Old Family and Foes, Irene sneaks a visit to the Dens...

[Irene]

As winter begins to progress into spring the weather begins to become treacherous and unpredictable. One day it could snow a few inches of snow and the following day will end up being sunny and warm. The winds were often strong and gusty, picking up dust and felling trees. Overnight and in early morning fog is often present and during the day the clouds would float low blocking out the sun’s light. Everyday was questionable on what the weather would bring.

This particular morning around the Griffonsbreak Dens hung a thin fog enough to limit visibility at a range, but detail was still clear inside 10 miles to a gryphon’s eye. The conditions made for a poor day to do any sneaking for an intruder into Firz’s lands. These were the conditions Irene had been waiting for. Since the early morning she had been flying, crawling, swimming, and rolling making slow progress deeper into the territory undetected. Now she was right outside the Dens waiting for the last running stretch to find her mother’s den.

Irene crouched patiently in small clump of bushes about twice her size. She watched the skies intently keeping a look out for any patrol gryphons. She had been in the same bush now for about an hour and still had not seen any patrols. Maybe they didn’t patrol around the den, she thought to herself, it would seem possible since it is so far into the territory. After one more through scan of the sky and still no patrols for miles she took the leap of faith.

Launching out of the bush at full speed Irene sprinted hard and fast into the Griffonsbreak Dens. As she ran, she inhaled through her nose trying to pick up her mother’s scent. Even if she had been for several years it was hardwired into her head and would be easy to pick up from among the several other scents drifting in the area. She had cleared the entire stretch to caves along the bottom of the cliff face and had not found her familiar odor.

Irene turned around and took flight to fly along the second row of caves. She was about 14 caves from the end when her mother’s scent found her nostrils. She braked hard and hovered on minimal wing beats around the last few caves. She landed on the edge of the cave on the second row where it seemed the strongest. After extending her neck inside she took a hard inhale, but found that the scent had changed. It was not that of her mother’s, but of a male, older one by the smell of the dandruff. She quickly backed out and went one cave higher, thinking that the smell and drifted downward to the entrance of the one she just left.

Irene landed gently on the edge of the cave on the third row up her hind feet dangerously close to the edge. She extended her neck and took another whiff and the scent was certainly her mother’s. Irene relaxed her tense muscles from all the running and flying, and let herself regain her breath. She paced slowly forward into the cave trying her hardest to stay quiet. She entered the main hollow of the den and saw nothing. She followed her nose and walked into one of the smaller side rooms and found the gryphon she had been waiting to see after so many years.

In the middle of a bed of moss, leaves, and feathers laid her mother, Matrona. Even in her age she looked younger than her number of years actually made her. She had very similar features to Irene like the blue tinted fur and feathers. Irene was beginning to have doubts as she stood at the entrance of the room. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea coming, she thought, how am I going to get out undetected if I stay? She scratched her claw on the ground in thought not realizing that her mother was beginning to disturb. “Who’s there?” she heard a voice call.

[Firz]

It was a risky game the one Irene played at. Sentinels watched all over Griffonsbreak and their patrolling routes were everchanging and hard to memorize. Firz himself ensured it was so. The mist made it harder for them to see her, but also for her to see them. Running into a single one of these trained guards would have spelled disaster. Sneaking into the enemy base under conditions of not being able of using one’s main sense, the sight, demonstrated such -excuse the pun- blind courage. However, her stealthy skills were excellent and if it weren't for a cruel coincidence of destiny she would have never been discovered.

Irene didn't notice the pair of glowing eyes turning her direction when she peered into the other cave she believed empty. Indeed this place belonged to an older male, from a long time ago, and it had never been abandoned entirely. This dark, snaking cavity in the rock used to be Firz's old home when he was no more than the lowly adviser of Grinook. He spent many of the five thousand of years in solitary meditation in this place, and even though his official residence was now the highest cave at the center of the territory called the Palace of Stone, he found it hard to simply abandon it. There probably were hundreds of blue griffons in the Griffonsbreak territory, and although Firz did not recognize Irene at first glance, he decided her behavior suspicious.

