Base of the Pyramid - Shrilk Crossroads
This is the east side of the base of the mighty obsidian pyramid created by the Core computer. From this vantage point you can barely make out the glittering portal at the top. All around, in every direction, are the remains of what must have been an immense festival or gathering of some sort. Though it must have been weeks, if not months ago, the earth is still packed, and there are still scraps of debris, tent spikes, rope, and the cold ash remnants of firepits.
Beyond this clearing to the north and south lays a dense forest, to the east a two rutted dirt roadways join, offering travel to the east, north, and south. The air here is cool and refreshing, blowing from the west across the lake which is on the other side of the pyramid. There seems to be a well travelled path curving around the pyramid and leading off west, directly towards Lake Evarim.
Kyriah continues to squirm and wriggle, trying to find out what this thing is that is attacking him. He wriggles and squirms, managing to get out of the nest, but there are enough on him to cause him distress. He flops agout squaking in pain and fear, he can't even open his eyes and these things are eating him alive! He tries hard to brush them off with his small beak.
Lurai lifts her head, frowning. Odd. Very odd. Knowing the creature is not a threat, she lowers her head, preening as many ants as she can manage with her beak, though softly so as not to alarm the young Gryphon any more. She starts preening around the Gryphon's stomach and only then notices the small cuts and slashes, although they are not open and fresh, are indeed being eaten alive by ants. Using her talons, she very gently picks and brushes off the small colony, churring quietly to calm the creature.
Kyriah clams down quickly as the ants vanish. It takes him a moment to stop wriggling, oooh the bites still hurt! but finaly he manages to just lay there panting for a few moments. It starts to dawn on him that there is a stranger standing over him and his ears never sit still. He rolls onto his stomach and starts to bob his head, calling out loudly for food. He squaks and flutters his downy covered wings, turning his head this way and that. He shakily gets to his feet, only to fall over again. The hen smells strange, but then he has been fed by strange hens the last few days, so this dosent bother him so much.
Lurai tilts her head, feeling imediately sorry for the creature. Hrrm.. She doesn't want to leave the creature, yet knows what he is skreeching for. Food. But where can she go? She can't hunt. Not yet. Doesn't know how, and the nearest place she could buy meat would probably be Windhaven, but that's too far. She couldn't possibly leave the small weakling here alone again, especially with the ants. Sighing, she lowers her head to gently nibble the young one's head with her beak, churring softly.
Dove is standing atop the pyramid, fresh from the Gate atop it. She looks down, hearing a noise. She spots the gryphoness at the bottom, but not the tiny form under her just yet. She spreads her wings and glides down, spiraling the pyramid as she goes. She skrees out, informing the other of her presence.
Kyriah goes quiet as the back of his head is nubled, and goes limp. It seems that he is rather used to being picked up like that. When he realizes that she isn't going to pick him up, he begins to tap her beak with his, trying to get her to feed him. He can't understand why this isn't working, all the other times he got food really quick. He curls up around his unsteady feet cawing, thrilling, chirping, and squaking, seeing if any of the different sounds he has heard (but in no way understood) make sense to this hen. It seems he has a good ear for sounds, one of his little thrills sounds like 'Still'. He must have heard that earlier when Lurai spoke to him. Its obvious that he dosen't comprehend, but he can hear, and mimic!
Lurai smiles, sniggering quietly to herself at the sounds the hatchling makes. How sweet! Out of the corner of her Emerald eyes, she suddenly spots some movement, and lifts her head to look into the skies above her, seeing nothing at first. Staring up for a few moments, after a while a Gryphon form starts to become clearer as it glides down towards Lurai and the small weakling. Hopefully, she thinks, this one may have food..
Dove backwings to a landing nearby and pads up quietly. She nods, "Greetings....eh?" That's when she notices the hatchling at Lurai's feet. She looks up at Lurai, back at Kyriah, then back to Lurai. She sounds a bit shocked, mixed with confusion, "He's a bit young to be taking out on a stroll, don't you think?" She hasn't taken a close look at him to see the wounds, so she doesn't know he's hurt. But she does hear his cries for food and asks, "You *do* intend on feeding him soon, yes?"
Kyriah 's ears never really sit still, he seems to be rather active, and personable for one who has obviously had a rough go of things so far. Who would abandon a kit so adorable and cute? He finds the hen's closest forleg and promptly wraps himself around her leg, churring and squaking at the same time, or trying to at least. It sounds more like a two stroke engine with a bad hiccup in the midde of one cycle. He winds and wraps himself around her leg, crawling and flopping about.
Lurai frowns as the hen approaches. "Greetings, and he isn't my young one. I found him here, skreeing for food." She lowers her head to nudge the weakling softly, then looks back at the hen. "And..I would feed him, but I have no food at hand, and I can't hunt. I only came through the portal a few days ago..." Her tone seems quite distressed as she lowers her head to softly nibble the gryphon's head once more as he wraps around her foreleg.
Kyriah yips in surprise, then trys to catch her beak in his, as futile as that is, his being so much smaller and being blind. It attracts his attention however and he forgets for the moment how hungry he is. He isn't a stranger to hunger, lord knows he has seen enough of it the last few days, real feast and famine for the little fluffball. He remains faithful he will get food, however. The kind of blind faith and trust that kids have. He settles down then rolls over, playbatting at her beak with his paws, missing more than anything. He giggles, it sounds like a small wild bird calling. His stomach shows signs of the scratches, and the claw markes of a jealous male drake. Seems he won't be missed.
Dove gets a shocked and distressed look on her face and is speechless for a few seconds. She finally finds the words she's looking for... "He was abandoned?" She looks at Kyriah a little closer, still not catching the wounds as he's moving around too much. "He couldn't have been here long, he's still alive." She looks back up at Lurai and says, "You say you've been here for a few days, did you not see anyone leave him here? He's too young to have wandered this far on his own..." She looks down at him as he rolls over, catching the wounds there. Her eyes go wide again and she actually puts a foreclaw out to lightly pin him (or try at least, since she doesn't want to hurt him) so she can get a better look at his wounds.
Kyriah goes still and silent the second he is touched with a claw. He seems to even hold his breath.
Lurai shakes her head. "No, I travelled to Grylra, only returning today. I didn't see him before I left. Only found him here when I returned." Looking closely at his wounds, Lurai sighs. "Do you have any food to spare for the young one?" She asks, in more of a whisper so as not to frighten the hatchling.
Dove shakes her head to Lurai's question, still looking at Kyriah's wounds. "No, I don't. I just came from some personal buisness in the Core." She let's the hatchling go and sighs, looking at Lurai now. "He needs to have those scratches looked at and taken care of. Gryphlets that young are very fragile." She looks around, "I don't know how long he's been out here, but any long length of time alone out here for one that young is dangerous. I only wish I knew who the parents are and find out what happened..." She sighs, not sure if she should do what her motherly instincts tell her to do.
Lurai nods slowly. "You are right..though where can you take him?" Frowning slightly as she turns her head slightly to look back to the forest, then quickly back down to the hatchling in the way that a mother would look at her young one in case they go walk abouts.
Dove looks southwest, then back at the pair before her. She says a bit hesitantly, "Well, we could always take him to Grylra until his parents can be located, *if* they can be located, anyways. Until then, someone will have to take care of him." She looks down at the tiny form that has attached itself somehow to Lurai's leg and can't help but grin at it.
Lurai blinks slowly for a few moments, then frowns at the hens grin. "I..um, aren't in the Grlyra clan. I know a hen there...but I have no idea where she is now.. Would it be okay for me to join you...if I was going to..that is?"
