ShadowLake

Kaylen​
 “Luminor?” I called. Where was he? He usually came as soon as I called him, but today he was nowhere to be seen. I glanced around one more time before heading out of the forest. If I waited any longer, I would be missed. And if I was missed, I would be punished. I picked up my pace and soon found myself at the edge of Rothgar’s farm. I glanced around to make sure no one was around before I darted my way to the house, hoping I would not be seen. I gently shut the door and headed for the kitchen to start on dinner.
“Kaylen!” a shrill voice called. I winced and made my into the bedroom next to the kitchen.
“Yes, Mistress?” I asked in my humblest of voices. For the past ten years, Mistress Rothgar has been confined to her bed due to an accident apparently involving an ungraceful tumble down a hill. She does not like this accident to be mentioned, and it happened before they bought me, so I am a little sketchy on the details. Nevertheless, Mistress Rothgar does not let anyone forget her “pitiable” state, especially me.
“Where have you been?” she whined. “I’m thirsty and I want the window open.” I obediently set out to make her more comfortable. I got her a glass of water, opened the window, got her a blanket, shut the window, brought her a book, cleaned her glass of water and got her a glass of milk, reopened the window, cleaned up the milk she spilt, and pretended not to notice when she hit me with her unused cane. I finally was able to fix dinner, an hour late.
Fortunately, the men were late from the field. Mr. Rothgar and his twin sons, Brike and Trike, worked the fields from dawn to dusk, trying to make the farm prosperous despite the drought. Night fell quickly and I set the table, expecting the men anytime. While I waited, I took Mistress Rothgar her food and listened to her go on and on about my cooking, and how worried she was about her children. She never worried about her husband, only her precious sons. But to tell the truth, I was beginning to wonder where they were. It was completely dark out by the time I escaped Mistress Rothgar. To my relief, I heard heavy steps on the porch. The door creaked open and in came not three, but ten men.
 
Kaylen, cont'd.​

The men all trooped though the door and into the kitchen, leaving large muddy footprints through the living room and into the kitchen. A few threw me apologetic glances, but the others did not even glance in my direction. After all, I was just a slave. I recognized several men, including my master and his sons. Among the other men was Jackorn, the self-appointed protector of the little town, his son Mathias, and two other men I have seen around, but did not know well. The last two I had never seen before. One was an older man dressed in clothes made of different animal skins. He was filthy and I could smell him from where I stood by the stairs. The other man didn’t look much older than me, but at least a foot taller (though it isn’t hard to top my five foot one frame). He glanced at me, then did a double take. I could feel myself blushing and quickly looked down. I knew I looked strange with my long gray hair and gray eyes, but he didn’t have to stare!
“Kaylen!” Mr. Rothgar growled. I glanced up to see him glaring at me. “Is there any more food, girl? We’re all starved.” I quickly squeezed into the crowded kitchen, holding my breath as I passed the older man. I began tossing things into a pot, deciding a quick soup would be best. I picked up the huge pot and turned to put it over the fire only to have the man who had stared at me lift it from my hands
 
