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Finally! Skrekrill will prevail! Storytime!

Alaeus wasn't sure about this whole "war" thing. But Maud said so, and her parents agreed, so probably it was alright.

But, well, she wanted to help. It was her duty to her Aerie!

Well, she had done a propaganda poster, at the insistence of her mother, but that wasn't really what she meant. She wanted to do something productive. She thought that perhaps she could do some scouting, but that didn't last very long.

"You are not going anywhere near the front lines," her father told her. "You haven't finished your combat training, and no daughter of mine is going to embarrass Skrekrill in a fight."

"You are not going anywhere near the front lines," her mother told her. "You haven't even finished molting out your baby feathers! You still have white on your wings! It's out of the question."

So Alaeus had paced and skulked and fretted until her parents kicked her out of the aerie and told her to find something productive to do. And then she had a brilliant thought. Skrekrill was starving! Well, of course that was terrible, but it gave her a good idea! She was an osprey! She fished! She was good at fishing!

So Alaeus went fishing. She filled her carry-satchel once, then twice, and then four more times with big lovely glistening fish that she snared with her enormous, hooked talons. She would stretch her wings behind her, feeling the glide of muscles as they flexed back, feeling the cold ripple of air as she plunged, and then water as she broke the surface, silent as an otter. She felt the heavy drag of salt-roughened feathers as she slid free of the ocean, revelling in her power, in her flight, in her skill.

After hours of work, the brutal sun made the bluffs shimmer with heat and Alaeus emptied her catch one final time into the cool inner caves of Skrekrill, where other gryphons would store them and give them to the hungry. She felt exhausted, but proud of herself. She had helped! She was being useful! Tired and stiff and wet and chafed and sore, she stretched her aching wings and wheeled back towards her home, one fat fish sitting slimy and secure in her bag--her treat for herself. As she passed the highest point in Skrekrill, she spotted the hulking tiger-gryphon Blight standing sentry atop it. The sun was directly overhead, and he looked hot and hungry and bored. The guard would be changing soon, and then he could have a break.

Well...she had one fish left. She supposed she could share it. Alaeus set her wings and angled toward him. But from her vantage on the high winds, she suddenly saw two hulking shapes rising from the canyon crevasse, aiming straight for Blight as well.

Grandesques. It was an ambush!
"BLIGHT!" Alaeus screamed the bigger gryphon's name to the winds. "BLIGHT, BEHIND YOU!" But he was already turning to meet them, two massive reeves with claws extended. He could take them. He was Blight! He had to take them!

But then she saw one more dark shape peel off from the shadow of the bluff, streaking dark and dangerous, low over the cliffs. Alaeus saw the angle of his wings, saw the dark bars and the fierce golden eyes, and she knew him--Skerry! Skerry, one of the Grandesque's most feared fighters...and an assassin. This was no attack--this was an execution!

She had to stop him. She had to do something. Blight didn't see the sleek dark gryphon with the great wide dark wings. He would be killed.

There was nothing for it.

Alaeus set her wings and felt the aching muscles ripple into a familiar rhythm, tucking them in close against her body. She fell like a stone, like a fired arrow flat against the wind, her cruel foreclaws extended like she was fishing. Just like she was fishing. She plummeted and she felt the air part before her, and somewhere far away--far too far away--she saw the tiny forms of Thor and Kreka winging closer. The changing guard. They would be there in moments.

That wasn't soon enough.

The instant before she collided with Grandesque's most infamous fighter, Alaeus squeezed her eyes shut.

Just a few more moments. She only needed to hang on for a few moments...

TLDR Alaeus bites off a bit more than she can chew. An feathery arse-kicking is imminent.

Sorry for kicking Skerry in the head, ! ; Also, sorry for not including Blight's buttfeathers, , I tried sooo many times but they just muddled up his outline, so I left them out. Hope you don't mind!

Alaeus isn't getting out of this one unscathed. I have to think on what exactly happens to her, but you can't be a pipsqueak and win a battle with Mister Skerry. So, we'll see. >:3

Also, does this setting look familiar to anyone? [link] HERP A DERP I TRIED HARDER ON THE BACKGROUND FOR THAT ONE.

Characters:
Alaeus to
Skerry to
Valen to
Zephr to
Blight to
Thor to
Kreka to

Thanks everybody!

For , of course.

