Welcome to Gaia! ::

Zephyr's deep yellow eyes enlarged at Serenity's words. She nodded eagerly when she was given the duty of summoning the other gryphons. Positioning herself for liftoff, the blue coloured gryphon shot a last glance at Keladry.

"You better find my brother.... Or I'll never let you live it down..." Zephyr threatened, her eyes sharpened into a cold glare.

With that, she turned back to the sky, extending her blue feathered wings, and leaped to become airborne. She glided in the cool morning breeze, her plumage tossing in the wind like a field of grass, as she drifted farther away from the castle tops.

I hope Saphira's okay... And Tobias.... She shook her head sadly and pressed on to the castle grounds below.

Landing in the grass with a slight thud, Zephyr looked around. The last nine out of the fifty gryphons that were in the previous battle, now lie sound asleep in front of her. Chirping orders, Zephyr began to wake them quickly.

"C'mon guys, we need your help again... WAKE UP!!" She trilled so loudly that a few of the gryphons sprung to their feet immediately, now wide awake. The other five however, just rolled over in the other direction, or ignored her completely.
"Oh shut up Zephyr... We don't take orders from you... You're brother got most of us killed in the last battle... And for what? To save your elf friends? Peh. What a waist." A tawny coloured male gryphon said spitefully.

"Ohhh... you-" Zephyr started forward, her claws out and ready to strike, when an older silver gryphoness stepped in front of her.

"Don't waist your time on that trash. He's not worth it." The older female said wisely. But then a dark smoky coloured female leaped to attack her, and fights broke all through out the gryphons.

"Enough of this! There's no time! My friend is in danger... Who ever is with me, we must go... NOW!" Zephyr spread her wings and took to the air, shaking with rage and frustration. The silver female that spoke before, gave a last glare at the others, and then lifted off as well. Three more gryphons were to follow her and Zephyr.

The tawny male and the remaining four gryphons shook their heads and took flight in the opposite direction, leaving this place for good.

Landing in the courtyard with the other four gryphons behind her, Zephyr looked up at Serenity atop Skysong.

"They are all that would come." She sighed.

((i know i know...short crappy post...but i don't care >_< i just got muh braces today....so i can't think >_<))

Serenity sighed, seeing the dramatically reduced number of gryphons standing before her. She looked to the skies and saw the others flying back to their homes. She shook her head slowly sighing again. "They would have only slowed us down had they come..."

She turned to look towards the gate, her elvish eyes picking up Kyra. Turning her eyes once more towards Sakura, she nodded her head towards the gate. "I will explain on the road...we haven't much time available to us." She shivered, her mind running through all that she had seen again.

Serenity whispered to Skysong and the mare took off towards the gate, moving at an unnatural speed for a horse.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

If Keladry had eye brows, she would have lifted them at Zephyr's words. "I've known your brother longer than you have Zephyr... I'd never let myself live it down..." She whispered it as the young gryphon flew off. Standing up, she pushed with her strong paws off the roof-top. She spread open her large golden wings, beating them heavily against the air, taking to the skies.

"Please let me find him," She thought as she flew towards the trees. "and please let him be okay..." She let her body fall slightly as the forest drew nearer, bringing herself level with the tree trunks. She tilted her body, flying in between the trees, high enough to see plenty, but low enough not to be blocked by the foliage. Her big eyes searched franticly for Tobias, hoping more than anything for his safety.

((from Kyra >>;

"so you post for me and say that I flew using my air element and followed you guys

I'm wandering about whats going on but I figure Serenity (or whichever princess had the dream) will tell us on the way"

ahem... proceed please XD ))

Serenity didn't need to look to know that Kyra and the gryphons were in the air folowing. Her pointed ears were listening intently. It was almost like she was expecting someone to ambush them. Her eyes darted through the trees as she kept low to Skysong's back, the horse slowing down to let Sakura catch up.

Finally slowing to a quick walk, Serenity lifted her upper body to sit up straight. She sat with ease in the saddle, her hands no longer even on the reins. She and the horse moved almost as one. Glancing over her shoulder to find Sakura close by, she noticed the emptiness of the forest.

Embrasing her earth magic, she pushed it out, letting the flows reach all over the forest. She was shocked to find no animal life form, other than bugs of course, bugs could be found anywhere. She pushed her magic towards the skies, hoping to find birds in the air. She frowned and ceased to use her magic.

As Skysong continued her steady pace, Serenity sat silent, deep in thought. She didn't merely think upon the missing animals, but about her dream, was it a dream? as well. Her mind raced through everything, trying to connect anything she could together.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Keladry began to move a little faster, tilting her body to fly around the trees. It was tricky to fly so fast around the massive plants, but she had much practice as a young gryphon.

