it only takes one word

First encounters part 2

(Sometime earlier)

It didn’t take us that long to rope down the cliff, and boy was I glad to be outside again. The fresh breeze was welcoming, the smell of the oak was relaxing, and the noise of the wildlife was music to my ears. It was a welcoming change from the fog infested, wolf inhabited forest we started in. yet, that was exactly our problem. This isn’t our world. The GPS doesn’t work, and we vaguely know where we are in the map we were given.

My plan was simple: find the locals, and get information and supplies. It was simple, but extremely flawed. The possible problems stick out like a sore thumb. Knowing that this world isn’t the one we know, how do we know if the locals are even human, what if there aren’t any humans? If the population are griffons, can we communicate with them, does English even exist in this world, are they friendly, or will they attack us on sight. The flaws just keep coming, making every scenario a total disaster.

‘Well at least it’s nice and quiet.’

“Ahhhh!!!”

‘D@mn you Murphy.’

“What was that?” Taphy asked.

We already had our weapons out, but we were extremely low on ammo, making us vulnerable.

“Trouble…” I responded, “Let’s keep going, but keep your guard up and stay quiet.”

They nodded in agreement, and we continued with our guns out.

“Ahhhh!!!”

This time, I was able to pinpoint the direction where the cries came from.

“It’s coming from that way.” I said facing toward the direction.

“Should we check it out?” Jordan asked.

I knew this could be our first contact with the locals. If we help one of them, it could benefit us, relationship wise.

“Let’s check it out, but don’t engage.” I decided.

We made our way, trying to keep low and quiet. I knew we were getting close, because I could hear clangs of metal hitting metal. Then I heard a scream and a loud thud, making us duck down even farther. I waved my hand for us to continue. I could see that we are reaching toward a clearing, and so I brought my hand up for us to stop. I then directed Jordan and Taphy to different places of cover. I placed myself behind a tree trunk, and took a peek. What I could see was unpleasant. I see several black human like creatures, one lying dead on the ground next to what looks like a gryphon in armor, the other one was missing its arms, and the last one seemed to be occupied with another griffon. There were puddles of black and red all over. There was a fight going on, and the gryphons were losing.

One of the gryphons was still alive, but not for long. One of those things had its hand on the gryphon’s neck, choking it. The other arm was shaped as a lance. It was going to kill it.

“Lets waste these f$%kers.” I ordered, aiming my weapon.

I aimed for the head of the creature that was about to kill the gryphon. I pulled the trigger (BANG), and the creature’s head exploded from my shot, spilling black ooze instead of red blood. Before the other one could react, Jordan and Taphy wasted him, putting multiple rounds to his chest. Once both targets were down, we made our way into the clearing.

“Someone check him!” I ordered pointing at the griffon that was lying on the ground.

I made my way towards the other one. It wasn’t moving from where it fell, and I was getting worried. ‘I hope I’m not too late.’

When I reached it, I placed my MP5 on the ground and began to remove my pack.

“Don’t worry buddy your safe now…” I tried to communicate with it but it wasn’t responding, “Just stay with me buddy, just stay with me.”

I began to examine the damage, and this griffon was really in bad shape. It had cuts on its right wing, back, arm, and on its face above its left eye. Also, it had multiple bruises all over its body. I noticed that it closed its eyes, so I checked its neck for a pulse. When I felt one, I sighed in relief.

“Daniel, the other griffon is dead.” Jordan said crouching next to me.

“This one is still alive, but not for long. It needs medical attention.” I said, trying to find any other wounds of concern.

Jordan began digging through our packs to gather all our medical equipment. ‘Don’t worry buddy, we’re not going to let you die.’

Setting up camp

It took us a couple of hours and a hell of a lot of materials to patch the griffon up. It lost quite a bit of blood, but not enough to be fatal. It hadn’t woken up yet, but its heart rate and breathing was normal. I figured it will be fine for the time being. The other griffon was not so lucky. It had a gaping hole on his chest and shoulder. It was dead before we even got here, and, if it were still alive, it would have been beyond help. I can’t say much about the three other creatures. When we tried to examine them, they began to disintegrate to ash, leaving black spots where they lay. It was quite disturbing, but at least we didn’t have to deal with the bodies.

