Hunter: Gods & Monsters

Chapter 17

For a moment I couldn't be sure what I was actually seeing, but it definitely was not a dragon or at least not one I had ever seen before. The creatures stood before us, their heads like birds, twitching from side to side as large green eyes watched us with curiosity. One opened its beak, the sound it made like that of a crow. They chattered to themselves, while none of us moved a muscle.

I don't think I could even blink.

Their bodies were covered in a coat of lush fur, it looked so soft and with a cat body even more intimidating than the giant bird head. Not forgetting giant, white wings that were purely angelic. It was impossible to miss the red that coated their paws and legs.

"Gods, have you ever?" Anita whispered, slowly moving closer to me.

The creatures pawed at the snow, swaying with unease before one suddenly let out the bird equivalent of a roar. My ears were left ringing.

"What are they?" I was thinking gargoyle but knew that wasn't right.

I'd seen pictures, more likely cartoons, with creatures like this. Centaur were half horse, this was like a white lion had one a one night stand with an eagle. I tried to think of what they could be but came up blank. Thankfully Anita didn't have that issue.

"Gryphon. It's a Gryphon. I- these things aren't real." Her arm knocked mine as another cry left the creature.

They were real.

"You're a witch, who makes sure vampires and werewolves follow an ancient magical treaty, in an organisation currently run by a demon and you question the existence of these things?"

I didn't know what to do.

Apparently the idiot above us did, as the unmissable click of a gun being loaded was heard and the gryphons reared up, their wings flapping gusts of air and fresh snow towards as and we had no choice other than covering our ears as the other one screamed.

"Don't shoot!" I called out, only I couldn't bring myself to turn around to where he had positioned himself.

"They are going to attack!" He called.

Were they?

It was then that I noticed something around the smaller one's neck. A necklace? That made no sense, yet as it started to dig at the ground again, something definitely moved there. A collar?

"I'm going to do something stupid. If it backfires, do not tell anyone this happened." Anita frowns but says nothing.

Slowly, I take a few steps forward, hands out as if in surrender and make a soft ssh sound. The smaller one instantly takes flight, dancing backwards a few paces while the big one threw its head back like a horse, wings opening and closing, yet it didn't back away. I was in touching distance now and producing an apple in my hand, held it out.

"You're okay. It's okay. Do you like apples? They're ah, crunchy." It squawked and chirped and then snatched it from me. The apple was gone in a second.

Three apples later, the smaller one came closer and feeling a little more confident, I touched the big one as it took yet another apple. The gryphon didn't even flinch and feeling its fur it was by far the softest thing I had ever felt. Anita joined me, then the others. The apples disappearing as quickly as I could make them appear.

"They don't seem so bad?" Tarni actually smiled as the smaller one rubbed its head against her. "Surely the other team simply got lost in the storm."

"Too much blood for that." James unhelpfully added.

"It wasn't these guys." Anita sounded so sure I believed it too.

"Something happened though." The wind started to increase again, howling through the rocks behind us, yet it wasn't just the wind. "Did you all hear that?"