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A Perch to Purge the Cold

Dionysus remembered that day better than he would have liked to. The day he lost almost all of his flock in a brutal territorial dispute over a mountain glade.

That day was a veritable bloodbath, one that started as serene as a day he could have hoped. He and his flock were lounging around the oasis in the glade, bellies full and kits dancing around the shore of the pond. His mate had just laid a clutch of eggs and she was spending much of her time in their den - a carved out cave in the side of the mountain that lined the edge of their territory. The entire area they called their own was a lush jungle grove surrounded by a tall, crescent-moon shaped cliff that blocked out the horizon in all directions except the entrance.

As gryphons, it was easy enough to fly up and out of the mountain grove, but it also was perfect for hunting in the surrounding jungle. It was quiet, secluded, and far away from any settlements by any of the other races. Though it was farther north than most gryphons lived, it remained a tropical rainforest and a glorious gem of life in the middle of a hostile mountain range.

However, due to its unique location and perfect hunting grounds, the glade was also seen as a mythical, life-giving oasis in the overgrown, untamed jungle.

The gryphon flock considered that glade heir home. They had protected and been sustained by it for generations, and they hadn't thought about the possibility of losing it. Not until another mixed race flock of gryphons and dragons found it and decided they wanted it for their own.

Dionysus was perched atop the tallest cliffside plateau in the early morning of spring when he saw the first sign of trouble. It was a red and brown dragon flying high overhead, stopping and banking hard almost directly over the glade that Dio called home. Curious, he had gotten to his feet and kept his eyes on the foreign drake, intently watching his every move. It looked like a scout, but he had no way of knowing for sure without flying up to meet him. Though he could have done the smart thing, he instead chose to stay with his family and flock, remaining on the outcropping to keep an eye out for the others in the glade.

Hours later, the dragon returned, this time with a blue-feathered gryphon and a smaller green drake. Naturally, Dionysus decided that it was time to go and investigate, so he told his mate and his beta gryphon of his intents and flew up to meet the curious onlookers.

Before he could gain the altitude to meet them, a dozen other gryphons came out from the caves in the nearby mountains, descending on the glade with all its inhabitants. Dionysus quickly angled his wings and dove to counter the invading flock, only to have the large red and brown dragon dive bomb him, breaking one of his wings in the process.

Against great pain and turmoil, he was able to keep himself from falling to the ground, but he did crash in the treetops outside his glade, where he was trapped for hours. Though tied up in vines, he was able to twist and contort his way to the ground and return to his home, only to be met by his mate and two of his drake betas, who informed him the territory was no longer theirs.

He lost nearly everyone that day. The mixed race flock took over his glade, killed the young, ate the old, and crushed every egg in every den. He was literally broken, or he would have returned and killed them all - he was certainly well trained in combat. He could have killed every dragon, and every gryphon, had he not been twisted and had his wing snapped.

Even with the aid of magic he was unable to heal his wing, so he did the only thing he could, by amputating both. One wing was more of a hindrance than a help, and a broken wing was even moreso a liability. Not only did he lose his wings, but his mate lost her ability to carry a clutch ever again, and one of his betas lost their tail.

Dionysus, angry and bitter, took the remnants of his flock - all four of them - south and away from the glade. For years, he plotted to return and take it back, but the others didn't seem to have any interest in fighting anymore. His mate remained with him while the other two went their separate ways, seeking refuge in the gryphon friendly realms south of their mountain range they once called home.

The proud gryphon alpha drake slowly descended into a special kind of madness. His rage engulfed him for years, his demeanor growing gristled and angry over time. Though his mate moved on from that horribly tragedy, he couldn't let it go. That changed his life, drained his soul, and altered him in ways that were nigh irreversible. He was a gryphon without wings, without kits, and without a flock. In his eyes, he had nothing to live for, save that sweet, sweet desire for revenge.

His mate grew weary, frustrated with Dionysus' unyielding thirst for vengeance. She wasn't old, only 30, yet she felt like she needed to retire due to how much energy Dionysus' hatred stole from her. She told him that she would no longer have or accept his constant need for revenge, yet that was all he spoke of. In those years, he was constantly training himself to be a killing machine, his claws like razor blades and his beak like a trap. This scared his mate to the point that she threatened to leave him if he didn't get over this fruitless endeavor.

That gryphon never stopped thinking about what he would do if he ever saw that brown and red dragon again. Some nights, he'd jerk himself away with claws bared and beak grinding on the edges of his nest, dreaming about the slaughter he planned to enact.

One night, his violent night terrors got the better of him and he accidentally sliced a gash open in his mate's side. She left him that night, and he never saw her again.

Where most would realize the foolish nature of his quest for vengeance, Dionysus took this as a sign that he was no longer chained to a sentimental fool that was only holding him back. Now, he could do as he wished, there were no more repercussions he could suffer that he wasn't prepared to deal with. Should he die, he would welcome the end of his life. He had nothing left to live for, with no kits, no mate, and nothing but hate in his heart.

He was ready. His body had been toned and built for combat on the ground. He could no longer fly, but he could run, he could jump, and he could kill. He knew both power and stealth, offense and defense. He hunted like a jungle cat, ambushed like a snake, and killed with the efficiency of an assassin. No beast, no man, no drake could stop him from his vengeance now.

Dionysus remembered that day better than he would have liked to. The day he got revenge for the loss of his flock in the mountain glade.

Like the day his lifestyle ended, it was sunny, and the occupants of the glade were enjoying the serenity of the north. The leader of the pack - the brown and red dragon - was perched up on top of that same rocky outcropping that Dionysus had been on that fateful day, protecting the opening to the cave where his mate and clutch were resting.

The memory of both his young and lover angered him to the point of berserker rage. He slid through the trees around the bend to leap out and catch one of the closest dragons, his beak clamping down on their neck with enough force to crush their trachea and keep them from screaming. All that could be heard was a crunch followed by gurgling and the gentle disturbance of some ferns as Dionysus dragged his body into the bush.