The Mind Master never forgot a face, and he quickly scanned through his catalogue of griffons just to clear the doubts. Matrona was the closest match, and her cave was the one right above; her feathers and fur were blue, but was it him or she looked a good few thousand years younger? Well, she had always seemed younger than she was and he had only gotten a glimpse at the strange griffon at his door. But Firz wasn't content with his mind's explanation. Matrona knew clearly he did not like anyone getting inside this cave and was not as old as to forget. Besides, the stranger flew nothing like her and this scent was not... Firz sneezed, the dust inside the cave rising like a curtain. Suddenly his one eye opened wide-- It was not possible! That was not her, and the only griffin in the world that could bear such resemblance was no less than Matrona's own daughter, Irene.

Firz extended his enormous wings and leaped into the air. He only managed to see a blue leopard hind leg disappearing in the mouth of one of the caves, but that was enough to tell where the strange griffin had headed to. The mist enveloping Griffonsbreak this morning allowed the perfect conditions for a stranger to sneak in... but could it really be her? Could her really be so foolish as to get herself killed just to see her mother one last time and get her killed as well? If this was indeed Irene, Firz knew her ideas were dangerous and that she would try to instigate a revolt inside the flock the moment she got the chance to. If she was sneaking in now, she probably could have done it before. Perhaps a revolution had already started right under his beak!

"Who's there?" His deep voice boomed. Not a question, but a demand. With minimal effort of his raven black wings Firz descended into the cave's entrance and expected to find a conspiration.

Of course, he also ran the risk of looking like a paranoid idiot...

[Irene]

Irene jumped in fear as a second voice demanded the presence of an unknown identity. She was pinned now between her mother – the one she was not so sure she wanted to face – and an old enemy – one she had seen in battle and knew his ferocity –, unable to move in any direction to escape. Oh why did destiny always put her in a bad situation when she wanted the opposite?

Irene huffed up her chest and let her plumage stand to make her look bigger. She opened her beak to talk, but another voice beat her. “Firz, is that you?” Matrona’s voice called from the separate room. “If so, what do I owe the honor of your visit?”

Irene remained frozen where she was. Maybe this will solve itself and I might get away with my sanity intact, she thought to herself. Her thought was her mistake she realized soon after she had thought it. Firz probably heard every word of what she just said in her mind. Now she was doomed to face the wrath of the gryphon king.

Irene heard her mother shuffle around in the other room. She was probably getting up to confront Firz’s untimely visit. She was doomed to be noticed by both parties and that was exactly what was going to happen. She could hear the claws of her mother getting louder as she approached. She was not ready to fight a two fronted battle against Firz and his rage, and her mother against her unpredictability.

[Firz]

And there she was. Irene puffed up her chest so not to appear that she was in such a compromising situation and Firz did the same to prove the opposite. A line of feathers from his back to between his ears stood on end, his vast black mane making him look larger than he was. Claws like short swords, hooked beak like a bill-guisarme, he was like a juggernaut, a killing machine. A low growl rumbled on his throat-- but then came Matrona's voice from one of the side chambers, and his heart skipped a beat.

With rage burning in his stomach like a fire drake Firz had forgotten about the owner of the cave. He would have liked to tear Irene to pieces right there and right then but he didn't know in which side would Matrona stand. In such a confined space he had the advantage for being a large and muscular male; maybe he could take them on, even in the worst-case scenario, but his blind eye reminded him to stay cool. Over-confidence had always been one of his greatest faults, and rage was another. He decided to keep a diplomatic mask on, for now. Later he would detain to plan his bitter revenge... those guards, especially, would have to pay. What if it hadn't been this foolish girl but a rogue fighter trained to kill?

As Matrona's steps grew closer, the griffin king replied in his deep baritone voice.

"This."

Her first reaction alone would be enough for him to build a plan in base of. Would she side with her daughter or her king? Firz understood the chances were not to his favor... however, who knew. His own mother wasn't particularly known for the predictability of her temper, either. He had to take things slow now, whoever he killed now in a rush of anger he could also easily kill through his servants in the long term. He needed not the risks of staining his popularity with the reputation of a killer that would ruthlessly massacre mother and daughter by no apparent reason just like that, did he? No, of course not. He would not commit stupid mistakes that would stop him when he was closer than nobody to finally eliminate the dragon threat for good.

