Breeding a Future Ch. 06

Gryphons sprawled between shelters, crowding around fires and squabbling as they gobbled down raw meat, tossing their heads back to shoot it straight down their gullets. They ate like animals, tearing off strips of bloody meat and staining their beaks as they devoured whatever scraps of carcasses they had had the good fortune to catch. Some did not even have the luxury of a fire to warm their wings and skulked in the shadows, tails flicking and eyes bright with longing.

Christian moved unseen, keeping his distance as much as his path allowed. The largest shelter in the keep drew him in and he snuffled at the grass -- which stank of gryphon piss -- as he approached. It was the obvious choice and yet his heart hammered as he made his way closer, wary of how his hooves left indents in the grass and soil behind him. Hopefully the gryphons would not be too observant in the dark with the drama of feasting on scraps at their beaks. Dawn slowly broke, golden fingertips arching over the pine trees, at a time when the gryphons should surely have been curled up in their nests, sleeping. His chest tightened. They only had so much time.

The shelter had two doors designed as if to open simultaneously, although they were too crudely cut to be of any real grandeur. Nevertheless, the effort had been made and Christian was glad of it as he pushed his nose into the gap between the doors, looking through with one eye as the other kept guard. He shuddered at the thought of gryphon talons slicing through his flesh as easily as a knife would cut through butter. Unicorn would be a fine treat on their palates.

The first thing that caught him about the interior of the shelter was the gold. Gold spread to every corner, coins and ornaments sparkling so brightly that he could not believe they were real. And where would they have come from, in the middle of a forest? The second thing that struck him was the white flicker of a white unicorn mare standing before a green gryphon that was all too familiar. Christian's stomach roiled, gut twisting as his vision rocked.

No. Sharptalon. The green gryphon from the lake that had almost carried him off for dinner. He would have thought that Nighthunter, the hasty male who had blundered into battle, would have been the real threat. But no, it was his sidekick, the one who followed that perched on a pile of gold with a gleam that Christian did not like one bit in his eye. Two gryphons, neutrally feathered, flanked him, eyes riveted on his. She would not be able to escape if she wanted to, open for all to see without the aid of cloaking magic in the very heart of the gryphon stronghold. He swallowed a whinny. It was no mystery why the gryphons were so close to their village at all.

Sharptalon lifted a forepaw and Christian bristled, reaching for his magic before he knew what he was doing. And what was Celeste doing? Why was she even here with Sharptalon? What on earth was going through her head? He wove his head back and forth, struggling against instinct. Fight or flee? No -- wait. He snorted, eyes rimmed with white. Surrounded. She was surrounded. He stood vigilant, ground his teeth together and waited.

The gryphon inspected the unicorn mare from all angles.

"Celeste." Sharptalon clacked the edges of his beak together. "So good of you to join us."

"I assure you, the pleasure is all mine."

Celeste was nothing but polite, even when faced with eight -- he counted all he could see -- preening gryphons with gleaming talons. She looked so vulnerable standing before the throne, head defiantly high, with the beasts lined up at the foot of Sharptalon's ostentatious display. Christian suppressed a snort. Just what did he think he was playing at? He wasn't the leader of the gryphons so why did he garb himself like a king? The emerald-feathered gryphon rattled with gold. The gaudy flash contrasted sharply with Celeste's royal jewellery and he ached all of a sudden to sweep her away from danger. He shifted back on his haunches as if to leap forward, the knight in shining armour he had always wanted to be.

But no: he had to trust her. He had to believe she knew what she was doing. Christian ground his teeth together until his jaw ached, every muscle strained taut. She knew the gryphons far better than he did. Perhaps she was there to send them off? They were too close to the village for comfort and the thought that they would go quietly was but a distant dream, a hope of a stallion who was once a human. His skin itched to think of the vicious birds so close to sweet Karin. Her innocence would make her an ideal target to be carried off if she crossed their path.

"So?" Sharptalon studied his reflection in a goblet, picking it up in a forepaw. "What business do you have here, Celeste? You will hardly see us off with but a casual visit."

"I would not expect such," she said calmly, "although I do ask that you not progress any further."

Sharptalon laughed, tossing the goblet away to clank and clatter over the mound of gold.

"Do you expect me to agree to that, princess?" He mocked, bowing forward on his forepaws as if to denote some manner of play. "Do you think it will be that easy? That you can pout your pretty little lips and all will be as it was before?"

"Something would look good between her lips."

Celeste tensed and the hidden stallion's jaw dropped, struck dumb.

"Pray refrain from that manner of talk," she said stiffly. "I do not care for it."

"I don't care what you don't care for."

To be continued...