GRYPHON GUILD: FOURTH WAVE
Jooshie stretched, lifting his stiff crest of black and grey hair. Opening his eye a fraction, he glanced down at the empty space on the couch. His mate, Acyd, had only been gone more than a day, yet her loss hit him deep. He feared for her safety, yet knew that she could very well take care of herself. The huge black dragon considered falling back asleep when there was a knock at his dormitory door. Rising, he padded over, his claws clicking on stone only when his feet strayed from the carpets.
Sitting politely in front of the door were two of his kind: a lithe silver and a furry blue-white- black. SilverMoon and Raekkenyia, dragonesses both. They each wore excited expressions -- eye ridges raised, mouths slightly parted.
"Wot's up?" Jooshie's voice was slurred a bit, as he was half-awake.
Their arms shot out and grabbed him, dragging him from his room.
"Hey! What's going on?"
"They're making two Waves!" SilverMoon told him, pulling on his upper arm. "C'mon! We have to sign up!"
Jooshie dug his hind claws in. "Whoa!" he said, yanking himself free. "Who is doing what?"
Raekkenyia sighed heavily. "Sparhawk, Tser, FeatherStorm and Crystal!" She jabbed him in his side. "Second Wave found First, so they're sending out two more to help them! Understand?"
Jooshie's eyes widened. "Are they okay?"
SilverMoon shrugged. "From what we've heard, First is in pretty bad shape. Second's in hiding, but they can see them."
The black let loose pent-up air; at least Acyd was safe. "Where's the sign-up sheet?"
"The common room," the silver dragoness said, turning. Together, the three jogged down the hallway and into the Guild's common room. Many Guilders were already there, jostling for position. There was several sheets hanging on the wall, so the dragons each took a line. When it was Jooshie's turn, he took the pen, added his name and a quick reason why he wanted to join.
SilverMoon and Raekkenyia were waiting for him then he was through. They walked down the hall, past Crystal Phoenix and Raena's offices. The doors to both were wide open, since the golden immortal was in conference with the other Guild higher-ups; Raena was in Second, therefor unavailable. They continued past Stormy Pillowgryph and Sparhawk's offices; Jooshie wondered is the zerg-infested weregryphoness was alright, since none of Second's reports included sightings of her. Exiting through the door at the end of the hallway, the three dragons found their favorite sunning ledge free.
Jooshie took the center depression, SilverMoon on his left and Raekkenyia next to her. The silver spoke first. "What are our chances of being accepted?"
Jooshie cupped his chin in his huge hands. A gentle breeze blew through his black-grey crest and Raekkenyia's fur. He looked at the lithe metallic out of one eye. "We don't know what kind of formula they're using to put the Waves together." He ran a claw along the stone, tapping his tail tip as he thought. "Spar likes intellectuals, Tser is for strategy, FeatherStorm for strength, and Crystal -- well, she's . . . I don't know."
"She's a warrior," SilverMoon put in. "She'd want a well-balanced team."
"But she's a magess," Raekkenyia argued, gesturing as she spoke. "She's likely to have a bias. That leaves me and Joosh out."
**Not necessarily,** a voice said.
Hackles raised, scales upright, the three dragons braced themselves, eyes darting for the source of the voice -- nothing but rock, trees and the sun.
SilverMoon sat on her haunches. "It's not worth it." She looked down to the Guild training ground where several members were already honing their skills. "Want to go down?"
Raekkenyia flicked a tufted ear; she didn't care either way. Jooshie shrugged. Whatever it took to bring Acyd and the others back home safe. They coasted off the ledge, spiraling in lazy circles before angling off to the edge of the grounds. The giant black happened to land next to Amethyst, the only unicorn in the Guild. She jumped back, ears pinned, before recognizing him.
"Falling stars, Jooshie! You know that scares me!"
"Sorry. Did you sign up, too?"
