S-Rakhamat-Adult-2

EDIT: The darkness of this picture has been bothering me FOREVER so I finally updated it. You should actually be able to see everything now!
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It was supposed to have been a routine raid. The Queen wanted her to prove her mettle as a Madadh, and so she was to take a fellow Skrekrill with her and go give the Grandesque louts something else to squawk about. Her thoughts had immediately gone to Valcauroch upon hearing her assignment. He was a strong fighter, and his size alone was enough to deter most attackers. She may have had ulterior motives for taking him with her (spending real time on a Skrekrill mission with a handsome drake like Valcaur was certainly nice), but he was good company and she knew she could rely on him if things got ugly.

They had flown in as the sun was setting-- grey hour. It was the best time for surprise attacks, as their prey would have difficulty focusing in the strange light. And ah, what prey they had found! On top of an excellent supper provided by the fat animals that roamed the rich Grandesque grazing lands, they had stumbled across an equally fat and ripe-for-the-picking Grandesque fool wandering alone, far from the main part of the aerie. The other gryphon was distracted, muttering to himself and fiddling with the golden chain around his neck. Rakhamat's hackles rose just at the sight of him-- a Faclair, no doubt. A worthless, stupid Grandesque lump that relied on the "lower" citizens to keep him glutted and happy. When she signaled the other drake to Valcaur's attention, he had smirked. Easy pickings.

The Grandesque had been much larger than she had thought from the air. A swoop from Valcauroch showed her that the grey tiger-falcon below her was nearly as big as her companion. A blow from the creature's oddly small paw tipped Valcauroch off-balance, and, to her surprise, a battle began on the ground. The Grandesque let out a screeching roar and lunged for Valcaur, shouting about something he was protecting. She wondered idly if the greedy thing had stored a horde of treasure out here, far from the others. If so, they could follow his scent and find it, to bring every ounce of precious metal and food back to Maud for the glory of Skrekrill. She was brought back to attention by a grunt of pain from Valcaur as the two drakes got into a shoving match-- and Valcaur was on the defensive, it seemed.

Her comrade needed help. Quickly, despite her better judgment, she dropped from her idle circling in the darkening sky and dove for the face of the Grandesque with her talons outstretched. Treasure or not, the tiger-drake was desperate and fought like a wild animal that had been cornered.

It was supposed to be a routine raid.
It had become yet another skirmish in a growing war.

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Rakhamat is mine
Valcauroch belongs to *Ciameth
Giovanni belongs to ~FootyBandit

Feedback, especially on the shading and color tone on this piece, is much appreciated.

I hid an easter egg in the picture.
GOLD STAR FOR ANYONE WHO FINDS IT

Tired now. So very, very tired.