FSE

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If one were to ask if I had constant contact with the world of humans, I'd ask what kind of idiot they were- as a gryphon, the obvious answer is 'yes'. Within the range we set for ourselves, it's impossible not to. In some 'kingdoms' (for lack of better word, as humans are rarely lords of the skies), we find ourselves being hunted by rulers who aim to take what prizes lie in our aeries. In others we forge amicable, sometimes even symbiotic relationships with towns and cities, though we make it a point to remind them we are nobody's servants. And in an increasingly larger capacity, we find ourselves being... 'hired' by humans, as it were. We hoard much like dragons do (though we're content with far less than most of those greedy bastards), and we guard our collections just as fiercely.

Like dragons, we tend to have our eyes set on specific kinds of 'treasure'; the white drakes of the north collect slaves of a sexual nature and call them 'valuable', and while I abhor the practice there's no denying that they are as keen-eyed as the best of non-beast slave auctioneers; the redwings of the high mountains value carvings of obsidian and precious gems, a far more reasonable, but sometimes too gaudy, resource. Gryphons are much the same- the hawks of the western continent's forests collect pelts of every kind, and they are not above selling some of the most luxurious of their collections to those willing to pay (I've done so myself, securing a rather sleek dire bear's skin that I rest on); the macaws in the Deep Bowl Jungle safeguard the temples of long-dead civilizations, and relics of elder gods long since dead.

Me?

I collect books.

Books are undervalued repositories of great worth. The right book can inspire an army, change nations, break away the bonds of tyranny, ignite hope in rebellions, reveal uncomfortable truths or lead to peace in oneself. Books are capable of casting magic, guiding people in life, conveying history (or lies) with great effectiveness, or detailing the means to succeed in a given endeavor. And even with the advent of humanity's printing press, spurring an industrial revolution and widespread education, books continue to have value. I, one of many Corvid gryphons, recognize the value in such tomes, particularly one-of-a-kind or incredibly rare publications. I've been told several times by visitors that my hoard looks like a city library; something I take pride in. And to a degree, my hoard _does_serve that function to a few of the more privileged members of the kingdom- provided they pay a fee and return such publications. For the most part, they follow through and continue to have a steady relationship with me.

That's not to say I'm the only one who values books, though. There have been a handful of fools who have felt the agonizing pain of Rook Ebonaerie's talons, mostly burglars looking for a specific journal that might lead them to great treasure or immense power. The fools haven't any idea that I don't keep those kind of books laying in the main hall. Yes, I value and respect books- and I fear the ones that hold dark and terrible secrets. I don't just guard my hoard from theft- my vigil helps ensure that such books stay out of sight. No fewer than 500 books from various religious cults have been passed into my keeping, from wise kings to weary mages to gods that fear the power of written word; all to ensure nobody accesses them. Brave and resourceful as humans may be, gryphons posses a magic of their own (much like dragons) which can aid them in safeguarding their hoards.

So why the significant introduction? Because most of these things will come into light with what I'm writing in _this_book. Maybe you'll read it and understand how things panned out the way they did, and why it's important to remember the things in life worth valuing.

I'm not confined to my nest- not really. After all, I needed to hunt and keep myself fed, to keep my eyes out on threats to my territory, which covers a half-day's flight in every direction from my cave. Gryphons are typically forced to share when this range overlaps with other drakes or hens, but the key rule observed at all times between those who rule the skies is that whoever was there first.

Dragons do not observe this rule. Thankfully, some are amenable to abide by these rules. Other times, I'm forced to kill them when they are offended and attack me instead. I don't deal with them often as they are prone to leaving, but on this particular day I had a run-in with a nearly incorrigible she-dragon.

She was a Silver Strider, one of a breed of insufferable justice-seekers that tries to emulate the strength and righteousness of human paladins- young, only 350 years old, a slender and well-trained build with a golden-scaled underbelly. I'd received word from a courier sent by the king of the land, telling me she was imposing her justice upon the brigands of the forest without consent of the king. Admirable, perhaps, but there are laws to be observed, and not coordinating with the king was a breach of that law. As an ally to the kingdom, and the only one capable enough reasoning with her on her level, I was asked to interject. I expected this to be a short, if annoying, quest.

I had no idea then what I'd gotten myself into.