She nodded, white mane flopping against her graceful neck. "Well, I'll see you later, then," he said, stepping onto the field. SilverMoon squared off with him, lowering her shining body in draconic challenge. They met with a smack of flesh that resounded and caused the others to stare.
Jooshie lowered his head and made a feint towards SilverMoon's neck with his horns. They cut through thin air as the dragoness arched away from him. Her tail snaked around his left ankle; grasping her forearms, Jooshie heaved, ripping himself free. SilverMoon's beat, regaining her balance. They couldn't take to the air: it was already filled with the gigantic form of Dracana -- all 200 feet of her. Somehow, Raekkenyia had managed to get a session with the bipedal dragoness.
Dragonfire and waves of psionics fired by Dracana appeared sporadically as Raekkenyia twisted and turned, using her agile body to escape them. So entranced by the aerial dance were they, that no one noticed an ice-shaded bird rise from the lake. Carrying a medium-sized package strapped to his chest, the avian winged his way to the Guild postal office. Placing the bundle in the "Packages" slot, he turned and streaked back to the lake, disappearing into it without disturbing the waters.
*~*~*~*~*
"It is nearly complete."
"We should never have let it progress this far."
"Patience, Maelsis."
"Don't You patience Me, Lux Aeterna!" the golden Dragoness said, sighing heavily. She turned to the other two of the Conference. "What say You?"
"Our children have done well," the second golden Being told Her. "I cannot ask for more."
"Solarius is right," Raan'lath the Protector said, folding His paws. "Interaction at this point in time isn't advised."
The Truelight shook Its blazing head. "You say this, yet You authorized Solarius' communication with the dragons!"
Solarius' diamond eyes narrowed. "It was not as if I was giving them any more encouragement than usual." He turned His gaze to the small enaejar pool before Them. "I simply stated a fact, which is completely within the lines, Aeterna. I have the right, You know."
"You are biased, Solarius," Maelsis said pointedly, tapping Her tail against Her thigh.
The Phoenix god's head lowered til He was staring at Them over the top of His black-tipped beak. "We all have Our favorites, Maelsis," He growled. "You have Dracana, Lux Aeterna has Illucian, Raan'lath has Raena Stormcaller, and I have Ythe Shekeira!"
"You must let go of Your mortality, Solarius," Truelight murmured. "Such passion is frowned upon, though in certain cases, as such You have named, it is acceptable."
"And Who decides such rules?" Solarius countered, eyes flaring. "Not You, nor Anyone else here! They are tevensar -- stupid! You follow such idiocies like mindless puppies! Make Your own destiny, Aeterna. I did."
The Protector took one look at the faces of Maelsis and Lux Aeterna before deciding to leave. Let Them chew on that for a while, He thought with satisfaction. Together, He and Solarius left, taking the small enaejar pool with Them.
*~*~*~*
The Guild was called into the common room a day later for the announcing of the new Wave members. Sparhawk stood before them, his deep bass reaching all. "Third Wave: Tyreenya, Jaejoria, Maly, Poison, Kyara, Talaisan, Tigress."
One after the other, those of the Third came up and received their war collars.
"Fourth Wave! Undine, Jooshie, Amethyst, Alan, Rikiji, SilverMoon, Kreatyl, Raekkenyia."
Jooshie couldn't believe his ears. A horn prodded him in the thigh. "Well, Joosh?" Amethyst. "C'mon! Let's get our collars!" With enthusiasm, the unicorn mare trotted up to FeatherStorm.
The copper gryphoness nodded when they approached. Eight plain Phoenixian war collars -- each equipped with a tiny teleson for inter-Wave communication -- lay on a table beside her, each of varying sizes. A small sapphire half-globe perched on one corner. FeatherStorm held in her hand a tiny crystal vial full of translucent blue liquid. She placed the vial on the table when they all were seated before her. The gryphoness' thoughts mirrored her colleague's.
