Grand Theft Griffin by Michael Angel

Author:Michael Angel [Angel, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Banty Hen Publishing
Published: 2015-12-16T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Eight

I gave my three-foot long griffin shillelagh a twirl as I listened to Ironwood give out final commands to his lances.

I stood at the edge of the raised sparring platform, trying and mostly failing to keep my eyes off of the far end of the field. The Valkir Pride had brought four lances of griffins to the match while Reyka remained with its core three. That meant Reyka was only slightly outnumbered at four to three. But the Valkir griffins had a certain grimness to their bearing that bothered me.

“Valkir has been trying out a number of radically new tactics in order to beat us,” Ironwood stated calmly as he paced before the assembled lances. “My guess is that they are driven by desperation, since we’ve clouted them to the ground in every match since last autumn.”

He got a chorus of upbeat feline yelps and avian chirrups in reply. I’d have thought that he was simply rallying the troops, but with gatherings this small, the truth was easy enough to ferret out. Shaw’s children really had transformed this pride into a high-morale force.

“So, we need to stay flexible. Stay ready to shift at a moment’s notice till we figure out what they are up to.” Out in the audience, one gold-and-gray furred paw rose in response. Ironwood nodded. “My second wishes to speak her mind. Please, share your thoughts, Alfhild.”

I recognized the gray-flecked griffin as the reeve who’d reported on the injured members of Ironwood’s lance in the battle with the wyverns. She bowed and spoke again in the dignified voice of an older woman.

“Lance Captain, I never question thy plans,” Alfhild said respectfully. “Yet this seems unlike thee. Leaving the initiative to the enemy.”

“We follow the principle of the second-to-strike,” Hollyhock corrected her. “We absorb the blow, understand what their objective is, and then take the offensive.”

Interesting, I thought. Humans would probably call that ‘counterpunching’. Yet Alfhild has a point. The objective is already known. After all, I will be standing right under it.

“My lance and I will be in first contact with the enemy,” Ironwood declared. “Hollyhock shall defend the middle zone with the remaining two lances, ready to assist at the front or the rear as needed.”

Blackthorn raised an eyebrow. “And I?”

“You get to be the inner defense. Any drake or reeve gets within your striking distance of the nest, I want you to crush them.”

“That is acceptable to me.” The larger griffin nodded tightly and flexed his talons in anticipation.

“One final word on this match: You all know that it is to the first blood. Battle madness, while not a thing to be feared, can easily get out of hand when blood is spilt. We must watch for this and not succumb.”

A younger griffin off to my side spoke up. “Valkir will take no such cautions.”

“Perhaps. But my siblings and I…we fly on disturbed winds right now with the Elders. The last thing I want at the moment is to spark a blood feud with another pride.

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