Adjustment: (3)

“When I woke up I was on the ground, I was inside what appeared to be a cave. My saddle was gone as were my weapons and armor, all I had were the raggedy feathers on my back. I rose to my feet, I felt sore all over. Looking around I realized I was inside of a cage made of iron bars, there was no escape from it. To my left and right were two more griffins in cages, and there were more beyond them. Across from me I saw another row of cages, each one occupied by a griffin. Everyone appeared to be sleeping, a few lanterns hanging from the rocky ceiling provided light to see. I knew we were somewhere underground, but I did not know where. Then a heard a yell from a man, and I nearly jumped a mile, high enough to hit the top of the cage. Immediately every last griffin in every last cage sat up straight with their wings folded and eyes forward, not knowing what else to do I did the same. I heard thudding footsteps and a man wearing what I recognized as deerskin trotted past me. As he passed by I caught the overwhelming scent of alcohol, and a body odor so foul I winced. Unfortunately I made a sound doing so, and the man stopped in his tracks. Turning around, the man towered over me, my heart was pounding and I was trembling in fear. His face was dirty, he had a grey beard and his eyes were brown. I looked into his eyes and I could see he was looking for blood.
‘Don’t look at me, whelp!’ he barked, and I looked down at my feet. ‘If I ever hear ah sound from you again, I’ll cut out yer tongue and feed it to ya!’ he said, blowing more of his rancid breath into my face. ‘Just ‘cause yer female does not mean I’ll go soft on ya!’ I was scared stiff, to be honest. And then the man stomped away, grumbling obscenities. The griffin next to me had an accent and whispered ‘You’re lucky. He usually overturns the whole bloody cage when someone makes a sound. I did once, he actually flipped the cage over with me in it.’ I asked ‘Where are we? What are we doing here?’ The griffin sighed, he looked at me through pale eyes and said ‘We are at ‘The Boot’. It’s a mine deep inside Durnatel territory carved into a mountain, we’re a ways beneath the surface here. Once we’re captured they lock us here in solitary, our riders are always executed. However the Durnatels need us so they can keep operations at the mine running smoothly. We are prisoners of war here, they will not hesitate to kill us if they want to. Our job is to carry around buckets of coal and assist with moving tools around. Don’t worry, once we’re out of solitary we can sleep on the ground outside of cages. Whatever you do, don’t make the guards or their wyverns angry. It might be the last thing you ever do. I tried to steal tools from the storage room and I wound up in here.’ He was slightly smaller than me at three and a half feet tall, he had blue eyes with rusty plumage and white stripes. Why I remember what he said to me in detail, I do not know.
I gave him a nod before a skinny man with a large ring of keys began unlocking the cages one by one. The griffins inside each shuffled out with their heads lowered, concentrating on the ground to prevent eye contact. I was eventually let out and followed the other griffins down a corridor past an open iron door. It led into an ascending tunnel which led to the surface, and other griffins were constantly on the move carrying huge buckets of rock or coal on their backs. I could tell they were suffering, only I couldn’t do anything for them other than take pity. They would only go so far as a few yards past the door to the solitary confinement room. There they would load the contents of their buckets into large metal carts, which were lifted up an inclined set of rails to the surface, I could see daylight. The tunnel itself was blocked by an iron gate and guarded, there was no way out through there. The carts were on my left while the descending tunnel went downward on my right. I went down the tunnel and after walking a fair ways I found myself inside an enormous chamber with a rock formation in its center that resembled the shape of a boot, and I understood what that other griffin meant. There were a total of three hundred griffins in that chamber, everyone seemed to be talking softly while sounds of mining tools striking rock echoed through tunnels branching out from across the chamber. Torches and lanterns kept the chamber well lit, coal dust hung in the air and made me cough violently. Then there was the smell, it was the smell of rotten meat and waste. Since there was nowhere to relieve one’s self one had to watch their step, especially in corners. Some had their wings bound with heavy chains, there would be no biting through that. I later learned it was a form of punishment. I was in awe when I heard someone say my name, a dark grey griffin stood up and repeated my name. I recognized the voice as Orane’s, but it didn’t look like him at all. I walked over to him and wondered why he was so dirty, he was covered from beak to tail in dark coal dust. He told me it was all that saved his life, the other griffins we were with during the ambush were executed. Orane changed his appearance enough to not be ‘grounded permanently’. He told me they killed Dita, he found out she actually loved him despite never really being there with him.
