//------------------------------// // Chapter Three: First Contact...ish. // Story: Lookout Equestria // by RadBunny //------------------------------// Wakefulness dawned with a rude reminder, pain shooting through Galley’s body. The gryphoness tried to turn over but even that proved to be painful. Her beak couldn’t move and two of her limbs likewise seemed immobile. What in the world happened? Last thing I remember was getting separated from my team, wandering for a day, and then the storm… The mental image of teeth and glowing eyes made her own shoot open, the gryphoness’s sides heaving. She was in some sort of room, a tower from the looks of it out the window. Odd bags and containers littered the floor as did some bloodied bandages. On examining herself, it was easy to see where those had come from, her wounds freshly cleaned and covered. I remember some sort of creature. Minotaur like? Almost like a Satyr or the Storm King… Said individual walked into the room, a familiar yet odd black tube slung across his back. “,  ,” it muttered. Walking on two legs its face was rounded and bare of any fur; yet clothing cloaked its entire frame, as did a belt with some odd devices strapped to it. Hair sprouted from its head, and two intelligent eyes then turned to lock onto hers, lips widening in surprise. “  ?"” Galley could only stare, trying to not hyperventilate as the alien creature kneeled down next to her. The creatures voice had been calm, but the rhythmic sounds were almost grating and huffy. Her efforts to scoot away only made the creature wince however, running some fingers through its hair. Fingers. Ok, so like a minotaur. Is it a guy? I’ll assume so. The creature carefully reached to its belt, drawing a long knife. Before Galley could react, the individual tossed the weapon across the room, holding up his hands disarmingly. Ok, tossing a knife away, that’s a good enough symbol for peace… The gryphoness’s eyes narrowed, still having no idea what to make of all this. This was NOT covered in my royal guard training! Just a scouting mission they said, figure out why the storms were acting weird over the Everfree and the sighting of some fireworks! They said NOTHING about aliens! “Do you want your bags?” the creature asked, carefully sliding over a set of worn saddlebags and opening them. Carefully retrieving a small case, the man examined it, opening the medical-cross marked container and gesturing to her. Huh. So, he knows what a medical cross is? Galley managed to reach her shaking claws over, retrieving an injectable painkiller. She tried to maneuver the small syringe, but it fell from her claws. Curses! Come on… The individual mimed the syringe towards Galley’s arm, and the gryphoness nodded. This seemed to please the creature, injecting the contents and eliciting an immediate sigh of relief from the gryphoness. Feathers and stars that’s so much better. I’m glad I’ve got a few more doses in that emergency kit. ‘Oh it’s too heavy’ they said! Eat your words, Private Nail! The creature then grasped his head as though in pain, letting out a soft hiss through pearly-white teeth. “Ouch, what in the world? These headaches…” he muttered, deep voice definitely confirming it was, in fact, a he. “I still don’t know if you can understand me. But…” the creature gestured to himself. “Jason.” Galley blinked, ears twitching in curiosity. I can understand him now? A rather interesting name for an alien. Huh. Why do his words make sense now? Definitely a he, if I had to guess. “If this is just a way to get information from me, well, I suppose I can play along, simulation and all that,” Jason muttered, thoroughly confusing Galley. What? Simulation? Who? “First off, can you understand my words?” Galley finally snapped out of her shock, moving her claws up and down since her head was otherwise immobile for the time. ‘Yes’ “…up and down, is that a yes? ‘Yes’ “Whoa, ok, progress. So, if that’s the case, can you shake your claws back and forth for no?’ ‘Yes’ Galley shook her claws, prompting the creature to sit down in shock. “Ok, so a gryphon who can understand me. This is a bit much. Erm, you are a gryphon, right?” ‘Yes’ “I have no idea if this is even a thing, are you a male or- wait, yes or no questions. Are you a female? I just would like to know how to refer to you respectfully,” ‘Yes’ “Huh, ok, thank you. Actually, you probably have no idea what I am, so time for formal introductions. My name is Jason, and I have no idea how I got here. I’m a human male, from…well, I guess a different planet? Land? I don’t know how much to explain. It’s called Earth, where I’m from. I got here a few days ago and have been firing flares. Did you all see them by chance? ‘Yes’ “Wait, is that why you’re out here?” ‘Yes’ Jason let out a breath, shaking his head back and forth. “Well, I’m sorry then. I didn’t want anyone to get hurt because of me.” Galley could only blink, the painkillers making her tense muscles relax a bit more. “I’ve treated your wounds as best I could, but I don’t know what else to do. The antibiotics I have might kill you for all I know. You have two broken limbs, and I splinted them as best I could. Your beak was nearly cracked through, hence the tape and splinting on it.” Gesturing to the medical container again, Galley withdrew a large red crystal, tapping it with her shaking claws. The human’s eyes widened as sparks flew from it, healing magic burrowing into her frame and making the gryphoness sigh with relief. “What in the world was that? Well, if it helped, all the better.” Probably fused my bones together; breaking those again is going to be awful, but at least the worst of the pain is gone. I should be able to function after these painkillers wear off…except for my beak. Ugh. If only healing crystals could restore everything to where it should be, then I could at least talk! Sitting down to lean against the center column of the room, the man massaged his temples gesturing to her packs. “Anything else I can get for you out of here?” ‘No’ Wait, the emergency beacon! When I wake up though…so tired… The gryphoness let out a sigh, flopping onto the foam pad without another thought. Jason stared at the creature, finally shrugging as he retrieved a few small camping pillows, placing them underneath her head. “Well, nice to meet you, Splotchy. This is going to be a really one-sided conversation until we get some help. At least someone knows you’re here,” he mused. “I just hope they don’t eat me or toss me off a mountain. I’m not sure what your method of saying ‘hello’ is.” Jason poured another batch of water onto the camping stove, eying the bottles already filled up with the precious liquid. “Boiled and run through three different filters. That’s about as best I can do other than distillation, which I just don’t have the fuel for,” the man remarked. “And what do you eat? Meat I assume? Jeez, considering the chemicals in the military rations, that might kill you too. Ugh. I wish I knew how careful to be…” Checking on the gryphoness again, Jason couldn’t help but smile, seeing her asleep under the rough blanket he had placed in the middle of the night. He didn’t exactly have a reference point, but compared to art from Earth, this gryphon just seemed softer, in a way, with more sapient-specific character attributes with an expressive range. At least, that’s what he could tell. The injuries to her face made that difficult. At least it IS a she. So, there is a difference with their kind. And I hopefully didn’t violate any extra-terrestrial codes of conduct. Then again, if this was a certain television show I’d have probably made the Prime Directive catch fire by now. Now able to see her in the natural light of day, Jason was able to fully see the interesting coloration that spread across her figure. Well, under the blanket at least. White and grey feathers covered most of the gryphoness’s frame which matched her claws and beak, a few odd black splotches then scattered across her neck, face, forelimbs, flank and tip of her fluffy tail. She was definitely of the feline variety of gryphon (if there was an alternative that is,) except she seemed to be less of a lion cross and more of a panther…or perhaps leopard? Quite frankly they were all rather similar and it wasn’t terribly important. The green eyes were surprising, a splash of color from her otherwise neutral tones. Shaking his head, Jason couldn’t help but smile slightly. He was still not quite able to believe a mythical creature not only existed here, but was currently napping on a camping pad in his tower. After the water reached a rolling boil for a few minutes, Jason set the final batch aside, a soft grunt catching his attention. “Ah, still with me?” he asked, seeing Splotchy tap her claws in a ‘yes’ answer. “Do you need anything? More things from your pack? ‘Yes’ Reaching into the bags, Jason withdrew a few items; another first aid kit, some strange bricks of what may have been food, some