The Land of Green and Gold Part II: Silence

Chapter 1: New Troubles

Note: Sooo I changed book 1 a lot and moved the beginning chapters of Silence over to it, which means Silence now needs a new beginning. So until I've written a new beginning, I'll keep this chapter up in its place. Sorry if you're coming over from the newer version of Flight! The cut chapters introduced the new characters you'll see here (and they'll be introduced in the rewrite of the new beginning. Eventually.)

Alright, enough from me. Enjoy!

***

The next several days were spent traveling. Griffin had decided to aim for the place the Clintston Elder said Forest Band had been planning on journeying to next, but the spriggan felt utterly lost in the vast expanse of the Green Forest. Thankfully the older wisp called Gilda had said she knew how to get to Merneya and could lead them there. They'd been travelling for quite awhile now, however, and Griffin was starting to grow a bit doubtful toward the the old wisp's navigating skills.

"Are we almost there?" Griffin questioned, drawing up alongside Gilda.

The woman chuckled and smiled warmly at him. "We'll get there when we get there, dear. Don't you worry!"

"But...are you sure we're going in the right direction?" he inquired further, glancing at their surroundings. The trees all looked the same to him.

"Oh, pretty sure, dear. Pretty sure."

The wisp began to stoop down next to some bushes. "Ah, my back. Guess I'm not as young as I used to be." She proceeded to pluck something from the leaves.

"What are you doing?" Griffin questioned.

"Why, eating a snack of course. I'm hungry!" The wisp popped a berry into her mouth. "I can't believe there's still berries on these shrubs!"

Griffin sighed. "Alright. I guess we're stopping for a quick snack break. Again."

"Someone else initiating a halt on the band's progression?" a voice commented. "Such a sorry show of leadership, I'd say. Someone else, perhaps I, should be leader."

Griffin stifled another sigh and turned to glance at the speaker. It was a sylph around Ash's age with slicked back dark hair, mint-green wings, and light brown eyes. The sylph had joined the morning Moonlight Band had left the capital and hadn't stopped voicing his opinions of "sophistication" and "proper leadership" since he'd joined.

"Sir, it's not a big deal. Please just go eat some berries," Griffin ordered tiredly.

The sylph's name was another one of his...exhausting idiosyncrasies.

"My name is Sir Cadis ez Barda eim Atkin oor Jesper dehn Tybaut. The third," he had introduced. Griffin had decided to just call him "Sir".

The green-winged sylph strode primly over to the bushes where the others had gathered.

"Hi, Sir!" Pounce greeted. She cocked her head, as if just thinking of something. "Sir, can I ask you a question?"

The sylph dipped his head. "You may."

"Why's your name so long?"

"Pounce!" Griffin protested, hoping as he looked over at the sylph that the Elder would not be offended.

"What? I'm curious!" Pounce defended.

Griffin sighed. Thankfully the sylph didn't look in the least bit offended.

"As with all sophisticated names," Sir began proudly, daintily plucking a berry to inspect, "my name holds great symbolism and meaning. Each name represents a past Master I have ingeniously defeated. The titles in between each name are words stolen from a human's book, highlighting my cleverness and strength."

"What about your last title?" Pounce questioned. "You know, 'the third' part?"

Sir nodded solemnly. "Ah, yes. That part is the most vital part for all names: it concludes your title with a sophisticated ring."

"Suddenly my name sounds very boring," Night Shade commented drily.

"Dat ees too much for me," Celadon decided.

"Yeah, shorter names are better," Solar agreed.

Sir shook his head disdainfully, selecting another berry to examine. "Quite a sad thing to hear. Your ears may be ignorant today, but perhaps someday you will be enlightened to the great sophistication of names such as mine." He tossed the berry away and chose yet another berry to scrutinize.

Griffin sighed and sat on a squat boulder to wait for his band to finish their snack.

"You alright?" Fern asked quietly, sitting down next to him.

"Yeah." Griffin ran a hand through his hair, trying to brush out his frustration. "I'm the leader of Moonlight Band and yet no one listens to me! I don't know how Wolf did it. Then again, he didn't have to worry about a self-absorbed sylph and a hyper naiad."

Fern followed her friend's eyes to the bushes where Cyanus was chasing Taru around the bushes and Sir was still inspecting his berry.

"Are these black or blue? I can't tell," the sylph spoke up with a frown.

"Blue, I believe," Ash replied.

"I suppose that'll have to do," Sir sighed, resigning himself to eating the berry--along with another handful more.

"Well, you've only been leader for like 4 days," Fern reminded. "And more than half of the band is new. It'll probably just take time for them to start listening to you."

Griffin nodded. "You're right. Thanks, Fern." The spriggan stood up. "And besides--what's a few snacks?"

Fern giggled and joined him to pick some berries.

***

The band traveled on for a little bit longer after they'd had their fill of berries, then settled down in a small copse for the night.

"Do you think it's going to rain?" Pounce questioned, gazing inquisitively up at the sky. The clouds glared back down at them, thick, gray, and ominous.

"Perhaps we should put up a tent," Ash suggested. "We can make clothes out of magic. It stands to reason we could do the same for a simple tent."

"Good idea!" Griffin agreed, though he was a bit put off that someone else had suggested it first. "I'll make a couple."

It took a few tries but eventually Griffin succeeded in forming three decently-sized tents, leaving him drained and exhausted.

Sir fingered one, nose wrinkled slightly in distaste. "Black? Quite an unattractive color, but I suppose it'll do."

"Leave it to Griffin to make them all black," Fern joked.

Griffin forced a tight smile. "Let's eat a quick meal so that we won't get caught out in the rain."

Before he could order someone to pass out some fruits and bread, the others instantly swarmed the grass bags Fern had made to hold the produce in.

"I guess that works too," he grumbled.

"Hey, don't worry too much about it," Fern assuaged, overhearing him. She handed him an apple and a piece of rye bread. "They're not doing it to spite you."

"I know." Griffin sighed and let the hurt feelings dissolve, allowing himself to enjoy the food and the company of his friend.