The Story of Dante

[Megaguirus]

Because Glory was always accompanying Lofty with her hunts, I didn't feel too sad when she returned without him. It was time, and after that talk with Lofty, I felt better about that. Because I knew it would change once I got strong enough.

The more days and weeks that passed, the more changes I saw in my friends. Not that much in appearance, but more in personality. Kage was becoming braver and rebellious, while his brother, was becoming more strict and strong. Dimidas was starting to look up to Blackbird, and this scared me, because of my vow.

Would I hurt Dimidas when I dethroned Blackbird, since he was looking up to him? Since they knew each other so much, I decided to talk to Kage about it.

"Do you notice Dimidas liking Blackbird more?" I asked him.

"So I'm not the only one," Kage replied with a sigh. "Yes, and it scares me. Blackbird is a tyrant, and now that my older brother is starting to look up to him, I worry that he'll become a tyrant."

I forgot Kage and I agreed that Blackbird was a monster. "Didn't he think that, too?"

"Yes, but he wasn't so sure of it. Like all the others, he was slowly starting to 'understand' Blackbird's reasoning." he shook his feathers, which made a soft rustling sound. "I look up to Dimidas, and to see him go in this direction is making me doubt myself."

I gasped when he said that. "You're nothing like Blackbird! You care about others and let them do their own things. If you were, you wouldn't be talking with me."

He laughed and looked at me. "You're right, but I won't stop looking up to him. Dimidas is great, he's just a little rough. He isn't anything like Blackbird either."

"That's the spirit!" I said, bouncing up to my feet.

He laughed, jumping up to his feet and tackling me. We wrestled for awhile until we were both exhausted, collapsing on the ground. "You still give me a run for my money, Dante." Kage told me through pants.

"I always will." I replied.

"Hey! Did you have a wrestling match without me?" I heard Erion call.

I stood up just in time to have the little griffling knock me down.

"No fair, no fair!" he yelled at me.

I playfully swatted him off, catching my breath. "Do you really want to wrestle with me? You know I'll win."

"Don't be too sure!" he said and sprung at me. We were then entangled in a wrestling match, and I was so tried from wrestling with Kage, Erion won.

He cheered and jumped up and down. "I did it! I did it!" he exclaimed, loud enough for everyone to hear. "I beat Dante in a wrestling match!"

"Indeed you did," I mumbled through my exhausted pants, not even strong enough to stand.

I loved these griffins.


But not all of them loved me. Just when I was starting to earn their trust, even Blackbird stopped staring at me with suspicion. I had grown old enough to where my eyes changed from their baby color. Two months old.

I woke up one morning to bid Lofty goodbye, as I always do. However, her smile faded and she looked at me with worry. I probably gave her the same look back. "What?" I asked, panicked.

"You're eyes, they're different." she said, and I could see she couldn't take hers off me.

"Aren't they supposed to be?"

"They're not amber, Dante, they're green with gold around the pupil." she looked behind her when a screech was sounded. She quickly flipped back around to me. "When I come back, after you're done eating, we're going to talk to the healer about your eyes. They're not normal, and that concerns me." she then ran out of the cave and flew to join the others.

I knew she needed to go, Blackbird hated tardiness. I stood there for awhile, taking in what she said. It scared me, the way she looked at me. I didn't want to leave the cave and join the others, because I knew they'd stare at me. I was reminded that I was an orphan, born of two dragon loving griffins.

I sighed, laying down in the cave and just looking out at all the bustle. I heard the grifflings playing, and tried to block it out. I didn't want them to judge me. I thought back to the stares I got when I played that game, or how everyone was concerned at how much bigger I was. Or the shock everybody had when I said that I stayed up overnight.

All of these things were abnormal, different, and therefore, terrifying to them. I was terrifying to them, my family. Didn't they know me? Didn't they know who I was? They watched me grow, I still am, don't they trust me? I shook my head. Maybe I was over reacting. They wouldn't all act like Lofty, right?

When she returned with the food I didn't perk up, I just looked at her as she set down my meal. She approached me and gently nuzzled me.

"I'm sorry if I scared you, I'm just concerned for your health. It might be a birth defect, or a disease. I love you, Dante, I don't see you as a monster. Now eat, please, I caught your favorite." she told me softly.

I stared into her eyes. They were honest and gentle, like they always were. I smiled and stood. "Okay," I said and approached the carcass. It was my favorite, rabbit. All my troubles quickly faded and I let out with a squeak as I dug in.

When I was done eating, we walked to the healer. I paused when I saw her, though, because she was speaking with Blackbird. "Why's he there?" I asked Lofty.

"I don't know." she replied and looked down at me. "Stay here, I'm going to see. I don't think Blackbird would be too pleased with your eyes." she told me and walked off. I sat down and watched, trying to listen in on what they were saying.

My whole body stiffened when Blackbird turned to me. His single yellow eye piercing my very being. Lofty turned and motioned for me to come forward. I didn't want to. I couldn't move. But she looked panicked, so I moved for her sake.

"It's okay, Dante, just let the healer examine you." Lofty told me.

I could feel Blackbird's eye burning into me. "Does he have to be here?"

"Yes," he bellowed in reply. "I must know everything that is going on with my griffins."

A chill went down my spine. I wasn't sure if it was from fear or anger. The healer looked me up and down, and especially looked into my eyes. After awhile she backed up and looked at Lofty.

"Dante is okay, I think this is a simple mutant gene. You can call in a birth defect, but it's not harmful. Some griffins can have different colored eyes, just look at Blackbird."

Lofty sighed, and I felt a little relief too. But Blackbird didn't like the news much.

"But what about the fact that some dragons have eyes of that color? Are you sure it's nothing harmful?" The way he asked that last question made it sound like he didn't care much about my safety.

The healer glared at him. "Blackbird, stop having your suspicions about this griffin. Deformities happen, you know that all too well. Besides, I like his eyes. It's different and special." she said the last part while looking at me.

I smiled at her. "Thank you," I chirped quietly.

Blackbird let out with a huff and walked off. I felt like I could breath with him gone.

"Thank you," Lofty thanked the healer.

"It is not a problem," she replied and looked at me. "You're okay, Dante, ignore Blackbird. He just doesn't like the fact that someone else is special like him."

"Thanks," I said again, this time louder.

"Do you want to play with the others now?" Lofty asked.

I turned around to see Dimidas and Kage wrestling while the others cheered. I nodded, forgetting all about Blackbird's glares. "Yes!" I chirped and ran off.

They were still fighting when I got there, so I decided to sit beside Trinity. She noticed my eyes almost instantly, and she was amazed.

"Your eyes are beautiful!" she exclaimed.

I looked over at her and smiled. Her eyes had turned amber. "Thanks, yours are too." I complemented.

"Thank you. But seriously, your eyes are so special and stunning."

"And they're perfectly safe too!" I exclaimed in a slight joking manner.

She cocked her head. "What?"

"Lofty took me to the healer, worried that my eyes were a health concern. But they're fine, just special."

Trinity chuckled. "That's how I'd describe you. Special. Everything about you is special."

I blushed. "Stop it with the compliments."

"Hey Dante!" Kage called out. "Do you want to wrestle me next?"

I looked at him and stood. "Sure!" I called back. I looked down at Trinity.

"Go," she chuckled. "You don't need my approval to play with them."

I laughed and ran towards him. Kage paused when he saw me. "Wow, your eyes, they're so green."

"Do you like them?"

He nodded. "They're different. They fit you." he complimented.

"Thanks," I looked around for Dimidas and saw him slowly walk away, towards Blackbird who was watching from a distance. My skin tingled. Was Dimidas going to turn on me?

"Where's Dimidas going?" I asked Kage.

