Chi'Ralik sat in the chair at the table that was so large that they required speaking tubes in order to be heard across the sprawling council table. The collection of species' that sat at the Diurnal Pillar Council was too large to encompass a normal room so it had, by necessity been moved to an area that was partially outside to allow for two immense benches for the times that the storm dragons decided to come and join them. Which was only one meeting in ten, if that, they only bothered when there was something that directly affected them rather than the general running the city itself and the outlying posts, provinces and villages.

The minx flicked his tail a few times, tipping his head towards his fellow council member that was sitting beside him with a pile of scrolls settled in front of her. She was still the rich dark sable color that all their kind were in the warmer seasons, his own coat had begun to shed and patches of white had emerged along his cheeks and down along his neck giving him a mottled appearance. It would be growing cold soon, he could feel it, which would make these meetings all the more unpleasant due to the fact there was no real way to keep the place heated.

The humans ranged throughout the table, spaced between non-humans in an attempt to show that they were all equal. The gryphons were the second largest members of the council, four of them with a male and female from each of the sub-species' to represent their King. They had couches that had their bodies sprawling comfortably, but at a level with the rest as they had several human pages that were working to unroll scrolls and prop up notations that their hands couldn't manage on their own. Ralik watched them with a little twitch of his ears.

“We need to bring up the gryphons this round." He said softly towards

Bru'Tigiera, keeping his voice as low as possible. “We can't back down."

“We can, but they'll outvote us." Tigiera hissed softly and gave him a slightly pained look. “We don't have the backing we need to push anything through at this point."

“But we can get it out there." Ralik responded and shifted in the chair as the gong sounded and rolled through the room, silencing the soft chatter.

The mixture of species' that worked as pages were moving away except for those that dealt with the species' that didn't have hands to hold papers with. He leaned forward and picked up the ivory weights to spread his bill out and listened to the dull and rather monotonous opening to the session, outlining the prior minutes and changes that had been passed or tabled. His tail twitched a little behind him while he kept his back erect and did his best to look interested. Every detail was important here, or at least, that was the air that he tried to cultivate when he was sitting in session.

Because they can't believe a minx _is anything other than a thief hiding behind a few well placed lies, no matter how many years pass. _ He thought bitterly and suppressed that thought. Bitterness would not allow the Council to take him seriously.

The Speaker was an eloquent, but officious in his position, but the faun was one of the few that lived within the city limits. There was no need to have representatives of his species on the council given the fact that they were so rare and kept strictly to the forest, but giving him a role meant that he was still able to bring up concerns. The minx twitched his ears a few times and let his eyes slide towards the group of humans across the table from him, the ones dressed in the dark blue leathers of the merchant guild and moved his gaze away with some effort.

“We request that the lower evergreen forests near the base of the Nataschi Mountains be closed to lumber and passage." One of the gryphons spoke up as new business was opened. “We need to rest the hunting grounds we previously marked, and will allow a new road to go through it to allow safe passage."

“A new road will cost money." A merchant interjected, the speaking tube making his voice echo as the rich brown-bronze gryphon turned his gold eyes to the human. “And time."

“In exchange for the transfer of hunting grounds, we will allow a mine to open within our territory, the one that was surveyed and marked as a source of possible emeralds." He responded smoothly, barely twitching his ear tufts. “It should cover the cost of the road."

The parties dickered for a bit longer about the cost of the new road, and the cost of opening the mine, most of it coming down to the petty giving and taking that would allow a smooth transfer of territory. The big predators all had to be adept at diplomacy due to their large appetites, all save the dragons. The storm dragons simply claimed territory at need as their own, though they were at least good enough to not take cattle and the like and he had to admit they did bring up gems and gold to pay for herds to be brought into the Storm Reaches. Still, it was always a part of the council session that he could do without.

It continued on a bit longer, the various races adjusting and making their own decisions on how to best go about building a new road as bids were going to be allowed in the future. He twitched and he felt his claws tapping the table so that Tigiera moved her hand over to stop it from making any noise to betray his own agitation. The minx shot his fellow councilor a smile and straightened up as the fawn turned his attention in their direction which allowed him to stand up and lean forward slightly. He tried to show a stance of conviction, importance.

“I bring up the matter that the minx are experiencing an increase in attacks in the merchant wards of the city." He spoke up clearly and moved his eyes around the room. “In fact, there are beginning to be factions in the lower levels of the city that are dangerously close becoming gangs sanctioned by their own peers."

“Most likely youngsters and males, they get their blood up and always begin to squabble." One of the humans dismissed, but Ralik gave his head a

shake.

“These are no youngsters. Not two weeks ago, a young female was set upon by a tavern keeper and accused of theft, they nearly beat her to death." He said stiffly, trying not to allow emotion to cloud his voice. “I have heard a gryphon was stoned attempting to make a landing in the center market." He turned his head towards the delegates for confirmation.

“Rrrr…" The big male ground his beak with a loud creaking noise before shrugging a wing. “The landing platforms are placed for reason, it was a younger drake that tried to land directly in the market."

“But these are on the rise. It isn't just the incidents, though, that have me bringing this up to the Council." He said before he could allow anyone else to begin to move from the matter. “There will be incidents that happen, but the agreement has always been that each Pillar race sees to the discipline to their own people."

“Yes, true." “Obviously." “It's only fair." The agreements filtered around him so that he gave his head a short nod.

“Those that strike out against an opposing species are not being punished appropriately, and in some cases are not punished at all." Ralik made the accusation in a firm tone, not raised, not enough to make anyone accuse him of being overly emotional. “Over the past year, I have done a study. While each race will punish severely within the bounds of crime inside of their own species, if they occur outside of their own species, it is lightly sentenced."

“And does this include the minx?" Someone asked slyly as if trying to trip him up and Ralik only gave his head a slow nod.

“To my shame, yes, we have become biased and it is forming factions that view striking against another race as legally sanctioned because the most they get is a small fine or a brief stay in the city jail." He continued on and spread his hands wide against the table in an attempt to show his sincerity.

“This is brewing something dangerous, something that could turn ugly."

“And what is your suggestion?" One of the merchants asked. “Do you think the race that's offended should take on the punishment of the accused? That would be…disasterous."

“No, but we could set up a central court that allows for a member of each of the Pillar races to be represented and pass judgement. Surely that would be fair." He pressed, trying to meet eyes around the massive table. One of the brightly colored gryphons gave their head an immediate shake.

“The founding of the city allowed us to judge our own criminals." She said with a queerly high pitched voice. “How can a minx judge what I have done? How can a human know our culture?"

“It doesn't have to be within our groups, but when they cross boundaries, there needs to be a balanced view." Ralik said, persisting even over the murmur of various people against it. “There is going to be trouble unless this is stopped soon. Real violence."

“And you think having them judged by a mixed group will stop the violence?" A short scaled kobold hissed out sharply. “That will only increase it."

“We can, perhaps, modify the punishments, perhaps create an interior group that will oversea inter-species incidents and prepare a report." An older human spoke up with a careful modulated tone. “We will bring up the idea in six months and view where this stands and if we truly need to take more extreme efforts."

“There are already factions starting!" Ralik protested, his ears pinning back in irritation.

“I think that is a fine idea, no need to rush through changes that will only disrupt the city." One of the nobility said with a smooth tone to his voice. “After all, if we enact it in this Pillar, than we are going to have issues at other cities, before we know it, the peace of our country is disrupted and destroyed."

“A good point!" The burly aquiline gryphon spoke up with a low rumble, tipping his head up slightly.

“I agree." The erral delegate spoke in the soft voice, the avian looking nervously towards the gryphons.

“Lady Cylian!" Ralik said with a bit of shock. “Your people have been the ones that have been suffering just as well as us."

The bird folded her scaled fingers over her breast, a nervous gesture as she blinked her eyes several times. Erral were a strange mingling of bird and reptile, the feathers hiding the trail of fine scaling that glittered along her throat and along her face. Instead of a beak, it was really a hard stiff muzzle with a pattern of white and gold scales that had been polished to the point that it caught the light. Her long feathered tail was curling behind her nervously, showing just how uncomfortable she was with being confronted, but they never enjoyed confrontation.

“They make good points. It is risky, better to be cautious." She murmured softly and ducked her head, her eyes were nervously darting around.

“The ratatoskr, then, we need to open discussion with the ratatoskr, they have been a part of our cities and they are heading up some of the factions that are the most dangerous." He persisted, unwilling to simply give up on it. “They have no representation on the Council, they are not admitted formally into-“

“We have had this talk. They were offered positions in the past, they have no set governing body and have repeatedly been a risk to cities outside of the Pillars." He was cut off sharply and that caused the minx to stiffen up with anger. “Do you expect us to reward bad behavior?"

The ratatoskr were a subsect, a gathering of different species that were all so closely related that they could even interbreed. The ruling elite among them were large burly creatures, rat-like that stood nearly seven feet tall and were hired out as mercenaries and brute muscle. They were pirates and worse, while the smaller species were used nearly like fodder for the marauding bands that attacked small villages and farms. That didn't make up all of them, but it kept them on the outskirts, and added to the growing issues in the city. It was his last ditch effort.

“They are not all bad, and they have more reason than anyone to instigate issues within the city." He persisted. “We assign guards to follow them when they come to market, we limit the amounts of them that can be here, we treat every one as if they were a criminal."

“The few that are trustworthy are not treated that way. That alone should be a reason for us to look into starting a central tribunal." He continued, but the erral gave a flick of her head.

“That I cannot agree with it." She answered, while one of the merchants let out a sharp bark of laughter. “And it has nothing to do with your prior point, Chi'Ralik."

“You can't simply throw out yet another excuse to push forward your agenda. The ratatoskr are a non-starter, we have to use half of our militia to protect our ports from them as it is." The merchant snapped and the little erral dipped her head in agreement.

_Unwilling to make any enemies as the youngest member. _ He thought with anger, but slowly sat down in his chair. He knew better than to persist, he would have to work harder to turn people towards his way of thinking.

They were ignorant, they were too busy believing in the larger idea of a true utopia despite the fact they spent every session having to mediate problems with different races. There was an ugliness growing in the city and the further it grew, the harder it would be to extinguish. Even humans were stirring and growing restless. Eventually they would see that they needed to come to an agreement that made sure that punishments fit the crimes and split up any growing factions. Of course, that was if he could get anyone to listen and vote his way on the matter. He never should have counted on the erral to help him.

~ ~ * ~ ~

Valia could feel the age of the university around her as she walked along the well worn paths and felt her heart pounding faster. There were statues of some of the most revered scholars on either side of the entrance, species' that had made themselves stand out in such a way that they were still remembered. She wanted to be one of them, she wanted to be renowned as a scholar, she wanted to stand out as someone that would rise in those ranks. She felt a delighted shiver run down her spine as she came up the main steps and heard the sound of laughter and then a shriek from above her head.

There was a flash of a gryphon that was hot on the tail of another one bearing a set of ribbons. They were play fighting, using the statues to get around them, making her step back to avoid being swiped with a wing. It was only when she was nearly backed up against the wall that she saw a third flier was joining into the game. The grey storm dragon was trying to keep up with the lighter gryphons, but his own weight kept him slower, but he was sly about the game he was playing with them, angling them into an area he knew he could slip past.