Kaylen cont'd!​
“Where do you want this?” he asked softly. When my voice refused to work, I motioned to the fire. I could probably count on one hand the number of times someone had helped me in my life. For the second tome that night, I felt myself blush. As soon as the food was done enough to be edible, the men dug in, literally. The food was gone in much less time than it took me to cook it. When the men were done, Mr. Rothgar motioned them into the living room, the only room in the house large enough for all ten. I began to clean up the kitchen, listening to their conversation.
“So,” Mr. Rothgar started, “what did you two trackers decide?” A gruff voice answered this question and I guessed it was the other stranger, the one who did not know how to bathe.
“Ryan and I agree. It’s a gryphon, the meaner, larger, kind.” I nearly dropped the plates I was carrying to the sink. A gryphon! It couldn’t be! I dropped any pretense of not listening and crept over to the doorway, careful to stay out of sight. “So far it has killed three cows,” the man went on, “and it is getting braver, hunting closer to the town. Soon, if it hasn’t already, it is going to start going after people.”
“What do we do?” asked Brike. I could recognize his deep, booming voice anywhere.
“Yeah, what do we do?” asked Trike. I rolled my eyes at Trike and his insistence on repeating everything his brother said. And I mean everything.
“We are going to set a trap. We already asked Larson if we could, uh, borrow, one if his cows. We’ll take her into the forest, tie her up, then wait. The only way to kill a gryphon is a direct shot into the chest.” I cringed.
“Sounds good, Hatan. When are we going to do this?”
“Yeah, sounds good, Hatan. When are we going to do this?” I held my breath, waiting for the answer to the Brike’s- and Trike’s- question. Jackorn was the one who answered.
“We are going to try tonight.” I whirled around and began to speed clean the kitchen as Hatan explained what the men were supposed to do if the gryphon showed up. I had to be done before they left. Five minutes and one clean kitchen later, I was cautiously following the ten men into the forest. I stayed far enough back that the men could not hear me, but close enough to follow their faint outlines in the moonlight. Ryan led a cow and they all had a bow and a quiver of arrows. I shuddered when I thought of what they intended to do with those arrows. It was easy to follow them as they crashed though the forest, despite Ryan and Hatan’s constant reprimands to be quiet. One time, Ryan turned around and I hid behind a tree. I peeked around it and saw him looking in my direction, but I couldn’t see the expression on his face. After what seemed like an eternity, he followed the others. We walked deep into the forest before Hatan motioned for the men to stop. I quickly ducked behind a tree and watched as the men found their places in a large circle with the cow in the center. I cautiously began to climb the tree, thankful the moon was hidden by a cloud. I only went a little way up and positioned myself so I could leap off if needed. The men settled down and silence descended. The moon broke though the clouds, but little light made its way thought the thick forest. Hours passed and I fought to stay awake. The air was warm and I had had a long day. But fear kept me awake. A soft breeze blew, rustling the leaves of the trees. This slight noise was the reason I did not notice the soft padding of the gryphon’s feet as he came crept into the circle of men. I sucked in a breath as I saw a glimmer of white that eventually formed into a huge white gryphon. He was taller than I was, but well proportioned. His fur and mane seemed to radiate in the moonlight and his wings glinted silvery white. The gryphon hesitated before entering the circle of hidden men and I began to ease myself down from the tree. The cow mooed n distress and tried to break free from her tether. The gryphon entered the circle just as my feet touched the ground. My heart was pounding so loud I was sure one of the men would hear it. The gryphon suddenly roared, alert to the men’s presence. A man- I couldn’t tell who- stepped out from his hiding place with an arrow already pointed at the gryphon’s chest.
“Nooo!” I screamed and ran. The next thing I knew, I was in front of the man, unsure how I got there so fast. But I didn’t care. All I knew was I was between Luminor and the arrow. The man tried to shove me aside and Luminor roared a warning. Without thinking, I grabbed the man’s bow and tried to pull it from his hands.
“Move!” he cried and I realized it was Ryan. I tightened my grip on the bow and looked up- way up- into his face.
“No!” I shouted. “I won’t let you hurt Luminor! I won't!"
 
yeah, das him.

Jen​
 A knock on the door woke me from my meditations. “Come in!” I called. Skikit poked his head in.
“The Headmaster wants to see you,” he said, his curiosity evident on his face. I quickly stood up from my place on the floor and followed Skikit out of my room. The he started following me down the hallway. I suppressed a smile as he ran to in front of me and began to walk backwards.
“Soooo, Jen, why are you going to the Headmaster’s?”
“Because he sent for me.”
“Why did he send for you?”
“Because he did not want to come get me himself.”
“But why does he want to see you?”
“To make sure I am alive.”
“Doesn’t he want to make sure I’m alive?”
“Uh…he’s going to check in a few years.” That sounded believable right?
“Why does he care if you are alive?” My patience was wearing thin, but the last time I snapped at Skikit, I found myself stealing some cookies from the kitchen to make up for it. The kid could make anyone feel guilty with his crocodile tears and hurt puppy face.
“He cares because…um…I don’t know why he cares actually.” Not really a lie. I mean, I don’t know why he started this whole thing by sending me to the Seer.
“Why do you think he cares?”
“Stairs.”
“Huh?”
“There are stairs beh-” Too late. Skikit stepped back and began to fall down the stairs. My hand flung out in front of me and Skikit stopped in mid-fall. I flipped my had palm up and Skikit lifted straight up. His feet touched the floor as I lowered my hand and he grinned at me.
“Thanks Jen. I still think we should see if you could that to the top of the wall. That would be amazing.”
“Zoron and Treyn tried that last year, or don’t you remember? And Zoron still can’t walk straight.” I continued down the stairs with Skikit following.
“Yeah, but you’re stronger than Treyn. And I’m smaller than Zoron.”
“But the wall is just as high, and the further you are from me, the harder it would be to hold you up. I would hate for my strength to give out and to see you fall to your death.” Though at the moment, I don’t think I would have minded. We had finally reached the Headmaster’s office where it lay deep underground.
“Hey, Jen?” His asked the question in a tone that caused me to turn and look at him. He was staring at me wide-eyed. “Is that why the Headmaster wants to see you? Because you are strong?” I looked away from him, at the door that led to the most powerful man in the world.
“Go back to your room, Skikit,” I said quietly. “I’ll come raid your stash of food when I’m done here, okay?” Skikit nodded and ran up the steps.
“I’ll make sure there is some good food for you!” he called over his shoulder. Skikit was constantly sneaking food into his room, even though it wasn’t against the rules, though one of the less serious rules. Almost all the boys hid food in their rooms and Skikit always had a rather large stash. I hadn’t eaten all day and I could hear my stomach growling. I hoped it was quiet during the coming session. I turned back towards the door and knocked.
“Come in.”
 