Description
Finally! Skrekrill will prevail! Storytime!

Alaeus wasn't sure about this whole "war" thing. But Maud said so, and her parents agreed, so probably it was alright.

But, well, she wanted to help. It was her duty to her Aerie!

Well, she had done a propaganda poster, at the insistence of her mother, but that wasn't really what she meant. She wanted to do something productive. She thought that perhaps she could do some scouting, but that didn't last very long.

"You are not going anywhere near the front lines," her father told her. "You haven't finished your combat training, and no daughter of mine is going to embarrass Skrekrill in a fight."

"You are not going anywhere near the front lines," her mother told her. "You haven't even finished molting out your baby feathers! You still have white on your wings! It's out of the question."

So Alaeus had paced and skulked and fretted until her parents kicked her out of the aerie and told her to find something productive to do. And then she had a brilliant thought. Skrekrill was starving! Well, of course that was terrible, but it gave her a good idea! She was an osprey! She fished! She was good at fishing!

So Alaeus went fishing. She filled her carry-satchel once, then twice, and then four more times with big lovely glistening fish that she snared with her enormous, hooked talons. She would stretch her wings behind her, feeling the glide of muscles as they flexed back, feeling the cold ripple of air as she plunged, and then water as she broke the surface, silent as an otter. She felt the heavy drag of salt-roughened feathers as she slid free of the ocean, revelling in her power, in her flight, in her skill.

After hours of work, the brutal sun made the bluffs shimmer with heat and Alaeus emptied her catch one final time into the cool inner caves of Skrekrill, where other gryphons would store them and give them to the hungry. She felt exhausted, but proud of herself. She had helped! She was being useful! Tired and stiff and wet and chafed and sore, she stretched her aching wings and wheeled back towards her home, one fat fish sitting slimy and secure in her bag--her treat for herself. As she passed the highest point in Skrekrill, she spotted the hulking tiger-gryphon Blight standing sentry atop it. The sun was directly overhead, and he looked hot and hungry and bored. The guard would be changing soon, and then he could have a break.

Well...she had one fish left. She supposed she could share it. Alaeus set her wings and angled toward him. But from her vantage on the high winds, she suddenly saw two hulking shapes rising from the canyon crevasse, aiming straight for Blight as well.

Grandesques. It was an ambush!
"BLIGHT!" Alaeus screamed the bigger gryphon's name to the winds. "BLIGHT, BEHIND YOU!" But he was already turning to meet them, two massive reeves with claws extended. He could take them. He was Blight! He had to take them!

But then she saw one more dark shape peel off from the shadow of the bluff, streaking dark and dangerous, low over the cliffs. Alaeus saw the angle of his wings, saw the dark bars and the fierce golden eyes, and she knew him--Skerry! Skerry, one of the Grandesque's most feared fighters...and an assassin. This was no attack--this was an execution!

She had to stop him. She had to do something. Blight didn't see the sleek dark gryphon with the great wide dark wings. He would be killed.

There was nothing for it.

Alaeus set her wings and felt the aching muscles ripple into a familiar rhythm, tucking them in close against her body. She fell like a stone, like a fired arrow flat against the wind, her cruel foreclaws extended like she was fishing. Just like she was fishing. She plummeted and she felt the air part before her, and somewhere far away--far too far away--she saw the tiny forms of Thor and Kreka winging closer. The changing guard. They would be there in moments.

That wasn't soon enough.

The instant before she collided with Grandesque's most infamous fighter, Alaeus squeezed her eyes shut.

Just a few more moments. She only needed to hang on for a few moments...

TLDR Alaeus bites off a bit more than she can chew. An feathery arse-kicking is imminent.

Sorry for kicking Skerry in the head, ! ; Also, sorry for not including Blight's buttfeathers, , I tried sooo many times but they just muddled up his outline, so I left them out. Hope you don't mind!

Alaeus isn't getting out of this one unscathed. I have to think on what exactly happens to her, but you can't be a pipsqueak and win a battle with Mister Skerry. So, we'll see. >:3

Also, does this setting look familiar to anyone? [link] HERP A DERP I TRIED HARDER ON THE BACKGROUND FOR THAT ONE.

Characters:
Alaeus to
Skerry to
Valen to
Zephr to
Blight to
Thor to
Kreka to

Thanks everybody!

For , of course.