One by one, he ambushed each dragon and gryphon in the grove, crushing skulls, slicing throats, and eviscerating bellies. Dozens of drakes and hens had their lives ended that day, including eggs. He couldn't bring himself to kill the young, though. He was fueled by vengeance, he still had a heart, though. The kits and chicks couldn't have been more than a few months old, too young to have participated in the slaughter of his flock.

Eventually, he made it to the king, the alpha, the leader of the group. Dio's feathers were soaked in blood and bits of meaty flesh and scales when he confronted the red and brown dragon.

He could have done the smart thing and attacked him in an ambush, but he wanted to know and feel the same pain he did on the day he lost his family. Dionysus explained in great detail the reason for his hatred as the brown and red dragon looked on in horror, noticing that not a single one of his mates were to be seen, only idle trails of blood leading to the bush that surrounded the pond.

"You killed my young, you ate my elders, and you left me grounded and my mate barren. If you needed shelter, we would have housed you, but instead you attacked and killed without remorse. I am Dionysus of Chimme, you ended my life. Prepare to die." With that final declaration, he pounced on the dragon with the power of a tiger and the speed of a mongoose.

The dragon tried to fly away, but couldn't gain the altitude before Dionysus was upon them, ripping and tearing at the wing membrane, using his beak to snap both wing shoulders, rendering them flightless before continuing his assault. He bit through the thick scales on the dragon's neck, pecked out their eyes, and brutalized them atop the cliff, eventually finishing the job with a kick to their belly, spewing guts and eggs everywhere.

Eggs.

The dragon was not a drake, but a dragoness. Pregnant, gravid. She had a clutch of her own, and Dionysus ended her in the most brutal fashion he could imagine.

Yet, he felt justified. He felt relieved. He had his vengeance, he had crowned himself king of the glade, ruler of the oasis, and leader of the flock. Too bad he had no court to reside over. He had no mate to worship him, and no offspring to carry on his line. The only purpose he had in life for years was vengeance, and now he had nothing. He had plenty of time to think about what was to come as he washed himself in the pond, occasionally getting a look at himself in the reflective surface, his beak red and feathers matted with blood and entrails.

Dionysus spent days in the glade, alone. In that time, he came to realize just how little he had to live for. His life had no meaning, and he had no joy to look forward to. Before his life was taken from him by the invading flock, he was happy, he was content. Then, after he had vengeance fueling him, he felt only hate and anger. Once he enacted his revenge, he felt only sorrow and emptiness. All he'd done was end the life of another.

After that day, he was never quite the same. He simply stopped caring. Though not suicidal, he did little to live his life. Sure, he slept and he ate and he relieved himself as needed, but he felt empty. He did what he did to keep death from his door, not to live.

That was many years ago. Now, he simply travels from city to city, doing odd jobs for locals in exchange for food. Shelter, sometimes, if the weather is bad.

"Thank you for your work." The farmer complimented him. "Those darn vermin wouldn't leave my crops alone, and it's all I have!" It was a tiny murine farmer, long ears like a rabbit but a tail like a squirrel. Couldn't have been more than a half meter tall.

Dionysus nodded slowly. "I needed the food. Vermin make great snacks. I ask only for a place in your barn for the night. The blizzard is coming in fast and I really don't want to be out in the cold." He shook his shoulders free of the thin layer of snow that had built up on his crimson red and slate-black feathers.

"Oh, I'd be honored if you stayed the night. Not sure if the barn is big enough for a gryph of your size, but you're welcome to it. Filled with hay for the cows." The farmer explained, shrugging his shoulders as he glanced over at the redwood barn. It was normal sized, but Dionysus was over two meters tall, his ears would have scraped the ceiling.

"I appreciate it, sir. If you don't mind, I'm going to get up to the loft, I am tired from a day of hunting and I would like the sleep. Tell me, if I need to wake in the night and take care of personal business, where would I go?" He was, of course, referring to relieving himself.

The murine farmer clicked his teeth a bit, scratching behind his ears. "Well we usually just go in our home - got running water and plumbing in there - but I guess you could probably go out by the stream. Behind the barn, bout a three minute walk through the forest, if you don't mind."

"That will do. Thank you." Dionysus bowed before turning to walk away, seen off by a pleasant wave by the farmer.

He slipped in through the large bay doors to see that the entire barn was lined with cows each in their own stall. Turns out this farmer was also in charge of a dairy in addition to carrots and onions. Made sense, murines were small and perfectly sized for milking. Made sense for the farmer, but that left Dionysus gagging a bit at the smell. No matter how hard one tried, no farmer could fully purge a dairy barn from smelling like cow.

Though unpleasant to the nares, that particular aroma still made his beak water a bit. The gophers and moles that were digging under the farm fed him, but they were tiny compared to him and he needed something a bit more substantial to satisfy his hunger, and a cow would be a good hearty meal.

Nihilistic as he may have been, he was past the stage in his life where he was cruel. He had no intention to make a meal of this nice farmer's livestock. Instead, he pulled the cord to lower the staircase to the hayloft. He had to squish in his shoulders to fit through the opening, but he made it upstairs with ease.

Both the front and back of the hayloft were filled to the ceiling with bales of hay, but the middle was only a few layers deep, so he padded his way out to the middle, clawed up some of the loose hay and straw, then laid his head down on a bale as he wrapped his tail around himself, ready to sleep for the night.

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Dionysus stirred in his sleep, kicking idly at the straw that he was using as a bed. An obscured dream was playing in his mind full of blood, death, life, and family. The disturbance of it gently coaxed him from his slumber with a yawn and a groggy blinking of his eyes. Once he was fully awake, he looked around the barn to see just how dark it really was. Night had fallen.

He stumbled to his feet and walked over the unstable bales and loose straw to the giant sliding door in the side of the barn, opening it wide to show the clear night skies. The moon was full and the constellations of stars were completely un-obscured to his vision. Had he been under a cloudy sky, he would have had a hard time seeing at night; his eyes were made more for day time vision, he was not an owl. In the day, his sight was sharp enough to count ants on a building a hundred meters away, at night he could barely differentiate between the bark of trees and dirt.