I felt bad for him, and he was quite distraught at the time. I comforted him, I told him to think of his children and how happy they’ll be when their father comes home. He smiled, I could tell he needed to be told something positive. Later the guards threw out rations to each of us, letting the meat flop onto the ground. The meat the guards provided us was infused with coal dust, it was very gritty and difficult to eat. The thin rations I received while I was with Ardon were absolutely heavenly compared to what we were given. I didn’t want to touch it with the tip of a sword, but I had no choice but to eat it. It wasn’t much, but it was food nonetheless. Water was plentiful since a natural spring created an underground lake adjacent to the main chamber. It was the one place where one could escape the steely gaze of the guards.
When guards brought out their whips and snapped them in the air, Orane and I had no idea what to do as everyone began to move. The same griffin I spoke to before found us, and he whispered ‘follow me’. He led Orane and I out of sight and told us his name was Malec, we introduced ourselves and Malec began speaking. Orane and I gave one another a blank look, we asked how long he had been down there. Malec replied ‘I’ve been down here for at least a bloody year, Letra. I used to be a messenger before I was caught, they usually don’t catch messengers like me. Thankfully they didn’t execute me straight away. How’s the fighting outside going?’ I shook my head and said ‘I was carrying Ardon, the prince of Mausolea. He was killed and I couldn’t save him. We’ve lost thousands of men and many hundreds of other griffins. It’s been a bloodbath out there.’
Malec was taken aback, he knew who Ardon was and was surprised to hear I had carried him, however he was even more surprised to learn he was dead. Orane asked why he had taken us aside, Malec told us he would help us figure out how to escape. He led us around a portion of the underground lake and to a tunnel I previously hadn’t seen. It was very small and discrete, most of it only large enough to crawl through. Malec went in first, he said there was someone he wanted us to meet. I didn’t like the idea of going down into the tunnel, but I did anyway. I followed Malec and Orane went in after me. There were a few lanterns inside the tunnel, it was a tight fit but there was enough room to turn around in. Crawling along the ground, I could tell the tunnel had been excavated over time judging by the different kinds of marks on the walls. As we went along Malec called back toward us ‘So, do either of you have any kids?’ I said I had a daughter, and Orane said ‘I have three kids.’ Malec laughed, he said ‘Really, that’s all? I have six.’
I laughed, I said ‘And I thought I knew someone with an active ‘life’’. Before he could reply he said ‘We’re here.’ What we arrived in was a slightly larger chamber, it had a higher ceiling and we could at least stand up inside. On the opposite end was another tunnel continuing on for some ways. The room could fit I’d say six or seven griffins comfortably, all around were tools for mining and buckets filled with rock. Malec introduced the dark brown griffin to us who sat on the opposite side of the room, he told us his name was Fenir. Fenir was muscular and almost a foot taller than me, he was obviously used to dealing with moving heavy objects. What I remember about him most were his amber eyes, they always appeared to be so full of life.
We introduced ourselves and he said ‘It’s good to know we have friends.’ He told us we were there because the hidden tunnel was how we were going to escape from ‘The Boot’ and get back home. He needed our help, and we agreed to do whatever we could. He said ‘The guards cannot possibly keep track of all of us. That is why we can come here and not be missed.’ He told us our job would be to act as eyes and ears for both him and Malec, everyone else had been told of their plot to escape. It meant we had to work alongside other griffins hauling rock and coal from the deeper portions of the mine. It would be difficult work, but Fenir said he had ways of getting extra food and shorter shifts.
And so Orane and I went together into the deeper portions of the mine, where the air was thick with dust and sharp rocks were everywhere. I had a wooden beam strapped to my back and two buckets dangling from each side. The men grinding away at the rock would have someone shovel the rock into the buckets and send us on our way to where the inclined carts were. In comparison to having Ardon on my back along with armor, that was easy. Carrying rock on the other claw was not, it was a struggle to take another step forward. The upward incline did not help and the first time I couldn’t take it. I fell flat on my face. As I stood up something swatted against my behind, I squealed because I wasn’t expecting it. It was a wyvern of all things, it was overseeing the mine and saw me falter. The way it hit me, I had never felt so violated in all of my life.