canteens, and then an odd circular amulet that seemed to make the gryphoness rather excited. Handing it over to her, Jason watched as she tapped it three times, the device then glowing and beginning to pulse with a soft blue light. “If I had to guess, is that some sort of locator?” ‘Yes’ “I obviously have quite a few questions if that is alright, but first is there anything you need?” Splotchy’s eyes drifted over to her canteens, Jason nodding. “Water? And perhaps some food?” ‘Yes’ Washing his hands first, Jason knelt down and unscrewed the cap, then frowning as he examined her beak. “This could be tricky. Hmm. I’ll pour a bit into your mouth at a time, alright?” Seeing no argument, the man carefully deposited a quarter-cup of water into the gryphoness’s beak, only continuing once she had awkwardly (and likely painfully,) swallowed. Half a canteen later, and Splotchy shook her claws- Jason setting the water aside. “Alright, so we can get you water, but I have no idea how food will work.” A simple ‘No’ answer was enough for him. “Not hungry? With your wounds I’m not surprised. So now we just wait until your friends get here? Will that be soon?” ‘Yes/No’ “Ah…is that a maybe?” ‘Yes’ “Alright, may I ask a bit about you? This place? I’ll happily tell you the same.” ‘Yes’ “Well, first off, you have slept most of the day; it’s afternoon now. Thought you’d want to keep track of time. As for questions, are your friends more gryphons wearing armor? Or gryphons in general?” ‘No’ “…huh.” Jason muttered, not having expected that answer. “Different types of creatures? From where I come from, gryphons and other creatures are thought to be myth and fantasy, not real. So, there’s other kinds of creatures in this land? I saw a cockatrice…” ‘Yes’ “Minotaur’s? Let me see, harpies? Kirin? Maybe a Pegasi or two? Are they sapient like you too?” ‘Yes, No, Yes, Yes, Yes.’ “Wait, what? That wasn’t an entirely serious question…” Jason’s eyes widened, scrawling the information down in the notebook still on his desk. “Ok, so a land populated by fantasy creatures; this is getting weird,” he muttered to himself. “No odder than treating a gryphon-erm, gryphoness for injuries I guess.” Taking the notebook back, Jason sat down next to the gryphoness, massaging his eyes briefly, tired lines and bags visible from a restless night. “Alright, I won’t bother you too much more, because you’re probably in a decent amount of pain. I’m just trying to figure out what I can about this place.” Her claws gestured towards him and Jason nodded, waving a hand. “Oh, of course. Where I’m from, there’s just us, only humans. Over seven billion of us on the planet. It looks similar to here actually, forests, mountains; we have huge oceans too. It’s rather gorgeous honestly,” the gryphoness’s eyes widened at his words, focused on Jason as he continued. “Humans are as diverse as they are numerous, different cultures, histories, languages, traditions, it’s rather fantastic really. But we’re the only sapient creatures on our planet, then just have lots of I…don’t know if any of them are coming for me,” he continued. “All I remember was a lightning storm, a creepy laugh, and I woke up here, tower and all. First clue something was wrong was seeing that freaky chicken thing. And then those wood-wolves, and you of course. Don’t have any of those back home. Well, gryphons and the other creatures I mentioned exist in my world only as mythical creations, nothing more. Seeing one in person is certainly an experience.” He paused, rubbing the back of his head in thought. “It’s odd. When I came here, I saw flashes of what I thought was stuff from my world, the old mountain I was on, even I look a bit different. When I first came upon you, you looked like a human girl but then that changed into a gryphon body. Came with a blasted headache too, maybe I’m allergic to something in the air?” Splotchy managed a shrug, Jason shaking his head. “Sorry. The job I have…had leaves you a bit starved for social contact. And now to find out not only am I not alone in this forest, but it’s inhabited by sapient fantasy creatures? It’s a bit much. I don’t want to tire you out though. As far as first impressions go, I’d say this has been a pretty crazy event.” Judging from the slight nod and shaking of the gryphoness’s sides, Jason figured she was laughing which matched the clear mirth in her green gaze. “Well, is there anything I can do for you? I wish I could help more with your injuries, but I’ve done as much