Astaria, Goddess of Dreams

In ancient times of Griffi lore there was a pantheon of Gods and Goddesses who watched over the species, protecting them from harm and bestowing them with magical armor and adornments. For centuries these powerful Griffi were worshiped by man and Sylesti alike, but as time passed on they were slowly forgotten, and one by one they simply faded away...

In the end only one of these majestic Griffi remained: Astaria, the Goddess of Dreams. But no one truly remembered her. Long ago there was a man who wished to map the stars, and in order to do so he named constellations after various Gods, Goddesses, objects, and on occasion his favorite foods. A strange little man, Astaria recalled, but she was honored to have a constellation of stars named after her. Now it only caused her sorrow, as it was the constellation itself that kept her from fading away like the others. Astaria the Goddess was forgotten, but Astaria the Constellation was still remembered, permanently marked on the map of the stars.

For a while Astaria tried to fulfill the duties of all of the other Gods and Goddesses, but the task was too great... She had to settle for her own purpose instead, weaving dreams for the Griffi while they slumbered, but over time Astaria grew lonely, and the dreams she created started to reflect it. Astaria was bringing pain and sorrow to her species; she had failed in her purpose. With a heavy heart Astaria abandoned her station as a Goddess, and watched over the Griffi from the Upper Realm without interfering with their dreams ever again. Her heart felt empty. While her species lived on in the Lower Realm, having grande adventures and interacting with the world around them, Astaria had no one, until one clear Winter night, something magical happened.

Astaria was staring at her constellation in the stars, wondering if it felt just as lonely as she did while watching the world from high above, when suddenly a star dashed across the sky. Her ears perked up and she rose from her nest, then leaned in closer to mystical Pool of Visions. Another star danced across the night sky, then another, and another, and several more. It was the most beautiful thing Astaria had ever seen, and it gave her hope. 'If the stars can free themselves from the skies, then so can I.'

From the very beginning touching the Pool of Visions was forbidden, and Astaria was one of the few who knew the reason why. The magical fountain was a direct link to the Lower Realm, and if anyone fell into the water they would be transported directly to it, never to return. 'There's nothing left for me here,' Astaria told herself firmly, and with just a little moment of hesitation she dove into the pool.

Astaria was free, finally free, and the first thing she wanted to do was to introduce herself to as many Griffi as she could find; find them she did, but her excitement was quickly crushed. The Griffi seemed indifferent towards her, and the harder she tried to make friends the faster they would venture off. Even in the Lower Realm where her species walked, Astaria was alone. For days she wandered the snowy forest of Esior's Fields, and while there were some species of Sylesti that were quite pleasant to be around, it just wasn't the same as being with her own kind.

"Dasher, slow down! Dancer, keep up! I see you trying to nip Prancer again, Vixen, behave! Eyes front, Cupid! You can make those lover-boy eyes at Comet later! Donner, Blitzen, stop arguing about who's tougher! Rudolph pay attention! You and Clarice will be running the front next year!"

Astaria was stunned as the voice came shouting through the forest, but even more shocking was the scent of other Griffi, ten of them, all together. She ran to the forest path as quick as she could, and stopped at the far side of a bridge as they came to it.

"Whoa, whoa, STOP!!"

The Griffi came to a halt, and the sleigh behind them stopped as well. Astaria stared at them in awe as the Griffi chatted among themselves, all curious about the beautiful creature that had stopped them.

"Come on, make some room," the voice from before called out over them, and after some shuffling around a young human male came to the front; he was dressed in red and white from head to toe, with dark brown hair, keen blue eyes, and a confident smile. "Hello gorgeous," he said smoothly and held his hand out towards her, "Where did you come from?"

Astaria was hesitant at first, but seeing the other Griffi gave her a sense of comfort. Slowly she approached him, and pressed her beak into his hand.

He smiled and ran his hand along the feather pattern on her cheek, then settled it just behind her ear. "You've been lonely, haven't you?" he asked gently, "I can tell. Most of the Griffi around here tend to ignore us or fight... I can't imagine they've treated you any better."

Astaria leaned against his hand and nodded, affirming his words.

"Why don't you come with us?" he suggested with a smile, "I have plenty of Griffi who are much friendlier than most. Of course, I've had them since they were eggs so they don't really know how to act like a wild one. Oh, but you would need a name." For a moment he looked around in thought, then with a smirk he raised his eyes to the night sky above. "How does Astaria sound? Like the Goddess of Dreams."

