“This is Griffonstone?”

Lenny Redtail had seen pony villages more impressive than the collection of ramshackle huts and crumbling towers that represented the apex of griffon civilisation. Or used to, by the looks of things. From his perch on the ledge of a neighbouring peak, he could tell that even the colossal tree on which King Guto had built his palace looked dead right down to the trunk; the stiff breeze laden with sheets of rain might blow it over at any moment.

He glanced down at the waxed flyer he held and re-read it just to make sure that he hadn’t somehow gotten the wrong meeting place.

Hail, brave explorers and adventurers!

Rejoice, for fate has finally seen fit to smile upon Griffonkind once more. House Karhonnen has a lead on the location of the great Idol of Boreas, and calls upon all skilled, able-bodied and well-equipped griffons to partake in an expedition to the Abysmal Abyss to retrieve Griffonstone’s rightful heritage.

Meet with House Karhonnen’s representatives at the King’s Roost in Griffonstone at the stipulated time and date for your chance to be a part of this venture. By the grace of the Sky Mother, we shall return with spoils from the deep unknown and restore true Pride to our great nation.

For honour and glory!

Lord Reynard Karhonnen

Beneath that was a long list of terms and conditions that he’d already examined. Lenny did not think much of their chances of success at finding the real idol, but the contract did state that approved participants would get paid a sum in advance, which suited him just fine even if the expedition ultimately failed. Gold was gold, and he was sure that all those stories about missing or dead explorers were overblown by bards and old hens, anyway. If this Lord Reynard really delivered what he promised, Lenny could have a year’s worth of earnings covered for a new set of hunting gear, possibly even a new shack for himself back at Skarhold.

“It’s not much to look at, but it’s still way better than what I get from the way Gilda talks about it,” commented Audri as she swooped down and landed right next to him. “But, hey, at least we can tell Mother to forget about moving here.”

Lenny snorted as he stowed the flyer away into one of his travel packs. “As if we’d even want to. Prey is really scrawny up here.”

“Well, it’s not like you can’t afford to lose a kilo or two.” His sister grinned and pinched him on the upper part of his foreleg. “A bit of hardship would do you some good. We’ve had it too easy for a while; it was getting boring.”

“You calling me fat?”

“I think a little chub is cute on you.”

He felt an eye twitch. “Say that again. I dare you.”

Audri’s grin widened. Then, she leaned in close and whispered, “Yes, Little Lenny. You’re getting fat. And it’s unbearably cute.”

“Rargh!”

He snarled and play-tackled her on the spot. She squawked and grappled with him, unwilling to yield. They giggled like cubs, trading inches of bare, slippery rock on the narrow ledge as they wrestled back and forth. Eventually, they slipped over the edge and had to break off their mock battle to maintain altitude, angling their flight path towards Griffonstone.

“Race you to Gilda’s place!”

“Hey!” he protested as Audri put on a burst of speed, leaving behind a visible shockwave of shed water droplets in her wake.

Gilda was a decent acquaintance of his sister’s. He’d met her some time ago when Audri had asked her to be his guide on his first flight over the sea to Equestria, when he was exploring a little more of the world beyond Griffonia’s borders. Very nice to look at – Gilda, that is. Not Equestria. He didn’t care all that much for Ponyland. It was just too bad that she’d already made it clear that she wasn’t interested in him back then.

At any rate, she had agreed to house them for one night in Griffonstone in exchange for some pork jerky – a specialty of their clan’s over in Western Griffonia that typically wasn’t sold anywhere this high up in the mountains. A very agreeable arrangement, since Gilda had warned them about the ridiculous rates the inns charged up in Griffonstone.

They were thoroughly soaked by the time they reached the house.

“Were you racing out in the rain?” asked Gilda when she opened the door and found them panting and dripping water all over her doormat. Without waiting for an answer, she spun round and waved them in with a hand over her shoulder.

Lenny tried not to get any water on the rugs strewn about the living room as they made their way to the crackling fireplace.

“Thanks for letting us stay over,” said Audri as they discarded their hefty travel packs and settled down in the glowing warmth. “By the way, you look awfully cheerful.”

“Uh huh. It’s probably because I’ve got two soggy dweebs in my house,” Gilda grumbled, passing them a pair of worn towels. “You brought the stuff?”

Lenny pulled a bundle of waxed paper from one of his travel packs and tossed it over to her. Gilda caught it deftly and peeled off the string keeping it wrapped up in order to get a whiff of its contents, inhaling deeply before she sighed and flashed them a grin. “Okay, that’s some good meat. You can stay.”