Jooshie was a strong individual, and he was their unanimous choice for Fourth's leader. SilverMoon and Raekkenyia possessed the strength and common sense needed on a mission that required not only the physical, but the mental. They would probably have to break into First's prison, and though gryphons were strong, they did not possess the brute, primordial strength of a dragon. Amethyst was chosen based on her surefootedness, and a skill that only her kind possessed: the ability to track anyone anywhere, all based on their thoughts. The skill had its limits, though -- it only gave an approximate location.
Undine, the grey chinchilla-snowowlgryph, was picked because of his enhanced sight and hearing. His job would be to scan for the enemy and pick up anything unusual as they made their trip. Rikiji the grybbit was an odd combination of creatures: rabbit head and hind, albatross fore and eagle's wings, all packed into one bundle. His small stature would serve him well, should they need to search an enclosure too tiny for anyone else. That left Kreatyl and Alan; their aerial expertise was to be valued in their position as scouts. The two were similar in temperament, but not in body structure: auger-buzzard Kreatyl was more muscular, while blue Alan was built streamline.
FeatherStorm explained this all in detail, handing out the collars as she did so. " 'Kenyia, I want you to take the Tsurieth; Crystal will show you how to use it once she's done with Tyr. The rest of you have been briefed, and I want to know now -- are there any questions?" The copper gryphoness locked eyes with each of the Fourth; sensing no queries, she dismissed them to gather any relevant materials. Amethyst she retained.
"What's up?" the white mare asked, blinking long-lashed eyes.
FeatherStorm held up the crystal vial. "This was given to us by Lady Blackmoon. It contains a powerful marching potion; with it, you will be able to grow wings and fly with the rest of Fourth." Amethyst's lavender eyes widened considerably and her ears swept back marginally.
"Fly?" she choked, disbelieving.
FeatherStorm nodded. "If you take a drop every few hours, you will retain the wings. Do not take more than that." She motioned the unicorn to follow her. Once they were away from the rest of the Guild, secure with the Fourth, did FeatherStorm continue. "Malystryxx did warn me that the first time will be painful. After you are done, the wings will fall off and disappear."
Amethyst nodded. To fly was a gift, a gift she would treasure for as long as she had it. FeatherStorm took out the stopper, motioning for the unicorn to stick out her tongue. The potion was more vile than she expected; as soon as she touched it, her tongue began to burn. Fire spread down her throat, into her belly; soon, it seemed, her whole body was on fire. It flashed through her for a brief, but lasting, moment, and then there was a pop and a rush of feathers.
Amethyst tucked her gold-hoofed hind under her belly, leveling herself with her silver-fore. The white wings stuck out stiffly, quivering in their newness. FeatherStorm took the unicorn mare to an area of the Guild that opened up into a massive courtyard, high above the land. The dragons used this as a landing area before coming in through the main doors if they weren't in a hurry. There, the copper gryphoness taught Amethyst how to fly.
All too soon, it seemed, Crystal's voice called out: "Al'kchoktal Semir Tourn'dae" -- May the winds of Eternity guide you safely home. The Guild doors opened and clear sky stood before them.
Jooshie led the charge outside, followed by SilverMoon, Alan, Raekkenyia, Undine, Amethyst, and Rikiji. The three dragons fanned out, Jooshie to the fore, SilverMoon to the right and Raekkenyia on the left; in this way, they protected the flanks while breaking the tough air for the rest. Immediately, Amethyst tuned her thoughts through her horn, casting far and deep for First Wave's signatures.
Undine winged silently beside her, her unspoken bodyguard. Though a cross of two small creatures, Undine was not small in size -- he was as large as a draft horse, and with his owl cunning, not only silent, but deadly as well. His large tufted ears constantly swivelled, picking up the physical sounds in complement to Amethyst's mental. While part of him was all for the mission, the giant chinchilla-snowgryph couldn't help but worry about his mate, Regal Tigress.
