• Published 23rd Jun 2014
  • 827 Views, 12 Comments

A Griffon’s Foray into the Realm of Puppy Rearing - PhycoKrusk



After participating in a police action against some small-time criminals, national hero Jacoby Flynn finds himself faced with a challenge unlike any he has faced before.

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04 - A Quiet Night at the Opera

Two weeks later, Jacoby, Scruffy, and Alexios sat, all wearing their best shirts, vests, dinner jackets and ties (the first that Scruffy had ever worn at all) in the galleries of the Dreshden State Opera. The performance of the evening was a classic griffon fable: Der Wolf und die Füchsin, a story of deceit, imprisonment, escape, and revenge.

Alexios sat nearly as still as a statue, and it was easy enough to understand why; he didn’t especially care for opera, even if he enjoyed stage theatre as much as the next minotaur. ‘Too much singing’, he might say if asked. It was admirable enough that he’d managed to stay awake when he was probably bored out of his mind. That was, after all, the job of a bodyguard. Jacoby also sat still, although in contrast to Alexios, he enjoyed opera very much, particularly der Wolf und die Füchsin. He was not, however, paying as much attention as he normally would have, for he had spent a fair amount of the time with his attention drawn to Scruffy.

Scruffy had never experienced opera before at all, and as such, was at least a bit unprepared for the fact that opera, like any form of art, can still up feelings within creature's heart. Partway through the first act, Scruffy had begun to cry, although he did well to keep his whimpering under control so as not to bother the other patrons. Jacoby had waited for a few minutes, and when there seemed no change, asked the pup if he would like to leave.

Without hesitating, Scruffy fervently shook his head, and so they stayed.

While der Wolf und die Füchsin was undeniably Jacoby’s favorite opera, he found himself having difficulty enjoying it. He was distracted, glancing at Scruffy every so often from the corner of his eye, but by the start of the second act, the pup had calmed down. Now, as the heroine was finally using her intellect to escape her captor, he watched the stage with rapt attention. With a silent sigh, Jacoby returned his own attention to the stage.

In truth, the production was only passable. The orchestra was the same that always played, and was as excellent as it always was. It was with the cast that the issue existed. The vocals were on time and on key, but for the most part lacked the energy that he associated with the opera. Der Wolf, in particular, felt out of place, and although it was clear he was trying, it was not the right role for him. Almost any other griffon on stage would have been a better fit.

The single saving grace was die Füchsin. Although she was no virtuoso where her acting was concerned, she was an excellent singer, her voice strong and diction clear. In her, at least, was captured the energy he remembered from his previous viewings. And since die Füchsin was the principle protagonist, wasn’t that what mattered most?

At last, the finale concluded and the curtain fell to applause that was polite but lukewarm, and continued as such as the performers came out two at a time to take a bow. Der Wolf emerged on stage by himself, and once he had moved to his place in line, die Füchsin rounded out the cast as the last to emerge. In an instant, the applause rose in intensity, and remained high while they each gave one final bow and then retreated backstage. Following that cue, the audience rose from their own seats and likewise began to exit, Jacoby, Alexios and Scruffy among them. In the time since he’d been found, the pup had taken to walking on his own, rather than clinging to Jacoby’s chest, but when moving through large crowds as they were, he still made a point of gripping the griffon's talons so he wouldn’t get lost. Consequently, Jacoby had quickly mastered walking about on only three legs instead of four.

“Excuse me, sirs?”

Several of the patrons in the lobby turned towards the voice when it sounded, but quickly lost interest when they observed the grey feathered griffon it belonged to was only interested in one party. Jacoby and company turned about and approached, all thankful that the other griffon’s status as opera staff meant that the departing crowd flowed around him the way a river would around a stone. “Yes?” Jacoby asked, “How may we be of service?”

After acknowledging them with a nod “Fräulein von Kess has requested your presence backstage,” he said.

Although the name was unfamiliar to Scruffy and Alexios, it gave Jacoby pause. Kess had been one of the old kingdoms to the southwest, bordering the Crystal Empire before its disappearance, and although it had long been subsumed by the more modern principalities, the von Kess name was still well known by all other ‘southern’ names, ‘Flynn’ included. “I suppose that’s no trouble,” Jacoby said, looking down to the diamond pup. Scruffy furtively looked at the ground for a moment, and then back of to Jacoby with a nod. No hiding this time.

“Yeah, that’s great,” Alexios said, “If it’s all the same to anyone, I’ll pass this time.”

“Well, a fine bodyguard you are,” Jacoby said jokingly. Given how seriously Alexios took his work as a bodyguard, and the wholly unfriendly look he replied with, it was not the most intelligent choice of words. “So, we’ll see you in the morning then?”

With little more than a curt nod, Alexios turned and left with the rest of the patrons. Jacoby, in a perfectly reasonable reaction given the situation, withdrew a kerchief from inside his jacket and dabbed at his forehead; dodged that bullet, somehow. Not waiting for something else to even consider happening, Jacoby and Scruffy followed the unnamed griffon back into the opera.