The anger I bottled up I used to my advantage, I was able to make it all the way to the inclined carts without making another mistake. I could handle being yelled at by some alcohol loving man, but being touched there on my backside? Absolutely not. It was right then and there I knew I had to escape, I was not going to become the victim of some dumb reptile’s urge. For the next month I carried buckets on my back to and from the inclined carts and bottom of the mine. I was filthy, I coughed constantly due to the dust, I had been on the receiving end of a few whips and I had lost some weight. All the same I kept going while I kept my ears open. My efforts paid off, since Fenir was able to hide the tunnel entrance one time when I overheard guards talking about searching for a rumored secret tunnel. It was one of only a few close calls, fortunately they never discovered our tunnel.
I worked all week for ten hours a day, thankfully Fenir was true to his word on being able to get better meat to me. Orane worked with the men carving away at the rock to reach the coal, he would swing a pick all day. More than once his tool broke and he had to use his claws to compensate. It was an equally difficult job, often his claws were dirty and bleeding. To compensate for walking on all fours which would be painful, Orane was able to find a way to rely more on his hind legs. I never asked him how, just so long as he could continue his job without faltering. I didn’t know how much longer I could keep things up, when one day everything changed.
I was carrying a full load as usual when I passed by a grinning wyvern. Just to toy with him, I knew that one was without doubt a male, I decided to give him an affectionate smile. To my surprise he focused on me while a griffin behind me lost his footing and fell down. The wyvern didn’t notice and the one behind me was not punished. In my mind I had an idea, it was risky but the outcome would be worth the effort. I swear at the time it was a stroke of pure genius.
I went straight to Fenir after my shift and told him what happened and he was immediately intrigued. He said in order for our escape plan to work we would need gunpowder, a map, food and medical supplies. To get those supplies we would need to get past wyverns, they always guarded supply rooms and where meat would be stored. Luckily the rooms were not locked and if they were we had a set of stolen keys, picking locks would not be a problem. To distract the wyverns, that is where I came in. I would use my gender to our advantage, being the only female there I had no alternative. I would put on an act to distract them while someone would go into the supply rooms and steal as much as possible then slip out undetected.
Fenir, Orane and Malec would grab the supplies while I provided the distraction. Since we had picks and grinding stones we could fashion our own weapons out of mining tools. Fenir and Malec saw to it that every griffin at ‘The Boot’ knew what the plan was, everyone would be armed and strong enough to fight their way out and then make the journey back to friendly territory. Before we left we would light simple fuses using lanterns and use gunpowder to ignite the copious amounts of coal dust on the ground. We would forever bury ‘The Boot’ so no one would ever be imprisoned there again, at the same time cut off Durnatel’s supply of coal.
One day we began to put our plan into action, we would attempt to get inside a supply room near the inclined carts. Inside there were tools which we could use as weapons, not to mention a place where guards would often rest and leave things behind. The four of us made our way toward the room, that’s where I saw the one I would try to fool. It was a dark green wyvern with long claws and equally long teeth. I shivered in fear, I asked my companions ‘Are you sure about this?’ Fenir replied ‘Do you wanna to get out of here or not?’ I nodded and said ‘Right.’ I took a deep breath and my companions kept their distance, waiting for the opportunity to move. I began walking toward the beast, thinking ‘Here goes nothing’. I put on an act which surprised even me, at first that beast was surprised to see a prisoner approach him, but then he focused solely on me. A soft smile, slow, fluid movements, and constant eye contact were all part of my act. It was the moment of truth and I have to admit it worked pretty well. We all regrouped back near the tunnel entrance and our efforts had paid off immensely. We now had plenty of stolen tools and additional grinding stones to go around, at the same time Orane found something which would prove extremely useful. He found a map which showed exactly where we were, about ten miles north of the Durnatel capital. We noticed a ravine which would serve as an escape route once we dug through to the surface, it would be far too risky to fly so far inside hostile territory. It would be a twenty or so mile walk across mountainous then wooded terrain before we would be far enough away to take flight without the risk of being spotted. The plan was in place, only it would take a month or more to get the necessary supplies we needed.
Outside the war had stagnated, Durnatel’s production of weapons had slowed to a stop, much like their need for coal. It was good for us because it meant we did not have to work, we were merely prisoners. At the same time it cut off a means to dispose of rock from the escape tunnel, we could not sneak it in with the rest of the rock coming from the mine. As a result we had to dump the excess rock in the underground lake to hide it, which only clouded our water supply with rocky dust. With the reduction in workers needed to keep the mine operating, it meant we could have three griffins digging at the escape tunnel at all times while we had six more there to move the rock and a crew of nine others ready to relieve the previous crew. I myself wound up picking away at the rock to lengthen the tunnel, it was dangerous work because the risk of a cave-in was always present. Using tools we had stolen before I helped pick and chip away at the rock which was quite solid and difficult to break in large amounts. It was no job for a griffin, we were built for flying and occasionally running, not so much for digging. For some reason I wished I could just become a mole and go through rock without any difficulty.