Astaria was stunned once again. Though he had looked above to the constellation, it was the Goddess he had thought of. 'I wasn't forgotten,' she thought to herself tearfully, 'Someone remembers me..!'

"What do you say?" he asked gently, and he and the team of Griffi eagerly awaited her answer...

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I tried to keep it as short as I could manage, which happened to be exactly 999 words... (I generally write about 4-5k words for a single chapter, so maybe I succeeded?) I also made sure to use pieces of the Griffi's lore, from the mention that "it is not known where this armor comes from or its full purpose" in regards to the M2 mutations, as well as their nature in the wild being "very indifferent towards others." :)

One more note of interest because I find it quite funny. When the ping was first sent out and I saw the Griffi, my first thought was "hello gorgeous," so I threw it in with the character.

Cynalaeth, The Watcher

Tentatively, I reached out to her, fingers brushing her night sky cheek. Flashes of memories (or were they stories?) jumped before me at the small touch... nearly like an electrical pulse. Emboldened and not the least bit apprehensive, I touched her cheeks with both hands and looked into her sharp eyes. Slowly... and then more quickly her story and name unfolded.

Cynalaeth, The Watcher, was her name.... I don't know where that came from, or how... but it fit her perfectly. She was born in the darkness of midnight on a snowy, winters night. Made by a night elf who was in need of help.... you see, this elf was an ancient of Sylestia, he was no ordinary elf... not ordinary at all. The vision didn't show where he was from or how he came to be, but it showed what he had done for so very, very many years. He watched... yes, he watched.... with many magical "eyes" of the Peacock feathers. He watched over Sylestia and all its creatures. He watched and recorded history... but much more than that, to be sure. Everyone has a story, so many different stories... so many intertwining stories. Remembrance was in stories, this he did... he watched and remembered for all generations. After many ages, when the elf needed help.... Cynalaeth was born. Using all the magical Peacock feathers with their glowing blue eyes, they merged with the snowy winter night to produce Cynalaeth. A Watcher she was, and will always be.

But every age, she needs to renew her magical skills on a snowy winters night when the stars are so bright and sharp. Then she picks a human to care and help her in her quest to Watch and remember... because a new year had begun and so did many new stories.

Saphira, the Sleeping Goddess

Deep in a crystal cavern beneath the mountains of Sylestia, a large sapphire begins to glow with ethereal light. A crack begins to form on the surface of the sapphire, spreading like a spiderweb. Suddenly, the sapphire shatters apart in burst of white light. As the light fades, a beautiful blue Griffi appears where the sapphire once stood. She opens her eyes and takes in her surroundings. She had rested within the sapphire for over 100 years. She had grown bored of the world. She had hoped that removing herself from the world for while would spark her interest again. She stands and stretches her wings, ruffling her feathers. She pads out of the cave and blinks at the morning sun. Let's see what this world has to offer, she thinks to herself as she lifts herself into the air. She flies into the sunrise to re-discover the world.

The Story of Nova'Shara Highwind




Nova'Shara came into the world on her own, breaking her way through the tough protected egg that was her first home. She gazed up into the open sky, chirping, waiting for love's embrace. It did not come.

So it came to be that Nova'Shara raised herself. It was a rough life, filled with perils, adventure, and much loneliness. She tried to find other Griffis that would accept her, but as Nova'Shara wore the visage of a rough, unkempt beast, none of the others were willing to give her even a second glance.

Nova'Shara's life of forced solitude continued, until one day she was faced with a life altering decision. There, lying in the snow before her, was an abandoned Griffi egg. Nova'Shara gazed at it, her own hard life reflected in the multiple facets of ice on that lonely egg. After being held in a reverie for a few long minutes, Nova'Shara slowly approaches the egg, and gingerly touches it with her beak. The eggling is extremely cold, even by Griffi standards! Nova'Shara mentally debates the futility of trying to save the likely perished unborn chick, but in the end, her heart rules her mind and she wraps the eggling in her warm embrace.

She remained out in the cold snowy mountains for an unknown amount of time, afraid to move lest she admit this was a futile attempt to save the baby. Suddenly, a shaft of warm, bright light pierces the clouds and illuminates Nova'Shara. A speck descended down the light and grew bigger the closer it got to Nova'Shara, until she could make out a beautiful avian creature, similar in appearance to a Phoenix or Peacock and which held the aura of a divine being.

