“Do you think you can help him?” Gabby asked, carrying the small fledgling to the hammock. The tiny griffon hadn’t moved an inch. It scared her.
“Probably,” Grandpa Gruff croaked, sitting at the table crushing the herbs with his pestle. Gabby never knew what he used, but they taste like garbage, and work like magic. “Yer just gonna have to wait.”
Gilda walked into the kitchen, her feathers ruffled. She looked even more annoyed than ever. She glanced towards the hammock, realizing there was something laying in it.
“Alright, who gave my hammock to this kid?” Gilda pointed towards the blue griffon, irritation etched on her face. Her feathers started the fluff out with her temper.
Gabby didn’t answer, she just continued to watch over the fledgling, praying to King Grover that he’ll wake up.
“Gilda, get me some boiling water,” Grampa Gruff ordered. This only fueled Gilda’s temper.
“What?! No. This kid is sleeping in my hammock!“
“Gilda please! He’s sick, and he might die if we don’t help,” Gabby pleases, gesturing to the unconscious griffon.
“Survival of the fittest, Gabby.”
“Enough!” Grandpa Gruff screeched, coughing up another feather. “The lot of you better yer hind quarters in place before I have to whip ya to listen! Now gET ME THE BOILING WATER!”
Gilda rolled her eyes, but did as she was told. She grabbed a stone pot from out of the cabinet, filling it up with water from the well Inside their house. Gabby watched her older sister place the water onto the stove, but she found herself looking back the the young griffon that she’d brought in. She took note that he was quite small, no older than ten years old, and to her horror, his ribs jutted through his fur. Even griffons on the streets didn’t look like this.
The sound of bubbling water brought her attention to the real world. Gilda brought the water to the balding eagle, who snatched out her claws. Gilda grown deepened.
“Whatever, I’m going up to check up on Gavin.”
“Didn’t you just do that,” Gabby asked, watching her sister climb the stairs.
“Yes I did. And he’s a lot quieter then you two!”
The grey griffin frowned, hearing Gilda’s talonsteps faded away. Her attention was back on the small griffon. He looked even worse than when she’d brought him in, though it could be her imagination making seem so. She swore he wasn’t that pale when she found him outside her house.
Talonsteps approaches her from behind, and she turned around, meeting Grandpa gaze. He looked peeved, but he held out the green mush that was it the mortar. She gratefully took the bowl out his claws, trying not to react to how hot the bowl was.
“...do I just....pour it down the throat?” Gabby looked unsure. She usually was never the one to give the medicine. It was always Grandpa Gruff or Gilda.
“Yes. How else is he supposed to take it?” Grandpa Gruff retorted. “Since yer the one worrin’, you’ll be the one watching over ‘em.”
Before Gabby could protest, the elderly griffon flew his flew up the stairs. “And yer paying me tomorrow!” He yelled, before Gabby heard the loud sound of a door slamming shut.
Gabby sighed. She turned to the sickly fledgling, still holding the bowl of herb water in talon. Carefully, she pried open his beak, gently pouring the herbal water into his throat. Luckily, he was unconscious, so he’d didn’t react to the bitter water. Unluckily, she had pour little at a time, as to not accidentally choke the poor kid.
Once the gray griffon managed to get all the water down, she gently laid the fledgling’s head back down, as to not cause any gag reflex issues.
Gabby watched over the unconscious fledgling, hoping and praying to King Grover that he’ll be okay.
Gallus felt himself gain consciousness again. He could tell because his head started to give him pain. Again. Oddly, the headache felt reduced to some degree.
Slowly, Gallus peeled open one of his eyes. He saw dim lighting from a fire-lit lantern, letting himself naturally adjust to the light. Once the haziness of his vision subsided, he took a closer look at his surroundings. He managed to make out what looks like a table, some chairs, and a bowl, all in the same room.
Wait- a room? Where am I? Last I checked I didn’t have a house.
Gallus body jolted up, and he immediately regretted doing that. His joints and head screamed at him, and Gallus had to sit in painful silence before he could move again. He gazed around, taking in what he was seeing. Being in the stone walled house still seemed...cold, but also, comforting and safe.
The fledgling had a few moments to look around when he heard loud talonsteps clattering down the stairwell. He eyes stared straight at the stairs, fearing what would appear out of it.
Gallus braces himself to be yelled at by some old griffon, or to be knocked out bye the same griffons that had picked on him a few weeks prior. Or be taken bye some death angel, or be dragged into the depths of hell. Either way, he prepared himself for the worse.
Instead, Gallus found himself pleasantly surprised.
The griffon the came down the stairs was had light grey feathers and fur, with darker wings, and soft green eyes. She seemed to know he was there, because the first thing she did was lock her eyes onto him. The fledgling shrunk under her gaze.
The lingering fear that Gallus had developed was quickly losses, however, when the older griffon gasped and raced over the the hammock had realized he was laying in.