She should have smiled at her cleverness, but instead, she felt a surge of irritation that he was on the wing playing games. He had told her that he would meet her outside of her home in the early morning because she'd wanted to study before sitting the exams. It was too much to hope for him to abide by his word, instead, she had been left trying to quiz herself from what she knew, hoping that it would be enough to get admitted into the university on her first try instead of reapplying.

Over the last week, Frostscale had shown little interest in learning, instead, he'd simply demanded that she tell him what he needed to know. Not the whys and how's of how it worked, but simply wanting the basic information. He had little curiosity about it, he was more entertained with getting groomed, flying and eating, up to and including making her leave the city so that he could hunt what he called “challenges" while she read her books. He had even brought back a bear at one point, preening with pleasure at his cleverness and leaving her mortified to see him eat.

“FROSTSCALE!" Valia called out, allowing her anger to tell in her voice as the pair of gryphons swept around the statues again and one actually tried to perch upon a dower looking kobold.

“HA! GOOD TRY, SCALES!" The darker of the pair of young gryphon's whistled out as her yell had drawn their attention to him. “That's our win!"

-Only because the human alerted you!- _ Frostscale snarled out, his mind red with anger as his eyes turned towards her. _-Did you have to scream like that? You sounded like a yowling fishmonger.-

“You were supposed to have been at the market and my house this morning." She said, trying not to flinch away from the angry eyes as the young drake dropped down and back-winged into a showy landing.

He deliberately picked an area near a statue, kicking up dust and dirt at her, bits of pebbles stinging her while the pair of gryphons laughingly fled. He had his crest up high, his eyes whirling with irritation, but she matched that irritation with her own. She had agreed to help him with all of this, she had been excited even, the chance to interact even more closely with the storm dragon thrilled her, but now she was left with the burden of everything while he made a fool out of her. He didn't even look apologetic as he padded forward with a swing of his tail, the four curved spikes of it rasping across the rockwork.

-I slept in, a rested mind is a sharp mind, human.- _ He responded, his voice carrying a chill to it. _-You don't want me going through the test with dulled wits.-

“And the gryphons?" Valia asked as she went up the stairs, stepping past the large gates that had been swung open wide. Looking in made her lose some of her irritation.

The university was set up like its own city so that once a person was admitted they could study in what they most wanted to learn. There were fields that could be used for those studying agriculture and smithies for black smiths, trades, but they were trades that were experimental and constantly improving upon. The black smiths here had been the first to design metal so light that gryphons could wear armor and some were even gryphons themselves, magicians that could work magic into what humans created.

There were stargazers and librarians, there were even assassins here, though that school was maintained beneath the eye of the Council and strict guidelines put in place. There were those that studied military warfare and those that designed buildings and bridges. Everything and anything could be found here, and she felt a thrill to be walking down the steps with Frostscale. At least, it would have been more thrilling if he didn't shoulder her aside and stride forward with his head up and cockily flicking his wings.

_-You look like a rooster, hatchling.- _ A voice, an incredibly deep voice, ran through her head like a shock and there was a shift beside one of the buildings.

The heavy wedge shaped grey head dwarfed that of the dragon beside her, the eyes disgusted while Frostscale stiffened up at the sight of the diplomat. Tarrbin didn't look at all impressed, though there were many around him shifting nervously, giving him wide berth to make sure that they didn't get in the way of the large taloned feet that pushed up and out while he rose. He fit in the open square, but he had to do it with his wings folded down tight and his tail looped around a column to make sure that it didn't crash into anything in particular.

He made Frostscale look like a gangly calf, the proportions of his legs and tail overly long when one looked at a dragon that had thickened and deepened. The sweep of the horns gleamed in the light, the thick quills of his crest roused and rattled slightly as he lowered his head towards Frostscale as the young drake let out a soft hiss of insult at being called a rooster, or maybe a hatchling. Both? But the diplomat's eyes turned towards her and she froze as the colors spun around a pupil that pinned down to near nothingness and then flared wide.

“Sir." Valia tried not to stutter under the adult storm dragon's regard, tried not to remember that this was a direct descendent of Anara and Sithen. “It is my honor!"

-You are almost late, child, I am told they are going to be preparing the test there..- _ Tarrbin turned his muzzle with a jerk towards one of the buildings. _-For the humans.-

“Yessir." She answered, but her eyes darted towards Frostscale who was actually bristling.

-What are you _doing here? Making sure I'm keeping my word?- _ He asked and his mind voice dripped with scorn, the emotion thick and heavy feeling.

_-Go on, human, I am going to personally test Frostscale. As he is the first storm drake to come to this place, I will not say he was let in on a whim.- _ Tarrbin responded, the voice so…dismissive.

The few times she had heard either of the diplomats speak, it had always been in this dismissive cold tone. As if they were telling a cat to get out of the way, not talking to another person, but she couldn't precisely argue with him. His mouth could have easily taken her head on a whim, probably her entire body if he had a mind to do so. Instead, she cast another look at the young drake, forgetting a bit of her anger and slipped away to leave him standing in the shadow of the adult dragon. The way their eyes locked together made her wonder if they were speaking privately, but there was little she could do if they were. Today was not the day to be distracted, she wouldn't be forced to retake this test.

~ ~ * ~ ~

_-Why was magic banned to every species except for gryphons?- _ Tarrbin snapped the question out like a whip, like he had every question since Frostscale had been forced to be quizzed.

He hated it, he felt as if he were under his father's eyes when he'd been misbehaving, ready to feel the strike of a tail the moment he said the wrong answer. He had no doubt this was the way Tarrbin had planned things, certainly he hadn't been given a hint that he would be tested by anything other than the gryphons that ran the tests for those species' that couldn't use hands the way others could. His tail lashed and snapped against the ground, grinding his teeth ever so slightly as he ran his thoughts through what Valia had told him.

Valia. Over the past two weeks he had spent more time in her presence, and he found it strangely alluring to be near her. She spoke so well that he had begun to enjoy listening to her when she decided to read out of the books for him. She was intelligent and losing her fear of him, which made him all the more interested in her. It was a strange interest, growing distracting to the point that he began to pull back away from her. The emotions confusing him and making it harder to focus on the end game of slipping out of the city when he was ready to find another Pillar City.

-Because humans proved that with it, they would only be tempted into stupidity, the other races only have innate natural magic like we do. Humans steal their magic, their natural magic is that of a thief, it can't be allowed to exist.- _ He answered smugly, putting just a little mockery into his mind-voice. _-So it's illegal for them to practice, only gryphons truly practice spell based magic now.-

-And if a human wants to apply to practice magic?- _ Tarrbin persisted, looming above him, trying to put him off his cocky attitude. _-When is it allowed?-

-Only if they have natural magic, like being able to hear us or earth magic like crops, they can't steal magic. Not anymore.- _ He said easily while he curled his tail around his forelegs, lifting his head upwards. _-The last Great Magic was to turn a handful of humans into our kind, making amends for how they killed us in the past.-

The questions had varied wildly, sometimes he was struggling to grasp the right answer, other times he guessed, but at no time did Tarrbin give him any indication if he were right or wrong. It was frustrating, worse, it was in public and Tarrbin was making no effort to keep their mind speech public. Any one that could understand them that got within mental range would hear him asking the questions. They had started easily enough, mathematics that were put into calculations that a dragon would easily know.

He had been well educated when he'd been a flightless hatchling, he knew how to calculate the winds and storms, he understood how to calculate the way a mountain would break or how a cavern could be carved. He had been quite pleased with how easily those had come, other things were a bit harder for him to fumble through, but he felt he was doing well. It was this last line of questioning that made him uncertain. He had never been one to be fascinated with magic, even his own natural magic, it seemed more like something a dragoness would be fascinated by.

-Ahhh yes, one of the agreements Anara the Mother negotiated for us.- _ Tarrbin rumbled, his eyes lidding briefly. _-We flourished, we represent our kind, but do you know why we do not live in their cities?

-Because we're afraid they'll kill us.- _ He said shortly and then shifted his weight a touch, his tail smacking the ground before amending the answer. _Because we maintain a distance that makes them have respect, every dracine species is the same way.-

-You've been taught well.- _ Tarrbin offered slowly, the little edge of the growl to his voice. _-Mostly.-

-I'm not an idiot.- _ Frostscale responded and then glanced about, unable to help but notice that a few gryphon and even a couple _minx were lingering close by as if enjoying listening in.

-I didn't believe you were, but I wanted to make sure you wouldn't be an embarrassment for our species.- _ The older male said with a low growl and then shifted his weight, his mind voice narrowing focus. _-The girl you came here with, she is your friend?-

-She's good at studying.- _ Frostscale said and shrugged one of his wings lightly, flipping the edge lightly. _-Smart for a human.-

_-Her name is Valia?- _ Tarrbin asked and that sent a little jolt of jealousy through Frostscale, a reaction that caused him to stiffen up with outrage.

He didn't answer, he didn't trust his mind voice, but he gave a jerky nod of his head, one that made the dragon's eyes spin a bit faster and he lifted his head up and away. The wings moved, scraping against either side of the columns with a little scrape that made him let out a hot huffing breath. The regard was sharp and then softened slightly before the adult male leaned backwards and gave his head a slight shake back and forth. The tongue flicked out briefly, darting to touch his nose so that Frostscale let out a short sharp hiss of distaste.

-I will recommend that you're allowed to study here, but there is a reason we do not become overly familiar with humans.- _ Tarrbin's words were filled with something, he didn't understand what they were, but he didn't pick them out. _-I will follow your progress with great interest.-

_-I'm sure you will.- _ He said stiffly with his tail twitched again, lashing with a little thud that hit against the ground.

It didn't matter, this was just a stopping point on the wider world. He had a long life ahead of him, and out there, was his true name, a name that he would find when he found himself. It wouldn't be here studying, but this would do for now. And if the old dark scale wanted to loom over him and watch him, let him. He wasn't going to simply sit on some cave ledge and stare down at the world while there was interesting adventures to have. So what if there wasn't war, there were still things he would be able to do.

~ ~ * ~ ~

Vychik snapped his long teeth together a few times, his eyes narrowing and his nostrils closing against the scent of the sewer that surrounded them. It was foul, run off from the aeries that were used by the gryphons, the sluiced waste fouling the air to the point that it was hard to breathe. It was always like this in any of the Pillar Cities, they were never allowed in by the main ports or gates, making him twitch the length of his long naked tail back and forth. He could fly a flag of truce, he could leave a purse that would secure the good behavior of his crew, but he wouldn't be welcome.

The sewers were the only way he could pass into port and he took with him only a handful of his crew, those that he knew could slip into the market and not be questioned. The Ratatoskr had always come in two sub species, his own, large and elegant, nearly seven feet tall with powerful bodies, compared to rats more than anything else. The secondary species were like those of his crew he had brought with him, small and slight, barely reaching four feet tall, limber and excellent thieves, but also tolerated in cities as long as they weren't in packs.

The light was cast by mold on the edges of the brick drain while he moved to one side, keeping out of the muck to a side line of the tunnel that was dried out to allow for both storage and a place that was somewhat comfortable when they were in port. It wasn't as comfortable of his ship, but it allowed to him to meet with people within the city quietly. There was a special sort of pleasure that came having any high ranking member of the city in the sewers with him, the lights cast here faint and he made sure it gave him a sinister air.

“I tried with the council again." Chi'Ralik said, the minx holding his hand against his nose, a pained expression on his white and sable face. “Trust me, I brought it up."