It spoke, "I am the Goddess of Kindness and Dedication. Today, you have shown to me compassion for another living being far beyond that which you yourself have every felt. Allow me to bestow upon you a visage and power worthy of one with a heart as kind as yours." With that, the Goddess extended a great, celestial wing out to Nova'Shara, and a great warmth and rush of power spread throughout the awe struck Griffi.

After the Goddess ascended back into the heavens, and the light dimmed down, Nova'Shara looked once more into the eggling, and saw a great majestic creature before her! Her crest, plumage, wings and tail had all transformed into that of the Majestic Peacock, said to be the very visage of the great Goddess of Kindness and Dedication herself. The now Majestic Peacock Griffi reached out to the eggling once more, and Nova'Shara felt a well of power..... her power, rise up and enter the eggling. A glow enveloped it, and once the light died down, the eggling bore the same Majestic Peacock design as she did. Even more surprisingly, as Nova'Shara placed her beak against the unborn, she now felt warmth and a heart beat!

As time wore on, Nova'Shara discovered that she could save these young, abandoned Griffis, which, after her touch, bore the mark of the Goddess on their shells, and once they hatched, would carry one of the four marks she herself adorned. A problem arose, and soon there were too many children for her to take care of herself. However, it was not without notice that she had picked up on the rise of Adventures coming into the Realm, and so, Nova'Shara took it upon herself to find homes for the egglings by giving them to caring Adventurers.

After a time, Nova'Shara found herself craving a home... and a name of her own! And so she journeyed across Sylestia, until she found a young woman who's heart reflected her own.

One day, when the winds were howling and the young woman was out in her yard, tying things down, the Majestic Peacock Griffi landed with a thud. As the young woman turned around, the majestic creature tentatively approached her, with a gaze that held her eyes to the Griffi's. And then she knew, here was a kindred spirit, one who had been though much, and yet did not have a name. The woman spoke in a gentle voice, "Your name is Nova'Shara, which means 'Kind Heart', and your title shall be Highwind, as you came to me on such a windy day." And so, Nova'Shara Highwind and the young woman walked together into the house, loneliness behind them, and a lifetime of companionship ahead of them.

Sundara the Vain

Sundara was a beautiful Griffi and she knew it. Her body glistened and gleamed in the morning light, her wings shone in all the colors of the rainbow, there was no Griffi that she had ever met that even came close to her beauty. Sundara would spend countless hours every day next to the lake admiring her reflection and primping her feathers. Her head feathers that she had painstakingly arranged into a crown were one particular point of pride. However, her pride and vanity was great, such that she considered it beneath herself to interact with other Griffis and as such had no friends.

One day, Sundara encountered an enchantress that was stuck in the mud. She was so deep she couldn't even take a step in any direction. The enchantress requested Sundara to help her, for if Sundara flew above her, the enchantress could grab onto her claws and Sundara could then pull her out. Sundara viewed the enchantress, in ratty robes and covered in mud with exceptional distaste. For if Sundara was to help then she would have mud on her too no matter how slightly and the mud would undo the hours of primping as well as cover up her lovely feathers and fur. Pretending not to hear the enchantress's pleas for help, Sundara flew off back to her beloved mirror lake.

These actions by the callous Griffi enraged the enchantress. She muttered a curse and cast it upon the radiant Griffi flying away. The curse transformed her, her lovely feathers and fur radiant with all the colors of the rainbow, shimmering and shining in the sun darkened and dimmed. Where once stood a Griffi with beauty beyond compare stood a plain jane with colors of black and blue. No longer would she shine and radiate, no longer would she be the fairest of them all.

When Sundara reached the mirror lake and saw her new appearance, she let out a cry of anguish. The other griffi saw and their eyes, once filled with envy now showed scorn at the vain Griffi whose vanity no longer matched her appearance. For the first time in her life, Sundara felt alone.

She ran away from those scornful looks, she ran all day not paying attention to see where she was going. Before she knew it, she had left the Griffi's secret grove and had entered the land two leggers roamed.

Moving slowly through tear filled eyes, Sundara vowed to never return to the secret grove. There was no place for her to be anymore and she felt the loneliness keenly, when suddenly she had walked right into a two legger! Surprised and frightened, she did not know what to do when facing the two legger. At that moment the moon came into view and its delicate rays swept over her body. She twinkled under the night time sky. The two legger drew in a soft breath and quietly exclaimed how beautiful this Griffi was.