To keep everyone fed enough for the journey we had ahead of us, my affectionate act was needed more than ever. At times it worked a little too well, the wyverns grew ever more persistent. Thankfully I could hold them off and get better at the acting with some practice. Everyone helped in some way, some dug, some carried rock, and most pretended to act as though there was no hope. It was all a big charade to fool our captors, and it was going very well. Everyone kept themselves filthy and covered in dust, underneath that layer of grime everyone was hopeful. Since most of the guards had left the mine and gone to the surface, things were made easier and we could move around the mines freely. We could talk about whatever we wanted, everyone was in high spirits.
Fenir at first glance seemed gruff and to the point, he was actually very gentle and caring; he told me he had a daughter and would cry at night thinking about his family. Malec was a lover and a bit of a showoff, he prided himself on the colors of his plumage. I cared about them both, just like I cared about Orane. The four of us were in a way the ‘leaders’ of everyone in ‘The Boot’. We had come by medical supplies and gunpowder thanks to my act, a cache of claw fashioned weapons, a map and a plan.
Everything was going the way we wanted until the war picked back up again outside. All of the sudden the mining operation was in full swing, the need for weapons and in turn the demand for coal shot up like never before. At the same time the men working at the mine noticed a considerable amount of tools, all of their medical supplies and gunpowder for blasting was missing. As a result men guarded the supply rooms and rendered my act useless. Fenir lost his influence over a few things and suddenly everyone was working just was hard as the next griffin. With the drastic increase in work, it meant only three could work on the tunnel at a time and in secret, slashing our previous rate of progress. We had done so much in two months, all of the sudden our plan of escape was put on hold.
Our additional supply of food was cut off, meaning we were on a starvation diet. The amount we were given kept us alive, but it certainly was not enough for us to stay alive and work at the same time. I lost even more of my weight, until I would shiver at night inside the mine. Orane would sleep beside me and we’d pool our body heat. I noticed his ribs were showing and mine were at the same time. Even Fenir was starting to show he was weakening, he could not carry full buckets so easily like he did before. Everyone was losing weight drastically, we were being worked and starved that much closer to death with each passing day. Our eyes didn’t seem so bright and our plumage was not so vibrant like it was before. We held our heads high because we maintained hope, but as the weeks went by that hope slowly began to fade.
I had been at ‘The Boot’ for five months, away from home for almost a year and a half. The guards were becoming stricter and the blows from their whips harder. My feet were always sore, I was constantly in pain. My stomach growled at me like an angry bear, but it eventually learned there would only be a small amount of actual meat ever put into it. At night I had nightmares, I dreamt of the sights I had seen. I saw death and dying constantly while I slept, I could not get away from the pain of the day even in my dreams. One dream in particular really began to erode away at my hope. I dreamt of being home in Rahale, only the trees were white and dead, the ground made of lifeless stone. I remember walking to what I recognized as our aerie, only to find you and Thilra as rotten corpses… And I… Oh, god!”

Letra stopped and buried her head in Lorthil’s breast feathers, sobbing. He whispered into her ear, trying to assure her everything was alright.
“Letra, I understand what you’ve been through now. You can stop telling us about what happened.”
Letra immediately stood up straight.
“No! No. These are things that need to be said.” she replied bluntly while regaining her composure “I can do this, Lorthil. If I don’t I’ll never get over what happened to me. I know none of us want that.”
Thilra put her claw atop her mother’s and looked her in the eye.
“Mom, you know dad and I love you. We never lost hope or considered quitting on you. We always knew someday you would come back to us, and you did.”
Letra smiled.
“Thank you, Thilra. You are the light of my life, you will be what I leave behind on the world after I’m gone.”
Clearing her throat Letra continued.

