//------------------------------// // Plague // Story: Home Not Sweet Home // by CitreneSkys //------------------------------// Seven weeks into winter. The nights were harsher than ever. Gallus could hear homeless griffons on streets coughing up a lung, their pale face contorted in pain. And Gallus wasn’t spared of it. When young fledgling had woken up with a mild headache he didn’t think much of it, usually he wake up with something aching. It wasn’t out of the ordinary. The young griffon climbed out of his cardboard home, leaving the fuzzy blanket behind. He stretched his legs, feeling the satisfying pop of his joints. He leaped over broken planks that lined his alleyway, making sure he didn’t step on a splitter. The opening of his little alley was like a mouth, wide and ready to swallow it’s prey. It didn’t help that the ground was cold and wet. He stepped out of is comfort hole, immediately met with harsh winds. It wasn’t snowing today, but the wind had picked up speed significantly, making it hard for Gallus to see. He needed to find something eat before it gets to windy that the young griffon flies away. Keeping his side pressed against the stone walls of the houses lined up in his neighborhood, he searched the ground of prey. He kept away from other griffons that lived on the streets, trying to limit his possibilities of getting the disease. He heard soft scuttling close by. Closing his eyes, Gallus tried to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. It seemed to be near his left side. Gallus crouched into a hunting position, something he’d taught himself how to do when stealing wasn’t an option. Quietly, he stalked along the ground, following the noise that the small prey was making. He came across a small mouse, locking his eyes onto it. Using the wind, and calculating how far the mouse was, he leaped into the air. “RAH!” Gallus caught the mouse between his talons, his claws pinning it down so it had no way of escaping. He bit down into the spine of the mouse, killing it quickly. He felt a sharp pain in his head, holding his head in one talon. “owwww,” Gallus complained. He held his head for a little while, until the pain had subsided, before carrying the muse back to his alley. He winced when the headache had return, but didn’t do much about it. Gallus had devoured the mouse it seconds, striping it to his bare bones. There wasn’t a lot of meat on it, it must have been starving, too. He gathered the bones of mouse and dumped them off to the side. By this point the headache had came back with a fiery vengeance. “Ugh...I caught the plague, didn’t I?” Gallus grumbled, wincing at the pain. Catching with the illness for five years, he knew most of the symptoms. Unbearable headaches was one of them. Unfortunately, there were no healers in Griffonstone, and even if there was, it would be hella expensive, and bits were something the Gallus just didn’t have. All he could hope was that it would run its course, or better yet, kill him right there and then. Gallus closed his eyes, preparing for the worst. If fell asleep and never had woke up, it’ll be fine by him. Gallus had fell asleep. He had hoped he died, but the stars apparently still wanted him to be tortured more. Great. His head felt even worse the following morning. Everything ached, his lung felt heavy, and Gallus broke into a coughing fit. Sweat pooled on his face as he felt his body temperature rising. The blue griffon lifted his head, feeling groggy and his vision was unfocused. The sun shining on the snow almost blinded him, Gallus had to force his eyes to adjust to the light. It was pretty late into the morning, he’d guess around midday. Despite how dead he felt, Gallus forced himself up, slowly dragging himself out of his cardboard box. He felt shaky on his feet, and his uncoordinated body slammed right into wooden board that laid in an angle against the wall. Gallus laid there for a moment, contemplating wether or not should he continue on with his life. He waited a few moments to see if the earth and snow would see his misery and reclaim him. When it didn’t happen, he pushed himself to his feet, righting himself as he staggered out of his alley. Just getting out the alley was a workout. Gallus wondered if he should just go back to his box and stay there. Maybe then he wouldn’t have to deal with life anymore. Gallus sighed, pushing himself forward on his unstable legs, trying to find water. His throat was parched as Gallus continued to hack up a lung, his chest rattling with every cough. He tried to remember the layout of the the town, but his memory was so fuzzy, he couldn’t quite remember where to communal fountain was. Instead, the young griffin wandered aimlessly through out town. Gallus held his head low, not having the energy to keep it up, so a lot of what Gallus saw the icy stone path. And when you don’t pay attention, you are bound to get into trouble. The young griffon was so focus on the ground he walked on, he didn’t notice the griffon he was about the walk into. The two griffon crashed into each other, Gallus had taken a few dizzying steps backwards, before looking up at who he he ran through into. “You better watch where going, sonny!” The older booming voice said, or maybe it wasn’t booming and it was just Gallus’s headache that hurt. “A-ah what?” Gallus was confused for a moment, his sickness was really getting to him. “R-right sorry, sir. I’ll be on my way now-“ “You look familiar,” Gallus turned to a new voice, one that belonged to a brown griffon with white feathers and yellow eyes. Gallus certainly did not know who she was. “Yeah, yeah, whatever,” the blue griffon shrugged off the notion, trying to walk off. He didn’t get far when he started coughing again, feeling even weaker than he had originally. “Ew, your sick,” the brown griffon commented. “I noticed,” Gallus retorted weakly. “Gilda!” the balding griffon pointed at the other one. He wheezed and hacked up a feather before continuing. “Quit yer small talk, get yer tail back in the house!” The brown griffon, Gilda, sighed before obeying the older griffons orders, and climbed back into the two story house. The older griffon gave him a glare before also going into the house, slamming the door shut. Gallus sighed, pinching the bridge of his beak. Everything was worse now. His body started shivering, everything felt cold. He took shaky steps towards where he thought the fountain was, before letting his body collapse in the snow. This is probably the end, Gallus thought, feeling the snow fall from the sky. It would be moments before the snow would claim his body, covering it with ice. It doesn’t sound like a bad death to have. Gallus struggles to keep his eyes open, the thought of eternal sleep seemed comforting, peaceful. He’ll finally be able to leave his miserable life behind. Distant wingbeats were the last thing he heard before he let go of his consciousness. “Oh my!” Gabby face was etched with concern. She bent down over the unconscious fledgling. He was clearly sick, probably with the plague that swept the town every year. It broke her heart seeing a young griffon like him this sick. “Grandpa Gruff!” She called towards the house, right in front of her. She heard loud crashing from inside the house before a familiar balding eagle opened the window. “What is this time, Gabriella?” Grandpa Gruff grumbled, clearly not in the mood to chat. Gabby just pointed to the fledgling in front of her. The elderly griffon peered at the fledgling, annoyance formed on his face. “If yer so bothered by it, take it out to the trash or somethin!” Gabby gasped. “What? No!” She pointed to the blue griffon. “Can’t you help him? Don’t you have some sort of medicine?” “Medicine. What do ya take me for, a miracle worker?” Gruff laughed, wheezing out a couple of feathers. “C’mon, please? He may be really sick but your disgusting herbs work wonders!” Gabby begged, clasping her talons together. “No.” “Pleeeeeease?” Gabby put on her best pleading face. Grandpa Gruff let out an annoyed sigh, punching the bridge of his eye brow. “Fine!” He conceded, before closing the window. Then slammed it open again. “But yer paying!” And shut the window for real this time. Gabby let out a sigh of relief, before picking up the little fledgling and headed inside.