Of Ashes and Wind

Cursed

Shelara broke the news to Phoenix.

It was a curse.

The wound which broke Lionheart's wing came from a dark creature that could be found swarming the skies of the northern skies. Tannyl had done his research the first day they treated Lionheart and surmised that a demon was the one who inflicted the wound. If it were treated right away, it would go away and the curse wouldn't have as much of a lethal infliction.

Phoenix remembered how they wandered through the Werenluna Woods for nearly a month. And before that, she didn't know how long Lionheart was within that cave.

"If you had touched it, you could have become cursed too." Shelara explained while Phoenix sat against her friend, Lionheart was in a restless slumber. The gryphon didn't even have the energy to leave his stall.

Phoenix clenched her jaw, "He wouldn't let me near his wing the whole time."

"He was protecting you."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Phoenix got to her feet, her eyes stung but she refused to let the tears fall, "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Your gryphon wished it that way." Folmer walked softly into the roost, his helmet discarded and his dark silver hair was pulled back into a warrior's bun. "Lionheart wanted to save you from grief."

"But I'm supposed to help protect him!" Phoenix yelled out in frustration, "He is my friend and how can I help him if I don't know if he's hurting."

Folmer sighed and kneeled in front of the human child, "How can you help him?" The gryphon rider's jade gaze held steady, "Shelara and Tannyl and our most talented gryphon care takers and have tried everything to lift the curse that courses through Lionheart's blood, but they could not. How could you have helped him?"

"If I had known – "

"So that you can throw a tantrum and cry the way you are now." Folmer's tone was stern, Shelara glared at the elven rider, but he pressed on, "Would you have ridden on his back the way you have? Chase the wind as carelessly as I've seen you?"

Phoenix paused, she felt herself re-center from Folmer's chastising, "If I had known, then I would have been more careful."

"That's not what he wanted." Folmer motioned to Lionheart, "He wanted to do all those things with you and Lionheart knew that you wouldn't if you knew of the curse that eats at his very heart."

A soft squawk prevented Phoenix from snapping back at the elven adult.

Phoenix breathed deep once the piercing gold gaze held her own.

Lionheart closed his eyes to rest after a moment.

Phoenix threw herself at the beast, her tiny arms wrapping almost half way around his neck while she cried into his feathers and fur.

"Be brave," Folmer knelt beside the pair, "A curse this ingrained and this strong would have ended his life a long time ago." He placed a reassuring hand on Phoenix's shoulder, "It's because of you that he's managed this long."

Phoenix turned her head sideways, her mouth was right next to Lionheart's feathered ear.

"This is why you were in that cave... you were waiting to die." She sobbed out.

Lionheart opened his eyes and merely nudged the child.

Eiriell would come out later in the evening with a blanket around her shoulder. Together the two huddled together at Lionheart's side, the gryphon draping a wing across while the three laid together in a deafening silence. Eiriell wrapped her arms around the younger girl, tears were evident down both of their faces, but it was comforting to feel Lionheart's plume and fur against them.

That there was still time together – no matter how short.