He looked in that direction and shrugged. "Don't know. I wouldn't worry about it, though. Come on, now, before the day ends."

I laughed. "Fine, fine, but I won't let you win this time."

"Sure you won't."

And the wrestling match began.


That night I couldn't get any sleep. My insomnia came back, and I was left sitting in my nest fully awake. I stood and stretched, creeping outside to stargaze. I was expecting to see nothing but stars, but what I saw made me freeze.

On the pillar was a dragon, looking down on me. In the darkness, I couldn't make out much of the dragon. But the wings and glowing yellow eyes gave away what it was. I wondered if I should wake anyone up about this and looked back at Lofty. That was when I heard a leathery whoosh and looked up to see the dragon flying off. It's long tail whipping about in the wind behind it.

I couldn't move, afraid that if I did I'd bring it back somehow. I was still worried about what they said about a war being started. I didn't want to be blamed for it. After another minute, I was able to move and I crept slowly back into the cave. I wasn't going back out there. If I couldn't fall asleep, it would be just like it was a month ago. I would just lay awake in the cave. I wanted to believe the dragons were friendly, but everyone told me otherwise. It was safer to listen to them.

I didn't fall asleep for another few hours, and when I woke up, I was groggy and went right back to sleep when Lofty left to hunt. I woke up when she returned. I looked at her curiously, wanting to tell her about what I saw, but I knew exactly how she'd react. Instead, I had other questions.

"Lofty, can you tell me more about my parents?" I asked her while I slowly ate.

She was busy cleaning out the nest, obviously getting it ready for more eaglets. "Sure. They were very sweet griffins, and you have your mother's insatiable curiosity."

"I already know that. What did you think of them? How old were they, and where are their parents?" I asked her.

She stopped and looked at me. "Dante," she said, obviously just about to turn me down, when she stopped and took a breath. "I liked them. They were independent and free souls. They still stood up to Blackbird, despite the scratches. They were just as fascinated about dragons as you are. Blackbird hated them, and always wanting to find a way to get them killed or a reason to banish them." she began.

My breathing increased as I thought about Blackbird smacking my mother the way he did to Lofty.

She continued, despite my rage. "They were friends from the beginning, and when mating season rolled around, they were an instant pair. This was where their liking of dragons got out of hand. They began to speak about some 'legends' the dragons told of this ancient king and how he ended a war and made peace between the dragons and griffins. Everybody thought they were lying, or the dragons they spoke with were."

"Wait," I interrupted, "They spoke with dragons?"

"Nobody could confirm it, but that was the only reason to explain their babble and leaving together to go hunting and being gone past the designated time. Blackbird was sure they were going to start another war, even though they denied his claims."

I wanted to exclaim how amazing that was, but I kept quiet.

"Anyway, one day, they left for a hunting trip and never came back. Everybody was sure they were killed. Their parents wanted to go out to find them, but Blackbird told them that if they did leave, he wouldn't allow them back in. Despite his threats, they left to search for their grifflings, positive they were still alive. They too, never came back." she finished with a sigh. "I didn't want to tell you all this, Dante, I don't want you to believe your parents were crazy. I want you to have a positive view of them."

I wanted to tell her that I respected them more after what she told me. But after my change in eye color, I was tired of bringing up more suspicion to myself. "Thank you, Lofty. But I have one more question," I began, a hopeful thought coming to mind.

"Yes, Little One?"

"How did you know my parents were dead?"

She paused and studied me with her eyes. She sighed and looked at the ground. "Their bodies were laying at the face of the cave. I was so happy you had just hatched, Dante, nobody needs to see their parents like that."

I froze, my hopeful thoughts shattered. Despite my best efforts, my imagination got the best of me and I pictured them, laying there, feet away from me. Burned and torn from limb to limb, blood soaking the ground. I couldn't finish my food and sat down as the thought hit me.

Lofty approached me and nuzzled me softly. "I'm sorry, Dante," was all she said.

That was when another thought popped into my mind. I slowly turned to look at her, my face still stiff with fear. "Where was their cave?"

"Dante, no, I'm not taking you there, and you're not going there after you get your flight feathers." she said, obviously reading my eyes.

"Please, Lofty, I want to see where I hatched." I begged.

"No." she said, growing hard. "And that's final."

I opened up my beak to continue begging, but her eyes shut me up. I stood and sighed, slowly walking out of the cave. "I'm going to play with the others," I said joylessly.

She said no reply, and I didn't look back to see her face.

When I reached the play area, most were too busy playing to notice my solemn mood. But Trinity noticed, especially since I didn't sit beside her. To my surprise, she came over and sat beside me.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, concerned.

I was surprised to hear that she was the first to ask something. "No," I replied truthfully. "I wanted to know about my parents, and Lofty told me a lot of things. Most of which I liked, but then when I wanted to see their cave, she turned me down."

She stared at me for awhile, obviously thinking of what to say. "Maybe Lofty doesn't think you're ready yet. Or maybe it got claimed by dragons and going there would get you killed."

"Is getting me killed really that much of a bad thing? Everyone hates me, wouldn't it be a good thing?"

"Dante!" she scolded me. "There are a lot of griffins who care about you. Kage, Erion, Lofty, Dimidas and me. We would all miss you if you got killed."

"I'm sure somebody said that to my parents, too, and nobody shed a tear for them when they died."

"How can you be sure? You were a newborn chick or even an egg then."

I was about to say something back when I heard Kage's excited voice coming towards us. "Dante! I've been wondering where you were!"

I looked at him as he stopped in front of me. He had a big excited grin on his face.

"I have something to show you. Here, hop on my back and I'll take you there." he said.

This got me a little excited and pulled me out of my funk. I stood and hopped on. "Sure! Where are we going?" I asked as he lifted off. I was amazed at how strong he was. Though, he was finally bigger than me, but I doubted that would last long.

"On the pillar, I just wanted to talk to you." he said, landing and letting me get off.

"Okay," I said, unsure of what he was doing.

He had me face Dragon's Land. "So, today I was able to break off from the flock and get a better look at the dragon. It is pure black, and did appear to be sleeping, but it was guarding a group of flowers. When I asked the others about it, they said that they were special healing flowers, able to cure any illness." he said excitedly.

I was excited to hear about the dragon, but the rest just made me cock my head at him. "Well, that's cool, but what does this mean?"

"It means that the dragons are hiding something from us. Just think about how cool it would feel to steal flowers from the dragon and get away with it. Then the healer could preserve them and nobody would die from illness ever again!" he exclaimed.

I was still wondering where he was getting at. "And illness happens a lot?"

"No. I don't know, I thought you be excited at the thought of a great adventure."

"But what's the point of speaking about it if we can't do it? You know that would start a war."

He sighed, sitting down. "Yeah, I know. I just wanted to tell you my discovery."

I nuzzled him, sitting down beside him. "And it is an exciting discovery." I agreed.

We sat in the sunset for awhile when I had the thought to tell him about last night.

"Kage?" I began.

"Yeah?" he asked, looking at me.

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Of course I can."

"No, I'm serious, this is a very serious secret."

He looked at me curiously. "Dante, any secret is safe with me."

I took a deep breath, preparing myself for his reaction. "I saw a dragon last night."

"What?" he asked, a little too loudly.

I shushed him. "Not too loud," I told him. "Ever since I hatched I've been having problems sleeping during the night. Especially during a full moon, as if it calls to me. For awhile, I was able to combat it, learning that not taking a nap during the day helped me actually sleep during the night. Last night, it came back, and I decided to step outside the cave. There, right on top of this pillar, was a dragon, staring right at me. It flew away the moment I looked back at it."

He looked seriously shocked. "You do know this could mean war."

"Of course I do! I wasn't expecting it, and I surely won't step outside my cave again. But I can't help but think it was there for me. It was staring right at me, Kage, its yellow eyes are burned into my mind. I think it has something to do with my parents, and my eye color."