as I can,” Jason asked, retrieving the other medical kit for her. “And I wish I knew what to call you. The only name I came up with is probably offensive in some way.” Her head tilted in curiosity, the man gesturing to her coloration. “Splotchy, due to your feathers. That was before I knew you were, well, sapient.” She laughed again; soft exhales that confirmed it was such. “Hmm. I’ve got a bunch of movies, but without context, they might appear pretty weird,” the man paused, shaking his head. “Actually, I’m sure any of them will be odd, since many have humans as characters…” An idea came to the fore, and Jason hauled over the laptop accompanying power cords, and a notebook. “I have to go check stuff down below but there are some nature documentaries I can show you. They basically show my world and the animals that live on it,” he then winced. “Erm, do creatures here that aren’t sapient hunt and kill and the like? I have no idea how the ecosystem works…regenerating wood wolves and all that. I saw a rabbit a day ago though, those are not sapient, right?” Another laugh, and a ‘Yes, Yes’ from the gryphoness. “Hey, just checking. I’d rather not mess up my first contact with another sapient creature. Mister Attenborough it is. If you can understand me, I assume that will carry over to this. It’s a documentary, basically showing how wildlife behaves on my world and what it all looks like. And you’ll get to see another human who narrates it all.” Setting the film to play, Jason watched as the gryphoness’s ears perked up, green eyes sparkling with interest. “I’ll be right back- oh, and maybe if you can try to write down your name? I doubt I’ll be able to read it, but it’s worth a shot. Press this button to pause and star the movie by the way,” he explained. Tripping over a bag near the door, Jason caught himself and let out an annoyed grunt, snagging the shotgun as he ventured outside. “Alright wolves, time to make a statement.” For the next two hours or so, Jason hauled over various branches and logs, making a square on the ground in the clearing surrounding the tower. It was hardly a fence; but hopefully it would serve its purpose come nightfall. “That’s my line in the sand, wolves. Hopefully you’ll learn to not cross it,” Jason muttered, wiping his brow and scanning the imposing woods. After swigging down some water from his belt canteen, Jason made his way back to the tower. To his relief, the gryphoness appeared perfectly fine; at least as much as could be expected from her injuries. What he didn’t expect was to see the movie paused, and a small framed picture held in her claws. Ah. The pack I tripped over… “That’s my family,” Jason remarked, making the gryphoness jerk with surprise, apparently not having heard him ascend the tower. “Mother, father, a little brother and little sister. Both in their teens now,” he said softly, taking the offered picture back, the gryphoness’s ears pinning back slightly. “I guess it fell out of my pack- or you were a bit curious.” The slightly guilty look in Splotchy’s eyes gave Jason a fair idea of which option that was. “Well, no harm done,” he remarked softly, stowing the picture back in the pack. “Hopefully I’ll get to see them soon. Or…again,” the man’s voice drifted off, a lump of emotion clogging his throat. Suppose I’ve never really accepted that option, that I may never… A seemingly concerned hum snapped Jason back to reality, the gryphoness looking up at him curiously. “It’s all a bit much to take it. Still feels like a weird sort of dream. Or a nightmare, depending on the time of day.” A more sympathetic hum left the gryphoness’s beak, Jason shrugging his shoulders, not trusting himself to look at the individual. Of all the times to get teary… “Well, first things first though. I can’t see them again if I get eaten. How are you holding up?” A slight shrug of Splotchy’s wings was an answer enough, Jason gesturing to the stove and piled-high supplies. “Still not hungry? Thirsty?” ‘No’ Jason wasn’t sure of how biologically it all worked, but he could have sworn the gryphoness’s off-white cheeks were now tinted a soft pink, her claws gesturing to something near the supplies. “Toilet paper? What do-oh. You have that in your world? And I assume it means the same thing here? Water in, water out?” ‘…Yes’ The man retrieved the item, stuffing it onto his belt before kneeling next to the shifting gryphoness. “I’ll have to carry you down. I am not sure the two buckets I have up here would be