Wind Under Wings

Chapter Five, Part One

The mountain's peak reared high above, majestic and proud, and from near its rocky point a great waterfall came splashing down into a glistening lake. Around its pebbly shore were more griffins than Taliak had ever dreamed of seeing in his life. So many! The strong-bodied members of the khazleer were lazing, wings held slightly apart from their flanks to keep themselves cool, while they napped or spoke idly to each other. Younger griffins, too energetic to be much affected by the brazen heat of the afternoon, were busy playing; spotted nestlings like Taliak were frisking in the reeds and darting after minnows in the shallows, while solid colored one-year-olds were practicing their flying skills over the water. One of these fledglings swooped low and pounced on a piece of floating driftwood as though it were prey and heaved it up into the air with her, and they all made it a game to drop and catch it before it could fall into the water again.

Taliak gaped, awestruck, by the beauty of the place. This must be the very heart of the Order.

Igri nudged him with her wing and said, "Look up there. See that opening?"

Taliak followed her gaze back up to Tekma's peak. Now he noticed a small cave opening with a ledge directly above the waterfall. Griffins were flying in and out busily through it.

"Those griffins belong in the keralkleer, and they all live in that one cave," Igri told him with a clack of her beak. "Can you believe that? I don't think I could stand having to share my den with anyone else but my family. But that's what happens were you're a keralk and not a khaz."

As Igri spoke one of the khazes lounging by the shore, a hess, lifted her head and let loose a long, whistling note. An answering whistle sounded from the sky and before Taliak could blink a keralk had swept down and landed next to the hess in a flurry of wings. Amid the horde of tough khazes the keralk looked ridiculously puny and small, but there was no denying he was quick; as soon as the hess bent forward and hissed something into his ear he was off, springing into the air and taking wing in a single, graceful motion. Within five wingbeats he had sped out of sight.

"They're so fast," Taliak heard Sittiss say to Dankar. "I'd like to be that fast someday."

"Then you'd have to be a keralk," Dankar snorted. "Are you saying you'd rather be a weakling messenger than a mighty warrior or hunter?"

"No!" Sittiss lashed his tail in anger. "But I bet I could be quick and strong."

"You're just saying that, I think you really do want to be a keralk."

Sittiss growled furiously at the remark. He moved to peck his nestmate on the shoulder when Kaavis thrust his way between them.

"Stop teasing him, Dankar. And he didn't mean it, Sittiss. Besides, you can only be a keralk if your parents are keralks, and only a khaz if your parents are khazes, that's the way it is."

Before Sittiss could reply Igri gasped and flared out her wings in excitement so quickly she knocked Dankar aside in the process. "Look, look!"

They all turned to see a flock of griffins winging toward the lake. A large, dark brown krall was taking the head, and he guided the group toward a smooth-top boulder near the water's edge, partially shaded by a willow. It was clearly a favored spot, for many griffins were already lounging around it, but when they noticed the brown one coming every one of them jumped to their feet and cleared the area, lowering their heads in deference as they did so.

"I know who that is," said Kaavis, staring at the big krall. "It must be Fithgrol, the Gryp!"

The nestlings looked on, deeply impressed, as the brown krall landed deftly on the smooth boulder and folded his broad wings against his sides. While the rest of his group settled around him he remained standing, observing everyone around the lake with an imperious glare. He had the tough, rugged look of someone who'd been through countless battles. Vivid scars tore down his shoulders and flanks and his ears were tattered and worn. The yellow of his eyes shone with a brutal intensity as he looked around, and only when he seemed satisfied that there was no threat did he at last recline on the boulder and start speaking quietly with his group.

"He's huge," Dankar said in a breathless voice. "He's bigger than my father!"

"And mine," added Igri.

The others clicked their beaks in agreement, all except for Taliak, who privately thought his mother was a larger griffin, even though she had neither wings nor an impressive mane to show off like the Gryp.

"The others around him are his Cloud," Igri said, her spotted tail swishing. "They're the most important griffins in the Order. They give advice to the Gryp and they take orders directly from him and make sure everyone is doing their job right—"

"We all know what the Cloud is," Kaavis interrupted her impatiently. "You just want to brag because your father is in the Cloud. Why don't you get it over with and point him out to us already?"

Igri's wings ruffled a little with a mixture of defiance and embarrassment. "Oh, alright, if he's even there...Yes, he's right by the Gryp, lying down between the boulder and that scrawny krall. See?"

Taliak squinted at the members of the Cloud. They were grouped so closely together it was difficult to make out who was who. One of them moved, finally giving Taliak a clear line of sight, and he saw the upper portion of a tawny krall by the boulder. He looked handsome, with thick shoulders and a bright coat. His golden mane was sprinkled in white flecks and he had white marks under his eyes.

"And he isn't just a member of the Cloud," Igri told them, "he's also the grysk, and that means—"

"—He's second in charge to the Gryp. We know." Kaavis clacked his beak at her. "You've only told us more times than we can count. Come on, you see your father everyday. We need to get going to the baths."

Igri jerked as though just remembering. "The sand baths! Right. Come on everyone."

They hurtled through the trees once more, keeping to the edge of the lake, but they had only been on the move for a couple of minutes before they had to stop short again. A river, running wide and smooth, was flowing across their path.

"That's right," Taliak said. "Frissner mentioned something about crossing a river."

Igri's eyes clouded a little. She looked anxious. "I forgot about this part. Our parents always flew us across when we came to the river."

"Mine too," added Kaavis. "But the water looks slow enough. We can swim it."