This is a fanfic based on an Inheritance Cycle RPG I used to be a part of on another site. Sadly the site is no longer active which is a shame because it was one of the best fantasy theme RPs I've ever seen due to how open ended it was the the freedom it gave the players. It didn't really follow the events of the books and included more mythical races and lands beyond just Alagaesia, which made for some epic stories. One of my favorite characters to role play as was a gryphon character named Fletcher. He grew and evolved a lot over the course of several adventures remains one of my best characters and I'm writing this as a tribute to the RP adventures I used to love. Anyway, here it is. If you read the other story I posted called "The Light of My Life",
"The Light of My Life",, some of the names here may be familiar.Seventy years had passed since the downfall of the Dragon Riders. The Riders and the dragons themselves were all but extinct, with only a few survivors scattered in hiding across the world. Alagaesia was on the brink of total darkness. The people were oppressed under the brutal rule of Galbatorix. However, for the people of Danthuania, these problems seemed to be a world away. Located in the world's southern hemisphere directly below Alagaesia, the continent of Danthuania still prospered and enjoyed an era of peace. Though many humans lived in Danthuania, the land was truly ruled by the mighty gryphons. Revered for their wisdom and intelligence, the half-eagle and half lion creatures were adored by the humans who called this exotic land their home. For the gryphons who called the mountains and woodlands their home, however, life was simple and primitive.
Chapter 1: Father and Son
The pudgy gryphon hatchlings bounded toward the entrance of the cave, trilling excitedly as they stepped into the sunlight for the first time in their lives. Elees, their watchful mother, accompanied them. The little hatchlings were almost identical to one another, covered in grey downy feathers and short tawny fur with black spots. The little hatchlings had spent the first few weeks of their lives confined to the small cave that their family called home. Now they were ready to see the outside world for the first time.
One of the hatchlings scurried around his mother's feet twittering with excitement. "Careful now, Fletcher." Elees chided the rambunctious gryphonling. Like all gryphons, her head, front legs, and wings were like those of a mighty eagle while her back end, hind legs, and tail were like those of a great lion. However, instead of having a tuft of hair on the end of her tail, she had an elegant fan of feathers. Her feathers were a light brown color while her fur was a dark shade of tan. Her eyes were a warm shade of amber. She was a very beautiful and majestic creature. Elees led her hatchlings out of the cave and onto a ledge overlooking a lush green valley surrounded by lofty mountains.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" the gryphoness whispered to her sons, nuzzling them both gently with her curved beak. The chick called Fletcher curled up by his mother's feet while his twin brother, Tas, moved closer to the edge, spreading his wings as if he were ready to fly.
"Not so fast, little one!" Elees scolded firmly, picking him up by the nape of the neck and carrying him away from the edge of the cliff, placing him down beside Fletcher.
Tas let out a disappointed squawk as his mother set him down.
The hatchlings were not old enough to talk yet. Unlike many other creatures such as dragons, gryphons possessed the ability to speak the language of the two-leggeds. The gryphons had long abandoned their own primitive language in favor of more complex language of the two-leggeds. It was also not uncommon for gryphons to bestow human names upon their offspring as was the case of these two hatchlings.
Presently the mother gryphon looked up into the sky at the sound of flapping wings overhead. A male gryphon carrying a dead goat in his talons circled once overhead before landing gently on the ledge next to the mother and hatchlings. He was a handsome creature who stood proud and tall, but there was a gently warmth about him. His fur and feathers were a dark shade of reddish-brown. His eyes were a warm shade of golden orange and reflected a wise, gentle soul.
The male gryphon laid the goat down tore off two strips of meat, holding them in his beak for the hatchlings. The two hatchlings eagerly scampered over to their father and devoured the meat hungrily.
"It is hard to believe that someday they will be grown like us, eh Windstrider?" Elees said to her mate, nuzzling his shoulder.
Windstrider nodded his head. "Yes, and then they'll set out on their own and we'll never hear from them again. We had best enjoy it while we can." There was sadness in his voice as he spoke those words.
.
.
.
Five years later…
The young gryphon awoke to something nuzzling him. As he lifted his head and opened his eyes, he looked around the inside of the cave that he called home. It was still dark but he could see the first rays of morning peeking above the horizon in the distance.
"Fletcher, it's time to get up." he heard a voice nearby say.
Turning his head, the young gryphon was met with the golden-orange eyes of his father. Fletcher was now a teenage gryphon, five years of age with golden brown feathers, tawny fur and golden-amber eyes.
"Father? It's still dark." protested the young gryphon with a tired yawn, clearly unaccustomed to rising this early in the morning.
"I know, but I have a special treat for you today." Windstrider said with a smile.
Instantly Fletcher jumped to his feet wide awake with a look of pure excitement on his face.
"Are you gonna teach me how to hunt today?" exclaimed the young gryphon excitedly.