I could see he wanted to say something else, but instead he just took a breath and placed a claw on my shoulder. "Your secret is safe with me. After all, isn't that what older brothers are for?" he said.

I looked at him and sighed, leaning into him. "Thank you, Kage, I just had to tell somebody."

He wrapped his wing around me. "Dante, tell me anything you want. I didn't mean to sound like the others with my reaction. I like that you're different, never stop being different."

I felt a tear well up in my eye.

"Get off the pillar, you two, it's time for bed!" Blackbird's demanding voice called from behind. He was right, the sun was almost set.

Kage stood and I jumped on his back and he flew me back down. We then parted our ways, promising each other to talk again tomorrow. I smiled at Lofty, feeling much better, and huddled in for the night right beside her.

Two more uneventful weeks passed. My bond with Kage and Trinity seemed to grow stronger with each passing day. Kage treated me like an younger brother, so he taught me things that any older brother would. Trinity was her usual shy self, though I was finally able to get the three of us to have conversations.

Dimidas, however, was losing more trust in me each passing day. I decided to confront him about it one day.

"Why don't you play much with us anymore?" I asked him.

He stared at me with a cautious glare. "Because I am growing up, Dante, and don't need time for those silly games." his tone was very close to Blackbird's, which concerned me.

"You seem to be spending a lot of time with Blackbird," I commented.

"Of course I do! He knows so much about dragons, and how monstrous they are. The dragons didn't just kill your parents, they killed their parents."

"I know." I replied sharply. "But what about Blackbird banishing my parent's parents? Did he tell you about that?"

"Of course he did. But they didn't come back, did they? The dragons got them, that is quite obvious."

"If that's the case, then Blackbird sent them to their deaths!" I yelled at him, making a few griffins turn their heads.

"They were the idiots to want to go out there and find their grifflings!" he yelled back, puffing out his chest to make himself bigger than me.

I growled at him and made a mock lunge, which actually made him step back. "You take that back!"

He spat at me and made a mock lunge himself. But I kept my ground. "Make me, dragon."

My fluff ruffled and I lunged at him, letting out with a screech. I clawed and pecked at him, pulling out some of his feathers. He fought back, but it was futile. I was stronger than him.

We weren't even fighting for a minute when Kage butted in and pulled us back. "Stop it! Both of you!" he exclaimed.

My vision cleared and I saw him standing between us, and coming quickly over was Blackbird. Kage stopped us before Blackbird could.

Dimidas was still growling at me, tiny bits of blood covered his brown feathers.

I instantly felt ashamed of losing my anger when Kage looked at me. He was hurt and confused. His eyes said it all. I thought you were better than this. I quickly turned away from him and headed to my cave, expecting the punishment Lofty was going to give me. Or, maybe, the punishment Blackbird was going to tell her to give me.

She scolded me in the way I expected, so I drowned it out, just laying down in a corner in the cave. My punishment was simple, I was to stay in the cave for two days without interacting with anyone but Lofty. During my punishment, all I could do was hope Dimidas got the same punishment.

He didn't. Our friendship ended then, but thankfully, Kage and Trinity stayed as my friends. Even little Erion still played with me. But it still hurt knowing Dimidas and I were done.

[Megaguirus]

"So, she really did it, didn't she?" a soft and gentle female voice asked.

"She's positive she did, but we won't know until we find out." a male voice replied. In the deep recesses of my mind I recognized the voice as my father's.

"You two are very brave to do this." the gentle voice said.

"Do you think he'll find out?" another female voice asked. I knew it was my mother's.

"If he does, you know what to do. We have tried our best to find the perfect cave for you, but he knows this island well."

"And if he does find out, you will take care of our egg, won't you?" my mother asked.

There was a pause. "No," the gentle voice replied. "It's too much of a risk for the egg. And Kyori has already told you why she can't. I can just only pray that if something does happen, the gods will have someone else to take care of him."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." my father said with a sigh.

"Thank you for helping us, we don't know how to repay you." my mother said.

"You don't have to, your griffling will do that. I'll see you two later, goodbye!"


My eyes slowly fluttered open. That was a very strange dream. I looked around, I was in the cave, Lofty sleeping beside me. The sun was at the perfect peak, the in-between of risen and set. Casting multicolored hues over the dark blue sky.

As I looked to the sky, I could feel my dream slowly fade. I frantically tried to hold onto it, but it was like a butterfly, fluttering just out of my reach. That voice, that gentle voice, I wanted to hear it again. I wanted to hear my mother, my father. They must've had that conversation while I was in my egg, that could be the only reason for me to know about it.

I wanted to know who that voice was. I knew it wasn't a griffin, though, because of what Lofty told me. Then it must've been a dragon. I knew it. Dragons are good, my parents knew one. Maybe she was still alive, and if she was, I would find her once I knew how to fly.

The thought of flying and growing in my feathers made me feel the need to preen my fluff. I rarely needed to do it, Lofty did it for me most of the time, and it was fluff. But Kage told me to practice, especially since preening would help me know when I was growing in my feathers.

And he was right. He told me exactly what to look for, and I found them. Quills. Tiny little quills peeking out from my fluff. I held back my excited chirping, not wanting to wake Lofty. This dream came at the right time. Very soon I'll be able to fly, and when I can, I'm going to look for that dragon.

The moment Lofty woke to the gong, I didn't hesitate to show her my quills.

"Oh Dante, I'm so happy for you! That is so exciting." she exclaimed.

"I know! I want to tell everyone!" I exclaimed, my excitement getting the best of me as I began to jump around.

"Then do so! I'll be back, my Little One." she said and took off to join the others.

Even before she was out of sight, I bounded for the area where the grifflings usually played. Trinity had to be the first to know.

"Trinity, look, look!" I exclaimed, bounding towards her.

She stood up, a little surprised from my excitement. I showed her my wing and she smiled. "That's amazing! I don't even have mine in yet." she said and double checked her wings.

"That's strange. But you should be getting them soon."

"Wait, is that a quill?" she asked, pointing to a tiny little thing sticking out of her wing.

I grinned. "Yep! That means that we can learn how to fly together!"

She let out with a tiny squeak of excitement. "Yay!"

"What are you guys getting so excited about?" Erion asked as he bounded over.

"We have quills! We'll be able to fly soon." I told him.

He squeaked and jumped. "Cool! That means I should be getting some too, then, right?"

"I think so. Maybe I can help teach you how to fly once I have it down." I replied.

Erion squealed. "Great!" he jumped about for awhile before looking at me, panting just a little bit. "So, ready to play?"

I laughed and looked back at Trinity to see if today would be the day she would play with us, but again, she shook her head and sat down. I sighed and ran to join Erion's game.

My excitement returned when Kage came back. I waited until I had eaten before charging towards him.

"Kage! Kage!" I exclaimed.

"What?" he asked, backing up, wondering if I was going to jump on him.

I stopped right in front of him and showed him my wing. "Look, look! I have quills!"

He looked at my wing and smiled. "That's wonderful, Dante! I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks, I know! Soon I can take Lofty's burden of having to hunt." I told him.

He smiled and cocked his head, knowing I had other ideas because of what we spoke about. "Is that the only reason?"

I smiled wryly and winked. "Yes, the only reason."

We laughed together, knowing our hidden plans.

I stopped when I saw Blackbird and Dimidas glaring at me, sharing things that I couldn't hear. Are they going to get me killed? Was my first thought as I remembered that story Kage told of that dragon in The Cove.

"Ignore them, Dante. Enjoy your moment." Kage told me, blocking my view of the two.

I smiled. "Thanks,"

But my thought still lingered.


