Chapter 6

Completely awestruck I stepped back from the Roch, all the other creatures were now standing completely still.

The trainer hollered over to me "Your father is waking up, I think he's going to be okay!" Backing away from the animals, because there was no way that just happened. I jumped the fence on the enclosure and rushed over to father, he was already sitting up enraged by what had happened. Quietly, so as not to upset him in case his head still hurt I said "all the animals are calm down father would you like me to put them back in the barn for the night?" Slowly while I was speaking father got up off the ground holding his head. "Yeah, yeah that's fine. I need a drink and get away from me filthy animal!" He said looking right at me.

Walking towards the house rubbing his neck and shoulder, he loudly dismissed our part time trainer for the rest of the day.

Leaving the creatures out in the enclosure since their exercises in training were finished for the day, I wasn't ready to confront what had happened earlier just yet so I let them stay out and roam around.

Clearly they were just fine with that, watching from afar I could see the young ones playing together. I went back to the horse barn and finish cleaning out the remaining stalls. By the time I was finished it was late in the afternoon and I could hear commotion happen out in the distance. I could see smoke someone must've had to burn down one of their older buildings so they could keep an eye on it while it burned happen all the time on these older generational lands where the buildings were falling apart.

I fell up the green buckets and he bails for the horses so that when they Came back in that evening they would eat and I could lock up the barns again. Keeping the horses and creatures in the barns at night was the safest option some people at their dragons are on the outer farms at night and would eat the animals if they stayed outside without anyone to watch over them. Most farms, kept flocks of sheep in the outer fields not only for them to eat but to keep all the remaining dragons fed and happy.

Not really ready to deal with what had happened between myself and the young Roch, I still had to go over and get them put in the barn before it got too late. Closing the barn door that went out to our courtyard, I walked through the creature barn out to their enclosure.

They had all congregated at the far end of the enclosure, both the Roch and Griffins, as if they were having a very serious discussion this was not normal behavior for them, at least not anything I have ever seen before.

Standing as tall and brave as I could seem, I whistled and hollered for them to come in. Stopping to the side they won by one walked past me into the barn, I did not hear a single sound or word. Eindride was standing over by the opening to his stall, so he could be nearby in case I needed his help but out of the way. Each of the creatures walked into their respective stalls like they had done for years now, turned around and started talking to each other something I had never heard before, they weren't just squawking or growling this was actual words, actual conversations. After having shut the barn door to their enclosure, I'm just standing there completely dumbfounded mouth hanging wide open. Clear as day one Griffin says to another "You think he's got his mouth open to catch a fly or do you think he's going to close it!" The other Griffin didn't say anything but he made this sound kind of like squawking but you could tell he was laughing, that was a sound I had heard so many times before now I understood.

Walking up and close in each of the stall doors, I pretended I didn't actually hear them talking, filling the evening grain buckets, and gave them each a good chunk of meat in another clean bucket, I handed a chunk of meat to Eindride so he wouldn't feel left out. The young Roch from before, looked at me before digging into his food said "We going to talk about what you are Birger or are you going to keep ignoring it?"

Instead of acknowledging the Roch, I picked up a brush and started cleaning up in Eindride, he hated when I brushed him but he let me anyways, this time, he turned and looked at me very annoyed "Birg, you going to keep ignoring Asger or are you going to talk about this?"

"Eindride, there is nothing to talk about!" Getting very upset with Eindride, I started brushing him again but this time I was brushing more harshly than needed, Eindride stepped back away from me so we could stand toe to toe but I'm like my dad, I could hear what he was saying to me because of our bond, and did not stand down when he started speaking.

"Birger, Do not be ridiculous like the rest of these humans, we all, the creatures and myself included could feel the shift in the air when you stepped back into that enclosure. You know well enough that most people would not have jumped back into that training area more concerned about the animals than your human counterparts. Now I know how you feel about your father but you were still more worried about Asger, than him or the other trainer. Now quit ignoring this and go talk to Asger because we all know you heard him speaking to you, so do not be stupid and waste this gift that's been given to you."

Pushing me back with a nozzle as, I gave in he was so right. Why would I waste such a cool opportunity to learn, make my family proud and do something worthwhile, but boy did I hate it when he was right.

Sighing I turned around bowed, I looked at Eindride first, looking at him help me keep my cool. "I'm sorry, Eindride you are right I did hear Asger speak, but can you blame me for being more than a little freaked out by the whole thing!"

More calm about what I was going to say next I relaxed and finally stepped back from Eindride and walked around to Asger's stall.

During all of this he had already finished most of his meat bucket, so I grabbed a small piece from the gutbucket bucket and throwing it on the top, I bought him him directly and I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for ignoring you earlier, I was more than a little disturbed by the fact that I can hear you all talking."

Asger bowed back, let me speak and replied "Don't worry about it Birg, we've got plenty of time to figure this all out, but I was getting worried that I was going to have to knock some sense into you like your father. Sorry about all that by the way, I don't normally like to make a big scene but it seemed like a good day and I've had about enough of what I can take from your father!" Shaking his head at the end, Asger and pretty upset about the way everything was.

"Asger, I asked you earlier what I could do to help but it seems like there is more going on than I realize would you care to share or is that going to be too much?"

Tilting his head in with a confused look he said "Do you really mean that Birg? Not that I've ever really gotten a chance to talk to any humans but you really want to know what happens with your father training us, Eindride you were right you've got a pretty special kid here!" " pull up a bucket kid this might take a little bit" One of the other griffins said to me.

So that is exactly what I did, sitting down I listened for what seemed a couple hours, Eindride finally got tired of standing himself and sat down next to me and we listened together while I played with one of his wings, he never like to admit it but he liked it when I did that.

The stories they all told sure sounded like my father at least how he treated me, but I had always thought father had at least been nicer to our animals, creature and horse alike, clearly I was very wrong.

We finished up and I let them finish their dinners I said good night and to Meijer surprise had a course of good nights right back at me, which put a huge smile on my face, locking up both barns I walked back to the house. Expecting to walk in and see mom finishing dinner for us, and dad passed out since he had started drinking much earlier today than usual.

Instead, I came in and immediately hear her knock on the front door. Rushing to the door, I opened it to find the village elders and a few members of the Turgot family "Mr.Aumont is your father around?" "I just came in from the barns I'm sure he's here, come in but please not them" pointing to the Turgot family members that were standing there.

"Sorry, Mr. Aumont they will be coming in, we are here to arrest your father for the murder of Einar the patriarch of the Turgot family!"

" what murder, he's most likely been in his office all afternoon pulling off a bottle of whiskey no way he left the house to do something to one of those slimy bags!"

With a disgusted look on my face, I pointed at the members of the Turgot family that were now standing in my home. Out of nowhere walking out of the back office, while wiping off his hands with a rag what is my father " what's going on out here and what is this about Turgots in my house?" To my surprise father was still sober, and this late at night what a surprise.

Mother comes down the stairs like she was waking up from a nap, she didn't look like she felt very good. With a loud voice that was not really necessary with such cramped quarters one of the village elders stated "Aart Aumont, patriarch of the Aumont family you are hereby arrested, will be tried and if found guilty will be hung for the murder of Einar Turgot, patriarch of the Turgot family!"

In a quick scramble the members of the Turgot that were there rushed to my father and all grabbed him at once, and taking him away to who knows where.

The elders then turned and looked at me, Birger Aumont we here and now name you the sole heir and patriarch to the Aumont family name and to all it's sole proprieties!"

They've been all turned and left leaving mother and I standing there dumbfounded and staring at each other.