reasonable.” Either he was long-since desensitized to normal bodily function, or perhaps the entire thing was a sort of taboo, but the gryphoness definitely had a blush on her cheeks now. Rather adorable if I’m being honest. Alright then. Scooting his arms underneath her, Jason heaved the gryphon up, making sure to avoid the splinted limbs. “I’m assuming you have semi-hollow bones; otherwise you’d be a lot heavier,” he grunted, carefully making his way down the lookout stairs. Maybe it was just the position of how he was holding Splotchy, but Jason could have sworn the gryphoness relaxed in his arms ever so slightly. Odd. Looking at the porta-pottie, Jason shook his head and headed a short distance away. “When I was transported here, that thing got the bottom cut off of it. Erm, it’s a plastic toilet- not even sure if you have those. A place to relieve yourself in the woods? Anyhow, considering there’s a deep hole underneath it for some reason, it still works. But I imagine that might be a bit awkward given your injuries,” Jason explained. Carefully lowering the gryphoness to the ground, Jason nodded in approval as she managed to stand- albeit with a slight limp. “Two broken limbs and you can stand? What in the world was in that crystal…” he remarked in wonder, drawing his pistol and turning his back, setting the toiletries near her. “I’ll make sure there’s no rude wolves about.” A soft amused huff greeted his words, and soon enough the roll of toiletries was tossed back, the gryphoness sitting down awkwardly in front of the human. “Well, back up we go.” Jason definitely didn’t imagine it this time; the gryphoness definitely relaxed in his arms. Well, at least she seems to understand I’m a friend. Points for the human. Setting Splotchy back down on the camping pad, Jason glanced over at a nearby notebook, noticing a few strange markings. “…If that’s your name, I can’t read it, unfortunately. Maybe I’ll be able to understand it in time? Or maybe whatever lets you understand me will work like that,” he mused. A shrug met his words, the man sitting down in the worn desk chair. “Not sure where to go from here. I’ll keep shooting those flares up especially since your friends are looking for you.” The gryphoness let out a hum, gesturing to the human with a set of claws. “Me?” he asked, venturing a guess. “You want to know about me?” ‘Yes’ “Well, let me see. My job here was to look for fires in a big forest; they got started by other humans being careless, or lightning strikes. I used the radios over there,” he gestured to the devices, “to communicate with others to try and put them out before the fires got too big. I was enrolled in a higher-education program through the laptop, that’s this thing here, to try a career in something else. I’m…not sure if you followed any of that.” ‘Yes’ “Oh? Well, other than that, I don’t know where to start. Do you all have family units? On Earth, it varies. The most common is a mother and father- male and female respectively. But other forms of that can be a kind of communal unit, or two fathers, or two mothers; it just depends. Is any of that a thing here?” ‘Yes’ On seeing Splotchy’s eyes seem to glint in amusement, Jason ventured a guess. “Is that how things are here, more or less?” ‘Yes’ “Ok, that removes a bit of an understanding barrier,” he sighed, gesturing to the supplies in the lookout. “What else? Well, before I came here, I had a weird itch, like something bad was going to happen. We get severe weather at times where I’m at, and I’ve lived through a few really ugly events on my world. So, I hauled all of my gear into the tower and here we are. I usually don’t have all this stuff up here, well, most humans don’t even have this stuff to be honest,” he paused, gesturing to the gryphoness. “I’d certainly like to know about you, but I’m not sure how best to do that, especially with just yes or no questions. Perhaps once you’re well?” Another soft laugh, the gryphoness rustling her wings. ‘Yes, Yes’ “A double yes? Well don’t I feel special,” Jason chuckled, frowning as a familiar howl sounded out from the forest below. “Well, it looks like our neighbors are back,” he muttered, retrieving some items and crouching next to the gryphoness. “The weapons I have are extremely loud; basically, a small explosion propelling a piece of metal very fast. I don’t want you to hurt your ears. Mine were ringing for hours when I used them without earplugs,” he explained, helping insert the small foam plugs