Chapter 13: Let's Talk
Sitting outside in the top branches of a tall tree during a thunderstorm was probably not the best idea. In fact, it was a terrible idea, but sacrifices must be made sometimes! I had to do it since it was pretty much the only way to get a hold of Gallus. If I couldn’t get him to come to me, I had to go to him. This strategy had worked once; surely it would work again. I just had to be patient.
Then came the storm. Sudden! Electric! Full of the coldest raindrops that had a knack for finding their way right through my feathers! I toughed it out for a few minutes, but then flash-BOOM! Lightning struck somewhere behind me, so close that I could smell ozone lingering in the air. I almost jumped out of my skin as I leaped from the treetop, retreating to the safety of the apartment below. Gallus wouldn’t mind me letting myself in for something like that, right?
I stole a towel from the bathroom pit and dried the rainwater out of my feathers, resolving to go back out there the moment the storm broke. For now, the couch would serve as my safe and dry perch.
I flopped down and let out a sigh. A few loose feathers clung to the couch, all of them from a particular blue source. I picked one that was close to my face up and idly ran a claw through its vanes. Had he gotten my note? I thought it had been conspicuous enough, but he hadn’t come to find me like I asked. Then again, it had only been eighteen hours. And he had work today.
Okay, maybe he just hadn’t had time. That was understandable, but you’d think he’d make time for me if there was romantic interest involved! Every boyfriend I’d ever had would have dropped everything at a moment’s notice if I said the word. The desperation was real—and so consistent that I’d just assumed that was the default setting for boys.
Was Gallus built different because he was a griffon? In the past, he had talked at length about griffon society and all the aspects he hated about it. Certainly, he would have mentioned that at some point. Then again, I couldn’t remember talking at length with any of my friends at school about different courtship styles for their species. That was a subject I’d have to bring up with Ocellus next time she wrote me back. Ocellus knew everything!
For now, I would just operate on the assumption that there weren’t many huge cultural differences between us. I’d tried to come up with so many other explanations for his behavior in my mind: a death in the family; sleep deprivation; a rare planetary alignment that had thrown his magical balances out of whack and made him irritable and awkward and cagey. If there was any possible reason, I’d already thought of it. Every time, it always circled back to crushing crush anxiety.
And so that left me with one clear choice. I hated to see my friends in any kind of distress whatsoever. If there was a problem, I would do everything in my power to make it better. In this case, the power to alleviate the problem fell to me and me alone.
I hopped up from the couch. A few minutes alone with Gallus for a little chat, and then all would be well. The summer would be back on track—maybe even a little better than expected! He’d be along any time now, though a glance through the window revealed no cute blue griffons. The rain had let up a bit, but there was still enough that it made me think twice about going out there. Would he mind if I stayed here?
No, I chided myself. This apartment was not my space to do with as I pleased. I’d already overstayed my welcome by letting myself in, so I needed to go back outside and wait like the good friend I was. After a little straightening up to make it like I was never there and a sweep for loose feathers of my own, I nodded to myself in satisfaction and went for the door—
And then it yelped. I jumped back in surprise. Doors weren’t supposed to yelp. My heart fluttered a bit as I pulled the door the rest of the way open, only to find an empty doorstep, a few blue feathers resting on the steps.
“What are you doing here?!” croaked a voice from above. I followed the sound to its source and found the Gallus I was looking for, clinging to the side of the trunk with his claws. He was soaking wet and trembling, his feathers and fur matted down. He looked more like a distressed chicken than a proud, regal griffon.
“Oh, you know, just thought I’d drop in,” I said, scratching the back of my head sheepishly.
Gallus released his claws from the tree trunk and dropped down to ground level. “You need to be more careful,” he said, pushing his way past me and dropping his knapsack on the floor. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to care that I had let myself in. He hopped down into the open bathroom hatch and returned a moment later with a towel, drying his face first and then working his way around to—
“Is that blood on your back?”
I pointed to a big splotch of dark red above the base of his tail. Gallus inspected his rear half and said, “Huh,” but otherwise stayed silent, going to work with the towel. The bloodstain had been partially washed away by the rain, so it didn’t take him long to remove it. He then unceremoniously threw the reddened towel into the kitchen floor and started for the door.
“Are you hurt?” I asked, rushing toward him once he was done drying himself, trying to get a look at his back. “Do we need to go to the hospital?”
“It wasn’t my blood,” he said with a shrug, gently pushing me back.
I blanched. “Do you have any idea how little comfort that gives me? If it’s not yours, then where did it come from?”
“Work,” he replied monosyllabically. He tried to push past me, but I stepped into his way before he got to the door.
“Gallus, you’re scaring me. What happened? Was it a fight? Are you hurt? Are you okay? What’s—”
He held up a claw to stop me. “I’m fine! I just…” he sighed, “It’s a lot. I’ll talk about it, but there’s someone else who needs to know first.” He brushed past me and threw the door open. “Come on, I’ll tell you on the way.”
Gallus’s version of ‘telling me on the way’ consisted of more one- and two-word answers. He was preoccupied, his replies to my questions terse and lacking in detail. What I did get out of him was alarming, though. A ship had come in heavily damaged, and some of the crew were hurt. Gallus had helped with the offloading, and one of the wounded must have bled on him.
The longer we walked, the fewer questions I asked. A pit was growing in my stomach, and each additional piece of the puzzle Gallus offered only deepened it. He didn’t give me enough to assume the cause, but it brought the Storm King to mind.
A shiver ran down my spine, but I kept walking. After a few minutes and a few twists and turns on the winding streets of Mount Aris, we arrived at a fairly squat house on the very edge of the city, nestled against the mountain’s southern wing. The tree was unremarkable: a fat trunk that didn’t have many tall branches. One room of darkened shade panels sat nearly centered over the main trunk.
Gallus knocked at the front door and stepped back, waiting patiently. After a moment, the sounds of someone moving around on the other side of the door became audible. “I’m closed for the day,” said a muffled feminine voice from the other side of the door.