She flicked her wing slightly, and began in a new direction. Her eyes were moving quickly, a fearful and worrisome look in them. She could feel him, sense him. She could not tell a direction, only that he was still alive, and hurt. Her heart went out to Tobias as she continued her search.

It was another minute or so before anything caught her eye. She slowed down, lowering her body towards the ground. There was something shiny, glimmering concealed behind a bush. Without a sound her paws hit the soft earth gently. She folded her wings against her back and walked hesitantly towards the bush.

As she got closer, the light grew brighter, and she heared a soft hum coming from it. She glanced around, looking through the trees before pulling the bush back with her beak.

She was astonished to find Saphira's staff lying there. As soon as her eyes rested on magical object, the light began to fade. Keladry glanced around again before picking the staff up in her mouth and pushing off the ground, opening her wings and beating them heavily to lift her body to the skies, continuing her search once more, but this time, she had a lot more to think about.

((ARG! i had this long really good post...and then i hit submit, and it said that i wasn't signed in! crying so now i hafta re-post cuz i forgot to copy the stupid post...ARGAMUFUNKLE!))

Serenity's head spun around as she saw the gryphons coming from the ground. She gasped softly and embrased her magic, letting her body feel for the break in the earth. She then snapped the land shut once more, mending the broken rock and crushing any gryphons that had not come out yet.

She then slid down from Skysong's saddle, taking her weapons from their spots on the mare and hastily buckling them to her belt. She was telling Sysong to find Sakura's stallion and lead him to safety as she pulled a quiver filled with arrows over her head, letting it rest against her back. She strung her bow quickly, watching for a moment as the pure white horse raced off to find the stallion.

Serenity pulled an arrow from behind her head and notched it, lifting the bow to aim. She paused for a moment, many of these gryphons she had known personally, and even though they were dead, dead and controlled by the dark elf who had already caused so much pain, it was still hard for her to kill them herself.

Taking a deep breath, she let the arrow go, mumbling a small spell. The arrow burst into blue flames and hit it's target. The gryphon only had time for one small shriek before it exploded with the same blue flames. However interesting the sight, Serenity wasn't watching, she had already shot at two more gryphons. It was always the same, notch, aim, spell, explode. She blocked out anything that could have distracted her.

They were seriously outnumbered. As a gryphon flew towards her, she shot it down, only to find two more gryphons racing in her direction. It was then that she knew. After killing those two, five more were coming to attack solely her. She understood now...Drae knew. Somehow, he knew she was coming, knew she had found Saphira.

Serenity pulled an arrow from her quiver, stabbing a gryphon that was too close for the bow with it. The gryphon barely flinched, swiping his silver claws of an immortal across her stomach, cutting through the metal of her breastplate. Blood began to trickle down her body as she stabbed at the creature again, but it was too late.

The gryphon clawed at her arm, cutting deeply into the skin and muscle. Serenity cried out as she stabbed him again and again, but the gryphon lifted its paw and hit her squarely in the head, knocking her over to the ground, unconcious.

The gryphon watched the elf princess for a moment before falling to the groun, swaggering as death took him once more.

It was then, in the heat of the battle that a very large gryphon picked up Serenity. He opened his wings to take to the skies, the elf girl with him, her blood dripping to the ground below.

Zephyr shrieked when she saw her former comrades rise from the dead. Tears filled her young gryphon eyes, as did the other four survivor gryphons that flew at her sides. As much as it pained them, they fought back with full force, even though trying to kill something that was already dead was just a bit farfetched.

Zephyr paused for a moment, noticing that all the undead gryphons were heading exclusively for Serenity. This was strange... But before she could think on the reasoning, her golden eyes went wide as silver claws drew blood.

"Serenity!!!!" Zephyr screamed loudly as the much larger sized gryphon took the wounded elven princess to the skies. But before Zephyr could attempt lift off, two more undead gryphons attacked her and occupied her for too long. Serenity was now long gone.


The fractured bone stuck out through his pierced flesh. Blood oozed to gather in a pool that his mangled body lay in. His chest rose and fell heavily; each breath pained him greatly, for his rib cage was shattered. Though he wasn't dead, he should have been, from the blow he encountered by the powerful wyvern. It was a miracle he managed to survive. His life clung on by less than a thread however, as Tobias struggled intensely to keep breathing.

I failed her... He spoke softly in his mind. Saphira... I'm... Sorry... As much as he hated the facts, they were all true to him. It was his fault Drae had captured his best friend... It was all his fault...