"Yes. It's time you learned to hunt large game." His father answered. "That means no more squirrels and rabbits."
"Up already, Windstrider?" Elees called from nearby. Fletcher and his father looked in the direction her voice came from. Elees rested on a nest made from tree branches.
"I'm gonna take Fletcher hunting with me, dear. We could use another hunter in the family." Windstrider replied, walking over to her side.
"What about me?" protested another voice nearby. "I'm a hunter!"
Everyone turned to the teenage gryphon who was identical to Fletcher.
"Well Tas, seeing as how the last deer you hunted nearly put your eye out, I'd say you're still a long way from calling yourself a hunter!" Fletcher taunted his twin brother.
"Now Fletcher, Tas only had to try five times to catch a deer." Windstrider said with a slight smile. "And like you say, that stag nearly took his eye out. Let's see if you can do better." He added in a teasing tone.
Tas just huffed at the remark.
"Stay here and keep an eye on your mother, Tas." Windstrider instructed.
"Yes father." Tas said, and he made his way over to his mother.
Windstrider rubbed his beak against the tip of his mate's beak. "Stay here and rest, Elees. Fletcher and I will be back soon".
Elees smiled. "You two have fun."
"Oh I'm sure we will. Alright, let's go." Windstrider said, making his way to the mouth of the cave and spreading his wings. Fletcher waited for Windstrider to take off before he followed, flapping his wings to gain altitude. The teenage gryphon's wings had yet to fully mature and he found it difficult to keep up with his father. Windstrider reduced his speed and allowed Fletcher to catch up. The gryphons were now flying over a lush valley filled with evergreen trees. Windstrider led the way toward a river flowing through the valley.
"Now pay attention, Fletcher. Dawn and dusk are when deer and other prey are most active, so those are the best times to hunt. The first thing you need to do is to find your prey."
Fletcher scanned the ground below, looking for any sign of deer. The forest below made it hard to see.
"Try looking in clearings." Windstrider advised. "I see several deer down there already."
Fletcher looked around and soon enough he spotted a small group of deer down below.
"There they are!" he said excitedly.
"Good." Said Windstrider. "Now, the next thing you need to do is take note of the wind direction. You must always approach your prey from down wind."
Windstrider paused for a moment, gauging the wind direction.
"This way."
"Father, don't you usually just pounce on them from the air?" Fletcher asked, puzzled.
Windstrider chuckled. "That takes a great deal of time and practice, Fletcher. Besides, it's not always possible to tackle a deer from the air when they're in the forest, lest you end up crashing into a tree. You must learn to pursue them on the ground."
Fletcher nodded understandingly. "I see".
Windstrider banked sharply and positioned himself so that he would be down wind of the deer. He descended into a narrow clearing and flapped his wings a couple times to slow himself down, gracefully touching down on the ground. Fletcher came in to land and tried to slow himself down as well, but he waited too long and stumbled awkwardly when he hit the ground. The young gryphon lost his footing and tumbled head over tail until he came to a stop several feet away.
Windstrider shook his head. "You see, Fletcher? You need to master proper landings before you worry about hunting from the air."
"Yes, Father." Fletcher said, turning his head away with embarrassment.
Windstrider hummed and nuzzled the side of his son's face with his beak. "You're still young and these things take time. You'll get it eventually. Now then, I'll let you observe how I hunt this time. The next deer is all yours."
Windstrider crouched down and slowly began to creep forward. Despite his large size, he barely made a sound as his talons and paws moved slowly across the ground.
"Now from here on out we must be silent." he whispered.
The young gryphon mimicked his father's movement, crouching low to the ground. Before long, the clearing came into view. Five deer were grazing in the clearing, unaware of the two gryphons nearby. Windstrider's muscles tensed as he approached the edge of the clearing, stalking his prey like a great cat. Suddenly all the deer became alert and they all looked in his direction. Then they all bolted off in different directions.
Oh blast it! Windstrider thought to himself. The gryphon immediately lunged from the underbrush, singling out one of the deer. He bounded across the clearing and into the tree line on the opposite end of the clearing. The deer zigged and zagged as it darted through the trees with Windstrider in hot pursuit. Fletcher ran after them. As Windstrider pursued the stag, the animal suddenly changed direction in an attempt to throw the gryphon off. Windstrider reacted quickly, sliding sideways and propelling himself off of a tree to match the deer's change in momentum. He continued the pursuit. Up ahead, a fallen tree leaned across the path. The stag managed to squeeze through a gap under the log while Windstrider leaped into the air. The gryphon dug his talons into the tree, pulling himself on top of it and then leaped from it, launching himself straight at the deer. Talons dug into the deer's flanks and Windstrider quickly bit down on the stag's neck. The deer was dead before it hit the ground. The entire chase had only lasted about half a minute. Windstrider stood over his kill, panting from the chase.