Audri returned the grin. “It always is. Anyway, I’m serious about you. I mean, you look kind of… happy. Are you sure you’re okay?”

Lenny could feel his temperature rising, and it wasn’t because of the fireplace or his recent exertion.

Great. Thought I’d gotten over that…

He kept his ears perked to listen but otherwise tried to avoid involvement in the conversation. Instead, he focused on getting himself dry.

“You remember that pony I went to school with, the one I wasn’t talking to? Well, we’re not mad at each other anymore. And I’m actually getting along with a few more griffs nowadays. Greta’s not half bad once I got to know her,” Gilda explained. Then, her gaze flitted over to him and lingered on his half-erect wings. “Answer is still no, Lenny.”

Argh.

“Yeah, yeah, I can take a hint,” he replied, wings wilting.

“Whatever. Just don’t let my Gramps see it. He’ll never shut up about great grandkids if he does.”

Audri chuckled. “Sounds like our mother. Anyway, I heard that you were the one who found the idol. What happened? Why didn’t you bring it back?”

“Yeah, about that… I decided that hauling my buddy out of that pit was more important.” Gilda shook her head. “You’re not serious about joining that dumb expedition, are you? Reynard’s a bigshot wannabe and Gramps says that House Karhonnen’s getting outmanoeuvred by all the other nobles since his dad kicked the bucket. That whole thing’s gonna be a waste of time. It’s just a dumb chunk of gold, anyway.”

“It’s a valuable, dumb chunk of gold,” Lenny pointed out. “That’s why he’s paying folks to help him get it back. And having more gold is kind of nice.”

Gilda rolled her eyes. “Right. Let me know how that goes. I’ll just be here doing actual useful stuff.”

“Like?” Audri prompted.

“Getting this dump back into shape, starting with getting griffs to work together.”

“Won’t finding the idol help with that?”

“Teeny tiny chance of finding it and bringing it back,” Gilda retorted, pinching the air. “Besides, I don’t think you’ll even get that far.”

“Why not?”

Gilda’s eyes narrowed, and she shook her head as she turned and ambled off into the kitchen. Her voice carried over from there. “I don’t know what the stories are like once they reach Skarhold, but out here, people who try going into the Abyss either don’t come back or get really messed up. And no one’s going to trust some dweeby lordling who can’t even keep his house from falling apart.”

Lenny shrugged. “We’ve come this far. Might as well take a look.”

“Yeah. It can’t be that bad if he can afford to pay in advance like that,” Audri pointed out.

“Uh huh. Smells like desperation to me; probably not worth the effort.” Gilda came back holding a lightly steaming tray. “Anyway, scones?”

They snacked on Gilda’s confectionaries whilst waiting for the rain to thin out so that they could find the King’s Roost and sign up. But it kept pouring like crazy, and they quickly resigned themselves to a nap when hailstones began thumping on the roof. Not that Lenny could complain – they could use the rest after their lengthy flight from the town at Griffonstone’s foothills.

By the time they woke up, the sun had already drifted down to the edge of the horizon, and Gilda had apparently gone off on some errand of her own. They hastily left the house and made their way straight for the inn.

Despite its place on top of a mountain range, Griffonstone somehow managed to have terrible drainage at the same time. Lenny saw muddy puddles everywhere, mixed with piles of trash left outside on the streets. Come to think of it, even calling them streets would’ve been pretty generous. Peddlers and loiterers milled about as well, barely speaking save for curt exchanges or transactions. Some played dice out in the mud under crude shelters whilst others sat around sputtering fires, drinking a pungent brew from dirty tin cups as they huddled together for protection from the rapidly falling temperature.

“Wow. So much for the capital, huh?” Audri whispered as they walked past a pile of splintered beams and mortared rock that might once have been a mansion.

Lenny just grunted and plodded on. Some of the griffs they passed had given him stares and sidelong glances, which was marginally better than some of the cities he’d visited. No outright confrontations yet, which he took as a sign that maybe Griffonstoners were half-decent folk, after all.

They found the King’s Roost easily enough; unlike most of its neighbours, it looked decently maintained and even had a couple of guards stationed outside, armed with pikes and garbed in armour with blue cloaks. They probably belonged to House Karhonnen. Lenny noticed their steely eyes watching their every move as they walked past to enter the inn. He ignored them and went in after Audri.