It felt a little bit strange, being led through areas normally reserved for the staff.

After a brief journey, lasting only a couple of silent minutes, they passed through a door that led them backstage. The griffon that guided them gave them a nod before turning back and returning to the front of the opera and leaving them alone. Jacoby looked to Scruffy, who took a deep breath and squeezed Jacoby’s talons just a bit more tightly. Besides crowds and strangers, the pup was unnerved by unfamiliar places as well. As ready as he could be, he pressed onward, Jacoby right beside him.

Behind the stage was fascinating for Jacoby; an opportunity to see the inner workings of the opera. The machines and assemblies that operated the curtains and moved the set pieces, the cabling for the lights; all of it was a chance to see how a complex organism, even if artificial, worked. A short distance from the door, they came across a flock of griffons, some of which were recognizable, if only barely, as performers from the opera troupe. It was a smaller, less well-known troupe, so it made sense that they would need to perform some of the stagecraft themselves, being unable to afford much in the way of staff. The griffons busy with more technical aspects, Jacoby knew, would be employees of the opera itself. At the least, all of them were smiling, a sure sign of a good performance.

It seemed for a few moments that Jacoby and Scruffy would go unnoticed, until one of the performers noticed them. Immediately, her expression brightened even further. “Sie sind hier! Sie sind hier!” she said happily as she bounded over to them, much to the surprise of some of her troupe (although they quickly returned to what they were doing previously). The feathers covering her head and face were a golden brown similar to Jacoby’s - another mark of a southerner - and her beak was similarly yellow and tipped with black, but the feathers covering her breast blended so seamlessly with the beige of her fur that from a distance, it would be difficult to determine where one ended and the other began. “Guten Abend, guten Abend!”

“You must be Fräulein von Kess,” Jacoby said.

Tatsächlich,” the tiercelet answered, “Ada von Kess. Und Sie sind?”

“Jacoby Flynn. This is my, ward, Scruffy, no surname.” Scruffy managed a small, short-lived, timid wave with his paw.

“Oh, yes, yes, ze diamond dog zat had ze staff in an absolute, ah, tizzy, as ze Equestrians say. Zey had never seen such a zing, zey didn’t vat to do, so zey told me!” Ada paused to give a very ladylike giggle. “Oh, but I am ahead of myself. I must know, did you enjoy our opera?” The question was very much directed at Scruffy, who avoided Ada’s gaze, fidgeted, and slide just slightly closer to Jacoby. “Oh, he is shy, ja?”

“In part, yes. He also doesn’t speak,” Jacoby said in response, “He doesn’t seem able to, but his hearing is fine and he's taken to sign language rather quickly. Along with every other subject I can think to throw at him.”

Ein Wunderkind!” Ada exclaimed with a happy clap of her talons, “Und so enzralled by ze stage. Oh, I must know! Vat did you zink of our performance?” She slid down to the floor, resting on her belly, perhaps in the hope that it would prevent her manic glee from frightening the pup. “Tell me everyzing!”

Scruffy looked at Ada uncertainly, and then at the rest of her troupe. Finally, enough of their interest had been drawn that they began to huddle around. It was suddenly a lot of griffons in one place. He looked to Jacoby for help, but was offered only a warm smile. “You can do it,” Jacoby said, “Go ahead. I’ll translate for you.” Scruffy fidgeted for a moment, and then took a deep breath and began signing his explanation.

“It was the story that I liked best,” said Jacoby, his voice standing in for the diamond dog’s, “Most of the stories that I remember, it’s not that many, they are about strength, and strong dogs that win the battle and save the maiden.” Scruffy paused and looked to Jacoby with an expression of mild confusion, and was answered with a nod to continue; that had not been exactly what he said, but it was probably close enough. “I’m not very strong, but Herr Flynn says I’m clever, and die Füchsin is very clever, so I think I understand her. Whenever she goes some place new, she always looks at everything, so she knows what she can do and what she should look out for. She can solve her problems because she is clever, and the story is about being clever instead of strong. Clever is a good thing to be, and die Füchsin tries to teach us that through the story.”

In the time it took Scruffy to provide his analysis, Ada’s smile remained on her face, although it had shifted to become more melancholy. “Zat vas better analysis zen ve typically see from professionals,” she said after he’d finished. “You have a keen eye, but if zere is any character you may vish to be like, it must not be die Füchsin. Ve are to believe she is clever, but she does not see ze danger in der Wolf until it is too late. Ve are to believe zat she is clever, but she is not.”

Immediately, Scruffy looked disheartened until Jacoby gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. “I know that you have a response for that,” he said, “Don’t be shy about sharing it.” For a few seconds, the pup turned his gaze to the floor, scratching the back of his head, but quickly looked back up and began enthusiastically signing once more.