"Wow! That… that was amazing!" panted Fletcher as he caught up.
Windstrider just smiled at his son.
"With practice you'll be able to do it too. Actually, you mother was the one who taught me that trick."
Windstrider looked down at his prize. "Speaking of which, we should get this back to your mother and Tas. They'll be getting hungry. Then I'll let you hunt your own deer."
Windstrider grabbed the deer with his talons and the two gryphons returned home. Elees was bathing herself in small stream near the cave. When she saw her mate and her son returning, she climbed out of the stream and shook the water from her feathers. She smiled as they landed.
Windstrider laid the deer down at Elees's feet. "It's good to see you up and about."
"Well, certainly you don't think I plan to stay in that cave until I lay the eggs do you?"
"Of course not." Windstrider said.
Elees examined the deer. "Well, this looks more like your handiwork than Fletcher's."
"Fletcher hasn't hunted his deer yet. I wanted to make sure you and Tas were fed first."
Elees nuzzled her mate and nipped playfully at his ears. Suddenly the female gryphon winced in pain, placing a forepaw against her belly.
Fletcher cocked his head when he witnessed this.
What's wrong with her? he thought.
"It's just like last time." Elees said to her mate.
"It's going to be alright." Windstrider said, reassuringly. "Everything turned out alright last time."
"You should get going. I'll be fine." Elees said reassuringly.
Windstrider nodded and turned to Fletcher. "Alright. Come on, Fletcher. Let's go."
Fletcher took off into the sky after his father. By now the sun had risen and the warm, golden rays of light were warming the land. The sky overhead was clear with not a cloud to be seen.
"Father, what's wrong with Mother?" inquired the young gryphon?
Windstrider sighed. "Your mother is pregnant. You and Tas will be getting another sibling."
Fletcher was surprised by this news. He had never considered the possibility of having a younger sibling.
"It'll be a while though." Windstrider added. "We only just recently realized she was pregnant. Anyway, let's focus on hunting. This one's all yours."
Fletcher flew low over the trees just like he had before. He spotted a pair of deer in a clearing not far away. He banked sharply, following the wind until he came to an area downwind of the clearing where he had seen the deer.
Windstrider glided up alongside the young gryphon. "This time, when you're coming in to land, try flaring your wings earlier and using your tail to steer. That will give you more control."
Fletcher nodded and began his descent. Heeding his father's advice, he maneuvered himself toward the clearing, using the feathered fan on the end of his tail like a rudder while flaring his wings to slow himself down. Just before Fletcher touched down, he flapped his wings twice and touched down gently on the forest floor. He glanced up at his father who was circling overhead and watching from above. Carefully and quietly, Fletcher crept toward the clearing where the deer were grazing. He singled out a doe, figuring a doe would put up less of a fight than a stag. Fletcher made his way to a good attack position and sprang from the shadows. Immediately, the two deer took off toward the trees. Fletcher bounded after the doe he had selected. The deer was fast and nimble and it was all Fletcher could do to keep up. He pushed himself as hard as he could, gradually closing the distance between the deer and himself.
It looks like all those games of "tag" I played with Tas are paying off. he thought to himself.
Fletcher leaped into the air and dug his talons into the deer's hide causing the doe to stumble and fall. Fletcher tried to lunge for the deer's throat but the doe got back to its feet and took off again. Undaunted, Fletcher gave chase once again. He caught up to the doe a second time and latched on with his talons, dragging the deer to the ground. He tried bite the deer's neck again when suddenly he saw a hoof flying toward his face right before everything went black.
"Fletcher!" he heard a distant voice calling through the darkness. Then the young gryphon became aware that someone was shaking him. He opened his eyes and let his head clear for a moment. His head throbbed with pain and he could feel a knot forming above his right eye.
"Fletcher!" he heard his father call.
Turning his head and looking up, Fletcher saw Windstrider standing over him, a worried look on the elder gryphon's face.
"Oh thank the stars you're alright!" Windstrider said in a relieved tone.
"Wha… what happened?" Fletcher stammered, rolling onto his belly and slowly getting to his feet.
"The deer knocked you out and got away." Windstrider said flatly.
Fletcher hung his head with shame. He had failed his first hunt.
"I'm sorry, father. I tried." He said, sitting beside his father.
Windstrider sat down beside his son and draped a wing over him. "It's alright, son. I've never known a gryphon yet who brought down a deer on their first try. We'll try again tomorrow."
"So you're not mad?"
"Why would I be?" asked Windstrider. "It was a simple mistake. Although from now on, I would advise you to be quicker about killing your prey. You should always try to kill your prey as quickly as possible. Not only does it prevent needless suffering, but it also reduces the risk of being injured by a flailing animal."
Windstrider smiled at his son. "Now come on, Fletcher. Let's go home."
To be continued…
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2016 has been such a crappy year.
