HOME | DD

Description
As Deep Field landed, Sidereal came to his half-brother's side even before the dust had settled. The oily state of Deep Field's feathers, rancid with rotten meat, appalled Sidereal. Fortunately, Deep Field and Lykaon had come away from their scouting mission with minimal injuries. Deep Field let is brother preen him as Lykaon removed the harpia's armor.

Marr came to meet them. "Any luck?"

"I found the nest," Lykaon said as he hung up the armor.

"...And?"

Lykaon shook his head. "Dead animals lined the nest. I'm positive that I saw a humanoid or two rotting amongst them," he said quietly. His hood was fully drawn over his eyes in his ever avoidant manner.

Marr shook her head. Though she had been alive for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, she had never known gryph stryx to be so territorial or brutish. Perhaps she had turned a blind eye to the plight of the lesser creatures (humanoids included). "Are you going out again?"

"Yes. Saddle up, I'm going to need your help," Lykaon said as he reached for Sidereal's tack. The gray white snow harpia was showy, but he had a lot of muscle behind him. Anti Matter was still resting and the other stryx would just have to wait their turns.

---

Reper tugged at the heavy jugs to his sides. They were filled with oil and tar. Marr had suggested this in order to prevent Griffon from chasing by removing her ability to fly. Lykaon had seen her turn tail when her flight became erratic from the loss of a few tail feathers. Grounding her would give them the advantage.

"Calm down, Rep," Marr said, holding onto his tawny beak. They were quite a pair--at Stryxsylvania Marr personally kept a few stryx, mostly the ill-tempered ones that Lykaon refused to work with (his argument was that temperment was genetic and they should not be bred; though accidents did happen). Reper did as he was told and kneeled for Marr to get on. For only Marr were the ill-tempered stryx sweet.

A long time ago, Lykaon might have cared about how well they got along, but he had since come to terms with his poor relationship with the stryx. Marr just had a special touch. At least those of Anti Matter's lineage were sweet. Sidereal was no exception--in fact the crescented snow harpia was a bit too sweet. Even now, fully decked out in armor and saddle, Sidereal managed to fluff himself and raise his rear into the air, attempting to attract Reper, who had long ago rejected the snow harpia's advances.

Sidereal, however, lived by a philosophy that told him never to give up, even if he was rejected. The only stryx that could persuade Sidereal away from his amorous attempts were his father and brother; though Sidereal does have a strange relationship with his brother. Nevertheless the pair managed to armor their birds and stock up defenses before they took flight.

---

Reper and Sidereal flew with their wing tips barely touching. The four of them were quickly approaching the nest site. Before they had gone on, Lykaon had informed the guilds where the nest was, and as they assembled more riders, he and Marr would go out again and see if they could not lure Griffon away from her nest or subdue her. Sidereal seemed wary as his blue eyes locked onto a mound in the distance.

Reper hissed as they came upon the nest. Griffon was defensively curled around her brood--she had seen the shapes of stryx against the bright moon. Sidereal screeched, signaling the beginning of the dive--Lykaon and Marr had agreed that the element of surprise was no longer needed.

Sidereal swooped over Griffon's head as she lashed out with one wing hook with the other positioned to protect her eggs. She snapped. Sidereal lost a single tail feather and called out more out of suprise than pain. With Griffon distracted, Reper followed up Sidereal's dive and at the right moment, Marr released the tar and oil. The slick black oil soaked the gryph and splattered her eggs with flecks. Griffon's eyes widened with indescribable rage as oil rolled down her face and chest.

Griffon opened her massive wings and flapped them hard. She couldn't seem to get enough wind beneath her oiled feathers, but that did not mean the jerky gusts didn't throw Sidereal and Reper off course. Reper, smaller than Sidereal, was worse off as he spiraled away, unable to regain the sky.

"Marr!" Lykaon called as he and Sidereal were carried in an opposite direction.

He crashed hard into the ground, crushing the canisters that held the oil and tar beneath him. He let out a sharp "Caaaw!" as he tumbled. Marr was lucky to be thrown clear of the rolling stryx. A tree caught her with its limbs, and though bruised and battered from the fall, she did not feel the need to stop. She leapt away from the tree and rushed to Reper's side.

Reper stood up slowly. Nothing seemed broken, but he had hurt his leg on the smashed cans. He limped slightly as he met Marr. There was no time for pleasantries as Griffon charged after them, knocking down trees like they were grass blades. Though she could no longer fly, that did not mean she could not hurt them.

The horned corva turned to fly as Marr leapt upon his back, but the sharp motion caused a sharp pain in his leg. He froze. Griffon was upon them. His red eyes opened wide as he felt his whole body shrink in fear as a mouth nearly as big as his body gaped at him. Marr was equally paralyzed.

Sidereal slammed hard into Griffon's face, turning her away from Reper and Marr at the last second. Lykaon nodded towards the downed pair--this was their chance to escape. Reper took to the skies with a jerky motion, and they watched as Sidereal wrestled with Griffon only for a moment before tearing free and quickly joining them. In the scrap, Lykaon's bow had been snatched away and crushed between Griffon's powerful jaws. Sidereal had also sustained a nasty blunt-force blow to his side.

The pair retreated back to Home Tree, definitely worse for wear.