Jen Cont​
I took a deep breath and pushed open the door. It led to a dimly lit stone antechamber. I shivered as the cold air hit me and I drew my cape tight around me. A light came on in a room to my left and I went in. I found myself in a small room dominated with a large desk. A chair- or throne- was behind the desk with another, smaller chair in front of the desk. The furniture was all carved from the same stone as the chamber so they could never be moved. The light came from an orb floating near the ceiling.
“Hello, Jen.” I turned to see two men come in. One was the Headmaster, his small stature and descript appearance hid the fact that he was the third most powerful man in the world. Standing behind him was the second most powerful man in the world, Magi Jaesh. Unlike the Headmaster, Magi Jaesh looked the part. He was tall and strong with dark brown hair and dark skin. His eyes were almost black as they bored into me, seeming to look into my very soul. The Headmaster went around the desk and had a seat. He frowned for a second and the floor began to vibrate. The stone chair that had been in front of the desk seemed to roll to the side and another chair rose up from the floor beside it. He motioned to the two chairs and Magi Jaesh and I both sat down. Magi Jaesh moved with such grace and confidence I felt like an elephant bumbling around in the dark next to him. I turned my attention to the Headmaster.
“Jen, I am assuming the Seer told you more about your future than he told me.”
“Yes, sir,” I answered. He raised his an eyebrow at me, waiting for an explanation. “The, the Seer did not tell me much, just some vague instructions, and he told me he would tell no one any more than he told me.” I hesitated, then added “And he told me to tell no one what he old me.” So please don’t question me, I pleaded silently. That would be bad; disobey the Headmaster, or disobey the Seer. Either way, I would lose. To my relief, Magi Jaesh spoke up.
“Then we won’t ask you, will we Bobo?” Bobo?! The Headmaster’s name was Bobo? A snicker escaped me and the Headmaster glared at me. I quickly ducked my head and coughed into my hand to hide my laughter. Magi Jaesh clapped me hard on the back. “Don’t worry Jen. I think Bobo has gotten a little high and mighty out here in the middle of nowhere in charge of a bunch of adolescent boys. He needs to be laughed at now and then.” The Headmaster’s face flushed a bright red.
“Shall we continue?” he asked through clenched teeth. Magi Jaesh smiled and nodded.
“Of course.” he said pleasantly. I liked Magi Jaesh. He was much…warmer than the other Magi I had been around. Though, in all fairness, those have all been my teachers. But still…
“Now Jen, I am not sure what to do with you. I was all set to continue you training, but then Magi Jaesh showed up unexpectedly with another option. Though you are only nineteen, two years before the apprentice age, he has asked if he could begin the apprenticeship early.” My mouth dropped open, then snapped shut. Begin my apprenticeship early? That was unheard of! No one had ever left the Institute before the age of twenty-one. And with one of the best magi in the world!
“Well Jen, what do you think,” asked Magi Jaesh, turning in his seat to look at me. I took a deep breath and stamped down my joy.
“I would be honored, Magi.”

Ten minutes later I was running up steps and down hallways until I found myself before Skikit’s room. “Hey, Skikit, open the door, it’s me.” Immediately the door flung open and Skikit yanked me into the room. Inside was a mass of people.
“Hey Jen!”
“How you doing Jen?”
“Jen! Where have you been?”
“What’s with the Headmaster visit?”
I rolled my eyes at the group of boys who had been my friends since we came to the Institute so many years ago. I shuddered at the thought of leaving them, but I knew the time would come sooner or later, and it looked like it would be sooner. “Food first, story second,” I said. “I haven’t eaten all day.” Skikit brought out the snitched food and silence descended for a few minutes as we all stuffed our faces. The amount of food Skikit could hide was amazing, but it was soon gone.
 