Knowing that the situation is under control, I begin to marvel that we had encountered a creative from Greek mythology, and I had the chance to treat it. I never would have thought I would do this in any of my years, and I’m sure my friends would have thought the same. Seeing their equipment, I could tell they were intelligent. It would have taken some skill to make that armor and weaponry. However, I still had no indication of language. The genders are still unknown to me as well, and I don’t feel comfortable to go under to check. I’m sure it wouldn’t be happy about that.

“Alright, let’s clean this place up, and we’ll set up camp here.” I said.

Taphy tried to clean out the blood, and I called Jordan to help me with the other griffon. Its armor was damaged but still useable, and it’s also possible to repair it. I asked Jordan to help me remove it.

“You sure that’s a good idea?” he asked me, questioning such actions.

“We’ll just give it to the other one, or give it back to its family…” I said, justifying my actions, “tHis armor to bulky for us to use, but we can’t just leave it here to rust either.”

Luckily, the griffon wasn’t too heavy for one of us to lift him, and the armor’s straps were easy to remove. All it had was a breast plate, guessing it wasn’t planning for a fight. It wasn’t right to just leave the body; so we buried it. We marked the burial spot in case the family wanted the body.

We returned to the clearing, carrying the armor with us. Most of the blood has already been cleared out, and Taphy had already started setting up one of the tents.

“Taphy, why can’t you work this hard all the time?” I said jokingly.

He just gave me his annoyed look, making me chuckle a bit.

“Anyway, how’s our special guest doing?” I said unpacking another tent.

“It hasn’t woken up yet, but I was wondering. What are we going to do, when it does?” he responded.

“We’ll just give it water, food, and some space. It’s been through a long day so let’s just let it recuperate.” I answered.

We finished setting up the tents, and the sun is already going down. We then checked our inventory: couple of flares, strands of rope, one medical pack, not a lot of ammunition, flash lights, climbing gear, and two days worth of food and water if rationed.

“It’s not much, but it will have to do…” I said after I finished counting stock, “Let’s get a fire going and make us some dinner. I don’t want to face a griffon with an empty stomach.”

‘Let’s hope it likes quick meal soup.’ Starting the fire took some time. Oak tends to be hard to light, but the results are worth the effort. Before we started cooking, I decided to place the griffon inside one of the tents. Luckily, the tent was large enough for it; so we gently placed it inside.

Quick meals do live up to their name, but they sure do taste kind of bland. We decided on making beef stew, but it’s just liquid that has a beef like flavor to it. However, we had a long day, and we were starving. That beef stew smelled quite good. We all had bowls to serve ourselves. I decided to grab two extra bowls to fill up with stew and water, to give it to the griffon. I filled up the bowls and went for the tent. I decided to just lay them next to it, hoping it won’t tip them over. I entered inside the tent, only to stop in my tracks. It was awake.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gilda

I begin to wake up from the faint smell of food. My body ached and my head felt like someone placed a bucket on it and started hitting it with a hammer. Yet, I’m still alive and that’s a good thing, I think. As I regained my senses, I examined myself and the things around me. To my surprise, my wounds were already treated and bandaged up, and I was in what looks like a tent. I tried to recall the events that happened. The last thing I remembered was that one of those creatures had me by the neck and was about to kill me. Then its head suddenly exploded, dropping me as it fell. The other creature was also brought down somehow. Then three more creatures came out, but they looked different. I could hear crackling of a fire outside my tent. ‘Is this a campsite, who or what took me in?’ I then heard something coming towards me. I braced myself for what was coming.

I was paralyzed in what I was looking at. It had a similar shape as the creatures, but its looks were completely different. For one, it had a face; complete with a mouth, two eyes, and, I think, its version of a nose. It had a patch of black fur on its head, and, instead of black, it had tanned skin. It had clothing from the shoulders all the way down to its legs. The top half was white with red patches and blue stripes, and the bottom half was mostly blue. It was holding two silver bowls. The last thing I noticed was that it was looking right at me.