Sundara's head shot up. She could not have heard correctly right? She was no longer beautiful but looking into the two leggers eyes she could see there were no lies. The two legger appeared to be female with a gentle kindness in her eyes. Sundara suddenly wished to have a friend, and hoped the two legger would take her home. She cautiously stepped forward, the two legger stretched out her hand and Sundara ever so sweetly nuzzled it with eyes hoping for a new place to call home.

Notes: Sundara means beautiful in Bengali

Tethys
Tethys gaze was cast far off in the distance. The brisk wind spun around her thick fur. Snow caused her feathers to adhere to each other. She sighed. It had been nearly a year since her mate had evanesced. He had flown off with countless other griffis wanting to see the far off lands they did. Cherit, he had always been fascinated by what others would tell him when they finally came back, or, if they did for that matter. Tethys having complete trust in Cherit allowed him to depart. He swore to return, but all that had come back to her was heartbreak. All she had done was maintain an empty home. ~Surely if he has not returned by now, how do I know that he ever will? ~ Tethys eyes fluttered closed as she tried to remember Cherits appearance. They both were equally stunning creatures, the only things setting their appearances apart was colouring. Tethys had a cold and distant appearance. One could be afraid that if they touched her, that similar to a glass sculpture, she would break into dozens of deep blue shards. While Cherit on the other hand had rich purples that drew one in and simply demanded attention. They had intricate designs depicted in their fur. The couple also had gorgeous wings they were large and unlike any other griffis. Every feather upon the wing was decorated with a lustrous eye that always stared back. Their tails were made of the same sublime feathers. They were extremely long and cheerfully bounced when either of them walked. Tethys could still feel the soft feathers on Cherits brow when he embraced her. Why neither of them had met or even heard of another griffi with such traits was unknown to the couple. Yet Tethys and Cherit were both determined to have many babies that could carry these traits on with cherished families of their own. Tethys sighed again feeling a twinge of pain in her heart at the vivid memories of the one she held in high fidelity. Tethys opened her eyes to the desolate and barren landscape. ~Will he ever come back at this point?~ She wondered while standing up and shaking of the layer of snow that had piled up on her back. She returned to the abandoned cave not far off. Luminous rocks and Icicles casted a pale comforting glow inside, illuminating several nests. There were two larger nests, one for Cherit and one for Tethys and numerous smaller ones for the offspring that never came. This bleak place had been serving as a home to Tethys even before Cherit left. Aside from the nests there were some molted feathers and a few strands of fur. This empty and depressing place no longer serves me purpose. Whispered Tethys as she made her way back outside, stopping at the cliffs edge. Her emotions had been bottled up for so long. Tethys had chided herself whenever she felt despair or pain to her lovers disappearance and as a result began stowing these emotions away as time marched on. These actions led the griffi to be distant and detached from others causing her to live in isolation. ~I have lost myself. He is not coming back for me or the family we were once going to have ~ Coming to these realizations caused her to weep. Tethys cries were ripped away in the howling blizzard. Tethys did not call forth glittering tears while she grieved. Instead the griffi discharged glorious feathers that were snatched away by the shrewd wind. They furled as they became no longer visible in the distance. Tethys plumage suffered until it could no longer be practically used. While still stunning she could not fly. Tethys taking awhile to calm down shook off another layer of snow before getting up again. This time she did not return to the cave but instead began to plod down the mountain. Tethys looked back once. ~Perhaps he will come back to that empty placeHopefully he may understand why I had left. ~ She walked in silence with no other company than the wind who took care to erase the Sylestis tracks. Soon Tethys was surrounded by trees, certainly having come a long way to finally have met the tree line. At this point Tethys would cross paths with others most ignored her and let her continue on her way, yet it was still fascinating to Tethys who had not seen another sylesti for so long. Occasionally she could identify the other sylesti, other times she could not. Navigation began to get trickier as the forest became more tightly knit. Tethys had come too far to be deterred by something as simple as this and merely took more care while maneuvering through them. Tethys became thankful that the blizzard had died out and that she would not have to continue to deal with it. As long as I am getting somewhere. She said. Time had not been a concern of Tethys until she had looked up to the sky. The night sky was beginning to fade as distant stars struggled to be seen in the violet and indigo haze. Tethys jerked to a stop. She had come upon a sylesti that had been stranger than any of the others she had seen. Whatever it was it had little fur, was extremely pale and seemed a tad sickly. Its breath softly puffed out in little clouds of vapor. Tethys looked about the area and spotted two other resting sylestis. One was an exceptionally large griffi that had seen its fair share of fights. It snored loudly and occasionally grunted. The other she could not recognize. Whatever the sylesti was it was small and had wispy faded edges. Orbs hung suspended in the air about its neck. Despite the sylestis size it still seemed minacious. The sickly looking one cast weary glances from one to the other as it sat shivering in the snow. Tethys eyes lit up in parental concern. ~ Is the poor thing too scared to flee should it wake up these creatures?~ If so it was understandable. Tethys crept forward. The creature rubbed itself trying to generate some heat and cast another set of glances to the others. That settled it for Tethys. Carelessly she trotted forward, stepping on a slender but dry branch. It sharply cracked it the frigid air. At once the Griffi and the Ryori were up poised to attack. The humanoid stood up. ~Its strange how it doesnt stand like other sylestis. ~ Observed Tethys as she continued forward. The humanoid rather than expressing aggression wore an expression of awe and wonder as this magnificent griffi tentatively continued forward. When close enough, Tethys tenderly nuzzled the creatures chest. The humanoid relaxed a bit still shivered as it stroked the griffis head. The griffi was nothing less than endearing to it. The large griffi grew a bit envious and nudged the creature in the side begging for attention. The Ryori followed suit and perched upon the Humanoids shoulder and nosed its head. Tethys was amazed, these two sylestis showed extreme devotion and care for the humanoid. More importantly, these feelings were clearly retuned. Tethys leaned in also asking for more attention. She felt warm and content inside. If she was going to love again, why not start here?