“Diamond, it’s Gallus,” he called, raising his voice to carry through the door. “I need to talk to you.”
The hippogriff inside the house shifted her tone quickly. “Oh! Come on in, the door's unlocked.”
Gallus turned the latch and pushed the door open, but as soon as it was open a tiny bit, an orange blur shot out from the crack, darting between his feet. “Moxie, no!” came the scolding shout from within, but it was too late.
The tiny tabby cat chanced a glance back over her shoulder at me as she tore up the path we’d come in on. Thinking on my hooves, I spread my wings and pushed off. “I’m on it!” I called over my shoulder.
Moxie was fast, but the housecat lacked the aerial advantage. Using my wings as a boost, I swooped down and scooped her up with my claws, latching onto the nape of her neck. She didn’t struggle as I turned and brought her back to the porch, where Gallus was watching me with raised eyebrows.
“Nice,” he said, pushing the door the rest of the way open and letting us inside. I held onto the cat until the door was fully closed, gently setting her down on the floor and letting her go. To my surprise, she didn’t immediately run off. Instead, she casually walked over a few steps and rolled over on the floor.
“Thanks,” said Diamond. She was sky blue, tall and graceful, with her light green mane feathers tied back into a loose ponytail and a pencil tucked behind her right ear. She watched Moxie for a moment, but when her eyes settled on me, a smidge of discomfort flashed across her face. “Gotta say, it’s not every day that royalty drops in and rounds up your cat.”
I could sense the unease in her voice, something that happened commonly here at home. “I’m just glad I was able to help.” I reached down to give Moxie a scratch between the ears. “She’s precious!”
Diamond smiled warmly, the unease vanishing. I’d gotten pretty good at defusing the whole royalty anxiety thing over the years. “One of these days she’s gonna find out just how nice she has it here when I lock the door behind her,” she replied, shooting Moxie another round of stink eye. The cat was completely unbothered, even going so far as purring softly as she licked a paw. “So, what’s up? Is Sassy doing okay?” she asked, turning her attention toward Gallus.
“She’s fine,” said Gallus. “It’s Ty. He’s back.”
It took me a moment to put the pieces together. I had no idea who Sassy was, but Ty was a familiar name. Oh, the roommate! I knew he was a sailor, but why was that so important that Gallus would make a special trip over here just to tell her? He must have made fast friends.
Diamond’s face lit up for a moment. “Already?” But then it soured, some realization dawning on her that replaced that excitement with fear. “Is something wrong?”
Gallus nodded. “It’s bad. His ship took a lot of damage. I only saw him for a second, and he looks like he’s doing okay, but he’s wounded.”
Immediately, Diamond was in motion, taking the pencil out from behind her ear and setting it down on a nearby table. “Where is he?” she asked, her voice wavering just a little bit.
“I think he’s at Navy headquarters. There were a lot of high-ranking officers swarming around him. Whatever happened, it looked serious.”
A pit of dread built in the pit of my stomach as more details came to light. I swallowed hard, reflexively trying to fill it with spit. The news was nothing to panic over yet, but something bad had happened. Hippogriffs had been hurt. Possibilities ran through my mind. Had they run up on the rocks like that one ship did a few months ago? Did something attack the ship? Had someone attacked it? I was a hatchling when it happened, but I knew the history of how the Storm King had taken over Mount Aris. It started with a few random attacks on Navy ships—nothing too crazy, but then one day the airships came, enough to block out the sun. They caught us off guard. We stood no chance.
The Day of the Dark Sky. We were forced to flee and hide beneath the waves on the barren seafloor. No more flying. No more crunchy food. No more interacting with the rest of the world. A whole nation cast into a life devoid of beauty and wonder, taken from us by a cruel tyrant.
My chest was twisting itself into a knot. No! Stop! The Storm King wasn’t coming back. He was dead. Dead-dead. There was surely a better explanation for what had happened than that. The thought frightened me, but I couldn’t give in to it. It would just live in the back of my mind, ignored and unloved.
Right now, what mattered was the present. What I could do to help in this moment. Coming back to the here and now, Diamond was on her way to the front door. “I’m going to find him,” she said, her jaw set in determination.
“We’ll go with you,” Gallus offered. I was thankful for him saying the words for me. Words were difficult all of a sudden.
The flight to sea level was fast and hard, even though it was a descent. Diamond led the way, flying so fast that we might as well have been in free fall. I kept my eyes on the ground, mostly to make sure my altitude didn’t get too low, but I was also searching for hippogriffs. The light was low, so I couldn’t see perfectly, but it looked mostly deserted below. Hippogriffs rarely used the path up Mount Aris. We opted for quicker and easier flight. Most of those left to the long climb were flightless tourists, and it was unsafe for them to do so in the dark.
And so I was a little surprised when I heard Gallus call something out, though the details of what he said were lost to the rushing wind in my ears. I saw him point at something below us, and my eyes settled on a little splotch of yellow and red, about a quarter of the way up the mountainside.
Finding Ty proved much easier than expected. We slowed down and dropped closer to the mountain, and soon the details resolved themselves. There he was, the same hippogriff I remembered meeting a few weeks ago when I went to take Gallus on his first shopping trip. It felt like such a long time ago.
Diamond landed first, skidding a little bit and nearly toppling over when she touched down. On such a steep slope, that looked super dangerous. I made sure to take extra care with my own landing, flapping hard to bleed off my speed from the dive. By the time I had sorted out my own landing, Diamond already had Ty wrapped up in a hug that used both forelegs and wings, blocking him from view almost entirely.
“It’s good to see you too,” Ty said, his words muffled, “but you’re squeezing my shoulder too tight.”
Immediately, Diamond unwrapped him and scooted back. Her eyes were full of tears, probably both bitter and sweet. She didn’t slow down for them though, turning her attention toward the medical wraps on his forelimb. “What happened? Why are you wearing a sling? What’s the bandage for?” She blinked. “Why the hell were you walking up the mountain by yourself in the dark with a bum leg?”