We stared at each other for a couple of seconds, not knowing whether to attack or to flee.

“Uh, don’t worry, it’s alright, I’m not here to hurt you;” It said trying to sound friendly, “I’m just here to give you some food and water.”

It placed the bowls in front of the tent. One of them contained water and the other looks like soup. I wasn’t scared but amazed. This creature knows how to speak equestrian.

“Ok, I’ll be going now.” It said, walking out of the tent slowly.

I couldn’t say anything. My mind was filled with disbelief. ‘Did it just give me something to eat and drink; was it the one that treated my wounds, what just happened?’ all these questions and the only answer I got was a rumble in my stomach. I decided to take the items the creature offered me, cautiously testing it. One of the bowls was surly water, but the other bowl tasted like meat stew. Yet, there was none in it. My hunger kept me from questioning it further.

“Hey Daniel, you alright?” I heard another voice that was different from the creature that came in my tent.

‘Dear Celestia, there’s more of them?!’ before I begin to freak out, I decided to finish the bowls. I knew I couldn’t escape. I am too injured, and, knowing there is more of them, leaves me lesser chance to escape. ‘Well at least these ones seem friendly.’

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Daniel

‘Well that could have gone better.’ I was hoping we would feed it first, before trying to communicate. The gryphon looked more confused than aggressive, probably just woken up. I knew I had to stay calm and act friendly towards it. It was the best actions I could think of, that probably won’t let things blow up in my face. I’m not sure if it understood what I said. Also, I’m not sure if it would like the soup, but at least it had water.

“Hey Daniel, you alright?” Jordan asked, having another bowl of soup in his hand. I put my finger on my lips, making a shushing sound. Now I had Jordan’s and Taphy’s attention. I quietly walked up to Jordan to acquire my share of the meal.

“It’s awake.” I quietly said, accepting the bowl from Jordan.

They kept quiet, while I made my way to sit down. I found a comfortable spot in the grass near the fire and sat down.

“So?” Taphy asked, wanting to know how it went.

I took a spoonful before I answered.

“Nothing really happened, probably to tired or confused to do anything…” I said, taking another sip of my soup, “It just kept its eyes on me.”

We continued to eat our dinner trying to stay quiet so we don’t frighten the gryphon.

“So, what do we do when it starts doing something?” Taphy asked.

“I highly doubt it. We may have patched it up, but its wounds are still pretty bad…” I responded, having concern for it, “Let’s just make sure it doesn’t hurt itself.”

It only takes one word

My body doesn’t ache as much anymore, but my wounds still hurt. The soup was not as appetizing for my liking, but I still consumed it. I still felt conflicted though weather to feel grateful or scared. I knew these creatures weren’t here to hurt me. If they were, why would they save me, treat my wounds, or even feed me. When it spoke, its words were kind and gentle, showing no sign of aggression. However, they were able to take out the other two creatures with ease. I didn’t know how, but it is enough to know that they are just as dangerous.

Here I am, in a tent with two empty bowls, and without a clue of what my saviors are. (GRUMBLE) suddenly, my stomach acted up, telling me that the two bowls weren’t enough. I could still smell the faint scent of the soup outside my tent. After the creature offered me food, I haven’t heard from them since. ‘I have to at least say thanks for saving my life.’ I finally mustered up the courage to confront these creatures. I staked the bowls together and picked it up with my beak. ‘Alright, here I go.’ I took a deep breath and walked out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Daniel

“Man what a night.” I said, looking at the sky.

We already finished eating, and tried to relax ourselves. The night sky was illuminated by multiple stars and a majestic moon. The air was filled with the smell of burned oak, and the sounds of the campfire were relaxing. The night was calming, but we still kept our weapons close. We were extremely low on ammo. Jordan only had eight rounds, Taphy had fourteen, and I had forty nine for my MP5. We knew if we don’t find any ammo soon, we will have to find different weapons to defend ourselves. We decided to use our guns for emergency situations only.

