Ask or Dare Gallus!

chapter 134; holiday misery

Question (by TorchTorque): What was the worst thing that happened to you during Hearth's Warming?

*sighs in annoyance* I swear, Torch just loves to read this book when I'm feeling especially miserable. *sarcastically* Happy Holidays, everycreature! Now get comfy and enjoy another damn tale of my horrible past!

Knowing Torch here, I'm assuming that when she says Hearth's Warming, she means the general holiday season. Technically, I've only celebrated Hearth's Warming once, and the worst thing that happened back then was that I ended up making my friends fight after the prank I pulled....Even if it all turned out well in the end, I caused so much unnecessary drama and heartbreak...Maybe my friends would've stuck with me, or at least one of them would've given me company for the holiday if I had just...been honest....But like a Gallus, I had to avoid talking about how shitty I felt and do something crazy...Even now, I still feel bad that they ditched their families just for me. Sure, we all had a great time celebrating Hearth's Warming together, and in the moment I felt so happy and lucky. But thinking about it now, I just feel bad for their families. Sandbar's mom really didn't like me for a while because I kept her from seeing Sandbar that Hearth's Warming thanks to my prank. I wouldn't be surprised if the others had families who were also upset. 

So that's the worst thing that's happened when I celebrated Hearth's Warming. When it comes to celebrating the Blue Moon Festival, I've always had little bad experiences thanks to Grampa Gruff being the worst. But uh...do you remember when I said Grampa Gruff kicked me out of his house months ago? Probably not, but while you get the refresher here...Grampa Gruff kicked me out the day BEFORE the Blue Moon Festival when I was twelve. 

Grampa Gruff cares about griffon history and tradition more than anygriff, but while I was living with him, he always liked to complain about how he had to be nice to me every Blue Moon Festival I celebrated with him. He liked making me feel that just by living in his home, he was doing me a favor. It didn't matter that he didn't treat me well, that he never gave me emotional support, or that he treated me more like a punching bag than an adopted grandson or whatever. He had to rub in my face that he was "being too nice" by having me in his home, and how much he hated having me there, as if I was a burden or a parasite...

Of course, as a male griffon, I got increasingly aggravated the more I lived with Grampa Gruff and had to put up with him. The older I got, the more I defended myself against him. He'd apologize to me at times where I just couldn't take his shit anymore, when he...really, genuinely upset me.

This day was not one of those days....The day before, Grampa Gruff and I had gone to the marketplace to get some food. Since he had to cook for some guests, for me, and for himself when the Blue Moon Festival came around, he spent the days before getting food from the marketplace to not cook in those days. Aaaaand he'd start fights for the stupidest things, especially because of stupid prices. Which would embarrass me and made me wish the ground would swallow me up. This is an old man who charges griffons when he wants to ramble on about griffon history, and he complains about prices for things that are actually MEANT to be priced! It's what Gruff would do to me. Embarrass me in front of others, visibly hate me in front of others....And he's kept going at it to the point where I have Headmare Twilight and Trixie as witnesses. *groans and passes a claw through his top feathers in frustration*

 ..So, the next day he wakes me up early to go to the marketplace. After the embarrassment he put me through the day before--seriously, s-some teenage griffons l-laughed at me--um, I-I didn't wanna go back. Told him I wasn't feeling well, and he didn't care. After some complaining from him, I started getting angry at his 'with all I do for you' comments and his insults. But when he starts hurting me, pulling my arm to make me go with him...I kinda started pleading for him to stop. I told him why I didn't wanna go, because I hated the way he'd get so mean to me in front of others, making me feel like an unloved burden and making others watch how much he hates me. I knew and know I didn't deserve to get treated like that! I knew that it wasn't my fault that my parents--! ...*stops mid-sentence after his voice cracks, sniffing a bit and taking a deep breath, staying silent as he holds back the urge to cry*

...A-Anyway....a-after I defended myself, louder than I ever had....G-Gruff kicked me out. He locked me out, in the freezing Griffonstone winter, and said he didn't want me inside his house ever again....He didn't even give me the little stuff that I had....h-he must've thrown it to the trash....maybe even burnt it....

I stayed a few good minutes yelling at him to let me back in....How he couldn't do this to me, and I screamed at him how much I hated...how much I HATE him....I was shouting to the wind. He didn't hear a thing.... That was when I....when I obviously got sad....

A-And that was the end of that. The end to living with Grampa Gruff....and the start of me living in the streets. Since I don't eat when I'm really upset, I was able to stay the day without wanting to eat anything....And the day after, in the Blue Moon Festival, was the only day I was able to get a griffon to give me a little food to eat...

*gives a big, sad, and frustrated sigh, which sounds a bit shaky due to some tears he's still holding back* ....I hope this doesn't sadden any of you...The ordinary creature, that isn't too damn eager to hear about my shitty life, probably won't find reading this fun. I hope none of you read this the day you're celebrating Hearth's Warming, and any holiday humans might celebrate around this time. And honestly, even if I may not really care about most of you...I'm wising you all happy holidays. Holidays that are infinitely better than the ones I had in Griffonstone...Hope you all stay in your homes, with your families and everycreature that you care about, and...be someone I and others can consider lucky. 

I'll actually have a Hearth's Warming themed dare even I'll enjoy some time later on. So I'll bring something happier for next chapter, which is good for all of us, especially for me. I deserve something for keeping my composure throughout all of this chapter. 

((I'm going straight to bed right now. I stayed up so that I wouldn't make y'all read an angsty chapter on Christmas ;u; I've been awake for 19 hours and I need sleeeep, so I'll respond to comments tomorrow. I'll give a proper 'Merry Christmas' wish when the day comes, but either way, I wish happy holidays to those of you who are celebrating!))