Jen Cont​
“Awww, guys, now I gotta sneak more food! What am I supposed to eat tomorrow?” Skikit cried.
“You could try the Dining Hall!” teased Franj, an eighteen-year-old who thought the world was a joke. He was a powerful Magi, but only in quick bursts. After some of his…bigger…attacks, he would fall unconscious for hours. Some of the teachers thought he would kill himself one day, but he just laughed them off.
“Those portion’s aren’t enough for anyone,” said Branot morosely. I rolled my eyes at the large fifteen year old. When he came to the Institute as a baby, he was overweight, and he’s been overweight ever since, despite the best Institute diets (which usually consisted of starving people, but it seems not to work when friends sneak food to the ‘dieters’). Because of his weight, he’s been teased since he came to the Institute. But despite his appearance- or maybe because of it- he is a good Magi. Not the best, but better than most of the kids who tease him. For some reason, he hides his abilities from the teachers and other students.
“If you don’t get enough Skikit, I’ll give you some of my food,” inserted Nayl. If there was a leader of our little group, it was Nayl. He was one of those strong silent type, except he wasn’t all that silent. He was the oldest; he was soon to be apprenticed to Magi Hajk. Nayl would make a good Magi, with his strength tempered by his compassion and his ability to understand people. Even now he was staring at me, trying to figure out what was going on.
“You won’t die if you don’t get extra food,” muttered Tyen. Tyen was the newest member, and I’m still not sure he was a good addition. Moody and easily angered, we all tended to tiptoe around him, but we were beginning to relax as his outbursts of anger became rarer and rarer. An angry Magi is a scary thing, especially an untrained one. Tyen was only twelve, but he was unique in that he came to the Institute at the age of nine, much older than the rest of us. He actually remembered his family. Nayl said that was the reason he was so angry: he missed his family. Actually, Tyen was lucky to be alive. Most Magi found after the age of five were killed, and any girl Magi, baby or adult, was killed. But Tyen was more or less in control of his powers when the Magi found him and that saved him. Still, he was on trial the first year he was here, subject to execution if the Headmaster saw evidence of him losing control. That may also be a reason for his anger; living in constant danger can do that to a kid.
“Alright, everybody listen up,” I said. Five pairs of eyes turned to me. I took a deep breath and told all that had happened to me since being woken Master Harrak early this morning, leaving out the part where Seer Gallan looked into my future. I managed to get through the story with relatively few interruptions from Skikit. It wasn’t until I said I was beginning an early apprenticeship that things got out of control.
“That’s so unfair!” cried Franj. “You’re the same age I am!”
“First Nayl, now Jen,” wailed Branot. “We’re getting all split up!”
“It’s not like we could stay together forever, Branot,” said Tyen.
“But I want us to.”
“Tough.” They continued to argue, with Franj egging them on. I turned to look at Skikit and Nayl, both of whom had remained quiet. I was alarmed to see tears welling up in Skikit’s eyes. Nayl was studying me with his strange green eyes.
“What aren’t you telling us, Jen?” he asked softly. The others stopped talking at his words. I shrugged and looked away.
“Jen?” Skikit said, tears evident in his voice.
“Yeah?”
“You won’t forget us, will you?”
“Of course not. Why would you think I would forget you?” He just stared at me with large brown eyes. As I watched, his eyed clouded over. “Skikit?” I asked nervously.
“Promise you won’t forget us,” he demanded. His voice was strange, more commanding. “Do not forget us. Me. Do not forget me.”
“I promise Skikit,” I answered slowly. His eyes unclouded and he once again became the Skikit I knew. I glanced at Nayl to see him staring at Skikit with an unreadable expression on his face. The others just kept glancing from me to Skikit to Nayl.
“You okay, Skikit?” asked Nayl. Skikit looked up at him in surprise.
“Yeah, I’m okay. Why?”
“Uh…no reason.”
 