Indeed he had been hearing her thoughts, as clear as he would have heard her spoken voice. He had been scanning them in search of any clue to justify his paranoid fears. However, he only founds thoughts to back up her earlier actions: wanting to get out of this terrible mess. It seemed as if they were alone as well, with no full army to oppose him. Good. However, he supposed Irene still had her perilous ideas in her head-- and that there wasn't really an opposition right now didn't mean that she couldn't make one arise if she was given enough time.

"Sanity, my dear? I would not call 'sane' the griffin that sneaks into a large Flock's territory in times of war. Especially not if your relationships with said Flock aren't in the best of terms to speak of." Poison was distinguishable beneath his telepathic remark, intended to be heard by Irene alone.

[Irene]

Matrona stopped in the archway of the room leaving Irene still concealed around the corner. This was not how Irene wanted this day to go, but Firz’s words were true about her trespassing being foolish. This was not how she wanted her mother to see her, a rebel facing a gryphon that had evaded death time and time again. Her mother was going to have to find out one way or another. Irene made a small jump from her corner and landed in front of her mother placing herself in the middle of the conflict.

“I did not come to fight you Firz,” Irene said boldly to gryphon king. “I came only to visit my mother. If you want a fight it is with me, not her. She knows nothing about me in the resistance or anything about my life since I left her. That is why I came back was to catch up with her and then I was going to leave.”

Irene was true to her word. She still cared about the ones close to her. She had left her mother alone for too long and not even give a sign or a whisper that she was alive. Her mother most likely thought she had been dead all these years seeing she did leave when she was just barely over 900 years old. Now she was back a stronger spirit and more daring than her younger self, she had fought in battle, and found a true love that, for now, was no where to be found.

“Irene,” an almost silent voice spoke, “is it really you?”

Irene was almost started by her mother’s voice she had been so focused on Firz. Paws and talons audibly moved closer to her and Irene turned to face her mother. Their eyes met and it was like seeing each other for the first time of their lives. The invisible bonds that had thinned over time instantly rebound and an old feeling arose in Irene, the feeling of home.

“It is me mother,” Irene’s voice soft as her mother’s. “I came only to let you know I am alive and well. I was expecting to be hear a while before getting interrupted, so we had more time to talk.” She paused and took a quick glance at Firz, “Looks like that time has come a little sooner than I had expected. There is so much I wish I could tell you about my life and hear about how you’ve been doing, but I fear that it is not going to happen today.”

“So, Firz shall we take this fight outside,” Irene said as she turned to face the Gryphon King, “if that is in fact what you wanted to do?” She was ready to take the brutal beating she was most likely to receive. I do not fear you she directed her thought at him you have failed to kill me two times now. I will most likely escape you again.

[Firz]

She approached with immense bravery in her heart, waiting for the deadly punishment for her reckless actions. However, Firz's decisions could never be predicted, his thoughts were always unforeseen. The Master of Deception looked at her in the eye, from his throat came a growl, deep and terrible that made the rock rumble beneath their feet.

Irene, what are you doing? Don't make this harder for your mother than it has to be. Firz's telepathic message was so soft and so unfitting for his bowstring-tense body that he hoped she would mistake it for one of her own thoughts instead. While he stood there ready to spring, like death incarnate, there was this little voice telling her that to fix everything she was only a 'sorry' away. His course of action decided, he wanted to shake her and destroy her confidence. Broken opponents were always easier to manipulate...

Instead of lashing out after her challenge, he went calming down; first his black mane of feathers flattened against his neck, then his head rose pridefully above his shoulders. His one seeing eye gazed at her disdainfully.

"I do not wish to kill you," he lied, but his paused speech sounded too powerful to contradict. "My war is against dragonkind and not against my own."

"Should you wish to amend your rebellious ways, however, and you would be welcome in Griffonsbreak at any time." He knew his words appeared to be a waste of his time, but they weren't meant so she would immediately leave everything and turn to his side, they were meant to follow and haunt her wherever she went. He was giving her the chance to return to Griffonsbreak with her mother, a chance to lose an enemy and gain an important ally, and that part was honest.

[Irene]

“Hugh,” Irene half disgusted and forced laugh, “your words are hollow Firz. You can’t hold a promise very well. You would have killed me any day of the week before today and now you say it is not so, foolish bird. You can’t even keep a promise to your own gryphons saying you will end the war with dragons. How long has this war been going and do you not remember our past with dragons? We have quarreled in the past, that you should know, but the outcome was always a draw. You would need a freaking miracle to gain the upper claw on the dragons.”