“After I had that one particular dream I woke up and gasped ‘Lorthil!’ I woke Orane who was next to me at the time, I could hear his heart beat faster. He asked me if I was alright, I shook my head. I told him I couldn’t do this anymore, I was losing the will to fight. He placed his wing on my back and said something I won’t soon forget. He said ‘Letra, these are dark times. Even in the darkest of times there is hope, there is good in this world which is worth fighting for. It shows there is more good than bad in the world; those who start trouble and cause pain, and those who stand up to say ‘this isn’t right’ and put an end to the trouble. To decide whether we are good or evil is not our choice to make, what is our choice is deciding what you think is worth fighting for, to do what you think is right.’
I felt better after he told me this, I did need some reassuring. He asked if the name I said was that of my husband, and I nodded. Orane said ‘You must really love him. I know how that feels to miss those you love, most of us here do.’ He got my spirits back up, only for them to be crushed again by an unexpected and equally unwelcome guest. As I was hauling yet another bucket of coal to the inclined carts, I was in for a shock which made my heart skip a beat. The black wyvern who yanked Ardon off my back and killed him was there, I quickly figured the black wyvern was female like me. This made my little act useless, I was down below her like an ant to a human’s boot. Her name was Servillah and her rider’s name was Endane, the man who overthrew the Durnatel monarchy and started the whole mess.
I couldn’t believe it was her and she recognized me immediately. I won’t forget her voice, it was terrifyingly sweet and downright malevolent. She said ‘Well, look who it is. Letra of Rahale. How’s your husband Lorthil and your daughter Thilra doing? Thilra must really miss her mommy.’ It made me unimaginably angry and scared beyond rational thought, she knew who my family was. The way she said it, she was mocking me. I sneered ‘You leave my family out of this.’ She went on, saying ‘Did you see the way Ardon flopped around on the ground when he landed? Like a fish out of water.’ I glared at her, despite my tarnished appearance she could sense the fires within me were still burning strong. ‘You’re gonna need to do a lot better than that. You can break my body, but you cannot break my will.’ I said in reply, I help my ground defiantly. Servillah only snickered, saying ‘We’ll see about that.’
She snapped her teeth at me and lunged, trying to bite me. I dodged her head, but forgot about the claws on her wings. She raked her little claw across my back, and I screamed. The pain only boosted my determination to fight back, and I bit into the leading edge of her left wing and bit down as hard as I could until I felt bone. Servillah roared in pain, I ripped into a portion of her black, scaly skin. Blood leaked from the wound all over the ground and her amethyst eyes pierced into my soul, she knew I would die before I gave up.
Guards quickly tackled me and bound my legs, I was unable to move. Servillah and every griffin present watched silently as I was whipped repeatedly. My cries for help fell on deaf ears. They dragged me across the ground into solitary confinement and locked me in a cage like before. Only the one I was put in was so small I could not turn around or stand up. I winced whenever I moved, the cut on my back hurt like hell as did the slashes made by the whips and I could not do anything about it. It did not take me long to realize their goal was to break my spirit and drive me mad by being unable to move. In response I closed my eyes and remembered being home, imagining how good it would be to see my family again. When I opened my eyes I saw the same man from before towering over my cage. He spat on my face and growled ‘Servillah and Endane send their regards. Have a nice long stay, whelp.’
He stomped away and I muttered under my breath ‘And I’ll soon be sending mine.’ For an entire week I remained in solitary, no food, no water. Due to being inactive and still I conserved my energy, knowing I would need it if I wanted to get out of that godforsaken mine. When I was let back out of that stinking cage, I was sent straight to work again. That day I simply didn’t have the energy, I couldn’t work. I remember taking a few steps with loaded buckets on my back before collapsing. I strained to breathe when I looked up to see Servillah looking down on me with a big grin on her scaly face. She said ‘What’s the matter? The little pup exhausted? I should have done this straight away before, but I can see now is the proper time.’ The way she mocked me, I swear to god if I had an ounce of energy left to spare I’d peck those demented eyes of hers right out of her skull. But I couldn’t do anything, and what she said next sent shivers through my body. She said ‘Take her to be grounded, but do with her what you wish before you do so.’ A faded blue wyvern grinned and replied to her ‘Oh, she’ll have a most unpleasant end.’ I recognized that wyvern as the one the Durnatel representative rode, he glared at me and hissed ‘We have plans for you, griffie.’ I tried to stop him as he started to drag me, but one soft kick from my hind legs to his side just wasn’t enough. I knew what it was he planned on doing, that was the first time I honestly believed it was the end. I quite honestly thought I was not only going to die the victim of a reptile’s urge, but also die without my wings. I was going to die violated and broken. I remember thinking ‘Thilra, Lorthil. I’m sorry.’
