Shaerie's Upbringing
I've learned to hate them, the young gryphoness whispers helplessly. She lay silent on her back looking up at the eager features of her new master as he ravaged her young, virgin body. They left me with... this. She looks away, angry with the betrayal of her people. "I remember it like it was yesterday," she stated aloud, her lover paying little attention to the remark.
"We must give her to him. She's your first born and it's for the village. We will return at dawn," the gryphlet overheard an old stranger speaking to her father. None of them looked too happy. She raised her beak from the soft bedding on which she sleeped, yearning for her loving parents to accompany her again. She chirped, listening to her parents talk after the stranger left.
"We have no choice, Husband. If we don't do our part, we will be kicked out of the clan. Neither of us knows how to survive on our own." Her mother sobbed uncontrollably. Obviously this decision was difficult for her. She dried her eyes as her mate comforted her.
"Are you not due for a new clutch any day now, Wife?" The father of the family reached around his mate's tummy, placing a warm hand over it. "We can try again, Love. We never even thought of a name for this one. It's in our best interest to do as the elders request."
After a moment of cuddling, the couple approached their young gryphon. It was their tradition to name their offspring based on a talent or unique trait that the child bears. These two loving, yet misguided parents knew very little about their young daughter. She wasn't expected and they were struggling to admit they weren't ready for her. It was the sad, simple truth.
Morning approached. The young gryphoness had been woken relatively early. The sun hadn't woken up yet. In the twilight hours, this gryphon's mother and father prepared her for her transgression. They painted her nails and scented her with the best perfumes they had available. They wanted her to be good enough to please the tyrant that the stranger made mention of the night before. The gryphoness was fed a small breakfast and her beak was cleaned and polished after she ate. The attention she was getting thrilled the gryphlet.
A noise rumbled at the entrance of their den. "Pray that your offering is ready, Oakheart." The stranger's familiar voice resonated from somewhere outside. Oakheart took his mate's forefoot and squeezed it reassuringly. He then picked up his young by the scruff of her neck and carried outside. His wife stayed behind and sobbed uncontrollably.
Upon reaching the entrance, the morning sun narrowed his pupils and he set his chick down, stepping back and sitting before the elder in total obedience. He remained absolutely silent, his feelings restrained by fine-tuned loyalty to his clan. He seemed very proud.
"If you had something else to offer, we wouldn't have to resort to this measure, Oakheart. It pains me to admit this is our only option." The wiser gryphon plucked the chick by the scruff of the neck. Her tail dipped between her legs and she remained quiet, staring distantly at her father as the stranger took her away from them. She'd never seen a gryphon so proud before, and she'd never forget.
The journey seemed tiring to her, but even the old, frail gryphon that carried her seemed to manage just fine. It was obvious that she was weak. They reached the mouth of a large cave. Several other creatures watched from the shadows all around them. The gryphlet was set down in between three giant chests of treasure. She almost disappeared within the cluster of chests.
A dark voice boomed from inside the cave. A large gryphon stepped outside, his head knocking against the roof of the entrance. Solid rock broke off and crumbled on the ground beneath his powerful feet. The gryphon seemed twice the size of his elder counterpart and perhaps ten times as powerful. The young gryphlet peeked out from between the treasure chests, her eyes roaming up over the large Alpha male before her. He adorned a necklace of rock and fang. The lowest part of the necklace adorned a full-sized adult gryphon's skull, polished and fractured in several places, as if claiming such a skull did not pose easy for the drake wearing it.
The old gryphon lowered his head in respect and stepped away from the offering. "I represent the village from the east. We are a peaceful people and seek your mighty protection, Gryph Sylvr. Please spare our village."
"Peaceful?" Gryph reached down to the trinket around his neck and held the skull proudly. He made sure his company got a good look at it. "This is the head of your leader. He wouldn't give up his land without a fight. The very last corner of my eastern boundary is your little nitch. I have closet space bigger than that swamp you call a home." The gryphon approached the treasure and released the skull. It dangled boldly over his chest, drooping down in between the chests and startling the young gryphlet, who screamed and cowered in a tiny ball. The brute gryphon's attention focused on her, seeming quite satisfied with that aspect of the treasure. "Very well, old bird. Your offering is acceptable. I will have two of my strongest followers stationed in shouting distance from your village."
Three female gryphons pulled themselves out of the shadows and approached the treasure. Each of them took a crate and went inside the cave with it. All that remained was the gryphlet, covered in gold and pearls. Her head peeked out of an oversized necklace and she grew the courage to look up at the powerful gryphon before her. Her head turned as she watched her transport return to his village. She was abandoned here with this strange gryphon, asbolutely clueless as to what his intentions were. "I am ... offering? Please keep me, sir," she chirped up at the other gryphon, her eyes growing huge as she quickly realized she had no one else to go to. Her plea was answered by a soft pat on the head as the large figure walked her inside. She paused outside for a minute, but several others watched her from the bushes. Their howls seemed full of hunger, as if any one of them would leap out and eat her at any moment. Fear overtook her and she scurried inside.
