Wolf's Den {CLOSED; DO NOT POST}

[Lazurkri]

(Dark, you drew Asiril's image? Could you do one for Bakher as well? I've used him enough that I probably should have a image done for him, but I cannot find anyone willing to)

Bakher twitched his ears as he heard the others pad off, too busy with trying to get a particularly troublesome clot of blood out of the feathering on his chest. He finally managed to pluck it out, and spat it onto the ground, then looked around, to find he was alone in front of the Den. He laid his ears back; no one around to admire him!

He sighed; life was different here. Life back home had been harsh, but it had been what he had grown up with, he knew the rules, the ways to survive. Back home, he had grown up amongst the short lived humans, who were always happy to admire him; he was stunning, even amongst the vibrant plumage of his Clan and desert-dwelling kind.

His feathers drooped as he remembered the screeches, the calls and the death-cries of his kind fighting against the foreign invaders from the East- Dragons. Big, powerful, and all too hard to kill, they had come like a plague of scarlet and blue locusts bigger than the elephants the Gryphons hunted. The Dragons had proven to be poor aerial combatants, but their sheer size and power, not to mention their heavy natural armor and their ability to breath fire, meant that they could merely walk to the Gryphons Aeries and attack on the ground, as Gryphons usually did poorly fighting on the ground. Baker rubbed at a greenish streak of feathers on his chest and belly, the only visible evidence of a blow from a Dragons paw that had nearly killed him. Many of his fellow Gryphons, creatures he had fully expected to greet the centuries with, had perished under the Dragons might.

He had fought them, tooth and claw and diamond hard beak. Many Dragons now lay, their smashed bones bleaching in the harsh sun of his homeland, lay dead by his hands, his rage, his power. But their had been too many of the foreigners, and the Gryphons had concluded the war was lost, and had began to flee.

Bakher grimly grinned as he remembered the last days of that conflict, as his kind fled for their lives and the victorious Dragons flew the deserts burning everything they could find that was not theirs or made by the humans, for the Dragons wisely concluded that the impressionable humans were more useful as slaves and servants. it had been for them, them and the tens of thousands of Gryphonic dead, that he had hatched a insane plot to penetrate the invaders main den, and kill all the Matriarchs and Patriarchs, the leaders and instigators of the invasion that they could find. He had led a force of dozens of other veteran Gryphons, as well as many humans who were not willing to bow to the invaders; the Gryphons may seem like gods to them, but they were helpful, benevolent gods, unlike the Dragons.

Against all odds, they had done it. He remembered the shimmering blue-green stripes of the invaders High Matriarch, the architect of the invasion and the leader of the foreigners, her laughter as he had challenged her, the clinking of the gold she wore, looted from the dead. she had thought him pathetic, weak. She had changed her opinion after he and his warriors had cut her guards and vassals down, had screamed for mercy after he had spent long hours torturing her, breaking her wings, ripping her scales off, his anger at what she had wrought making him do things he normally would have killed to prevent. She had screamed for him to spare her, as his warriors had held her down, their lust for revenge as strong as his, and had screamed fro him to grant her a clean death. He had been tempted, his talons had been at her throat as her maroon blood had stained his fur and feathers, but he had not done it. He had remembered the Dragons main advantage over the Gryphons and the humans, and he had smiled sadistically. They had left her, broken and bloody, and had sealed off the den, but not before pulling several wounded but still living Dragons from the den. He had made sure they saw what was happening, then told the humans to torch the den. The prisoners had roared in grief and horror as the place went up in flames, the weapon they used now used against them. The Dragons had retreated, unwilling to risk losing more leaders, and the Gryphons rejoiced.

He had not. He had taken to the winds and left as soon as he had given the order to burn the Matriarch alive, sickened by what he had done, and sickened by death. He had let the winds take him where they willed, and had never looked back.

Bakher came out of his memories to find he was now laying on his belly beside the entrance to the den, and found that the soft feathers around his eyes were damp with tears; he had been crying, silently. He tried to curse himself for being weak, but failed; as strong as he was physically, he was not strong enough to escape the horror and the grief of his past. His eyes watered again as the floodgates of memory opened wide, and the memories of what happened played in his mind again. He lay his head on scaled forearms, and wept silently, for his kind, for what he had done, and for all he had lost to the Dragons.  

[Asiril]

(Actually she didn't my Artist did, she did a good job no? Shes kinda swamped at the moment Getting ready to do a post here)  

[Asiril]

Asiril had wandered for quite some time, before he had realized he had drifted himself lost. He sighed and turned around to walk back and leaned against the wall. He Stared down the way he had come sitting down, then deciding to lay down his tail flickered slightly as he began to recall the way he had traveled. From that moment, back to when he had left the forest which had been his home. He sighed again resting his chin on his paws and closed his eyes, a small tear dripping from his scarred eye.  

[Celtic zombie-kitten]

When Sunshine and Jeff arrived at the den, there seemed to be no one around. "They must all be napping," muttered Jeff.
Sunshine noticed immediately the huge gryphon that was lying near the entrance to the cave.
"Oh! Sweet Jeffery, look at him!" she exclaimed extitedly, bouncing up and down. "It's a real gryphon! I finally get to meet one!" She bounded up to the stranger to sniff him.  