“That’s a lot of questions to answer at once,” Ty said. You and me both, sister. Now looking at him, I noticed his eyes were shimmering in the light too. “But before I do that, can you please catch me?”
I was a little confused by his response until his legs started shaking, and Diamond and Gallus both sprang into action to ease him to the ground as he collapsed.
“Thanks,” he said weakly, letting out a deep groan of pain.
“You idiot,” Diamond wavered, her voice choked by a sob.
“Guilty as charged,” Ty said with a chuckle. “I didn’t think climbing the mountain would be this hard. I was about to give up, actually.”
“Well, it’s a good thing we found you when we did,” I said.
“I’ll say,” Gallus agreed.
“Are you gonna be alright?” Diamond asked.
“For sure,” said Ty. “I just need a minute.”
“But how are we gonna get him to the top of the mountain?” I asked. We all looked around at each other for a moment, until Gallus spoke up.
“I think I have an idea.”
“Easy, easy!” shouted Ty, shifting in my grasp slightly. Gallus, Diamond, and I each had a leg in our talons—I had the foreleg that wasn’t bandaged, they both had the hind legs—carrying the big hippogriff like a sling. It was a delicate balancing act, the three of us carefully syncing up our wingbeats to keep him stable. Despite our efforts, we couldn’t help some of the jostling. “If you drop me, I’m going to be very upset until I hit the ground.”
The joke was almost shockingly morbid, but I couldn’t help smiling. He was trying to lighten the mood, and though it wasn’t having much effect with the other two, I appreciated it. Everything had been so serious since Gallus arrived, so the reprieve was welcome in my book.
We’d gained all the altitude we needed, sailing high above the winding path up the side of Mount Aris, nearly level with the city at its peak. The path was difficult to make out in the darkness, but I could tell it was a long way down. Just for good measure, I tightened my grip on his foreleg. Our awkward little airlift was going pretty well, all things considered!
“Slow and steady,” Diamond reminded us. We were coming in for a landing in a small market that Gallus had pointed us toward, easing toward the ground. I was steering our little airlift, and I adjusted my wingbeats to angle toward the clearing.
Thankfully, the market was mostly deserted, giving us ample room to make our landing. As gingerly as we could, we set him on the cobblestone street. Even though we tried our best, it was very difficult to come down gently enough when the first point of contact was a griff’s folded wings.
“Ow.” Ty grunted involuntarily as his back came down on the stone, his face twisting up in pain.
“Sorry, sorry!” I apologized immediately, wincing. “Are you okay?”
He grunted, but gave a nod. We released his limbs and allowed him to stand up, rolling over and carefully rising to his feet without making use of the injured shoulder. “What would I do without you guys?”
“Climb a mountain on three legs, apparently,” Gallus quipped, which got a chuckle out of Ty.
“Can you make it the rest of the way to the apartment?” asked Diamond.
Ty took an experimental step, hopping forward on his good front leg. “It’d be a lot faster if I had some help,” he said with a grimace, shaking his head.
Diamond positioned herself along his side, allowing him to throw his good arm over her shoulders. With Ty’s front supported, we started along the path, with Gallus and me leading the way. The apartment wasn’t far from the market square we landed in, but it took us nearly five minutes to walk the distance that normally would have taken two.
“Let’s get you upstairs,” said Diamond as the two hobbled through the door.
Ty shook his head. “I’d stain the sheets. Shower first.” I hadn’t wanted to say anything, but he did smell like a stray dog that had been dipped in sardine juice.
Diamond lifted the bathroom hatch and frowned. “That’s going to be a problem.”
“Not for a professional.” Ty reared up on his hind legs and stood back on his own three good legs. “Give me a sec, I’ll get down there just fine.”
“And you’re gonna shower with that?” Diamond pointed to the bandage on his shoulder, which was showing a bit of blood through it.
Ty looked down at his shoulder and groaned. “Ack, probably ripped a stitch when we landed.”
“Then you’re taking a bath,” Diamond said. “Let’s get you down there. I’ll help you wash up.”
Ty eyed her for a moment, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. “I can’t argue with that.”
I looked over at Gallus, who had been standing on the sidelines just as idly as I had for the last few minutes. He caught my glance and seemed to get the implication, which he met with a shrug. “Are you two going to need anything?” he asked.
“How much food do we have?” asked Ty.
Gallus shook his head. “Not much. I was planning on hitting the market today before you showed up, actually.”
“That’s unfortunate,” Ty said. “I haven’t had a decent meal in a couple of days. We lost a bunch of our food rations when the lower decks flooded.”
“I’ll go get some food, then,” Gallus offered, stepping toward the door. “Are there any places still open?”
“There’s one shop that stays open later in that market square we just landed in. Talon Stop. I go there all the time.”
Gallus nodded. “Any requests?”
“Cinnamon Blasted Oat Munch if you can find it. Anything else, just surprise me.”
“You got it,” Gallus said, but he frowned. “I really hate to ask this, but I’m broke until Thursday. Do you have any bits I can borrow?”
Ty chuckled. “Sure. There’s a little box stashed under my bed, should be enough to cover it there.”
“If you need any more, I can fly home and get some money real quick,” I offered.
“I should have enough to cover it. Thanks though,” said Ty with a smile.
Gallus disappeared up the hall on the right side of the room, which was followed by just enough of a lull in the day’s events for my brain to catch up. Gallus had promised me details, but his follow-through on that was lukewarm at best. He gave bits and pieces but never the full picture. Ty’s ship had been damaged—by what or whom, I had no idea. I could always just fly past the Navy’s docks and get a look for myself, but I was kind of afraid to know.
I glanced at the hallway Gallus had gone down. Was this really a good time for me to be airing the romantic laundry? After all that had happened today?
The better question was: if not now, then when? Was there ever a convenient time for groundbreaking revelations? Gallus, despite appearances, was still falling head over heels for me. Probably. He needed closure, and he needed it bad.
