Feather Stride, Star 17 Cycle 412, on the Omen

An excerpt from a diary, missing most of the Procedures page prior to any entries.
S17C412
I have acquired my initial run of specimens. There are four, each of a different color. I was surprised by their lack of resistance to being captured. It is as if they lack a self-preservation instinct. Or, more alarmingly, they do not see me as a threat. Based on the records of Lemnis, the ruler once had an Omen caged in his personal chambers. This leads me to believe that the behavior of my subjects are in-line with other Omen. A promising start.
Initial tests prove... Enlightening. I have noted multiple agents in their blood which gryphons have as well, which supports my hypothesis that Omen and gryphon may be distant relatives. The event which catalyzed this change will become the focus of my research once I can finish my experimentation.
S17C414
I've reached something of a roadblock. The subjects are noisy and sound like humans in mourning. A most unsettling noise to hear throughout the night. Though I do not often dream, I swear I can still hear them in my sleep. Regardless, they have proven resistant to many of my potions. I was unable to grant them speech or heightened intelligence. I was likewise unable to find any pattern in their vocalizations.
It is unsettling to hear them speak. They have a tendency to cough or retch before they speak, which is very rare. Were I unable to stay awake so long, I doubt I would have heard nearly as much as I have. They seem to vocalize in multiple languages, and tend toward fearful and sorrowful phrases. They do not seem to be aware of what they are saying, as they have a relaxed and disturbed body posture denoted by spinal curvature and the angle of their wings, both dorsal and ventral. They do not display any alertness, be it the vocal specimen or its surrounding peers, as phrases are spoken. I have theorized that they do not speak out of any desire to do so, but a natural reaction to... Something. More research is required.
S17C418
I have used potions to remain awake since my prior entry. Six days, and no changes. They do not sleep, or at least, not in any form I would recognize as such. They are watching me as much as I am watching them. While I do not agree with others that they are unsettling, I must admit that their curiosity speaks to intelligence of a sort. While they do not seem to be social, practically ignoring one another, they cry out in the night specifically and I can hear others uninvolved with my trials in the distance. Not dissimilar to canines which howl.
I was worried that caging them as I have would deprive them of any sort of food supply. However, they have not changed in mass. Nor do they produce waste. My working theory is that they gain all the energy they need without feeding, and do not produce waste as we would understand it. The idea of 100% conversion of intake to energy is a most exciting prospect, if I can discover the means by which they do such.
Part of me suspects that their vocalizations are perhaps the "waste" that I mentioned prior. If that is the case, I wonder if speech feeds them. I will test this theory by isolating all noise within the region and refrain from speaking.
S17C421
For two Cycles have I waited in silence, having completed the sound-proofing around my experimentation grounds. They have not ceased vocalizing, nor has their mass changed. I will remove the sound-proofing and work on a new theory. This is most disturbing, as I have not noticed any activity from them at all, but their muscles are not atrophied. It is as if they are still getting exercise while remaining mostly still. They do not seek to escape. They have not called for their peers.
I suspect after this trial that I should find the Cripplewings that the Arch-Archivist mentioned and see if they can, in fact, get the attention of other Omen. But these specimens have nothing more to offer me. Seventeen iterations of potion have had no effect that I can discern. I am at the point in which I may consider providing a small dose of poison, as they have even resisted the oils which I use when my feathers fall out and do not regrow. More direct and efficient effects may be required.
S17C422
The Omen are immune to three different types of poison I produce. Paralytic agents, modified neurotoxins and even my most potent necrosis inducer have all proved ineffective. As a result, I have released the Omen, who actually did not leave their cages immediately. They stared at me, almost in awe, and I met their eyes. For once, they did not look away. They left after I packed up, seemingly awaiting my own leave.
I will seek out the Cripplewings in the hope of discovering more.
S17C431
Finding the Cripplewings was easy. Capturing them was difficult, however, as the locals revere them. I have, however, healed their tribal leader and they gave me leave to do my work. Rather than cages, this time, I have instead made it a point to keep them held fast by other means. The Omen avoid dying plant matter, so I have enclosed them in a forest clearing that has stacked tree branches on all sides. I am uncertain of whether this is actually effective or if they simply are allowing me to do my work.
I will await the next Cycle and see what happens in the night.
S17C432
The Cripplewings can, in fact, reach out to their kin. They use the exact same mourning cries as their peers, but the others actually respond. I have counted seven other Omen that have entered the enclosure, and they all seem curious of me. I am uncertain of their intentions with me, but they are watching. I am beginning to wonder if I am the scientist or the subject. Time shall tell.
For now, however, the Omen seem content with simply having company.
S17C433
I awoke to the cries of the Cripplewings. Or so I believe. There are at least 30 Omen in the enclosure now, though they are not doing anything at all. They still look away when I make eye contact, but I can feel their eyes upon me as I examine each one. I have also found that my prior four subjects have gathered here, recognizable for their scars and coloration.