"Thinking about Tigress?" Kreatyl cast a knowing eye in the male's direction. The augergryph's copper eyes twinkled with good humor.
A smile crept across Undine's face, crinkling the skin about his eyes and the corners of his beak. "But of course!"
Amethyst suddenly snorted in disgust. Undine's ears rotated towards her. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing! I feel nothing!"
"What exactly are you looking for?"
Amethyst's ears twitched in annoyance, nostrils flaring. "Their thought patterns."
"And you can't find them?" Kreatyl arched an eye ridge in disbelief.
"I'm doing everything right -- channeling through the spirals, adjusting for time, thinking what they're thinking --"
"That's it!" Kreatyl shouted, startling her. "You're not thinking what they're thinking!" He was met with blank stares. "Pain," he clarified. "They're thinking pain -- and fear. You have to focus on that instead."
Amethyst's eyes widened. "How stupid of me. It never crossed my mind! Thanks, Kreatyl."
"No prob."
*~*~*~*
"SOLARIUS! We want to speak with You!"
Raan'lath raised His flaming head as the pounding grew louder. How did they gain access to the Nexus? he thought with irritation.
"Solarius!"
Snarling, the Protector launched Himself at the door, trying to hold the immortals back. With a crunch the door to Nefari'raesonex was broken, and the flame-colored liongod was thrown clear.
Blazing deities crowed through, eyes on fire. Solarius skidded in, crest erect, nares smoldering.
"How DARE You!" He shouted.
"You were warned, Phoenix," One hissed from the back. "No further interference!"
"And I told You, You have no jurisdiction over Me!" the golden Phoenix shouted back, seeming to grow as He got angrier. "You have no idea what You are talking about, so I suggest You get yourselves gone!"
Another immortal let loose an explicative. Protector struck out, raking Him with His claws. "Begone!" He snarled. "You have no right to dictate to Us what We do! None of Your people are involved -- what do You care about some Guilders? Tell Me that, O wise Ones! We never had this problem before, so why, now, do You come forward, claiming such rubbish?"
They started to speak, when a loud noise began to issue from Solarius; the great Phoenix was glowing, and not just His eyes. "RAGE!"
A torrent of Flames swirled in conical tornado, aimed directly for the immortals. The attack smashed into Them, blowing the deities through the door and out into the Void between planes. The Protector trotted up and promptly shut the hole in Nefari'raesonex.
"Nice."
Solarius let loose a small trickle of fire. "Shall We continue Our observance?"
*~*~*~*
Amethyst finally honed in on the greatest source of pain coming from the First Wave -- Illucian. So great was the ludrakoni's torment, the white mare shed tears of grief, the pain flowing through to her. When Jooshie called for rest, she gratefully folded her aching wings. They landed in a small meadow by a tiny pond.
"The potion, Amethyst," Undine reminded her, holding the stopper out. She nodded, sticking out her tongue. The vile liquid seared her senses for a moment, but it passed, and she felt renewed.
Jooshie fingered his war collar, looking out over his group. He noticed Amethyst following Malystryxx's instructions, SilverMoon and Raekkenyia bathing in the pond; the others lounged about, conserving energy. He did a quick count: six -- where was Rikiji?
Spinning, Jooshie spied the grybbit on the far edge of the pond, away from the dragonesses' splashing. He walked over and sat beside the smallest of the Fourth. The black dragon dug a loaf of bread and several apples from his harness pouch.
"Hungry?"
Rikiji's head came up and he smiled. "Yes, thank you," he said, taking one apple and biting into it.
"What made you volunteer?" Jooshie asked conversationally, ripping a large chunk off the loaf.
The grybbit shrugged. "To prove something to myself, I guess. To help my fellow Guilders, too." He craned his neck up at Jooshie. "And you?"
A wistful look passed over Jooshie's face. "To help the Guild -- and for my mate, Acyd."
Rikiji nodded. "She's the colorful one, right?"
