An Audience with the Mother

[Herald_of_Fate]

The Sphinx Zazielio soared high above the forest where the Guard, Thanatos, Kraven, and the others were gathered, his hawk-keen green eyes taking in the scene below. Though the humans seemed on edge, the werefox and Anabel seemed calm as did Kraven. A well-ordered mind, that one had to be sure, Zazielio mused as he began his slow, winding, circular descent into the midst of the now moving parties, his high level telepathy brushing across their minds and alerting them of his presence, seeking to soothe the humans. Sphinxes and humans had a bit of rough history; in times past, the hunted Sphinxes had often become maneaters out of self defense and though it'd been years since the last bit of violence between the two races, the sentiment among humans was still one of suspicion. He landed gracefully slightly ahead of the column, watched in near statue-like stillness as they cam to a halt, the Guard troops bristling as they formed a defensive perimeter around the massive predator. The Sphinx's tail flicked in agitation at the display. His booming mental voice would issue forth then, rocking all but the stoutest of them back on their heels. "Do not brandish your stickers at me, fools! If I wished to dine on your fragile bones, I could have picked you off one at a time from the sky," his mind bellowed, a deep snarl and slight raising of the upper lip revealing the sharpened teeth in his maw. "I come at my master Eijin's behest to speak to the Mother. As my master serves her, I do as well." His feline body would stretch and bow low, a mean feat for a 900lbs cat. "Master Eijin humbly request an audience with you upon your return, my Lady."

A slight sniff alerted him further to the Algerothian's presence and he hissed deep in his throat. The Sphinxes considered themselves the guardians of secrets, their incredible longevity going beyond that of all but the most ancient of Dystopia's creatures. Zazielio himself, though a cub when Eijin claimed him, was well over a millenia old but was like more than a toddler by Sphinx standards. It was because they remembered everything they learned that the Algerothians sought them out and often imprisoned them. Even her mount posed little threat, mystical though it was. Still remembering his mission, he stopped his threat display."I apologize, Mistress. Algerothians raise my ire...the seekers are fools and not to be trusted. They seek what should never be found. I implore you not to allow her to wander free. I might make a meal of her otherwise." He sat back on his haunches, his head high, his crest and mane flowing in the wind. "What word do you wish me to carry back to my master?" The Sphinx's face was a mask of quiet concentration, the other gathered seeming to no longer exist to him.