But this was no normal night. The moon was bright, and it felt like a spotlight raining down on him through the lightly falling snow that reflected off the creamy white of the thin layer of snow that had formed while he slept. He could see everything clearly.

Still tired, he laid on his belly, head resting against the sliding door frame. Part of him wanted to leave, to move on and leave the farmer to his life; after all, he'd done his work and was no longer needed. However, a larger part of him really didn't want to go anywhere. The snow was cold, his paws weren't properly prepared to deal with that temperature, and if a cloud got in the way of the moon, his vision would be shot and he wouldn't be able to see worth a dragon's turd.

His loins stirred, and he knew it was time to relieve himself. He would have to brave the chilly wilderness to visit the stream out behind the barn.

Dionysus was groggy from his half-night of sleep, so stepping down the stairs to the ground level was a bit of a task. He stumbled and nearly fell forward onto his chest before scraping at the concrete, waking some of the cows. He cooed and purred to indicate his desire for peace before tiptoeing out the main gate into the yard.

Once outside, he lifted an ear to the sky to see if he could hear the telltale babbling of water running over rocks in the distance. The farmer had said that the river ran behind the barn and through the woods, but that could mean any of three directions. He needed guidance. Luckily, the night was quiet and he heard only the chirping of snow-crickets and the gentle hooting of owls.

A faint bubbling could be heard directly northbound from his location, so he knew where to go. Once he started walking towards the sound, two truths came to mind. First, he realized that if it was a river and not a lake, he could just walk and eventually find what he was looking for, he'd hit a bend in the banks somewhere. Second, the snow was really, really cold on his bare paws and talons. So cold it actually hurt.

He angrily kicked some of the frost from his hind paws, grumbling to himself. "Spring needs to hurry up. I'm sick of this nonsense." The season had been hanging on a bit longer than it was supposed to, and he wasn't used to winter weather. The glade he grew up in was famous for being lush and tropical even when the world around it was covered in white. Despite it being spring, the snow fell, each clump of flakes dancing together on their way to the ground.

Dionysus was grumpy every step of the way to the creek, kicking snow from his paws and talons in between every pace. Once he arrived, he squatted down on the shore and lifted a hind leg to relieve himself. While there, he heard the snap of a twig in the forest opposite him.

Instantly, he pinched himself off to stop from finishing. He perked his ears up to get a better vantage point to hear whatever it was in the forest. Could have been a deer, could have been anything, really. His vision was blurred due to the lack of light piercing the dense, emerging foliage of the trees. When he looked down, he saw the subtle depressions of a gryphon's paws and claws in the snow. Prints that weren't his.

His defensive nature kicked in and the long red feathers of his spine stood on edge, a tingle running up his back between his shoulders as well as his hips. The snow fall was fresh, so this gryphon was nearby, they couldn't have been far. Not many of his kind in this region, so he was at once both scared and eager to meet this stranger. His ears were as high as they could go, sensitive to even the smallest sound. His chest was down low, ready to pounce should anything happen. Due to his limited vision, he had a hard time seeing motion or contrast in the surrounding forest.

Around him, the bark of the trees was brown while the snow looked somewhat blue due to the light of the moon. To him, it seemed like a weird tonal blend of black and white.

Then, as he was scanning the horizon, he saw a striped mass of fur moving from behind a thick trunk of a gnarled oak tree. He didn't recognize it at first, but when it moved he recognized it as the black and white rump of a tiger-striped gryphon. He could see the fold of feathers and wings poking over its haunches, the tail silkily snaking back and forth just above the white of the snow. He continued the contours of the body around and behind the trunk to see, on the other side of the tree, that the gryphon's piercing blue eyes were staring directly at him. Its black beak hooked and gnarled looking. the visage of this stranger coerced a shot of adrenaline to flow through his body. He was ready to either fight or chase, if need be.

"Gryphon, show yourself." Dionysus commanded, standing straight up and puffing his chest feathers out in a show of dominance.

The other gryphon kept their eyes trained on Dionysus before blinking slowly. They didn't move.

"I said show yours-" He started, only to be startled when the gryphon turned and leapt between the underbrush of the forest. Dionysus felt a fire burst through him, urging him forth. His powerful haunches launched him into the air over the creek in pursuit, but he didn't quite make it and both talons and paws dunked in the near-freezing water before he was able to kick off and give chase.

Instantly, he found himself lost in the thick tangle of underbrush, sticks stabbing at his flank and dislodging his feathers. He kept his eyes low to the ground to trace the footprints in the snow, but the more he forced himself forward, the more miserable he became. Now that he was wet from the ankles down, he was finding the icy cold of the snow clung to him, the chill travelling up each of his limbs to give him an unpleasant shiver.

He kept giving chase, but slowed to a stop when he realized he had absolutely no idea where he was going or what direction he mysterious gryphon had went. After pausing in an open glade illuminated by the cool moonlight and accented by the gently dancing clumps of soft snowflakes, he lifted his ears to concentrate on any sounds that may have given away an ambush or guide him towards his prey.

His ears heard neither, reverting him to the distracting drone of the snow crickets and occasional hoot of an owl. He growled in frustration, then quickly accepted that there was no way he'd be able to track this mysterious black and white gryphon in the dark. In the day, sure, but not at night.

Dionysus kept his head held high and ears perched up, alert, every step back to the barn. Though he could have kept out searching, he was still tired and wanted the seclusion and warmth of a barn full of smelly cows. Anything was better than being out in the snow with soaked, icy paws and the risk of another gryphon potentially hunting him.

Even once he was back in the barn, he had to keep himself partially alert and the adjustable stairs to the hayloft locked to ensure that nobody was able to get the jump on him. The walk back to the farmer's land was awkward and nerve-wracking, but he returned without anyone following him. His ears were keen, if another was trailing him through the trees, he would have heard the snap of a twig or the brush of a branch tip. He wasn't fully content or secure, but he was willing and able to relax in the hay once he curled up among the bales and loose strands.

He slid the door shut and locked the stair case in an up position, ensuring that no invaders could bother him in his little temporary fortress. Before nodding off, he took some time to preen himself and lick his talons clean of the snow and dirt that had accumulated.