;~;

Lunar Myst of the Southern Eclipse


Lunar Myst was, at one time or another, was one of the Curators of Unseen University's* grand Library. Though she did not always start out this way, nor would it be forever lasting. You see, in Discworld* there are many strange magical things and mysteries..by our standards, but for Discworld, She was another instance of a mix of magic, imagination, and summoning. You see, if someones thoughts are powerful enough, they can summon things of their imagination. There have been so far 3 notable cases where dragons spawned from ones imagination and caused a huge mess while they were around before dealt with. But Lunar is not a dragon summoned for chaos, she was brought about but the head mage of the Library, one "Horace Worblehat"...or just "The Librarian". No Flashes, no explosions, just standing there before him, the Librarian could only look onward at the beauteous creature he had brought forth.

Still an "It" at the time, she was brought forward to the Archchancellor of Unseen University. After examining her, it was determined that "It", was a she, and she was gifted with the ability to communicate through telepathy, and had some use of psychokinesis. The ability to move objects without touching them. Based on her appearance, and that it was similar to the astronomy that surrounded them, the Archchancellor gave her the name: Lunar Myst of the Southern Eclipse because at the time, Great A'Tuin, the great sea turtle Discworld sits on, flew them into an eclipse that covered the southern continents. Lunar liked the name given to her, as her feathers glimmered like Lunar stars themselves. Because of her ability to move things around even when not having to be around the actual object, the Archchancellor offered her a place here in exchange for keeping the Grand Library as tidy as possible. As the book there after absorbing so much magic over the years, began to move themselves throughout the librarian, sometimes taking whole bookcases and in a few instances entire sections of the Library with them. Faced with nothing else to go on, Lunar accepted his offer.

As time went on, Lunar got used to living here at Unseen University, the people were nice. At least the ones that didn't stare at her to much or make snarky comments about what she might be, and the occasional spell failure that resulted in small explosions, it was a nice place to live. But the feeling of loneliness she had felt before kept coming back. She just could not shake the fact the was probably the only one of her kind here and despite the best efforts, could not truly feel welcome. Merely tolerated. She just wanted some place she felt she truly belonged.

True Prolog
The day began as normal with her maintaining the shelves of the Library. A few math books had floated their way to the fantasy section again and she went to go retrieve them. Although it was commonplace for books to fly a few shelves away from where they should be, it was rare to see them go from one entire section to a different one. usually the whole section would just switch places and new cards had to be made up telling what section was where now. "This was unusual" Lunar thought to herself, but it was necessary. She came to where she needed to go to find a black cloaked figure there, holding a rather large book. She approached him

"Do you need help sir?"

