[Chr24] A Royal Mission

he cool crisp air felt like needles against Griffith’s skin, how he found himself traveling in the middle of winter to the spirit tree was beyond him as he usually spent these cold winters at his family's villa. It was unusual for the ‘buck to be doing anything for another, let alone being outside his home during this time of year however, his bond with his mother overruled his usual selfish nature and judgment towards these types of tasks. She had asked of him to take one of her beloved plants to the spirit tree, as this was a special type of plant called Sweei that could only grow during a certain time of year with the help of the spirit tree water. Despite not being one for company his mother had urged him to at least take their family pet as company. With him, he traveled with Mercedes, a beautifully maintained and groomed frosty vulpip belonging to his mother. While he was not fond of animals, he could appreciate knowing his mother trusted him with one of her prized possessions. The two traveled in silence, Mercedes enjoying the time out in the snow, pouncing and burying herself under the snow occasionally, looking for a tasty treat or creature within the snow to toy with. She never strayed too far from Griffith however, regardless of the status of their relationship she was fiercely loyal to his mother and therefore felt a bond towards the male as well even if it did just stim from her loyalty and love for his mother. Snow crunched beneath the blonde’s feet as they approached where the spirit tree grew, however as the male ‘buck glanced around at his surroundings one thing stood out to him- even with the small amount of visits he had made to the tree within his life he had never once seen the place so empty. While the ‘buck rarely found himself in situations where he felt fear, the eerie feeling of the usually populated area now empty couldn’t help but make it feel as though his fur was standing up. His companion also found herself frozen in place, her head high as her ears flicked back and forth, as though she was hearing something Griffith had yet to pick up on. As he grew closer to the water, a sudden rustling behind him startled him “Whos there?!” he demanded in a harsh tone. Suddenly the sound of feathers could be heard- and he was surprised to see a Glacial Twiwa coming into view, there was no doubt in his mind this was the twiwa named Nocturne he had been raised around since birth, always acting and doing as it pleased instead of listening to anyone. As Nocturne approached the two, the feeling as though something else was watching soon returned, Griffith and Mercedes continued towards the tree as Nocturne did as he pleased and flew around probably looking for something to eat. As they grew closer, the air grew stagnant, and the sound of rustling in the snow could be heard when a giant growl soon echoed through the area. The blonde swiftly looked in the direction the sound came from and there before his eyes was a Krampus! He had assumed these creatures were only from a fairytale, however the visual before him was far less. The sound of quick steps could be heard in another direction as the words ‘RUN!’ were shouted out by someone unknown. Griffith did not need much more convincing other than that and with Mercedes by his side, they darted off in the opposite direction. Soon he heard the sounds of running joining beside him, as multiple other bucks came into view “What is that?!” he exclaimed as he ran. One of the ‘bucks beside him spoke up first, his voice deeper “We’re trying to capture that creature, im sure you already have an idea of what it is” he said ‘before you came in and ruined the trap’ he added flatly. Griffith let out an annoyed humph at the other ‘bucks attitude but he for once was too focused on running to snap back at him. Once it seemed as though there was some distance between the Krampus and the group, one of the bucks turned around to face the creature, lightning manifesting and booming down towards the creature from the buck startling it. “NOW!” his voice boomed, and another buck that had not been in sight yet appeared from an area behind the Krampus, the vines around her body warped and extended, suddenly some more growing from the ground and wrapping around the Krampus legs. While the Krampus growled and struggled the other mystery buck that had yet to speak pointed what seemed to be a tranquilizer at the creature and while the ‘buck with evergreen held it down it gave a clear shot to the silent female and she fired. “Good” the male buck said, turning to face Griffith who had stopped to watch the sight before him. “Apologies for the interruption, I’m Malik and the two with me are Tempest and Elvira. Tempest is the one who tranqed the Krampus and Vera is the other” Malik said, his tail flicking to the side as he watched the Krampus ‘buck struggling before the tranq kicked in. “We got what we came for, so if you’ll excuse us I believe you should head home while we clean up here.” Griffith looked at the white and grey-furred buck before him, narrowing his eyes “Who the hell do you think you're in charge of- bossing me around? I’ll have you know I’m a part of a royal bloodline, I don't take orders from nothing like you.” Malik laughed at the blonde, his eyes locking with Griffiths “Unless you want to be here when the Krampus wakes back up I suggest you listen to me.” Tempest looked at Griffith and grinned, liking his attitude and also wasn't one to take orders but the payout for this job was too good for her not to take and listen to some degree. While Griffith usually did not listen to orders, he did not want to be around when that creature woke back up so for once in his life he opted to listen to another. Without saying another word the blonde turned away from the scene and the spirit tree and began to walk back to head home, Mercedes still trailing beside him. Halfway through the trek back he suddenly realized not only did he not get the water for the plant for his mother he seemed to have lost it as well “Shit!” he mumbled to himself, looking down at Mercedes and his ears flickering with annoyance “don't suppose you could go back for it.” he said half jokingly when suddenly the sound of a twiwa flapping could be heard- it was Nocturne! And better yet to Griffith's surprise his mother's plant in the glacial twiwa’s claws, intact and in the pot with the spirit tree water in it. “Oh you bastard” he said, reaching out to take the plant and pot from the twiwa “I’ll get the servants to feed you extra today.” in his own way giving a reward to the twiwa, while he would never praise another he was familiar with the idea of rewarding those who did well by him. Eventually, the three of them arrived back at Griffith's family home, his mother was joyous that her son completed the task for her. Griffith opted out of telling his mother all that happened that day and went to bed dreaming of Krampus he once only thought was within the stories in the books he used to read.