Aside from a few discreet clusters of griffons sitting at the farthest corners, the place didn’t have many patrons, perhaps due to the presence of armed guards outside. A row of tables stood in the middle of the cosy dining floor, as if in expectation of a large crowd eager to sign up for the expedition. Reality apparently disagreed, as only one attendant sat behind the tables, abandoned by his colleagues from lack of work and looking half bored to death as he toyed with a quill on the worn, wooden surface. Stacks of paper – probably unsigned contracts – lay on top of each table, almost completely undisturbed.

An owl-headed, brown-eyed griffon sat at a private table behind the lone attendant, flanked by another two guards. He had mostly light-brown, well-groomed plumage and was dressed in a rich, dark coat with a sword belt around his waist. He fiddled constantly with a golden medallion in one hand, whilst poring over a scrappy map of some sort spread over the table, idly tracing something on it with a talon. Lenny noticed that he had near-perfect scaling on his forearms, immaculate and polished talons, relatively small wings and unpronounced musculature – all the signs of a griffon who had gone a long time without any real work or exertion.

Small wonder so few had signed up for the expedition.

“Guess people trust this Reynard as much as Gilda does,” Lenny said in an undertone.

“You sure that’s him?” she whispered back.

“He looks like the type.”

“Well, so long as he has the money…”

Just then, the griffon turned towards the kitchen and called out, “More wine, Garland! And bring along some of those scones while you’re at it.”

His smooth, somewhat simpering voice grated on Lenny’s ears. There were only a few types of griffs that Lenny disdained, but this guy was rapidly matching up to their common traits with each passing minute.

A brownish-green earth pony dressed in a simple tunic came hurrying out of the kitchen, balancing a tray laden with a jug and plate of pastries. Once at his employer’s table, he bit on the tray and somehow managed to transfer everything over without spilling a single drop, and then beat a hasty but very silent retreat to the kitchen when Reynard dismissed him with a haughty wave.

Lenny locked eyes with the stallion for the briefest of moments on his way back, and he couldn't quite decide whether to pity the bleak, broken spirit he saw behind those purple eyes. It might’ve just been his imagination, but the averted eyes, submissive posture and flighty gait all reminded him of a cowed animal skirting the shadows in fear of a predator. He pictured himself in that position for a moment and felt his stomach churn; a few minutes of that would’ve driven him crazy, even more so if he had that tittering griffon for a master.

He had to take a moment to clear out the unpleasant thought as they approached the lone attendant, who perked up and gave them a wry smile when they reached the table. “You here to sign up?”

“Yes,” Audri chirped.

The griffon eyed her from crest to feet in a moment of silence before clicking his beak in approval. “Well, you certainly look fit enough for it. That’s good. Can’t tell you how many dirt-pickers have tried to weasel their way in. Poor slobs could hardly lift a chair, let alone survive the climb down.” He slid a contract over to her side of the table, adding, “Here, just sign once you’re done reading it.”

Lenny stepped right up to the edge of the table next to Audri’s and looked pointedly the attendant, who seemed more keen on watching his sister read than actually attending to him. He cleared his throat, but that only made the griffon flick his eyes over to him briefly. None of the other griffons nearby paid him any mind, either.

Right…

He rapped on the table loudly enough to get their attention and growled, “Are you going to give me my contract or are you waiting for me to say please?”

The attendant frowned. “Servants don’t get their own contracts.”

“Yeah, that’s nice to know. I’ll be sure to tell any servant I come across.” Lenny rolled his eyes and gave him a scowl. “I’d like a copy of that contract now, if you don’t mind.”

The griffon stared at him, glanced at Audri and then looked back at him. “Is he yours?” he asked her. “Because if so, you should know that subsidiaries do not get a separate share of pay or spoils. You split it with any underlings you bring along. It’s in the contract.”

“Yeah, I saw that. But he’s not an underling, he’s my brother,” Audri coolly replied. She then grinned and tilted her head in Lenny’s direction. “You don’t have to talk as if he isn’t here, by the way. Being ignored really gets under his skin.”

“Getting a contract will put me back in a good mood, though,” Lenny added.

“Umm…” The attendant stared at him, glanced at Audri and then looked back at him. A moment later, he turned to the guards farther back, but they all looked similarly perplexed. Eventually, he called out to Reynard. “Milord, this one may need your attention. We hadn’t anticipated this… complication.”

“All right, I guess that really is him,” Audri whispered.

“Just send him on his way, if you please.” Reynard hadn’t even bothered to look at him.

“Right.” The attendant nodded and turned to Lenny. “Milord has spoken. You can either share the profits with your, uh, sister, or nothing at all.”

