Wings of Dawn

Chapter 2

Clink, clink, clink.

My eyes snapped open at the sound of metal ringing on metal. I was still in bed and there was someone in my home. My heart was racing and I didn't know what to do. Should I feign sleep until they left? Should I fight?

I had always been safe here so I didn't sleep with a weapon near me. Surely I could use the brass candle holder to knock someone out if need be. I doubt it would do much damage to anyone of substantial size, though.

My eyes flitted across the small cottage and to my surprise I saw no one. I still heard the metal sounds though. The sounds were definitely coming from inside the cottage. I scanned the space again until my eyes met the floor of the kitchen.

No, there was no way I was awake. I was still sleeping. This was a dream. There was no way there was a baby griffin in my kitchen. Much less a baby griffin that was knocking around my cooking pans and laying in them.

I glanced to the windowsill where the stone had been. Now there were just shards of rock as if the stone had ruptured and this creature emerged.

Would it bite me? Tear me to bloody ribbons?

Throwing the blankets back I made to stand up, but the bed creaked and the thing whipped its head to look at me. I couldn't help the gulp that made my throat bob. We stared at each other for a long moment, neither one of us moving.

Finally the griffin leapt over to me and used its wings to fly up onto my bed. It was a tiny thing so maybe it couldn't rip me apart, but I was still cautious. Its fluffy panther tail was wagging like a happy dog and I wanted nothing more than to pet the thing.

The griffin was a thing of beauty. She was all white, even her beak. Yet she seemed to almost glow as the stone - the egg - had. And her eyes were the brightest yellow, like the sun itself. She had the wings, head, and forefeet of an eagle and the rest was all panther.

Griffins were supposed to be extinct. That was what we were told, what the ancients texts say. They used to roam the coast and mountains of the North. They guarded the gold in those mountains. It was the Arimaspians that had hunted them to extinction. They inhabited the harsh Northern coast and were greedy for the gold the griffins harbored.

I reached my hand out for her to sniff and decide if I was friend or foe. She put her beak out to it and cocked her head to the side. Before I could blink she had jumped onto me and nuzzling into my neck. I pet her in surprise.

Why had her egg come into my hands? Why was I chosen to harbor the only known griffin? I didn't have answers and only had more questions than when I went into that cave.

I had to go to Dagen, he would know what to do.

There was no way I was going to just dump her off into the woods or back in her homelands. Not with all the enemies she had or the risk of poachers wanting to catch the only griffin left in the world. I would keep her until Dagen could help me figure out what to do about it all.

First I had to get a baby sitter for the creature.

I pet the griffin once more before I hurried to the door of the cottage. Slipping on my boots I eyed the griffin and said calmly, "Stay. I'll be right back, but you stay."

She cocked her head at me again as if she didn't know what I wanted her to do. I put a hand out to motion at her to freeze. Reaching behind me I opened the door and quickly jumped out and shut it again before the griffin could follow me out.

The sun was shining bright already and the meadow was filled with activity. The faeries were always busy wrangling wildlife and helping the flora. I found the nearest faerie who was busy helping a field mouse who looked as though it had hurt itself. She was applying some sort of bandage of leaves to the mouses ear.