The bell rang as a short, hooded gryphoness walked into the Blueleaf Inn of Birch Peak. It was a cloudy day for the gryphon city that was built in the trees, and the warmth radiating from the inn welcomed the traveler like a long lost friend. It wasn't uncommon for it to be cold here, after all they didn't call the city a winters retreat for nothing. It wasn't only because of the bark of the trees was a white color that resembled snow, but also because the the city itself was build so high up in the branches that it was constantly cold.
The hood moved as she looked around the dingy, grime-filled lobby. There was a bar in the corner of the hotel with one drunk customer sitting on the end of its four seats, singing an incomprehensible tune to himself. There was a small hatchling muttering to himself as he cleaned one of the multiple tables that adorned the main floor of the inn.
The barkeep, and Inn owner, noticed his new guest and waved her over to the counter before returning to a glass he had been cleaning. “So what brings you here, lass?” he asked as she took a seat at the opposite end of the stools from the oblivious drunk.
Two bronze eyes looked up at the barkeep. “I’m looking for a gryphoness named Gilda.” Her voice was a bit gruff and sounded as if she was half way through puberty. If her immature voice wasn’t enough to give away her age, her height certainly was. She was just glad that the cloak was able to hide the odd coloring of her feathers and fur. “And I heard that she had stayed at this Inn a few months ago.”
“Well, just saying that this Gilda stayed here once a few months ago isn’t enough for me to help you. I get many customers, and it’s not so easy to remember all the different gryphons that have stayed here.” He finished cleaning the glass and leaned on the counter top.
She gave a grunt of annoyance but could understand why he had trouble remembering. “Well, her head and neck are covered in white feathers and the rest of her body is a dark tan color.”
“Little missy, I really don’t think you understand.” He had a smug grin on his face. “That’s not enough information for me to remember.” She gave him a perplexed look which he just rolled his eyes at. The barkeep clicked his talons together, and once her attention was drawn to them, he rubbed together. It took her a minute to figure out what he was hinting at, and when she did, the young gryphon gave him an annoyed look.
This time her grunt was a bit more audible as her eyes glared daggers at him. The jingle of coins could be heard as she reached into her small coin purse and pulled out three shiny gold bits. He chuckled as they dropped into his upturned palm.
“Now tell me what you know about her.” She slammed her fist down on the table, emphasizing the frustration in her voice.
“Whoa, there’s no need to be demanding,” she rolled her eyes. She was being the demanding one, yeah right. “I`ll tell you what you want to know. I remember this Gilda of yours; in fact she is very hard to forget.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well, she stayed here for about a week, and every single night she would come back from some club called Birdcage, beat up and drunk. After a few more drinks from this bar, she would pass out, then spout a continuous stream of nonsense about some rainbow-maned Pegasus in her sleep. Then one night she just up and left in a drunken rage.”
“Are you sure that’s all the information you have about her?” If forced to fork over any more bits to pay for information, she wouldn't be able to pay for a room.
“Nope, that’s all I know about her.” He went back to cleaning his glass. “Now if there isn’t anything else you need-“
“Have any rooms up for rent?” She blurted out suddenly. The very thought of being able to wrap herself in soft linens was enough to make her lose her composure for a few brief moments. After weeks of camping with only a cloak and a small saddle bag, the prospect of a soft, dry mattress stead of a hard rock face or a damp moss bed, made getting a proper room to sleep in like getting an invitation to sleep over at King Grydon's palace. On top of all that she was also glad that her cloak helped to mask the pungent smell of weeks without a bath.
“Well I might have one...” He put the glass back down and pulled a large leather-bound book from under the counter. He undid a small lock on its side and opened it to a page marked by a thin, brown piece of cloth. "But I don’t think you will like it.”
“Why not?”
“Well, some mare was murdered in it a few years back. They say whomever sleeps in its bed will become cursed, and will have bad things happen to them whenever possible.”
She considered it for a short moment. “How much is it going to cost me?”
“Well, it’s our least favored room, so you will have to pay five bits per night.”
“I’ll take it!” The inkeeper turned around to look for the keys. Taking the few moments while he retrieved them, the gryphoness looked into her coin purse and counted fourteen bits.Okay, I’ll stay one more night after this one and spend the rest of it on more supplies tomorrow. A grin escaped her beak as she though back to the great luck she had been having over the last few days.
“Are you sure mi-“ He held up the keys which she snatched away greedily.
“I don’t believe in ghosts and curses, so yes I am taking the room.”
“Ok then.” He turned the leather book around so she could have access to it, then gave her a quill to write with. “Sign right here and here, and you will be set.” When she was finished, he handed her a small key with a red tag attached to it. “Here, your room is 13-F; it's up the stairs and is the fourth door to the right.”
She took the key from him and quickly found her way up the stairs to her room. He picked up the book and turned it back around so he could look at it. “Heh. Well, that was half interesting, wasn’t it, Marty?”
“Uhhg come on Baggy get with the beat. The bare necessities will come too yoo. ”The drunk gryphon pointed to the ceiling before losing consciousness and falling off the back of the stool.
“Heheh… Huh. Well, that’s enough for you chap. Now, let’s see, what's the name of our mystery girl?” He looked down the page until he found the new name that was scrawled out in still drying ink. “Ah, Anasta Galewind… I have an odd feeling about her.”
Authors notes: A special thanks to to my proofreaders Meeester, Someperson, Mcyav! God and them only know how bad this was before they got their hands on it.