The hooded figure turned to her. "Yes"
"What is it you require help with?"
"This" The figure held up the book he was holding so she could see it better. "It is blank. It needs to be written. It needs a story."
Lunar looked puzzled. "I don't know how i can help with that. I don't write stories. Perhaps we--"
"You don't have to write anything. it merely needs a subject." said the figure quickly. "I want you to be my subject. Can you help me?"
Lunar hesitated. "What do you mean by subject? Subject of what?"
"Why the story of course. It is whatever the subject wants it to be. It can be anything you want. I just need your can to make it happen. Please? Be my subject?"
Lunar thought about this. "Anything i want? Anything i truly desire?" Lunar finally said
"Anything. Just agree to be my subject and i can make it happen" the cloak figure said, with a degree of care in his voice now.
"Very well. I agree to be your subject. What is it I need to do?"
"Thank you. I just need you to hold still for a moment." The figure opened the to the first page. It truly was blank. Then he uttered a few words under his breath, and a hole opened, along with a large sucking motion towards it. "See you on the other side." The figure said as he faded under the motion that Lunar found herself now in. When it finished. the book closed, and fell to the floor. Leaving only an empty room with the books around to bear witness to it, as both Lunar and the cloaked figure, were now gone.

Meanwhile.....
"Krin, why? i don't understand why we have to save her, shes almost as annoying as the Legend of Zelda fairy."
"Because, Teku, she's very important to other nations as a diplomat. it would be a disaster if something were to happen to her. And she's only says those things to help" replied Krin.
"Uggghh. Alright. But if she starts going off saying 'Hey Listen' 'Hey listen', my fist is hitting something. Snapped Teku
"Duly noted. There's a camp with the bandits not far from here, they might have taken her there. lets go"
"Okay"
The two rush down the wooded area to the expected camp, but in route, something caught their attention. Overlooking a hill, there was a convoy of 2 carts in heavy tarps being escorted by a large squad of bandits.
"No way they'd give that much of an escort for only those two carts and not have something special in them. One of must have our annoying fairy friend." said Teku. "You take one half I'll take the other. And lets make this quick. Don't want to be around after we stir the hornets nest.
"Agreed" replied Krin. The two set up plans for an ambush ahead of the convoy with Krin on the right side of the road and Teku on the left. When they got close enough they leap into action and the fight ensued. "Virrudo, get them! Don't let any escape!" After an initial struggle, the bandits, although put up a valiant defense, were no match for either of the two opponents facing them.
"Okay, what was so important that they needed so many guards for. Krin, you search the front one i got this one." Teku said. "Already on it" replied Krin.
As Teku began searching the rear cart, a familiar shape became apparent under the tarps, and as he was removing them, heard very labored breathing. "There's something in here Krin. From it shape it looks like-" removing the final tarp that covered it, Teku was aghast at what lay in it. It was a griffi, or at least the shape of one, that had a colored mane and genes that he had never seen before. But it was temped by the severe wounds it had on it, like it had taken a beating beforehand. "Hey Tek, look who was in the cart, its our friend Jinxie." "Krin, you're gonna want to see this! Its not good!" Shouted Teku. "What?" Jinxie and Krin said simultaneously. "What is--Oh my." "It needs help. and fast. Help my lift. And before you say no, i'm not about to leave this to the bandits given what they've already done to it. So im helping it like it or not!"
"I was uh, actually going to say you should probably lift from that side so you get more leverage and I'll left from here."
"...Oh, well then lets do that."

