Been sooo long since I did some free writing! But I really had fun writing this, more than I antecipated; always loved fantasy worlds, and as @steemmonsters gets me more and more hooked, could not help myself from contributing with an entry for this weeks story contest! So here it goes... a tale of the Gian Rocs!
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We rule the skies... and we will show no mercy. Beware of the shadow from above; it might be the last thing you will ever see.
A tale from the Giant Rocs
Together with the dragons, we rule the skies. How did our clan got so big, is a memory that was lost ages ago. Some say magic, a creation from the shamans in the Great Furnace; some say love, an offspring from a phoenix and a dragon... no one knows for sure. But we are the guardians and the vigilants of the fire mountains. In the ancient times, no piece of our homeland was without a guardian, and Giant Rocs filled the skies in great numbers. That time has gone... but although our clan is now but a shadow of what we once were, there are still enough of us fulfill our bidding, scouting from above with our sharp sight. We are eagles, after all. Huge ones, heavy ones, but still eagles. And while the little mouse can walk among the land unnoticed, a man or a foe won't... or at least we thought so.
I, Chrytus, am one of the eldest. And I still find the same pleasure everyday as if it was the first time, as I spread my wings and lift off from the rock I call home to patrol the skies. The massive storm that invaded the mountain on the last week takes a little bit the fun of flying, but I always feel free as I roam around my homeland.
Yet, at the end of the morning, as I approached the massive rocks that serve as our keep, a strange feeling invaded me. A feeling of tension, of things to come; life that was about to change. There has been peace in the land for the last 300 years, since the end of the war of the 5 armies, and apart from the lone beasts and marauder groups that sometimes found their way into the Fire Mountains, this is a time of tranquility. But rumors were heard about strange phenomenons far west from the mountains, bizarre events, and those rumors came to my mind as I aproached home.
And as I landed I knew I was right. The body of one of our brethen layed dead on the ground, pierced with huge dark bolts of a strange metal. I was shocked. No Giant Roc had died apart from natural causes since I can remember; we are not easily caught off guard, nor easily beaten. And yet, there he laid. Leus'car, one of the youngest, soon to be father.
“What happened”? I asked.
"They were attacked soon after sunrise, when Leus'car left for the daily patrol. "
“You said THEY?”
"Surana was injured too. She had come out with him, and heard a scream just as she turned her back returning to the rock. She turned around and saw him fall. She took off the next second but they were waiting, one of those bolts pierced her wing and broke the bone. She's in no danger but... there's more. There is a reason why she lives... their deaths weren't the objective..."
“What are you saying?”
I knew the answer even before the words were spoken.
"The egg. They took the egg."
Silence fell, as the words sinked in. I shook my head in disbelief... then in anger. The attackers just needed them away from the nest. And they had succeeded.
“Can I speak with her?”
"She needs to rest. The older shaman spoke with her, she caught but a glimpe of the attackers, strange dark figures. They must have taken advantage of the storm and approached during the night. "
"Chrytus... "
"I know. I'll do what has to be done."
We took off 10 minutes after, our typical raiding party: three of us Rocs and a shaman, riding in the back of Bcilla, the biggest of us. They had a good head start, Leus'car lived on the outer edge of the fire Mountains, almost half a day of flight away. As we flew, as fast as the stormy winds would let us, one thought came to my mind: they had to know of the egg, which means they had found their way in the Mountains undetected... but how? They took advantage of the storm to strike, but that one question kept burning in my head.
As we flew, the anger grew. And as it grew, the faster we went. I could feel the wrath on my companions as well, the fire of vengeance burning within. Being fire beings, we can't help it. Whoever it was behind this... we will have our revenge. And we will show no mercy.
Only on the second day we were able to track them down, a small group, no more than 30, moving west. They can't escape our eyes. We saw the massive bows left behind in an attempt to escape quicker, the ones responsible for the death of our companion.
The night settled when we got near. We didn't knew what were we up against, and the fiery sun gives us strength... so fighting the urge for revenge, I decided to wait.
“We strike at dawn”, I said. “We can't use boulders and crush them, the egg is hard but can't take a massive rock from above, and we don't know where they keep it”... ”but it can stand some wind”. ”You know what to do”. And they did.
So we waited.
We had to remain vigilant, to make sure the group was caught off guard; and the fire of the coming vengeance burned within... there was no sleeping that night. When the time came, we looked at each others, nodded one last time... and we flew. Silently and parted, each one knew their role.
And at dawn, when the foes were already lifting the camp... we striked. A massive shriek from the west, as N'manii appeared, ripping the bodies of the 2 watches with his massive tallons. And while the group rushed for defense, Bcilla appeared from the east. The shaman's enchantments gave him even more strenght, and the wings kept flapping... and the winds made almost everything fly.
But among the havoc, one creature stood. Big, taller and stronger than the others. Indifferent to the winds that surrounded him and that had set its companions scattered by the camp, the dark sorcerer faced Bcilla, his evil dark eyes looking at the shaman riding the Roc. There had to be a leader, and no common mortal could have entered the Fire Mountains undetected.
I had my target. And I striked.
He did noticed the shadow coming over him, but it was too late. As he raised the scepter in disbelief, my talons wrapped around his body... and I had my revenge.
The rest of the group was no match for us. Stunned and confused by the gushing winds, we finished off what was left of them. The egg was there, unharmed.
And only when the dust settled could I realize, as I took a closer look at our attackers, the feeling of dismay that rushed through my body as the dark soul's eyes met mine, right before the death blow. We all stood there, silently, while the hard truth settled in.
“Let's fly, my brothers”, I said, “time urges”.
And as we flew, no other thoughts came to my mind. The rumours were true.
The deads rose once again.
We were no longer in peace.