“Oh aye, and I'm sure they loved hearing the Ratatoskr brought up in their meetin'. Sit down, boy!" He barked the last as he leaned back on a barrel, his hat tipped down slightly over his slender muzzle. “I've warned ya, trouble is brewin', my crew has been approached."

Ralik looked as if he were going to be sick as he moved to sit down on the edge of a crate that had been stacked up against one wall. The minx always amused him, they were just a shot above the Ratatoskr, the same sorts of rumors following them, save that they fought with words and spying instead of actual battle. Centuries ago, the slinky creature would have been hiding in the sewer right with him, remaining in shadows, relegated to the small hamlets and tribes rather than being welcome into cities, let alone a Council.

“For?" Ralik asked and shifted, trying to keep the lining of his pants off the back of the crate. “Anything specific?"

“Of course.." Vychik clicked his teeth together lightly and leaned forward. “Batch of kobolds, had one of their young females snatched up, raped, ruined by a human. Human paid a fine to the parents."

“A fine?" The minx hissed in distaste, crinkling his nose upwards. “That was it?"

“Oh yes, a very young female. Did you know that some sick brothels run specials." Vychik watched Ralik carefully as he spoke. “They snap up young non-humans, sell them up, they upcharge to make sure they can pay the fine for use."

“That's disgusting!" The minx snapped and gave his head a jerking shake of his head. “I refuse to believe that civilized creatures behave that way."

“Of course, the grand beautiful Pillars are too perfect to allow anything so dark." Vychik spread his hands open wider and leaned back, kicking out his booted feet. “They'd never snag some sweet little minx girl just on the cusp of being a woman and lock her in a room with some fat greedy human slavering to take her."

The truth was worse, much worse, no one really realized just how farreaching Ratatoskr were in every city, every sewer. They were at the edges of all the major cities, with the stronger and more powerful clans working on ships or in bands on the land proper, offering their services as fighters or preferring to pillage. His own clan kept a few here in Diurnal so that he knew when it was safe to raid vessels to get the largest amount of reward for the risk of battle. It also let him know what was happening here, and he couldn't help but feel a sadistic pleasure at seeing just how dark the underbelly was.

The whispers of how there were some factions and species that had begun to make an illegal trade in their brothels. It was something that had begun a slow fire burning here, and it was growing as at least three different races were starting to pick up young virginal females to be used in brothels against their will. The punishments were so light that they could easily charge extra to sell the virginity of the kidnapped girls and use that to pay the fine and still profit. Which was making the lower rungs of the city begin to surge with anger, filtering upwards in a slow burn, and where there was the promise of violence, there was the promise of profit.

“There would be riots!" Ralik snapped out. “There would be rise ups in every quarter of the city if that were true."

“Which is why we've been approached." He spread his arms a little bit and bared his large front teeth. “An' I'm just understandin' enough to feel that it's not a bad idea to be approached."

“You will not start a war in Diurnal!" He snapped back in response, bristling with his ears twitching in his agitation.

“Myself?" Vychik laughed and tipped his head backwards on his sleek dark furred head. “Oh it's begun already. I'm sure your Council will cover it up somehow, hide that it ever happened."

“They have no idea of it!" Ralik hissed out, obviously pricked so that the Ratatoskr bruxed, grinding his teeth together with silent laughter. “I had no idea of it or I would have brought it up! I will bring it up in an emergency session, I just need to make sure this doesn't overspill into real violence."

“Not my problem." Vychik said and leaned forward, furrowing his brows in a mockery of pity. “After all, who am I to deny the poor afflicted victims a bit of vengeance. You should just be happy that so far it's only centered between the kobolds, humans and elves so far as the ones doing the abducting so far."

“Promise me, if there is going to be a move that you will warn me first, give me time to alert our guards and the city militia." Ralik said and ran a paw through his head fur, ruffling it up in his agitation.

“I could be persuaded to do so…" Vychik drawled out softly while he leaned backwards and crossed his legs slightly.

The minx glared at him but dug into his belt before yanking the pouch free to fling at him angrily. He didn't care about that anger, he could smell what was happening here and this gold was just the start of what he would be able to harvest. The latest to be grabbed had been a one of the rather fanciful colored gryphons, a sweet little thing, just in her adult plumage and violated. He had heard she had cost a large fortune, but that meant that the gryphons were going to be ready to rise up. And the gryphons not only had magic, they had wealth enough that he could be hired on no matter how they looked down their beaks at him.

And it would give him the chance to open up a truly marvelous run to make sure that he would never again have to be in these stinking tunnels again. He would have to be cautious, careful, but war was profit, and the way these blind fools were playing, there was going to be a great deal of profit to be had if he just made sure that the right groups turned against one another.

~ ~ * ~ ~

Valia watched Frostscale with a bit of dismay as he stood beside the smithy and stared at the goals before his jaws gaped open wide. She saw the length of the black red tongue before there was a crackle of electricity that spilled downwards. It wasn't the bolt of lightning that she had once imagined coming from the dragon's, it was a snap that chased out with a white flash along the edge of the blade that was being held up across the anvil. Where it crackled, a pattern emerged like hoarfrost running across the front of the flat metal and the storm drake lifted his head up with a proud snort of pleasure as he stepped back and tipped his head to where the slate grey gryphon was watching.

“There, you see? Lightning is another aspect of fire, a close cousin, though we are all unable to work with it ourselves." He said with a click of his dark black beak, his orange-red eyes flicked back and forth. “It is an element of chaos, real chaos., which is contained in the storm dragons."

_-I can't handle lightning as well as an adult, but it will come in time.- _ Frostscale said with a little flick of his wing, moving to settle himself back down beside Valia.

“He is still young, but a full adult has a grasp on lightning that could turn sand to glass if they chose." The teacher continued, translating since only a handful of those gathered could hear the mind voice. “We can't utilize it in smithing commonly, but Frostscale can at least give us a glimpse into the way it can be used, especially in obtaining patterns."

The lecture was one of a set they had been going through, the idea to give them a taste of what could be offered as they went further. Valia was still riding the high of passing the entrance, feeling thrilled every time she came here, every time she wore the small pin that marked her as a young scholar. It wasn't made of anything precious, just simple bronze, but she fondled it frequently just to make sure that it was there. Her father had been thrilled for her, especially since now that she had entered into the university, the Diurnal Council had authorized help for him in his shop so that she could study and advance without him suffering.

Frostscale had been given another pin, but he hadn't worn it even once, it was simply tossed into a pouch around his neck with other things he possessed. She had offered to pin it onto the outside of the pouch for him, but he hadn't been interested. In fact, he didn't seem to have nearly the same amount of interest as she did in what they were going through. He attended, but it was slightly sporadic, utterly ignoring many of the classes if he had no interest in them, but others he was fascinated by and frequently returned to them. Mostly anything that had to do with the military or physical strength.

The gryphon running the smithy class closed it up with an explanation about how they were beginning to experiment with poor quality metals using magic to make sure that it reacted as if it were of the highest caliber. It was mostly boring stuff, she would never go into something like this, she had begun to look at the historians, the ones that worked both to preserve their history and catalogue what was happening with the day to day. She could hold entire nations stories, learn from it, advise rulers and nobility about the future.

“Well, I'm definitely not doing that." She commented to Frostscale as the drake gave a lazy full bodied stretch beside her, his wings spreading so that a few people backed away.

_-I wonder if they could make me armor like they do the gryphons.- _ Frostscale idly thought to her, tipping his head to one side. _-I'd look handsome and fierce, don't you think?- _

“Maybe, but you'd not really need it." She pointed out as they moved out of the way and the young drake kept to her left, his neck arched so that his head was a little more at her height.

-Well, not yet, but once I'm a full adult, there are possibilities to be found.- _ He said and there was something in his mind voice, emotions that roiled with hints of anticipation. _-It seems idiotic that we aren't engaged in military actions, wasn't our founding father a warrior?-

“Not because he enjoyed it." She protested as the young dragon gave a little jump to avoid walking up the six steps that led towards the exit of the university. “He only did it because he had to."

_-He was the last male, of course that would be the story, but he had to be cautious.- _Frostscale said with a snort of laughter. _-We're not meant to be just peaceful. _

The old old stories used to be about drakes that would fight and display for females, that we had real battles and contests, that we were…-

“And then the stories end with you nearly being killed off." Valia pointed out with a frown. “It's not that I don't sympathize with you, but I don't find anything appealing seeing two guys beating at each other."

_-That's because you're a female, you're thinking about eggs and nesting and well…- _ Frostscale gave a gesture with one of his claws while waiting for her to catch up.

“I'm not thinking about that at all, thank you." She snapped, flushing just a touch at the casual way he talked.

She had come to enjoy the last part of her day here, Frostscale always found an excuse to linger with her and talk, it was more conversation with him than she was used to having. He did it more often the few times that one of the diplomats were in the area, but it didn't matter, she was enjoying the fact that she was learning more about him. It made her interest in history grow as he had begun to occasionally tell her stories that had been passed on by his parents. She had a sense that they weren't stories that were in the library, making her more fascinated and wondered what else she could pick from his mind.

Gradually, more of the city had become used to the fact that he was more gregarious than the full adults. He was only the size of one of the gryphons, which meant he easily moved through the same places they did. Though, she still couldn't predict when he was going to do at any given moment. An idle comment might irritate him or amuse him, or even surprise him into giving up some tidbit of information, such as what sort of teaching he had been given growing up.

-Want to go out beyond the walls? I heard there's supposably one of those big stone lizards been sighted, not bad eating, and they put up a good struggle.- _ He asked casually as they reached the opening to the university. _-You have hands, you might be able to skin it first, sell the hide for some coin.-

“Ugh, that's… disgusting." She said with a little wrinkle of her lips at the mental images he provided her with. “You want that, you're better off grabbing one of the minx, they don't mind a bit of blood."

-That's what happens when you buy your meat instead of hunt it.- _ He said and snaked his head around to shove her with his nose. _-Keep that up and you'll never last a day in the forest on your own.-

“Like I'd want to." She said with a mutter under her breath and stood up with a little grimace at him. “I'll see you tomorrow?"

_-Probably, unless that lizard is bigger than I've heard, than I'll need to take my time to digest.- _ Frostscale drawled out with a crinkle of his lips that looked like a mockery of a smile.

She didn't get to get a last word in, instead, he threw himself up into the air and she had to duck a bit to get away from the wind. He never used the landing platforms that were set in the city, no one dared raise a hand to him or protest that he was breaking city rules. She tried to stop her disappointment that he wouldn't be about for the night market. It was always filled with musicians and tumblers, it would have been interesting to share that with him. Perhaps that was why he decided to make a bolt for it, he didn't want to be around in a crowd.

~ ~ * ~ ~

Vychik slipped through the shadows easily enough, the city was lively tonight, the evening markets open and people were chattering and making deals. Every first rest day of the month they held the market and today was the perfect time for him to send up his crew to move through and pick up a bit of coin as they went. His own form was easily kept in the shadow as he kept his tail twisted around his leg and his heavy coat brought up to his cheeks. His ears were hidden beneath one of the ludicrous caps that the minx liked to wear when they were tumblers.

