History:
Great granddaughter of the flock leader she was seen as a black sheep, her mother's tryst with a handsome Cerynei buck resulting in her single basket. Her mother's perceived failing in mating with one outside of hippogryph blood, particularly when she was the prized beauty of all the grandchildren was a large blemish for the flock leader's line. Especially when the resulting progeny turned out to be so disturbingly large and clumsy. They did not shun her mother. All young birds make mistakes, however, Ciris was seen as a dark mark and treated less than kindly. She was after all only a half breed, or less given her strange amalgamation of her mother's looks and her father's. She was raised in a strict environment, knowing that she was not loved and adored as her mother was. Even so she found the joy in life in the flock.
Soon though there was talk of a desired alliance with another more vicious flock. The leader desired one of their females. One of the chief's line was the most desirable. Though she was thought to be ugly by their standards, she was the only female of mateable age who wasn't betrothed. Voshnuk leader of the Walking Rippers Flock, did not know what she looked like, nor did he care, she was simply a link to her flock, known for their fine artisan crafts. The alliance would give Ciris' flock protection, and would give Voshnuk's flock better trade goods for other flocks.
As their betrothal was announced the rumors of Voshnuk's previous mate's ends surfaced. Seemingly he'd fathered a few children already, but the females had not produced a male heir to his flock and so they were either banished, or killed. The horror story that reached Ciris chilled her to her bones, and the fearsome look of the Flock leader she was bound to mate with gave her a deeply unsettled feeling. She was going to deal with it, until the night they met at their engagement celebration.
"You are saying this, half breed, is the only thing you've got of age?" He sneered at her, disgusted with her looks, her lineage, and everything. "Fine. I'll take this one, but you're giving me a second because this...won't survive long." His smile was one that sent shivers down her spine. He was fully admitting that he was simply going to use her and kill her?
"That is fine. Return her in 6 months time, however you like and we will allow you to take one of the grown grandchildren." Ciris could not believe her great grandfather's words. They gladly did away with her? She was this...expendable? Why had they not simply banished her?
She faded out and fled to her nesting area, hiding away. She had to leave, if she were to continue living on, she would have to find a way out of this madness.