“Oh my gosh, your awake, thank goodness, I was so worried you were going to die, but don’t worry, I had Grampa Gruff mix up his miracle water, you should be fine, oh! My name is Gabby, what’s your name? Why were out in the cold? Do you eat? We can get some eat if you’d like! Are you-“
“GABBY, SHUT UP!” A loud, irritated voice shouted from the floor above them. Gabby winced when she heard the voice.
“Sorry Gilda!”
Gabby waited for a moment, tapping her claws on the hammock before turning back to him. “Sorry about my sister, she’s still mad that I gave her hammock to you.”
Gallus’s eyes widen. He hadn’t realized that he’d been on someone else’s hammock. He instinctively started to get off of it before Gabby stopped him.
“No, you stay here until you are better,” Gabby urged, pushing Gallus back down onto the hammock. Gallus became confused by this, griffons aren’t usually this generous, unless he just happen to meet all the worst griffons that lived in Griffonstone. He narrowed his eyes.
“...what do you want from me?” Gallus asked, looking the grey griffon up and down, trying to find an ulterior motive.
“What do you mean?” Gabby asked, looking confused.
“I mean...do you want something from me, now? Bits? I don’t have any so do I have to pay you another way-“
“Hold it!” Gabby pressed a talon to Gallus small beak, shushing him. Her kind eyes became serious now. “I don’t need anything, I don’t want you to pay me, I don’t want anything in return.”
“Then why did you help me?”
Gabby smiled a bit, “I’m not the type of griffon to leave a fledgling like you out in the cold.“
Gallus raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t entirely convinced, but she seemed genuine. Her sunny
disposition definitely set her apart from every other griffon he knew, but he just didn’t trust her yet.
“So what’s your name?” Gabby asked, her voice was gentle. Gallus hesitated, before taking a deep breath.
“...Gallus,” he said quietly. Gabby ruffled his head feathers a little bit, seeming happy that he managed to tell her.
It was short lived, however, when a loud crash came down the stairs. Down came an elderly griffon the Gallus had seen sometime before passing out. He was balding, and one of his eyes were blinded by a small scar the ran across his face. He wheezed out a couple of feathers.
“Alright! Since he’s recovered, GET OUT,” Gallus winced at his booming voice, confirming that yes, this guy’s voice was just that loud. He shrunk in fear when the older griffon glared at him, hostility shown clearly in his eyes.
“Wait, Grampa Gruff-“
“Y-yes sir!” Gallus interrupted they grey griffon before she could say another word. Gallus pushed him off the hammock, heading quickly towards the door.
“Hold on Gallus-“
The blue griffon slammed the door, muffling the concerned voice of Gabby. It was snowing heavily outside, but Gallus ran as far as he could, trying not to look back towards the house.
It had been two days, and what was left of Gallus’s illness have gone. His headache has diminished to nothing, chest pain had subsided, and he didn’t feel thirsty anymore. Huh, I guess Gabby was right when she said it was miracle water.
Gallus was still curled up in his cardboard box, his blanket draped over his wings and back, keeping him warm from the icy wind. Though his sheltered alleyway keeper most the the snow and wind out. The griffon stretched his wing, hearing the satisfying crack of his wing joints, and preceded to climb out of his box.
Even though he survived the plague, he hadn’t been able to find much to eat lately. All the animals must’ve went someplace warmer, since all of Griffonstone was ice and snow at the minute. He wondered where he was going to get his food this year.
His wondering didn’t last long, when he saw a silhouette of another griffon standing outside his alleyway. He let out a hiss, hoping it sounded menacingly enough to ward off the other griffon.
“Gallus? Are you in here?” A familiar voice called for him. Gallus froze, shock going through his vein, followed by confusion.
“...Gabby?” Gallus heard the older griffon giggle. She leapt onto the broken planks that filled alley, making her way towards him. Soon she stopped, perched upon a plank just of the ground. She smiled at the little griffon.
“I was hoping I’ll find you,” she sounded excited. The fledging blinked.
“Why?”
“Oh! Well you looked really hungry last I saw you, so I brought something for you!” Gabby pulled a paper bag from out of her satchel, dropping in front him. Curious, Gallus took it into the talons, opening the bag. Inside there looked like small biscuits, cut into uneven shapes, and pale in color. They radiated heat, telling Gallus they were fresh.
“There Grandpa Gruff’s recipe! I hope you like them,” Gabby smiled. Gallus looked at the biscuits in the bag, before taking one of them out, biting into them. They were hard and crumbly, but it was the first decent thing he got to eat in months. Before long, the young griffon found himself stuffing the biscuits into his mouth.
“That looks like a yes to me!” Gabby giggled as the little griffon chewed, his cheeks stuffed. She stood from where she was perched, stretching her wings. “Well I better get going, I got the work on mail all these letters. You’d think since it’s winter less letters to each other would be sent, but you’d be wrong,” Gabby took off into the skies.
Gallus watched her fly off until he couldn’t see her silhouette anymore. He looked down at the bag of biscuits, and looked back at the sky.
“Thanks, Gabby.”