Or I was totally off base and about to make a fool of myself!
That was a Gallus thought. I had to be right, but even if I was wrong, something had to give. I wanted the Gallus who wasn’t afraid of me back.
A quick trip to the market with him was plenty of time and privacy to get everything out in the open and figure out the problem. I would make my move there.
Gallus returned with a small, jingly pouch of coins a few moments later. Ty was in the process of lowering himself down the hatch, with Diamond hovering over him in case anything went wrong, namely him slipping and falling into the bathroom pit.
“I’ll be back real quick. Anything else you need?”
“A toothbrush!” Ty called back. “My old one got blown up.”
Everyone froze and looked at him, unsure of whether or not to laugh at how ridiculous it sounded. The silence hung on for a few seconds before Gallus started back on his way. “You got it.”
“I’ll come with you,” I said, following after him and noticing the little flash of surprise in his eyes. He’d been trying to forget I was there. Poor thing.
“Cool,” he said, playing it off though his heart was definitely doing somersaults in his chest. We walked out just as Ty’s head ducked below the floor level. What little remained of the day’s light during our airlift was now gone, only a very faint illumination of moonlight making its way through the trees.
At first, we walked in silence. Gallus was never the chattiest griffon in the world, but today he was totally clammed up, only speaking when absolutely necessary. I understood why. The trauma of whatever he’d seen at the docks that day coupled with anxiety around talking to me would do that to a griff.
My confidence wavered. Was it really a good idea to force a resolution tonight? Gallus’s mind was clearly elsewhere. If I went through with my plan, I’d just be injecting more events into his already crazy day. Was that fair to him?
I glanced back over my shoulder at him. He was looking at a spot on the ground about three meters ahead of him as he walked; completely zoned out, the faintest hint of a scowl on his beak in place of his usual calm look of self-assurance.
I’m part of the reason he’s like that right now, I reminded myself. This wasn’t just about making a move on him. First and foremost, my goal was to make him comfortable around me again. The sooner that was done, the better. Whatever we decided to do with the revelation was just icing on the cake!
With my resolve regained, it was time to get the ball rolling. “Nice night, huh?” I said, leading in with innocuous small talk.
“Yeah,” he replied, the word clipped.
“I always love the way it smells after it rains! Everything feels so fresh and new.” I splashed through a conveniently placed puddle, adding emphasis to the statement. It was a pretty night, after all. The moon was rising into place, still not visible yet over the tall stone wings that blocked our view of the eastern horizon, but its glow was starting to become noticeable over the last remnants of twilight.
Gallus stayed silent. Small talk wouldn’t come easy.
We rounded a corner and stepped out into the market we’d landed in a few minutes prior. The open air stands were shuttered, but on the far side of the square, the faint fluorescent glow of magilights beckoned us. Talon Stop: the one store that stayed open past sundown, built into a permanent structure with shade panels on the outside. Through the window, a small array of fresh fruit and veggies sat waiting for us, with several rows of shelves further back that held all sorts of random things a hippogriff could need late at night.
The store was mostly empty, just a couple of other patrons milling about on their business. Perfect! No worrying about making a scene. Gallus wasted no time, making a beeline for the aisles. He wanted to be done as soon as possible.
Had I not known the truth, I would have been upset by how he was brushing me off.
I followed him up the first aisle, where he was thoughtfully considering the selection of cereal boxes. “So,” I began, keeping my voice low. “How are you holding up?”
He side-eyed me, but didn’t interrupt his search for Ty’s cinnamon oats. “I’m fine.”
“Doesn’t seem that way,” I said, idly scanning over the boxes with him. “You act like you’ve seen a ghost or something.”
“Kinda did.” He found the box he was looking for and picked it from the shelf, immediately turning and making his way to the end of the aisle. I had to speed walk to keep up with him.
“Gotta say, I’ve never seen you so upset that you couldn’t talk to me.”
It had come out the teensiest bit accusatory, but it got results. His ears perked up and he chanced another glance in my direction. “I just don’t feel like talking right now.”
“You mean you don’t feel like talking to me, right?” A tinge of frustration colored my tone, maybe a little more than I should have let on. This was supposed to be about de-escalating, right? If I wasn’t careful, we’d just have another ring toss booth incident here. I didn’t need to add ‘Talon Stop Incident’ to my list of regrets for the summer.
That stopped him dead in his tracks. “What?”
“I know you’ve been avoiding me for the last couple of weeks, Gallus,” I said. “Even right now. You’ve hardly said a word to me all evening.”
His eyes widened a bit, but he didn’t have a rebuttal. Instead, he kept on walking.
I continued on. “I get it. Like, after what happened at the Hootenanny? Don’t worry, I’m not mad at you. You don’t have to keep sulking over it.”
“I’m not sulking,” he said. “I just had a really crazy day and I don’t feel like talking about it.”
He was sticking to his denial, still trying to avoid the subject entirely. I needed to nudge him in the right direction. “I’m not talking about what happened today. Take however long you need to process whatever happened down there, that’s fine, but I’m talking about our argument on Friday. We didn’t even get past square one then.”
“This isn’t the best time, Silverstream.”
I scoffed. “When will it ever be the best time?”
“There isn’t much to discuss,” he countered, clearly trying another angle. “Nothing’s changed in the last two days. I still haven’t made up my mind.”
Whether or not he was being dense on purpose, it was still just the tiniest bit frustrating that he wasn’t taking the cues. “Well, let’s talk about it anyway. Maybe it’ll help you decide.” We made our way up the next aisle, Gallus taking no time to find the toiletries. He walked faster with every question. “Why are you thinking of leaving Mount Aris? Really. I want to know.”
“I already told you, there’s a bunch of reasons.”
“What are they?” I demanded. “Lay it all out for me. Help me understand.”
He didn’t slow down, grabbing a few more random bits of food on his way to the clerk. He’d bought himself a few moments’ reprieve, but we’d be right back to it as soon as he was done paying. It also gave me a second to regroup my thoughts.