Ryan​
 I couldn’t help it. I really couldn’t. I laughed. Here was this girl whose head stopped somewhere in the middle of my chest, and here she was telling me she wasn’t going to let me hurt Luminor, which I was assuming was the white gryphon watching us. I could probably break this girl in half like a little twig, yet she obviously didn’t care. She glared up at me as I laughed at her expense, then, to my amazement, a smile crept across her face. She let go of my bow and stepped back. The gryphon came forward and I automatically tensed. Stunned, I watched as the girl placed her hand on Luminor, who began to purr of all things.
“I though gryphons couldn’t be tamed,” said a voice behind me. I turned to look behind me to see the men gathered, looking a little anxious.
“Guess that’s wrong,” I answered, turning my attention back to the unlikely pair in front of me. Jackorn came to stand beside me.
“Will you look at that. I would never have thought that such a huge creature could be tamed by such a little girl.” I nodded in agreement, then approached them. Immediately the gryphon dropped his head and growled. I froze in midstep.
“It’s alright.” The girl- Kaylen if I remembered correctly from the house- stroked Luminor’s face until he relaxed his defensive stance. I crept toward them, careful not to make any sudden movements. His eyes watched me the whole time, gauging me.
“Hi, Luminor,” I whispered, stretching out my hand in front of me. He sniffed my hand, then shook hid head violently. My heart leapt into my throat, but the gryphon merely sneezed and went back to sniffing me. He was huge; he almost had to bend down to sniff my face. When he was done inspecting me, he turned and laid down by a tree. Kaylen followed him and sat down so she was leaning against him. I sat down in front of her and heard the rest of the men gather behind me. She watched me with wary eyes and I felt bad for causing her to distrust me. The man who owned her, Rothgar I think, stepped forward.
“Would you mind explaining yourself, girl,” he growled, his tone eliciting a growl from Luminor. The man jumped backwards, but kept his stern eyes on the girl. She drew her knees up and rested her chin on them.
“I found Luminor when he was very young. His mother had been killed, and he was very weak. So, I just, took care of him” For the first tome I noticed how strange her voice was. It sounded almost like an echo of her voice, not like it was her speaking. She stared down at the ground instead of up at her master as she spoke. I turned around and saw all the men staring at her with wide eyes. Jackorn spoke up.
“You…you raised it?” Kaylen nodded and glanced up at him briefly before returning her gaze to the ground. “Did he never try to, you know, eat you?” Kaylen looked up in surprise.
“Of course not! Luminor would never hurt anybody.”
“Tell that to the cows he has been eating,” called Brike from his position behind everyone.
“Yeah, tell that to the cows he has been eating.” What idiots.
“Luminor hasn’t been eating any cows! He prefers wolves and the mountain lions.”
“Prefers a challenge?” I asked. Kaylen nodded.
“And he knows better than to go near the town. He’s not stupid.”
“Of course he has been eating them! Who else if not him?” yelled Rothgar. A roar from behind us answered that question. We all leapt to our feet and whirled around. A break in the clouds aloud the moonlight to stream down on the brown gryphon almost as big as Luminor. He stared at us from the edge of the clearing. The cow had been mooing distressfully, but now she was almost screaming, desperately pulling at her halter. She flopped to her side, stood back up, and jerked back again. The rope snapped and she turned to run. The brown gryphon jumped into the air with one flap of his mighty wings only to descend a few seconds later on the fleeing cow. I instinctively ducked down as the massive predator killed the cow within seconds. He- I could tell by his massive mane he was male- turned from his kill and stared at us, blood covering his muzzle.
The men in front of me took off into the woods except for Jackorn and Hatan. They crouched down next to me, warily watching the gryphon. He looked from man to man as they fled, roaring at them in anger. To my surprise, he didn’t chase after any of them. Instead, he stared beyond me and the other men. I slowly turned to look behind me. Luminor was standing in front of Kaylen, his head lowered, his eyes watching the other gryphon. Kaylen was holding on to the gryphon’s tail as if she could hold him back. The brown gryphon let out a roar so loud it shook the trees and nearly knocked me to the ground. I shoved Jackorn and Hatan to the side and out of the way of the angry gryphon. We watched from the sidelines as the brown gryphon began to circle the clearing. Luminor started to circle the clearing, but he got only a few feet from Kaylen before turning back and circling back the other way to pace in front of her.
