A cruel wind whistled through the crags of a damp stone outcrop, attacking anything that happened to be in its path with vicious strength. A lone hawk fought against the odds, golden eye glimmering with persistance.
A single feather tore free of his quivering left wing, fluttering to the stony surface below. The bird of prey faltered, but in the brief intance of hesitation, he was swept away, his talons releasing the cargo they bore.
With a crack, the smooth round topaz plummeted to the ground. The hawk's lone eye dulled with pain as it crashed into a tall crag of stone. His broken body shuddered with a yellow light, and bones found their way back into place.
The bird still was pressed against the stone when it began to transform. Wings streached into pale arms in golden finery, and he grew to a human with oily black hair. The only thing that remained the same was the cold, determined yellow eyes.
An arm reached through a break in the stone, and the winds stilled. Suddenly free, the man fell forward, his arms spinning to try and gain balance. To his misfortune, the man's foot caught in a split, and he landed face-down.
"Ahh...Silan. I see you have finally delivered my prize," a deep bass voice laughed as a tall, burly man clad in greys stepped up a cleverly hidden staircase. His green eyes threw a torrent of hostility at the fallen man. "Did you really think you could pass over my territory with it, and keep it, bird-man?"
Silan looked up, a slight cut under his only eye, his left. "Onior, I knew you were behind all this. When Master Kilado hears about this..."
"Silence!" Interuppted Onior, "You may NEVER say that name in my presance." He spat, "But, Prince Silan of the Creature-Freaks," He said, taking on an evil tone, "I can see to it that HE never finds out about this." With a nod, two leather-clad Lomals, half man, half elf, these ones with a human's corruptability, scooped up Silan by th e armpits and thrust him down the stairs into the torch-lit darkness below.
Silan's protests echoed against the wide walls of the interior of the hidden stronghold/palace until they were silenced by a satisfying thump. Onior nodded approvingly and picked up the topaz. It glittered with an inner fire, and was about the size of an acorn. Not that Onior encountered many acorns.
Onior swept down the steps and slid the iron door shut behind himself. With long, swift steps, he shot down to the lowest chambers, his study and bedroom, which were hundreds of feet belowground.
A stone griffin sat before the entrance of the study, its teeth bared at some imaginary intruder. With a sweep of its powerful tail, the door opened. Onoir walked inside, the entrance banging shut an instance after he sat in a large, silken, chair.
A set of pedestals were placed in an array of positions on a wide map. Only two were occupied. One bore the weight of a small opal, and was set on the capital of the wooded home of the Lomals. The opal was unusually dark, and was sealed to the marble pedestal with a black, transparent material. Raw evil. The next pedestal was on the Pindia River, home of the Euris, a race of beings that had a mental connection to water creatures and water itself. The gem that was bound there was an emerald, each smooth side laced with veins of black. With a horrible grin, Onior placed the topaz on the pedestal on top of vast plains...
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Silan was pushed into a dank cell that had very close bars, in case he transformed, and reeked of manure. The unconcious man was swept into a dream. The beautiful plains of Alli-Kilado that usually had gorgeous miles of animals and life, had crumpled into a dead place, with rotten plants and a scent of carrion. Onior approached, destroying all in his path. "Thanks to your failure, your home and all of the other lands will unite under me, or die," he spat scornfully.
Silan woke with a start. His eye ajusted to the dark and he took in his surroundings. he was in a cell beneath the earth, just big enough for a grown human to curl up on the floor in. Before continuing, Silan took on his hawk form. More comfortable, he gazed around. The door was a type of metal he couldn't identify, with a small, barred window at human face-height and a slim, locked swinging door for meals.
Silan sighed. His dream was much too possible. Thaingard was the place where the jewels needed to convene, unless they were corrupt. It was vital that the Alli-Kilado topaz be there, along with a pure-blood. Silan was as pure as they get.
In utter frustration, Silan emitted a terrible, blood-curdling cry.
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...and dropped it. Onoir's face fell and a shiver shot up his spine at Silan's cry. He would have to have a word with the architect who put his quarters next to the holding area.
With the gem clutched in his fist, Onior stormed over to the holding area with a furious yell. Ripping a spear off the display in the wall, Onior pinned the Euris guard to the wall. Quivering with fury, he demanded the keys.
Silan heard a whap as Onior demanded the keys to his cell. Just a little opening, he willed silently. Silan poised on the wall, talons gripping the rock, wings outspread. Onior threw open the door and Silan shot out into the hall, turning into the study.
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That's all I have so far. Reccomendations are apprecitaed.
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I love you Omena. <3