It was almost the moment of truth. Despite how entrenched he was in delaying the inevitable, I had the nuclear option: calling him out directly. Of course, coaxing a confession out of him naturally was best. I had a few more minutes to prod him, but before we got back to that apartment, it was happening one way or another.
The cash register’s bell tolled, and then Gallus was off to the races once again, breezing toward the exit with renewed vigor. I fell in with him as he made it to the front door, taking note that he kept his eyes forward. A griffon on a mission.
“You hate your job. What else?” I asked, not missing a beat.
“I don’t fit in here,” he deadpanned. “That’s a big one.”
“Okay. What else?” We exited the market square, getting back on the path to the house. Clock was ticking.
Gallus stopped for a moment and glared at me, lagging behind. “Do I need another reason? What’s your deal tonight?”
“I’ve been trying to talk to you for days!”
He stepped around me, continuing on his way. “I’m really busy all the time. Not my fault.”
“Busy? With what?” I asked. “What do you even do when you get home every day? Besides pretending I don’t exist, I mean.”
“I have a life, Silverstream,” he said flatly, rolling his eyes.
Time was running out. I had to get the conversation back on track. “Ah, so you do have reasons to stay! What’s your problem, then? It must be huge if you’re just going to run away from it.”
We turned onto his street. The apartment was just three trees away.
“I never said I was running away. I’m just… thinking about things,” he corrected, returning to his lukewarm maybes. “And honestly, I don’t like being pressured about it. Look, the way I see it, I don’t have a whole lot keeping me here anymore.” Gallus shook his head and sighed.
I’d pushed it too far, and now he was trying to shut me down. Going into this conversation, I expected resistance. Gallus wasn’t the easiest nut to crack, but he was more entrenched than I ever could have expected. No amount of coaxing was going to work. We were in front of the apartment now. No time left.
You dumb griffon, you left me no choice.
Before he could turn to go up the steps, I pushed off with my wings and jumped in front of him, blocking his path. “What about me?”
“You?”
“Yes! Me!” I flared my wings at him. “I’m the whole reason you’ve been acting weird lately, aren’t I?”
“Silverstream, that’s—”
“You’ve never been so shifty around me, Gallus! It’s not like you.” I stepped closer, narrowing my eyes. “I know something’s up, and you can’t just hide it anymore.” Last chance to come clean yourself, you big stupid idiot.
His eyes were wide and his pupils pinpricks, breaths coming in short, nervous gasps. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he croaked.
“Oh, come on!” I couldn’t help my frustration boiling over. “Nothing’s the matter? You’re just gonna ignore me for the rest of your life?”
“Silverstream—”
“I’m so sick of this!” I stamped my claws on the ground, a few tears worming their way into the corners of my eyes. “This is so stupid! I want an explanation. Right now. If I’m causing problems for you, just tell me!”
His beak opened, ready to spew more flak at me like an octopus squirting ink at a predator, but then something changed. For the first time that night, he looked deep into my eyes. A flash of something crossed his face, a little grimace and a pause ever so slightly too long. Was that guilt? He closed his mouth before he averted his eyes again. “Look, it’s not you... It’s me.”
I scoffed. “Where did you pull that line from? This isn’t some stupid book. I’m right here in front of you.”
His ears flattened. “What? I didn’t—” he began to protest, but he stopped himself, taking a breath. “Whatever. It’s the truth. I’m the one with the problem. You’ve been nothing but good to me this whole time, and I’ve been awful to you in return.”
It was a start. Time to press him harder. “Why?”
“I don’t even know,” he said. “I’ve been thinking a lot lately.”
“About?”
He hesitated, struggling to get the words out. “Life,” he said, his voice unsteady. He sat down on the dirt path. “I was homeless just a couple of years ago. Completely alone. No griff in Griffonstone cared what happened to me. I could have starved, frozen to death, whatever, and nobody would have batted an eye. Except maybe Grandpa Gruff, but only because he’d have to find a new kid to pay chump change for whatever stupid jobs he came up with.
“Now look at me. I’ve lived in two different countries in two years. I’m in school, I’ve got friends and a job, and I don’t have to steal food to survive anymore.” Gallus sighed, his shoulders sagging. “I don’t deserve any of it.”
“That’s not true,” I said, leaning forward and flaring my wings.
“What did I do to deserve any of this, then? One day, out of the blue, Grandpa Gruff just whisked me away to Equestria to become an ambassador for the Griffon Empire. He came and found me that day while I was rooting through a pile of trash, if you can believe that.” He laughed dryly. “Honestly, it’s really appropriate considering the job I have now.
“Everything that brought me here was completely outside of my control,” he continued. “Some new diplomacy program made by griffons hundreds of miles away from Griffonstone randomly selected me. I found you and our friends by random chance at school. It was pure luck that you were able to find a place for me here. Luck on top of luck on top of luck. I’ve just been thinking, when is it going to run out? I’ve been hitting jackpots for a while now, but I know it can’t last forever. It’s going to catch up to me eventually.”
“So that’s why you’re leaving? Just to get ahead of the curve?”
Gallus sighed. “Yeah. I feel... helpless. It’s like I’m just drifting along in the wind until it decides to smash me headfirst into the ground again. At least if I go back to Griffonstone, I’d make that decision for myself.”
I eyed him warily. “That’s crazy, Gallus.”
“I know, but I can’t help thinking it.”
“So what, have you been afraid of this the whole time you’ve known me?”
He nodded. “Ever since the first day I stepped foot outside Griffonstone.”
“How come you never told me?”
“Showing weakness around griffons is a fast way to get yourself scammed or worse,” he said casually, like it wasn’t one of the bleakest statements I’d ever heard.
“But I’m not some random griffon!” I countered. “I’m your friend.”
“Spend as many years in Griffonstone as I did, you’d have a hard time letting your guard down too.”
I scooted closer to him, but he shied away. “Gallus, don’t you feel like you can trust me?”
“I just told you all that, didn’t I?”