Dove looks back up at Lurai and grins, nodding. "Just because you aren't Grylra, doesn't mean you are not welcome there." She looks down at the fuzzy bundle and reaches down to rub his downy head gently with her beak. She stands back up and asks, "So who is this aquaintance of yours in Grylra? Perhaps I know them..."
Kyriah rolls over and dozes off... these hens are boring squak squak and no food. His little snore sounds like a cross between a beetles hum and sand falling.
Lurai smiles slightly at the small ball of fluff. "Her name is Avel'ien. She's quite new from the portal..I think."
Keereth wakes, immediatly checking to see where the little one has gone to, upon noticing that he is not right where she had him when she went to sleep, she hisses, a little fearfull for what might have befallen the little hatchling, jumping to her feet and looking around.
Kyriah wakes, then begins to call out for food again, his chirps and calls loud in the suddenly silent air.
Lurai lowers her head to the weakling, nibbling his beak gently. "Quiet.." She whispers, even though she knows he can't understand.
Keereth hisses softly, her head cocking as she hears the sound of HER hatchling crying for food, feathers rousing as she moves towards the sounds, her wings spreading and lifting, to give her a boot into the air, and a better view of whats going on, almost immediatly she spots the gryplet, and the others near him, her wings cuping air a moment as she turns and drops rapidly twords him, silent rage come to call.
Dove looks up suddenly as she spots movement from nearby. She hadn't noticed anyone else around and that gryph is diving hard and fast! She shoves Lurai backwards with one foreclaw, sweeping it down to grab Kyriah suddenly, not knowing the intentions of this diving gryphon, only knowing that that sort of move is for attacking! She jumps backwards, gryphlet in claw. And she doesn't jump just once, she keeps hopping backwards three or four times to make sure she's got enough distance.
Helplessly falling backwards at the shove, Lurai lashes out her talons in shock. Skreeing quietly to herself in confusion, she tries getting back to her feet, but once the form of the flying hen overhead comes into view, she decides against it and rolls over onto her side.
Kyriah chirps loudly at the inital grab, but immediatly quiets down. He has been in this kind of spot before... when the drake dropped him. He goes limp, and silent, not sure what to expect but knowing that there will possibly be a long fall involved and a long roll after that.
Keereth skreess with rage as she sees Dove grabing up Kyriah, and sees her trying to run off with her hatchling. If looks could kill, Dove would already be dead. The shkrill hen, almost lightly lands, before crouching a little, preparing to pounce, the one that's down already is given but a moment's noticed, her eyes mostly upon little Kyriah, and the grylran that has him captive.
Dove doesn't let go of the now-limp hatchling in her foreclaw, but does make sure she's not hurting him as she holds him, since she did grab him suddenly. She does not, however, let her eyes leave the sight of this obviously violent gryphoness. From her position, she does not see any scars or marking, so does not know that this individual is Shkrill. She remains quiet for now, letting this gryphones make the first move. She shows no signs of relinquishing the gryphlet yet.
Kyriah dangles, being as unthreating to the person who has ahold of him as he can. He makes no sudden movements and tries to make no noise so this person wont drop him on purpose. His little heart is beating very fast however, and he feels warm, definately frightened. He has -just- good enough control of his bladder to not pee in fear... but if this gets more firghtning he might just lose it.
Keereth skreess sharply, her feathers rousing, making her look bigger, she stalks, rather slowly, towards Dove, carefully closing the distance, but, moving to one side as well, to be better able to keep an eye on the downed gryphon, harshly she says, "Put him down and back away from him."
Lurai slowly gets to her feet, tripping over her own talon awkwardly. Once upright, she stands perfectly still. She too doesn't realise where this hen is from, but she knows better than to get in the way of any angry Grphon, no matter where they're from.
Kyriah dangles, but on hearing Keereth's voice he calls out, then mimics her poorly, thought the chiprs he makes has a definate pattern that is similar to hers. Seems the kit has a really good ear for sounds. He wraps himself around Dove's paw, mistaking Dove for the hen who has been caring for him when he has been awake of late. He quiets, purring loudly instead.
Dove shows no sign of backing down. She turns as well, to keep this gryphoness in front of her at all times. She notices scarring on Keereth's haunch, but is unable to make out the exact design from this angle. She has a good idea what it is though. She thinks to herself, 'Only a Shkrill could be so cruel...' She rests her foreclaw on the ground, so Kyriah can feel it's there, but does not let him go. She keeps her voice steady and neutral as she replies, "And why should I do that?" Her eartuft flicks, noting the sounds in the gryphlet's voice, leading her to believe even further that this is the gryphoness who abandoned this child. Her eyes remain focused on the gryphoness. The sky is cloudy, but shimmer covers Dove, as if sunlight shone brightly across her skin, but it was so fast, did it really happen?
Keereth does know who, and what Dove is, but she does not back down, she stalks closer, her eyes narrowing a little, her wings partly spread to allow her to change direction with a hard flap of her wings, as she moves, Dove does get a good look at the mark on her haunch, but, also can see that it's not painted red, as is normal, She hisses almost, "Put my child down grylran, he is not for you."
Kyriah clutches onto Dove strongly, feeling the ground near, he mistakes what is happening for something else. His tiny bladder lets go, thinking he is gonna get dropped again. He begins to shiver uncontrably. His little milk claws dig against the skin of Doves arm, and he begins to wine softly. Even his wine sounds strangely musical.
Dove narrows her eyes, her grip unreleasing on Kyriah. She is trying really hard to keep her voice neutral, but hints of anger seeps through, "So you are the one who abandoned this infant to the wilds? You are the one who wounded this helpless child and left him to the elements? I have no intention of keeping him for my own, but I *do* intend to take him where he will be cared for." She snorts, "No wonder the Shkrill have to force New Ones to join...they throw out their own newborns!" She flashes again. This was *not* a trick of the eye again. Dove's eyes almost seem to glow red. It's probably the light hitting her pink eyes just right...yeah, that's it.
Lurai slowly makes her way towards Dove, her tail curling in around her back leg nervously. As she walks around the where the hen is standing, she turns her body so that she is almost shoulder to shoulder with Dove, her eyes never come off the young weakling.
Keereth almost seems not to hear Dove, her ear-tufts edging back as she hears the wines of the little one she has adoped as her own, just the other day, she will not let some Grylran steal away her child, even if that child is not of her own body, she glares even harder at Dove, she schreeches loudly, "Put him down! Your hurting him, and I will not alow you to hurt him."
Keereth tries to chirp reasurances to the little one, but, its kinda hard for her to do so with such rage within her, almost about to pounce, nerves at a hair trigger.
Kyriah begins to squirm, uncomfortable being held so long. He begins to make a lot of noise, chirps, thrills, and squawks as he is held, not that he dosen't like being held, it is more that he isn't sure whats going on and he feels unsafe just hanging by his middle like this. His ears never stop moving, not does his tail. He darts his head this way and that, calling back to Keereth with a 'Rill! Rill!'
Dove feels the warm wetness soaking her foreclaw and understands what happened. She knows the child is unhurt, just scared witless. She says in the same tone of voice before, trying to not let this screaming Shkrill get things out of hand, "I will not put him down until I know why you abandoned him for dead, his own mother! You should be ashamed of yourself, Shkrill." She has many scathing remarks she could spit at this female before her, but does not really wish to fight with the well-being of this hatchling hanging in her very claws.
Keereth 's feathers slick down as she sees Kyriah start squirming and squawking, blind rage ripping though her as she sees her little one being so carelessly handled, and by a grylran to boot, she pounces, suddenly, wings catching air, and shoving her to one side suddenly, though the leap seems to be straight at Dove, "Put him down grylran! I will not alow him to be abandoned by you and yours again."
