebony.
"I was wondering, what dose it mean to have a guardian?" Asked Loki as he brushed her hair in the garden. "It means to have a partner at your side for all your battles, to go to war on the back of a mighty beast and strike fear in the hearts of your enemies. Some guardians even bond with their riders their souls become intertwined and they become inseparable and a powerful force able to fight anywhere." Loki looked up at the blue sky in thought. Being able to fight anywhere with Nixfa, an already powerful creature, it seemed amazing. "Do you think we would ever bond?" The little girl laughed turning slightly to look at him "maybe, but it would take years".
"Brother, Nixfa I got an adventure that i think we should do" said Thor sitting on Pharo's back in the early morning mist. "I don't like that idea" said Loki rolling his eyes causing Thor to laugh with Pharo "come on brother or are you a Fearbunga" Sighing in defeat he looked at his older brother "what is it then?" Leaning down in the saddle that was made for him he smiled with mischief "were going to see the Gurama"
Loki stepped back "that's a stupid idea, that thing will kill us the moment it sees us" Shaking his head he leand back puffing out his chest "no it wont because its sleeping for the winter, haven't you always wanted to see one?"
No sooner were the three children riding off to the stone forest on the outskirts of the city, Thor mounted on Pharo's back would lean in stroking the bird's vibrant feathers already forming a rider's bond. Still the look and movement that Nixfa's partner guardian had made her uneasy her mind foggey as she tried to piece together of what could be happening in the creature's mind. Looking back at her he was not a sharp and ambitious looking as he was when they first met.
"Are you alright?" asked Loki leaning over the saddle of a gelding he snuck from the stable, the boy thought it rude to ride on Nixfa's back until he felt he was worthy of such a mount. Nixfa shook her head, black locks cascading down onto her horse's rump "I'm fine I was just wondering what a Gurama was" laughter broke them apart as they saw a smile break out on Thor's face. "A Gurama is a giant beast with horns that are said to reach the heavens and can eat the night in a single day" he said his chest puffed out. "So you never seen one then, how reassuring"
Annoyance quickly took over the boy's face "what would you know, I bet I could even take that thing down" he drew his practice sword a stone blade of finely carved designs more decorative then anything. "Watch your tongue, you would be surprised of what can happen because of it". Thor's eyes narrowed, turning Pharo's head to face them both nose to nose with her horse. "What would you know, your just a pet given to my brother"
Thats when it happened.
In a flash with no trace or sound Nixfa was on Pharo's back as well sizing the boy up and pinning him down with her cold iron stare. "I only show allegiance to Loki, not you, we may be called friends from our sparing but you have no right, prince or slave to speak to another in such a disgraceful ton. I have heard your father say you might be king one day but you will be a king of a city for people wanting a knife in your back if you think of them as lowly as you seem to think me."
The brother's were speechless, here a child given to them by another world was talking down it its prince in words that were all but lies with ice frosting over each and every word. "Brother she dose hold a point, but still Nixfa I think you should have said it differently".
The ride was silent for some time after that. The cold winds not bothering any of them as the clicking of horses hooves echoed around the stoon trees that loomed over them. Nixfa hated it here, it held no color what so ever, just shades of black and white, it was a depressing place indeed.
"Brother I think I found something" said Thor looking back at them "what is it?" he asked dismounting form the steed. Nixfa lend over her horses neck to see a clearing of broken trees all staind in the color of shapeless black, broken at the trunks from tremendous force giving away a sense of a deep foreshadowing that sent a cold finger down her spin. Her horse began to tense underneath her, its dapple coat moist with the long ride and a uneasiness, its nartalls flaring and eyes wide, Pharo put his head up and began to flap his wings while Loki's horse began to pull at the rein's in his hands.
They were frightened and they had a right to be. "Thor Loki, get out of there now!" she yelled grabbing on to her frightened steed's neck as it reared into the air. Nixfa's heart began to race as the sense of danger hit her in pure instinct, it told her to run, to run far away and not look back, but how could she leave the boys?
Simple enough her horse chose for her, throwing her from it's back as Loki's horse ripped from his hands. She landed on the hard ground the sudden force knocking the air from her lungs. "Nixfa whats going on!?"
Before she could answer the earth around them shattered, stone breaking and a roar crumbling the world around them in sheer rage. Nixfa flew herself between the brothers and the beast that was making its way toward them, "Pharo get them and go!" She yelled. The Griffien did not have to answer, scooping up the boys on his back he began to run only to be cut off by a terror like no other.
The beast was massive it's back brushing the tree tops shattering them as if glass, it resembled a bear in her world, with horns that stretched far from its skull in ebony flesh that was coated with a thick bone like skin.
The Gurama went for the boys its ranging roar vibrating the ground beneath their feet, opening its jaw to revile a row of sharp teatn it dove at the children as they ran for their life. Without thinking Nixfa rammed into the beast fully transformed with a battle cry of her own.
It was a clash of titans the Gurma was at least five times her size as she dodged and attacked with such fury of fangs and claws. She jumped on its back her claws digging into it's shoulders as it yelled in annoyance turning, thrashing about trying to grab her as she sunk her teeth into the back of it's neck, the soft flesh breaking open in a deep river that refused to slow the beast as if it were a machine.
"I will not let you harm them!" she screamed in her mind, ribbons of aura ripped through time itself slashing at the Gurama's fur in a fury of earth, and fire lighting up the stone trees with vibrant colors of red, green, and violet. Still it was not enough as the beast grabbed hold of the tiny guardian in it's massive claws, she screamed in pain and fear the ear piercing shriek sending a shiver through Loki's spine as he watched the whole the from Pharo's back.
The Gurama slammed her into the ground as she thrashed trying to break free, the air being crushed from her soul.
Loki could not take it anymore, His guardian was now fighting for her life, and it was his fault, her white fur now streaked with dirt and blood that he had no idea who belonged to, her calming blue eyes were now orbs of madness as she tried desperately to think in the chaos that she was in, clawing and biting, doing anything just to hang on for a few more seconds as the Gruma roared, blood and drool caking her matted coat.
It was madness, he grabbed his head as pain began to flow through him trying not to cry out from watching, his body trembling under the strain. Not able to take it anymore he screamed out to her, hoping those long ears would hear him, he was desperate to get her out of there. "Nixfa No!" his voice cracked from the train of how loud it really was as it echoed above the battle going on.
Hearing her name being called out by the boy made something inside her snap that day, The world seemed to slow around her, the roaring had stopped, the pain no more, all that was there, was her rider, Loki, the boy that refused to think of her as a pet but as a friend, the boy that thought he must prove himself to her now called out to her in a heart wrenching way that made he blood run hot with something.
The desire to win.
With new found strength she pushed back, ripping open her wings, no longer translucent but thick slabs of crystal, she reared up flapping the weapons at her back as the broke across the Gurma's face. She roared not in fear, but in fury,, aura burt around her being more colors exploding in power as she battled on relentlessly. She used the violet ribbon to grab hold of the creature's neck once more, with one last scream she used the last of her strength causing a sickening crack as the body fell limp.