Irene’s ear right ear twitched as a misplaced voice spoke in her head. She smiled as she heard it quietly echo again and again in her mind. Really Firz is that the best you can manage with me, Irene directed her thoughts to him challenging him again. She wanted to see him snap, to see his anger explode and go rampant. She was endangering herself in doing so, but if I would show the true side of Firz that his fellow pride they would be disgusted by him. She could see them revolting against Firz in her mind. Attempting to use is mind powers to ward them off, but eventually overcome. It would be something she would miss if she fell here, but if her life would start such a thing she was willing to give her life for a better future for everyone else.

Irene’s smart, courageous gryph grin faded slowly and disappeared as Firz continued to speak. His hollow, meaningless words had gone and were replaced with a more intoxicating one that perked up her ears. She had been filtering his lies, but this offer that he was putting forward was too good to not be heard. If only the offer extended to more than just me, she thought, me and Cringe could be happy together and not have to run and fight. I could let the gryphons in the resistance maybe have a more secure future, if they grew tired of the fighting. How much it was actually true or possible?

Irene grew wary again of her opponent. She did not trust him to hold a promise, because she had never seen him hold one. If she was accepted back into Griffonsbreak how long would she live? It would be of no surprise to her that Firz would have her killed after making one mistake in the pride. What if others asked her of her past in the resistance, could she answer them? Firz would disapprove of the behavior for fear of loosing more of his pride to the resistance. There were too many questions to answer and try to keep an aggressive face to her enemy.

Matrona stepped forward to join the side of her only daughter. “Firz, if you have no will to kill her and never had, then what is there harm of her and me talking for a little bit?” she questioned. “After all that is what she said she was here for was to speak with me, right dear.” She rubbed her head on her daughter’s to show some love that she had not been able to show to her since she left. “Let us have some time together, please. She risked her neck to get here and to have her travel be in vain would upset her greatly. I’m only asking for some time with my only child.”

[Firz]

"How dare you call these beasts our equal! We have the advantage, and this war nears its end. You want a convincing fact, something that cannot be denied? Well then, I'll give it to you: Ryuu is dead!" His voice was like thunder and his mane was beginning to stand on end again, anger was beginning to leak despite his attempts to contain it.

At some point this discussion had lost it's direction and had become nothing more than a 'I'll say and do anything to keep you from having the last word!' kind of dispute, immature like a hatchling right out of the egg. Irene's words had just changed completely, from courageous and dignified to plain attacks: which meant, oops! Did he just hit a nerve? Oh, he was so sorry... not really. Then his eye twitched when she discovered his mind trick and practically rubbed it against his face. Was he that rusty? He hadn't expected to be caught this quick and felt very displeased with himself about that failure, and right then he noticed he wasn't doing much better in the job of staying above the pointless bickering.

Irene was a griffin capable of testing the patience of a rock -- a true rebel, indeed! And a real problem if he couldn't manage to harness this rebellious spirit of hers and use to his favor. But just imagine this same burning determination... but against the dragons. It was perfect, way too good like to leave pass just because he disliked the griffin in question. Irene and her griffins could very well be the grain of rice that would tip the balance of war, that like she said, had been stuck into a draw from some time now.

Well, well, but he had taken notice of it just in time. Look how she exposed all of her weaknesses in her mind, believing it was safe. Foolish girl. The offer had the desired effect and right now she was doubting. Only a few more moments and Firz thought he might actually be able to convince her... when Matrona stepped forth and pleaded for some time to speak with her daughter. Rotten timing. Firz gave an exasperated sigh, shook his head and said pensively like half to himself:

"I wasn't born yesterday, Matrona. The moment I step away from the entrance, there'll be nothing to stop Irene's escape into the mist." Then the corners of his beak curled upwards into a smirk. "So be it."

And so he left the cave, extending his great raven wings and vanishing into the fog. But not without a turn of his head, not without a last telepathic message for the young griffin: Yes Irene, Cringe too; and all griffins that really wish to see this war's end!

Irene would think that he couldn't possibly know Cringe, and she would be right, he didn't. But how could she know he didn't? And why couldn't the offer include others too, just why not? Firz really couldn't care less, the more the better. There was really no better way to get rid of enemies than to get them join your side; and even if that didn't work, well, there was nothing he could lose for he could get them killed with a single command!

