Post by atalanazhyra on Nov 19, 2005 1:50:04 GMT
A young female gryphon glided into the Ruby Mountains on brown and silver black-tipped wings and touched down softly at the base of the largest mountain, her spotted silver hindquarters hitting the ground slightly before her long-taloned forelegs. She looked around cautiously. Seeing nothing but mountains, a small stream, and a few rodents, she folded her wings to her sides and walked to the stream. She lowered her beak to the surface and took a long slow drink. She had been journeying for so long....
She came up again, clacking her beak a few times to shake off the water droplets. Looking up the mountain a little way, she saw a smallish cave. Instead of spreading her wings, she began to walk toward it. It felt good to stretch her legs after all that flying, and the part of the mountain beneath the cave was flat enough to walk up.
When she got to the cave, she saw that it was bigger than it had looked from the base of the mountain. It was easily large enough to comfortably accommodate four or five gryphons her size, but then, she was smaller than most. She was about to leave to see if she could catch something to eat when something caught her eye. Something shiny. She went closer to look at it. It was a ruby. She nudged it with a talon, her head tilted to one side. She stood like that for a moment, then picked up the ruby in her beak and carried it to the back of the cave, where she set it down as gently and carefully as if it were a baby gryphon.
She turned and went to the mouth of cave, spread her wings, crouched, and launched herself into the air, tucking her legs in to her belly in order to fly faster. She beat her wings, gaining altitude until the cave she had left was nothing more than a dark smudge on the mountain face. She angled her wings to the south, for she had spotted some deer in that direction as she was flying in. She saw one; a doe; and she folded her wings and dove at an alarming rate, screaming at the top of her lungs. When she was just a few yards from the ground, she braked hard and sunk her talons and the claws of her rear paws into its back. She felt the spine snap from the force of her impact and knew it was dead. She landed and lay down next to her kill, folding her wings. It was too big to carry back with her; she would have to eat some of it here. She began tearing at the meat with her beak, swallowing the strips she plucked off.
Once she had sated her hunger, she clacked her beak and stood. She unsheathed her rear claws and dug them into the deer's back, and grabbed its neck with her talons. She unfolded her wings and beat them hard, struggling to get airborne. Finally she rose slowly into the air. She turned and headed back to her cave. The deer was heavy, but she knew she could make it.
She landed heavily just inside the cave mouth and deposited the remains of her prey by the left wall. She went to the back of the cave and curled up to sleep. She would have preferred a nest up in a tree; sleeping in an enclosed space made her nervous. But it would have to do for now. She grabbed the ruby in her beak, and then fell asleep.
[/size]She came up again, clacking her beak a few times to shake off the water droplets. Looking up the mountain a little way, she saw a smallish cave. Instead of spreading her wings, she began to walk toward it. It felt good to stretch her legs after all that flying, and the part of the mountain beneath the cave was flat enough to walk up.
When she got to the cave, she saw that it was bigger than it had looked from the base of the mountain. It was easily large enough to comfortably accommodate four or five gryphons her size, but then, she was smaller than most. She was about to leave to see if she could catch something to eat when something caught her eye. Something shiny. She went closer to look at it. It was a ruby. She nudged it with a talon, her head tilted to one side. She stood like that for a moment, then picked up the ruby in her beak and carried it to the back of the cave, where she set it down as gently and carefully as if it were a baby gryphon.
She turned and went to the mouth of cave, spread her wings, crouched, and launched herself into the air, tucking her legs in to her belly in order to fly faster. She beat her wings, gaining altitude until the cave she had left was nothing more than a dark smudge on the mountain face. She angled her wings to the south, for she had spotted some deer in that direction as she was flying in. She saw one; a doe; and she folded her wings and dove at an alarming rate, screaming at the top of her lungs. When she was just a few yards from the ground, she braked hard and sunk her talons and the claws of her rear paws into its back. She felt the spine snap from the force of her impact and knew it was dead. She landed and lay down next to her kill, folding her wings. It was too big to carry back with her; she would have to eat some of it here. She began tearing at the meat with her beak, swallowing the strips she plucked off.
Once she had sated her hunger, she clacked her beak and stood. She unsheathed her rear claws and dug them into the deer's back, and grabbed its neck with her talons. She unfolded her wings and beat them hard, struggling to get airborne. Finally she rose slowly into the air. She turned and headed back to her cave. The deer was heavy, but she knew she could make it.
She landed heavily just inside the cave mouth and deposited the remains of her prey by the left wall. She went to the back of the cave and curled up to sleep. She would have preferred a nest up in a tree; sleeping in an enclosed space made her nervous. But it would have to do for now. She grabbed the ruby in her beak, and then fell asleep.