As I was being dragged through the main chamber past my fellow griffins, I heard a sharp cry. ‘Let her go!’ cried a voice, I looked around and saw Orane staring the wyvern in the eye. He enunciated to get his point across, I had never heard anyone speak with such determination and power. He said ‘Let… her… go.’ I couldn’t believe it, I swore an angel in the form of Orane came to save me. I could see the wyvern panic and scamper away, leaving me alone on the floor. That beast growled as he left ‘You can’t protect your strumpet forever!’ After the beast slithered away, Orane rushed to my side, asking me if I was alright. I said no and it was obvious why. To my surprise again Fenir and Malec both helped carry me to a corner of the main chamber and set me down. They brought me water, food, even used their own feathers to cover my injuries and soak up any residual blood. They did all of this for me and I had done nothing for them in return. I asked why they were doing so much for me, and what they said took my breath away. Orane said ‘It’s because we love you, Letra. It may sound odd coming from us, but you have done so much for us its only fitting we do everything we can for you.’ Malec continued ‘If it wasn’t for you, we’d still be trying to get those bloody supplies. What probably would’ve taken us a year to get a hold of you helped us get in a month. We’ll owe you everything when we get outta here.’
I was touched by what they said, here were three random strangers I had never met before and they saved me from certain death. They all told me ‘What are friends for?’ Unfortunately Servillah found out pretty quickly what happened, she was not very happy. She even went so far as to bring Endane into the matter, although he did not seem to care since I never saw him face to face in the mine. I had triumphed over that reptile for the time being and because of my lack of strength I worked on digging the hidden tunnel while everyone else kept the guards off my tail. Malec was with me when we struck gold, in the form of sunlight.
As I chipped away at the rock my pick broke through the rock and a beam of sunlight shone through into the darkness of the tunnel. I was surprised at first, the bright light nearly blinded me. I remember my beak flopping open and saying ‘Malec, get over here!’ When he saw that beam of sunlight he was equally awed, it was as though we had found our way to heaven. Together we broke through more rock and made a small hole to look through. We could smell the fresh air and feel wind blowing on our faces, we looked through the hole to see where we had broken through. I could tell we were in the ravine on the map, the one we wanted to use to escape on foot.
Widening the hole so I could fit through, I took my first few experimental steps outside with Malec right behind me. The terrain was relatively smooth at the bottom of the ravine, the steep rocky walls would keep us concealed from view. We both worked for several hours outside the tunnel to make the exit wider and allow for easier passage. Malec and I worked quickly and discretely, we could see wyverns flying around in the distance. More than once we ducked back inside the tunnel when a wyvern or two passed overhead. Satisfied we went back inside the tunnel and used some old wooden boards to cover the exit while blocking out the sunlight. Our spirits were high, we now had a means to escape from ‘The Boot’. All we needed to do was inform Fenir and Orane, everyone would get the word and we would rise up against our captors. The plan was in place, we had everything we needed and the time had come to act.
We told Orane and Fenir what we had done, and they were both ecstatic. All four of us quietly spread the word, our plan of escape was to begin the next afternoon. Unfortunately Servillah caught wind of our plan, in response she had a few surprises for us the next day. She had Endane order all wyverns at ‘The Boot’ move to guard the main entrance of the mine, making escape that way all but impossible. He sent his best men into the mine, saying something along the lines of ‘Our prisoners have nothing left to offer, destroy them all before they can rebel.’ Fortunately for us Endane did not send anyone out to search for other tunnels surfacing near the mine, otherwise our secret tunnel may very well have been found. Servillah obeyed her master and would see to it that every last griffin at ‘The Boot’ was dead by day’s end. We knew they were getting ready for a fight, in response we would give them a fight.
The next day no one was sent to work, the mining operations were shut down. It was an unanticipated event, we did not expect for the Durnatels to stop their entire operation and send a hundred heavily armed men just because of something Servillah claimed to have heard. Apparently Endane trusted her judgment, perhaps a little too much. I had been at ‘The Boot for almost six months, a total of nearly twenty months since I left home. I like everyone else there in that hellish place were ready to be free once more.