Lenny shared a look with Audri, who simply shrugged and gestured for him to go ahead. He had to suppress a grin as he whistled sharply at Reynard and said, “Hey, if you’ve got a problem with me, why don’t you come over here and say it to my face?”

“If this is a joke, it is in rather poor taste.”

“The only joke here is your recruitment policy,” he retorted. “You’re barely getting anyone, and yet you still want to get picky over stupid reasons?”

That finally earned him a scowl. Reynard got up from his seat and padded over to them, adopting an air of aloofness as he appraised both of them and said, “This expedition needs skilled griffons, not pack mules – though a few certainly wouldn’t hurt…”

Lenny felt his blood simmer at the insult, but before he could get a word in edgewise, Reynard went prattling on. “Some ruffian already tried to round up as many beggars as he could to claim all their payment in advance; I had him thrown out.”

“Look, we’re not fooling around,” Audri insisted. “I mean, sure, my brother looks a little different, but Lenny’s as competent as I am, and I’ll vouch for his skill at hunting and tracking and whatever else you need done on this expedition. He’s no pack mule.”

Reynard raised an eyebrow at her, then turned to Lenny. “Is that so? Tell me, then. What interest does a pegasus have in finding the Idol of Boreas? This quest is a matter of griffon honour; it’s not one of your singsong friendship and harmony adventures.”

Lenny snarled and flared his wings as he locked eyes with Reynard. “My name is Lenny Redtail of Clan Skarhold, and any griffon honour is my honour. I want to take part in recovering the idol because, one, you’re paying well enough, and two, I want to be remembered amongst those who did what no one else could. I’m no long-face softie; I can pull my weight.”

After taking a moment to weigh the risks, he made a show of sizing him up and added, “Maybe even yours, too, if you were coming along. Though I wouldn’t hold my breath on that, not when it looks like your friends here are all wondering if you can even meet your own recruitment standards.”

Reynard stiffened and glanced around at the other griffons, who all suddenly seemed very keen on studying the floor, their weapons, food and just about anything else aside from meeting their master’s eyes. A low growl came from his throat as he spread his wings to match Lenny’s pose.

Struck a nerve. Good.

He heard grips tightening on spear shafts and creaking floorboards as Reynard’s guards shifted their balance in anticipation of an order to attack, but he did not withdraw his challenge. He took note of their positions to defend himself anyway if things got ugly – hoof stomps on toes worked wonders on those who didn’t watch their footing.

To his credit, Reynard neither backed down nor called for help. They stared at each other, unmoving for a tense minute or two, until his adversary’s gaze flicked over to Audri’s face, focusing on the red face paint around her yellow eyes.

“Those are Skarhold’s markings?” he asked.

“Yes. We both got ours when we came of age,” Audri affirmed.

Reynard’s eyes narrowed as he returned his gaze to Lenny, before he finally huffed and folded his wings. “Very well, then. Let’s see you keep up with the rest of us tomorrow. If you fail, Skarhold honour will pay the price for trusting a pony with a griffon’s job.”

With that, Reynard turned his back to Lenny and retreated to brood over his map, leaving them to read and sign their contracts in silence.

The attendant assisted them without complaint this time, and once they had completed everything, said, “We march in the morning, so everyone’s meeting up at the field outside before sunrise for the final inspections. You’ll be given standard supplies and gear, so everything else you want you’ll have to bring on your own. If you pass inspection, we’ll put the advance payment into your respective accounts to be retrieved upon return. Rest well – you’ll need it.”

“Not sure if that was the smartest thing to do,” Audri quipped once they’d exited the inn. “For a moment I thought he was going to challenge you to a duel.”

“He’d lose.”

She rolled her eyes. “He’d pick a champion to flatten you, dummy. You’re not that good.”

He retorted with a grin. “That would just prove my point, though.”

“And leave me to deal with your bruised ego for ages, after I drag you back home in a stretcher.” Audri shook her head and punched him in the shoulder, but her eyes glinted with amusement. “There’s only so much I can do for you, you know.”

“Uh huh. Love you too.” Lenny paused and sniffed the air, turning towards the middle of town where the smoky scent must’ve drifted from. “I’m hungry.”

She sighed. “Of course you are.”

Griffonstone looked very different after nightfall. Although it didn’t look like the city council could even afford to maintain street lamps, with the only illumination coming from nearby taverns, houses and cooking fires, that didn't stop the locals from adding some much-needed life to the scenery at the night market. Griffons went to and fro between hawker stalls, purchasing food and whatever odds and ends they found interesting. Lenny and Audri decided to spend an hour or two just wandering around and observing the city’s surprisingly vibrant night life.