“And I’m glad you did,” I said, flashing him an earnest smile. While he didn’t quite smile back, at least he wasn’t scowling anymore. I thought I noticed a little extra sheen in his eyes. “You know, I’ve been there before too.”
Gallus cocked an eyebrow. “Griffonstone?”
“No,” I said with a giggle, though I wasn’t sure if he was trying to be funny or just dense. “I mean the helplessness. You know, feeling like a leaf on the wind, constantly having your guard up?”
He turned his head to look at me owlishly. “I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but… how? You’re literally part of the royal family. No way you had to live on the streets before.”
“Not exactly, but being forced into hiding for your entire childhood can do that too.”
“Oh, right, duh. Storm King invasion.” He slapped his forehead.
I nodded. “Yeah, that. I never really had much say over my own life either. It was always ‘Never go within sight of the shore, Silverstream!’ ‘Never swim less than ten meters below the surface, Silverstream!’ ‘You and everyone you love will die if you’re seen, Silverstream!’ Since I could remember being alive, there were so many rules about how to live my life. I was trapped.”
The memory sent a stab of pain through me. I hugged my arms to my chest and sighed. “When I was older, I broke the rules every now and again. Me and my cousin Skystar used to sneak out and swim up one of the water supply ducts to hang out at Auntie Novo’s old castle. We knew we’d be dead if we got caught up there, either from the Storm King’s troops or from our parents if they found out.”
I didn’t like to reminisce about my years in hiding, but that memory was one of the few that held no bitterness. I smiled softly. “Even though it was dangerous, those trips to the old castle were one of the few times I felt what it was like to be free. It was my decision to go up there, and mine alone. In that fountain, I was the one in charge.”
I snuck a glance over at Gallus. Gone was the hard edge his stare had carried all night, in its place a familiar, compassionate gaze, even with the barest hints of a smile on his beak. I couldn’t help the corners of my own mouth turning up. This was the Gallus I knew and loved.
Loved. Wow. That word suddenly felt a lot more weighty. I pressed on before it could throw off my mojo. “I know what it’s like to want to feel like you’re in charge of your life,” I said. “I’ve been there, and I know how frustrating it is to just be at the mercy of whatever life throws at you.
“But you’re thinking about it all wrong, Gallus. You’re not here because anyone forced you to be. I got you a chance to come here because I care about you. I want you to have a good summer, and I want to be a part of it. Is that so bad?”
Gallus frowned. “I guess not.”
“I can’t stop you from making your own decisions. If you really do want to leave, then I can accept that.” I sighed. “But if there’s any doubt in your mind, please think about staying. I don’t want you to feel like you have to stay here. I want you to be here because you want to be here.” I lightly brushed my shoulder against him. “Not just because I want you to.”
“I still don’t know,” he said quietly.
“Whatever you decide to do, I can accept it. At the end of the day, I still care about you. An awful lot.”
Gallus didn’t look at me, his gaze averted off to some faraway hollow in the dark. He didn’t notice me as I scooted closer and carefully wrapped a wing around his shoulders. As soon as I made contact, he flinched, though he didn’t pull away.
I smiled. I’ve got you now, lover boy.
“So Gallus,” I began. “I’ve got a question for you.”
“What is it?”
“Well, it’s more of an observation, really. But I have to say, something doesn’t quite add up.”
He turned toward me again.
“If all this is about you feeling like the world has it out for you, that still doesn’t explain why you’ve been so nervous around me.”
“What?” he asked, keeping his voice level despite the fact that his pupils had shrunk.
“It doesn’t make any sense to me,” I said, keeping my tone just the slightest bit flippant. “Like just now, I put my wing over you and you tensed up. It reminds me a lot of that time we went to the Harmonizing Heights and you were acting all jumpy and nervous every time I got near you. That’s kind of weird, isn’t it?”
“Uhh…” he croaked.
“I was just wondering what the deal was with all that,” I said, putting on my best naive smile.
His beak quivered as he tried to think of something to say, but a few moments passed in silence with us just staring at each other. He was frozen in fear, eyes like saucers garnished with little olives for irises.
The blank stare continued for an awkward length of time, and soon I grew tired of it. I wasn’t going to get an answer out of him at this rate, and I’d given him enough leeway already. Here goes nothing.
I leaned forward and planted a quick peck on his cheek.
It was like he’d been struck by lightning, every feather on his body snapping to attention as he leapt out from under my wing so fast it nearly yanked all of my primaries out. Griffon reflexes, I thought.
“What was that?!” he shrieked in a hushed voice, still mindful enough of his surroundings to keep it down.
“A kiss,” I said, matter-of-factly.
“But why?” He was in his maximum puffball state now, and he seemed to notice at the same moment I did, making a feeble effort to smooth out his feathers.
“Because it’s obvious, Gallus! You’ve been trying to hide your crush on me, haven’t you?” A butterfly with bladed wingtips took flight in my stomach. If my hunch was wrong, this was about to get really uncomfortable. Bracing for a rejection, I watched him with bated breath, but after a few seconds, he couldn’t even stammer out a single word. I let that breath out in relief. I was right!
“I...wh...you…”
“Gallus, calm down. You’re gonna pass out if you keep hyperventilating.”
“You knew?” he managed to squeeze out.
“You don’t have as good of a poker face as you think you do,” I giggled. “It was kind of hard to miss.”
“I feel like I’m gonna pass out.”
“Sit down then,” I reassured him.
Taking my advice, he dropped his rump hard in the dirt a couple of meters away from me. “You knew,” he repeated, quieter this time. I scooted over to his side again, just as he started laughing. It was a dry cackle, one that could have only been born out of irony or desperation; in this case probably both. “You knew!”
“Uh-huh,” I agreed, not quite sure if I should join him in his mirth.
“So all that worrying was for nothing.” The laughter died in his throat just as quickly as it had started. “I feel like such an idiot right now.”