Days turned into weeks and weeks into months. More gryphon skulls were added to the Alpha gryphon's necklace. The young gryphoness seemed content with her new home. She had not one mother to care for her, but several. Each of them took equal care of her, and several other gryphlets who seemed too different from Gryph to actually be his own child. She discovered she was not alone anymore. This was her family now and she had no complaints. Her hatch-parents could never provide for her in this way. She also discovered she had been named. Several other hens would refer to her as Shaerie when choosing who got to sit with her for the day.
One of her favorites got chosen today, and Shaerie's ears perked as the new hen came to relieve the old sitter. "Miss, when will my friend Jairyn return? Master Gryph has had her company for a long time now," she announced as the new sitter as the hen sat down to preen her.
The hen paused for a minute, as if trying to put together an answer that the younger gryphon may understand. A large knot seemed to fill her throat. She leaned over to place a kiss on the gryphoness' beak. "Dear child, Gryph is training your friend to become strong and perform her role in our great clan."
"This late at night? I would think such training might be more effective in the early hours of the morning, Miss," Shaerie uttered in objection to her sitter.
"It's possible she performs better at night. Never you mind," the hen stated in retort, shushing the young gryphoness.
It was at that point two other hens guided the young Jairyn back to the sitting chamber and laid her down to recover. Jairyn's eyes were closed and she was a complete mess. Shaerie peeled herself away from her sitter and crawled over to Jairyn. She placed a paw on her cheek to announce her presence to the worn out gryphoness. Jairyn was a bit older than Shaerie and therefore more mature. As Shaerie rubbed the tired gryphon, her paws came across traces of blood and semen. She looked up at her sitter, not quite understanding what covered her paws. "What happened to her?"
The sitter licked Shaerie's paw clean and removed her from the tired gryphoness. "Let her rest. If she's still breathing then obviously she did her task well. You should congratulate Jairyn on her success first thing in the morning," she stated, patting Shaerie on the head and sitting down beside her to keep an eye on her. One of the two hens left to wish Gryph a good night and the other stayed to tend to Jairyn's beaten body.
"He takes them younger and younger these days, doesn't he?" The hen said to Shae's sitter. The sitter shushed her and continued to preen Shaerie.
Morning approached as quickly as ever and Jairyn was asleep with her sitter. Shaerie awoke quite early and squirmed out from beneath the wing of her sitter, meandering over to her friend. She nuzzled against Jairyn and heard the gryphon whimper in response. A growl rumbled from the distance and broke the otherwise silent room as Gryph approached both sitters and looked down to Jairyn and Shaerie. His eyes paid careful attention to Shaerie and he stepped past her, making his exit. "Follow me, gryphon," he uttered as he made his way to the dining area. Shaerie followed obediently, not questioning her Alpha's authority.
They reached a candle lit room and Gryph sat on a stool at one end of a table with a plate in front of him. One of his good hens from returned from her night shift and set two large fish on Gryph's plate. Her work was praised with Gryph's soft purr. She smiled proudly and bowed her head to her leader then made her exit. Gryph pulled a stool beside him and patted the seat, welcoming Shaerie to the table. He looked down at the fish and shared one with her. She sniffed it at first, then took it in her talons and began to devour the raw meat.
"I suppose you want to know what happened to your sister last night. I assure you she was in good care," Gryph stated, beginning to tear into his fish. It was still warm and he had no complaints about the meal. He swallowed a large piece of the fish and sat the rest onto the table, savoring the taste in his mouth. He took a moment to pay attention to Shaerie, curious about her thoughts. The gryphoness remained silent and nibbled on the fish.
"It is your business. Thank you for the meal, sir," she replied, knowing well enough not to object to her Alpha in any way.
"You are a smart hen. I'll have you know that I've kept my word regarding your family's peace. I have even helped bring food to their clan. We are on good terms. Are you glad to hear it?" He reached down to pat the gryphon on the head, then finished his fish in another big bite.
Shaerie worked hard to finish her fish so as to keep up with her leader. She nodded in response and turned away for a moment. "What happens to those people is none of my concern. They are no longer my family. If one day you decide to conquer their territory, my wish is to be at your side."
"Those are very loyal words, hen. I have little use for their territory and it will remain theirs as long as they convince me that my great clan is superior. Perhaps you can convince me where your loyalty lies," Gryph stood up for a moment and walked away from the table, recalling something he was told the day before. "It is news to me that your parents are trying for another daughter to replace you. I hear they have had great success. It pains me to see such a wonderful gryphon as yourself become replaced by something of less importance. If you wish to show your loyalty to me, you will sneak into their den tonight and steal their egg. I want it for breakfast tomorrow. Understood?" He turned to her, expecting some sort of compliance.
Shaerie sat the bones of the fish back on her Alpha's plate and got up from the stool, turning to her Alpha. "Your wish is my command, great Alpha. I will journey out at dusk. It will give me great pleasure to take from those gryphons what they took from me all that time ago." She looked down and quietly mumbled, A family.