If he passed near torchlight or a lantern he would end up being made out for what he was, but he would pass in the shadows. The Ratatoskr that were working through the crowds were careful, all of his smallest with a handful of his own officers with them. He shifted his weight lightly and gave his tail a twitch as he moved to another shadow and saw a lean elf passing through the crowd, painted with an edge of gold along her eyes and more gold

leaves in her hair. Such a waste of wealth, but one he wished he could afford to have on his own.

“Cap'n!" The hissed voice made him turn his head to one side to see a short pale white-brown form dropping down from the walls. “Taken message from the gryphons, ain't happy at all, 'nother of the girls been snatched up."

“How sad." Vychik offered and reached his hand out while the small Ratatoskr dropped a leather pouch into his hand. “Saw any hint of those preying on girls here, Gast?"

“Nah, cap'n, too fancy." The little mousey creature jumped up onto a barrel, drawing his hat off. “They stick ta the low areas, yanno, near the gates. Workin' kits, dirty ones."

“Smart.." He licked his whiskers and inclined his head while he watched a group of tumblers setting up against a well lit area of the square. “The gryphlets, what sort are they?"

“Same, cap'n, but yanno gryphons. Clannish, real clannish." Gast answered and twitched the ears a little bit.

Gast was one of his favorite to use as spies on his missions on shore, he was smart and knew how to hide and listen well. Not only listen well, he could sift and interpret information. He was even learning to read under Vychik's urgings, in a few more years he'd be ready to set loose for long periods on his own. He was the perfect mix of intelligent and unambitious. As long as he was given a bit of brandy or rum, coin enough to whore about, he would be happy. He was loyal, entirely grateful to be saved after his old ship had been taken down.

He opened up the pouch and smiled at the mix of coin and gems that were hidden there. The idiots to take a young female gryphon or two, no matter that they were the non-raptorial types and lacked the ability to really defend themselves. Gryphons were a tight group, they had their poor, the sections that made it week by week, taking messaging jobs, homes that were little more than caves rather than the grander affairs that they had created in the city. But they protected their own, violently, even, unlike some other species' that cared little for their poor.

“I want you to bring up some of the crew, especially Lasol, have him direct them to take four girls tonight from the market." He commanded and tipped his head to one side. “Tell him that my order is to take girls that are well dressed. Not wealthy, no jewels, just well dressed."

“Aye, Cap'n, just humans?" Gast pressed with a little curl of his tail. “Or mix 'em up?"

“Just human for now." He drawled out softly, lowering his head a little bit thoughtfully. “Make sure that they use the nightbloom to knock them out before they see who takes them. Repeat those words exactly. Use the nightbloom, they cannot be seen."

The girls would be taken to a set of rooms that had been rented out by one of their allies and locked up, used by the gryphons. He'd present them as the poorest of humans, stripped naked of course, but all the girls would know is that they had been captured, knocked out, taken and then brutalized by a gryphon for money. They'd be released of course, murder was a death sentence after all even within their own courts, and the gryphons would be smug in the fact that they would get a slap on the wing for what they had done. But when their fathers and families found out, the fun and profit would begin.

Gast took off at a run, disappearing into the crowd as if he had never existed while Vychik carefully made his way back through the alleys. He'd want to make sure the rooms were set up, the gryphons had paid enough gold to make sure that there wouldn't be any chance of them being caught in the act. He curled his tail in utter delight, his eyes flickering a little as he saw a handful of humans go by him followed by the clatter of a fawn's hooves. Such a peaceful little utopia, it'd be interesting to see what would happen when they really took a look at it.

And fill my pockets with gold, jewels and more, all for a taste of revenge against one another. _ He thought lazily. _And they'll see that they're just like us, they just needed the motivation.

~ ~ * ~ ~

_That damned lizard must have been gorging on sheep. _ Frostscale thought with a groan as he strained his wings wide, catching the early morning thermals to help him.

It had been a lovely battle, one that had actually tested him and ended up with a rather impressive gash along his haunch. This was how a drake was supposed to be, well fed and blooded, his wings spreading open wide as he surged higher in the air. He swung one of his wings with a little toss that rolled over a little bit and groaned as he felt the thermal give way so that he had to pump his wings higher up. He had eaten far too much, he had known that last night when he'd been gorging, but he had still gotten up early enough to meet with Valia.

The urge and desire to be near the female was strange, but he was enjoying himself with a draw that was more intense than he was willing to examine. She smelled so delightful, the warmth of it stimulated him and sometimes he found reasons to nose against her to get a better whiff. It was a bit dragonish in some ways, a taste that he wanted to examine, but he kept almost hearing the sound of his mother lecturing him about how he should behave and that there was something wrong about it.

_Wrong, she's intelligent and funny, more interesting than most. _ He excused himself as he had to puff a few times as he saw the Pillar City looming ahead of him.

Perhaps the next time he heard of one of the lizards he would see if she would come with him if he let her be carried in his talons. She wasn't that heavy, he should be able to manage it and it appealed to him to have her there while he hunted. The urge to provide for her tease the back of his thoughts as he angled his way towards the city. There were gryphons on the wing, more than normal, swinging around in the air and parting for him as he set his eyes on the roof that was tiled in a mixture of red and brown that marked the start of the university.

He wasn't nearly as agile as he wanted to be, his wings were beating heavily to carry his heavy full body before he swung down and picked out one of the landing pads. It was closer and at least he wasn't going to flounder down right in front of someone, he hit the landing pad with a grunt and swung his head about with a little grumble as his left haunch had a sharp burn of pain. He swung his head around, licking at the broken scab as a trail of blood began to weep from the wound. The sharp taste of his blood made him hiss a little bit, but he continued to lick with slow thorough strokes.

_Never let your blood, scale, claw, tooth or quill be left lying around. Do not make them think of you as a source of magic or parts. _ He heard his mother's voice in his head as he got the bleeding to stop

It would heal up cleanly, he half hoped that he would have a scar from it, give him a more mature air. The fact that he still had his Hatching name was embarrassing on some level, many drakes that were younger than himself had already found their names. As long as he was Frostscale, it would mark him as being inexperienced, lacking maturity, that he hadn't yet found out who he was in the great world, this and the Spirit Realm. He snorted out a heavy breath and dismissed the worry as he gave a little jump and drop down onto the ground.

There were already people slipping into the university, sliding around him one after another as he peered around and gave a bit of a snort. Normally Valia was quick on her feet in the mornings, starting her day sitting on the benches while going through the day's plans. He picked his way past those going past him to her normal bench and lowered his head to give it a sniff. There was a faint scent of her, but an old scent, causing him to flick out his tongue lightly to taste it. Hardly satisfying.

_Teaching me a lesson. _ He huffed out a breath and lifted his head up to peer in the direction of her normal path.

It was late in the day, though, he was coming near the tail end of the start of the day of studies, she would hate being late. It caused him to shift a little and then drop down on his haunches with a grunt as he settled in to wait. If she wanted to play this game, he would wait here for her, then tease her that she didn't always wait on him. It would be a fine start to a bit of a spat, and she would get that odd little red color, all flustered and stammering about things. He liked how she grew upset over little jabs, but never backed down from him.

He went back to cleaning his wound until it was coated with a line of his saliva, leaving it to try. He let himself digest from his meal, feeling less weighted in the middle. He chewed on his claws and nibbled away some claw sheath to clean them, and then his hind paws, grooming himself as he waited. He wasn't entirely sure the passage of time, but he knew that it was late when the bells of the city tolled and caused him to tip his head up higher. His nostrils flaring a little bit until he felt real irritation and turned his head in towards the university again, wondering if she had gone another way just to tweak him.

_That'll be a hell of a thing. _ He growled under his breath to himself, giving his head a shake before he stood up with a hot angry snort.

He was in the process of turning about to go find her inside of the university when he saw a familiar shape come trotting down the street way. The scent of Valia was there, but not Valia, it was masculine and an irritation that caused him to let out a hot angry snuff of breath. He gave his body a little move to one side and stood up as he realized it was the girl's sire. He was well dressed, at least, by the dragon's eye, not that he really had all that much experience with what two leggers wore on their bodies.

The man's face was a bit mottled and red, storming up towards him in such a manner that he looked like Valia at her most angry. He lowered his head a touch and snuffed again, his tail thudding against the ground as the man moved directly towards him. The eyes drifted back and forth as if searching for someone, but when he didn't see what he was looking for the face darkened even further. It was an expression that amused him, wondering what he thought he had done. Eaten the girl?

“Dragon!" The man snapped out angrily, the eyes blazing ever so slightly. “Where is Valia? Did you have her out all night?"

_-I did not. She hasn't shown up here at all!- _ He responded, but the man only glared at him, not reacting.

“Where is she? You can gesture with a wing!" Valia's father snapped out with more anger, real anger and Frostscale's chest tightened oddly. He gave his head a shake back and forth.

_Stupid human, not even able to hear me. _ He thought and then looked backwards with a shake of his head before looking back towards the human man once more.

“She didn't come home, she didn't leave a message… she didn't…" The man said in a voice that mixed anger with anguish. “No one has seen her, not near the shop, not in the market, not since last night."

He started to feel real fear rising through him, something that was burning along his chest as he glared down harder at the man. Why was the man in such a panic? Valia liked to read outside of the city walls, perhaps she had decided to simply not come to the university. He let out a short hiss down at the man as the thought of her not coming to this place caused him to dismiss it instantly. Something had happened if she hadn't showed up here, something was wrong.

The alarm grew in his breast and was changed to anger as he snarled at the man that was saying something, but he made no attempt to listen to what the creature was saying. He reared up and the man tried to raise a hand at him, causing Frostscale to swing his head down to snap out right above the human head with anger before flinging himself up and into the air. His wings nearly scraped either side of the walls as he plunged up higher in the air with a drop of his wings and his mind was filled with a wave of images of what might have happened to her.

This city had cutpurses, thieves, they had all sorts of people that could possibly have harmed Valia. She had probably gone to the market the night before, been out with them, the guard was supposed to be about, but there was every possibility that something could have slipped by. The back of his mind tried to tell him with some level of reason, Valia may have stayed up late studying, maybe she had found a new place to read and fallen asleep. Perhaps she was playing some new game, any number of things could have been happening, it didn't have to be something terrible.

_But when would she ever miss a chance to be here? _ He thought as he heard the human man yelling after him, the voice irritating him as he began his search.

The scent of her was on the air, he could pick it up, it was from last night but that's all he needed. Wherever Valia had gone, he was about to find out and figure out just what could have kept her from the university. And whatever it was, if it was something that had harmed her… The thought sent a strain throbbing through the length of his chest, a crackle of lightning flushed through his veins and he drew in a deeper breath.

_-VALIA!!!- _ He blasted the mind voice out without a care, and brought it with a roar, a sound that crashed from his parted jaws that sent people looking up in shock.

Across the city, in a small room with barely a slit for a window, Valia woke up to the scent of stale beer and stiff cloth beneath her. Her head was throbbing so sharply it made it impossible to look out of one eye as she tried to lift herself upwards. Her hands shoved under her with a groan while there was another wave of giddiness and she opened her eyes to the darkness and felt cold air rush across her skin. Her naked skin.

CHAPTER 3

Valia felt her head throbbing so painfully that the world was narrowed down to very little except pain that was burning and making her sinus even hurt. She pushed herself up and tried to grab the edge of the bedding she was on, but she was sitting on the blanket, holding her pinned in place while she did her best to pull at it to cover her nudity. She didn't know what had happened, but she was humiliated to be naked and more terrified at the state of the room that was covered in water marks down the walls and spiderwebs that were creeping in the corners. Only the bed was relatively new, and the sharp scent of oil burned from the file.