She was certainly exuberant for her kind; it was only 15 minutes flight when I saw the uproar she had caused a half-hour away (at my airspeed), a thin plume of spoke rising into the clouds and the flickers of a forest-fire visible in the older trees. The carnage was visible from the sky as I circled above- a thieves den carved and constructed into a massive tree set alight by the Silver's enchanted fire. She was not difficult to spot, as a lone brigand made a run for the nearby woods and was easily intercepted, the she-dragon leaping in a graceful, skilled arc and tackling the man, her jaws clamping around his hood and neck swinging around as she tossed him a good 50 feet away and into the burning tree.

This was quite enough. I should have been easily visible to her had she been paying attention, as my black feathers are not easy to miss in broad daylight, but she was so focused on her brand of justice she either didn't notice me, or didn't care. Speaking a few brief words and forming a seal around the tree that none but the smoke could flow through, I made my landing, just as the Silver noticed the change in environment and her eyes flicked around to find the source.

"What in the heavens- who among you put up that barrier!?" she snarled, turning her rage to the few unfortunate souls she'd not yet maimed, all of whom had retreated into a huddled mass against the wall of what appeared to be a still-smoldering storehouse of stolen goods. She approached them aggressively, the dry brown leaves crunching beneath her claws as they were treated to a burning glare. It was then I let my presence be known.

"That was me," I said calmly and clearly, stepping forward. The dragoness turned in place, startled by my unannounced entrance- caught unprepared, she hunched her shoulders and hissed at me, the burning glare turned towards me instead. I was not unused to this show of hostility, not in the 600 years of my life, and so continued untroubled. "I was given word that a Silver Strider had entered my territory and begun administering justice to the locals- if this is what justice is."

Her response was to chuff irritably, a jet of flame sparking from her flared nostrils. "Spare me, chicken. I suppose you're the leader of this band of filth?"

Now I did glare back. "Obviously not."

"Then why have you stopped me!?" she snarled. At the sound, one of the bandits lost their nerve and bolted, having enough time to reach the edge of the barrier before she turned and hissed in anger. "No! He's getting away!"

"He's really not," I sighed. Sure enough, he hit the barrier at full sprinting speed and was thrown back in the opposite direction, the man flailing and rolling through the fallen autumn leaves. "Until I've had a word with you and released this barrier, nobody will be leaving. I come on behalf of this realm's king, Morgan, to find out why you're here."

"To eliminate scum like this," she responded with a growl, flicking her tail towards the brigands. "They've been attacking caravans and outlying settlements during the harvest season, and the people cry out for justice- I aim to deliver!"

"Noble," I replied, unimpressed. "Naturally that means you're willing to work with the local law to achieve these ends, correct?"

"The 'local law' has done nothing!" she spat. "I had to intervene myself! If the law around here were capable and willing to put an end to this, why have they not done so already?!"

It took much in the way of willpower not to sigh again, as I leaned back onto my haunches and raised an eyebrow. "Probably because they didn't know where to look. It's 5 day's journey through these woods for men, on foot, ignoring the dangers of the deeper parts of the forest. Their patrols clearly haven't been enough to discern the location of this camp. The only reason I found it is because I am a gryphon, capable of incredible eyesight, and it didn't take much to see the nonsense you were causing on your own."

"Justice isn't 'nonsense!'" she snapped.

"It isn't," I agreed smoothly. "Yet this isn't justice you're administering- it's vigilantism. Don't get me wrong, your energy and sense of right is admirable, but your methods are not. I'm to convey a message to you; if you are expected to continue your activities in this realm, you speak first to the king to give you authorization to do so, to ensure that mistakes aren't being made the way they are now."

"I'm putting an end to these brigands, there is no mistake!" she cried out indignantly.

"Is that so?" I asked skeptically. I directed my eyes towards one of the trembling humans, who was staring at both of us with wonder and incredible fear- the man had soiled himself from fright, but his comfort levels were not a high priority. "You. Open this storehouse or whatever it is. I would like a look inside."

The man jumped when I addressed him, but he hurried to comply all the same. With nervous, shaking hands, he unlocked the double-doors and pulled them apart, stepping back and tripping over a loose rock as he tried to move farther away. The Silver Strider glared at me once more before following as I stepped forward and peered into the storehouse. I had been correct in assessing that this storehouse had been hit first- leaking barrels of mead, their metal bands having melted in the heat of the fire had tumbled and rolled around, while many charred bags of grain and rice lay ruined. I turned to look at the den, noticing a rudimentary fence system with feeding troughs in the area; no doubt these brigands had also kept a few animals in their possession- animals that had likely fled the scene and would later be torn apart by the forest predators.

But what I was seeing was not what _she_was seeing. "What is your point in showing me their ruined good?" she growled, turning to me.