Description
As Deep Field landed, Sidereal came to his half-brother's side even before the dust had settled. The oily state of Deep Field's feathers, rancid with rotten meat, appalled Sidereal. Fortunately, Deep Field and Lykaon had come away from their scouting mission with minimal injuries. Deep Field let is brother preen him as Lykaon removed the harpia's armor.

Marr came to meet them. "Any luck?"

"I found the nest," Lykaon said as he hung up the armor.

"...And?"

Lykaon shook his head. "Dead animals lined the nest. I'm positive that I saw a humanoid or two rotting amongst them," he said quietly. His hood was fully drawn over his eyes in his ever avoidant manner.

Marr shook her head. Though she had been alive for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, she had never known gryph stryx to be so territorial or brutish. Perhaps she had turned a blind eye to the plight of the lesser creatures (humanoids included). "Are you going out again?"

"Yes. Saddle up, I'm going to need your help," Lykaon said as he reached for Sidereal's tack. The gray white snow harpia was showy, but he had a lot of muscle behind him. Anti Matter was still resting and the other stryx would just have to wait their turns.

---

Reper tugged at the heavy jugs to his sides. They were filled with oil and tar. Marr had suggested this in order to prevent Griffon from chasing by removing her ability to fly. Lykaon had seen her turn tail when her flight became erratic from the loss of a few tail feathers. Grounding her would give them the advantage.

"Calm down, Rep," Marr said, holding onto his tawny beak. They were quite a pair--at Stryxsylvania Marr personally kept a few stryx, mostly the ill-tempered ones that Lykaon refused to work with (his argument was that temperment was genetic and they should not be bred; though accidents did happen). Reper did as he was told and kneeled for Marr to get on. For only Marr were the ill-tempered stryx sweet.

A long time ago, Lykaon might have cared about how well they got along, but he had since come to terms with his poor relationship with the stryx. Marr just had a special touch. At least those of Anti Matter's lineage were sweet. Sidereal was no exception--in fact the crescented snow harpia was a bit too sweet. Even now, fully decked out in armor and saddle, Sidereal managed to fluff himself and raise his rear into the air, attempting to attract Reper, who had long ago rejected the snow harpia's advances.

Sidereal, however, lived by a philosophy that told him never to give up, even if he was rejected. The only stryx that could persuade Sidereal away from his amorous attempts were his father and brother; though Sidereal does have a strange relationship with his brother. Nevertheless the pair managed to armor their birds and stock up defenses before they took flight.

---

Reper and Sidereal flew with their wing tips barely touching. The four of them were quickly approaching the nest site. Before they had gone on, Lykaon had informed the guilds where the nest was, and as they assembled more riders, he and Marr would go out again and see if they could not lure Griffon away from her nest or subdue her. Sidereal seemed wary as his blue eyes locked onto a mound in the distance.

Reper hissed as they came upon the nest. Griffon was defensively curled around her brood--she had seen the shapes of stryx against the bright moon. Sidereal screeched, signaling the beginning of the dive--Lykaon and Marr had agreed that the element of surprise was no longer needed.

Sidereal swooped over Griffon's head as she lashed out with one wing hook with the other positioned to protect her eggs. She snapped. Sidereal lost a single tail feather and called out more out of suprise than pain. With Griffon distracted, Reper followed up Sidereal's dive and at the right moment, Marr released the tar and oil. The slick black oil soaked the gryph and splattered her eggs with flecks. Griffon's eyes widened with indescribable rage as oil rolled down her face and chest.

Griffon opened her massive wings and flapped them hard. She couldn't seem to get enough wind beneath her oiled feathers, but that did not mean the jerky gusts didn't throw Sidereal and Reper off course. Reper, smaller than Sidereal, was worse off as he spiraled away, unable to regain the sky.

"Marr!" Lykaon called as he and Sidereal were carried in an opposite direction.

He crashed hard into the ground, crushing the canisters that held the oil and tar beneath him. He let out a sharp "Caaaw!" as he tumbled. Marr was lucky to be thrown clear of the rolling stryx. A tree caught her with its limbs, and though bruised and battered from the fall, she did not feel the need to stop. She leapt away from the tree and rushed to Reper's side.

Reper stood up slowly. Nothing seemed broken, but he had hurt his leg on the smashed cans. He limped slightly as he met Marr. There was no time for pleasantries as Griffon charged after them, knocking down trees like they were grass blades. Though she could no longer fly, that did not mean she could not hurt them.

The horned corva turned to fly as Marr leapt upon his back, but the sharp motion caused a sharp pain in his leg. He froze. Griffon was upon them. His red eyes opened wide as he felt his whole body shrink in fear as a mouth nearly as big as his body gaped at him. Marr was equally paralyzed.

Sidereal slammed hard into Griffon's face, turning her away from Reper and Marr at the last second. Lykaon nodded towards the downed pair--this was their chance to escape. Reper took to the skies with a jerky motion, and they watched as Sidereal wrestled with Griffon only for a moment before tearing free and quickly joining them. In the scrap, Lykaon's bow had been snatched away and crushed between Griffon's powerful jaws. Sidereal had also sustained a nasty blunt-force blow to his side.

The pair retreated back to Home Tree, definitely worse for wear.