Kosamiargi flies toward the pyramid for the second day in a row, but this time for good reason. He never saw Keereth return to the fort, and is curious if she actually -STAYED- out here with her recent newborn. He sighs, clutching the still wriggling rabbit in talon. By the broken leg. Were it not that he wanted to give her a chance to give the final kill, he'd have already killed the rabbit to put it out of it's missery...
Lurai quickly leaps out in front of Dove, opening her beak as far as she can, grabbing the young one. Unfolding her wings slightly, she leaps back behind Dove. If there's going to be a fight, she may as well be useful and make sure the weakling stays safe.
Dove seems to fall under Keereth's lunge into the ground. Keereth lands...and Dove's not there! It's as if she were shoved into the very earth under Keereth's force! Kyriah was taken from her hands before she dissapeared though.
Kyriah erks as he is snatched and manages to get a surprised 'Wark?!' out before his insticts demand that he go limp and either have his neck broken or be carried. He dangles from her beak, eyes scrunched even tighter shut. His tail dangles limply, his wings tucked tight against his sides and his rump clutched upwards to his chest.
Raja finds herself walking straight towards group of gryphons for the second day in a row. She freezes, her body acting before her mind, and she skitters backwards. Why were there always others here suddenly? If they continued this trend, she'd have to move somewhere else. There were just so many of them!
Kosamiargi banks softly, flanking the pyramid as he takes a little glance down the eastern road. His gaze returns toward the pyramid finally, eyes pinning to focus in...in time to see one gryphon jump at another? Uh-oh, seems there's another fight going on. Koso rumbles quietly, and slicks his feathers, thrusting his wings more adamantly. If it's Keereth...
Backing up towards the Pyramid, Lurai keeps the hatchling in her beak for now. The Shkrill hen may try going for her young, so no point in lowering him to the ground.
Keereth 's attention follows the hatchling, her screee of rage as seeing him snatched away yet again louder than many would think possible from such a small gryphon, her rage filled eyes focusing sharply on Lurai, wings spread, heedless of anything but the little one she has so recently claimed as her own.
Foreclaws suddenly reach up from the ground, holding Keereth's at bay, keeping her from following Lurai.
Lurai unfolds her wings, closing her grip on the weakling as the hen skreeches. Her expression as the foreclaws suddenly emerge is that of...shock, and somewhat happiness. At least she still has time...
Kosamiargi narrows his eyes as he gets closer. Indeed, it's Keereth, and she seems quite irritable, to say the least. He looks toward the other two hens as he continues to close, and realizes that one has Keereth's hatchling... The black drake lets off a loud skree, warning of his arrival, and cups even more as he dives in toward the group...
Kyriah looses what little was left in his bladder as he feels his stomach drop away, the feeling of taking off in another's beak. His expression is one of pure terror.
Keereth rips herself free of Dove's grip, ignoring the bloody trails that Dove's claws leave in the flesh of her legs, frantically she charges at Lurai, her wings spreading, ready to lift herself into the air after the stranger hen who is trying to steal her child away from her.
Raja squeaks in fear as the foreclaws thrust themselves up from the ground, and her wings flare slightly, as if warding the fighting gryphons away. Her gaze catches on the youngster held fast in Lurai's beak, and suddenly realization dawns. The child...They all just wanted the child.
Now, even Lurai's expression is that of pure terror as the hen prepares to leap at her, for the young one in her beak. She swiftly leaps off to the side, up to the third step of the Pyramid. Losing no time, she leaps off once more, opening her wings out full and beating them down hard. Oh, please wings, don't fail me now, she thinks as the wind gently glides her in the direction of the forest, her beak still closing in slightly to make sure she doesn't drop the young hatchling.
Keereth drops to the ground, rather unplesantly close to Lurai, and schreeches, "Put him down! If you hurt him, you will die, and I will make sure that it takes you years to die!"
Kosamiargi 's steep bank levels out gradually, the speed carrying him swiftly through the air. He whips across the ground, close to it, and sets his sights toward Lurai. A secondary skree, now obviously loud and close...
A wall of rock appears suddenly, forming from the ground at Lurai's feet in a heartbeat before she runs. It's not tall or wide, but it should give Lurai a second or two to *move*. Dove pulls herself free of the ground and calls out loudly, "Stop this nonsense, Shkrill! We have no intention of stealing this child, it's not even from Grylra!"
Kyriah passes out from sheer terror, going limp and easy to carry.
Keereth ignores Dove, just as she ignores the blood streaming down her legs, her wings flick and she leaps up, and just barely clears the wall, losing a bit of fur and skin from a hind leg as she does, uncaring of anything but rescuing the gryplet.
Lurai stops beating her wings as she reaches the edge of the forest, slowly turning around to face the group of Gryphons again. She hasn't yet noticed the drake yet, as she glides suprisingly quickly over towards the Pyramid, not loosening her grip on the hatchling at all.
Kosamiargi is easily on Lurai's tail, and purposefully wraps a talon about it. As yet, he's not sure what exactly is going on here, and harming others isn't forefront on his agenda for things to do. "You'd be smart to land, hen, and quickly!" His voice roars through the air, forceful and quite confident...
Dove sighs and does this the hard way... She stands, head lowered for a moment. Her feathers shimmer, her fur shines as suddenly the flashes you saw earlier become permant! A small, silver gryphon stands before you, as if she's made of liquid metal. Her eyes open, they *are* glowing bright red. She isn't standing there anymore, she is already moving fast, literally tackling Keereth to the ground, forcing both gryphons into the very rock there.
Lurai turns her head slightly, just managing to hear the drake's call. Ignoring it, she swerves down slightly, then back 'round towards the forest, hoping that made the drake lose his grip. "Forget it, drake.." She calls back, not caring whether he heard or not as she now glides over the forest for a bit, though still in view to those at the Pyramid base.
Keereth crys out, loudly as she is taken down, is she had been thinking of anything other than rescuing the child, she never would have been taken by such a move, there is a crack, such as the sound of bones breaking as she is shoved into the ground.
Kosamiargi growls quietly, and sees that this is going to take a bit more of persuasion. His grip tightens hard, and he gives a harsh pull. Even the hen's sudden turns don't throw him off, the drake having been training long and hard the last few weeks with both Kirrta and a few other strong flighted longwings to get better at tracking. His wings flare, causing drag, even as he drops the rabbit and takes hold of her tail with the second talon. "Unless you'd prefer to be taken to the ground unwillingly, and I make sure you STAY there!"
Raja stalks caustiously forward, curiousity for once overcoming her fear. She stays a distance away from the fighting, for although she was curious, she wasn't curious enough to risk herself in something that did not involve her. The way of Dove's fighting confused and frightened her, but also stirred a tiny bit of curiousity within her. How could she change colors? And how could she enter the ground and survive? Her dark-tufted tail flickers behind her as she side-steps nervously, ruffling her sandy wings uneasily.
Lurai curses silently to herself as her hopes of losing the drake fail. She turns her body back towards the Pyramid, lowering down, a couple of meters away from where the hens are. "Happy.." She mutters quietly, so that only the drake can hear.
Kosamiargi shakes his head, and promptly rears up and slams his weight down onto her back to force her to lay down. "Drop the hatchling, and get comfortable. We're probably going to be here a while. And I'd suggest staying on my good side. You're ten times more likely to leave with nothing more than the brusies from this forced planting. Understood?"
Lurai immediately opens her beak, letting the young gryplet flop over on the ground as she is forced down, groaning slightly as an answer, pain running down her back.