To be positive everyone knew how our plan of escape was to work, Fenir and Malec briefed everyone much like how our superiors once briefed us. The plan was to distract our enemy for long enough to get everyone out through the tunnel and the last ones inside would light the fuses to destroy the mine with the enemy trapped inside. It was a highly dangerous plan and in all likelihood some of our fellow griffins would die in the process. However this was a risk everyone was more than willing to take. We took a headcount and figured out there were three hundred and two of us, and only a hundred of them. Everyone was given a weapon, which were nothing more than sharpened metal rods and rudimentary knives made from shovels. Despite having lost so much strength everyone willed themselves to escape, we were not going to be hostages at the claws and hands of the Durnatels any longer.
I stood there in front of my fellow griffins while Servillah stood out from her fellow wyverns. We were staring each other in the eye, the atmosphere was so thick it could be cut with a knife. In the background the enemy men were standing mute, as if they were waiting for an order. While we were standing our ground, silently the evacuation through the escape tunnel began. Fenir and Malec were outside while Orane remained at the tunnel entrance directing others down into it. Everyone moved quickly and quietly, since we did not have much time before someone made a move.
Servillah glared at me and I glared back. She said ‘At least now we know where all those tools went. Several hundred picks and shovels don’t just get up and walk away.’ I said ‘I know what your master told you, he told you to kill us all. What I wonder is why didn’t Endane come in person to see his plan though. Is he too afraid to face his foes directly?’ Servillah growled, she was getting angry. ‘You killed Ardon, he was only a young man. How can you live with yourself?’ I asked. I went on and said ‘I loved him like he was my own and I treated him as such. How do any of you Durnatels cope with the fact you’re killing fathers? That goes for just my species, let alone all of our men who were killed by Durnatel’s hand.’ My intention was to start a debate, keep Servillah distracted for as long as possible while everyone evacuated in the background. What she said I won’t soon forget.
Servillah hissed, she said ‘Durnatel killing your fathers? HA! Says the one who killed sons, brothers and fathers of my species; how ironic. Remember that Mausolea struck first, we merely fought back. It wouldn’t be the first time Mausolea meddled with our affairs.’ I asked her what she meant, and what she said was something I did not expect. ‘I remember facing your mother and father, they fought like hell and never gave an inch. That sniveling Ardon and you had something your parents had with their riders, and something Endane and I never really had. Love. Your parents and their respective riders trusted one another with their lives, they loved each other like family. You griffins have it so easy, you know what it means to love. In my species, love is pointless, relationships are only there in order for the next generation to be born and nothing more. Endane never pays any attention to me, I’m left alone to contend with the other males of my species.’
I remember cocking my head and asking ‘Where does that leave us?’ Servillah gazed into my eyes and said in a cold voice ‘I must follow my master’s orders. What I’m asking you is this: back down.’ I scoffed and said ‘I don’t think so. You think every last griffin down here is just gonna sit here and willingly let you kill them? You must be crazy.’
I knew what I had to do, I would have to fight that female wyvern with all of my strength. I had no weapon handy other than my talons and beak, and Servillah had her jaws. I made a threat display and she bared her teeth, in an instant it began. Things were happening so fast I barely remember most of it or who struck first. The two of us fought in the main chamber, beside the ‘boot’ shaped rock formation. She hit me, I hit her, we were both bloody and giving it our all. What I remember is when I managed to land a blow from my beak on Servillah’s head, she backed away and grinned. She smirked and said ‘Not bad, Letra.’ I said ‘I’d give it up now, it’s only gonna get worse.’ After those words left my beak the fight picked up again, we were both running out of energy and I was pinned to the floor. She was about to bite my throat which would have killed me, but before she could I shoved my talons upward into her exposed stomach. After that I got out from beneath her and saw she was in no condition to fight. I didn’t kill Servillah, but I certainly wounded her. The fight was brief, but it was by far the most intense minute or so of my entire life. I remember looking back at her and she conceded defeat. I said ‘You wanted us to back down? Maybe you should first. Tell Endane Letra sends her regards.’
Servillah growled and a pair of other wyverns helped her up to her feet. Her wounds were substantial, I had definitely scarred her. It was after she was out of the main chamber did I know I had triumphed over her, however my little victory was short-lived. In place of wyverns several brawny men brought up metal tubes and aimed them at us. I yelled ‘Red flares!’ a second before they fired, I was lucky to only be singed by flying lead rather than incinerated. Just two of those dreaded things went off, I saw the burning bodies of many griffins caught in the blasts. My ears were ringing, all I could see were burning bodies and blackened feathers floating in the air. Not to mention that sick smell of burning flesh.
