The Struggle

“Hmm… I see we might have a visitor Boedee... you are the wise owl... who do you think he is?”
Boedee Zaffa the Wise replies with a standard owl hoot, causing an eyebrow of the Old Man to raise in acknowledgement of the sarcastic pun… “real funny, Boedee”… Boedee ruffles his feathers and commences to preen them…
…the Old Man, sitting in a windowless study, uses a twig to tickle the dancing flame of a lonely candle... to light his pipe… puffing away... creating rings of smoke that seem to purposely float over to irritate the owl, who is perched on the back of one of the chairs... and now takes his turn to raise an eyebrow and return a sarcastic look at the man with the twinkling hazel eyes ... that are transfixed on the emerald green globe which is being held in the clawed hands of a tiny Gargoyle who is squatting on the long, rectangular oak table... covered with antiquated scrolls and books… other assorted writing utensils that a scribe would have as company … all covered in a crystalline sparkling dust…

*the Old Man watches as the stranger fiddles with the dagger and with what appears to be a magicians trick, makes it disappear*

…On top of the ancient keep, the grinning Gargoyle stares into the night, watching the shivering stranger slowly placing one foot in front of the other…

It has been many moons since any of the Gargoyles that call the ancient keep home have seen anything… natural…