The wind rustling the leaves above where he lay was a low muffled sound. His vision was blurred, and all together his senses were slowly shutting down. And yet, his heart continued to pound, keeping the last spark of life inside him alive.

...K-Keladry...?


The dull grey stone walls blurred back into vision when she awoke. Her head was throbbing when she lifted it slowly too look around. Saphira glanced down to her white gryphon arms to find that the wounds were closed and healed. Drae wanted her in top condition for what he was planning.

"Ah, you're awake. Just in time too." The cool voice made her insides twist and cringe. She turned to face Drae who was standing inside the thick bars of her prison cell. His arm was healed from the last encounter they had. He wore the usual cold smirk across his grey-blue skinned face.

Feeling weak still, from the side effects of the spell he used on her earlier, she closed her eyes lightly trying to ignore his twisted grins. Her pointed ears shifted to fold back against her feathered head in an agitated way.

"...Time....For what...?" She knew she shouldn't have bothered asking.

Drae laughed lightly. Saphira opened her eyes again, and watched with fear building in them, as the dark elf lifted his hand. In his palm, the same circle of glowing black symbols he had used on her before, floated in it.

"It is time to test this again." He spoke with a tone of amusement in his voice. Turning his head over his shoulder, he called in two guards. Nodding his head in her direction, he gave the order.

"Attack her."

The dark elven guards obeyed their lord. They withdrew their swords, and approached the white gryphon cautiously. Saphira backed up against the wall, fear aching inside her; not of the guards, but of what was about to happen.

Her vision went blank for a moment, when the voice entered her mind once again. It ordered her to fight back, and kill the two guards. The searing pain around her neck increased, as the voice grew impatient when she didn't move.

"No.." She would not listen to the commands. She struggled to keep control of her thoughts.

"Kill them. Fight back." The guards grew dangerously close now; she could see her crimson eyed reflection in their blades.

"No!!..." She leaped to dodge the swipes and then backed up into a corner. The blood red colour of her eyes was fading into blue again, as she shook her head trying to fight off the spell. She heard Drae's voice loud and clear this time, but it wasn't in her mind.

"You will obey me..." He knew she had gotten stronger, strong enough to fight off his control. He was expecting this to happen, so he had back up. Closing his icy blue eyes, he chanted another spell, and scarlet coloured symbols joined in with the black ones. The pain around her neck felt like fire burning from the inside out, as the red markings appeared over her white feathers, with the black. She screamed loudly, which echoed all through the dungeons.

Drae was panting hard. Although he was very powerful, so was the spell he just conjured. It drained him of most of his energy, but it was a price he was very willing to pay.

"Now," He spoke aloud, taking in deep breaths. "Attack them!"

Saphira blinked glowing red eyes and then lunged forward at the guards. Blades came down, but the voice told her which way to dodge and when to attack. She obeyed.

Once the spell was lifted, and she could think for herself again, she starred helplessly at the shredded bodies on the floor before her. Blood marked her silver claws and white feathers.

Drae stood outside the cell now, his smile showed how pleased he was. His new spell was successful... It was to strong for her to fight. He was now confident he would be victorious in the upcoming battles. His plan to rule over various kingdoms in the land was coming together. And Saphira with her pendant was his weapon. Brushing his white bangs out of his face, he watched her with interest.

"What's wrong Saphira? Why so down? Don't worry, the Elven Princess will be arriving soon, so cheer up." He laughed loudly and bowed, before turning down the dungeon and out of sight, leaving Saphira with a look of pure shock and horror upon her face.

Curling up in a dark corner, she began to sob. It's over... It's all over now... Tears beaded like dew drops over her silky feathers.

But the truth was, it was far from over...

:: The grounded griffons did not rest for long, being buried in their shallow graves. A Five foot obsidian sword swirled from the sky and implanted itself inside one of the griffons skulls. Others emerged form their unholy dwelling, before long three white flames of fire shot from the sky, and a black cloaked figure summoned his sword once again. It flew from the skull of the ever sleeping griffon to his hand, the hilt resting gently and comfortably in his hand. The white flames that approached the griffon seemed to have an adverse effect. When they normally should have flown forward and the griffons able to easily dodge them, the balls warped time around them and pull time backwards. The griffons instead of moving onward, were being dragged back into the ground. And what should have ben a plain and simple image in most minds when seeing fire, this left a heavy purple after image. Again more griffon zombies came, and again the man flew ever towards the ground swinging his sword and slashing with a heavenly grace. Once again the Bloody Reaper seeks to find who contained him in his prison for three hundred years, and Drae was another clue to finding and restoring his past.::