One more week passed and Trinity and I had grown in our brown juvenile feathers. We couldn't stop fussing with our feathers excitedly as they grew in, day by day. We were now three months old. I was flapping and testing my wings even before the feathers had grown in. Everyone was amused at my excitement.

Now that my wings were fully grown in, I didn't hesitate trying them out. Jumping about and trying to get air. Trinity seemed content with the training her parents gave her, but I had more determination and practiced even without Lofty's help. Kage was more help, being strong enough to carry me high enough, like he did with the eagles. I was now bigger than him, again.

But I still had a long way to go. My rear end made it hard to balance, and always sent me spiraling to the ground.

"How did you do it, Kage?" I asked him.

He laughed. "Muscle growth, Dante. That's why it usually takes a month for grifflings to start hunting. Nobody wants to hunt with dizzy griffins."

I laughed with him.

One day, my excitement was soured when I met with Trinity. She wasn't smiling and her wings were drooping, she wasn't even looking at the others playing.

"Are you okay?" I asked slowly, sitting beside her.

She shook her head, and I saw a few tears fall onto the hard ground. "My mother has come down with a sickness. The healer cannot cure her without the correct herbs." she told me in a fragile voice.

"What?" I exclaimed. "Oh Trinity, I'm so sorry. But can't someone get her the correct herbs?"

She shook her head again. "No," she said, holding back a sob. "They're guarded constantly by a dragon. Getting them would mean death or war." she wasn't too good at holding back the sob, letting it go with her last sentence.

I gave her my chest to cry in, and she took it. I didn't say a single word as she sobbed, a thought coming up in my mind. I knew exactly where those herbs were, and could also see in the dark so the griffins wouldn't know if I left. I just hoped the dragon wouldn't kill me.

After a long time of crying she caught her breath and looked up at me. "I don't want to watch my mother slowly die, Dante."

"I don't want to either, Trinity." I simply replied, running my claw gently through her feathers. I had to learn how to control this clunky rear end, and fast. "Did the healer say how long your mother had to live?"

She looked up at me curiously, probably wondering why I asked such a question. "Two weeks at the most." she replied and hid her face back in my feathers.

The hunters had come back and I looked down at Trinity, nudging her softly. "Your father has returned from hunting. Go and get some food, okay? Stay strong for your mother." I gently told her.

She sniffed and pulled away, nodding.

I left too, knowing I had to eat as well.

"So, from your expression, I assume Trinity has told you about her mother?" Lofty asked as I slowly ate.

I nodded.

"I heard from her father. I feel so sorry for that poor thing. I know what it's like to lose a loved one, but to watch them slowly die in front of you." she shook her head and sighed. "I wish them the best."

The way Lofty spoke hurt me. I knew she couldn't do anything about it, but it sounded like it didn't bother her that much. I quickly finished and headed back out to talk with Kage. When I made it to the area, Trinity was gone, I assumed she was spending time with her mother. But Kage was there, and I slowly walked up to him.

I could see it in his eyes that he knew I heard of Trinity's mother as well. "Kage, can you please take me all the way up to the pillar? I want to try and fly down from there." I told him as to not cause suspicion, but my eyes said something different.

"I don't know, Dante," he said, playing along as we spoke with our eyes. "That's a little too high."

"You'll catch me if I fall, won't you?"

He hesitated but eventually nodded, letting me hop on his back as he took me to the pillar. When we were there, I didn't hesitate to share with him my plan.

"But that's dangerous," he said.

"I know, but nobody else is going to do it." I spoke quickly, as to not draw too much suspicion.

He sighed. "And why are you telling me about this?"

"So that Lofty will know how I died."

He blinked, my words sinking in. "You really do care about Trinity, don't you?"

"Of course I do. I would do the same for you. I know I could die, but I want to die trying. I need your help in building my muscles so that I can leave before her mother dies."

"One week isn't enough time, Dante."

"Yes it is. You know how strong I am. Now, I'm going to jump off this pillar and try to fly. I want you to grab my hind legs and guide me halfway down, then let go and let me fall. We are going to repeat this day after day until I'm sure I'm strong enough." I explained to him.

I could see him want to say something else, but I jumped off, forcing him to catch me and do as I told. When he let go, my rear end dragged me down into a tumbling spiral. He caught me before I hit the floor. I ground my beak and flapped my wings, jumping a few times to try and get more height with each jump.

"Again." I demanded.

He hesitated, but read the determination in my eyes, and obeyed.

This continued for a week, as Trinity grew sadder and sadder as her mother got weaker and weaker. This powered my determination. Kage was getting sick of me, but he still obeyed. After another failed attempt, we stood on the pillar, both panting from exhaustion.

"I'm ready," I told Kage through pants.

"What? No your not." he replied.

"I had it, I just made it look like I didn't so that the others would still stay unaware. Blackbird and Dimidas are already conspiring about me, who knows how much longer until they piece it together." I told him.

He didn't believe me until he read my eyes. He shook his head. "Are you sure about this?"

"No," I told him honestly. "But I have to do something."

"I'm going with you, then." he told me.

I backed away, shaking my head. "I don't want to risk your life, Kage. Besides, I know how to see at night. From what I know, griffins normally don't."

He sighed. "I believe you. I also trust you." he shook his head and looked away. He suddenly chuckled and looked back at me with a grin. "And if you survive, then you truly are a crazy freak."

I chuckled with him, freak wasn't an insult when it came from him. "Thanks. I'll leave late tonight, when I'm sure nobody is awake. If I'm not back by morning, then tell everyone the bad news."

He preened me, and I could see slight tears in his eyes. "How about we try one more time, you crazy freak?"

I laughed, though tears were starting to build in my eyes as well. I didn't show it, but I was terrified. I didn't want to die, I didn't want to leave Lofty alone. But I also didn't want to watch as Trinity's mother died. I had to do it, there was no way around it.

I leapt off the pillar and we went through the usual routine, which ended the usual way. We then said our casual goodbyes as we headed to our caves, as it was bedtime. I cuddled up beside Lofty, and pretended to sleep, but I was just biding my time.

I fought against my heavy eyelids as I waited for it to get late at night. My determination kept me awake. I finally deemed it time and stood, slowly creeping out of the cave. The moon was a tiny little sliver in the sky, giving off little light. But I could see perfectly.

I looked back at Lofty, taking in her image so that it would be the last thing I'd see when I died. I chuckled, thinking about something Kage told me.

"You're pretty mature for such a young little thing. You should really stop learning all of the big words I use." he told me.

"What can I say, I'm impressionable."

A tear rolled down my cheek. "Goodbye, Kage, Lofty and Trinity. I'm sorry." I whispered and spread my wings.

It took some tries, but soon I was airborn, my wings carrying my body into the sky. I stopped on the pillar to catch my breath. I looked in the direction of Dragon's Land before looking back down at my home. I hoped this wasn't the last time I'd see it.

With one final goodbye, I headed for Dragon's Land, praying a dragon didn't see me on the way. Flying was very tricky and tiresome. Keeping that heavy rear up was hard work, but I did have it figured out.

I lowered my altitude, hoping that I would be harder to spot against the sandy ground. But that grew harder when the sand turned black and charred. A sharp and bitter smell hit my nose and I coughed. I looked ahead, I was finally in Dragon's Land and in front of me was the dragon guarding the flowers.

They were light blue and glowed peacefully. They should've illuminated the dragon's body, but it stayed perfectly black, as if it was absorbing the light. I landed when I was ten feet away and slowly crept towards the dragon. It appeared to be asleep, and there didn't seem to be any dragons near. Just in case, though, I rolled myself around in the blackened sand to darken my light fur and further darken my feathers.