All at once everyone left made a mad dash for the tunnel, making a jam at the entrance which was only meant for one at a time. The men manning the ‘flares’ moved back while wyverns moved in and began to kill every griffin in sight. We were getting killed left and right, bodies piled up behind us. When the enemy began to attack, our rudimentary weapons began to show their worth. Even with claw fashioned weapons we were killing some of our foes and holding them off from the tunnel so the remaining griffins could evacuate more smoothly. Orane and I were among the last to enter the tunnel, he was yelling ‘Move, this place is ready to blow!’
Fenir and Malec were outside with everyone else who managed to escape alive, Orane had lit the fuses to their ‘bombs’ they constructed out of gunpowder and buckets. Less than half a minute after Orane and I got out we felt the ground shake beneath our feet. A low rumble began to build until a blast of dust rocketed out from the tunnel exit and collapsed it. Fenir and Malec’s handiwork had come through and worked better than expected. ‘The Boot’ was destroyed and everyone started cheering. We were free from the mine, but our tears of joy soon turned to tears of sorrow.
We took another headcount and we were left with tears in our eyes. There were three hundred and two of us only minutes before, only a hundred and eighty made it out. We had lost so many so fast, it left me feeling as though to a degree we’d failed. Coming to our senses we could not stay near the tunnel exit for long, the Durnatels would be looking for us and would have revenge on their minds. Luckily we had the map from before and knew where we needed to go. The walk would be downhill, making it easier for everyone. We would follow the ravine for a mile and continue through a coniferous forest north and parallel to the Aplaria Valley. Inside the forest we hoped there would be cover and game to hunt, not to mention a navigable path. We knew we were pushing our luck to ask for such things, but our luck had held out thus far. Fenir lead the way while everyone else followed in a line two griffins across and ninety long. He said ‘Let’s go’ and that was the end of all discussion. We were moving on, toward friendly territory and toward hope.
It was a long walk, thankfully we were able to walk a few miles away from the mine and press into the woodland. The ground was mostly level and there were few obstacles, much to our relief. The ravine was rocky and nothing lived there, the woodland on the other claw was a trove filled with life. Small game was everywhere and they were easy to catch, everyone’s stomachs were filled with real meat for the first time in many months. Our first night out of the mine everyone slept beneath the trees and we had given our enemy the slip, they lost track of us for the time being.
The next morning I woke up feeling better than I had in ages. Everyone reviewed the map and we chose to keep walking for a few more miles before flying the rest of the way to the Shield hills where I knew a friendly position had been set up. Inside the forest it was clear few humans ever ventured there, I didn’t see even the slightest trace of a settlement or home. There was nothing out there for miles other than dense forest and occasional bodies of water. The longer we walked, the more and more we began to think we had a chance at getting home again.
After walking for several hours we reached this pond, it was not very large but it created a gap in the forest canopy. It was midday and the time had come to fly. I cannot begin to describe how good it felt to fly again, however some needed help due to a lack of strength. I stayed behind with Orane while Fenir and Malec went ahead, we stayed to make certain everyone got in the air. Thankfully everyone was able to fly, we flew high and quickly to attract minimal attention.
I looked back at the mountains as they got further and further behind me. Inside I felt as though I was free, I’d never have to go back there again. I honestly believed after we reached the Shield hills and explained what we went through we could all go home. There was nothing I wanted more at that point in time than to go home and end the war for myself.
I was among the last to land at the Shield hills where a major Mausolean encampment stood. Once on the ground I was in awe at how many men were working to build defenses and ready weapons. Orane and I were among the other escapees from ‘The Boot’ when we received bad news from the superiors there, we could not go home yet. At the same time the enemy was coming and the position at the Aplaria valley was overrun. We needed to make certain Durnatel did not advance into Mausolean territory, and use any means necessary to repel the attackers. I thought I had left my troubles behind, apparently they followed me and they returned with a vengeance. Once again I was given armor and weapons, but not a saddle. Men could not be spared as riders, it gave a sense of how desperate the conflict must have become since we were last involved in it.
I did not want to fight anymore, but I did not question orders after they set me straight. The men had become harsher, more desperate than I was used to. They would holler and scream at us to follow orders, the enemy was on the offensive and approaching the Shield hills rapidly. Beyond the Shield hills to the southwest stood the same dense forest I had once walked through with Ardon. When I looked at it again I knew it would be where our enemy would be approaching from. I had been at the Shield hills for a week recuperating when the fighting began once again."