"We have many bright Guilders, Rikiji. Acyd's the white one with the purple mohawk --"
"Oh, I know her she went with Second."
It was Jooshie's turn to nod. He passed a wedge of cheese and some more bread; Rikiji accepted them and ravenously stuffed his face.
Jooshie laughed. "Where do you put it all?"
The grybbit swallowed before answering. "Small body -- high metabolism."
Patting Rikiji on the back, Jooshie got up and wandered to where SilverMoon and Raekkenyia were sunning.
.
Soon, it was time to leave. Amethyst once again tuned into Lux's pain and they were off. Airborne, Raekkenyia turned to the Tsurieth.
**Crystal here,** came the golden immortal's voice; a tiny picture of her formed in the globe. She was using mindspeech for privacy. **How fares the mission, 'Kenyia?**
**Amethyst's got a lock-on using the pain generated by Lux. We're nearly there, Crys.**
Black tinted Crystal's thoughts. **Good, then. Contact me when you get there. I'll need to tell Third.**
**Any word from them?**
**No, not yet. I'm not worried though. Take care, 'Kenyia.**
**You bet, Crystal.**
Alan watched as the furred dragoness tucked the Tsurieth away. A writer by profession, the blue gryphon was trying to capture as many details of the excursion as he could. "What did she say?"
Raekkenyia rolled an eye in his direction, startled. "Just a report," she told him. "Nothing serious."
Pulling his writing tablet from his harness pouch, Alan retrieved the pen he'd placed in the side of his war collar. "Talked to CP," he wrote, "nothing serious." Jotting down a few more notes, Alan put the pad and pen back into their places.
"Writing a novel, Al?" Kreatyl asked curiously.
"Of sorts."
"You had best put your tools away," Undine said softly. "We are nearly there."
The sky had darkened considerably since their leaving the meadow; bands of blue-black and deep purple traced themselves across the wide expanse, tiny pinpoints of light breaking through. A mountain peak rose to their front, the topmost in a chain of behemoths.
Jooshie halted in his flight, hovering in awe. Amethyst drew abreast of the black. "That one," she told him, thrusting her horn in the peak's direction. The white mare's voice trembled and she was shaking.
"Alan. Kreatyl."
The two gryphons came over, both serious now. Jooshie pointed to the mountain. "Go and scout it out." They nodded, adjusting their war collars as they left.
Night seemed to come in an instant, the moment they passed beyond the sight of Fourth. A full moon hung ominously in the distance. Kreatyl seemed to melt into the darkness, while Alan's blue coloration deepened to match. They circled the peak, one to the left, the other to the right, all their senses on hyper alert.
Alan touched the small teleson on his collar. **Kreatyl, I see a landing spot. Shall we go?**
There was a small breeze and Kreatyl materialized, his white markings glowing faintly in the moonlight.
**It doesn't seem right that they'd leave that unguarded,** the auger buzzard-gryph replied, craning his neck and widening his pupils to the fullest. Every detail of the flat peak came into perspective, every nook and crevice seen unto him. **Let's go down.**
Adjusting their pinions, Kreatyl and Alan spiraled lower, halting a little more than a hundred feet above the mountain. On either side, more peaks raised their timeless spires to the heavens. A veritable fortress, protected on all sides from invaders.
Alan whistled through his nares -- softly. On inspiration, he whipped out his tablet and pen, sketching quickly.
**What are you doing?** Kreatyl managed to hiss via mindspeech.
**Increasing our options.**
**By doing what?**
A sheaf of paper was thrust into his face. "Battle plans," Alan said flatly. "If I think this through correctly, we can use these -- er, sketches -- to formulate some sort of alternative plan of attack if need be."
Kreatyl studied the sketch. Crude though it was, Alan had mapped out every available angle. "Wait til Aeris gets a hold of you!" he said with admiration. "He'll want to get you enlisted!"