[Celtic zombie-kitten]

Then, suddenly noticing the huge creature's sadness, the young hyeness stopped and sat down. "What's wrong, my friend?" she asked him, compassion in her voice.
Jeff didn't like interrupting, but he had importand business to attend to. "I'm sorry for disturbing you, sir, but I've scented that someone here has been wounded. Could you please tell me where he went? I am this pack's healer." His bright stone-blue eyes met the amber of the gryphon's, totally fearless.  

[Metal criminal minds]

Shadow just silently watched as he looked at the four, he shook his head as he closed his eyes, his serious face turned to a soft smile as he started to sleep  

[Lazurkri]

Dimly, he sensed the presence of others, and forced the floodgates of his past to close with a effort. His vision cleared, the flashbacks fading, and he found himself in the present again. He raised his head, and saw the two newcomers; one tall and maned, the other small and delicate. The taller one had asked him something, as well as the smaller....what had they said?

-Ahhh... the taller one wishes to know were the fox is... and the other--

He cleared his throat, and pulled himself into a more comfortable sitting position.
"The one you seek, Healer, is inside the cave..."
He turned his head from the small hyena, his emerald eyes still wet, and sighed. He had talked to few about why he was here, and fewer still knew the full story. He swung his head back to look her in the eyes, and lay his head on crossed forearms.

"What is wrong is the past...suffice it to say, I have endured much for my short span of years, and done things no creature should have..."
He closed his eyes as the faces of the dead flashed past; Alkino, the talented one of the Clan, She'tira, the huntress of the winds, Talnir, the artisan... all dead. All his closest friends, all the talented ones, and all of them had died, while he, the peacock warrior of the Clan, had survived when no one else had. He opened his eyes, and spread his massive wings out, the better to gather the warm sunlight. He clicked his beak several times as he thought, then decided.

"Do you truly wish to know what is wrong with me? truly? it is not a pleasant or short tale I warn you... but if you wish to know, I will tell."  

[DarkWolfLove]

Larka looked over the lip of her cliff, down onto Asiril. He didn't seem to be doing much of anything, from what she could see, so she turned to look at the Griffin.

She saw Sunshine and Jeff and her tail raised happily. She stood and walked to the edge of her sleep space and barked in greeting to them. "Hey, guys!"

 

[Metal criminal minds]

Shadow looked up hearing Larka as he then looked back at Jeff and Sunshine, he stayed in his position as he watched them "Nice to see they made it back"  

[Celtic zombie-kitten]

Although Sunshine seemed ready to listen to anything, Jeff was ready to defend her from any unpleasantness. "I really think she'd rather not," he said firmly. "And I do thank you for your assistance." He nodded to the gryphon with gratitude and then stepped into the cave and started toward the fox.
His mate sat up next to the gryphon.
"Oh, hey Larka!" she called to her friend cheerily. "Umm, I still have your candy if you want some." She motioned toward the pouch that was lying on the ground only a few feet away. Then she looked around at all the other animals. "Oh, and the rest of you guys are welcome to have some too, if you like."  

[Lazurkri]

Bakher fluffed his crest at the wolf's protectiveness, and laid his head back down on his arms...right until he heard the Crack! of the foxes paw. He looked up in surprise; it sounded like someones neck snapping. He didn't catch the scent of sudden death, so he assumed someone hadn't just died. Still....

-That sounded BRUTAL....-

He returned his attention to the female hyena as she offered the treats. He reached out a talon and snagged the pouch, and pulled a candy out. He plucked one out and tossed it into his beak before returning the pouch. He'd had honey treats before, back home, but nothing like this though. He cocked his head and tried to figure out the taste, but couldn't. He eyed the puch again as the taste faded, but decided not to; He wasn't greedy. in fact...

"Thanks for the candy...If you're hungry, feel free to have some of the unicorn I pulled down...err...I didn't get your name"
He flattened his ears in shame; here he was taking treats from someone when he didn't even know their name! He laid his head down again and attentively waited for a answer.  

[DarkWolfLove]

Larka saw what she had deemed her treats being rifled through by the Griffin. Suppressing her territorial nature and biting back a warning growl, Larka leaped down from her perch. Her hackles laying to rest again, she walked towards the Griffin and the sweets and took a few into her mouth as well.

These little delights were new to her. There taste was nothing like she'd ever had before! Before anyone could protest, she snagged a few more into her maw (not all of them) and trotted off happily into the den again.

She went towards the fox; she figured that a little present would help him out. Her ears and and back in sympathy, Larka dropped from her mouth one of the sweet treats Sunshine got from Squirrel. "This should take your mind off things," she said softly.

 

[DarkWolfLove]

{Alright, so confusion has ensued and edits have been made. For now, just leave things as they are, everyone knows what's happened (and I'm sure, remembers as well). Jump off from me and go from there. Ignore the edits and continue on. :3}  

[Celtic zombie-kitten]

((Hey sorry guys but there was a misunderstanding with my last post, and so it has now been edited. Fortunately for Asiril, there gets to be no loud crack or brutal treatments at the paws of our beloved (though somewhat arrogant) healer Jeff. I apologize for the inconvenience.))

Jeff sniffed his way through the dark tunnel until he finally happened to stumble upon the sleeping fox. He gently nudged him with his right forepaw. "Hello?" he said. "Excuse me, kind sir. I need you to wake up for a short while."  

[DarkWolfLove]

{It's fine, Celtic. Things are sorted out, feelings are smoothed over (I hope), and now we'll have fun. :3}