They eventually had to turn back, though, knowing that they would have their beaks full getting ready for tomorrow. He and Audri settled on buying some skewered mice before continuing back to Gilda’s place. A little lean and over-salted, but they went down nicely enough with some mountain grass he found growing by the side of the road. Having a hot meal in his belly also helped with the chilling wind blowing from the north.

When they got back, they found a somewhat weary Gilda nursing a cup of tea at the dining table, with the crumbs of her dinner scattered on a couple of plates. A lone oil lamp hung from the ceiling beam above, providing flickering light together with the crackling fireplace.

“How’d it go?” asked Gilda.

“Lenny got into a wing-measuring contest with our employer the first chance he got,” said Audri.

“Well, he was asking for it.”

“Wha—what the hay did you do?” Gilda demanded.

“Oh, he just questioned his griffonhood in front of his subordinates, that’s all.”

Gilda blinked once, twice, then groaned and covered her face. “You’re crazy. Both of you. If you join his little party tomorrow, he’ll… he’ll—”

“Never let me live it down if I chicken out after a stunt like that,” Lenny interjected as he took a seat at the table and poured himself some tea. “I’m not giving him the satisfaction. Also, I kind of accidentally put my clan’s name on the line.”

Gilda arched an eyebrow and gave Audri a sidelong glance.

“Too late to take it back. I’m not leaving him alone.”

“Yeah, I’m done trying to save your hides,” Gilda muttered, throwing up her arms. “Reynard’s not hardcore like his dad, but I bet he’s going to try something. If there’s anything a noble likes holding more than gold, it’s a grudge. Also, you do know there’s a reason is called the Abysmal Abyss, right? It’s bad enough without ‘accidents’ happening, if you know what I mean.”

“Right, I’ll be careful.” He took a swig of tea without bothering to savour its fragrance or taste. “It’s not the first time I’ve had to watch my back.”

Gilda folded her arms and leaned back in her chair. “This one’s different. I don’t know… I just got a feeling. Should’ve kept my mouth shut about finding the idol. Never expected a whole flock of crazies to go after it.”

Audri took a seat next to him patted Gilda’s hand. “Nothing we can’t handle, so don’t worry. We watch out for each other.”

“I hope so.” Gilda downed the last of her drink and yawned massively. Then, she pushed herself away from the table and began shambling up the stairs to her bedroom. “I’m out. Try not to get yourselves killed or whatever.”

“Little early to roost, isn’t it?”

“You try three freaking hours of ‘negotiating’ with Gina for some materials to repair Greta’s workshop that doesn’t involve gutting your wallet and then come back to me and talk about roosting early,” Gilda groused, feathers ruffling involuntarily. She smoothed her crest and shook her head, then resumed plodding up the stairs. “Good night. Firewood’s at the back, keep it stoked if you need. Remember to shut the door when you leave.”

With the living room pretty much all to themselves, Lenny and Audri spent the rest of the night inspecting their gear and making sure that they had everything in working order for the following day. Once satisfied that they hadn’t missed anything important, they snuffed out the lamp and unrolled a pair of thin, worn mattresses in the living room.

As they lay side by side, basking in the warmth and glow of the fireplace, he asked, “You think Gilda might be on to something?”

“Hmm?”

“That this whole thing’s a waste of time.”

“For that Reynard guy? Probably. For us? I think it’ll be a good experience with a chance to earn gold on the side.” Audri shrugged and added, “We were getting bored at home, anyway.”

He snorted. “Tell me about it. Mother’s still dropping hints to ‘range farther out’ for someone to give her grandkids with me. But…”

A sudden sense of foreboding ambushed him, stealing his words away. He’d felt it niggling at the back of his mind since leaving the King’s Roost, but now that he’d had some time to cool down, nothing kept it from making him feel that he might’ve bitten off more than he could chew. Enough to make his ears droop; he hated that.

“You ever get the feeling we might be one of those guys they sing about?” he murmured, toying with a tuft of frayed cotton on the mattress. “The stupid ones who get themselves killed doing something like this?”

“Nope.”

Lenny waited, but she didn’t add anything else. “That’s it?”

“Yup.”

He felt a grin coming on. “Hah. Sounds exactly like the kind of attitude those stories warn us about.”

“They also say there’s a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.” Audri yawned and snuggled up to him. “Night-night, Lenny. Big day tomorrow.”

He tucked his head under a wing and closed his eyes. “Yeah. G’night.”