She crinkled her nose up and then moved off the edge of the bed, wrapping the blanket around herself and swayed as she made herself move towards the door. She was stumbling a little bit, she was struggling with a wave of dizziness that was growing worse as she wasn't able to quite figure out what had happened. She had been in at the fair, she remembered looking at a booth with interest and then she had turned between tents and something foul smelling had been pushed over her mouth and lips. That was it, and a breath made her pick up the sickly sweet scent of it.

“Hello?" She called out and reached out to grab the handle of the door, rattling it roughly, pulling a few times. “HELLO!"

The rattling sound echoed a bit more while she let out a breath that came out in a little burst while she heard the distant sounds coming from in the building. The small window that was set up high against thew all was barely enough to cast in moonlight, nothing that she would be able to wriggle free out of even if she had managed to get up that high. Her panic was starting to grow as she shifted the blanket up higher on her shoulders, swallowing a lump in her throat. She leaned forward and hit her fist harder against the door only to hear the distant sounds of the building.

There was laughter, loud and raucous, the rumble of voices and the sharp twang of someone badly playing a guitar. It made her feel a little twinge before there was a shrieking sound, the burst of noise made her jerk backwards and she realized that it was a girl screaming. The panic in the voice made her feel a surge of real terror that was starting to rise by the moment. The sounds that she could pick up were frightening, picking through the haze before there was a loud creak that came from just outside of the door.

The creaking sound came louder before there was a lean against the door and she jerked away, suddenly terrified to feel the sound of the feet on the ground. There was a little thud again and she stumbled backwards until she hit against the bed as the door swung open with a loud noise. The scrape of talons on wood briefly made her feel a surge of relief, imagining Frostscale was about to come pushing through the door, but it wasn't anything like the dragon.

The beak that pushed into the room was a deep onyx color, sharped edged and was right in front of a broad feathered head. The gryphon shoved the door open, crowding it open while she felt a mixture of relief and dread, warring against each other while the dark red-orange eyes fixated on her and the large beak clacked together and he crowded into the small room.

The sheer size of him caused him to crowd into the room, his wings nearly touching either side of the doors as she scrabbled backwards.

“I… I don't know where I am, I didn't come here on my own." She managed to stammer, and the gryphon's pupils flared wide and then pinned down, the feathers along the back of his neck rising.

_-Can you hear me?- _ The gryphon's mind voice reached hers, but it came thick with emotions that caused her body to stiffen up.

She was used to emotions with mind speech, especially dealing with Frostscale, but the gryphon's mind was laden with thoughts of lust, anger, eagerness and vindication. It was roiling through each word and nearly knocked her back as he lowered his head closer and the large aqualine beak parted wide to show the sharp edge of his tongue that caused her to fall against the bed and then step back onto it to get away from the gryphon crowding into the room, his tail lashing wildly back and forth along the curve of the haunches.

“Y-yes." She stammered out, trying not to choke on the fear that was rising to the surface. “I don't know you, I…"

_-Get that blanket off, I paid good coin for you!- _ He announced and there was another low hiss that came free and he used a hind leg to kick the door closed.

“Paid?" She asked and tightened her hold on the blanket that was straining across her shoulders.

_-Take off the blanket!- _ He snapped out, his jaws clacked together like the sound of two bones hitting each other.

The lustful thoughts terrified her and she shrank back as he reared up and one heavy foreclaw pressed up against the bed, making it creak. The hot scent of musk was on the air, not the familiar scent of sweet of gryphon that she was used too. It was a harsh scent that clung to the feathers and as the gryphon reared up there was a flash of flesh that was exposed along the underside of his belly. The dark red flesh was twitching slightly, a bare hint of cock jutting out from him in a way that made her jerk back further away as even more began to disgorge from the furred sheath that hugged tight against the stomach.

She jerked to one side, trying to get by the gryphon and back towards the door, but the other foreclaw struck out and caught the line of the blanket she was holding to her. The talons snagged roughly against it as the beast snarled down at her, looming high with his head tipped downwards. The beak gaped wide with interest as he ripped the blanket off of her entirely with a growl and the bed creaked louder as he cornered her with a flare of one wing to blocked her from bolting to one side.

She nearly fell on her face as she let out a yelp of shock as there was a sudden push that pressed against the line of her naked side. The gryphon caught her wrist and yanked her towards him, pulling in tight so that she wasn't able to break free. The talons scraped against the curve of her hip, the talons dragged over her with a smooth stroke, a pull that made her body jerk in place as the gryphon hissed out softly and then the blanket was cast aside entirely and her terror began to rise. The lustful scent of the gryphon growing as more of the tapered length of the shaft began to slip free and push up high along the stomach.

“Get away from me!" Valia snapped out as the talons grabbed her forcefully, the claws leaving welts along the curve of her hips.

_-I've paid my coin, girl. I'll take my pleasure.- _ The voice hissed out in her mind, thick with lust, it made her feel filthy, it was clinging to her as he grabbed her roughly.

She was thrown forward against the bed, her forehead nearly hit the corner as the feathers brushed against her and she was forced onto her belly. She tried to stand back up, but the gryphon hissed out with a rough sound of delight as her legs were dragged back. She thrashed, struggling to get free, trying to get out from under the feverish heat of the feathers and she elbowed back against him, She threw it up hard against the line of his chest, digging down with enough force that the drake let out a sharp harsh sound of shock and pain.

He didn't hesitate, he opened his beak and suddenly the hard edges of the beak dug down against her neck with enough force that she cried out. The needle sharp tip squeezed hard and drew blood was he adjusted her weight and she felt the slimy weight of his cock grinding up against the curve of her ass. Just the feel of it made it more real, causing her to thrash had enough that the beak dug down roughly and she felt the tip piercing her skin. The deadly force behind it froze her just as she heard a horrible thumping noise coming from the room beside her. The beat of rhythmic beat that made her let out a sharp cry.

She tried to call for help, but instead the noise turned into a whimper as there was a shift of the hips and the foreclaws curled along her slender hips. She was dwarfed by the gryphon, he was as large as a draft horse and he had to grip her hips and heave her ass up higher in the air. Her legs were lifted from the ground, making her kick them wildly as the slimy length of the cock rubbed back and forth along her, the curve of it jabbed with a tip that was tapered and throbbing.

Precum was oozing out heavily, trails of it clinging to her, marking her before he pulled back and grunted to adjust. The only thing she had ever done with another boy had been some fumbling kisses and touches. It had been thrilling and pleasurable, but this wasn't anything like that, it was horrible. It was disgusting and invasive as the gryphon grunted lewdly and then dropped down a bit further, pushing up against the inner thighs, pushing upwards with a sudden push that ground right up against the line of her inner thighs.

She tried to drop her hips, but the talons dug down against her belly, squeezing with enough force that she had to stop the struggle as the tip shoved forward. There was a hot trickle of precum, a flush of syrupy wetness that coated against the line of her inner thighs. The smear of it was coating against the outer lips of her virginal folds while she let out a ragged noise. He flexed his jaws again, digging down harder before there was a sudden shove forward, grinding and the cock bowed slightly as it ground up against her pussy lips.

“STOP!" She shrieked out as the pressure grew and the hips bowed forward against her, the feathers rubbing against the line of the back, hot and soft feeling, not at all like the shaft.

The tip drove forward with enough force that it suddenly speared into her with a sharp pain, a burn that ripped through her as her body was forced to stretch around the prick. There was a brief hesitation as it hit her hymen, grinding up against that barrier, but it was a bare breath before he tore through it to fill her body in a way that she had only dimly imagined. She let out a scream that was muffled as the beak on her neck shoved her face against the bed and let out a short noise of delight as he sheathed himself inside.

The length of the shaft was sinking home with enough force that she could feel the tip driving inwards with a wet squelching noise. The precum was gushing out of him, drooling and coating parts of her that she had never even touched. The pain burned through her lower belly, spreading along her virginal canal and began to stretch and tear her, making her jerk in place.

She thrashed a little bit, her breathing came out in a short gasp and then she let out a high pitched shriek when he gave another jam forward.

The thrust pushed into the depths of her aching body, starting to make his body burn with a burst that caused him to tighten down again. The muscles were squeezing with a powerful grip, trying to push it back out while his weight pushed her upper body down against the bed, her head shoved to the side while the beak refused to let go of him. The weight of the cock dragged backwards, pulling with a messy slurping noise while the length twitched slightly. There was absolutely no way to evade the grip, the movements were picking up the pace rapidly.

The next drag backwards came with another wet noise, her body aching in shock as he gryphon began to work his hips, his cock plunging into her pussy with enough force to nearly tear her apart. She could feel her body straining through the feel of the boned length that was filling her out, opening her wide. The force it was pushing her open wider, the apex of each thrust made sure to sink into her with enough force that it was wedging ever deeper, her hips shaking in place as she choked out a breath of pain.

Tears welled up into her eyes, blurring her vision as she choked out another sound of pain, her hips were jerking again, the movement thrusting and twisting in place. The sudden adjustment started to make her feel another burning pain as the cock drove in deeper inside of her, a plunge that forced into the depths of her passage and made sure that her body was starting to strain and struggle. The impact rocked the bed against the wall roughly and she moved her hands out, trying to block her head from hitting against it as the heavy feathered wings drooped down to either side.

His panting breath was hot in her ears, the sound of it foul and obscene as his cock sawed its way in and out of her, splitting her open wide to keep her stretched into a taut O that struggled around the sheer size of his girth. He was too large, the sting and burn were only making things worse as she choked out a short noise from the back of her throat. She thrashed backwards again, throwing her weight and the drake gave her head a rough shake. The beak clutched harder, the growl vibrated down the length of her spine and made sure that she couldn't think straight.

Everything was hurting, her body throbbing as she squeezed her eyes shut, making it worse because that was all she could feel and hear was the sounds of him on her. The talons dug in harder with a convulsive grip while he hissed out when her muscles tightened around him and began to jam something thicker up against her pussy lips. The grind of it was jamming forward, building pressure as she let out a short noise and then tried to squirm away again. She ignored the pain on her neck as he jerked forward once more and started to squeeze the wide portion into her body.

It hurt, he was ramming it hard against her with a single minded purpose while he panted out heavily against her neck. She choked out a sob as her legs were flung forward in the wild thrusts and she had no where to put them as he kept her hips elevated. She was trapped as he forced and ground harder, digging the knot up against her puffy lips and then peeling her walls open with a brutal efficiency that had her crying out. She kicked her legs back, but that only seemed to please him as her walls tightened down and squeezed along his length.

The movements only made it harder for the thicker base of the cock drive home, squeezing into her with a popping noise before he hissed out in delight and his tip crammed up hard inside of her as it bottomed out. There was something even larger behind the first one, grinding and pinning her pussy lips together before he yanked back and pulled the knot out with a wet sound, but it didn't last long before he was jamming back into her. The force harder now, he was looming above her and the fast movements reminded her of a dog on the street.

She felt sick to her stomach as the apex of each thrust jammed the cock tip against her cervix, making her belly cramp painfully and nausea roll through her before there was a jerk back. The pull yanking the knot free again, but when he crammed it forward again it sank into her body and locked inside of her. The entire cock was swelling larger and larger, prying at her passage and causing her to feel a sickening sensation of pain as the knot outside of her body swelled and pinned up against her aching cunny. The grinding pushes rubbed harder as the gryphon released her neck and let out a harsh snarling cry of pleasure.