Kyriah flops and rolls over... he lays rather still. Still out of it.
Raja watches Lurai and Kosa with intrest, her dark eyes narrowing as Kosamiargi forces Lurai to drop the youngling. All Lurai was trying to do was protect the gryphlet while the hens fought...Or at least that's what Raja had assumed. Was Lurai attempting something more?
Dove doesn't stop holding Keereth down until the Shkrill is well sunken into the rocky ground. Keereth's head and wingtips are still sticking out of the ground, but the rest of her is encased in solid rock. She can struggle all she wants, it won't do her any good. Dove looks up sharply at Kosamiargi and Lurai. Her eyes *narrow*. She opens her beak, her voice is heard, but it's different, almost metallic and emotionless as her form. "Bring the child here, Kosamiargi. And touch the female again and you will regret it. We settle this. *Now*."
Keereth screams with insane rage and fury, beating agianst the ground with her body as best she can. You can almost hear her muscles straining against the unyielding stone, her beak gaping as she trys to snatch at Dove and kill the grylran hen.
"First tell me why the young is being snatched, and I'll think on the possibility. I would prefer we work to not have anymore bloodshed, Dove. Keereth is down, and the child is alive, so hold yourself back." He rumbles quietly, not liking the situation in the least, but, as always, working to be the voice of reason. Him being one of like...four in the whole clan who seem to do such...
Kyriah comes to, squaking in protest! He's on solid ground again, but he dosent know where he is... it's tough being young! He crawls about, mewling in despair... the friendly hen seems to be nowhere nearby.
Keereth skreeess even louder, struggling with renewed strangth, trying to get free to get to the hatchling.
Dove ignores Keereth, stepping a little closer towards Kosamiargi and Lurai, removing her from Keereth's now limited reach. She says in that same, unnerving voice, pointing at Lurai, "She and I found that child abandoned here at the pyramid, wounded. We were going to take him to Grylra to see to his wounds and feed him until his parents could be found and questioned." She just looks back at Keereth, then back to Kosa and continues. "She attacked and claims him as her own. She is his mother and has abandoned him, thus giving up all claims to him. We shall find him a proper mother who will care and love for him, not abandon him to the elements here without food or shelter. I suggest you leave yourself out of this matter further."
Lurai can do nothing more than lie limply underneath the drake, though she lifts her head as the fimiliar hen approaches..
Kyriah thrills and squaks, calling loudly, wanting food and reassurance! He is scared and feeling alone. He hears voices but they all sound angry and little like the friendly hen.
Keereth schreeches insanely as she struggles against the unyielding stone, her beak starting to tear up the ground before her, as she struggles to dig herself out of the ground, uncaring of any injury she might do to herself in her frantic stuggle to get to the little one she has claimed as her own.
Lurai tries reaching over toward the small gryphlet, trying to nuzzle him gently. Her beak barely manages to touch his tail tuft, for the drake atop her has her pinned down to far away. Instead she churrs softly to the gryphlet to calm him down.
Kosamiargi rumbles quietly, and shakes his head. His talon fists, and promptly slams down right to the Lurai's cere; a move he learned...and was the recipient of, from Kirrta, made to knock the hen out without causing any true harm. "I do not believe she was very quick to abandon that young one, Dove," He says in a fairly calm voice, as he steps away from the hen. "Not when she would defend it from clan mate and unknown alike before. Perhaps you are getting hasty, because she is Shkrill, yes?" As much as he seems very comfortable and very calm, as he makes his next to the small drake, momentarily sliding the curved side of a talon along Kyriah's flank to make him know someone is there. Instead, he's unnerved all to hell, knowing how powerful Dove is normally, and not sure just how much she can do like...like this. Not that he hasn't already seen a good showing...
Kyriah arches into Kosa's claw, then begins to attack it with his beak, thinking perhaps its a hen with food. He is surprised to find that it is not, and promptly begins to make a racket, demanding more food! He's hungry!
Raja fidgets nervously where she was. The cries of the young one, frightened and despairing, reach her, and then she could understand why all the hens were fighting over the youngling. Something maternal stirs within her, yet she holds back for the moment. What would they do to her if she attempted to comfort Kyriah? Yet...He sounded so alone. The sand-colored hen skirts around the group, staying far away from the hen inbedded in stone, and heading towards the youngling. She hesitantly nuzzles the ball of fluff, muscles tense, ready to flee if any took a step near her.
Kyriah quiets, then begins to demand food, his beak opening wide as he bobs his head, cries out, and flutters his wings. He sits up, starting to paw at the air, then rolls over only to flip right side up with the help of his legs and wings. He promptly begins to beg for food again.
Raja gently closes her beak around the soft bundle of begging gryphlet. Food...There had to be food somewhere...Her eyes come to rest on Kosamiargi's dropped rabbit, and she stalks caustiously towards it, body still tensed for flight, but her hold on Kyriah gentle. Upon reaching her destination, she drops the youngling, and begins to tear chucks out of the rabbit to feed to Kyriah.
Kyriah goes limp as he is carried but begins to beg again once he is set down. He feels the little pieces of meat offerd by the touch against his beak, then snatches it and swallows greedily. He is very quickly begging for another piece. Seems the little kit has a good appetite. Each time he swallows quickly, as if not knowing when he might get fed next, so he eats as much as he can.
Dove doesn't like what Kosamiargi did so blatantly to Lurai, but says nothng of it right now. She understands in her half-form that this could start something very bad between Grylra and Shkrill. She can't let it escalate further. Her eyes remain narrowed as she replies eerily, "I do not care whether she is Shkrill or no, she wounded this child and left it to fend for itself. How she treats her clanmates is her buisness, but it is inexcusable behavior towards a child." She looks at the struggling Keereth, then over at Raja and Kyriah. She then turns back to Kosamiargi and the unconcious Lurai beyond him. "Is this how you treat others now, Kosamiargi? Just knock them out because they listened to you? And her," she points back to Keereth, "Is that how a mother would react, trying to kill others who are trying to rescue this infant without asking what they are doing? She cares not for the child. It is an object for her to posses at best."
Keereth struggles even more to get herself free, but, the blood loss and pain quicklly take a toll upon her, and almost suddenly her eyes glaze and she passes out, thankfully just before she can hear Kyriah crying out for food.
Dove's head snaps towards Raja, "Feed the child now please. I can not stand to see him suffer like this." She turns back to Kosa, "You *will* allow that." Her tone, despite being emotionless, will brook no defiance.
Kosamiargi carefully tucks a talon beneath the drake, taking hold of him, and lifting him up. The cries for food are not unheard, but the drake...is not going to just go and get off his guard. He slowly makes his way toward the rabbit he'd gotten, the small animal laying limp and barely breathing. It's nearing death, as is, from both blood loss and the drop... "Knocking her out keeps her from trying to do something that would cause more of us to get hurt. She'll be fine, and I'll touch her no more. The drake was wounded already, and Keereth was doing her bessssst to help him. You are being quick to judge...."
Raja hangs back several feet from Kosa, having seen the drake's strength. But the youngling-he needs food, and the Shkrill drake was not giving it to him. "Fffooddd. Ittt nnnneeddss fffoodd. Gggivve! Nnoww!" Her speech was hissed, and her accent needs much practice. She watched with narrowed dark eyes as the drake moved to feed the youngling, tail twitching behind her. Her fear was still there, as strong as ever, but for now she considered Kyriah more important.
Dove shows no outward signs as she replies, looking at Keereth's now unconcious form, "And she was not quick to judge? Speak for yourself, Kosamiargi, when you can not speak for another properly." At this point, she doesn't care *who* feeds the child, as long as he gets fed. She continues after a moment. "If she was so concerned about the child's safety, she would not have attacked so carelessly. To do so put the child at risk of danger. If she had simply come talked to us and claimed she was it's mother, this could have been resolved without fighting."