Again, he nestled his chin up on one of the hay bales, one eye open and ear raised. No gryphon would bother him, not this night. In the morning, maybe he'd go back out and find them. Or maybe he'd just leave and head south until this nasty snowfall came to a close. Either way, this was no longer his problem, he had dreams to attend to. Hopefully they wouldn't be nightmares.

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Dionysus was woken the next morning as the farmer was heard slamming the metal gates and equipment around to do some milking at dawn. Good for him as a farmer, but bad for Dionysus. He had been up through a good portion of the night due to the cold on his talons, and had woken up a half dozen times to random droning sounds as the wind whipped at the doors to the barn.

It was not a good sleep for him, but he was used to that.

He got to all fours and shook as best he could, red frills standing on end to dislodge the hay and straw from his flanks. In a moment or two, he felt clean enough to head over to the descending stairs and emerge through the thin port to the main level. Sure enough, there was the farmer next to one of the cows milking them into a plastic bucket.

"Oh hey there drake! I don't suppose you're much of a milk drinker, are you?" He offered, not taking his eyes off the teats in his little hands.

Dionysus shook his head slowly. "I'm afraid not. Meat only. Maybe some spices and nuts for flavor, but all I can really eat is meat. Thank you for the offer, though." He bowed in respect before heading towards the door. His time here was done, and though he was happy to pay his respects, he had to move on. That was, at least, until he remembered to ask him about the snowy gryphon in the woods.

"Actually, I have to ask about that gryphon by the stream. The black and white one." He turned to look back at the farmer, who was too busy working to notice that Dio had walked right by.

"Gryphon, you say? Can't rightly answer that one. Only gryphon around these parts I've seen in months has been you. Why do you ask? See one of them spirits last night? Could mean one of a few things. Either you're about to meet your doom, or you're marked for greatness. If you believe that hokum." Still, he didn't take his hands of eyes off the cow's udder.

That gave Dionysus something to think about. Was there a chance he didn't see a gryphon at all? Was it a figment of his tired imagination coupled with his poor night time vision and the pattern-like repetition of sticks on snow. No, he was no fool, neither was he senile. There was no way he was seeing things, especially not a gryphon. "Well if I were to see a black and white striped gryphon with spots on their chest, what would you say to that?"

The farmer paused a moment to sit up straight. "I can't rightly say. Bring them here, have them clear out the varmints that assault my crops, and they can eat a meal too, I guess? I haven't really put much thought into it, but that does sound like one of the divines. If one of the godfahers or goddesses were watching over you, I'd take it as a blessing." With that, he turned back to his job, ears flicking gently every time a fly landed on the tip.

"Thank you for your time and your barn for the night. I must depart, now." Dionysus informed the farmer before turning to leave through the large sliding door at the end of the building.

"Feel free to come back if you're looking for more work. Once I have a proper carrot crop again, I can probably pay you in actual coin!"

The gryphon paid him little mind as he disappeared from the building to emerge in the early morning sun. The entire landscape was covered in a thin sheet of white that glistened and reflected the natural light. The skies were clear, so the sun was especially bright to his eyes. Not a bad thing - he was used to that and found it made things clearer to him - but it was a little distracting.

From this point on, he had two potential paths to travel. He could head south to town, or he could head back north to the woods so he could track the gryphon back to wherever they may have gone. Perhaps the snow would still be fresh enough that tracks could be seen. As a hunter, he was quite adept at tracking prey; this was really no different.

The decision was clear in his mind, so he turned back north and slid around the side of the barn. Within seconds, he found his own paw and talon prints in the snow. Though some snow had fallen since his return, the impressions were still there. This would be easy for him.

He kept his beak low to the ground as he trotted along, tracing his steps backwards the river. The trip took what seemed like a fraction of the time it took him the night before - perhaps because he wasn't eager to relieve himself this time - but he was back at the stream in no time and was able to find the divot in the ground next to the shoreline where he'd failed to leap across.

It was getting easier and easier to track his movements from the night before, even after a morning's worth of light snowfall covering his tracks. He leapt over the running stream to land on the other side, this time with grace and poise, his eyes trained on his footprints. Back he went through the underbrush and to the little clearing where he was sure he saw the other gryphon.

His heart skipped a beat a she looked up to the same tree they had been partially obscured by. He did in fact see her footprints, so he followed them. His path had him weaving through trees, shrubs, and saplings in a zig-zag pattern before he noticed that the paw prints went in reverse. Wait, no, that couldn't have been right. If he was reading the trail properly, that would mean that two gryphons met at this point and disappeared from existence.

Curious, he followed this backwards set again, until it split into two separate paths, making it look like two different entities had merged into one. The tracks carried on like a maze, sideways, front-ways, weaving around trees, disappearing into nothingness with no evidence of wing-grazing nearby. Once he found a dead end, he returned to the last point and carried on with another path.

Someone was playing a game with him, and it annoyed him greatly. The gryphon knew he'd track them, so they were messing around, twisting their paw-print patterns, and going sideways to throw him off. There were no cla marks on the trees and no wingtip impressions to indicate the gryphon had took flight, so nothing was making sense.

If he found them, he would be sure to tear their throat open for this hunt.

However, another part of him was mildly amused. A deep sliver of his soul urged him to keep looking, to keep playing the game. This wasn't something that would happen naturally, so the other gryph must have wanted to entice him into finding them. He didn't mind a little levity in his life, even if it felt like a waste of time at this point.

On and on he went, deeper into the northern expanse of the woods before emerging into a wide, open meadow with yellow and purple flowers poking up through the light snow. The grass had been pelted flat through the winter, but the cusp of spring had coaxed some of the vegetation up through the snowy sheet that had gently laid itself down over the land.

About fifty meters away on the other side of the clearing was the gryphon he'd come to find. They were standing tall with wings folded tight. Their cool blue eyes were staring directly at Dionysus, who know for certain at this point that this was the same gryphon he'd seen the night before. Same size, same patterns, same colors, and they were standing there like they were waiting.

