Niata

With dark hair that fell halfway to her waist and dark blue eyes deeper than the ocean, Niata was an uncommon beauty in a too-common world. Daughter of Ice High Aerie's head baker, she was just an ordinary girl. Her father had taught her all he knew about baking, and to his credit, she took to it like a seadragon to water. She had the patience to do the time-consuming details on fine pastries, but enjoyed taking her aggressions out while kneading bread. It was no wonder that she had more upper body strength than other girls her age.

Unfortunately for her (so thought the aerie) she'd been raised without a significant female figure in her life. Niata had plenty of women to help raise her, and knew everything about being a proper lady - though she chose to employ absolutely none of it.

At 18, she still spent her evenings wrestling with her male cousins. It was no wonder she was so revered among them; she could pin any one of them, even at a mere 5'7". Of course, she wore her hair tightly braided, and anyone who succeeded in pulling it anyway was severely punished - before they left the mat.

With a mind like a steel trap, a quick tongue, she was ready for anything.

It didn't come as a surprise to her when one of her many companions bonded a gryphon - or even a dragon - because she knew their characters so well. Even though she'd lost them as playmates, she hadn't lost them as friends. Gryphonners had to eat too, and a fresh loaf was always appreciated.

* * *

Niata was hard at work mixing the heavy rye flour into the dough when Mother Yence stopped at the door of the Kitchen. "Girl, tell me your name again - I'm afraid I've forgotten."

Niata smiled kindly but not condescendingly at the elderly gryph. "My name is Niata, Mother Yence. I'm Glyn's daughter."

"Ah yes." The gryph said. "Carry on Niata. The Gryphonners do so love your baking."

It didn't strike her oddly at the time that Yence herself had come to ask her name, but the unusually high number of gryphs passing down that particular hallway and lingering at the door made her suspicious.

After the first half dozen or so, Niata began to look up at them, smiling, and greeting them by name. The other bakers were awed not only by her recognition of so many of the Hall's residents, but by the pleasantness she addressed them with, even though it was becoming rather annoying that they just kept right on coming.

"I'd've started yelling hours ago!" one said as he took some bread from the oven.

"Taniel, you yell at everyone." Niata laughed. "I'd wager you'd yell at Mother Yence."

Another baker gasped.

"Mayhaps, but Yence would yell back." Taniel said defiantly.

"You just hope so." Niata countered. "You haven't the courage to find out."

"Yes I have!"

"Sure Taniel, by the time you work up the guts to yell at the Aerie Mother, she'll be some young'n that counters by taking a bite out of your scrawny hide!" Niata said with a smirk.

"Yence would take a bite out of him, but it'd put her off males for the rest of her life!" Blix said from the doorway.

Niata grinned at the red gryphon. "We wouldn't want that, now would we, Blix?" Niata said, naming the Aerie Mother's mate without a moment of hesitation.

"Not at all." Blix said with a parting of the beak that was a gryph-style smile. "Yence's holding out for another set of twins, I think." None of the other twins really has enough of what it takes to lead the Aerie - that was common knowledge.

"Is Yence hoping, or are you, Blix?" Niata asked with a sly wink.

Blix laughed. "I'm not telling." He said with an audible smirk before moving on.

"Niata!" one girl exclaimed when he was out of earshot. "I can't believe you! Talking like that with him!"

Niata shrugged. "Just because he's Mother Yence's mate doesn't make him any less male." Niata responded calmly.

"If you hadn't noticed, Niata, you're a woman." Someone said.

Niata afforded them with an irritated look. "So?" she said.

"The way you carry on, you may as well be one, Niata."

"You're nesting with ants, child." Glyn said, stepping in to check on the baking.

"Sure, old man, defend your boyish daughter." The snippy one said.

"Niata can watch out for herself." Glyn said, with perhaps a note of pride in his voice. "Perhaps you should watch out for yourself before Niata makes you eat those words."

"Niata hasn't got the guts to even touch me."