"It is settled then. We shall rendezvous at this table tomorrow morning and you shall serve me your best omelet. My hens will show you how I want it cooked." He then exited the room to start his day as a tyrant. "Do not fail your mission, Shaerie." The young gryphon's ears perked up as her Alpha addressed her by name. She smiled widely and picked up the plate. She looked down to only see one set of bones and turned to watch her Alpha leave. "He even ate the bones?" Her talons trembled as she sat the plate back down. She honestly wasn't ready for such a mission, but she didn't wish to be the next fish on Gryph's plate. She reminded herself she would not fail.
The sun set quicker than usual and Jairyn wished Shaerie the best of luck. The two friends walked together outside of the den. Shaerie took a moment to look up at Jairyn, wondering if this was as far as they would go together or not. "You're not coming with me, are you?" the younger gryphoness posed question to Jairyn.
"Our master has summoned me again tonight. To go with you is to disobey his wishes, otherwise I'd be happy to. Your objective lies in the far east. Run with your back to the sunset and you can't miss it. I trust you'll know where to go from there." Jairyn brushed a wing against Shaerie's flank. "You're stronger than me, Shae. Gryph would never let me venture out at dark. I serve a different purpose for him during those hours." She then whispered her advice to Shaerie, as if to keep it away from prying ears, I'm sure you saw how I looked last night. If you're smart, you won't come back.
The idea of running away from Gryph was something that didn't sit too well with Shaerie. She was too small to fend for herself and Gryph had never treated her like he treated Jairyn. The fellow gryphoness may have been Shae's friend, but if she was truly smart, she wouldn't listen to Jairyn's advice. To defy Gryph meant certain doom. Being the smart gryphon she was, Shaerie kept her comments to herself and nodded a farewell to her friend, venturing off in the darkness.
Her travels took her past several other creatures. Some of them didn't even resemble gryphons. Her orders were to complete her mission alone, and as scary as some of the clan members looked, Shaerie wouldn't bother any of them for directions. She simply made a bee line for her old village, taking flight as soon as her legs grew tired.
Her flight brought great timing. The pleasant sight of her old village brought back simple memories she was surprised she could even remember. She smiled briefly, as if she was actually home, but then remembered her mission clearly. "This is not your home, Shaerie. They didn't even have a name for you!" she reminded herself, scowling at any thought of happiness that wretched place could give her. She dropped from the sky near a clearing that she seemed to remember, and looked around. Her eyes adjusted to the shadows enough to spot a nearby den. She remembered that den her father stood in front of as she was first taken away. "This is the place."
She crept closer to the den, her eyes peering inside. She crept as quiet as the grave as she made her way inside. She glued herself against the walls of the den, soft noises echoing from a familiar beak. She turned to see her mother and father cuddling. She was on her back and he was on top of her. Her noises sounded passionate and eager. His chirping seemed to serenade her as his actions grew even more passionate. Shaerie stopped for a moment to view them. She had never seen two gryphons mate before -- only heard about it. At that point, they were not her parents, but instead, two simple gryphons who were completely oblivious to her presence. She would not let emotion get in the way of her mission.
She found that their mating would give her a perfect opportunity, as her mother's eggs were left unguarded. Getting to them without alerting the couple would pose as a problem. She snuck closer and kept her eyes between the eggs, her objective, and the gryphons, her obstacle. As luck would have it, her ignorant father kicked his foot against the eggs during his passion. Nothing was damaged, but one of the eggs rolled away from the rest and landed quietly right in Shaerie's lap. The young gryphon snatched the egg as soon as opportunity presented itself, almost in disbelief that such a mission would be so easy. She took one last look at her parents, then darted out of the den and left the village, the egg in her beak.
The return home was very simple. She kept a lookout for other clan members, and noticed a steady concentration of them around Gryph's den. She landed and spread her wings, setting the egg down in front of her, in the exact place that she was dumped off the first day she arrived. She called out to her Alpha as a sign of her success. She scooped up the egg and went inside.
Jairyn was leaving Gryph's nest as Shaerie returned with the egg. They bumped into each other in their own corner of the harem. Shaerie smiled big and set the egg down triumphantly before her friend. "Hah! I did it," she announced proudly. Jairyn shook her head in disappointment, then lay down in her bed to catch some sleep. "Are you not thrilled for me, Jairyn?" Shae chirped, padding next to her.
"You know what this means, right Shaerie?" Jairyn seemed distant, her pelt just as messy and sticky as it was the night before. She seemed to ignore her filth.
Shaerie padded around to her friend's front side and looked down at her, clicking her beak curiously. "What?"
"Look at me! He's going to do this to you. He told me while he was ravaging me," she sobbed a bit, then folded her ears against her head, looking around to make sure she didn't alert anybody that might tell Gryph of her disappointment. "He wouldn't stop talking about you. About how eating another gryphon egg is his biggest aphrodesiac. About how eager he would be to bed you. I warned you, Shaerie!"
Shaerie clicked her beak a bit, just barely understanding what was going on. "I've never- ... Why would he want me when he has you?"
"Because he hasn't had you yet."
And then he called her in...