Kyriah flicks his ears about, hearing the wounded rabbit, something in him gets anxious... he craws closer, sniffing as he goes. He smells food, or like something he ate before. He makes his way all the way over to the rabbit only to get kicked in the face by the rabbit's one good leg. It may be dazed, and near dead, but it knows a preditor when it sees one, reguardless of the fact that this one dosent have its eyes open. Kyriah responds by raring loudly and latching his beak onto the broken leg instictively. He has no idea what to do with it now, save try and swallow but he has never encountered fur on his food, no pieces too big to swallow. The rabbit tries to kick at him again and Kyriah dosent know to dodge. He gets clocked in the head. He just bites down harder, forceing the rabbit to pass out from pain. He trys gnawing on the leg, but that does little good, he's not too strong yet.
Kosamiargi watched the drake try to feed, and leaned down to rip some of the meat from the quickly dying rabbit. He momentarily uses the time to feed the hatchling, though working to watch Dove carefully. "She is a first time mother, Dove, and was trying to protect her young. I would expect just as much from Grylra or Windhaven to be completely distrustful and not listen to me, either. For the circumstance, she may have done what's best. And it may still -be- what is best... Now, why such a worry to rip him away from her. If you had a hatchling, and he happened to get away from you a moment, and managed to hurt himself, would you expect to be hit with 'you abandoned him, you hurt him, we're taking him away without further talks.' It sounds like that's all you wish to do.
Kyriah swallows the meat hungrilly, gulping greedily only to fetch the next piece from Kosa, before swallowing. It dosen't take too long for his crop to fill, but even full he continues to demand food, a little bit of fresh blood trickling down the side of his face. Its not his, rather the rabbits. He knew this thing was food, but had no idea what to do with it. He enjoys the feeling of it going down, soft and warm still.
Dove doesn't flinch. "If I were a first time mother who did that to a child, I would expect to be treated thusly from anyone else who actually cared. I have no intention of 'ripping him away' from anyone. I only care for his safety and right now, he is not safe, even though he was born Shkrill to a first time mother. And we do not force others to be Grylra. We only wished to see to the child and then find his parents. We had every intention of returning him to them once they were found." She turns and walks back to the still unconcious Keereth and starts pulling her from the rocky ground. The earth flows away from her body, leaving only dirty scuffs and the bruises from being tackled so forcefully. Dove then releases Keereth, letting her lay there on the ground. She walks over to Lurai, standing between her limp form and everyone else. "You had best teach her to be a better mother, Kosamiargi. If I ever find this child, or any others left out alone and wounded, I will do what I think is best for them. I suggest you wake your friend, take the child and leave now, before I lose my patience and show you what I can *really* do." Her eyes are narrowed to mere slits at this last statement.
"This is neutral ground, Dove. Things have been settled and stopped, and further aggressions past this are unneeded, and wouldn't be good for either of our aeries, and I think you know this." He lifts both Kyriah and the rabbit, carefully bringing them both to Keereth's side, then returns to feeding the young drake. Right this moment, he has no intention of leaving, nor does he exactly trust Dove not to try something sneaky at this point, given the...ehm...way she is.
Keereth twitches a little, looking rather pale, the wounds on her legs still bleeding, a bit slugishly. Dove might have noticed the amount of blood the shkrill hen had lost, wich was a fair amount, or not, but, this hen is defanatly down for the count.
Sarrasin spots Keereth and blinks as she sees the blood on Keereth's legs, the way the hen does not look healthy anymore. "Shoot." She looks around the area to scope it out, to see who is around, before slowly approaching Keereth, chirping to her, "Keereth...?" She whispers.
Dove puts her foreclaw over her breast, her eyes closing fully. After a few seconds, she pulls it away, but it's not empty. In her metallic claws she holds a small clay charm. She thinks to herself, 'Dammit, but I'm using these things up too much lately...' She walks close enough to Kosa and sets it carefully on the ground and steps back. "Make her eat it. It will heal some of her wounds and at least stop the bleeding." She offers no other comments.
Raja has settled into a slightly calmer sitting position. Now that the fighting had come to an end, her fear of the group of gryphons was begining to fade. She studies them with almost friendly gaze, tufted tailtip twitching slightly behind her.
Kosamiargi watches Dove carefully for that approach, but makes no move to be overly defensive or offensive. At the offer of the small charm and the comment, he nods softly. "...Thank you, Dove..." He leans up, and takes hold of the charm. As much as perhaps he -should- question, the black drake doesn't think as much as most of his clan-mates do, and is not paranoid. He picks the charm up, and moves to Keereth, nudging at her head. "Wake up...Need you to eat something...
Kyriah finaly stops demanding food, when he can possibly stuff no more meat down his crop. He snuggles deep into the larger drakes paws, rumbling contentedly. He stays still when the drake gets up, more drowsy and torpid than anything else.
Keereth 's beak gaps open a little, her head moving easily at Kosa's touch, but she does not seem to be coming around, her breathing shallow and slow.
Kosamiargi rumbles and takes hold of the charm in beak. Talons momentarily left away from the hatchling, gripping both upper and lower beak on Keereth, and forcing it open. He lifts her head with the talons, by the beak, and promptly shoves his own inside, forcing the charm down her throat. It may seem rough and unneeded, but it's obvious she's not doing well, and he's not going to sit around waiting for her to wake...
Sarrasin snaps her beak closed tightly, as she gets the feeling for the suituation, but she places herself near Keereth's free side, facing beak forward to her side, about four broad-wing spans away. Her first friendly face in this strange land is dying, and Sarrasin wants to be near even if unsure how to help.
Dove watches without flinching. Her glowing eyes show nothing, not even a pupil, so no one knows where her eyes actually sit. She knows the Shkrill do not believe in healers. If this one is to live and be a mother, she will need help. She only hopes the spare carry nets are still in that weird tent.
Kosamiargi sighs, watching over Keereth quietly. Finally, his attention draws away to the hatchling settled against his chest, and watches the young fluff ball quietly. He's never taken care of one of these, and, given how Keereth is... Not that he'll admit it. No need to give them a second reason to take the young male.
Keereth groans softly a momant, the healing charm at least helping to stop the bleeding, and give her a little strength, she twitches a little, then gasps softly in pain as she starts to come to.
Kyriah thrils curously? He hasn't been this close to a larger male who didnt throw him out of a nest... he isn't really sure what is going on or what he should do or is expected to do now... its all so confusing... shadows behind the noises he hears.
Sarrasin's tail begins to twitch wildly, but her small body remains sturdy; she takes comfort in the fact that no one is chasing her off, and so far, she has gone unnoticed, but she intends to stay near Keereth for however long she can, if only to know where she will end up.
Raja glances curiously over at Sarrasin, observing the hen for a moment before her gaze returns to Keereth. She truly hoped the hen would survive this episode without any crippling disabilities. After all, all Keereth had been trying to do was protect her young.
Dove walks back to check on Lurai. She is asleep on her own now. No need to wake her. She turns back to Kosa and Keereth. She notes Sarrasin's closeness to the other Shkrill and assumes she is a Shkrill or wishes to be one. So be it. In her eerie metallic voice, she says with no emotion, "She has hurt herself bad. You should take her quickly back to Fort Crag, if you think your healers there can help her without magic." She looks over at the tent, then back to the trio and continues. "There should be carrynets in there for you to transport her safely. The two of you working together should be sufficient enough to carry her and the child, Kosamiargi."
