The Gallant Gryphon (Arctic tale)

[wolfeyedangel]

In the far northern lands where frost and fell snowfalls make their furious fevers known, a band of great and generous gryphons followed the fleetly fleeing herds. Among their noble number, was one though great of heart was gangly and gaunt of body. The land had no lenience for the less than strong and he was soon left alone. But his heart had firmer foundation than his foolish fellows could fathom. He did not blame them for banishing him, the bounty of the beasts was not to be bestowed on those who bowed under their hooves. Yet, mighty was the magic of this many faceted land, and little known to him, this gangly, gaunt gryphon had the temerity and tenderness of heart to touch it at its mightiest moments.

He held himself as having no honor, yet in the first spectacular snow storm of the season, he was already aloft, and the air about him had the temerity to turn on him. Great was the anger of the gangly, gaunt gryphon at the gall of the gale. His temper roused by the tempest he reached for any present power to preserve himself. Only when he first felt the portents of power on his fur and feathers, he spotted another sorry soul weathering the wicked wind as he. Forgetting his own feeble foundering, he instantly initiated his intentions to salvage that soul and send them to safety. The ponderous power he had so precariously procured was more greatly grasped in the soul of the storm. He flung the fell fall far from both battered beasts.

When they has sought the safety of the soil, and he looked first at the luckless lackey left alone as he had been, he was sorely surprised to see a beast of noble nature. Its feathers of fire were colder than the icy calamity they had so eagerly evaded. She spoke no word, nor did she make one single sound. Yet she paused and posed before eagerly regaining the sky. With no other word, our gallant gryphon followed her far. Her power was such that she could have left him ponderously plodding behind her. Had she the least desire to do so, she would have left him embarrassingly entombed in the ice in her wake.

For a dubious number of days they traveled this way, until he beheld the hellish home of a masterful and malevolent mage. Our gaunt and gallant gryphon grew quite hot with a rampant rage as he beheld the beautiful bird bending her head on his broad balcony. The mage was quite majestic. His brilliant robes bore on the be best of beryl and the clearest corundum. Decadent diamonds dripped from his feckless fingertips. He casually caressed the phoenix's feathers, and carelessly committed the greatest of cruelties as he casually confined her to a cage. A shattering shriek of rage, tore from the throat of our gallant gryphon. He desperately dove upon the malicious mage. He held no hope of preventing the man's power from pulverizing and prostrating him, but his heart held no fear.

The merciless master smiled a slow sadistic smile and raised his hands to the heavens as he spat three sharp syllables. The gallant gryphon, gave no ground as a perilous pressure pounded upon him. He one more touched the teeming tempest that had preserved him in his previous problem. This time there was no storm to sully his singular focus. His power pressed back against the battering of the brutal barbarian. A single moment of shock showed clearly across the fluid face of the mighty mage. He was not wont to run yet his singular staff was the only weapon he could wield, when his precious powers proved to be ineptly inadequate. Terrible talons tore him to tiny pieces, and with his overdue death, the cage containing the frozen phoenix fell open. She bowed with regal respect and at length led him in to tower of her faithful friend who had been under an evil enchantment, when his own magic had failed against the malicious mage. There they lived long lives. And so my careless children, watch well your words and guard your deeds, gallant hearts and gentle words gain greater allies than all the power a mighty mage can muster. Less likely to be lunched upon with lutfisk as well.

~Wolfeyedangel

PS if you're curious about the style... ask.

[nightbug08]

Well you're using a lot of alliteration Is that what you meant? This is a wonderful story!

[wolfeyedangel]

*grins* Yes. I was aiming for the Norse poetic style. They use alliteration instead of rhyming. This is my first attempt at it myself.

~Wolfeyedangel