The castle tall, strong, and looming in front of me was home. From the huge gargoyels jetting out from the roof tops to the frilly little knockers on the massive oak doors. There was a proctective wall surrounding everything I called home. Within the walls lay gardens and ponds only semi forgotten, I didnt have a huge array of staff keeping the grounds or the inside tide and company ready. The few I did have just made it livable. The grounds did as it pleased and I would make adjustments as I saw fit, I never let it get over grown but it certainly wasnt tidy and clipped. Mother nature knew best and as long as it didn't get out of hand I left it be.
The gates opened as Frost and I approached, there was a slight creaking that let us both know we were home. The tension that had been lifting along the journey vanished completely. Nothing was more peaceful than being home. Alone with the few beings I trusted and cared for, not that id ever admit it but each person permitted with in these walls held a special place in my distant heart. They had all been here since childhood, how could I not care for them in some way.
Entering the grounds Frost left my side in favor of the peaceful meadow that lay on the far grounds of the castle. His hoof beats faded into the back ground as I approached the massive wooden doors to my home. No one opened them for me and I pushed it open revealing the grand, and slightly forgotten foyer. The furniture was meager with a thin layer of dust, no one came rushing to great me upon my return and I ascended the mighty stair case in silence.
Laying in bed I wished for sleep to come, but the feather in my hand wouldn't let me. What did it come from? what did it want? and why did it let Frost and I pass with out incident? According to Tenure survival with this creature was not an option and yet it had let us pass with out so much as a screech. Silently watching...
It was smooth as fine silk, and light as air. More black then anything Id ever seen. Despite its delicate nature it was strong. I imagined what it must look like, massive wings with hundreds of these feathers strong broad shoulders to hold them leading to vicious clawed hands and feet. Perhaps rough skin to contrast the smooth feathers. Male or Female was irrelevant from the description Tenure gave it was a beast... Not mindless though. A mindless beast would have attacked Frost and I not watched from afar. That thought bothered me... what was different about us? or had it watched other less observant beings also? I didn't think so... it was killing for a reason... and watching for a reason...
I needed to push the man from the village out of my mind. He was a distraction I did not need. It was ignorant of me to smile and wave, no matter how small the gesture. Something in the way he'd been looking at me, his hazel eyes haunted my mind. Such curiosity lurked in his stare. Curiosity of what though? Me? My wings perhaps. People didn't often see creatures such as myself, the wings that graced my body were a rarity. I'd put all my effort into resisting looking back at him, all I had was that quick glance as I waved good bye. I never should have acknowledged his presence.
I had felt him though from the moment his stare found me. He elicited an aura unlike the other humans. It was cold and distant, not mean, unattached and peaceful. He was clearly not an inhabitant of the village. The leadless stallion followed him effortlessly through the village as if as a companion not an object that he owned. He was beautiful too, snow white with cold blue eyes, I'd never seen an animal with such eyes. He was clearly an intelligent beast and he suited his human counterpart quite well.
Walking away I thought of how I'd never liked walking through the human villages. With their dirty, waste ridden paths between rotting buildings. The smell was much worse than the appearance, urine and animal waste mingled with the stench of sickness and burning flesh. Humans were incredibly wasteful creatures. I tried to be fair judging each individual based on actions I observed, however walking the streets that they dwelled in happily, made it a hard task.
The crowds parted easily for me, my wings demanded room and fear. They were not a weapon though. Walking through the village didn't last long, my destination was yet determined but I had no intention of staying here. The outskirts of the village lead to freedom, freedom that would allow me to think clearly and determine my course of action. Too much was changing to sit idle for long and darkness would fall shortly...
It had been days since we'd come back to the castle, and there was plenty of work to be done. Instead of working the land or cutting wood for the winter I found myself staring up at the gargoyles that guarded my home. Wondering what the purpose of the recent killings could possibly be. A boy from a small farm nearby had come the day before to give warning that a winged creature had been heard and people had started going missing. His story was quite similar to Tenure's, silence except for the sound of massive wings beating the air above and then someone was gone. He'd come concerned for the safety of myself and others in my home, quite considerate. He knew I'd been away and would not have heard the rumors.
I hadn't been able to work since his visit, the connection was obvious. It was either the same beast or another of its kind. My mind yearned for answers to why? I kept the feather always tucked inside my shirt. It was the only proof besides the disappearances that something was really there. I wanted to make sure I had it for comparison when the time came.
The female from the village market plagued my mind as well. If I wasn't dreaming of the feather, I was dreaming of her. She never spoke in the dreams, just looked at me with those forever green eyes her hair blowing across her face as the wind would pick up. Her wings would be ruffled by the force until a single feather came loose, her delicate hand would come up in a shy wave as she disappeared and the wind died instantly. The feather would drop from the air to the ground as if it weight a hundred pounds. Before I could touch it, id appear in the canyon not far from the opening that lead to the rock cemetery. Here was were I'd usually wake up, however this morning the dream had added a new chapter.
The sound of wings beating against the still air echoed through the dream. It was the only sound the only motion for what seemed like a thousand years. A flash of lightning would appear and a single feather would drop to the ground so slowly I thought it'd never stop. When I'd look down I'd seem two feathers sitting side by side on cold gray stone.
sorry updates are taking soooo long.