Selene

Chapter Forty-Six: Red Dawn

Rustle rustle. Shhhhhuddder!"

Like clockwork two double-lidded eyes opened slowly. Dawn had not yet reached his perch but it was seconds away from it. He bruxed, shook the sleep from his rain-wet feathers and stretched a leg and a wing at the same time.

Now. What were the humans up to today? The favorite eye turned down.

Hmm. None of the humans he'd followed were out and about.

Focus traveling across the large field to the fortress on the other side the Gryphon's eye stopped. There. Movement from within. A single human, sneaking around a building.

Cleak. Cleak, cle-clea-cleak-cleak!

Albion said softly. Trouble had already begun.

Squeak.

Nooo.....

...

...

...Silk. How he loved silk. When he had his palace he'd import it from the farthest reaches of the known world. Exotic places like India, or even China, and every chair and bed would be covered in it. He'd even have royal robes made with it, and robes for lounging. Useless? Maybe. But that's what he wanted and what he wanted was what he got.

Squeak!!

"Shut it," he growled, rolling over. Where was he? Silk...

Out out out out out out out out out out out out out out out out out

"Alright alright!" Alvin snarled to a sitting position. The first fiery red rays of dawn temporarily blinding him.

Oh. It was morning.

Hotshot scurried wildly up down and all around his tiny cage as Alvin got up. The Piranharrow came to a stop in front of the door hopped.

"If I weren't in such a fine mood you worthless reptile I'd hold your breakfast from you." He opened the door and the dragon scurried up his arm, wrapping his tail around Alvin's wrist as Alvin pressed down on the shard. It'd become more of a force of habit than anything else to them. "But as it is I am in a good mood -and I need you to be at your best- so you will get breakfast. There. Have your fill of what's left of my venison."

The Piranharrow launched from his shoulder onto the table with a clank, his short little legs not getting him where he wanted to go fast enough. Sniffing a giant pile of cold meat he came to a bare t-bone and pointed, squinting.

"Are you serious?" Alvin answered the unspoken question. "Of course I ate it it was MY stag! Take what's in front of you before I throw it out the window to your friends."

The dragon growled bitterly but ate anyways, knowing from experience the Outcast meant what he said.

Selfish.

"Unbelievable." He turned away to the westward-facing window he had put in. A grin that would have looked quite handsome if you didn't know what was behind it spread across his face. "There you are, beautiful. By the time that sun kisses that horizon tonight, you will be mine. You, your people, your gold, and all Artorījos glory."

There was a knock on the door.

"About time, Caliban. Do you have my breakfast?"

"Yes sir."

Alvin stopped and narrowed his eyes. "Who is this?"

"Cyrus, sir."

"Where's Caliban?"