13.4

Jewel was thankfully unsurprised to see her brother and the proud gryphon that Blizzardwrath had grown into.

Alexander’s beard had filled out since last she saw it, as was his frame and build, he looked the very vision of a martial lord. Beside him Blizzardwrath was confident and regal as Zephyrvam. With only a hint of the thick plumage of its mother.

Her brother’s bond was almost as tall as him at the shoulder. The feathers flutter over the muscular strength in each of the four talons in shoulders and hips.

But there was still a childish motion to the head, it regarded Jewel with a hint of wariness that settled as soon as Alexander had lunged at Jewel to embrace her around her throat. Squeezing with all the considerable strength he could muster.

He would not be strained by the pull of the Rochford family bow.

Jewel’s flesh however even when she relaxed every scrap of flame from it barely depressed against that considerable squeeze.

“Sister! It’s so good to see you!”

Jewel laughed deep in her chest, letting the sound shape and reshape up her throat. So her voice came out light, feminine, but with the timbres of a woman. Like Bethica’s voice, a voice fit for a countess and a dragon.

“Brother! I thought you would have flown to Rochford! Why did you walk on Blizzardwrath like it was a horse?”

Alexander laughed and at a gesture his bond leaped to join them, nuzzling at his shoulder and neck then after a few furtive glances at its bond also nosing and picking at Jewel’s scales with a tentative beak.

“Father recommended it and I have to agree!”

Jewel slowly offered strokes and scritches to the still smaller gryphon. Careful of the neck and ears just the way she was with Zephyrvam. The timidity soon melted into youthful enthusiasm and a delighted little cry as she reminded the still childish Gryphon that Jewel was family.

“The other riders might be able to burden their charges at this age and size. But Blizzardwrath needs more strength to carry my weight for more than a few hours. Perhaps next year.”

She sighed heavily at that. Jewel had been looking forward to sharing a flight with her brother!

“However! That is precisely why we walked with only a few short bounds unmounted to keep Blizzardwrath from getting bored. I promised we would fly when I arrived, but he can’t manage the weight of me for long so we walked.”

Jewel sniffed at the Gryphon a few times before fixing her brother.

“It, dear brother, Blizzardwrath has not matured enough, their scent is unsettled either way.”

Alexander stumbled a bit.

“It? You mean Blizzardwrath could end up female?! But all the instructors assured that he- it had matured to a fine drake-”

Jewel huffed hard enough it billowed both her brother’s beard and Blizzardwrath’s feathers.

“Your sister’s nose does not lie brother, Blizzardwrath has not settled yet. Which is fortunate as I expect it will grow quite a bit more for that.”

He laughed and shook his head.

“Far be it for me to question such a regal snout as my hound of a sister!”

Jewel frowned at the insult. But could not keep the grin from quickly splitting her face.

“Either way, the sex of Blizzardwrath hardly matters for the tack and rigging. You have your flying leathers packed?”

At Alexander’s nod Jewel nodded to her footmen to see to it.

They obeyed swiftly and adequately. Smithson’s own tutelage showing its merit and Alexander was responsibly watchful as Blizzardwrath stiffened at the approach of strangers. But the good mood and Jewel’s own gentle grooming seemed to have soothed any apprehension from the beast.

At her brother’s confirming nod they unloaded the garments and began attaching the harness straps of Blizzardwrath’s tack. Something which was obviously making the young Gryphon excited although it exercised the will and determination expected of its station very admirably.

Merely ruffling its feathers in waves of delight that only slightly inconvenienced the footmen.

Alexander rushed into the manor house to have his own riding kit and the rest of his luggage secured.

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Jewel sighed at that.

Wherever her brother had picked up that habit of carrying the entirety of his travel supplies and luggage on his own back she really wanted to admonish them. He at least still marched with guard and horse. But besides the feed for the other animals on the hackneys he was always hauling his own supplies, burdened like a mule and jangling with camp material.

It only took a few minutes for Alexander to get kitted for flight.

When he emerged in his Rochford black flight leathers the excitement that had been barely restrained in Blizzardwrath was bubbling over into excited wriggles and little just aborted hopping and bobbing of the head.