Valia choked out a pained noise as a hot watery jet of cum began to pour out of his cock and into her formerly virginal passage, rope after rope of it flooding inside of her. The heat of it spreading through her as she felt every throb and quiver as it worked inside of her and the beast only let out pleased greedy noises as the hips twitched against her. The grip on her loosened and suddenly she squealed out as he released her and left her hanging from the knot locked inside of her body. The sharp pain making her walls clamp down harder around him, locking him in place.

The hot tears rolled along her cheeks, down towards her chin as she lowered her head while the gryphon made free use of her body. His paws pushed to either side of the bed as he panted out and another sickeningly wet squirt of his seed flushed into her belly, puddling deep inside of her aching violated body. She just wanted to go home, she didn't care about anything else, she wanted to have him pull that slimy cock out of her and to slink home, to forget this, all of this had ever happened.

“Why?" She choked the word out brokenly as there was a grunt and the hips shifted, making her hips sway and her pussy ache with a sharp fiery pain.

_-Because you took our females to use as whores first. Don't worry, I'm sure our Lord will punish me for this violation.- _ The gryphon

~ ~ * ~ ~

-You are being foolish and young.- _ Tarrbin growled in Frostscale's mind with a tolerant rumble. _-It is a human, if it is missing, than they will find them. It's not your concern.-

_ _

_-It's my concern! I lost her scent!- _ Frostscale hissed the words out, his tail thrashing so hard that a few of the humans behind him backed away.

He had been on the wing trying to find Valia, a desire that had been driving and making him frantic with need to find her safe and whole. He had finally gotten so frantic that Ushara had taken notice of his mind blasts and appeared, followed by her mate close behind. The large male had blocked him off and was glaring at him as if he were being more than a young idiot rather than actually making a good point as to why they needed to be searching the city for Valia. And it wasn't just Valia, other human girls had been taken, why couldn't they see that.

-I'm sure she is a perfectly lovely.- Ushara said with a little more kindness in her voice. -You are taking an unhealthy interest in them, these humans are not your business. They have their own council and can work out their problems to find a missing handful of females.-

_ _

-Not Valia.- _ He snapped out and twisted his lips up, his pale white crest starting to rise up along the length of his back. _-If you're not going to help me, then you need to get out of the way!-

_ _

-You young whelp!- _ Tarrbin growled and loomed above him, looking down the broad muzzle. _-Get back to your lair, wherever you sleep. You can return to the city when you are not so emotional-

_ _

Frostscale wanted to hiss out in rage, his lips twisted backwards to show the line of his teeth towards the adult male, not caring what he did. His rage was burning and up, his tail cracked so hard that the line of the spike hit a wooden beam and caught in it. He tried to jerk it out, but Tarrbin was already on him, moving a far larger paw to pin his neck and head down towards the ground. The snarl down in his face leaving no room for anything except silence as his elder lowered one great eye, the red in it glinting as it spun around the dark pupil.

-Humans are not our equals. They are not our pets. They are another race that exist in the same world as we do. Isitara is full of compromises that allow us to live together.- _ Tarrbin snarled into his mind, each word filled with command, domination. _-Treating them as close companions is not one of those compromises. We remain aloof, above, away. We speak only for ourselves, for our lands, for our own aims, we do not obsess over them.-

_ _

_-But you are diplomats! Surely the sanctity of a university student…- _ He began, but the paw flexed down harder.

-I know you've made a pet out of her, youngling.- _ Ushara's voice was more sympathetic. _-The humans know that something is wrong, leave it at that. You are too young to be in a place such as this. We were wrong to allow you to stay.-

_ _

_-You can't!- _ Frostscale nearly wailed as the paw lifted and the large head gave him a shove.

_-Keep your dignity, drake. Leave Diurnal Pillar now on your own wings, or I will carry you back to Storm's Reach in my claws and present you to Sothan myself.- _ Tarrbin sent the threat and with it flung a mind image of the dragon.

Sothan, First-Born to Anara and Sithen, and the last remaining of his first clutch was uncontested lord of the the Storms. He was larger than Tarrbin, larger than any living dragon, finding no reason to seek his family in the Oether. It left him feeling a surge of fear at the idea of being flung in front of that legendary dragon. But Valia, it made him feel a surge of outrage and fear, the dread growing while he glared up at the adult that was looming above him and then looked towards Ushara, trying to plead with her before he was given another shake.

He swallowed, feeling a sharp sensation of pain twist through his belly before he finally gave his head a nod. The male pulled back and he jerked his tail out of the wood with a bit of a snarl, his eyes flashing and glaring with an angry hiss at the male. He didn't know how he was going to help find Valia, but he was going to have to find a way to get back here. He wasn't going to be caught, either, there had to be a way. He had several friends here, he could talk to them, keep hidden low where they wouldn't be able to see him. Something. Anything.

He leapt up into the skies, his wings churning heavily as he did so, his breathing coming a little faster as he heard the louder beat of the male behind him and forced himself to turn his head towards Storm's Reach. Tarrbin wasn't going to let him just flit away, but he didn't care, let the old monster follow him. He was lighter bodied and could go faster than the bigger beast, he just had to find a good thermal to hit on. He surged up higher, his breathing rasping out a little bit as he did so and heard the diplomat falling back slightly.

_That'll teach him. _ He thought with a little surge of victory, turning his head to glare back at the adult.

-Aren't you a little rebel, drake.- _ A voice slipped into his mind, a flat voice, there were no emotional tinges or images, just simple words appeared into his thoughts to make him sideslip wildly. _-Oh dear, don't fall, that big fellow might just snatch you up and carry you like he threatened.-

_ _

_-Who the Spirits are you?- _ He sent, uncertain where the voice was coming from or what.

_-Don't start it again, hatchling, get to flying right!- _ Tarrbin responded to his open broadcast with a snarl of anger that made the young drake beat his wings up harder.

-Just an interested party, that's all. Look at this clouds, you could make those and catch a good current North.- _ The voice suggested easily to him and Frostscale looked up. _-Tire the other dragon out, then swing back to Diurnal to look for the girl.-

_ _

_-Where are you?- _ Frostscale asked with curiosity, trying to keep his voice tight, small, a limited broadcast.

-Oh here and there, don't worry about that right now. I'm more interested in you, Frostscale. You are a singularly interesting young dragon.- _ The voice responded easily. _-You and that human girl.-

_ _

-Valia!- _ Frostscale responded heatedly, bristling as he gave another series of pumps to his wings to slide through the damp feeling clouds. _-I'm going to find her, somethings happened, and it's not being reckless to care what happens to a fellow citizen.-

-Yes! Valia! Exactly.- _ The voice responded easily while the young drake searched for a hard fast current, his eyes adjusting and picking out the flow of the air. _-I really do keep an eye on them better, but frequently her cousins are either in the upper echelons of society or in the muck with the poor, how queer she's in the middle.-

_ _

_-Who are you?- _ He asked again and swung his head around as if he hoped to spy someone flying nearby.

-Oh don't worry about that now you have bigger concerns. And we do need Valia safe and sound.- _ The voice paused and seemed to be thinking. _-Hmm I suppose I can do something about that, it's a pity to just trust Fate to take care of things. She is so fickle and lazy, better to be proactive, eh?-

_ _

_-I… suppose so.- _ Frostscale answered with a little swing of his head about again before hitting the swift current.

There was no answer, instead, he got the distinct impression the voice was gone leaving him with an uneasy feeling that it was one of the stray spirits of the Oether. They could penetrate the real world, they frequently did now that dragons had returned to their spiritual home. There were holes in the fabric of the spirit world, but that wasn't always a good thing. The mischief makers were able to be dealt with , but there were darker creatures in that place that could slide to whisper into the ears of the vulnerable. It made him feel a slight shiver run through him and he powered faster on the current, forcing Tarrbin to strain to keep him in sight.

I have to reach her, I have to save her. I will save her.

_ _

~ ~ * ~ ~

Pain, Valia just felt pain as she curled on the bed with the blanket wrapped over her, the torn fabric partially covering her body as much as she could manage. She felt sick her stomach, but there was nothing left for her to lose as she had been sick in the corner. It added to the smell of aroused gryphon musk, sweat and her own stink. She squeezed her eyes shut, but no tears came out, she didn't have any more to give at this point. Her body was one large bruise, the throb a constant and it only grew worse when she tried to move, especially between her legs where-

Don't think about it… She told herself, her breathing coming a little faster as she recalled the feel of feathers on her back, felt the beak on her neck.

She shifted and horribly felt the leak of cum oozing down her inner thighs, her abused folds were aching and dribbling down against the line of her inner thighs. It was coming out, but that didn't make her feel any better, it was sticky and spreading over the edges. She shifted her weight just a little bit and tried to ignore the way her throbbing inner passage. The small tears and rips in her body burned constantly, and all she wanted was to clean herself, to do anything to get it off of her, to get him off of her. To forget what it had felt like when the knot had pulled free with a gush of wet cum spilling out of her violated body.

She shoved those memories away, which was a little easier given the fact that she was half giddy. She felt herself swaying just a touch, her eyes jerking back and forth around the room. The gryphon had left and locked the door, but surely there was another way out of here, there had to be someway to get the door rigged open. There were no more sounds in the building except the occasional sob, no other voices or growls, no laughter, it meant that they were alone, or at least it should have been.

She moved and winced again, her lower stomach one large cramp that made her stumble as she wrapped the blanket more tightly about herself. She edged her way towards the door. She felt strangely feverish, her mind fogged, nothing felt real, but at the same time, it was like a fever dream. She found it hard to really keep her mind on any given thing at one moment and stumbled forward to grab the edge of the door handle and rattled it, trying to throw some weight backwards to force it open again.

-….I don't see why I have to do this…- _ A mindvoice, so distant that it was almost impossible to pick out filtered to her mind and she froze. _-If you want go and get her yourself-

She didn't hear an answer, instead, just the sensation of fear that was rising up as she heard the rattle of metal coming from outside of the building and a few yelling voices. They were sharp, not gryphonic at all, they were human sounding voices as she heard something impacting the door beneath her and she shrank back. The fear began to rise, making her want to curl back in the corner, but she forced herself to move back far enough that she had a chance of running the moment the door opened.

She heard more voices, the rattle of metal and clanging noises before the sound of a girl screaming made her feel the fear jolt from head to toe. She bared her teeth slightly and hugged her blanket harder around her shoulders, leaning downwards in preparation as the sounds grew louder and there was an impact against one of the doors. The latch ratttled briefly before it swung open and Valia threw herself at the first hint of an opening, not caring about anything except escape.

“Whoa! Ouch!" A yelping voice greeted her as she tried to claw at the person blocking her exit and a hard leather hand grabbed her shoulder.

“Spirits, a damned wildcat…" Someone else said as a heavier blanket was thrown over her. “Here girl, you're alright, you're safe now."

Valia saw guards, men in armor, a handful of them in the hall with a few already taking control of some of the other girls. The blanket thrown on her smelled sharply of horse and she grasped it desperately as the guard that had opened the door rubbed his scratched cheek lightly. His eyes were angry, but then softened into pity as he gave a gesture and she was pulled to one side. Her bare feet didn't seem to want to work, she was trembling in their hold as saw a few of the other girls being brought out. Girls that were broken looking, scratched worse than her, one with a large gouge along a shoulder.