The dragon was surprisingly smaller than I anticipated. But even though I was as big as its head, I was still dwarfed by its huge leathery wings, long slender body with a matching neck and tail. On its head was a long sharp horn that shimmered gold. Its golden claws and three-pronged tail spike stuck out on the pitch black body.

It was curled tightly around the flowers, and getting to them was tricky, because in order to be far away enough from the head I had to reach over the base of its tail. I was just about to pluck a flower with a powerful voice spoke, freezing me to my spot.

"Pluck that flower, and I'll pluck you," the female voice was demanding and loud, but I heard gentleness behind it.

I slowly pulled back, looking away from the dragon, afraid that she would kill me with her eyes.

"Now tell me, griffin, why you are out so late and why are you daring to take my flowers?" she demanded.

"I'm sorry," I squeaked in the tiniest voice. "I wanted to help a friend."

"What was that?" the dragon asked, her voice losing its strength. "Turn around and look at me, will you?" That didn't seem much like a demand.

I slowly turned to face her. To my surprise, her eyes didn't kill me. They were red with a black slit pupil, but I didn't feel afraid when I stared into them.

Her eyes widened as she stared at me. "No, it can't be," she whispered. "Dante?"

I twitched when she said my name. "How did you know my name?"

I could see she was holding back excitement. Tears welled up in her eyes. "You made it. You survived. How?"

Her words were puzzling to me until I placed the voice. Deep from my mind, my forgotten dream bubbled up. My eyes widened. "You," I said. "You knew my parents?"

"Of course I did, child! I was the one who showed them just how kind dragons can be. I can't believe you're alive! When I saw that they were killed, and your egg was cracked open, I was sure he killed you too. But here you are, alive and well!"

I was ecstatic. I found the dragon I heard in my dream. "Why didn't you recognize me right away?" I asked her.

She laughed. It was a bubbling and gentle laugh, it sounded similar to that one time I saw it rain. "Because you were covered in soot, silly! But the moment I saw those eyes, I knew it right away. You have your mother's eyes."

"My mother had green and golden eyes?" I asked her.

She shook her head, laughing again. "She was gentle, caring, considerate and rebellious, just like you. Those traits are clear in your beautiful eyes."

I smiled. Her compliment warming me. "Thank you." I said. There was so much I wanted to ask her, but I wasn't sure how much time I had, and was worried another dragon would see us. "May I ask your name?" I asked.

She smiled. "Solstice. Solstice the Moon Dragon." she said and lightly shook her body. Her scales began to lighten, starting from her nose and carrying all the way down to her tail tip. They turned a light gray and glowed like the full moon, casting a gentle blue-grey over the ground. It was as if the moon had landed right in front of me.

My jaw dropped. With her scales now lighter, I could see the finer details. Her belly stayed black and she had large wide ears, a light pink skin inside them. A part of her wing stayed black as well, but it was almost transparent, so I could see her slender body underneath.

She smiled and spread her wings. I backed up to make room for the large appendages as they reached across the sky. The transparent black part was a light skin stretching from finger to finger. But my amazement turned to concern when I saw cuts and tears. She folded her wings back in and sighed.

"Yes, my tears. I'll tell you about them later. But first, I have a few questions to ask you. Why did you try to steal my flowers?" she asked.

I hesitated for a moment, but then I remembered her laugh. "A friend of mine has a very sick mother. Those flowers are the only thing that can cure her, and she could die any day now." I told her.

She studied me for a moment, probably making sure I wasn't lying. I didn't break eye contact so that she'd know I was being honest. She then sighed and smiled, turning to the flowers and blowing on them gently. They made a gentle rustling sound, like the fluttering of feathers.

She looked back at me. "They are ready, but take only one. That is all that you'll need." she told me softly, pulling back to tail, fully showing off the flowers.

I carefully walked up to them and gently plucked one out. I gently held it in my claw, studying its slender blue petals and yellow core. The greenish grey stem stood out on my soot covered claw. "Thank you," I said to Solstice.

She nodded and looked up to the sky. Panic filled her eyes as she looked back down at me. "Another dragon is coming, Dante. Quickly, hide under my wing." she told me and her scales faded back to black.

I didn't question her and ducked under her wing, huddling up neck to her body, careful to not crush any of the flowers. She was surprisingly warm and her slow heartbeat was mesmerizing.

"Hey, I brought an elk for you, I know they're your favorite." the other dragon said when he landed.

"Thanks," I heard her reply.

"So, uh, how's it going for you?" he asked awkwardly.

Solstice sighed. "Perfectly fine. I'm just here, guarding these beautiful little flowers, wishing I could fly." she replied sarcastically. "You?"

"Don't use that sarcasm on me." he scolded her. "I'm doing well, thanks."

"I wouldn't if you'd just stop hitting on me for once, and stop asking me stupid little things. Thank you for the elk, seriously, but you know he won't allow it if we become mates."

The male dragon sighed. "Curse him," he whispered. "I know, I guess I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah, see you later." she said and I heard him take off and fly away.

When she uncovered me, I blinked, I was starting to doze off. She laughed softly. "You look tired, child. Take the moon flower and get some rest."

I carefully crawled back onto the ground and looked at the sky, yawning. "I guess so," I replied. "When can I see you again?" I asked.

She smiled, and I made sure to lock that smile away in my mind. "Anytime you want, child, I'll always be here."

"Thank you, Solstice. I'll be sure to see you again soon." I told her and spread my wings.

"You're welcome, Dante, I'll be waiting." she replied.

I then took off and headed back home, still holding the moon flower delicately in my claw. When I got home, I snuck to the healer's cave and placed the moon flower right in front of her before heading back to my cave. I was dead tired from all that flying, and knew I needed to get as much sleep as I could so that nobody would know what I did last night.

I grinned as I curled back up beside Lofty. I did it. I got the flower that would save Trinity's mother, and befriended the dragon that was guarding it. And the best part, nobody but Kage would know. They would just wake up and wonder where the flower came from, believing it to be a miracle. And maybe it was. Nobody would know.


That morning, there was much rejoicing.

"It's a miracle!" the healer exclaimed as she exited her cave, waking everybody up in the process.

I quickly got up and Lofty and I ran to see what the commotion was about.

The healer was walking towards Trinity's cave, a moon flower in her claw.

"What is the miracle?" Blackbird snapped, probably angered that we didn't get woken up by his bronze gong for once.

"I woke up and saw this moon flower laying next to me! I don't know how it got here, but I don't care. The important thing is that Sky can now be healed!"

Everybody was talking about what it could be, and how it could have got there. I tried to hide back my grin. A few feet away I saw Kage, looking just as shocked as everyone else, but I knew for a different reason. We locked eyes, and I could see him look at me with more respect.

The only one showing suspicion was Blackbird, naturally. He let the healer pass to heal Trinity's mother, but still addressed the chattering group.

"Quiet, everyone!" he roared, and everyone hushed, turning to him. "While Harmony may think this is a miracle, I have my doubts. The dragons guard these flowers, meaning that there are only two reasons why it may have got here. One, the dragons have spies placed around our mountains, and decided to plant a flower to invoke war. Or two, somebody stole that flower from the dragons, which may invoke war unintentionally." he explained to the group. Shooting a glare at me when he put emphasis on somebody.

I held back a flinch, he couldn't have known. He's only assuming, because I am the best culprit. My stomach began to churn as I thought back on what Lofty told me about my parents, I could get banished. I had to make sure nothing slipped out, I didn't want to be banished. I didn't want to leave my friends and family.

"Everybody keep an eye and ear out for any suspicious activity. We must be ready for war before the dragons are, as much as I don't want another one, it seems like others have other plans." he finished.

Again, another glare was shot at me. Of course he suspected me, even if it wasn't me, I'd be suspected. I was the son to dragon lovers and had green eyes, I couldn't be trusted.