Sarrasin 's ear tufts twitch at the metallic gryphon's words (a clockwork?); it's all too confusing. and she shakes her head, with a rumble, "One thing: I don't know how to fly. So, it cannot be two working together."
Kosamiargi gives a soft little coo down toward the hatchling, a comforting sound, before he leans his head toward Keereth and nudges her. In all truth, he doesn't even know who Sarrasin is, but sees no reason to chase her off, given she does nothing more than worry over Keereth, right now. He gives a final glance over Keereth, then looks to Dove. "Have you a way to hold her down, that we would take her to Grylra to get healed. She's in poor condition, and I don't honestly think Crag would do well in helping her, at this point. But I also don't want her doing something stupid in Grylra either." He watches Dove adamantly, making a point he'd rather head that way...
Dove shows no emotions, no movements at Kosamiargi's request. It's as if she is ignoring him, standing like an imutable statue. After a minute or two of this, she nods her head. "We have some caves outside the entrance to Grylra for guests who do not wish to stay inside. I cannot hold her down, but I will ask the healers to come look at her." She looks at the tent again, "Go see if the carry nets are in there still." She looks down at Lurai and hopes she wakes soon. She does not wish to wake the now sleeping gryphoness.
Kyriah tries to mimic Kosa's coo, and comes up with a very close replica of it. It sounds a lot like Kosa does... eerily so.
Kosamiargi nods a bit...then looks to Sarrasin. "You seem to wish to help Keereth. Seek out those nets, so I can attend to this hatchling for now, if you would..." He glances back toward Dove again, and rumbles. "We're the only two who are strong enough to fly and carry her. I'm going to need your help."
Sarrasin stands up instantly at Kosami's words, her gaze seeking out the tent before her body does, which soon follows after. "I would," she replies, with a click of her beak after. She trods quickly over to the dwelling and ducks inside for a moment to try and find some nets.
The sleeping form of Lurai seems to twitch for a small moment, before her Emerald eyes suddenly become visible. Blinking heavily, the Gryphoness groans slightly, a simple 'rrrr'ing sound, before stretching out her front legs, lifting up her head slightly, oblivious to what actually happened to her.
The nets are easily found in a box. It takes a bit of doing to untangle them, but there are three decent-sized nets that look sturdy and strong enough to carry a full-grown adult.
There is the sound of banging around, before it ceases, and as Sarrasin steps out, with a few nets over her back, one perched on the top of an outstretched wing, she calls, "Found them!"
Kyriah coo's up at Kosa, repeating the sound over and over in a startlingly close mimic of his voice.
Kosamiargi chuckles quietly, looking down at the hatchling and touching beaks softly. He returns the coos a moment before he hears Sarrasin's voice once again. "Bring them, if you could, please."
Sarrasin made something easy hard, because she is nervous beyond belief, but she drags the three strong nets over to Keereth, Kosami and the gryphlet. She lowers her head to dump one off, drops her wing and flicks the other one off her severely bowed tail that springs back into shape once the net is off.
Dove looks down at Lurai and asks in her emotionless voice, "Are you okay?"
Kyriah snuggles deep against the Drake's chest, trusting him in the faithful, open, absolute way that only the young never lose.
Lurai pulls herself upright, still blinking heavily for a few minutes before answering. "Yeah..I think so." Looking around, her expression still looking confused, she asks, "How is the young one."
Kosamiargi sighs as he keeps gentle hold against the downy hatchling snuggled against his chest, and gives a slight nod toward Sarrasin. "Thank you." He leans back down, and coos to Kyriah, preening out a few of those irritating pin feathers on his head, while scritching between the bases of his immature wings with a claw...
Kyriah stretches and shifts in his grip, allowing the drake to inspect and groom him, he seems to rather enjoy it. He yawns hugely, then scratches at his ears with a hind leg, rolling over in his effort to get the itchy spot.
Dove looks up from Lurai, back to the trio as they try to sort out the nets. "The Shkrill will take care of him for now, but we must take care of her first. She is not welcome in her current state at Fort Crag, so we will take her to Grylra so the healers will help her. Despite our differences, we are all gryphons and must care for each other, no matter how distasteful we think it is." She waits until Kosa is ready and says so.
Sarrasin returns the nod to Kosami and replies, "You're welcome... Keereth is a friend of mine, I think. She was telling me about the aeries the other day, since I'm a New One." She smiles as she watches Kosami preen the gryphlet before it fades, and she turns to await any other orders.
Kosamiargi gives a playful little nudge to the fluff ball, before he finally raises. He hops over Keereth, and helps to straighten the nets out, and carefully lay them atop each other. "You say you can't fly. You may need to stay here, for the time, then. I'm going to help Keereth to Grylra, and will return with a hunt," He glances back toward Dove, "That I hope Grylra won't object to, given it will be for a New One and a hatchling." In this, he notes as well that he plans to play the caretaker of Kyriah until Keereth gets back out, at least...
Lurai frowns slightly, lifting her head higher. "What happened to her..." Groaning again as she gets to her feet, Lurai slowly and awkwardly at first walks over to the small gryphlet, churring softly.
Sarrasin nods her head. "That is true. I have met two, Keereth and another, but didn't get a chance to learn flight, though Keereth gave me a quick vocal lesson. I will stay here; I have no where else to go." She looks sheepish, as she helps with the nets and when that is done, she sits back on her haunches.
Lurai frowns slightly, lifting her head up slightly. "What happened to her.." She asks, groaning as she tries getting to her feet. Once she manages, she sits back on her haunches.
Eventually, Keereth and child are taken by carrynet, as is Sarrasin despite her words, quickly to the outskirts of Grylra by Lurai, Kosamiargi and the still metallic Dove. It is not an easy task, but it gets done. Keereth is set up in an unused cave there.
***********
Unexpected Trail - Churnel Mountain Cluster
It seems strange that there would be a trail here, but there is, running north south and it has had a fair bit of use, too. The trail is rutted with wheel marks and hoof prints. North the trail descends slowly out of the mountain cluster to an area where the two rivers split just south of Lake Evarim. The path continues southwards for a bit, and then curves westward. You can see a respectable distance to the east, over the forest and across the Tyber river. The land here is beautiful and green, the air still damp with morning mist, though the two glowing red suns are slowly burning it away.
Dove returns after a long while, looking like her normal white self again, although she looks very tired. Behind her follows a female gryphoness with a large sling pouch over her back. This gryphoness doesn't look happy, but looks into the cave and sees Keereth. "I take it she's the one, Dove?" Dove nods. The gryphoness goes over to Keereth and starts looking her over first. She asks questions as she goes. "You said you gave her one of my simple healing charms? Hmmm, you really did a number on this one, Dove, although I'm surprised she's not cut up all over. What'd you do, beat her with a stick?" Dove just sighs and says, "Yes, I gave her one of your charms and no, I did not beat her with a stick. I was forced to restrain her and she struggled until she passed out." She doesn't explain how Keereth's forearms got so badly cut, though.
Keereth just lays there, a soft moan coming from her after a little while, pale from bloodloss, and pain, one wing bent in a way that does not seem all to natural, but, at lest she does not seem to be bleeding, visably at lest.
Sharyah, the healer, just sighs and gets to work. She's a healer after all and this is a gryphon in need of her help. They can sort out politics later. She shrugs her sling pouch off and pulls out bandages, small pots and a small box. She sets them around her in arm's reach and goes back to examining Keereth. She doesn't care for the look of that wing. She motions Dove over. "You did this, you're gonna help. Hold her down while I try to reset this wing..."