The men were searching the rooms one by one, yelling to each other, a clamor that filled her ears. It was echoing strangely and her throat felt a lump, her tongue dry as she was pushed towards the stairs of a place that looked as if it were barely holding itself together. She was moved in with the rest of the girls, not caring, only holding the heavy blanket around her violated filthy body and wanting nothing more than to get out of here and back to her home.

-Oh, there she is… - The mind voice spoke again and a younger man with sharp hawkish features looked over at her and frowned. _ _

_ _

“I can hear that." Valia said with a voice that was rough, ragged sounding and the young man snorted out laughter.

_-I told you so…- _ A different voice came to her mind, and she found it too hard to really care. Did it really make any difference?

“Come on, this way…" A guard said not unkindly, gesturing towards the stairs that led towards what looked like daylight. “Lets get you somewhere safe, baths, clothes.."

“And find their families." Another guard said gruffly. “If they haven't already been in contact with us yet."

Safe, she was safe, Valia felt herself wanting to pass out as a few of the girls had, but she kept walking. Each step reminded her of what the gryphon had done to her and she refused to give way to the urge to shed more tears. She was going to go somewhere safe, find her father, she had survived something horrible, and she would push through it, somehow.

~ ~ * ~ ~

Frostscale swept low into the city, the darkness helping cover him just as surely as the muck and mud he'd rubbed into his hide and crest. He was filthy enough that his scales itched to be clean, but he didn't dare to be found out so quickly. He had to find word of Valia, the need was a driving thing that blocked out thoughts of everything else. The voice had been strange, but what he cared about was locating her and knowing she was alright. The urge was one of the strongest emotions he had ever felt since he had first fledged and it continued that way as he slipped into the city without arousing the alarm bells.

He hit the markets first, trying to be sly, but he didn't have to begin to try and sniff around for Valia's scent, he didn't have to look for her. The humans were gathered in the market square themselves, torches blazing and there were only humans. It was an oddity in a pillar city to find only one species gathered together. It was odd enough that he had to be even more cautious as the humans were in an uproar, their anger palpable and he could feel it tinging his thoughts dimly as those with an ounce of magic projected their outrage.

The young drake twitched his head to one side and found a statue that was supposed to look like a wyvern and clambered onto it. He had to twist and contort himself, his claws dug into the stone to cling to it near where the center of the talk was at. He could only hope that this was a forming search party for Valia, that would be reason for their anger. After all, Valia was a human, and they should be outraged that she had been taken, it was simple as that.

“….PLEASE! PLEASE BE QUIET!" A fattish old man yelled out from near the wyvern statue, dressed in what Frostscale thought might be rather nice clothes. “We are not forming a mob."

“My girl has had eighteen stitches so far! She hasn't spoken a word since they found her!" Another man called out, his voice ragged with what sounded like pain.

“You can't let it stand! They need to pay for what's been done!" Someone spoke out of the crowd. “The guards said the house wouldn't have bene searched for more than a week."

“They meant them to die!" Another yelled.

“We are not barbarians, we are not going to form a mob and rush to Aerie. I promise you, I have alerted the gryphon clans and they are responding to the criminals personally." The fattish headman said which made Frostscale tip his head ever so slightly.

_Not about Valia, stupid things, don't they realize they have more important things to do. _ He snarled softly to himself and began to shift from his position. “My girl can sketch the gryphon that came to her, she'll pick him out of a crowd!" A vaguely familiar voice said in a hoarse tone. “He has to pay, they all do."

“Vint, you know the laws that have been set up as a fundamental part of our city-“ The blowhard began, but Frostscale was already uncoiling himself with a soft hiss.

It was Valia's father, he was bad at judging humans, but he wasn't bad at judging scents and he could pick up the mixture of herbs and the faintly familiar scent of his friend on the man. It made him bristle, his crest rousing so that some of the dried mud came crumbling down from the back to fall to either side as he dragged his talons down the line of the statue and the closest people jerked back to look at him. Their eyes and fright didn't matter to him, he kept his attention fixed on Valia's sire.

_-Where is Valia?- _ He asked with a low growl, his eyes sweeping over the humans, trying to pick out ones that would understand him.

“With the rest, at the guard house.." Someone said near Vint, paling a little as the storm dragon gave his wings a rough shake, casting bits of dried mud. “She's being well treated, they're to see a healer…"

-A healer?- _ The drake felt a surge of outrage and he tasted the crackle of lightning on his tongue, the sting of it building so that a few stepped back. _Where?-

_ _

The human started to look to one side and Frostscale lunged forward to clash his teeth together only inches above the head so that the chattering two legger gestured in a direction for him. Vint's eyes blazed at him, not with fear, but with emotions the young drake didn't understand and didn't give a damn about as he spread his wings and used the statue to throw himself into the air. Valia had been hurt, she was with a healer. And it had something to do with the gryphons.

I'll pluck every last feathers off of them.. He growled to himself as he flashed over the city and let out a short hiss that sent out a crackle of blue-white lightning.

It wasn't much compared to what it would be when he was a full adult, but the way it crackled was dangerous enough to make him solidify his resolve as he made his way towards the guards. Let Tarrbin try and come down again, he wouldn't meekly walk away. He wasn't a slave to his own species, he was free and independent, and that's how he was going to remain. He'd make sure that Valia wasn't irrevocably hurt and then he'd find whatever gryphon had decided to hurt her. What the nine hells were they thinking?

~ ~ * ~ ~

Valia's skin was nearly burnt from the bath she had taken, she had soaked in water so hot that it had been nearly too much, but even after rinsing off and scrubbing with soap four times she still felt dirty. She had been set up in the guard post with the rest of the girls, held in case something more might happen to them, but it only made her feel worse about the situation as she had been through. There were pity in the guards eyes, outrage stewing for family members that came, treating her as if she were a victim, making it worse.

The clothing she wore wasn't even her own, it was female guard wear, heavy tunic and pants that had to be rolled up making her feel like a child. She had been poked and prodded with healers tending to their hurts, even stitching a sound along the curve of her hip where the talons had gripped her. Just thinking it made her feel a flash of pain that ran through her and she swallowed the urge to be sick. Not that anything would come up, she hadn't been able to keep anything down, her stomach was too unsteady. She had finally been given mallow root and peppermint, trying to soothe her stomach.

_Not that I regret gagging up that sleeping brew. _ She thought and looked over at the girls that were passed out, calmed down, made to sleep. She didn't want to sleep.

She shifted just a little bit while she licked her lips, darting a tongue up over her upper lip as she moved nervously about, trying to ignore the pain and the way her stomach was trying to protest the peppermint mix she had gotten down. She picked up a few more of the leaves to chew, trying to keep her mind occupied, trying to think of anything other than why she was here. If they had allowed her to have her books, she might have been able to actually distract herself, but she'd been told she needed to sleep, rest, and tomorrow would be actual questions.

Tomorrow, she dreaded and couldn't wait for the sun to come back up again, the dark room made her nervous and she turned herself about. She twitched and moved back to the bed, wrapping her arms over herself and feeling another twinge of pain. Her lower body bruised to the point that she didn't want to imagine how the other girls would feel when they woke up. It made her hope that the priests would bring more of the numbing drugs in the early morning, to try and keep them comfortable. Something that-

RAGE WORRY RAGE WORRY RAGE WORRY RAGE WORRY RAGE

The assault of emotions hit Valia so hard that her knees hit the ground and the world blurred around her crazily. She wasn't able to quite keep her attention on anything as the push into her mind was so complete that for a brief moment she felt the burn in her chest, the strain of wings and the itch of something drying along her back. It was a sensory ball that confused and baffled her until something hit hard above her and the roof creaked loudly and there was a scrabble of claws.

She should have screamed in terror, thinking it was the gryphon, but she remained on her knees, struggling as the emotions grew stronger and there were steps along the clay roof tiles rattled loudly. She could feel them under her fingers, under her toes, making her breathe a little faster and she licked her tongue out to taste the air, the scents of herbs and alcohol mixed with the scent of human bodies, sweat, and dimly _her. _ The scent flooded her nostrils and there was a crash as one window caved in from a tufted spiked tail.

-Valia!- _ Frostscale's voice carried emotion, true emotion, relief and rage, worry and giddiness, happiness and fear. For the first time, she tasted strange young emotions in her mind as the dragon dropped downwards. _-

Valia, it's me! I'm here!-

_ _

“Frostscale." Valia choked the word out roughly, her voice husky and raw still as the young drake wedged himself haunches first back into the window.

It was ludicrous, and awkward looking, but it allowed him to twist about like a cat turning in midair so that he could glare outside the building suspiciously. The grey scales were coated in mud that was falling off in dried clumps, hitting the ground and scattering everywhere. Several of the girls got up, jerking in their drugged sleeps and seeing a towering four legged winged creature before screaming. The sound made the young storm dragon put his crest back in disdain, but his eyes sought her out and he padded towards her with that moved continually, the iris petals opening and turning, rippling color.

_-What happened?- _ He asked and came close enough to almost touch and then stopped, shifting from foot to foot.

The expression on his face was ludicrous, as if he wanted to nose her to see if she were alright, she could even feel that emotion in his words, but he didn't. It made her choke a sound out somewhere between a laugh and a sob before leaning forward towards him. He stiffened slightly, but didn't pull away as she moved her hand up to wrap around the base of his neck and pressed her forehead against him. Ignoring the chaos erupting in the guard room as he turned his head back to nose her firmly.

She didn't want to tell him, spirits and gods, how was she supposed to admit anything? The shame burned through her as she pressed harder against his neck and felt the hot tears dripping against him and dried dirt was smearing against her. Her other arm wrapped around him, trying to hug him as she would a person, but lacking the ability to hold his chest she gripped his neck and he let out a queer noise low in his throat. It was a vibration, not like the purring of a cat, but nearly melodious as he parted his jaws and then let out a sudden hiss.

-Get out!- _ He snapped and she realized that some of the guards had come erupting up into the room, blades drawn and his muscles tensed. _-Or do you think you'll use those on me?-

_ _

“That's not a gryphon." One of the men said_,_ not drawing his blade back or putting it away. “I don't know-“

“It's that young dragon, I think." A woman answered and there was the sound of metal being put away. “We could have put an arrow in your eye, storm lord."

-Not with as slow as you are, human.- _ Frostscale hissed out and Valia attempted to step back from him. _-A gryphon attacked her, if he had returned, he could have killed her by now.-

_ _

“Attacked her.." The voice trailed off and Valia jerked backwards only to have Frostscale draw his tail up against her.

“Please it's okay, w-we'll go so the other girls aren't… upset. I can sleep in the a-attic." She stumbled over the words, her mouth feeling thick while the young drake spread a wing slightly.

He was glaring at the guards, the rage in his eyes looking as if he blamed them and she didn't know what to think. He had been friendly towards her, he had enjoyed her company, but his reaction was shocking and the feel of his mind was pushing towards her own. It wasn't just presence, it was like an unseen hand was trying to grasp ahold of her and she shied away, trying to avoid him getting closer to her thoughts. She didn't want to think about that, anything but that.