I could scarcely believe my ears- that she was incapable of connecting her deeds with the ramifications was baffling to me. My tail flicked side to side in annoyance as I glared at her. "You_caused this. These are the goods that _you_ruined. Because of your brazen efforts, they can no longer be returned to the victims. And it will now be difficult to tally the total in gold and silver, the damages that have been incurred, so as to know what the punishment for these outlaws will be. Past a certain threshold," I said loudly and clearly, ensuring that the criminals could hear, "they would be executed if they possessed more than 500 gold in stolen goods. Now that the evidence has been turned to _ash, they stand a good chance of spending the winter in a warm cell with food, before being released the following spring."

With every word, the dragoness seemed to lose her energy. The aura she'd been giving off lost its luster, her earfins flattening as the silence that followed lingered. Perhaps to salvage her pride, she formed a weak retort. "Wouldn't have happened if the job'd been done in the first place," she muttered.

"Well, we'll never know now, will we?" I snapped back, making her flinch. "Did you even stop to consider how you were going to bring these criminals back to the capital city so they could face the justice of men?" There was a pause without an answer. "I see... you planned to execute them regardless, is that it?" No answer, but I didn't need one as she looked away. "This is _not_justice, she-dragon- the law does not rest upon your claws alone. You would do well to remember that next time."

Still she said nothing, but she nodded, looking ashamed.

I sighed, padding away and surveying the damage. The den was ruined, would require more than a month of work to rebuild with the 6 survivors, assuming they lived through the night with beasts roaming through the wreckage. They had no food on hand. Grim as their fates would be, it would serve a suitable punishment. "Let them go."

She looked back up, a stunned expression on their face. "W-what?!"

"Let them go."

"You-- but-- they're criminals!" she roared.

I nodded. "They are. But there's no suitable way to ensure their punishment anymore- other than having them subjected to the mercy of the forest itself. They will be forced to thrive on it by themselves, begin anew- and pray that they survive it's impartial brutality. They will not rely on anything but their wits and will to survive, and the fortunate to escape harm. It's as fitting a punishment as they're going to get- unless you're willing to lug all 6 of them to the city by yourself and _hope_that they receive fitting justice... without evidence. Or you could just kill them right now and be branded a murderer who thinks she alone should administer justice."

Her look was murderous as she trembled with rage. Yet I held my ground- I had 250 years of experience on her (not that I knew it at the time, but she looked young and inexperienced all the same), and I'd taken on drakes larger and stronger than her, emerging victorious. She was not about to cow me with a white hot glare and ill feelings. Once she understood that, perhaps a minute later, she turned and lashed her tail out, kicking up leaves in my face as she strode away, fuming.

Shaking my head wearily, I turned to the brigands and glared. "Be glad I intervened- it's the only mercy you'll get from me. You're free to hunt in my lands to survive, but be warned- if I see or hear of any criminal activities within my range, I'll scoop you up and turn you in myself, or let her do it. Understood?"

The brigands nodded vigorously, still cowering as they shuffled away. With a minor amount of focus I spoke the words of release, watching as they hurried away, the dragoness' eyes following them until they'd disappeared into the trees. Once gone, I returned my attention to her.

"What is your name?" I asked.

She glared at me. "Why should I bother answering you, pheasant?" she spat.

"You're in my territory," I growled back. "Potential threats to the land would do well to identify themselves, if they wish to be given leave to hunt within my range. Make no mistake, a Containment Barrier is a hatchling's lesson to me- I have other, more effective ways of discouraging intruders, not counting my talons."

There was another pause between us as she seemed to size me up, eyes narrowed. Whereas she was slender and athletic, mine was a stronger, more powerful build. Perhaps sensing that I would be more trouble than it was worth to fight against, she chuffed again, looking away before answering.

"Lyrra, the Gilded Star. And you?"

"Rook Ebonaerie of the Harvest Lands. And now that we're acquainted, I give you permission to hunt within my range- within reason. I'll not tolerate the thinning of prey out of sport, are we clear?"

"I'm a dragon, not a beast," she snapped. "One deer a day and a half-hour at the stream, that is all I need."

"Very well," I grumbled, turning away and spreading my wings out. "See that you behave yourself while you're here, however long you intend to stay- and make sure to visit the king. They'll not fire upon you if approach from the ground, to meet them as equals instead of victims. I don't want to have to be roused from my library to deal with this nonsense again."

Without waiting for an answer, and feeling my point had been made, I kicked off from the ground and took flight, turning briefly to see the blue-eyed she-dragon's glare follow me into the skies, before she started to saunter away.