"Uhhhh my head. My everything. It hurts" Lunar thought, as her eyes slowly opened. "Where..." as her vision slowly cleared up she could see she was in a bed of some kind. A comfy one at that, and covered in wrappings. and she felt something in her paw, something warm. She looked and saw a man, slumped over next to her, with his hands embraced around hers. He looked out of it. "Who is he?" As she thought this she didn't notice her paws tightening their grip on the mans hands. The Man roused, and rose up quickly. "Pinching in my hand pinching my hand!" and tried to free his grasp. Lunar wasn't sure why but she didn't want to let go, but she did loosen her grip on his hand. As she did this, the mans and her eyes locked as he was trying to figure out why his hand was almost crashed.
"Oh you're awake, thank goodness. I'm glad you're okay. I was afraid i might have hurt you putting on those bandages, never tried to before but i had to do something to patch your wounds. The healer should be here soon, my friend went off to get him. He'll make you good as new i promise." the man said somewhat hastily. Lunar just stared silently at him. "I'd better go see whats keeping him." Lunar tightened her grip "No please. Stay." The man looked around, "Who...said that?" "I don't want to be alone right now. Please stay" The man slowly turned his head towards her, "Was that...you?" Tears began to well in Lunar's eye.
"It hurts so much."
"Don't worry, I'm here. I won't leave okay? I promise."
"Thank you."
Teku wasn't quite sure what was going on, or how it could talk to him since last he knew griffi couldnt speak. But given the state of its distress, he put his concerns to one side to help it. Trying to ease the tension, "I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Teku. Do you have a name?"
Lunar had to think about this, her mind was almost blank, nd could not recall much of anything, until "Lunar. Lunar Myst"
"Thats a pretty name. It suits you to, with your appearance and all...without the bruising of cou-"
Jinxie then came bursting in "The healer has arrived!" followed by a white robed man carrying a staff and a few potions.
The appearance of Jinxie at first startled Lunar, but calmed a bit when she realized it was only a few inch tall person. "What is that?" she asked
Jinxe and the priest both responded "Did that thing just speak?!"
Teku gave an annoying look at both of them. "Yes, yes she did. Jinxie, Lunar. Lunar, Jinxie. Now please priest, could you get on with healing her? Shes in a lot of pain."
The priest looked shocked at first but then came to his senses after seeing it was still quite hurt. "Yes, yes of course. Sorry about that,ive just never heard of a griffi talking before." Now walking up to the griffi with his potions and salves.
"Whats a griffi?"
"I'll explain latter, lets just focus on getting you better."
Lunar began slipping unconscious again from the pain of the salves being applied to her wounds. She didn't want to for fear of not walking up again, but the pain won out and she was asleep again.
"Make sure she'll be alright, i need to step out for a moment." Teku now taking the oppertunity to free his hand from her grip. "Man she holds tight. i thought my hand was gonna be crushed." and started walking out of the tent.
"A griffi that can speak. This is AMAZING!" Jinxie yelled excitedly.
"You don't have to yell it! Let's not go around making a fuss about it, it could get bad. And also, wheres Krin? I thought he went with you to get the healer."
"He said something about important business to take care of and rushed off and i lost him."
"Dang, i was hoping he would have an idea of what to do with her."
"Why dont you invite her to stay with us?"
"Us?! you're the one that won't live anywhere else but my house, and also don't you think I--"
"Ahem. Excuse me." The cleric was standing behind them. "I have finished. She will be fully restored to former beauty in a minute or two. Was this all?"
"Oh, Yes, that was all. Uhhh..." Teku fumbled about his cloak and pulled out a pouch. "Here's your pay, thank you for helping."
"Its what i do" He said with a smile as he walked away.
"Lets go see how she's doing." Teku said as he hastily went back in the tent followed by Jinxie. Much to his Shock and amazement, Lunar was already up and trying to stand up from the bed she was in as the what was left of the bandages were falling away. "Uhhh, wow. Um here let me give you a hand" Teku struggled to get out. Jinxie say a hint of blushing on his face and chuckled at it. Teku carefully helped Lunar from the bed to stand. As she did Teku stood back and saw her in her full glory. "Wow...you are...very pretty." He struggled.
"Why thank you."
"Teku, is that sunburn or are you blushing again?"
"Shuuuut uuuup. i dont want to hear it from you right now jinxie. Anyway, uh do you have a place to go? Family? Friends?"
Lunar Struggled, but just could not remember. She thought it was a miracle that she could even remember her own name, let alone where she was from. "I don't remember."
"Shoot. Well, until we can find that out, would you like to live with me? It's not the best place, but its home, and it is your home as well until we find out where you came from. Sound good?"
Those words "your home" struck deep in her, but she wasn't sure why. Then tears came out even though she didn't feel sad, and rushed towards Teku, nuzzling him and using her wings to pull him closer. "Yes please." was all she could manage.
"Wow, keep it together there." Teku felt crushed under her, and could only manage to sort of hug her back. "There, there."
Even Jinxie joined in. "Yay new roommate! Group hugs all round!" as she then joined the massive griffis
hug.

Outside the tent a black cloaked figure standing nearby, overhearing everything. "So it begins. A new story begins, and chapter commences. I wonder how it will go. How it will end. The hurdles they will overcome." leaning up the figure motions a rather exquisite draeyl towards him. "Come Vylexul. We have other business to attend to." the two walk towards the end of the town with the figure turning his head briefly. "I look forward to our meeting soon Lunar." as the two of them walk out of the town and vanish.


This post at one time had more dialog, but it went over 20,000 units, so i had to delete most of it. But i still hope you all enjoy the read :)

Hakanai, the Dreamer


A long time ago, in a mountainous area, sat a tiny village.