"Now! It's time to hunt, and stay on your guard." he said and spread his wings, the other male griffins and Lofty following suit.

When they were all gone, I ran to Trinity's cave to watch the healing process take place. But I seemed to have missed it, as the healer passed by me with a friendly 'good morning'. For the first time, Trinity greeted me by a nuzzle.

"Oh Dante!" she exclaimed, tears of joy in her eyes. "I can't believe it! My mother is going to live."

I wanted to tell her that it was me who did it, but I didn't know if I could trust her to keep a secret. She wasn't as open about herself as Kage. "I'm so happy for you, Trinity."

She pulled away from me and nuzzled her mother, who slowly opened her eyes, looking at me with a gentle smile before closing them again.

"Yeah, the healer said she'd be groggy for a day, but she should be back to herself by tomorrow! Oh Dante, I'm just so happy!" she told me and exclaimed, jumping around.

I laughed, I was so happy for her. "Does that mean you'd be willing to play for once?" I asked.

She paused and looked at me before breaking into laughter. "You know what? Why not! If one miracle has already been performed, what's to say another isn't close behind?"

Now it was my turn to jump. "Then follow me!" and we ran off to the play area. Trinity played two games before tiring out. I decided to take a breather with her as well. Just then, the hunters came back and it was time to eat.

"I can't believe it," Lofty told me as I dug into my meal. "I know Blackbird has his suspicions, but I have to call it a miracle. How else would a moon flower end up right in front of the healer?"

I held back a grin. I was starting to like this nobody knowing thing. It was fun. When I was done eating, Lofty left to talk with Trinity's parents, while I went back to playing. That was what she knew, but of course, I had other plans. I walked up to Kage,

"Are you ready for some more flight training?" I asked him with a wink.

"Of course, hop on," he said and took me to the very top of the pillar. Once there, we dropped the charade.

"So, Dante, how did you do it? How did you steal a flower and live?" he asked me.

I had already made the decision to tell Kage the whole truth, and that is exactly what I did. "I didn't steal, I just asked for it. The dragon guarding the flowers is very friendly, and actually knew my parents! She even knew me!" I exclaimed as quietly as I could.

He stared at me for a few seconds, studying me carefully. "I can't say that I'm surprised," he began. "It's clear that your parents interacted with dragons. The only thing that surprises me was that she just so happened to be the one guarding the needed flowers."

"I know! Isn't that a delightful coincidence? I'm even planning on meeting with her again soon, too."

He blinked. "Are you sure that's a safe thing to do? There's that looming threat of war, and I'm not saying that she'd start one, but what if other dragons saw you?"

I was beginning to get tired of this "war" everybody spoke about. "I'm starting to believe Blackbird is just using the war threat to control us. If there was to be a war, wouldn't it have happened already? And who's to say the dragons aren't also afraid of another war?" I questioned.

Kage sighed. "You make a good point, Dante, but we can't be too careless."

I let out with a quiet whine. "Kage, please, everybody shoots down my thoughts and theories. I don't want you to, too. You're the only one who I was willing to trust when I said I'd be leaving in the first place, and you're the only one who still trusts me to not turn into a rampaging dragon. The only one who doesn't look at me with fear." I pleaded, staring at him solemnly.

He stared back at me with unflinching amber eyes. Eventually, he broke and shook his head. "I'm sorry, I guess the others have been getting to me. Everyone just makes dragons out to be such vicious war hungry creatures, it's hard to think otherwise when you grow up with it. I don't know how you do it, honestly."

"I don't know either. I guess it's just in my blood," I said and placed a claw on his shoulder. "Maybe, tomorrow night, you can come see Solstice with me. If you find it hard to see while flying, I can guide you. Or we can wait until the full moon. I want to show you how sweet she is."

He looked up at me and smiled. "Sure, why not? When's the next full moon?"

"Should be in three weeks."

"Okay then, it's a deal. In three weeks, you can take me to see this Solstice. Until then," he said, looking down at the others. "How about we spend less time talking up here? Better to draw as little suspicion as we can. How long are you going to keep up this charade anyway?"

I looked down at the others with him, noticing some were taking suspicious glances at us. "You're right. And how long do you suggest I keep up this charade? I don't want to draw too much suspicion."

He thought for a moment. "One week at the least. It takes most a month to fully learn how to fly, but you can be a slight exception." he said with a wink.

I nodded. "Okay, so you will only have to help me for one more week." I glanced down and turned around, walking to the edge. "Then let's do this," I added and jumped.

Many months (or a year?) later, I have updated the story! With three new chapters! I hope all who ever reads this enjoys it. The plot has now been started, and this snowball is going to get bigger. I'm a little upset that it took me eight seven chapters to finally get the ball rolling, but I didn't want to make the same mistake as the original by shortening Dante's baby years. Some of these griffins aren't going to be seen in a long while.

[Ranger of the North]

Hhhhhh
You updated!

I love Dante so much <3 Plucky lil chap XD
pluck
haha

How is his name pronounced, by the way?
d'A'nt
or
dahn-teh

[Megaguirus]

Hhhhhh
You updated!

I love Dante so much <3 Plucky lil chap XD
pluck
haha

How is his name pronounced, by the way?
d'A'nt
or
dahn-teh

Thanks for the compliment! Yeah, Dante is adorable, glad you like him. Writing a story with old characters feels like meeting an old friend.

The lower pronunciation is how you say it. I didn't come up with the name, though. I have a Folkmanis griffin puppet (the inspiration for this story, actually) who has a paragraph from the story "Dante's Inferno" by Dante Alighieri on his tag that mentions griffins. Of course, my kid self took this as the griffin actually being named Dante, LOL. I haven't even read "Dante's Inferno", so there is no relation between the two, but there is inspiration, so I feel I should bring it up.

[Ranger of the North]

Hhhhhh
You updated!

I love Dante so much <3 Plucky lil chap XD
pluck
haha

How is his name pronounced, by the way?
d'A'nt
or
dahn-teh

Thanks for the compliment! Yeah, Dante is adorable, glad you like him. Writing a story with old characters feels like meeting an old friend.

The lower pronunciation is how you say it. I didn't come up with the name, though. I have a Folkmanis griffin puppet (the inspiration for this story, actually) who has a paragraph from the story "Dante's Inferno" by Dante Alighieri on his tag that mentions griffins. Of course, my kid self took this as the griffin actually being named Dante, LOL. I haven't even read "Dante's Inferno", so there is no relation between the two, but there is inspiration, so I feel I should bring it up.

Hey, that's a cool lil history

[Megaguirus]

One week had passed and I noticed that my rear end had changed to the adult color of golden brown. I was growing up, and this excited me to no end. But suspicions continued to linger, so Kage and I agreed on one more week, besides, Trinity was still learning how to fly.

Though, sometimes, I let Lofty teach me, to further decrease the suspicion. I was beginning to hate this. Lying to everyone, tricking them to believe I was just like everyone else, just so Blackbird wouldn't kick me out. But despite this, he still looked at me with suspicion. I knew this was never ending, so I ignored it.

Erion was starting to grow up, too, along with a few others. He began to look up to me more, asking all sorts of questions. I enjoyed it, it made me feel mature, though I already felt that. It just felt nice to be looked up to, even the other grifflings were starting to carry on.

"You're starting to build yourself a following," Kage teased me one day.

"What can I say? I'm popular."

Ever since almost losing her mother, Trinity had become braver. She was taking risks while learning how to fly, just so long as I was beside her. And she joined in on our games more often. It was nice to see her changed.

Blackbird's age was beginning to catch up to him, and I saw him walking about, talking to the male griffins more often.

"He's looking for someone to take his place when he dies," Kage told me one day.

"Has he chosen anybody yet?"

