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Graaaatch luuuug Rach arrg
―Gratch[src]

Gratch was a gar whose mother attacked Richard Rahl, planning to make him into a meal. Richard killed the mother in self-defense, though he had mercy on the baby and left it alive.

Biography[]

While traveling to the Palace of the Prophets, Richard was attacked by Gratch's mother. Richard slew the mother gar but could not bring himself to kill Gratch. Leaving the baby gar to fend for itself, Richard believed he would never see Gratch again. Later, however, Gratch reappeared and seemed to be following Richard. Gratch was intelligent enough to not appear around the Sister of Light who was taking Richard to the palace,revealing himself only at night while the Sister was sleeping. Richard would hunt food for and wrestle with Gratch, who soon became a close friend. During his training at the Palace, Richard began to secretly go out of the city in order to play with and care for young gar. Eventually, a few sisters discovered and wanted to kill the baby gar. Fearing for his young friend, Richard was forced to send Gratch away.

While in Aydindril, after the Central Council of the Midlands was executed, Richard discovered that Gratch had followed him. Richard apologized for having to send him away, explaining that it was for his own safety.. While having their reunion on the steps of the Confessor's Palace, Gratch sensed mriswith. Gratch and Richard killed these creatures and had the kitchen staff of the Confessor's Palace place them on pikes outside of the palace. After Richard declared himself to be Lord Rahl and threatened all the representatives of the Midlands to join the D'Haran Empire, Richard sent Gratch to protect Kahlan Amnell and his other friends from the mriswith. Gratch was also asked to deliver a letter for Richard's friends, then to return to Aydindril.

When Gratch found them, and gave them the letter, Kahlan was heartbroken. Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander became worried that Richard would try to enter the Wizard's Keep to find books. They knew that they needed to get back to Aydindril at once, so Zedd magically decreased his weight so that Gratch could carry him back to Aydindril. Upon arriving, Gratch was attacked by mriswith. Zedd tried to help the gar, but he was hit in the head. Gratch fell over the cliff of the Wizards Keep to the bottom of the deep hole with many mriswith. When Richard saw all the blood from the mriswith on the side balcony of the Wizards Keep, he noticed that it looked like what happened when Gratch killed mriswith. All the while, Richard still believed that Gratch was protecting Kahlan, Zedd, and the others to whom he'd delivered the letter.

Later, Richard returned from the Old World to find Aydindril under attack by the Blood of the Fold. He did not believe that D'Harans would lose,but he soon learned that the mriswith were leading the attack against the D'Harans. While fighting a losing battle with the mriswith, Richard noticed dots in the sky. Mriswith were suddenly being torn to pieces; and he realized that those dots were gars coming to his aid under the command of Gratch. After the battle, Richard discovered that Gratch now had bloodflies to help him hunt and that he'd fallen in love with a female gar. After promising that mankind wouldn't hunt gars, he told Gratch tell the gars not to hunt humans anymore. Gratch and Richard gave each other their goodbyes, Richard telling him that he and his mate were always welcome in Aydindril and the D'Haran Empire.

Gratch was later recruited by Shota, in order to carry Rachel as she delivered a desperate message. Shota sent Rachel to ride on Gratch, in order to reach the Mud People and instruct them to initiate a spirit ceremony. This spirit ceremony saved Richard's life when he was trapped in the underworld after destroying the blood beast. After helping Rachel deliver the message, Gratch apparently returned to his gar kin.

Personality and traits[]

Gratch viewed himself as lovable, and seemed to think it only natural that everyone else would, too.
―Richard Rahl[src]

Gratch is a short-tailed gar, meaning he has respectable intelligence and is able to communicate somewhat with humans. Gratch loves food and wrestling with a passion.

In general, Gratch was a gentle, fun loving, innocent being. He was extremely protective of Richard, but he was always willing to make new friends. In battle, however, his more feral nature came to the forefront to the point where the shift in personality disturbed Richard.

Due to his interaction with Richard, who was known to be a wizard, Gratch was seen as a sort of military commander of among the gars. This was due to the magic Alric Rahl had instilled in them when he created the gars to combat the mriswith.

Appearances[]

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