In the spring, flowers blanketed the valley surrounding the village, wild and bright. The spring gave way to summer's watermelons and fireflies: the children's favorite time of year. The fall brought cooler weather, hearty foods, and warm gatherings around the fireside. It was the most picturesque village one could imagine. Or that was true, for most of the year.

Every year, when winter crept down from the mountaintops, the village would be bathed in snow. The stars glimpsed themselves in an almost perfect reflection in the snow, which glittered throughout the long nights. The gentler hills were soft and quietly begged for the laughter of children racing on sleds. All was quiet, all was dark. For you see, each winter brought with it a dark stranger to this quaint village.

The low whisper of wind and soft crunch of snow underfoot was all that could be heard. Though the silence was deafening, each home's heartbeat quickened and they held their breath as this stranger made its way through the deserted streets. Every year, the path the stranger carved through the village was the same, as was the destination: the outskirts of the village.

Generations came and went as the years dripped by and this was always the frightening tradition of Winter's Arrival, as it was loathingly coined. As time passed, Truth became Legend, who gave way to Myth, until all that was left of Winter's Arrival was a story.

And in an average house, with an average family, a young boy no more than 12, had heard these stories since he was a babe. He was a daring, rebellious sort of boy, and so of course he decided to chase this story. He followed the road out of town to the forest nearby. Stomping forward into the brush, he walked for hours and having no clue if he was even going the right way. But just as he convinced himself to take one last step, he saw around a tree a large, rickety house. This was it! He knew it! Summoning the last of his strength and ignoring all cause for concern, he ran up to the door and pounded on it loudly.

No sounds stirred within. No answer to his knocks. He banged on the door again, longer this time. Still quiet. The boy raised his fist to knock for a third time when the door swung open and framed in the doorway, was a dark creature, covered in cloak and hood.
"What do you want?" the creature rasped.
"To see if you were real," retorted the boy.
The creature turned around to shut the door in the boy's face when he caught a glimpse of something sparkling beneath the cloak. He quickly pulled on the cloak revealing a wondrous creature full of magic and sparkling awe. With a gasp, he fell backwards and shouted, "You're not scary at all! You're beautiful!"
The creature looked down at the boy and spoke in a velvety voice, "People fear the unknown. I bring with me long nights and weather perfect for games and fun. Yet no one partakes. Why is this, Child?"
"Well, probably because no one knows you! Come back with me and meet everyone!" The boy's eyes lit up and the creature knew she would have no choice but to go back to town with the boy. Even if it was just to prove him wrong.

It was almost dawn when they had made it back to town. The boy was exhausted from his first trek, so he lay fast asleep on this new friend's back as she carried him into town. There were cries and gasps as the townspeople were waking to hear hoofbeats on the road. As they looked out their window, the sun set the stranger's unique appearance ablaze. Light bounced from all feathers and marvelous markings. Why, there was nothing to be afraid of! Nothing this beautiful could be evil.

The townspeople poured into the streets, causing so much commotion, that the sleeping boy stirred.
"Oh yeah, what's your name?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.
"Hakanai. Hakanai, the Dreamer, as I was once known."
"That's a nice name.. my name.. is Aelfric.." said the boy, falling back asleep.
"Nice to meet you, Aelfric. I know we will be friends for a long time."

Winter's Arrival, as it was lovingly coined, became a time of great celebration every year, and Hakanai, the Dreamer, refreshed their hopes and dreams with her arrival each year.

The End

Hera, the All Seeing

I find myself amazed at the sight of the griffi before me. Griffies are rare already, but those with the majestic peacock feather traits are even rarer. It's said that many of their kind have clairvoyant abilities as if aided by the many eyes of their feathers, and a single feather is said to be all that's needed to make a special potion that allows one to see the future. I've also heard recently of an evil sorcerer who has been trying to find a living specimen for some unknown purpose.

I had passed recently through the village called Astryl's Tranquility. I was only passing through but stopping to eat I had heard a story. There had been some children who were playing by the lake when a water sprite had attacked them. All hope was lost but then a beautiful blue and black peacock griffi came to their aid. It had only been a few days since then and I was only a couple days on the road. Surely this must be the griffi they spoke of. Why was she here? Why did she want to go home with me? Somehow knowing she wants a name, I reach out to touch her. She nuzzles me again.

"Hera," I whisper.

I can feel she's pleased. Was her being here connected to the stories of the evil sorcerer? So many questions unanswered. But I find myself overcome by joy at having her with me. We go home together. Yes, there must be a reason, but the answer will have to wait in the future.