Setting foot back onto the cobbled streets after a long and torturous night, I felt at peace.
Just to complete the task that brought me here in the first place and I would be on my way, back to the soft and cozy embrace of the Jivin' crow tavern.
~longing sigh~
The keep drew closer and closer- my feet striking aganist cobble, posture upright , steps brisk and eyes scanning.
It's within the heart of the city that the discrepancies in structure show, the contrast was dumbfounding.
Imposing structures of stone,
Pristine backyards with hedges trimmed neat- manicured to perfection.
Heck! There wasn't even a trace of muck on the street I'm walking on.
Even the people were so refined, they walked with an elegant poise, silently regarding my presence with suppressed curiosity.
They had noble presence about them- the aura of those born to lead.
Surprisingly, I was unbothered all through my walk across their neighbourhood- being an outlier and whatnot.
I half expected to be stopped and questioned, since I clearly didn't belong.
If it wasn't by attire that sold me out, it would be the way I curiously looked around- the 'village' bumpkin I am.
Oh, I wasn't stopped- until I came before the gates of the keep that is.
A short inquisitory session and I was free to enter.
I made sure to ask for direction, lest I lose myself within this imposing structure, with labyrinthine halls.
~Cok! Cok!~
The sound of my gentle knocks fill the empty- and cold hall.
I patiently wait, catching the sound of ruffling papers followed by gentle shuffling of feet.
"How can I help you?" A tall guy emerges, looking down on me through his round glasses, tilted and supported by the bridge of his nose.
He's a clerk of some sort.
I introduce myself, the reason of me being here and who I was looking for.
He studies the stamped note I had shown to verify my claims.
I even handed him the sealed scroll.
Content with what he saw, he hands them back and gestures for me to follow.
Our steps echo, as we winded through a series of halls up a flight of stairs.
[Finally]
We come before an intricately carved door- He knocks
Another clerk comes out, they talk in hushed tones- their voices barely a whisper.
I keep myself 'busy' - studying the exquisite work of art.
One ear subtly tracking their conversation- they don't notice, of course.
They pause, glancing at me 'lost in the art'
"Urhum!" The draw my attention.
"Come."
Silently following behind, we enter the door.
Past a small clerk desk through a corridor and into an office
Lo and behold!
Before me was a show of grandeur never witnessed before.
Before me lay a magnificent desk- so large it could be called a table.
Its black mahogany gleaming to the light filtering through the window in the side wall.
Parchments of papers neatly arranged adjacent to a rack full of scrolls.
Behind the desk sat a man- mid thirties or early forties.
He regards me with a lazy glance, slightly curious.
"Sire! Before you is Rain of Piri, the supply outpost. " The clerk declares.
"He brings word, from Captain Harlan."
Eyes twinkle on the mention of Harlan, The sire leans forward, his curiosity piqued.
Without further ado, I hand him the sealed scroll.
He tears it open, cracking the wax seal and looks down to read.
My eyes dart to the walls behind him.
A wall full of beast heads mounted on wooden plaques.
A mighty stag, horns jutting out of its skull - imposing as if looking down on me.
Next to it, a boar hung, its dominating gaze directed forward.
And so many more, a bear , a scaled head I couldn't recognize.
And then!
My heart skips a beat.
A snarling beast stares down,
Unworthy under its glare.
Unconsciously I take a step back, averting my gaze, not daring to look up.
But curiosity got the better of me,
Aganist my better logic and warnings, I look back up!
But now with tact- not directly locking my gaze with the beast
No!
I keep it at the corner of my vision, slowly and subtly scanning its figure.
A snarling head- a snarly mighty enough to decomission the functioning of my mind.
I get bolder, glancing at its gleaming claws, jutting out from the wooden plaque.
And a pair of magnificent wings gracing its sides, cris-crossing as they flow down below.
Its pristine feathers gleam
My thoughts race, trying to identify the creature.
Claws akin to a bear? No! A lion's.
A head- close to a bird's yet not it either.
The Sire look's up, drawing my attention and stopping my inner monologue.
"How is the Captain?" He abruptly asks.
I tense, wiping sweat of my brows,
"Urhm... He at his best health Sire!" I say, slightly bowing.
His brow rises,moves to speak but stops.
Noticing my discomfort, he smiles- looking pleased.
"Son. I need to send word back." He asserts,
"I will take me a while to draft the letter,"
"In the meanwhile, go get refreshments, "
I nod agreeing- what else could I say? No?
The clerks lead me outside.
Only when I had left through the gates did I gather back my wits.
Now, with the delay, I'll have to stay one more night.
I wouldn't make it in time to the outpost, even if I departed this very moment.
With no other choice I go back into the city, but now staying close to its affluent section.
To find accommodations- I'd be damned to go back to that hovel.
~skin shivers~
The previous night resound in my mind.
The long night of fighting off bed bugs.
They were a bunch of assassins those ones- striking only when I had gotten comfortable.
As I previously said- a torturous night.
What was that beast back there?
I can't help but muse, deep in thought.
Lion claws, a bird face, wings...
[I'd be Damned!]
That was the beast of legend!
The creature of countless epics and sonnets,
The king of the skies.
A GRYFFIN!!!