-You heard her, get out of here.- _ Frostscale said dismissively and used his wing to lightly nudge Valia. _-We will go to your home, why are you here? I will guard you properly and these idiots can let these girls get carried off.-

_ _

There was no hint of give in his voice and the wing that pushed her drew her in closer to him and she found his head turning back towards her again. His eyes were softening slightly as he nudged her and nearly pushed her towards the window before turning her towards the steps. The guards were moving to sooth the terrified half drugged girls as the mud coated dragon escorted her out of the guard post, clumps of dried dirt being left in his wake as every movements shed more of it to the floor.

For some reason, that sent her laughing, a choked sound, but it came out while Frostscale led her into the night. And she didn't feel afraid, for the first time since she had woken up in the room, the fear wasn't there. The sick feeling still remained, she felt filthy inside and out, she hurt and felt humiliated, but she wasn't afraid. Who could be afraid when you walked in the shadow of a dragon?

~ ~ * ~ ~

Frostscale knew he was filthy, but Valia didn't seem to care, she didn't even seem to care enough to tease him about the fact. Her thoughts were muted and muffled, her emotions rapidly changing until he wasn't sure what to think of them. Her eyes were blank looking, she wasn't staring at anything in particular, a far cry from the bright eyed overly inquisitive girl that he had known in the past. It was like walking with a ghost as he watched her go into her shop and up into her room, and that made him want to rip the head and tail off her attacker and replace them with one another.

He flew up and pushed through her window the moment he heard her on the upper hallway so that he greeted her the moment she came in. He tried to get some of the muck off of him, and stuffed himself into the room, but he was still leaving marks everywhere, so he shoved himself against one wall as she looked at him. No, not at him, through him as if he weren't there and then she gave herself a sharp shake and swallowed convulsively. She looked down the ground and a fist sized chunk of dried mud at her feet.

_-I am sorry, I am dirty all over.- _ Frostscale offered, the apology odd sounding, something he wasn't used to doing, but he had to say something.

“So am I." She said softly, almost a whisper and with her voice came a sense that her skin was crawling, that she felt sticky and filthy, though all she smelled off was herbs.

-You smell very clean.- _ He attempted awkwardly, but as he spoke she gave herself a shake and went to her wardrobe, yanking it open to pull out clothing. _-I will stay on this side, perhaps the dirt won't get so terrible.-

_ _

“I don't care, it's just some dirt." She said in that odd hoarse voice, her thoughts still muffled and the emotions flattened.

_-I had to escape Tarrbin, the old lizard is trying to make me go back to Storm Reach.- _ He tried, thinking perhaps it was a change in conversation that she was yearning for.

“He's been trying that." Valia answered and turned to look at him, frowning. “He's not going to miss you now, you made a scene."

-You needed me.- _ He stated, and he realized just how flimsy that sounded and found his eyes shifting in color with embarrassment. _-Anyway, I hardly care. I'm not his son.-

_ _

_This is awkward, Sithen's Spirit, this is awkward. _ He thought and hunched his shoulders, losing the pride and confidence he had felt the guard house.

Then he had felt as if he were rescuing her, when she had come to him and wrapped her arms around him he had felt a surge of desire to protect her and keep her safe. The desire had been something that had overwhelmed all common sense and he had begun to sing to her, the same way he would have sung to another of his kind. He hadn't realized he'd done it until the guards had erupted up and he'd faced them, but even then, he had felt sure of himself, that he was doing exactly what he should do and behaving appropriately. He had felt proud of himself and now he was awkwardly watching as she threw clothes out of her wardrobe.

She mounded most of them untidily in a corner of her room, pushing them all the way back to make sure that they were out of the way and then pulled out something heavier. He blinked as he realized that it was her winter gear, pale grey and white, and she glanced over at him and froze. The expression on her face suddenly raw looking and he blinked slowly, unsure what the expression on her flat human face was. He wasn't good at reading them, but he was normally better at reading her own and he reached a forepaw out uncertainly.

Valia's mind exploded, he had been probing it deliberately, but suddenly memories flushed through his mind and he froze in place with his pupils pinning down. Dragons were built to obtain and hold onto memories, he had done it as a hatchling with his mother, but those had been learning lessons. Those had been shared experiences, not as intense as the Oether, but this was different. It was a dumping of emotion, images, the gryphon and his foreclaw gripping her blanket, the avarice in his aqualine eyes. The scent of his arousal and musk, the crowding of his body on her own.

The gryphon hadn't attacked her with his talons, beaten her or robbed her, he hadn't done anything like it. He had done something anathema in dragon society, he had forced himself upon her and someone had put her in that room for him to use. He froze in place and dug his talons down against the wooden floor until splinters erupted around the black needle sharp tips of his claws. He didn't let himself drown in the growing fury, he tried to latch onto memories, to identification, tried to simply accept what Valia thrust at him.

Humiliation and shame flooded his mind immediately after that tumult of thoughts, so thick that he blinked and jerked his head back to see her stepping back. She was clinging to her clothing and her face was red, embarrassed, ashamed of what had happened to her. Ashamed? She had done nothing! He let out a soft noise, but didn't approach her, instead he relaxed his hold on his own mind that kept it carefully contained to himself and reached for her once more.

-You are as strong as a dragoness, Valia.- _ He spoke the words and put his truth behind them, believing them as she blinked her eyes rapidly. _-I am proud of you, you fought.-

_ _

“That didn't stop it." She choked the words like they were sharp edged bones in her mouth.

-That does not change that you fought.- _ He answered and flicked his tongue out at her briefly, tasting the air. _-I will make sure nothing is on the roof, but I will leave my tail inside, yank it if you need me-

_ _

She didn't want to shed her clothes in front of him, something that baffled the young drake given that he wore nothing at all, but the agony she felt at being naked wasn't feigned. He climbed out of the room to give her that privacy, and as he did he swung his head in the direction of the gryphon aerie. Someone had sold Valia to be used in a make-shift brothel, and he was going to find who it was and deliver them to the human girl for her justice. And the gryphon that had dared touch her, he would have to be dealt with as well, but not by his talons.

_A dragoness takes her own revenge, but I will enjoy being the ones to deliver them to her. _ He thought with a low sound in his throat, his eyes swinging across the city.

_-A dragoness takes her own revenge. That's so… very true.- _ A voice whispered in the back of his mind, barely there and gone again while he waited for his tail to be tugged.

~ ~ * ~ ~

“Sweet sea and river spirits, please tell me that you are kidding me." Chi'Ralik put his muzzle in his paws and rubbed his eyes roughly as he looked at the messenger sitting across from him. “How many?"

“Fourteen girls, Chi'Ralik." Lord Talthic said with a slight tip of his head, almost like he was listening. “The lowest born were from the merchants, the highest was a minor baron's daughter."

“And they were all taken by gryphons?" He persisted firmly, but the human only gave his head a shake.

“I'm told that some refuse to give names or species. Fear, most likely, but it believe it was a mixed group." The young lord rubbed a hand down his upper leg lightly, his eyes a bit thoughtful. “I've even heard there was a minx involved."

Talthic wasn't an official member of the court, he belonged to a strange clan that kept mostly to themselves in one of the richest villages near the eastern port down. They were wealthy, trading across the sea to foreign nations and small islands, handling most of the exotic trades that kept them a force to be reckoned with. It allowed them to have more pull in the Pillar Cities without having to appear on the council, and also interested and the ebb and flow of the city.

Talthic showed his wealth in his clothing, the jewelry on his neck and throat, gold so pure that it was dented in places. It wasn't anything large or gawdy, it was just well made and the jewels pure enough that they could be seen through with ease, magnifying the glass against the clothing. His faces were slightly hawkish, handsome, but sharp with high cheek bones and boasting a darker complexion than one normally saw around here. Nearly so dark that it was a sable color, one of the reasons he had first started talking to the human when he'd arrived here. A comforting coloration.

“If one of my clan was involved, he will lose his life." Ralik said with a short hiss under his breath. “I just need to identify him. This is going to be a mess, more than a mess."

“We'll have more details when the guards begin to talk to the girls in the morning. They've been put under protection for tonight." The human answered with a shrug. “But I've heard what you've been saying at the council meetings, I thought you might want to be aware of what's happening."

“I do, but this is only going to make things worse. Your sister works as a priestess of Skyhaven, doesn't she?" He asked and leaned forward just a little. “Is there any word about what they intend to do about the offenders?"

“Tilven isn't in town at the moment, but if you're talking about Lord Jeska, he's likely going to banish them back to the stronghold." Talthic said with a grimace. “What do you expect? I told you about this problem months ago."

“I didn't think they'd be idiotic enough to do something like this!" Ralik snapped out with his ears twitching slightly. “The families are aware of what had happened?"

“Mmmhmm, every last one of them." The young lord gave another odd turn of his head, as if listening to something again. “To be honest, I think this might be worth summoning the Storm Lords to the Council, they are impartial in this matter."

Ralik twitched his ears back and gave a shocked look at the man who was smiling at him as if he hadn't just suggested he invite the two massive dragons to the council chamber. No, asking to summon the Storm Lords. The idea of sending any sort of message to the dragons was daunting since they viewed their part in the Pillar City as being that of upholding the treaties and making sure that none of those species that were involved in the cities were going to make any play for their strong holds.

They rarely enjoyed being in on day to day issues, but if bands and factions were forming, if war could be a possibility, than they would have to be involved. Ushara was easy to deal with compared to her mate, but she tended to allow him to have the voice on the council, she only stepped in when she believed he became too harsh with his demands. This was going to make the situation into something that could easily tumble into a diplomatic mire that there was no easy way to navigate.

“This is going to be a long night." He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, irritated as more of his fur shed out, his coloring was going to change by the end of the week if this continued. “Thank you for bringing me this matter early."

“Of course, what are friends and allies for?" Talthic said with a flash of white teeth. “I hope you at least find some rest tonight, I'm going to see what the other clan-halls are doing tonight."

“Good luck with that." Ralik said slowly and moved to drag fresh pieces of paper onto his desk and drew out his quill.

Talthic watched the man with a little amusement as he turned away and made his way towards the hall, hearing the quill working as he walked away. The minx would be intelligent enough to send a request to the Storm Lords immediately, it would take that long for Tarrbin to decide if he really wanted to show up or if he would simply ignore it and make them come to him in person to ask for him to be present. The old dragon did love to make people be inconvenienced when he was irritated, but most of the storm dragons were that way.

-Anything old starts to have quirks.- _ The familiar voice teased in his ear and he turned his head slightly as he walked down the hall to see something just barely visible padding beside him. _-Well done, you're going to want to make sure that the dragon does come, of course?-

_ _

-Obviously.- _ Talthic answered and glanced a bit closer to see the edge of a near draconic form. _-Are you really going to meddle in this? It seems….rather messy.-

_ _

_-It'll be worth it, really it will. You know I've never led you astray.- _ Rogeth said and there was a brush of cold air that ran by him, causing Talthic to frown slightly and then shake his head.

Whatever his ancestor was up to, whatever idea he had in mind, it wasn't going to be neat or easy. His twin was probably right in keeping out of the main part of the city, he had a feeling that things might become dangerous if they continued on their present course. His great-great-great many times great grand-sire was constantly getting his children into trouble and using them to move things along he wanted. This was the first time that he had been used for something so large seeming, and with such far reaching effects.

And while Rogeth was once more in spirit form, Talthic had a body to protect and no interest in joining the line of his ancestors just yet. Not when there was so much fun to be found in this life.