He’s protecting her, I realized.
With a roar, the brown gryphon charged. Luminor let out a snarl and leapt at the gryphon. The animals collided with a loud thud in the middle of the clearing and began to fight viciously. They moved so fast I could barely tell what was happening until they broke apart. Luminor had a gash on his flank while the other gryphon was limping on his front leg. A movement in the corner of my eye drew my attention to Kaylen. Tears streamed down her face as she inched forward, too close to the fight. I looked back to the gryphons to see the brown one notice her. He leapt toward her only to be blindsided by Luminor.
I made a quick decision and got up from my crouched position at the edge of the clearing. I ran around the edge of the clearing and into the clearing to come up behind Kaylen. I snaked my arm around her waist and yanked her to the forest edge and out of danger.
“Let go!” she hissed as I pulled her back, fighting me as hard as she could.
“Ow!” I cried as she elbowed me. She lifted up one leg as if to stamp on my foot and I quickly lifted her into the air. “Listen to me!” I whispered furiously in her ear. “Luminor is going to get hurt if he is trying to protect you.” She paused in her attempts to maim me in any possible way and I warily set her back down on her feet. “I’m going to let go of you and you are going to stay by me, understand?” She nodded and I let her go. To my surprise, she did stay by me. I turned my attention back to the fight. Both gryphons were panting heavily and were bleeding profusely. I heard Kaylen gasp beside me and I glanced sharply at her to make sure she wasn’t going to run to Luminor. She had a fist pressed to her mouth as if to hold in her sobs as the gryphons once again charged at each other. Just as they reached each other, the moon was once again covered in thick clouds and darkness surrounded us. I automatically reached out and latched onto Kaylen’s arm and felt her flinch beneath my hand. The sounds of the two roaring gryphons seemed to come from all directions and now and then a glimpse of Luminor’s white mane was visible. My heart raced as the invisible battle surged on. After what seemed like an eternity, silence descended. I strained to see beyond a few feet to see who the victor was, if there was a victor. From my left came the crunch of giant footsteps and I tensed, ready to run, even though I knew it would be pointless. I felt Kaylen draw closer to me and I realized she was shaking. The gryphon came closer until I could feel his breath on my face and I put my hand on my machete strapped at my waist. The gryphon let out a low growl and I froze. Beside me, Kaylen relaxed and stepped forward.
“Hey Luminor,” she whispered. A few seconds later I heard the giant animal purring and I let out the breath I had been holding since Kaylen stepped forward.
“Hey, Ryan?” called Hatan somewhere in the darkness. “Where are you, boy?”
“Over here, Hatan.”
“That little gal with you?”
“Yeah she’s here. Along with a gryphon I think is Luminor.” Hope it is Luminor. That would be bad. But I guess since she hasn’t been eaten, it was Luminor. The crescent moon broke through the clouds, giving just enough light to reveal the outlining Kaylen and Luminor.
“Kaylen, can you tell if Luminor is hurt?” I asked.
“I think I’m, uh, covered in blood,” she said shakily.
“Hey, you aren’t going to-” Her knees buckled before I could finish. I leapt forward and caught her easily in my arms. I stood up and looked at the unconscious girl in my arms. “Um, Hatan? Jackorn? Where are you? I kind of have a problem.” A few seconds later I could see the outline of the two men coming towards me. Jackorn came forward and looked down at Kaylen.
“What happened to her?” he questioned.
“Uh, she kind of touched Luminor and got blood on her.”
“And?”
“And she fainted.” I said wryly.
“Oh.” Jackorn glanced down at her again. The dark night kept me from seeing his face, but I thought I heard him chuckle. “You got her, or you want me to carry her?”
“I got her. She doesn’t weigh much.” And she didn’t. She was much lighter than I expected her to be.
“Sure you got her,” said Hatan under his breath as he moved past me to look at Luminor. I glared at him and started to respond to his comment, but he cut me off. “I can’t tell how bad he is in this light. Let’s either get to town and to light, or make a camp here. But we have to do something, especially about that little gal.” He came over to look at her. “Don’t suppose either of you know what to do with a, uh, fainted gal, huh?” he asked, looking up at me. Jackorn and I glanced at each other, then shook our heads. “Okay then. Town or camp?” asked Hatan. Jackorn answered.
 