He shook his head. "But I fear it might be Dimidas. He has proved to be a faithful follower, more so than anyone else." he sighed and bowed his head. "I'm growing scared of my brother, he's changing for the worse. We do not need another Blackbird, but I fear that's exactly who he's going to be. Why change something when it's already working so well?"

"I'm sorry, Kage. I'm so sorry."

"I am too."

Another week passed, and we finally decided to drop the charade. I took one final leap off the pillar, and this time, I went up instead of down. It felt so good to finally fly again, not keep falling and falling. Lofty was proud and wouldn't stop bragging to the others that I had flew.

I wasn't as happy as I should've been. But after pretending to not know how to fly, this victory wasn't much of one at all. All it meant was that I would start hunting. And that was good, very good, but it also gave me fear. Fear for myself and for Lofty. I was worried, just to get rid of me, Blackbird would trick me into a situation that would lead to my death. I didn't hold murder against him. After all, he wasn't afraid of abusing others.

That night it was the full moon, and I was awake, excited to take Kage to see Solstice. Though I was mostly excited because I would see Solstice again. I guess I should've been glad for that, because my excitement to show Kage faded when I saw that he was still asleep. I would've woken him, but Dimidas was so close to him, I was afraid I'd wake them both.

I'm sorry. I apologized to him in my mind and flew off. The night air was cool on my face, and the moon cast a haunting glow over the burnt sand of Dragon's Land. Solstice quickly came into view, but just like last time, I landed when I was ten feet away and made the rest of my way on foot. The less attention I drew to myself, the better.

She was already awake and grinned when she saw me bounding towards her. "Dante!" she exclaimed. "You came back!"

"Of course I did!" I replied when I was right in front of her. "I'm eager to hear more about you and my parents."

She laughed. "I guessed as much. Okay then, child, ask away."

It took me a moment to gather my thoughts, I had so many questions to ask. "What were my parents like?" I asked. I knew Lofty's reply, but I wanted to see if she viewed them differently.

"Oh, they were amazing young griffins. They were always curious of how we dragons lived, always comparing our lifestyle to theirs. Your mother, bless her soul, always managed to see the best in others. She even sympathized with Dragon King, saying that he was very similar to their leader, Blackbird. But she understood why their hearts were so hard, and why their were so cruel to their people." she explained.

"Why was that?" I asked, finding it hard to see the good in Blackbird.

"War and loss can change someone for the better or for the worse. In Blackbird's and Dragon King's case, it was for the worse. After losing someone dear to them after the most recent war, they saw it in their minds to reclaim their respective thrones. Your mother said Blackbird was born into it, and Dragon King had to fight for it. Nobody could deny they were both born leaders, but they had so much hate and bias in their hearts, it corrupted them." she sighed and shook her head.

"I know you probably won't believe me, but we dragons are suffering just as hard as you griffins. We only have forty members, and have to hunt in the cover of night for fear of war. However, ever since he failed to kill your egg, Dragon King has been trying to invoke war. Ordering dragons to attack the griffins while they hunt, or to spy on the griffins overnight to check up on your growth rate." she explained.

I let out with a gasp when she mentioned that last thing. "Is that why I sometimes see a dragon on the pillar?" I asked.

"Y-you've seen the spies?" she asked me back, just as surprised as I was.

I nodded. "I've always had a problem sleeping at night, so I'd often sit and count the stars. But one time I saw a dragon fly by, which made me stop going out for awhile. But when I did again, I noticed a dragon watching me. I knew it had to do with me."

"Oh my, if one of the spies saw you awake, that's not a good thing. Was it before or after your eyes changed color?" she asked, panicked.

"After," I replied.

She shook her head. "No, no this is not good." she said and began to glance about, her eyes widening when she looked behind me. "He's coming. Quickly, hide under my wing again."

Without hesitation, I darted under her wing and she tucked me in tightly. A heavy thud quickly followed, and I could smell a strong stench of smoke, even through Solstice's wing.

"Your majesty," she greeted.

My eyes widened. Dragon King.

"How are those flowers doing?" he asked. His voice was deep and growling, shaking the ground with each word.

"Fine, just fine. Why do you ask?"

"Because I was wondering if you could do something else for me."

"And what is that?"

"According to my spies, the little 'king' is close to flying. I doubt he'll stay in The Circle, and want to visit with you, since you are the closest and kindest." he explained.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked as boldly as she could, but I could hear the quiver in her voice.

"Resign your position as guardian of those flowers. You can still tend to them, since you are the only one they respond to. But let someone else guard them during the night and the day."

"But your majesty! The flowers will die if they aren't near me."

He let out with a threatening roar, and I felt her flinch. "Do not question me! We do not know that unless we try. Tomorrow I will have someone take your position. You can visit your flowers whenever you want, but you cannot linger nor can you guard them. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, your majesty." she squeaked.

"What? I can't hear you?"

"Yes, your majesty!" she exclaimed.

He laughed, a booming thunderous noise. "Excellent. See you around,"

I heard the thunderous flapping of wings as he soared away. A moment later, Solstice uncovered me but I didn't move, nuzzling her softly scaled body. "Did he hurt you?" I asked, looking up at her.

She turned to look at me and smiled solemnly, shaking her head. "Just threatened, don't worry, child." she sighed. "You should go, I don't want you to risk your life for me."

"But I don't want to, I want you to tell me more."

She glanced at the sky. "I can't, Dante, it's too much of a risk. It could mean my life, too, because I will protect you with tooth and claw."

I sighed and pulled away from her, walking back onto the black sand. "Will I ever see you again?" I asked her.

Tears were forming in her eyes and she bent her head down to nuzzle me. "Of course, child. You have a good future ahead of you, and I'm willing to hold on if you are."

I didn't know what she meant by that, my head was swimming with more questions than answers. "Okay, I believe you." I pulled away and spread my wings, staring at the sky. I sighed and took another glance at her. "Goodbye, Solstice."

Tears were now streaming down her face. "Goodbye, Dante."

I made my flight home as quickly as possible, afraid he would ambush me. I returned to a sleeping home, and quietly took my place beside Lofty, pulling in close to her. I had no idea what future Solstice was talking about, why Dragon King wanted me dead, why she had tears in her wings. And I wasn't going to get an answer to any of those questions anytime soon.

Tomorrow concerned me as well. Would Blackbird encourage Lofty to teach me how to hunt? Would Dragon King have an ambush waiting for me? Would Blackbird and the other griffins defend me? These questions carried well into my dreams and would not let up. It took all of my energy to remind myself that tomorrow was another day. These questions will be answered in time.


The gong chimed its thunderous roar, startling me out of my nightmare. I couldn't remember what it was about, but I remember being terrified. Lofty awoke as well and smiled at me. I smiled back, and felt a sudden urge of protectiveness when I looked at her. I blew it off, knowing that it probably had to do with the nightmare.

"And you ready?" she asked.

I cocked my head. "For what?"

"To go hunting!" she exclaimed before pausing. "Didn't I tell you that Blackbird said you could?"

I shook my head.

"Oh, well," she shook her head and her smile came back. "Well, he did, and I'm excited to teach you. So come on, before they get mad at us!" she told me and trotted out of the cave.

I followed her and we both took off into the sky. I didn't know what to think about this, though. Yes, I did want to hunt, I always did. But now I was scared of my life and the life of those I care about. I always knew Blackbird wanted me, but now I was sure he wanted me dead. And this Dragon King wants me dead, too, for whatever reason. But, for Lofty's sake, I buried my doubts and tried to tap back into that excited little griffling who wanted to take away his mother's burden.

I looked around at the great wide world I was flying into. I didn't give it much of a look during my two nightly ventures, and there was only so much I could get of it from the pillar. It was breathtaking. The ground below us looked dry and grassy. I wasn't surprised, though, we rarely got any rain around here. I'd only seen it rain two times.