Now that the game had come to a head, Dionysus had let his chipper nature melt away as he started pacing towards this other gryphon. "I can see you clearly this time. Tell me, who are you and why are you-"

He was cut off when the other gryphon spread their wings wide and lifted a fore-talon, motions accented by a powerful screech. That was a challenge in any language, and to any species. Dionysus grinned before putting all his energy into bounding towards the other gryphon, full strides kicking him forward. Just before he got to them, he stopped and came to a skidding halt, realizing - perhaps too late - that a head on fight was not his forte.

It would have made no sense for him to get into a fight with this snowy gryphon. If they were so stoic, calm, and ready, there was no way they didn't have a plan; he was not foolish enough to get caught in a trap. Still a dozen or so meters away, he back stepped away from the gryphon, his eyes close to theirs. The more he thought about it, the more obvious it was that he may have already been in a trip. Any gryphon without wings was at a disadvantage when in an open meadow like this, especially when about to go into combat with a winged gryph.

Exactly why he'd have to take that advantage away from the other.

"Why do you hesitate?" The other gryphon cooed in a soft, feminine voice. She closed her wings up tight to her side as she stepped forward.

Dionysus glanced to each side then briskly checked the open area behind himself before locking his eyes with hers again. "Hesitate? I do not hesitate, I strategize."

She kept stepping towards him, long tail waving back and forth behind her. "Strategize about what? Where to go? What to do? How to fight me, or how to escape? You are not going to escape this encounter alive unless I let you, so maybe you should be thinking about how to woo me." She chirped gently with a soft yet somehow also devious smile.

Her arrogance stabbed at Dio's heart. "I don't woo my enemies, I end them."

"Yet here I stand, so I must not be an enemy, right? Perhaps I am an ally you didn't know you had, but you are too stubborn to accept as anything more than fodder for your bloodthirsty beak." She took another silken step towards him, her entire form sliding through the snow with her tail snaking out behind her and wings partially out to either side as though she were ready to lift off.

He let a deep grown escape his beak followed by an avian hiss. More than anything he wanted to lunge at her, to fight her, to kill her, and maybe to finish her off by consuming her. He was hungry still, and she seemed plump. No greater respect to a fallen enemy than to make them part of you. Yet, on the other paw, he didn't wish to respect her, she was arrogant, poking at his ego.

"Have I rendered you unable to speak back, gryphon? Dionysus? That is your name, right?"

"Wh-" He started, only to have his question catch in his throat. He was about to leap at her since she was getting closer with every step, but he was taken off guard by her knowing his name. "How do you..." He trailed off, taking another brief glance to each side and returning his gaze to match hers. Though his mind was usually brimming with combat scenarios and contingency plans, now he was burning inside, wanting to know how and why this person knew his name.

"So it is. I am not wrong. Then again, I never am. Go on, if you so insist on attacking me, I welcome you with open wings. But be wary, for this fight could be your last if you are not careful. You can either politely ask me questions, or you can attack me and be left wondering. Most would take the smart route, but I get the impression from your demeanor and the hate in your heart that you'd rather beat answers out of me. So, have at you. Do as you wish." The corners of her beak curled up in a devious smile as she stared directly at him.

Her arrogance drove him a little wild, making him lose control. As she expected, he lashed out at her by lunging forth with talons outstretched towards her, but she easily dodged to the side, having expected that. He was bigger than she was, so he couldn't imagine not getting the better of her. As soon as he land, he pivoted on his hindquarters and dashed at her again, only to miss and roll around behind her. "Fight me!" He bellowed at her before pouncing again.

She chirped playfully as she rolled onto her back, using both her hind legs to kick at his chest and knock him sprawling over top of her. He landed with a thud on his shoulders as she calmly rolled back to her feet, shaking the snow from her flanks. "I can fight you, if you so desire, but I warn you I am not going to go easy on you." Her ear flicked to disperse a small puff of snow from its tip before readying herself for another attack.

Dionysus swiftly got to all fours again and growled angrily, his chest pressed down to the ground as he was ready for another attack. Sensing she was ready for such a telescoped attack, he instead started walking sideways in a semicircle around her, each step getting him slightly closer. She watched closely and shifted her own feet to stay in place but keep herself aimed at him.

"You're not very good at this combat thing, for someone who has so much blood on his claws." She taunted, never once taking her blue eyes off his.

Of course, the stab at his ego urged him to attack again, so he lunged forward with a powerful swipe of his talons, like a big cat fighting another. He could actually feel his claws slide through her fur and feathers, but he caught no flesh and that left him open for an attack.

She shifted sideways and extended her wing to smack him in the flank, knocking him off balance. He twisted in midair to try to grab at her limb, but she retracted it too quickly and that left him on his back in the snow. Dio writhed and hopped back to his feet, lifting the long red feathers on his neck and spine to maximum size; he needed to look massive compared to her, and it was a natural instinct to do so.

"Cute." She laughed at him, beak agape. "Do you really think that fluffing up like a feral is going to scare me? You're already larger than me without your fake-outs." She kept her head held high as a sign of confidence. No, arrogance.

"I'm not trying to trick you, it's a distraction." He glanced over her shoulder to indicate someone was about to attack, but she didn't bother looking.

All the gryphoness did was raise an eyebrow and lower her opposite ear. "Aw, how cute. You think you can trick me into believing you have any friends at all? No, you stupidly pushed them all away." She stepped forward, chest pushed out and at full feather floof.

In defense, Dionysus clawed at her, again missing her flesh but grazing the outer layers of her plumage. He was trying to show his aggression and skill, but kept missing by the width of a quill. Didn't look good on him, so he backed away, hoping she would attack him and he could counter-attack; he knew perfectly how to grab, claw, and eviscerate from that position. "Don't be a coward, attack me!" He screeched, voice devolving into a hiss.

She shook her head. "No. I have no interest in harming you. If I did, you certainly wouldn't be here to show how cocky and arrogant you are. No, I want you to give up, I want you to see the error in your ways. I want you to see your true potential by not letting your rage dictate your actions." She blinked slowly, giving him a brief moment of opportunity to attack.

