Random Encounter: Infant Wails

[Civilian Ponies]

November Sixth, Year 4; Noontime.

A plaintive wail filled the streets. An infant Griffon clutched the cold talon of its lifeless mother.

Winter had beset the city, and the stone pavement was hard and cold with chill. The street was empty save for the wailing child, and the pile of rubble that covered it's mother's corpse. A nearby brick wall had apparantly collapsed atop the Griffoness, leaving the suckling infant aside her untouched.

Though the infant could hardly comprehend the mortality of it's circumstances, it understood cold, and discomfort, and pried valiantly at the stonework that entombed its mother. To no avail, the bricks were far too heavy, and the infant far too small. The tercel youth pulled at its mother's talon, unable to pry her from the rubble.

The air was filled with the sirens of youth's agony...

[Johan Tercel]

Zweihander was roaming the sewers after his "encounter" yesterday. He could never stand being cooped up in a single place for long, ever since he was a fledgling. He would always explore the Dog tunnels in his fathers castle, with his older brother always by his side.

Karl...

Zweihander wondered how his family was doing in the Duchy...if they missed him at all. They likely thought he was dead by now, dying a heroes death and buried in a field somewhere. Scoffing at the thought, he kept his thought running towards the bitterness that he carried in him.

Several moments passed as Zweihander plodded along his lonely way, silence except for his own footsteps following him. Until he heard the unmistakable cries of a griffon fledgling from above. Widening his eyes, he looked at the nearby access door. The wailing was from above.

On autopilot, he clambered up the metal ladder to the city above, thrusting the metal cover up and sideways with a desperate movement. The chilled wind of a dead city rustled through his brown feathers, and he looked on a heartbreaking sight. There, in front of him, lay a dead Griffoness, crushed by rubble. Her child, a little tercel, was tugging at her claw and wailing desperately.

Walking forwards, he moved to the pile of rubble, and began moving the brick and mortar that covered this tercel's mother.

[Civilian Ponies]

The bricks yielded easily to Zweihander's strength. As they were gradually removed the infant stiffled it's wails as it watched its mother's form slowly remove itself from that of the rubble.

The poor griffoness had been pulverized by the fall, and her feathers were matted and sticky with coagulated blood. A small puddle of it had formed around her buried shape, and it too was starting to blacken.

The infant was incapable of comprehending these things. As it saw its mother's form appear once again, it moved in closer to her side and crawled up into a ball. He had tired himself from what had been nearly non stop wailing and was exhausted enough to fall asleep there at her side...

[Johan Tercel]

Sighing in melancholy, Zweihander looked at the sleeping, or close to sleep, fledgling, and his deceased mother.

How could this happen to such a young griffon? he thought quietly. Eyes drifting over the tercel, what stood out was that tawny coat... that marked him as a Palemire griffon. The poor thing wasn't fit for the cold, not yet anyway. It would need warmth...

Gently moving his claws underneath the tercels form, he delicately picked it up, to place the fledgling on his back.

[Civilian Ponies]

The tercel clung to Zwei's back instictively, grasping tight the feathers of his back with A strength only infants can display. He snuggled closely in, incapable of noticing his changed sorroundings.

The mother, on the other hand, had begun to stink with death. A row of ants made line to her body under the rubble, presumably finding gain in her loss. Rot had set in early, despite the newness of her death, and she had taken a sickly palor that normally took some days.

But the child, it was well, for now. It's face warmly nestled in the warmth, eyes close, fast asleep.

A lone mare began walking down the street...

[Johan Tercel]

Zweihander hearts the unmistakable tap of hooves coming down the street. It was time to leave, now. Going into a quick gait, he got to the hole leading to his home. Foregoing the metal cover on his way, he placed his right paw first, and descended into the murk.

[Clear Skies]

Clear began trotting towards the sound of the sound. A waling child, by the sounds of it. However, as she approached the sound stopped, and she had to guess where it had been. She soon found herself in front of the rubble from the collapsed building.

"Oh hayseeds..." she sad, her voice soft but stern. She stared at the body which was obviously dead. Not a sound could be heard, and she wondered if she had imagined hearing it. She shook her head. I heard an infants wail, she was sure of it. She looked around desperately hoping to find the young one soon.

[Civilian Ponies]

There was no indication of the child about the area, but an innocuous drain cover had been uprooted and moved to the side. Damp Griffonic footsteps from the sewer seemed to lead up to the pile of rubble and return back to the sewer grate.

[Clear Skies]

Clear saw the obvious clues, but had a hard time believing them. A griffon had came from the sewers, and snatched the baby....

She climbed down the manhole, attempting to ignore the smell and terrible conditions. "Hello?" she spoke softly. "Who's there?" She said a bit louder.

[Johan Tercel]

Zweihander was walking along the dank passage when he heard a mare's voice echoing its way down.

"Hello? Who's there?"

Eyes widening in concern unconsciously, he looked to the sleeping tercel on his back. Moving quietly forwards, he kept noise to a minimum. That is, until he stepped on a brittle piece of cellophane. With a loud crinkle, he winced, and stood completely still.

[Civilian Ponies]

The child stirred briefly, but quickly succumbed to exhaustion again. It once again settled down, breathing heavily into Zwei's feathers.

[Clear Skies]

Clear heard the loud crinkle, and began walking towards the sound. "W-what do you plan on doing? R-raising a baby griffon in this dank, sewer? It deserves better than that..." She said, not sure was even talking with anyone. If she was, then she'd hopefuls talk them out of whatever their plan is.

[Johan Tercel]

Zweihander felt the tercel move slightly, but not stir. Sighing with relief, he almost didn't pay attention to what the pony was saying.

"...deserves better than that..."

Oh look. A mare with ideals to be a social worker. How droll. That child was going to die of exposure, or by a random pony passing by if he didn't do something. Looking to the fledgling, his gaze softened. It was a beautiful child. It did deserve better; but no griffon orphanage would give this child the attention it deserved. He would insure this fledgling was safe... and he would look for his family, if any. For now, it needed food and a place to rest. His home would provide both.

Moving again, silently, all that could be heard from him was the light tapping of his feet on stone and shallow water.

[Clear Skies]

Clear heard the slight splashing. She had just lost the child to some strange griffon in the sewers. There was no way she could persue him/her. "Hayseeds..." She said quietly to herself. She wasn't such a good job as a therapist....although conditions were hardly ideal. She left the sewers to ponder the fate of the child she just lost.

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