“Well, you’re lucky you’re a cute idiot,” I said, pushing myself up against his side. He felt warm, though his feathers still smelled a bit musty from his long day’s work.
“That sounds so weird to hear out loud,” he said, letting the words soak in. “Did I just hallucinate that or something?”
I chuckled. “Nope, it’s real.” For effect, I pinched him on his ribcage.
“But…” He paused for a moment. “Why? Like, literally why? I’ve been a huge jerk to you ever since I got here, and now you’re just…”
“You should learn to take yes for an answer, Gallus,” I said. “After I realized what was up with you a few days ago, I did a little thinking. You’re actually charming when you let yourself be. You’re funny, you’re a good person, and most importantly, it’s so cute when I surprise you and your feathers get all puffy. Like right now.”
“Okay, I get it,” he said, smoothing his plumage down. Even in the dark, I could tell he was blushing fiercely under the blue of his cheek feathers.
“I just want to know why you were trying so hard to hide it from me.”
Gallus looked at the ground pensively, sighing. “Because I was scared I was going to mess up what we have. Like, what if you said no? What if it drove a wedge between us? I figured it was better to not address it.”
It all made sense: the awkwardness, the hiding. Every single weird moment in the last few weeks stemmed from that one notion.
“I get where you’re coming from,” I said, wrapping an arm around him. “But you have to have a little more faith in me than that. Even if I said no, I’d still care about you a lot. You’re one of the best friends I’ve ever had, Gallus. There’s no way I’d throw that away just because you felt that way about me.”
“But you didn’t say no,” he said. “Well, I didn’t even get to ask you out, but still.”
“Yep!” I pulled him close, nuzzling into his cheek. “Did you want to ask, you know, to make it formal?”
“Oh… uh, sure. Why not?” He cleared his throat a bit melodramatically. Even with the result all but guaranteed, he was still a bumbling mess. “Silverstream, do you... want to go out with me?”
“I dunno, let me think about it,” I said, watching him squirm at the unexpected response. I didn’t leave it to marinate long, though. “Of course I do, you big dope!”
With that line, a weight lifted from my shoulders. The problems that had plagued the first few weeks of the summer were solved! I hugged him even tighter, reaching around and wrapping him up with both arms. Even though they didn’t smell too good, the feathers below his jawline were very soft and inviting as they brushed against my beak.
“Cool,” Gallus sighed, and then we let the conversation drift off into silence, enjoying the quiet and chilly air together. A new couple’s first moments. Even though it happened super unconventionally, I couldn’t be happier with the end results.
“So, uh…” he said. “Now what?”
I snorted. “Now what?”
“Yeah. I don’t really know what to do next.”
“Well, we just kinda do whatever,” I said with a shrug, having not made many plans past this moment. “You know, cute boyfriend and girlfriend stuff. Hang out, cuddle, go shopping, be obnoxious about how much we love each other in public.” The thought of all the fun dates we could have just with those basic options made my heart flutter. And that was just the tip of the iceberg! Who knew what other fun ideas I could come up with, given a little time? I had to take him down to Seaquestria soon. We could go swim through the coral reefs, find a big school of herring and scatter them off, and then come back up to the surface and fall asleep on the beach at the end of the day. I opened my eyes and looked up at him. Did griffons purr in their sleep?
The excitement was building fast, but I had to rein it in. Gushing like I wanted to right now would just scare him. I had to think back to where we were in the conversation before my thoughts took over. “Have you never dated anyone before?” I asked.
“Nope,” he said. “I wasn’t exactly the most eligible bachelor in Griffonstone when I was eating trash to survive.”
“Touché,” I said with a laugh. “Well, you don’t have to eat any more garbage now.”
“Looks like all I had to do was stop.” He joined me with a chuckle of his own. “You practically fell right into my arms.”
“Oh, you know me! I just love boys who don’t dumpster dive.”
“Your standards could use some improving, if that’s all it takes,” he said. We laughed again, and for a moment, all was right with the world. Sitting in the mud, sharing the mirth with my favorite griffon. I held him closer, enjoying the warmth of his feathers contrasted against the cool night. I didn’t want it to end, but before long, Gallus was standing up to leave my grasp. “I should probably get those groceries inside before the mud soaks through the bag.”
I frowned, but the moment had passed. At least there would be more. “I should get home, too. My dad’s probably wondering where I am, especially since he’s probably heard the news by now.”
“Yeah,” Gallus agreed. “I’ll see you tomorrow then, right?”
“For sure!” I chirped with a smile. I stepped forward and squeezed him in a tight hug, and instead of pushing me away like he usually did, he hugged me back. It was such a small thing, but it made me melt.
Like all good things in life, the hug couldn’t last forever. We separated, took one last look into each other’s eyes, and then I spread my wings and pushed off for home. “Goodnight, Silverstream,” he called after me.
“Goodnight!”
I burst through the tree canopy with a big smile on my face, a swelling of warmth in my chest. Suddenly, I was brimming with painting ideas!
It only took 100,000 words to get a kiss on the cheek. Think they might hold hands by 200k? 
This concludes the first "arc" of the story! Kind of. There's several parallel storylines going on right now so it's not a clean division, but we've hit the first real climax of the A-plot. How are you liking the story so far? I've got some big plans coming up for the next act, and I can't wait to share them with you.
My biggest thanks go out to the editing team. Without them, this fic would be a complete mess. They're the real MVPs of this shindig, and they deserve recognition for all their efforts!
And thank you, dear reader, for sticking with it this far. Your comments are the fuel that keeps me going.
I'll see you all soon, and I'll be sure to bring more birbs. :)
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Aw, birb crush.
YEEEEEEES
I LOVE THIS BACK AND FORTH
This chapter was such a long time coming and it's so, so wonderful. I've said this to you before but your Silverstream's voice is such a joy. She's energetic but thoughtful and sweet and aware of what's going on around her, except for when she isn't. She feels like a real person and I can't wait for the rest, Jack. Good job
Also real quick Ty and Di are SO FUCKING CUTE I WANT TO SQUISH THEM
Yay! We get bird kiss! Glad to see this is finally through the first "arc", being the fanfic that brought me onto this site and end up in the middle of writing a Gallus fic of my own. Whatever plans you have, just don't drag the romance out... I wanna see the fun bird relationship.