His haunches were coiled like a spring, ready to launch him forth. When he pounced, he managed to tackle her, neck first, to the ground. Only, when he went to open his beak to clamp down on her neck, he felt a powerful thud on his abdomen, knocking the wind from his lungs and weakening his claws. He coughed and hacked at nothing, eyes rolling back in his skull as he gasped for more air. For a brief moment he felt like he was dying before feeling her talons wrap around his to slam him on his back.

The gryphon held him down, shoulders pinned to the snow as she positioned her body over top of him. He went to kick at her belly with his hind paws, but she jumped up onto him and met each of his feet with her own, claws interlacing so all four of their feet were holding each other while she stared down at him.

"What now? Do you intend to kill me?" He hissed, snapping his beak at her.

"You're not learning." She mused. "No, I have no intention of harming you, but if you keep attacking me, I certainly will end you. If you're that lost to your hatred, then maybe the world would be better without you." She gripped his talons and paws with her own even tighter, her wings spread for balance and tail snaked out behind her to press against the snowy ground.

Dionysus tried to pull her to the side and slam her down, but her wings flapped and kept her upright, so he pulled all four of his legs close to his belly so that he could bite at her neck. However, before he actually clamped his beak down on her, he just sighed and gave up. Closing his eyes and twisting his neck to the side so that he only had to look at her with one eye.

"Are you finally getting it? Can I let you go?" She asked, tentatively stepping off his paw with her hind foot to dig her claws in his belly as a show of dominance. Should he attack, her claws were there and ready to slice him open. When he didn't attack, she did the same with the other hind leg, then one of her front talons. "Good, I'm glad to hear you're ready to listen."

He growled as he rolled to his side, front talon still in hers. However, he didn't let her go when she went to pull away. Instead, he yanked her in close and kicked at her belly, claws extended and ready to gut her.

She had been expecting this, so she twisted, kicked his paws out from under her, and pulled him up, flipping him over to slam him down on his belly with his front leg contorted in a hammer-lock around his back. Once he was down, she slammed her other front talon down on his neck and curled her toes to puncture the skin under his plumage. "And here I thought you were prepared to play nice." She scolded him, squeezing his neck a little bit harder.

But Dionysus wasn't done fighting back. He twisted his spine to roll out from under her, talons slicing at his neck and leaving feathers to land in a spatter of blood beneath him as he dodge-rolled to the side. Once on his feet, he immediately lunged at her, grabbing at either side of her neck with his front talons, nearly grabbing a hold of her and opening her gullet from shoulder to chin.

The gryphoness backed away, twisted around and bucked her hind legs at him, wings spread and flapping idly to distract. She leaned into his slash to have his talons scrape harmlessly off her beak before butting his head with hers, knocking him off balance. He slashed, she dodged. He leapt, she used his momentum against him and slammed him into the snow to blast white fluff out in every direction.

That's when she decided this was no longer worth it. She kicked back and flapped her wings to gain altitude away from the aggressive gryphon. He rolled to his feet and kicked off, his powerful haunches lifting him high off the ground to impact her midair. The grabbed him, bit his neck, and used her wings to flip back around, the both of them plummeting to the ground with her slamming him in the snow again. She kicked off his body and flew high in the air, this time too high for him to catch.

Once she was at a nice cruising altitude, he got to his feet and hissed at her. "Don't be a coward. Fight me on the ground!"

She cooed back at him. "And why would I do that? What incentive do I have to fight fair when you've ambushed and sneak-attacked me countless times already? I told you, I don't even want to fight you in the first place, and I especially don't want to handicap myself so you can have some misguided attempt at redemption." She paused a minute as she glided around in a circle above the snow-covered meadow. "Or maybe you want to die. Is that it?"

He paced back and forth, shaking her words off with a violent twisting of his head. "Don't make excuses, just get down here and fight me fair!"

"I am being fair. It's not my fault you lost your wings." She tucked her wings in and dove down to the ground, flaring out in a hook-pattern before landing gently before him. "But if you want to die, I suppose I could handle ending your life. No point in delaying the inevitable. After all, you have nothing to live for. Come at me, drake." She spread her wings and grinned before folding them up tight to her side.

Dionysus leaned in close and started stalking her, side-walking with his body low to the ground. His eyes were keen to hers, and his tail was stiff out behind him, ready to twitch when he needed the added balance. It was peculiar how the other gryphoness wasn't laying low, in what was traditionally a defensive and offensive pose. Standing tall with head up high was a pose of arrogance or dominance; in combat, it was an invitation to attack, because it was hard to defend with.

"Not going to attack now?" She cooed at him, her voice soft as opposed to angry. "Fine, then I'll attack you." Though her moves were foreshadowed and predictable, she was immensely fast, with her talon slicing through the air so fast that it actually blurred to Dionysus' keen eye.

Her movement was swift, but it was actually a distraction. While he dodged and counter-attacked against her talon, her other front leg came up to smack him on the side of the head, knocking him into a state of dizziness. He spun and tried to attack, but was thrown off balance when she did it again. Three strikes to either side of his head in a row, followed by the crunch of her beak crushing his wrist and flipping him over her shoulder.

She once again slammed her talon to the back of his neck while pressing his chin to the ground. Her beak was still clamped tight around his wrist, contorting it around his side to behind his back. If she twisted any farther, it would snap the joint out of the shoulder and puncture his lung. He was beaten.

Just then, he finally sniffled and whimpered in defeat. "Okay, you can let me go now. My wrist is broken; you've killed me." He closed his eyes slowly and huffed into the soft snow, blowing little flakes in all directions.

It was clear to both parties that not only had she won, but she had done so in spectacular fashion, so she slowly released his wrist and peeled back, blood dripping off her beak. She spat it out and rubbed her cheek to the snow, cleaning herself off. "I haven't killed you. But I do own you now."

"How do you figure that is? I am useless to you with a broken leg." He slowly got to three feet and stumbled around, his front paw folded up on his chest with bone sticking out. "Can't you just kill me? Get it over with fast instead of letting me starve?" He sniffled a bit, the cold finally getting to him and his depression catching up.

