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[bird_brain]

[Aubri looks pensive: ear tufts flat against his head, gaze piercing, posture not quite relaxed. He speaks slowly, deliberately softening his accent for the sake of this message.]

Not so very long ago in my world, two great mages fell into war. Ma'ar grew to love power too much. Urtho was the only mage who could even think to stand against him.

[Aubri taps the ground next to the locket. The tap tap tap of his talons is dimly heard until he speaks again.] Ma'ar polluted magic. He poured every evil he possessed into his creations. Our troops were decimated. In the end, Urtho's only defense was to build a weapon as great and terrible as Ma'ar could conceive. I do not know if Urtho knew how great the consequences would be.

I helped deliver that weapon. [Okay, no. Not really, but he was there when Skandranon delivered it. But those are details and he'd rather not get into those... because then he'd have to talk about getting caught and abducted and that's just not fun talk.] It was a terrible price to pay for our lives.

[But he would do it again, if it meant saving the lives of so many people.] The magic corrupted the land and all the creatures in it. We could live there no longer. The storms would have killed us, if the creatures twisted by magic did not first.

[A pause.] Be careful out there, my friends.

Comments

[digophelia]

I am staying there until further notice; I won't be going back to Caer Scima. It's neutral territory.

[bird_brain]

I think that I can make my way there. I would love to see you again.

[digophelia]

[ Alice, stop inviting animals. ]

Oh, that would be wonderful! Yes! It's even near the ocean.

[bird_brain]

[He perks up.] The ocean? Do you suppose we could take a trip...?

[He loves the sea.]

[digophelia]

Unless you don't mind looking at it. [ She isn't overly fond of it after falling into the ocean in the fall. ]

[bird_brain]

I used to live in a place overlooking the sea. There is nothing like flying over the waves, Alice. It's a wonderful, peaceful thing.

[digophelia]

I'm glad for you; it's vast out here, very too.

[bird_brain]

I miss it. I cannot deny that.

[digophelia]

Then all the more reason for you to come here.

[bird_brain]

I did not need more reason, my friend.

[digophelia]

Good. I'll be here in the mean time for when you do arrive.

[bird_brain]

I will not delay long.

[A pause] Would you mind terribly if I asked you to help straighten some of these old feathers when I arrive?

[digophelia]

[ That makes Alice smile. ]

Of course not! It's no trouble, at all.

[bird_brain]

Good! [He grins.] I have not had hands to help put them to rights in some time now.

[digophelia]

I wasn't aware gryphons needed help with feathers, but I'm happy to oblige.

[bird_brain]

We can manage, but it's easier to ask someone with hands to help.

[digophelia]

[ It makes sense, even more so now that the mock turtle couldn't help his friend. ]

Does it happen often?

[bird_brain]

Feathers are a delicate thing, Alice. They must be well-cared for; can't fly without them, after all, and maneuvering mid-air is done best when one isn't ragged. At home, there were those who made it their trade to care for gryphons' wings.

[digophelia]

Really? A trade? I had no idea.

[bird_brain]

Yes, indeed. Truthfully, we could manage ourselves, but we never did discourage it.

[digophelia]

Does that mean there's a lot of gryphons where you come from?

[ The mental image that accompanies that. ]

[bird_brain]

We do not quite outnumber the humans in the city, but it's a close thing.