Keereth groans softly, starting to finally come to, her wings attempting to twitch, and one of the cuts on her legs opening, to leak a thin trickle of blood, not serious or anything, or maybe it is, for one who has lost so much blood already.
Dove walks over and isn't sure how to hold Keereth down at all without hurting her further. She stands there cunfused. Sharyah looks up at her and exhales sharply. "Don't stand there like an idiot, grab her beak and forearms so she doesn't rip the daylights out of anyone. This will not feel good, you know." Dove looks a bit sheepish and leans down to whisper to Keereth, "Sorry it came to this, but try to hang in there, okay? The child is fine, you however are not." She holds Keereth as instructed, as best as she can. When Sharyah is happy with this, she grabs the broken wing on either end of the break and feels it around for a few minutes, then grips tight and *twists*. Audible crunching can be heard as bone is reset rather violently. She keeps a hold of the wing in one claw and with practiced ease scoops up a special bandage from the small box. She slaps it as gently as possible over the wing where the break is and grabs the wing again with that claw while the magic from the bandage is used to help heal the bone more properly.
Keereth is rather incoherent at first, blinking her eyes to clear them of the fog of pain, trying to remember what all has happened, she does not really hear the healer, or Dove for that matter, other than as indistinct sounds, but she sees Dove good enough to atempt to attack, but she is too weak to do much of anything, and it does distract her from the healer messing with her wing, untill the healer twists her wing, and she skreeesss sharply in pain, shuddering a little.
Dove winces in sympathetic pain at Keereth's skree, but knows that this is the best way. She trusts Sharyah, so she just follows instructions. Sharyah has her help fold the wing back up and hold it still while Sharyah puts splint boards on either side and starts to wrap the whole thing somewhat heavily for now. Dove is then shoo'ed away as Sharyah continues her examining of Keereth. She pokes and prods at the bruises, but more importantly, where it's not discoloring yet.
Keereth groans, becoming aware of her suroundings, giving a little shake of her head, she says, somewhat slured, "Whaa?" Her ear-tufts flicking back a little as she feels the splint being placed on her wing, wincing.
Sharyah stops briefly in her examining when Keereth shows better signs of conciousness. She leans down and says in a soft, friendly voice, "Shush, dear. You're hurt and I'm a healer. Now be a good girl and hold still a little longer, okay?" She then goes back to poking and prodding Keereth's body. She may not care for Shkrill, but she's a healer first and foremost.
Sarrasin stays out from underclaw and talon, as she sits away from the healer and Keereth, watching the interaction with a curious expression.
Keereth blinks, actualy managing to make out two words of the healer, she nods a little, before hissing out, "Must be able to fly." Her eyes closed as the healer continues to poke and prod her body.
Sharyah nods while examining and says softly to Keereth, "You will, dear, just not for a while yet. You broke the bone in your wing, but luckily, it was a simple break. I put a healing cloth on it and it's now splinted up. No moving or trying to move it until I say otherwise, promise?"
Keereth shakes her head, keeping her eyes closed, "Must be able to fly, feed little one."
Dove doesn't know what to do as well, so just stays back and waits until needed again.
Sharyah is examining Keereth's other wing just to make sure nothing's wrong there and tells Keereth, "The little one is just fine. Your drake is caring for him as we speak. I'm going to look the little one over after I'm done with you. Can you tell me what you can about him, what wounded him...anything?" She stretches the wing out and feels it over with a praticed claw.
Keereth shakes her head a little, "Found him like that, other day, was gonna take to windhaven for healing, gotta watch him, he likes to wander.
Sarrasin nods her head from where she sits, "Keereth was taking good care of him when I met them yesterday."
Dove just blinks as she hears this. She doesn't know whether to believe Keereth though, if it weren't for the fact that she's enough out of it to not try lying. She says nothing right now, letting Sharyah handle things from here.
Sharyah nods absently, now flexing the wing while prodding muscles here and there. "Did you find him at the pyramid, or elsewhere and took him to the pyramid after? I take it you are not his mother. Do you know who the parents are?" She's asking questions, not interrogating. Her tone remains professional throughout all this.
Sarrasin snorts softly and begins to pace a bit, beak clicking, almost as if she is frustrated, head and eyes snapping to the most vocal on the trail.
Keereth bobs her head, distracting herself from the pain with her words, and the healer's words, her closed eyes helping her to not think about how badly she might be hurt, or what happened to get her so badly hurt, "Found him, cold, and starving, something was hunting him, but, I had it for dinner befor it had him."
Dove watches Sarrasin almost idly, while listening to the conversation between healer and patient.
Sharyah nods and settles the wing back down, assured that it's fine enough. She puts a spread foreclaw gently on Keereth's side and with a little pressure, starts feeling around for anything tender or broken. "What have you been feeding him and how often?"
Sarrasin stops for a moment, confused at a tingling running in her body, and she looks up toward Dove and smiles a little to the now normal-looking Dove, a thousand questions bursting in mind but no desire to actually speak up. Better to be ignorant for the time being; all Sarrasin knows is the other gryphon helped the wounded Keereth. She returns to pacing, perhaps nervous or unnerved.
Keereth twitches as the healer presses against a cracked rib with her foreclaws before saying, "Anything I can catch, deer yesterday, and whenever he is hungry."
Dove just sits there, looking *very* tired at the moment. She looks back when Sarrasin looks at her, but says nothing as nothing was said first by Sarrasin. She looks over at Sharyah and Keereth silently now.
Keereth says, "Only had him a few days, abandoned at the peramid, by some other gryphon I think, took him in, he wants to be shkrill, poor thing."
Sarrasin tries to chime in again, "I shared the deer with Keereth and the gryphlet the other day."
Sharyah nods, noting the twitch as she presses. She continues to feel that area, adding slightly heavier pressure to feel as much as she can. She ignores the comments about being Shkrill and focuses on her work. "How badly does it hurt when I press here. And no tough-gryphon act, please. I'm only here to help."
Keereth gasps, sharply a momant, a shudder shivering thorugh her, she hisses out, "PRetty badly, right there, a little in the other places."
Nodding, Sharyah goes to her box of healing cloths and pulls out two more strips. She places these across the length of rib that is giving the most pain. She calls Dove over and has her stand on the other side of Keereth. To Keereth, she asks, "Can you stand for just a few seconds? I need to wrap some bandages across your chest to hold these cloths down and to keep your chest tight so that cracked rib doesn't go anywhere."
Keereth bobs her head, "I think so." And she puts words to action, staggering up onto her feet, the hurt wing splayed a little, "Good nuff?"
Sharyah nods and quickly gets to work wrapping the bandage over Keereth's back to Dove who in turn hands it back across under Keereth's belly. They go around about five or six times and then Sharyah nods and says, "Okay, you can lay back down now. Thank you."
Keereth just drops down, right where she is, trying hard not to let it show how much standing like that cost her.
Sarrasin stops pacing and looks toward those helping Keereth. She however dances on all fours, her kinked tail quivering behind her, watching as Keereth rolls to her feet, and the bandages are applied by Dove and Sharyah.
Dove backs up out of Sharyah's way but doesn't get far as Sharyah asks her to go get some wood for a fire. The cave has a small, ventilated firepit to the side of the entrance to warm the cave up and drive away the chill of night. "You know this drill well, Dove. Time for my special tea. Now get going!" She snaps the order like a pro, causing Dove to scurry off rather quickly for the requested wood. Sharyah chuckles softly and starts looking over the cuts on Sharyah's forearms. "Okay, I'll bite. How'd you get these? ...judging from the angle, they slashed downwards, but that means you had to be on top of whoever did this..."