"I told you, I have no intention of harming you, but if I needed to do this to get you to listen, I would." She leaned in and nuzzled at his broken wrist, a teal glow emanating from her throat to coat his bloody limb. He jumped back at first, but she leaned in closer and coursed more of the teal mist into him.

Within seconds, the bones started to retreat into his flesh, the wounds closing up and the wrist straightening itself. Less than a minute later, he could feel a cool pleasure tingling in his entire leg from shoulder to claw tips, and a simple tensing of his muscles showed that he had complete control over his foot. Curious, he pressed his talon to the ground and slowly applied pressure to gingerly test its durability. To his utter surprise, he found he was fully and completely healed! "What did you do to me?! What sorcery is this?!"

A gentle hooting sound rumbled up from her throat as she stared him in the eyes with a smile, cool blue eyes blinking slowly. "Just a little bit of magic. Not a lot of that around these parts anymore, but it's quite useful." When she pulled away, she gave a gentle bow. "Now that I can sense your hatred and anger as diminished, I'd like to introduce myself. I am Ceylon A'Merone. You are Dionysus. No last name. Sorry about the wrist." She extended a paw to shake.

He begrudgingly took it and sighed heavily. "That I am. But I have to ask, how did you know that? I don't go around shouting my name; I rarely even give people I work for my name."

"It's a bit of a secret, but I have known of you for years. Ever since the massacre at your mountain grove. I keep tabs on the people of these lands all the time, rarely does anything happen without me knowing about it, good or bad. I could feel the anger in your heart from a dozen nations away, if I concentrated hard enough."

"How is that possible?" He asked, meekly laying down on his belly, beak buried in the snow. Now he was shamed, confused, disappointed, and a little aroused by a gryphoness that could so easily best him in combat, then heal him afterwards. His emotions were jumbled and confusing, but he didn't let that stop him from asking questions.

"Come with me, we can talk." She insisted as she turned to walk away, her long tail swaying back and forth.

He followed in step behind her. Part of him wanted to attack, to claw at her haunches, but even with his suicidal thoughts and lack of desire to live he held himself to a code of honor that accepted defeat. He had been bested, so he was going to follow her and listen to her story.

"It's a lot of things put together. I'm not like you or most gryphons, I've been around a lot longer than many of your ancestors. I have a link to this world, Dionysus, I know things I can't possibly know. I can do things others can't do. You shouldn't be ashamed of being bested by me, though you are larger than me it wasn't a fair fight against you. The details aren't important, but over the past few months I've taken an interest in you. I've seen your mood and behaviour dive into the ground, your desire to live dissipating like a puddle on a hot summer day. You are too great a warrior, too honorable a drake to let your life pass."

Dionysus held his head low and shook it, barely able to let her see the pain in his eyes. "I'm sorry, I-"

She cut him off. "Don't be sorry. I know what happened to you. I know what you went through, most would do the same. But it's time to get over it. That was years ago, and if you had the heart to love again, I'm sure you could reclaim the grove once more. It's still vacant, aside from the carcasses of dragons you left there. Now, it's just a reminder of who not to mess with. You really left your mark on that little patch of paradise in the northern mountains." The two of them finally hit the side of the meadow, returning to the sparse trees of the forest that surrounded it.

All the while, Dionysus was glancing over at Ceylon's swaying rump before him. Her movements were supple, her form thick but dainty. Her tail was gently swaying in waves behind her and wings pressed tight to her sides. Her crystal blue eyes were occasionally glancing back at him, and he felt his heart flutter. As a warrior drake, the greatest thing to attract him was a powerful hen, and he had been bested by the most powerful he'd ever seen. She was sexy, she was capable, and she was a healer.

His loins stirred at the thought of having a clutch with this hen, his mind drifting to thoughts of the conception. Though he'd been through a particularly violent battle with her, that didn't stop his instincts from taking over; in his culture combat was often precursor to courtship, so it was natural for him to feel this way even if their sparring match had been less playful and more deadly. He knew how foolish it was to lust after her, but that didn't stop his loins from stirring.

"Are you still listening?" She asked, turning around to scold him. She smiled gently and blinked at him, tongue flicking out like a snake before slurping back up into her beak. "Because this is important."

Dionysus nodded. "I am, yes. I need to return to my homeland with you, repopulate our kind. Stop drowning in sorrow, and get my life back on track." He wasn't sure if that was correct, but it sounded right to him.

She chuckled in response. "Not with me, no, but with another hen. There are plenty of gryphons out there who I'm sure would love a powerful drake like you in their lives. Though you lack wings, that wasn't something you were born with so your offspring wouldn't lack that feature. No reason not to."

"But I am yours, Ceylon. You saved my life by sparing me and healing me. I am yours to command and control at your will. Are you sure you don't need a strong gryphon such as myself?" He leaned into her and gave her rump a gentle prod with his beak.

Ceylon squeaked and hopped to the side, feathers standing on end and wings partially unfolded as her tail swished around her side. "What are you doing?"

"I think you know." He churred at her, leaning into her side and nuzzling down her flank. "If you knew much about me, you'd know that power excites me, and I've never met another gryphon or dragon as strong as you. Never have I been bested in combat so thoroughly, and it's cold. You should lend me some of your warmth." He felt a tinge of shame, so aggressively flirting with her after the loss to her in combat. He felt a fool, having so stupidly attacked her time and time again, yet he felt liberated knowing she was able to so easily see inside his mind. Not having to hide his pain of loss from her meant he could - at least temporarily - revert back to his old playful side.

Dionysus had been grim and hollow for years, and the hour or so he'd known this Ceylon, she'd helped his heart grow three sizes. It actually felt, to him, like he'd had a switch flipped in him the moment she imbued him with magic. In fact, his mood had changed so completely when that happened that he was starting to get suspicious of her motives or abilities.

Though he was prepared to accuse her of manipulation, he was caught off guard as she turned back around and pushed her beak to his, her long tail resting gently on his hindquarters. Instantly, his frills went up, standing on end as a chill traced up and down his spine.