here's the rest of that post. Didja know it only lets you post 1000 words at a time?!
Ryan Cont​
“Let’s camp here. That gryphon my be tame, but he doesn’t need to go into town. That would cause a little panic.” A few minutes later a fire was roaring away and Hatan was tending to Luminor by firelight. I laid Kaylen on the ground next to the fire and gently put my pack under her head. She moaned softly, but didn’t open her eyes. I sat down beside her and stared into the fire.
“How is he?” I asked Hatan without looking up.
“Well, he has a large cut on his flank that will need stitches, but I think I will wait until daylight and that little gal is up to keep him from eating me. He has bites and claw marks all over him and he has lost a lot of blood. But he isn’t going to die on us. Got out of that fight a lot better than I thought he would. Want to see that other gryphon. Must be tore up.” Hatan continued commenting on Luminor’s “amazing” fight. I half listened as I watched Kaylen. Dawn was just breaking when her strange gray eyes finally opened.
 
ok, so i was bad and read your story...:D ...and LOVED it!!!! (not that i expected anything less)

question, though: exactly what is the age difference b/t ryan and kaylen???
 
i just couldn't really decide what the gap was...i mean, i got the fact that ryan was older, but i kept thinking kaylen was closer to 15 or 16...so i guess i was thinking 10ish years, but apparently it's less than that...yay
 
Kaylen​
 I slowly opened my eyes and moaned as my head pounded.
“About time you rejoined us.” I looked o my side to see who spoke. Ryan was looking down at me from where he sat by me. On my other side was a roaring fire. I thought I saw Luminor on the other side of the fire, but I couldn’t be sure. I turned to look up at Ryan.
“What happened?” I asked. He chuckled softly.
“Um, you kinda, well, fainted.” He snickered and I glared at him.
“What do you mean I fainted?” I demanded.
“You got blood on you from Luminor and you fainted.” He grinned down at me. “It was actually rather funny, now that I think about it.” Heat rushed into my face and I pushed myself into a sitting position.
“Funny! How dare you say-” my protest was cut off by Luminor’s growl. Ryan’s eyes grew large and he motioned with his hand for me to calm down. With effort I tamped down my anger. I gritted my teeth and forced the words I loathed to say.
“Thank you for your concern,” I said sweetly. Luminor settled down and Ryan let out his breathe in a hiss. I continued to glare at him, but now he was ignoring me.
“You know, your master was not happy with you last night.” I guess he wasn’t ignoring me. The mention of my master cooled any anger I had left at Ryan. Mr. Rothgar had been furious. I could just imagine the beating I was going to get because of all this.
“Yeah…I know.” Ryan turned sharply at my tone. He studied me for a second.
“He beats you?” he asked in a light tone, but the tension on his face betrayed his concern. For a second I was touched, but then I hardened my heart. Trust was not something I could afford. Ever.
“Yes,” I said simply. Before he could he answer, I struggled to my feet and around the fire to where Luminor was lying. Hatan was beside him, dabbing some foul smelling ointment on Luminor’s cuts. He looked up at me and grinned. I’m not sure what smelled worse, the ointment or Hatan, but I smiled back at him.
“Glad to see you are awake. Can you tame this beast while I sew him up?” I nodded and went to sit by Luminor’s head. He laid his huge head in my lap and I began to comb his mane with my fingers. Fortunately his mane had no blood in it, but my stomach still felt nauseous. I had never really had blood on me before. I’ve cut myself before, but never seriously. I hummed tunelessly and watched as the forest came to life around me. Birds began to sing and flit around the trees. Day flowers opened and night flowers closed their petals to wait out the day. I plucked one of the day flowers near me that grew on its vine wrapped around a tree. The bloom was only as big as my thumbnail and as white as the clouds. On the tip of each of its five petals was a dot of light pink and the center was a deep pink. I loved the smell of the day flowers, but the night flowers were prettier. They were larger, some a foot across. They were a dark blue with a purple center. Trumpet shaped, they grew on long stalks from the ground, whereas the day flowers grew from vines hanging from the trees. I continued to study the flower in my hand until a whimper from Luminor brought me back to the world. I dropped the flower to the ground and began to stroke his head and murmur to him. He was so tense under my hands.
“All done.” said Hatan as he stood up. Luminor and I stood up and looked at the men, who were looking at each other.
“Now what?” I asked. A twig snapped behind me and I whirled around, expecting to see the other gryphon. Instead, I saw something worse. My master. He and the other men were slowly creeping forward, eyes darting warily around before settling on Luminor. Hatan ignored the approaching men and went into the clearing. My gaze followed him as he bent over the massive body of the brown gryphon. I looked away and into the eyes of Mr. Rothgar. He seemed calmer than before, but that scared me even more than his fury. If he was mad, I might get slapped or kicked. If he was calm, my beatings were much worse.
“Kaylen,” he said smoothly, “can you find your way back to the house?” I shook my head.
“I’ll take her back,” said Brike. His grin was wicked, but I refused to show him how scared I was.
“Yeah, I’ll take her back.” Brike’s grin vanished and he turned on his brother. Trike cowered waiting for the blow, but a word from Mr. Rothgar stopped Brike’s hand. Brike let out a growl and turned away, motioning me to follow. I fell in to step behind him, careful to keep my eyes on the ground. From the corner of my eye I saw Luminor disappear silently into the forest, probably to find breakfast and I breathed a sigh of relief. He was safe, and that was all that mattered. As soon as I could I would make sure he moved deeper into the forest, away from the hunters who might be foolish enough to think he might be easier to kill because he is tame. I wouldn’t be able to see him as much, but that was okay. Anything for Luminor. I thought about ways to get him to stay deeper in the forest as Brike and Trike took me back to the house. As we drew close to the house, I could hear Mrs. Rothgar screeching at the top of her lungs for her breakfast. I moved to go up the porch and into the house, but Brike caught my arm.
“Not in there,” he said, dragging me away from the house. We were around the corner of the house before I realized what he was doing. He was going to throw me in the cellar!
“Let go!” I cried, struggling against his hold. Without thinking, I hit him on the side. I didn’t hurt him, but I saw I had made a mistake. His face twisted in fury just before he landed a blow to the side of my head. I crumpled and darkness began to swirl around me, but I fought to stay awake. Brike dragged me by me arms to the cellar and dropped me while he opened the door set in the ground. I struggled to get up, but I wasn’t fast enough. He flung open the door, then shoved me down. I easily landed on my feet, but me head still rang from the blow and I feel to my knees. I didn’t even look up as the light disappeared and the door was bolted shut. I was once again in darkness, but this time I was completely alone. I began to slowly count in an attempt to stop the pounding in my head. By the time I reached thirty, the pounding had subsided to a headache. I took a deep breathe and pushed myself to my feet. Reaching one hand out in front of me, I stepped forward. After two steps my fingers touched the dirt wall. I leaned back against it and slid to the floor. I had been in the cellar only once before, when I first was bought my the Rothgars. Mr. Rothgar threw me down, just like Brike had, telling me this was what would happen if I ever disobeyed him or his family. He kept me down in the cellar for several days, throwing down food and water. I sighed and let my head fall back. I was really in for it now. The cold air pressed down on me and I drew in a shuddering breath. A tear slipped out. I shut my eyes tight and fought back the waves of despair.
 