I heard a bit of shuffling from one of the tents, and turn to see the gryphon come out of its tent. It had the bowls in its beak, and was walking slowly towards us. It looked nervous, but I find it kind of cute. I decided not to move; so I won’t scare it off. Luckily, my friends did the same. We quietly watched it find a spot near the campfire and sat down, placing the bowls on the ground. ‘At least it likes the soup.’ We all sat there in silence, waiting to see who would break it. I decided to clear my throat, breaking the ice.

“Well, glad you can join us…” I said, “I hope you enjoyed your soup.”

I didn’t know if it understood me, but I continued, trying to sound as friendly as possible.

“I didn’t expect you to come out so early.” (GRUMBLE) I was going to say something else before the sound of the gryphon’s stomach interrupted.

The gryphon began to blush with embarrassment. Chuckling, I didn’t really think it can do that, but I’ll be lying if I didn’t find it adorable.

“Well, I guess that explains why you came out. Let me just get your bowl and I’ll give you some more.” I said, slowly reaching for its bowl.

It didn’t shy away from my reach. I gave the bowl to Jordan so he could fill it up. After doing so, he gave it back to me, and I placed it in front of the gryphon.

“There you go, enjoy.” I said as I went back to my spot.

“Thanks.” It said.

“No prob-“ I stopped mid-sentence to realize that the gryphon just spoke. “What did you say?” I asked, with a confused look on my face.

I knew exactly what it said, but I wanted to see it talk this time.

“Um, thanks.” It answered, scratching the back of its head in embarrassment.

‘Well I guess reality and reason got together and decided to ditch out, because there’s a mythical gryphon talking to me.’ my mind was blown. It was already exciting enough to know such a creature exist, but for it to be able to communicate in English was outstanding.

“Oh, well your welcome.” I finally said, trying to keep myself from losing it.

Going back to my spot, I took a glance at my friends. Jordan sat there with his eyes wide open, and Taphy had his mouth opened and eyebrows wrinkled. We were all taken aback by the speech. I noticed that its tone was high pitched; so I’m guessing it’s a female. She also gave me hope for my plan.

We patiently waited for her to eat her soup. I had no idea how she was able to eat with that beak.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what are you?” she asked in between gulps.

“Oh, where are my manners, let me introduce myself…” I said politely, “My name is Daniel, and these are my friends Jordan and Taphy.”

My friends said their hellos, after I called their names.

“And to answer your question, we are humans.” I ended.

“Humans?” she looked at me with a confused look.

“I take it, you haven’t heard of a human before.” I said, assuming our existence in this world is close to none.

“Well all I know is that humans only exist as myths or in fairy tales.” She answered.

“Hahaha, you know, I would have said the same thing about your kind, who knew.” I said, laughing at the irony of it.

I would say that the ice was officially broken. I was able to get her to chuckle. I’m sure these myths about our race would be interesting to hear, but I’ll save that for another time.

“So what’s your name?” I asked.

“The names Gilda.” She answered.

‘Hm, the name sounds familiar.’ I knew if we’re able to befriend the gryphon, we’ll be able to get an upper hand on the locals and a possible guide in our journey.

“Hey what kind of soup is this anyway…” she asked, “It smells and taste like there should be meat in here, but I don’t see any.”

“This is what we call a quick meal, and yes it taste like beef stew. Yet, it’s just liquid, and the reason that it taste like that is because it contains some spices that make it taste that way.” I responded.

“Oh well thanks for letting me have some.” She said taking more gulps of the soup.

“Its nothing, you probably need it from what you went through today.” I said with a smile on my face.

I then watched her facial expression turn to a frown, from the memory of past event. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have said that.’

“Hey, it’s alright, your safe now…” I said reassuringly, “You just enjoy that soup ok.”

“Thanks.” She said regaining a little of her smile.

Author's Note:

for those of you who are wondering i pictured the whole disintegration process to look more like resident evil does in the games.

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