Through a Masked Maiden's Eyes

Chapter 8: Surprises, Pleasant and Otherwise

I began to see light through my eyelids. I rolled over trying to fight facing the day. I hit something large but soft. I snuggled into it in my sleepy state, not yet fully aware. But the light persisted. My body was hot but my face was cold with a touch of frost layering my eyelashes sealing them shut. One of my hands swept up and rubbed my still closed eyes wiping away the frost. I squinted one eye open trying to decide if I wanted to wake up or not. I was nearly blinded.

I shut my eye quickly, I was now fully awake with a slight burning in my head and my face twisted in a wince. My mind whirled trying to figure out where I was. Then I remembered. The night came back in flashes; Neal and I dancing, talking to Pan, being kissed by Neal, doing business with Hawkeye, his warning, Ryman showing up to proclaim the bounty on my head, fixing things with Neal and then finally falling asleep next to Vona. I had forgotten that when griffins slept in their nests that they turned into gold, looked as if it applied to mini griffins as well. Anyway it had created an effective way to blind me the moment the sun's bright cheery beams landed on them.

I groaned and opened my eyes in a squint; only to find myself pressed against Vona as one of her wings shielded my body from the chilly morning air. I yawned as I studied her feathers. They were beautiful a combination of sky blue, gold and silver, fading into her golden cat chest with front feet like a bird and rear legs and tail of a large feline, but as I studied her feathers I noticed something unusual, there were gills underneath them!

Vona was a FEWA! But why didn't she tell me? Why didn't anyone know that?

Almost as if she could tell my sudden discomfort she huffed as she stretched, blinking her eyes, a slow yawn escaping her beak.

"Vona, I know you just woke up, but why didn't you tell me that you were a FEWA?"

She sighed, "It was not just my secret to tell. We, as you call us, mini griffins have kept this from the two leggeds because you hunt those who are clearly FEWA. Only select dwarves found out and to keep our secret we let them use us as transportation. You mustn't tell anyone little one. Promise me." By this time she was towering over me a fierce look in her golden eyes. Going from relaxed to predatory in a matter of a moment, this was clearly a touchy subject for her.

"Under every cloud, you have my word that it will never again be mentioned."

"Thank you, small one." She said as her stance relaxed so that she was no longer towering over me in a threatening manner.

"You're welcome and you can call me Zea." I said with a small smile.

"What is your name?" she asked with a slight tilt to her head.

"What do you mean?" I asked mimicking her.

"I mean you said I could call you Zea, you didn't actually tell me your name little one." She narrowed her shimmering eyes at me as if interrogating me.

I sighed, "My name is Idoya Zea London, but please call me Zea or Ida."

"I will call you Idoya, you should not hide who you are from people little one." She tilted the other way a thoughtful look in her shining eyes.

"Not even to protect them?" I asked her in a whisper as I looked away from her eyes to her chest feathers.

Vona glanced away seemingly puzzled. "Idoya, we do what we feel we need to do but never forget who you are. You will never be anyone except you no matter what you tell others."

"But what if you don't know who you are?" I asked as I looked back at her eyes.

"Then never stop trying to find out." She said with certainty as she stared at me back at me.