“What did I just say to you?!”
“I don’t care what you said, I want to know why?!”
“Gryphonal reasons.”
“Gryphonal re… what kind of bullcarp is that?”
“Gryst… can’t a hen change her mind? Do you want my help or not?”
“I… y-yeah.”
“Good. Now shut up and tell me who this is. I thought you said you were the only gryphon in Po-oh my lord. What the…?” Gilda blanched looking at Silverstream. It clicked to her pretty fast that this was her and why Gallus had said she just looked… ‘off’ somehow. “You weren’t kidding when you said she was ugly huh?”
“Wot.” Silverstream stated.
“I never said that!” Gallus quickly interjected.
Gilda continued to look at her, nearly in awe. “It’s… uncanny. Like looking at a gryphon but not.” it certainly looked like the halfway point between a gryphon and a pony and yet still completely different to what she’d actually imagined. And with this new image to compare to, the idea that Gallus was actually part pony seemed far more unlikely. Of course there was one weird thing that Gallus had said about her. “She’s a 4?”
“What are you talking about?” Silverstream asked, spinning her head from being turned all the way right to all the way left as Gilda circled around her to keep eyes on the earthier gryphon. The skyier coloured gryphon stared slightly wide eyed at the two of them. He began to speak but was completely cut off by Gilda.
“He told me that you’re just wrong somehow. I didn’t get it… but I do now.” she said, finally having fully circled the hippogryph and gotten a good look at her. “It’s like you’re a gryphon with all the wrong proportions and it’s kinda terrifying to look at… but I can’t look away. Like a train wreck.” she said with absolutely no regard for how insulting something like that was.
“Oh…” Silverstream followed. “I totally get what you mean. Gallus freaked me out for a while too. And the ponies were also super weird at first. But you get used to it. Honestly the strangest part is getting used to it and then going home and seeing half the hippogryphs as the weird ones until you adjust again. Freaky!”
“Gilda.” she said, putting out a claw. “You’re… Goldenshower right?”
“Uhh… no. Silverstream.” she answered with a face clearly trying to hide a very bizarre combination of emotions after being called that before grabbing Gilda’s claw and shaking it. As she did grab it though, Gilda balled it up into a fist as if to bump. Silverstream, feeling like an idiot released and quickly balled her claw and went to bump. Only for her fist to smash into an open palm of a hi-four.
The snickering from Gilda made it clear she’d just been played. “Eh, close enough. Same thing really.” Gilda replied and lowered her arm.
“It’s really not. Do… do you know what that means?”
“What what means?”
“Don’t worry about!” she said just below a shouting volume to forcibly change the subject. “So how do you know Gallus?”
“Uh… we go way back. Yeah. All the way back to yesterday. Suddenly we’re best friends and he asked me to go on a journey of self discovery with him.”
“Well, that is what friend d-”
“DO NOT finish that sen-”
“Sandwiches!” Gallus screamed as he held one between them. They both looked at him confused. Especially since Silverstream was pretty sure he’d only packed a pack of chips to eat. His eyes darted from one to the other in the silence. “Please stop talking about me.”
“Aww… feeling blue?” Gilda mocked.
Gallus just glared annoyed for a moment before coming back with “I think I’m starting to hate you.”
“Tss, you know you love it.” dismissed with a wave of the claw.
“No. I really don’t.” Gallus said in one of those calm tones that somehow carried more passive aggression then yelling ever could. “This whole thing started over how I look different and I don’t need the both of you talking about how weird I look.”
“What? No…” Silverstream piped up “Well, yeah I was but… I didn’t mean in a bad way. I like the way you look!” she said, realising what that may sound like [and a little bit was like] only after she’d said it. Gallus, for his part, caught it too but was more thinking about the immediate jab Gilda was sure to take at that as his eyes shifted back and forth between the two hens.
“Heh… well if things don’t work out with you-know-who I think you got a rebound waiting.”
“No!” Gallus shouted. “I. Don’t. Want that!” his arm flown above his head in exasperation. “The main reason I didn’t want it with…” he had been yelling at Gilda but calmed himself slightly as he looked as Silverstream. Lowering his voice. “With... you-know-who...” Gilda was at least keeping it quiet for him. “I didn’t want it to make our friendship weird. And nothing against you Silverstream but same goes for you.”
Though keeping Ocellus’ name out of it, he had narrowed it down to his friends. “Is that the only reason?” Silverstream asked.
“Well… maybe. After we talked about it, it just left me with questions. You know… the questions about myself we talked about earlier. All of… the this-whole-thing is why I’m going.” he said, sheepishly. He then hardened and motioned his eyes towards Gilda with actually looking at her. “Why I’m bringing her is a mystery. And I mean it. I really have no idea why she’s coming with me.”
“Is she your sister?”
Gallus snorted, Gilda answered. “No!”.
“Technically… I think she’s my niece.”
“Wot.” Gilda said this time.
“Yeah… Granpa Gruff’s your granps right? Well he kinda adopted me so I’m his son. So I’m your… mother or father’s brother and that make me your uncle.”
“That’s not how tha-”
“That’s totally how it works!” Gallus interrupted. The anger in Gilda’s eyes… he’d won this round by miles. “Silverstream?” he said, asking for confirmation.
“Makes sense to me.” she said with a shrug.
Gilda just hovered there. She was either seething or trying to figure out if he was right… neither of them could tell which. “Well at least you don’t think I’m your mom anymore.” she said under her breath. “This is all fun and games but I’ve been waiting for you here for long enough already. Can we just get going already?”
“You two are heading for the Gryphon Kingdom.”
“Not really a kingdom without a king… but yeah.” Gilda answered. “She’s not coming too is she?”
“Um… are you?” Gallus asked.
“Do you want me to?”
“Maybe.”
“No.” Gilda deadpanned.
Gallus heavily sighed. “I guess not.” he said and turned away from her a bit facing towards the east. “I’ll see you in a few days… maybe a week. Two at most. Can’t miss that much school.” he paused. “Probably can’t miss this much school actually. Oh well. I’m sure Principle Twilight will understand.”
“You better hope she does.”
“What’s she gonna do? Expel the only gryphon at the school?”
“Yeah…” Silverstream answered truthfully knowing that Twilight was so not racist that’s she’d do something that could be seen as racist to prove she's not by treating students equally regardless of species. Wait… I meant speciest. w/e.
“W… well don’t say that!” as he started worrying he might get expelled for this. Silverstream just put a claw to her mouth and laughed. She was just kidding… kinda. Gallus got the joke and chuckled a bit too before “Well… see ya.” she rushed in and hugged him. It shocked him for a brief second before he gingerly returned it… “Y-you too.” why did he say that?
She released him. “Goodbye. Say hi to Gabby for me.”
“Will do.” he said turned towards Gilda who had started flying off already, only to stop about 50 metres away after noticing that they were STILL talking! Gallus took the hint and caught up with her.
“How does she know Gabby.” she said as he kept pace with Gilda, flying away and out of ear shot of Silverstream.
“Oh, she’s here like every other day. She’s dating Spike.”
“I have no idea who that is… but niiccccceee…”
“I’m not sure if Spike is older or younger than me…”
“Niiiccceeee…”