he's getting there! he doesnt know she is in trouble! and hes not head over heels for her...yet:D
Jen​
I have never been so excited in my life. I was sitting astride a large gray horse, awaiting the moment the gate would open and I would exit the Institute. I had already said good bye to my friends in my dorm, but Skikit had followed me out here. He was now standing next to my horse, who I had dubbed Mrouta, which meant mountain. Magi Jaesh rode up on a brown mount whom he called Brownie. Very imaginative. He looked over at me and smiled. I grinned back at him and scratched Mrouta’s withers.
“Ready?” he asked. I nodded, unable to speak. I was so excited, but so scared. “Well then, let’s go. There’s some trouble in the Kiorn Mountains, a week’s ride north from here.” Magi Jaesh rode ahead of me to stand before the gate. I looked down at Skikit who was staring at the gate. He looked up at me.
“Don’t forget, you promised not to forget us, especially me.” I sighed with exasperation.
“I won’t forget you Skikit. I already promised. Calm down.” Skikit slowly nodded and stepped back. The small gate opened outwards and Magi Jaesh rode through. I took a deep breath, then followed. The wall was over twenty feet thick and this little gate was the only opening. I exited the tunnel and Mrouta whinnied in appreciation of the open space. I inhaled sharply at the sheer amount of space before me. Looking out the tower did not compare to actually being out here.
“How much have you ridden, Jen?” Magi Jaesh’s question broke me from my inspection of the landscape. It took me a few seconds to process his question and form an answer.
“Um, I’ve ridden now and then around the courtyard. I know the basics.” The very basics. Pull back on the reins to stop. Kick to go. Pull the reins to turn. That sums up my horse knowledge.
“Well, by tomorrow morning, you’re going to be wishing you had spent more time in the saddle. Now let’s get some distance.” Brownie broke into a gallop at an unseen command.
“Go Mrouta,” I said, giving her a little kick. She obediently took off into a gallop, knocking me off balance. I fell forward and grabbed hold of her mane to keep myself from falling off. I gritted my teeth and pushed myself back into a sitting position. It took me a few minutes to get comfortable. It wasn’t long before both me and Mrouta were tired. Master Jaesh pushed us a bit further, then allowed us to camp. Night was falling fast around us as we set up ‘camp’, which involved a fire and two blankets. As Magi Jaesh cooked a rabbit from the Institute, I brushed Mrouta. I had never had a pet before, and I decided I really liked Mrouta.

i'm having a bit of writer's block... argh!
 
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