into Splotchy’s ears, then adding a set of earmuffs. He donned his own pair, slinging the old wooden rifle over his shoulder and picking up the flare gun and radio. The sun and moon did its nauseous flip-flop, and the radio repeated back its usual static. “Does the sun and moon always do that?” Jason asked, looking inside as Splotchy’s head tilting in confusion. ‘Yes’ “Ah. It doesn’t do that back home. A slow rise and slow set based on gravity. I can’t imagine what would cause…anyhow,” he murmured, returning to the tower railing. The flare went up without a response, but some familiar green eyes began to move at the base of the tower. “Oh no you don’t,” Jason muttered, shouldering the rifle. “Even chickens can learn the basics of cause and effect. Time to teach you all.” The base of the tower and surrounding clearing was easily visible by the light of the half-full moon, Jason’s eyes quickly adjusting to the dark. The glowing eyes of the wood-wolves made the process much easier too. There was easily a dozen of them, prowling along the edge of the clearing. Alright, now we wait. It didn’t take long- a wolf stepped over the wooden line on the ground… *BANG* Exploding into bits rather violently, the wooden creature slowly re-formed with a whimper, dashing away as its fellows vanished into the undergrowth. Not after you all. I just want to see if you’re smart enough to get this. Still rather odd they explode when hit with a bullet. These are larger rounds, but even so… It didn’t take long for the wolves to return, edging around the fence once again. One of them stepped over, and was quickly blown to bits by the metal round that smashed into its side. This was repeated over a good hour; Jason only firing if a wolf crossed the ‘fence’ line. After a good couple dozen hits, they seemed to understand the concept, only prowling around the exterior of the perimeter. “Smart wolves, eventually,” he muttered. A howl sounded out; and the green eyes scattered, a group of familiar red-eyed creatures taking their place. “A different pack?” His hypothesis was proven correct as they promptly crossed the fence line and began to gnaw at the base of the tower. “So you’re the ones doing that. Alright…” *BANG* It took another good hour of ‘teaching’ to send the same message to the red-eyed wolves, but these seemed different somehow. They prowled along the edge of the fence, growling and snarling at the human up above them. And yet they didn’t cross the line, having learned the consequence for doing so. After watching for another ten minutes, Jason walked inside, and frowned on seeing a ball of fur and feathers shivering as a series of howls resonated around the lookout tower, likely piercing the ear protection of the sensitive gryphon. “Hey, you alright?” he asked softly, the gryphoness letting out a soft whine. Poor thing. Almost getting eaten would do that. Is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder a thing for them here? I know I was dealing with it for a good year or two… Or five. Or…well, still. “Hey, we’re all good here. They can’t climb up past the second story, and the barricades were solid,” Jason remarked, wincing as another choked whimper left the gryphoness. Reaching over to pull a blanket over her, Jason took a step back, hand hesitantly outstretched. I have no idea what an acceptable gesture of comfort would be. Guess this is all I can do for now. Reloading the eight-round rifle clip, Jason sat on the bed, eating a quiet meal as he thought. As he got ready for bed, his eyes flickering to the picture frame peeking out from the bag next to the desk. I hope I get to see you all soon… “Do you want me to leave the light on, at least for a bit? I don’t know how long it will last though,” Jason asked, and saw the slightest bob of Splotchy’s head. “Alright. Let me know if I can help, even if it’s in a simple way.” Jason frowned on seeing the gryphon shiver slightly, the man climbing into bed with a sigh. Guess I’m not the only one having a bit of trouble then. Strangely enough, having someone-somecreature to care for took the lookout’s mind off his current predicament, at least slightly. Just like that time when everything changed, everything you thought was normal ripped out from under you. But that’s when I learned; helping those who were worse off…it makes you realize how much you really have, and how much you can still give. I don’t know how to help this creature though. As howls echoed through the night, Galley felt her entire body shiver, despite the warm blanket covering her. The only thing she was able to see in her mind’s eye were green eyes leering at her, teeth digging into her limbs and side. I’ve never had them this bad… Having woken from a nightmare an hour ago, the gryphoness was unable to sleep, instead shifting this way and that. She was no stranger to rough living, but this was different. I grew up in Griffinstone, but never had any of this come up, at least not like this. Some nightmares, sure. But I didn’t think…. More howls sent shivers down the gryphoness’s body, fear icing over her usually cheery thoughts. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and Galley’s claws shook. I’m scared. It was an odd and very alien thing to admit to one’s self, especially if you were a gryphon. The general view was that if you admitted weakness, you were weak. Living among ponies had taught Galley differently over the years however. Took me long enough. I guess I’m still learning… The tower swayed in the wind, and the fear began to spiral out of control despite Galley’s best efforts. The wolves were on the stairs or at least at the base of the tower, scratching and growling as they tried to find a way in. They knew the human wasn’t on the railing and were pressing their luck. Galley shifted awkwardly, knocking over a bag that spilled out some metal containers with a clatter. Jason woke up with a start, immediately reaching for the strange weapon at his bedside as he scrubbed sleep from his eyes. “What the-oh,” he mumbled, tottering over and scooping up the offending items. “You’re up?” the man asked softly, looking over at the wide-eyed gryphoness. His expression softened in the dim light; the human kneeling down next to her as the battery-powered lantern struggled to stay partially lit. “Hey, you ok?” Despite the pain of doing so, Galley shook her head, lithe figure trembling slightly. No, I’m not. I didn’t sign up for getting mauled by wolves! You’re the most pleasant thing here, even if you are an alien. Her sides ached, the barely-healed wounds making the gryphoness wince. As more howls sounded out from below them, the guard couldn’t take it anymore. A soft whimper left her beak, the gryphoness scooting off the pad slightly. Galley promptly flopped down next to the human, closing her eyes and tentatively shifting to lean against the human’s side, hoping such a gesture wasn’t breaking some sort of weird rule. I just need to think about something else other than those things. Anything… Slipping on the tile floor, the gryphoness let out a choked squawk as instead of resting against the human’s side, her upper torso flopped into his lap, head ended up pressed against the man’s chest, rather similar to when he carried her up and down the stairs. Even with the awkward positioning, her fears concerning decorum were unfounded apparently, as an arm slowly lowered itself around the back of her neck, resting across the gryphoness’s shoulders. “Hey, it’s alright. All they can do is howl themselves hoarse,” Jason whispered, smiling ever so slightly. “Does somebody like being carried?” Galley couldn’t resist a soft laugh, feeling her nerves strangely slip away. The man seemed fairly unconcerned with the contact, and she’d be lying if it didn’t help ease her fears. At least I got rescued by a nice alien. As the gryphoness dozed off to sleep, Jason carefully reached over and snagged one of the unused camping pillows, adjusting his position to lean against the center fire-finding console of the room. Going back to sleep with a gryphon leaning against him hadn’t been the plan by far. The fear in her eyes though had made the man’s heart ache, and the whimper that had left the gryphons’ bandaged beak had been clue enough to how troubled she was. Attacked by wolves, and now stuck in a tower with some strange creature? I don’t blame her for being unsettled. Well, hopefully I can help in this sense at least. He couldn’t help but let out an amused huff as the gryphoness snuggled a bit closer in her sleep, even as the wolves continued to howl away in the night. Closest I’ve been to a girl of any sort for a year or two, and it’s a gryphon in an alien simulation. I suppose there’s some sort of cosmic irony in that. Then again, for all I know she could have a mate. Husband. Wife. Whatever they call it. Or perhaps multiple of those. Well, here’s hoping she doesn’t wake up and bite me in surprise regardless. It’s still nice not being alone at least.