“She may not have expected him to be cultured,” Jacoby translated, “But she didn’t have a reason to think that he wasn’t civilized. He tricked her when she wasn’t expecting to be tricked. That doesn’t mean that she’s not clever, it’s just means she’s not….” He trailed off as Scruffy struggled with a word, before settling on slowly signing several. “In… sight… full-” With a sudden nod, Jacoby resumed translating- “It just means she’s not insightful. But because she’s clever, now she’ll know to be insightful too. We don’t see that because the story stopped, but we know because that is the kind of griffon she is. Clever and practical.”

Through Scruffy’s continued explanation, Ada maintained her melancholic smile. When he had finished, she still maintained that same smile, even if it somehow seemed jut a bit sadder. “I confess zat it has never occurred to look at it zat vay,” she said, dropping her gaze to the floor even as she continued to hold her smile. “I suppose I’m ze von who has not been so clever."

Ada was caught momentarily off-guard when, after just a second of silence, Scruffy suddenly wrapped her in a gentle hug, but swiftly smiled at the pup trying to comfort her just for shattering an illusion she’d long held.

Nein, nein,” she said, gently breaking free from the embrace, “You are sveet beyond measure, Herr Hund, but in all zings, even opera, ve must be at all times prepared to be challenged. Especially ven ve believe certain zings to be true, ve must be prepared to see zat zey are not so.”

“Ugh!” exclaimed another member of the troupe, “I thought we’d left the melodrama on the stage!”

Oh, du bist schrecklich!”

For a few moments, the group restrained giggles and chuckles, and the serious tone was broken.

“It really was an impressive analysis,” said yet another member of the troupe, walking from out of the collected half-circle of griffons and settling down onto his belly, putting him closer to Scruffy’s eye level. His name escaped Jacoby at that moment - there were so many to remember so quickly - but he recognized der Wolf when he saw him. “Especially for one so young. I can’t help but wonder how many operas he must have seen already to reach this point.”

“Actually, this is the first opera he’s ever attended,” Jacoby said to clarify.

Nein!” replied der Wolf. “And already, so insightful! He’s going to go far, I can see already!”

Absolut!” Ada said in agreement, suddenly energized again. “Oh, you simply must take in every opera zat you can, Herr Hund. It’s plain to see zat you have an amazing talent for it! Oh, I still remember fondly my first opera, Die Schneekönigin….”

That was all that it took for the entire troupe to happily recount their experiences for Scruffy, and for a change, he did not shy away from the attention, but listened so intensely that Jacoby was sure he might burst into flames. And he couldn’t help but to smile at that, and regarded the smiling pup in turn as he was regaled with tales of operas past. He really was amazing, adapting to his situation so rapidly, learning the language of signs even better than Jacoby himself in scarily two weeks of study, and even grasping advanced learning as if he’d studied them all his young life.

Like a bolt of lightning under a clear blue sky, inspiration struck, and the pieces of the puzzle suddenly fell into place.


The most recent letter from Jacoby Flynn stood apart from the others he'd sent recently in that it was sent express from Dreshden, quite the distance from Griffondorf. Unable to keep from wondering what must have been so important to justify the cost of overnight delivery, the Duchess sliced open the envelope and examined the letter inside.

Your Grace,

I had remarked in an earlier letter that Scruffy was exceptionally intelligent and keen-minded for his age. I did not, until just tonight, realize exactly how exceptional. I am ashamed to admit that his gift had escaped my notice, but he is more capable intellectually than many adults I have met. He possesses a deep and highly developed appreciation of art despite having had almost no prior exposure to it, and seems able to grasp the many nuances of opera to such a degree that many observers believed him to have had a lifetime of experience, short though it may have been, when in reality he has only just seen his first one. He has likewise shown a rapidly developed understanding of the principles of both engineering and magic, fields requiring skill sets often at odds with one another, as well as several more advanced concepts with equal aptitude. Again, he has had no prior training in either field, or at least not to the degree his understanding would otherwise imply.

I am forced to conclude now that his presence inside of a box in the basement of a warehouse in Konservenstadt is far more significant than I had initially. It is no longer my belief that he was kept there while awaiting sale or transfer, but rather than he was being held there until some as-of-yet unidentified party came to collect him. I will begin a full investigation into this matter upon my return to Griffondorf, and expect that I will require extended and complete access to any pending and closed case files maintained by your security force. I similarly expect that Aksel Krauser will be opposed to this request from the first to the last, and must ask that you be prepared to persuade him otherwise.

I do not yet believe this to be a matter of state security, but anticipate this may become a possibility, and thank you in advance for any assistance you are able to provide.

Sincerely,
Jacoby Flynn

“Hm.” With practiced precision, the Duchess folded the letter and replaced it in its envelope. “An interesting development. Thank you for delivering this to me so promptly.” As she placed the letter into her desk, Aksel Krauser inclined his head just slightly forward.

“Of course, Your Grace.”

Author's Note:

This one fought me a bit, I think because I enjoy the idea of opera more than I enjoy opera.

I also had problems with Ada. As it stands, she feels a bit too much like Hänsel, although I suspect this is because she speaks with a posh, upper crust accent and has been on-screen, as it were, for all of two minutes. It’s hard to develop someone’s character in that time. (Spoiler: We have not seen the last of her)