Raelith, Starlit and Onyx tributes: Galyx

Three stryx and their riders were gathered at the Galyx hunting ground in the early hours of the morning, the sun having only just rose to greet the sky. Raelith, Starlit and Onyx, along with their respective riders Starlight, Eluvien and Ternen were checking their tack, weapons, claws and feathers, in order to be ready to meet the requirements the elders would set out for the hunt.

Raelith and Starlit were grateful they’d been paired with Onyx, so the three of them would not be forced to try and work with strangers. The three stryx were dealing with having to wait for the assigned prey very differently. Raelith was grooming her feathers anxiously, Starlit was standing quietly, completely zen and not finding the need to talk, while Onyx was hopping around full of go-go-go energy and having to wait was ruffling his feathers in the way that made him want to take out the excess annoyance and energy on any stryx that dared to look at him too long.

Thankfully for the other competitors none of them did decide to look in Onyx’s direction, to absorbed with their own preparations and thoughts. All too soon the elders arrived, five stryx of all types, adorned with the skulls, teeth and shimmering scales of the wondrous and powerful creatures they’d hunted. 

One by one each of the twenty groups were assigned their prey animal that they needed to hunt in time for the feast, to celebrate Galyx’ bounty. Blue of the early morning sun had changed to purple, and then orange as the sun came peeking on the horizon, just as the last group was given their assigned prey. 

Raelith, Onyx and Starlit had been one of the few groups assigned a water based prey. When Raelith heard that the prey they needed to catch was a river pike Raelith blew a sigh of relief.

She’d always loved soaring on the coastal winds and was actually proficient at catching fish in all manner of ways and places. So the specifically sized river pike their group was to catch made her excited that she could actually be of use this time!

The was a flurry of last minute tack, saddle and other checks by the stryx’s riders, as the group discussed which prey to go after first.Eventually all the checking was complete and the group had decided they should set off quickly.. Being that river pike were most active during sunrise and sunset, now was the perfect time to hunt one. And so Raelith and Starlight, Onyx and Ternen and Starlit and Eluvien set off into the wilds to hunt their fishy quarry.

None of the stryx knew the area very well, but Starlit had prodigious skill in scouting. Starlit led the group over the pine trees, almost an hour into temperate forest, and it was then that the group noticed Starlit had been following the tiny streams she could see between the trees even in the low light of dawn. Soon enough the group emerged at a large well fed river, the perfect place to hunt for fish, specifically Pike, and a large one if they could manage it. 

Onyx was further down the river, where Ternen was trying to get him to stop diving at the first sign of  fish and be patient, to no avail. As the morning moved on, Onyx was getting more and more impatient, his early almost-caught attempts morphed into mostly angry splashing as the fish continued to elude him. 

Starlit and Raelith, with their riders Eluvien and Starlight holding a net and spear respectively from where they were seated in the stryx’s saddles, were having more success. The large wingspan’s of the two gryphs meant that they could glide high and silent, while their keen eyes tracked the fish just beneath the surface. But it was the patience of Starlit and Raelith that paid off. Instead of diving the moment they spotted a fish, they waited longer to see if it was a pike, and if not they did not try and catch it. This way the fish in the upper part of the river were not as wary as those where Onyx was stationed. 

After a long while, the pike Starlit had spotted moved closer to the river edge, and the group sprung into action. Starlit dove and Eluvien was ready with the net even though no words were spoken. The net landed and tangled up the long pike’s body and fins. The fish splashed and twisted frantically for a moment before it attempted to dive into the deeper waters at the rivers center. But Raelith showed her knowledge here and was already covering the area the pike would want to dive to. A lightning fast dive to the surface of the water facilitated Starlights spear hitting it’s mark, and the spear found purchase in the pike’s flesh. Starlight held on to the spear and the wilding thrashing fish, helped by Raelith counterbalancing it’s thrashing, until Starlit and Eluvien arrived. Starlit’s deft claws came to grip the net and ensure it was closed, and after exchanging nods that they were ready Raelith and Starlight rose as one, their large fishy prize thrashing weakly between them as they landed on the riverbank.

On noting the commotion further up the river Onyx and Ternen both looking, in time to watch the two stryx and their riders catch a truly massive pike together. “Of course, you know I let them catch the fish.” Was Onyxs’ response to the scene, chest puffed up slightly before he settled them while giving Ternen a smug look,  “You are always telling me to let other people try to do the thing’s i’m very accomplished at. So they can have a chance to feel even a little bit as awesome as myself. I did just that, you should praise me.”

“That is true, you are the most accomplished and considerate stryx i’ve ever known.” Was Ternen’s response to Onyx’s preening words. Onyx did not hear or chose not to hear the dry tone in which Ternen delivered the praise, and hopped over to help the others arrange the fish in a way that was easier to carry. 

Even though the pike was very large, and Onyx comparatively quite small the hawk was utterly determined to be the one to carry the fish back to the feast site. Outwardly he said it was because the others had caught it, so he should be helpful to the group and carry it. Inwardly it was because if others saw him carrying the fish to the grounds, they would probably assume he was the one that put in the most work to catch it, and the thought soothed his ego enough so that the rather long journey back to the feast site was not so arduous. 

Eventually when the group returned to the feast site, morning was almost over. At the cheers and exclamations from the few other participants who had finished their hunt already, a tired Onyx was bolstered, and if his landing was a bit more flashy and flamboyant than normal, well that was just because of the pike in his talons throwing off his balance.