I have determined that the Cripplewings are all female, and may be the reason that the others gather when they cry. The rest of them are all male. Pheromones also prove ineffective. I'm truly at a loss with these creatures. There is nothing in my arsenal that works upon them.
S17C434
The Omen have slowly left one at a time. I have noticed I am sleeping longer in their presence, which I can say in full certainty now that I have been working with Omen for over 20 cycles. I am now convinced that, between all the mentions of dreams and Omen, that there may be a connection after all. While I agree with the Arch-Archivist in that there is little to be gleaned from myths, I cannot deny that my sleep pattern change supports the stories. Actually, writing that just now, I wonder if they feed upon dreams. Though I have never been one to remember my dreams. The Arch-Archivist will be very disappointed with my findings.
I have decided to enlist the aid of others who are willing to sleep in the presence of Omen.
S17C437
The Omen have responded to my shift in experimentation. They show no interest in me when there are sleeping subjects nearby. I believe the behavior in which they follow individuals is a way of awaiting a meal. If they sup upon dreams, it is sensible that they would find a sleeping subject. This is supported by their increased activity at the start of a cycle, when it is dark and many sleep.
They gather, near and far, watching sleeping creatures. Two humans, one of which is narcoleptic, have agreed to join my experiment, though there is an even split in attention they receive. Notably, subjects switch sleeping individuals, never choosing the same one two nights in a row. However, they express no interest in napping individuals who never reach a dreaming state. This supports the idea of the Omen feeding upon dreams.
Alarmingly, I have noticed muscle activity in their back wings as they watch sleeping individuals. They are not exercising or even moving the wings at all, but there is clearly energy being expended, and their heart rate does rise. I have no explanation at all for this physically... But I suspect their secondary wings may be the mechanism by which they feed on dreams? To think I would be so stumped as to venture into the supernatural...
S17C438
I am concluding my studies. There is no more for me to gain from holding the Omen here. However, upon reaching this conclusion, the Cripplewings left of their own volition. They bypassed my barrier without hesitation. I wonder if they can understand emotions or intentions. I've no proof of any of my findings after engaging with the Cripplewings, of course. It is all postulation with flimsy reasoning. I am frustrated with myself for reaching such conclusions, but I have at least determined there is none of that fantastical magics that others claim Omen are possessed of.
There is another correlation, however. In the myth the Arch-Archivist recorded, there is mention that the deity provided a second set of wings to the Omen in order to allow them to combat nightmares. Supported by the muscle activity I found, I believe that myth deserves further research. But I've no need of live subjects anymore. At this point, I am content with my findings, few as they are.
Omen are immune to my potions. I will compare notes with the wyvern and see if he has any success with this own products. For now, I leave with more questions than I began with. A sad state of affairs. I will follow up if myths prove to shed light on the situation.
S17C450
Human and dragon myths have proved mostly useless to me, the latter of which came at great risk to my own health. They are usually created for some purpose involving sleep and dreams, and are considered hunters. But visiting an Aerie to the north, another gryphon offered to recite a story to me in a giant tree. There, he retold a tale which puts much into perspective.
He spoke of a feline scorned by a corvid gryphon. An albino gryphon, in fact. As punishment, the feline removed the cat-like qualities of the hen and tasked her with destroying nightmares. Her inaction to do so forced the feline to turn her kin into accursed creatures like herself. And for her negligence, the feline has locked her in the "sky of dreams," where she is eternally engaged in combat with the most dangerous nightmares. Her kin, however, can fly into the sky of dreams to hunt and sustain themselves. The curse they suffer also protects them, as the destruction of nightmares feeds their strength. As long as they keep up their strength, they do not age. And they cannot be harmed by conventional means.
I posed many questions to the congregated gryphons, and they made it very clear. It is impossible to scar an Omen. I tested that later in the day. And I was unable to tear into their skin. It did not even resist. The scars they have may originate in the sky of dreams as they fight nightmares. But the details of this albino hen elude me. The Cripplewings may, actually, be unable to enter dreams as a result of their injuries. Perhaps they gain strength from their fellows, which is why Omen may come to their aid when they call.
I don't know what else to do. I believe I have found all I can. Whinter has sent word that he was unable to affect his subject, and says I have engaged in foul play to sabotage his attempts. Were that he right, I may have dismissed the myths of my kind. But I cannot.
Whatever secrets the Omen have are theirs to keep. I do not wish to intrude upon them further. Still, the understanding that they are, in fact, guardians of dreams... There is a solace I find in it. Perhaps I've been having nightmares all along. And it is by their intervention that I have been sleeping so soundly of late. I will seek a new subject to research.
I shall be sure to thank any Omen I find from now on. I suspect they may understand through some mechanism I am unaware of. They may not respond, but I am certain now that they are not the feral beasts others make them out to be. Perhaps that is another part of their curse. But thank them I shall. For they carry a burden greater than any I shall ever know.