Shooting Star

Prologue: Gallus' Dark Past

Gallus didn't remember much about the incident besides the way his paws pounded on the dirt, running from a family that were nothing but a blur in his head now. He remembered the voice of his father telling him to steal from the new baker. Gilda, he believed her name was.

Gallus refused, and he remembered his father's talon slapping him across the face. He fell face first into the dirt. In the chaos of his "family" screeching at each other, Gallus couldn't remember if his father wanted him to come back, or if he never wanted to see him again. Gallus wasn't concerned about that.

He remembered a dear childhood friend that lived on her own, a black and white griffon named Sheila. They hadn't spoken to each other in a few weeks, but Gallus was hoping to stay there. As he was flying, he saw Sheila's small hay hut. Gallus dropped from the sky and landed at her doorstep, knocking on the door.

He felt the silence of Griffonstone lingering over him, the fear of his "family" coming back was starting to take over when the door swung open.

"Gallus?" Sheila whispered, staring at him with her aquagreen eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"My family got into a huge fight, and I can't stay with them." Gallus sighed. "Can I stay here for the night?"

"Oh Gally, you can stay here for as long as you need." Sheila hugged Gallus before pulling away. "Come in."

Gallus flew inside and closed his friend's door, his heart soaring at the thought of never having to deal with them again. He landed on Sheila's couch, holding one of her pillows and taking deep breaths.

"Oh, you don't need to hold one of the pillows, silly!" Sheila giggled.

"S-Sorry, it just helps me when-"

Sheila climbed onto the couch, pushing the pillow out of Gallus' grip and onto the floor. Before Gallus could move his arms, Sheila sprawled on the couch and tucked her head into the space between his arms where the pillow used to be. She closed her eyes, listening to the quickened beat of Gallus' heart.

"Better?" Sheila asked.

"A little." Gallus replied, looking at the ceiling. "You could've just asked if you wanted to cuddle."

"And what fun would there be in that?" Sheila smirked. "The best kind of affections aren't asked for, they just happen. Like this!"

Sheila lurched forward and briefly pressed her beak against Gallus' in a fleeting kiss. Gallus felt something twist in his belly, a weird feeling of fear mixed with the heat that came with Sheila's body being pressed against his own.

Did he make the right decision? Of course he did, where else could he go?

Gallus gave into his instincts and pressed his beak against Sheila's, allowing his tongue to slip into her beak. Sheila placed both her talons on Gallus and kept his head in place, wiggling her tail in excitement. As the two griffons were having fun, the night slipped away and after they were done, they fell asleep.

It was the same routine for several weeks: Sheila would go to work, Gallus would leave the house to search for jobs, and the two would return home and have intimate moments together. For Gallus to ask for safety, and receive that and so much more? It was heaven for him.

One night, as he was resting on the couch, he heard a knock on the door. He flipped his body off the couch, and was about to walk towards the door when Sheila flew out of the kitchen. She beat him to the door, cracking it open.

Before the other griffon could speak, Sheila pushed herself outside and closed the door. Gallus walked to the door and attempted to push it open. No such luck, the door wouldn't budge.