Alan shook his head. "Not the military type?" the auger asked with a half-smile. "Me neither."
They turned from the scene and returned to where Fourth waited.
Jooshie, Raekkenyia and SilverMoon studied the sketches critically. As the dragons, they needed to know every spot on the peak, if worse came to worse, and they had to protect it.
Jooshie gave the plans to Raekkenyia. She put them in her harness pouch, right next to the Tsurieth.
"We go in."
They flew in silently, using Undine's unequaled sense of hearing as a precaution. No one spoke -- not verbally, nor through the telesons. First to land were the dragons, forming a deadly triangle at the pinnacle points of the peak. Amethyst, Undine and Rikiji followed not long after, the grey gryphon going to the fore, ears pointed to the heavens. Lastly, Kreatyl and Alan, the two scouts making final rounds about the peak.
As Kreatyl touched down, his hind claws skittered across a slab of stone. He froze, moving his foot carefully away. Gesturing, he signaled the others. Raekkenyia came over and touched the edge; SilverMoon motioned her aside, extending her thoughts down through the stone, looking to see if it was wired.
All heads swung to Rikiji -- the smallest of them all. The grybbit nodded grimly; this was the reason for why he signed up, after all. Sitting, he opened a side pouch in his harness, taking out several climbing implements. Pulling steel buoy out, he pointed to a spot near the slab; Jooshie and Raekkenyia breathed deadly fire on the stone. So hot the rock became, it melted away, oozing and bubbling. Rikiji rammed the end of the buoy into the melted stone, anchoring it. SilverMoon blew a soft cloud of frost on the spot, careful not to overdo it, lest the rock crack and not hold. As predicted, the stone cooled, fusing the buoy into the peak.
Attaching a rope to the buoy, the grybbit then attached the lead end to his harness. Checking and double-checking the pulleys and lifts, he was ready.
Raekkenyia and Jooshie lifted the slab, while SilverMoon lowered him in. The last thing Rikiji saw was Amethyst, Undine, Alan and Kreatyl's stoic faces as he went into the abyss.
Though dankness closed all about him, Rikiji used what little light he had -- in the form of an elven moonstone -- to light the way; that and his natural infrared vision. SilverMoon lowered him til he hit bottom, and gave him the slack he needed.
By the looks of things, Rikiji decided this was an air shaft for ventilation. The odd thing was that it was hardly old -- no dust or signs of disuse. Somebody closed this up for a reason, he thought.
At times, the vent slanted, and the grybbit had to rely on his anchors to stop him from sliding full-tilt down the shaft. The minutes seemed to drag by, but Rikiji kept his mind on the task ahead -- finding First. He knew Second was somewhere in the mountain, and chances were, he'd wind up with them.
Ragged wheezing me his ears, stopping the grybbit in his tracks. It stopped, then started again. Rikiji advanced cautiously, every sense alert to the sound.
Leaden bars block the end of the shaft, but they didn't block his view.
In a corner, shackled and chained, was a grey mass. Metal collars bit into the mass' neck, crusted blood flaking to the scales below. The beast shifted; a trickle of blood flowed anew, tracing patterns on the hide. One chain was hooked to a collar attached right under the chin, anchored to the wall; another encircled the base of the neck, and was bolted directly to the stone. Graceful forearms were scored with lashmarks, stretched out on wither side of the beast, and at different angles. The legs were clamped together, held in place by large steel cuffs, a metal rod inserted between them. The tail was left unchained, but it did nothing. The only evidence of wings were the two wingclaws poking above the dragon's shoulders.
No light, no shining iridescence. Only listlessness and shattered hope.
**Rikiji here. I'm in, Fourth. I can see Illucian.**
Back to Index | Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Final Chapter
All Guilders are copyright themselves; all other characters, places and events are copyright 2001 Crystal Shekeira. Kalaki Moroko and all related events are copyright TH. Do not copy, alter or redistribute any or all Waves.