Sarrasin looks up sharply, ear tufts pinned forward, curiously.
Keereth says shortly, "Dove." and that is all she will say on the mater.
Sharyah looks oddly at the claw marks and just shakes her head. She reaches over for a jar and a couple rolls of smaller bandages and gets settled in front of Keereth. She opens the jar, the contents of which smell strong, but not quite nasty. She looks the wounds over, and hmms, looking around. She gets back up and pulls a waterskin from the pouch and returns with it, a small bowl and a cloth. She starts by pouring the water in the bowl and then dipping the cloth in the water. She starts the slow process of cleaning any dirt or dried blood from the cuts before she puts the medecine on it. After a while, Dove returns with a large sling pouch full of small pieces of firewood. She gets to work at the firepit getting a fire going with the help of another charm from one of the other mages. Firesticks are a good thing.
Sarrasin hrrs softly, but with what Keereth told her before yesterday... nevermind, she won't focus on that currently, maybe later.
Keereth cocks her head a little, her eyes opening to watch the healer as the gashes on her legs are delt with, it takes a while to get them proerly clean, dried blood and dirt cake the wounds.
Keereth wonders if the healer even notices the rather unpleasant looking scar on her throat, or the thinness of her body. Long as she been living alone.
Sharyah looks over as Dove eventually gets the fire started and gets a small kettle and waterskin from the sling pouch and starts some water boiling. She turns her attention back to Keereth's forearms and when she's eventually finished with the cleaning, she takes a claw and scoops up a large glob of some of the thick goop and begins smearing it on thick all over the wounds, making sure to pack it in good. It stings pretty bad, and she knows it, so she has a firm grip with the arm she's working on with her other foreclaw. "I know this stings, but hang in there. It should go numb soon." When she is finished covereing all the gashes on one forearm, she starts to cover it all with the bandages, mummifying the whole lower forearm rather efficiently. After she is satisfied and ties it off, she gets to work doing the same to the other forearm.
Keereth blinks, her head cocking a little, a slight stiffening of her posterior all the sign she shows of the sting of the medicines, staring at what the healer is doing to her forelegs, her tail twitching a little.
Sarrasin watches with a suitable curious expression, how the healer works on Keereth, trying to avoid looking at Dove, from which she remembers the black drake using toward her.
Dove tries to not act impatient as the fire takes it's sweet time getting hot enough and then for the water to start boiling. As it starts to heat up, she goes over to Sharyah's sling pouch and reaches in, pulling out a small jar with it's lid tied down tight. She carries it over to the water and starts to untie the lid. Once free, the lid is removed and Dove carefully pulls out dried leaves, putting a few into the water. She then tilts the jar into her cupped claw, letting the leaves hit it, but not fall out. It's the dust at the bottom of the jar she wants now. She pours out a small clawfull and adds that to the water. She then wipes her hand over the water to get as much of the powdered herbs in as possible before tying the lid back on. She returns the jar to Sharyah's pouch and waits for the tea to cook. It smells quite pleasing, actually.
Keereth watches the healer, rather deliberatly not looking at Dove as her forelegs are bandaged.
Sharyah finally finishes with the bandaging and takes care to wipe her hand off with the cloth from the water and then put all her materials away carefully. She takes the used water to the entrance and tosses it out across the ground before returning and putting it away as well. She looks over at the tea and nods, "Almost done. Pour a couple cups out of it when it's done, please, Dove." She goes to sit near Keereth. She looks her over again, noting this and that. The worst is taken care of. The rest will just take time and patience...and fresh meat. She asks softly, "Is that better, young lady?"
Keereth bobs her head a little, a soft chuckle coming from her, "As most will tell you, I am no lady." But she does offer the healer a beaktap, a rather grand geture from a shkrill posable, before asking the quistion that is almost formost on her mind, "How long before I can fly? I am shkrill, if I cannot fly, they will kill me."
Sarrasin lays her ear tufts back at such information from Keereth, but it's only momentary; Sarrasin supposes it is survival of the fittest in this world.
Sharyah returns the beaktap and sighs at the question. "I'm not exactly sure. Depending on how well you heal and other factors, I'd say a month, tops. As I said before, it was a simple break. I reset the bones properly, I hope, and set a healing cloth on it. It's sort of like one of the charms I make, but it's on a cloth and is slowly absorbed by the skin. A longer-lasting healing charm, if you will. The wing is splinted and bandaged. Leave it as such for two weeks. This will drive anyone batty, much less a proud Shkrill such as yourself." She gets serious and says, "But you *must* sqash the feelings and leave the bandages alone. I will check back in one week and change the healing cloth, but it will have to be re-wrapped for one more week thereafter. If you try to remove it and move the wing, you could risk damaging it and your chances of proper flight." She points at the bandage around Keereth's chest and says softly again, "Now that can come off when you think it is ready. By ready, I mean when it's not so hard to breath and feels less tender. There are healing cloths there as well. You must resist the temptation to just remove it, you must be sure you are better first. I'd give it a week at least, if I were you." She then points at Keereth's forearms. "Now those will require constant attention. You have two options here. I can come back each day and repeat the cleaning and applying, or..." she looks at Sarrasin, not knowing she's a New One and says, "..your friend there can do it." She asks Sarrasin, "I assume you were watching what I was doing, young lady?"
Sarrasin 's crest feathers flare forward when the question is asked of her, and she says, "Yes, I was watching for the most part." She doesn't mention she is a New One. "However, will I be trusted to do a good job - with practice perhaps."
Keereth cocks her head a little, "A month? I must stay here a month before I can fly again? How will I eat, how could I feed the little one? Better to die quick and relativly painlessly than to die slowly of starvation.
Keereth notes, for clarifacation, that shkrill would not tend one who was sick, they would mostly be stuck fending for themselves, or maybe, have friends who would bring them anything they had extra.
Sharyah just looks at Keereth like she's a silly gryphlet. She smiles and says softly, "You are our guest right now. I shall see that enough food is brought for both you and the little one." Her smile deepens, "Besides, I never said you can't walk." She looks at the bandaged arms and says, "Although I'd take it easy these first few days until you can be a little more steady on your feet." She looks Keereth in the eyes and says, "Grylra differs from the Shkrill in that we all take care of each other. When one can not do one thing, they learn another way to be of help to the rest. I suggest you think on this, young lady. But until we get you more fit to walk around, you're just going to have to stay here and care for the little one, now aren't you?"
Sarrasin is not sure exactly how things go in this world but thinks one month should not be that long; she only wishes she wasn't a new beast here, non-understanding on how this is working out - someone who attacked, now helping heal? She doesn't get it.
Keereth bobs her head a little, "Allright." She says, drooping a little, it's clear she is not happy about having to be dependant apon another, but, its not the first time.
Sharyah sighs and stands up. She walks over to her sling pouch and talks as she puts it back down with practiced ease. "I know it must be hard for you to accept being in such a helpless position, but we all have to go through it at some point or so in our lives, a time where we rely on others. But we learn to accept it and find ways, even if it's later, to make up for such kindness. I must go now, I have a couple other gryphons to go see to on my daily rounds. I will be back to check on you and bring more salve and bandages for your forearms. If you have an emergency, don't hesistate to send for me or any other healer, and that goes for anything with the gryphlet, too." She taps beaks with Keereth before shooing Dove out ahead of her.
Keereth bobs her head a little and settles down to rest, taking the gryplet from Kosa and holding him close.
Sarrasin watches Dove and the healer leave, her expression thoughtful, before turning arund to see Keereth rest off with the gryphlet. Not knowing where else to go, Sarrasin also lays out to rest, but keeps her eyes open, too nervous to doze.