She purred against him, whispering gently into his ears. "I apologize, I forgot how much impact my magic would have on you if you weren't attuned to it. I guess it's kind of my own fault that you've gained such affection for me." She nuzzled gently, preening at his neck feathers as she slid by him. The gryphoness was keen to slide her tail along him behind her, the entire length of it cradling his chin as she slid past, every meter of it tickling his cere.

He considered himself a powerful, dominant drake, yet he couldn't help but whimper a bit as his legs grew weak beneath him. His toes curled into the snow and his pawpads tingled against the cold. Instinctively, he lifted his front talon to her rump end and curled his claws into her haunches; gently, of course, he wasn't planning on harming her.

To his surprise, she stopped in place and gently lifted the base of her tail, exposing the deep black flesh of her vulva and rump as she glanced over her wing back at him. A gentle chirp escaped her open beak as she spread her hind legs. "Well? If you're so enamored, might as well have a go." She swayed her hind end at him, her vulva pressing together to fold the lips back and expose a slit of cherry pink.

Dionysus gulped in excitement as he felt his member slide from his sheath. Deep down inside he knew how absurd it was to mate with the gryphoness that nearly killed him, but the assurance of knowing she wished no ill on him, that he was the only one wishing for violence, and that she forgave him in the wake of his lapse in judgment. She was his kind of hen, the one that could help him from his funk.

His member was slowly pushing its way out from his sheath, each row of barbs jerking outwards once free of the soft flesh that confined it. Each beat of his heart filled it more firm, the tip drooling out a gentle drip of lubrication to match hers. He rumbled a purr as he prodded at her rump cheeks with his beak, preening the fur there at the base of her tail before sliding under it and gently nuzzling her lips.

Though she was only slightly damp on the outside, her inner flesh was soaking and coated in her arousal, the wrinkled grooves in her pussy funneling it to her engorged clit. She was quite aroused, and he'd be remiss not to properly tend to her. He nuzzled up deeper, his tongue slipping from his beak to taste the steady trickle of her fluids that was dripping off the edge of her clit before slipping into her.

Still, he remained tense and worried she would turn and attack him to counter his attacks from before, but the tingle of her magic in his leg still tickled him to the chest, and kept him in a state of constant arousal and need. He gave another gentle, loving lick before pulling away. His urges coaxed him to bring a second talon up to the other side of her rump, pressing his belly to her haunches, member idly spewing thin strands of gryphon see at her inner thighs.

She looked back at him and hooted her approval, beak agape and legs spread wide to give him better access. "See? I'm not so bad, once you get to understand my intentions are pure." She ruffled her plumage around her neck as she shook her wings a bit, clearing them of the snow his talons had left there. Once she'd done that, she leaned back into him, spine arched. "You said you needed to be warm, inside and out. Get out of the snow." She insisted, lowering her neck in submissive hen fashion.

Without wasting even a second more time with his hind paws in the snow, Dionysus hopped up onto her, balancing hind feet on her haunches and front talons gripped tight around the base of her neck. His massive body held her down, but she kept her body up high to resist his heft.

Ceylon lifted her tail higher and pulled it to the side, fully exposing the flesh of her sex to him, moaning and whimpering gently with every idle prod he offered to her inner thighs. He kept missing the mark, but she loved the aggressive tugs of his barbs catching on her flesh and fur. If she didn't, she could have rolled her spine to toss him off. Instead, she arched her back and grunted, angling her hips to aid his aim.

Dionysus felt a little bad about not quit getting her properly, so he twisted his neck to bite down on hers with enough force to keep her in place. He was used to larger gryphon hen partners, so her smaller form was throwing his mating game off. Somewhat grumpy with this endeavor, he arched his back and tensed his pelvis to lift and aim his member to the underside of her tail, violently forcing himself forward.

His first attempt had his spiked tip stabbing at her rump hole, penetrating deep and splaying the barbs out wide to catch her wrinkled inner flesh. He could feel her muscles tense in pain as his hind claws dug into her sides, his talons gripping her shoulders and beak still tight around her neck. He could feel every part of her wince in pain, but she cooed. Rather than whimper or moan in agony, she cooed and purred.

Rather than waste his time, he shuffled on either of his hind legs while kicking the snow off, arching his back again and giving a few powerful thrusts into her rump before pulling out, leaving her gaping and drooling the slimy precum he'd deposited there in his brief penetration.

Luckily, his next thrust hit home, his bulging member parting her lips to catch in her sex, barbs splayed out and features throbbing against her walls. He bit down harder as he felt her walls squeeze around him, resisting the fanned out nature of the many barbs that lined his cock tip and shaft. Every subtle motion slid him in a bit deeper until he felt his tapered tip slide deep into her womb through the super-tight ring of her cervix.

His balls tensed up as his pleasure started to spike. His entire form was on hers and he had her completely dominated as his massive member throbbed and the many pointy nubs around the bulge stabbed into her quivering walls. He shuddered in delight as he twitched, claws digging in through her feathers and fur to catch her skin inside, offering him proper grip.

Dionysus was bigger than she was, so he arched his back farther to force his member deeper into her, a ring of barbs violently throbbing to stab right into the inner ring of her cervix, locking the tip deep into her womb. Instantly, the pressure and warmth of her depths coaxed a powerful spurt of seed into her, splashing against her uterus walls and dripping out against his member.

She glanced back to him, twisting her neck to get a good look even with his beak clamped down on her. "Oh, aren't you the most excitable!" She commented, her walls twitching and clamping down around him, the muscular contractions massaging him from base to tip, caressing him and sucking on the throbbing ridge and barbs.

He whimpered a bit as his eyes began to flutter, beak quivering and growing weak around his neck. Now, he was finding that as his essence drained into her, he was regaining his lucidity, but he didn't want to admit that he'd been tricked into such lewd acts. Since his climax was nearing its peak, he kept thrusting to force it in deeper, his bulge parting her firm opening amidst a series of chirps and moans.

His barbs ensured that they wouldn't part, at least not for a while, but he wasn't prepared to let her go. Not yet.