To the right of me was an expansive mass of green. They looked like dark green blades of grass, except they were incredibly tall and seemed fluffier. To the left of me was more of the dry grassy area, and past that was the looming black presence of Dragon's Land. Ahead of me was a light blue patch of water, which was fed by endless darker blue waters. I was just about to ask what all of these were called when Lofty began to explain.

"To the right is The Forest, I'll take you hunting there once you get better at fishing. To the left is Dragon's Land, never go there, Dante. Below us is called The Plains. And ahead of us is The Cove, which is fed by The Great Waters that surrounds this whole island." she explained.

I took a mental picture of each place she mentioned and remembered the name. I felt that I needed to have these all memorized. I was about to ask when we would all split up, when we did, into three smaller groups. And these were, indeed, small groups.

The one I was broken into had Lofty, Blackbird, Kage and some other griffin I forgot the name of. Kage explained to me that they did this so that if one group was to get attacked by dragons, not all the griffins would be compromised. I smiled, he told me a lot of things about hunting before I could even fly.

The two other groups split off and flew down towards The Plains, while my group continued towards The Cove. The rising sun reflected off the water, and it took my eyes awhile to adjust to the glare. They all paused a moment and hovered many feet above the water. I was forced to figure out how hovering worked, and soon got the hang of it by watching them.

"Okay, Dante, I'm going to fly down and catch a fish. I want you to watch so that you can copy me." she explained.

I nodded and watched as she flew down, Kage and the other griffin joining her. Leaving me alone with Blackbird. But I wouldn't let that scary thought distract me, I kept my eyes focused on Lofty. But since she was hovering there for awhile, my eyes drifted to the waters. They were a bright blue, almost like the sky, but they shimmer beautifully in the sunlight.

My eyes then drifted to Lofty's body. The sun reflected beautifully on her crisp feathers, almost making her glow. The sun had the same effect on the Kage and the other as well. I put my eyes back onto the water close to where Lofty was looking. Maybe I could spot a fish before her. I loved the taste of fish, and was excited to catch one myself.

But I saw something else move under the water. It was very faint and hard to see, I was almost going to pass it off as one of the waves that sometimes crossed into The Cove. Until I saw a shape. A head. Long, slender and reptilian. The moment my eyes recognized the figure, it was too late.

The head shot out of the water, right towards Lofty. It was attached to a long neck, and it was colored exactly like The Cove. Its head was smooth, with no visible horns, and its mouth was filled with more than one row of teeth. I counted at least three, but everything happened so fast, there must've been more.

Lofty noticed the head moving towards her, but it was coming too fast, she only had time to turn around and stare at me with frightened eyes. I would never forget those eyes. She flinched when it clasped down on her rear and dragged her under the water.

Kage and the other griffin quickly turned and fled back towards us, probably afraid they'd be next. But I had to save her.

"Mother!" I screamed in desperation and sped down towards the water. I wasn't going to let that monster take her. She may not have laid my egg, but for all intents and purposes, she was my mother, and I wasn't going to lose her.

I was only a few feet from the bubbling waters when I felt talons dig into my hide. I screamed and turned around to see Kage pulling me away, his eyes looked terrified.

"Let me go!" I screeched, fighting with him as I continued to fly downward. "I need to save her!" my voice was filled with such desperation, it didn't even sound like mine. Each word was nothing but screeches. Those screeches would haunt me for months.

"I'm sorry, Dante, but she's gone! It's too late! Please, come home before you get eaten too." he pleaded, his voice sounding almost as desperate as mine.

"Kage! If that thing wants to kill itself, then let it, but I don't want to lose two griffins in one day. Come back this instant!" Blackbird demanded from behind us.

Tears began to flood my eyes as I stared back down at the water. It felt like my heart sank with her when I saw the blood. I'd seen blood before, even her blood, but not this much. My stomach lurched as if it wanted to join her.

"I'm sorry, please, come back." Kage begged.

I hesitated for a moment, but reality kicked in, making me stop fighting and turn around, flying back to Blackbird and the other griffin. Blackbird was glaring at me, and I didn't care. I didn't care about anything anymore. I was broken. My whole world seemed to shatter the moment that monster pulled her under. I didn't have anything to live for, so I didn't care to hear what Blackbird had planned.

"This was a tragedy, but we must still hunt for us and our families. We will join one of the other groups." Blackbird explained.

"But what about a war?" the other griffin asked.

"That did not look like a dragon, I don't think we should fear war. Now come, let's get this hunting trip over with as soon as possible." he said and they all followed. I didn't. I made a beeline back to The Circle of Mountains.

I ignored the concerned looks and comments and just flew inside my cave. I took the empty nest and dragged it into a corner. I curled up in the corner and flipped the nest on me. I wanted to hide. I didn't want to exist. I didn't want their pity, I didn't want to hear them all say that they're sorry for me. They don't know how this feels. To be an orphan, twice. Nobody should ever be forced to experience such a thing.

I cried into the fresh down Lofty laid into the nest. She put it there so that if she were to encounter more abandoned eagles, she could easily adopt them. Now this down was all that I had left of her. I cherished the sweet scent. As I tried to remember her smile, the image of her frightened and painful eyes took its place, making me flinch and sob harder.

Every part of me ached. Every fiber of my being was thrown into my tears. It was taking all of my energy, but I couldn't stop crying. I couldn't take my mind away from the dark thoughts that crept in. Evil whispers pulling me deeper into the darkness.

I should've known better. I should've heeded the feeling I felt this morning. It's my fault. I should've been quicker. I should've seen it and warned her. This never should have happened. I'm the one to blame.

As I ran out of energy to cry, my shattered body began to shiver. Every part of me hurt with a deep indescribable ache. The part that hurt the most was my heart. It was heavy and seemed to pull me deeper into the ground.

I didn't know how much time had passed, or if anybody came to check on me. If they did, they didn't bother me. Eventually, I feel asleep. But sleep didn't take away the pain and the loss. It only made it worse, because my dreams replayed the memory of her getting pulled down over and over. The nightmare haunts me to this day.

Again, a long hiatus, more updates! There are three chapters coming, too, but not today. I do hope nobody was getting too attached to Lofty, she was set to die the moment I made her. And don't worry about Blackbird, his time is coming. Also, if you really want to cry, listen to "My Immortal" by Evanescence near the end. That was what I listened to while I wrote it.

[Ranger of the North]

Lofty was AMAZING HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO THEM??

i
um
heh
kinda spammed the story on Wattpad......

[Megaguirus]

Lofty was AMAZING HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO THEM??

i
um
heh
kinda spammed the story on Wattpad......

LOL, yeah, I kind of noticed the spamming.

And I'm truly sorry for killing Lofty, but I'm like Disney in that way, mother figures must die, LOL. Like I said, she was made to die. The first catalyst to the rest of Dante's story. Yes, I'll tell you ahead of time, this story is going to involve a lot of death. Probably be the most deaths in one story to date.

[Ranger of the North]

Lofty was AMAZING HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO THEM??

i
um
heh
kinda spammed the story on Wattpad......

LOL, yeah, I kind of noticed the spamming.

And I'm truly sorry for killing Lofty, but I'm like Disney in that way, mother figures must die, LOL. Like I said, she was made to die. The first catalyst to the rest of Dante's story. Yes, I'll tell you ahead of time, this story is going to involve a lot of death. Probably be the most deaths in one story to date.

XD

Hhhhh nO NOT MORE whyyy
*grabs a box of tissues*
okay, I'm prepared

...I hope.

[DeMaizu]

*grabs box of tissues
sits cross-legged
folds arms
glares and squints so tears will be harder to see*
I'm ready. Bring on the heart-rending character farewells.