Finally, beak parted as her brother’s bond began to trill in excitement, completely forgetting about Jewel and the two unfortunate footmen that were trying to check the ties.

Jewel gently pressed the excitable gryphon down at its back, right in the place where the harnesses crossed. Where her brother would be tied down to secure him in the lee of the otherwise torrential winds which blew past a Gryphon in flight.

A soft coo from her throat, a gentle soothing tone as she had heard Honeydown make over Blizzardwrath’s egg.

It was enough to snap the Gryphon to look at her with a stilled shock.

Allowing the footmen to finish securing the main lines of the harness and settle them under the feathers, cinched close to the skin.

Then Alexander was there and Jewel was no longer needed to keep the excitable beast still. The excitement went from a jittering motion to an absolute stillness of anticipation as its rider swung into position in the small between the wings of its back.

Her brother scooted and shuffled himself around until the loose straps of his flight leathers were draped comfortably close to their complements. Out of the way of the primary flight feathers.

Jewel fussed at the neck collar of his helm. Making sure it was properly secured while the footmen did their duty of joining the loose straps of his armor to the rest of Blizzardwrath’s harness.

Her brother took up the proper posture for a scout. Almost laying forward in his kit. No place for a gryphon bow.

Something in her wyrmflame felt like it was overflowing inside her. Saturating not just her scales but the air immediately around her. The wind of Blizzardwrath mingled with that flow, already flexing the extent of the wake which would soon carry her brother up into the sky to join her.

Finally there was no more to check and Jewel could only barely stand the wait anymore.

It was still mid day, and even with the bite of winter they should both be able to manage a few hours in the sky.

“Brother, are you ready?”

He responded to her in the now almost stilted looking pattern of traditional Gryphon Cant.

‘Ready for flight’

Jewel responded with the Gryphon Cant for a clear and safe sky.

Then the excitement of the moment overwhelmed both her, Alexander and Blizzardwrath.

Gryphon and Dragon snapped their wings wide.

The wind roared as the wakes of each reached full extension.

Even still a fledgeling Blizzardwrath’s was wider than Jewel’s. But she didn't mind, The first wing beat was only just starting to arrest the weight of her brother and his steed.

Jewel was a full body length in the air before their second wingbeat.

By the third Blizzardwrath was falling below her.

The poor footmen had to crouch down into the ground to avoid being toppled in the wake of an ascending gryphon rider.

The snow of winter was a billowing storm that suited Blizzardwrath’s name.

Jewel was ahead, but her lightened body was soon failing to maintain her lead.

The others’ ascent only grew faster as her brother and the Gryphon gained on her in altitude. But she didn't mind, even past the howling wind she heard the booming trill of Blizzardwrath’s joy. Climbing with hungry devouring scoops of air past its wings as it fought with furious downdrafts to rise up to meet her.

She saw the joyous posture in her brother’s shoulders even as he was pressed close to the back of his bond, head nestled just right amidst the feathers so the wind blew around them in complement instead of fighting the currents.

By the twentieth wingbeat Jewel was struggling to keep up in her ascent with the young Gryphon.

And shortly after it was her turn to strive to win in a race with no purpose but the joy of flight in the crisp shining light of a winter’s afternoon.

Her arms spread and waved when she saw Alexander had lifted his head to survey their surroundings.

‘This way, Come look, sightings!’

She really needed to teach her brother the more versatile Flight Cant she had made with Father and the other flyers of the Army. Probably also the Valasek Far Cant. Although not all of it would be legible at flight distances even with a Gryphon Rider’s eyes.

But for now the simple signs and gestures made with wings and arms would suffice.

Her brother gestured agreement with her and Jewel spun and twisted in the air, swooping past the rushing arrow of Blizzardwrath before they could turn about.

Laughing with the wind at the Gryphon’s shocked cry of alarm.

It would seem that Jewel needed to spend some time teaching Blizzardwrath in spars just as much as she had done so with Alexander.

The thought of those exercises in the future filled her heart with an even fiercer light of Wyrmflame.

Her voice filled the winter skies in the sound of Jewel’s joy.