Dame Sara Illou, Knight of the Land, sat astride her steed Snowglide as the mare carefully picked her way up the mountainside. She and Sophie had split up that morning, both agreeing that they would return to the camp that evening if neither of them found anything. Sophie had gone east, and Sara had gone west.
Below her she could see the huge waterfall that fed the violent river in which she had almost lost her pack two days previously. She cast her mind back to that event. It seemed so long ago even though it was not. A snow-white eagle had swooped down to save her pack from the raging waters and then dropped it at her feet, before circling away over the mountains. Sara wondered why the eagle had done that and hoped that the bird was still alive - with the voracious gryphons stalking the valleys the eagle would have to be careful.
After a while the ascent levelled off and then reached a crest of a very sharp decline. She had reached the edge of a valley and Sara stared down into it with wide eyes. It was stunning, with a small river feeding a broad alpine lake and both sides of the valley were steep and thick with trees. The view also allowed her to see beyond the valley and back the way she had come - far below her she could see the town at the base of the mountains and knew that it was full of nervous people.
Sara realised it would be a difficult descent on the narrow path and so she let Snowglide rest, leading her to a nearby stream to drink. At the same time she decided that she should have her own meal, and so she took out her pack and began to eat a small lunch of bread and cheese. Her supplies were beginning to dwindle and she knew that she would soon have to turn back or risk running out of food. She hoped she found the gryphons before then.
She was just finishing up her lunch when a sudden screech filled the air. It was distant but still loud, echoing up towards her, and Sara instinctively flattened herself to the ground. A moment later she caught sight of two creatures, one brown and one grey, soaring through the air. The gryphons!
They were slightly below her, flying through the valley and Sara was thankful as that meant both she and Snowglide were hidden from their sight. Edging forward she was able to give herself a better view and her heart skipped a beat as she saw the gryphons land only half a mile or so beneath her. They disappeared into a rocky outcrop in the cliff-face and Sara realised that it must be the entrance to a cave.
She had found their den!
She waited there for ten minutes, making sure that there were no other sounds. When she was certain that the gryphons were not about to reemerge she crept backwards until she was away from the cliff edge. She sat there a moment thinking of her next move.
She knew she should light the signal fire, but the only way she could do that and know that it would be seen was to light it at the edge of the cliff. That would provide direct line of sight to the town far below but would also make her easy to spot if the gryphons reappeared.
She glanced over at Snowglide, and collected her mare's reins. She led the horse back into the thick pine woodland that they had travelled through then left her by a stream. She knew her steed was noble and would not travel far, but if she did draw the attention of the gryphons she did not want her horse being in harm's way.
With that done she gathered what dried wood she could and returned to the cliff edge. She piled it up and then used her firelighting kit to get a small fire going. A faint tendril of smoke climbed up into the thin mountain air.
Rummaging through her pack she pulled out the small vial of green liquid that would create the signal fire. The quartermaster of the soldiers had given it to her, and explained how it worked. All she needed to do was pour it onto a campfire and it would send a column of bright green magical fire billowing up into the air that could be seen for miles. Even the soldiers in the town below would be able to spot it, and would know that she had found the gryphons and where she was. She uncorked the vial ready to pour it.
Suddenly there was a loud screech directly above her and a sharp talon knocked the vial out of her hand. At the same time feathered wings knocked her flat and Sara lay winded for half a second as she was thrown to the ground. A heartbeat later she scrabbled to her feet, readying the Axe of the Mists. She spotted the vial was broken and useless at her feet, the green liquid already soaking into the ground.
Sara whirled, trying to find the gryphon that had attacked her, annoyed that she had not heard it coming but surprised that she was still alive. Being ambushed by such a large predator should surely have been much worse.
Yet she could not see it.
Then she spotted something that she did not expect to see. The snow white eagle from two days before was soaring out over the valley, slowly swooping back around to face her. She realised it was actually the eagle that had attacked her, not one of the gryphons, and as it closed towards her she gripped her axe tightly.
The eagle swept down on top of her but at the last minute peeled away. Instead it landed deftly at the cliff edge, ten yards or so away from Sara, and stared at her.
Sara was confused. Why had the eagle attacked her? And if it saw her as an enemy then why did it rescue her pack two days before? It was not simply trying to take the pack for itself because it had dropped it at her feet. That suggested an intelligence that she did not think eagles normally had.
Her confusion only heightened when the eagle blurred around the edges and transformed into a young woman who took Sara's breath away.
The reason for that was twofold. Firstly, because moments before the woman had in fact been an eagle, but secondly, because she was absolutely stunning. She had snow white hair the same colour as the eagle's feathers, which was long enough to frame her face but did not reach her shoulders. Her deep green eyes were a contrast to her ivory locks, and her beautiful face was painted or tattooed (Sara could not tell which) with druidic markings on her cheeks. She wore a large wooden pendant which nestled between the cleavage of her obviously big tits.
She stood about 5'4" and was dressed in a white corset with her black pants tucked into tall green boots. She looked to be in her early-twenties, but from her two pointed ears Sara guessed she was much older than that - she was an elf!
"I'm sorry I had to do that," the woman soothed. "I'm not going to hurt you. You can put the weapon down."
Sara stared at her a moment longer, then slowly lowered the axe. For some reason she trusted this beautiful newcomer.
"Who are you?" she asked,
"I am Laryssa, a druid. And it's nice to meet you. And you?"
"Dame Sara Illou, a Knight of the Land," Sara replied. Despite everything, she felt a familiar horniness shiver through her in the company of such a gorgeous woman. "Why did you attack me?"
"Because I know what those vial do. You were going to summon help. I could not let that happen."
"Why not?" Sara said. "There are gryphons in the valley below!"
Laryssa smiled. "I know."
Sara was stopped in her tracks. "You... you know? Then why did you stop me?"
"They are precious, rare creatures. I will not let them come to harm, especially not a breeding pair. They are too important."
"A breeding pair? What do you mean?"
Laryssa gave her a soft smile. "Come with me. I'll show you."
The elf smiled brightly then set off down the rocky path. Sara followed carefully, making sure not to slip - such a misstep would end in a very unpleasant tumble down the mountainside.
