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Griffons Alight
Arassa Aerandor looked out over the amassing armies and hissed. They had fought against this rabble of vermin time and time again, and still, they kept coming back for more. Havenland had fallen victim to the Kadmian armies, and very soon, so would the rest of Sylvernas. "When will they learn we are not going to give in so easily?"

"They are covetous, daughter. They do not set themselves on learning things, only claiming all there is as their own." Derynos Aerandor rested a strong hand upon his brave daughter's shoulder and squeezed. "We will not fall to their whims so lightly."

"We can only stand against them for so much longer." Fallon muttered, testing the grip on his feathered spear. Younger than his sister by nearly half a life-time, he still had just as much knowledge as she when it came to battle. "Look there, over the rise. They have brought twice as many ships this time. How can we hope to last against such a force?"

Arassa lowered her sapphire glare to her brother, wishing she could measure him more accurately. He had entered into manhood during such dire circumstances, he was not even given a proper ceremony. He was tall for his age, and the recent battles had bore him a muscular build. Still, his patience was not yet as tempered as it should have been for a Griffon Rider.

"We will fight to the last, my son. It is our way." Derynos, the Lord of Aevalla, tilted his chin upward with pride, and urged his griffon off the cliff face. The last members of the royal house of Aerandor watched as their father's mount, a proud veteran griffon named Araguis, plummet for several dozen feet before spreading its mighty blue-black wings. Catching itself upon a current, it glided nearly the entire way down to the bay where the Kadmian ships were docking. Derynos, a war veteran himself, drew up his bow and whispered a spell of fire upon it. Losing the arrow, the tip caught fire, setting the ship's sails ablaze within a moment. Along the cliff, the other griffon riders followed in their Lord's path and took flight.

"To the last..." Fallon muttered into the winds, as he watched the Kadmian Works light up the dark evening sky. All around the invading armies, his mighty clansmen fought astride fierce griffons, bonded to them as one spirit. The magical blasts from the enemy canons lit and struck down several of his kinsmen. "To the last."

Gripping the reigns of his beloved mount, he urged her forward and took the cliff. The winter wind howled in his ears, temporarily deafening him from the explosive sounds of the Works. He closed his eyes and let his griffon take charge.