Niata smirked at her father and laid her arm around the crabby cook's shoulders. She'd come across the kitchen so quietly they hadn't even noticed. "Think again." Niata said, and the cook went pale. The gryph at the doorway chuckled and moved on.

"Hey!" yelled Taniel. "Wait a second!" The baker boy ran out and after the gryph.

Niata went back to work after stopping to wash the stink of fear from her hands. Taniel returned with a satisfied smile on his face.

"So what's the story Taniel?" Niata asked, sliding the last round loaf into the oven.

"Sorry Ni; I've been sworn to secrecy." The boy was obviously nervous. He knew Niata could and would pound it out of him, yet his curiosity hadn't permitted him not to find out.

"I can respect that." Niata said. "If it's important enough to swear you, of all people, to secrecy, it's going to be some surprise. And I'll wait."

Taniel visibly relaxed. "You're not going to coax it out of me?"

"Oh, no." Niata said. "I'll wait. Meanwhile, I get to say hi to all the gryphs. If they knew I knew what was going on, they'd stop coming."

"I wish I knew what was going on." Jenx said, stopping as he walked past. "There's so much commotion…"

Taniel laughed. "If you really want to know, I'll tell you Jenx." The baker said.

"Thanks, but no." the small gryph said. "I've got to convince Derrle to go home for the winter instead of staying here… besides, I'll find out soon enough." He said with a smile.

Niata grinned. "You've known the secret for all of three minutes, and you're bursting at the seams already?"

"What good is a secret you can't tell?" Taniel said with a sigh.

"What kind of secret is it if everybody knows?" Niata countered.

"Oh. I hadn't thought of it that way." Taniel said.

"So what's for dinner?" Niata asked, hailing the cooks on the cool side of the kitchen.

"Chili!" came the exuberant reply.

"Good!" Niata called back.

"And hot, like you like it!" someone called from out of sight.

"Chilly chili." Taniel chuckled. Niata laughed too.

"What's so funny?" Mirenex asked from the doorway.

"Chilly chili, Mirenex." Niata replied with a somewhat straight face.

"Terren will be glad to hear it's chilly tonight. He'll be chili when it starts snowing again after sunset."

"Snow? Again?" Taniel whined.

"Indeed." Said the gryph. "And there's so much going on."

Niata nodded as though she knew, and the gryphon continued on his way.

* * *

Niata was just starting the desserts when Kace and Lanice came down that hall, chattering. They didn't stop, but a heartbeat or so later, Kace reappeared in the doorway. "Niata? Has Jenx been down this way?"

Niata smiled. "Half an hour ago. He said something about convincing Derrle to go home."

Kace nodded. "Thanks much." She said, and continued on.

"Did you see that?" Taniel exclaimed. "They were wearing messenger silks!"

Niata shrugged noncommittally. "They're the Mother's messengers." She said. "Would it be a big deal if I was wearing an apron?"

"Um… Niata? You are wearing an apron…" Taniel said.

"My point exactly." Niata said.

"Oh." Was all Taniel said.

* * *

After the well-seasoned (and quite warm) dinner, Mother Yence called together the Hall. "As you may have heard, there's something big happening here." She paused and looked around at the assembled. "We have been in contact with Aeries all over Alskyr, and have arranged a sort of bonder-exchange. This means that some of the youths of Belrin Isle that would have come to Ice High will be going elsewhere, and youths from other isles will be coming to add more spice to things here. I ask that you all welcome them with glad hearts."

The assembled chewed on this for a moment. "Who will be the first to go?" A small green asked curiously.

"I thought you'd never ask." Yence replied. "We have selected one bright girl as our first representative. We're positive she has the potential to bond, should she have the chance. She'll be headed to Furtim Aerie, should she accept."

"And just who is she?" the same gryph asked.

"Niata." The Mother said clearly and proudly.

When the shocked noise died down, Niata stood up. "Mother Yence; I accept."

* * *

After an intense argument, Red Blix ended up bringing Niata to the Volucris Mountain Range. It was much warmer there, but it was an Aerie just the same. Niata didn't mind; in fact she felt right at home. Now all she needed was someone to wrestle with.