[Irene]

Irene said nothing as Firz left her mother’s cave. Even after he left she still held her aggressive stance to make sure he would not return and throw a surprise attack. The time seemed like and eternity it she finally relaxed a bit and caught her breath. She tried to keep her breaths long and controlled, but her heart was bruising her insides from beating so hard in fear. Her legs were weak and shaking from fatigue. The conflict had ended and she was now alone with her mother.

Matrona could see her child shaking. It was very gutsy of her to stand up to Firz, especially on her own, but it looked as though she knew what she was doing. She kissed her child on the back of the head to assure her that she was OK. She walked to the entrance of her cave and poked her head out to make sure Firz was in fact gone. When she saw nothing or missed him, which ever affected her or was in fact true, she returned to daughter. “He’s gone,” Matrona said to assure her child that she was in fact safe.

Irene, after hearing her mother’s words confirming that Firz was in fact gone she collapsed. Her body was on the verge of losing conciseness. She had over extended her power and was now paying the price of her actions: the entire morning of sneaking, her draining sprint, and then her confrontation with her arch enemy. The two of them were so extreme opposites that it she could hardly see herself living in the same pride as him. He was all about control and she was all about freedom. Stop thinking about him, she said to herself, you came here for your mother.

Matrona became more worried about her child when she collapsed. “Irene, stay awake child, you can’t fall asleep here, your not safe,” she said with a of command. “Come on get up.”

Irene disobeyed like a young gryphlet and stayed lying down, but didn’t grumble back like any tired chick would. “Mom,” she said in with a soft whisper, “please just lay down with me. I won’t leave until you and I have caught up. I’ve been worried about you.”

“You worried for me,” Matrona said, her tone a little taken aback. “How do you think I’ve been coping with your absence, not knowing you were alive? I have molted at least ten times thinking about you and what had become of you. I couldn’t bear losing both you and your father.” She was now lying with her daughter brushing her talons through her feathers, making sure all that she was seeing was real. Tears were beginning to well up in her eyes. “I thought I had lost you the day you left. Where have you been?”

Irene felt bad seeing her mother cry. It was the second time she had ever seen her cry in her life. “I have been filling my life with beautiful things, mom” she said. “I found true love, I have seen such unbelievable beauty, I have a home of my own at Fallar Beach, and I have seen the war. I made friends with Ryuu, the dragon leader.”

Irene choked on her last words as tears began to flow from her eyes. She knew Firz was dead, she had learned of it on her way here, because the sentries were boasting about it when she was sneaking. The problem that it posed had now sunk in fully and Firz was probably right that the end of the war was near, without Ryuu to lead the dragons.

Mother and daughter laid together in the cave, crying in each others arms and sharing what each had missed in the absence of their company. Irene told her mother of Cringe and their first meeting. She told her how they had mated on the beach and was still unsure she was carrying their children, but she doubted it was as such. She told her of her home inside the cliff at Fallar Beach and how to get into it. She mentioned how she is the leader of the gryphons of the resistance.

Matrona shared her pretty uneventful life to her daughter. The most memorable thing they had was dragon attack that made it as far as these very cliffs where it was also ended. They had the occasional storms and resistance riot that both never lasted long. Matrona was more interested in what her daughter had seen outside of the pride boundaries that she made sound so interesting, but their time was slowly coming to an end.

Irene looked out of her mother’s cave to see the sun was beginning to descend from the sky. The blue skies remained, but none to soon would it become dark and night would be upon the world. She had to leave so she would be home before total darkness made finding home hard. “I need to go mother,” Irene said standing up. “I will see you again soon.”

“You better,” Matrona said in a stout tone. She approached her daughter and clasped her in her arms. “I wish you would stay with me, but I know the conflict of you staying.” They remained locked together as they hugged for what may have been their last hug. “I love you so much”

“I love you too,” Irene said back. The two separated and Irene walked to the edge of her mother’s cave. She looked back at her just in time to see her mother blow her a kiss. She smiled and pushed off of the ledge and glided on the fading heat of day.

Irene didn’t know how she would get out of here unnoticed, but something would come to mind when she really needed to think that far ahead. Now that she was out of the safety of her mother’s den, Firz was her first worry. She expected him to be leading an ambush on her and ending her here while she was within his grasp.