Finally I’ve been waiting for this since the fanfic first came out.
Nice chapter.
Glad to be here.
XD
At long last... the time has finally come. And the wait: completely worth it.
Well, I assume then that all of Sil's past would-be suitors were hippogriffs, and if there's one thing I've noticed about the hippogriffs, its that they all seem to have this universal sense of exuberance, quick to get excited about something and to show it.
Griffons, however, typically tend to prefer to keep their emotions close to their chest. Except for general annoyance. That one is just out on display 24/7.
Point is that, yes, I would expect Gallus being a griffon to have something to do with it, because griffons in general just seem to deal with these sort of matters differently. Add to that Gallus's particular upbringing, and...
To be fair, Gallus's knowledge of the details is going to be spotty too. Really, Ty would be the best griff to be asking about it at the moment.
Oh, I don't know, Sil. It DID take you quite a few chapters before you finally put two with two yourself.
Yeah, that's the reoccurring problem with relationships, all right. You get all so riled up about just getting it started that you never really stop to think about what comes next once you've got the ball past that first hurdle and rolling on to the next.
I suspect you're going to get to find out someday here soon.
Oh, so this is what "slow burn" means lol
Very cute! Incredibly cute, actually. Floofy Gallus is an adorable Gallus.
I must have ben very good this year.
Two days and four new chapters to read. 
Great work as always, can't wait for more. 
Adorable birbs. That's all I gotta say. This 100k so far was worth it. Can't wait for more!
Oh yeah, that was a good payoff. Looking forwards to where things go from here.
Wow, this post was sooner than expected. After looking at the update history I thought It would be a bit (I started reading after the last update). In regards to the story itself maybe if and when their relationship becomes public the tabloids could use it to take some of the heat off impending war. I can see the headline now "GRIFFIN GENES INVADE ROYAL BLOODLINE" which would be stretching it cuz it isn't even the main bloodline. Even without that, parental reactions are always one of the best parts.
Ayyyy.
I love this fic. Always happy when I see an update. Truly a highlight of my day. Can’t wait for more. :)
Thank you for all your effort writing and bringing it to us.
Literally trapping the orphan boy with claustrophobia in your wings so he can't escape.
I don't know if that was smart of her, dumb, or a little cruel.
IT'S BEAUTIFUL! i can't wait to see where this story goes next! Good luck, vro. ^ ^
All the tension that had been building up in chapters 1-12 have now been released. I can't even find words to describe how exhilarated I am. Keep up the good work Jack 😊
That was an amazing chapter.
I hope there relationship continues.
The cuteness levels are off the charts.
Really enjoying the story so far and can’t wait to see how these two move forward nod that they’re a couple as well as how this is gunna effect Silver’s social life asa “royal”.
Ty and diamond is always a really cute subplot so can’t wait to see how they turn out.
Can’t wait for the next chapter dude
I've enjoyed the story so far.
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Glad you're enjoying it!
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Silverstream hasn't had a ton of time in the spotlight so far. The first portion of the story was all about Gallus and his struggles, but there's been a few glimpses of what Silverstream's got going on too. We'll be delving a lot deeper into her life in the coming chapters, and I'm SO EXCITED to finally get to explore her more!
Also I absolutely adore Ty and Di and what we've gotten of them so far. OC-focused parts in a story centered on canon characters is always a bit of risk in fanfic, so it's very vindicating to see them being well-received! I've got some big plans for them as well. Thanks for your continued readership and support, it truly means a lot :)
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I can assure you, there will be cute birb love in the coming chapters
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Slow burns are my favorite thing! The payoff is so much better when there's time to build tension. I'm just as exhilarated as you are just to know that I stuck the landing!
11055668
Thank you! We've got some places to go, glad to have you along for the ride :)
11055654
Desperate times call for desperate measures! In Silverstream's view, it was either corner him and force it out in the open, or risk losing her friend and everything she worked for. This was definitely an unconventional revelation of feelings, so it might not go the conventional route after the fact either
11055608
And thank you for reading! Your serotonin boost is my serotonin boost
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👈👈
11055316
Yeah, that hiatus earlier this year was a bit of a doozy, huh? My personal life was hectic earlier this year, but now things have smoothed out and I have a much more comfortable routine that nets me a good amount of time for personal projects again, so updates will be much less sporadic in the future.
And yes, there's sure to be some tabloid coverage! Lots of griffs are gonna have opinions on the subject, and we'll be hearing about them soon!
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Glad to hear it was worth the wait!
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Birb love is the best love!
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More is coming soon! Can't wait to share it with y'all
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Maximum puffball Gallus is the best Gallus!
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Yeah, there's definitely a cultural difference. Griffon society is more utilitarian, while hippogriffs are much more in touch with their emotions as a general rule. This disconnect is part of the reason we've had this slow burn going for so long!
Hopefully, we will get a definitive answer on whether or not griffons purr soon!
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I'm very glad you've stuck around through all the long waits :)
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She loves to see him squirm, much to our amusement
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Thank you!
11054508
Talking about the story and characters in DM with you has been such a huge part of keeping me engaged and excited to continue the story. Love you, bro
11054507
I can't describe to you how vindicating it was to write that line. Like, I had to stand up and take a victory lap around my apartment when those words finally appeared on the page. And this was the story that brought you to the site? That's a high honor! Thank you so much, and there is plenty of romance coming, so you can rest easy!
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The biggest reason I asked you for help editing way back in the day was because I was concerned that I wasn't getting my character voices right. Your writing has some of the absolute best voicing I've read, and I wanted in on some of that secret sauce! In particular, Silverstream is one of the toughest characters to strike the right balance for, and it is always such a relief to hear that I've pulled her off yet again. I always got hints from the show that she wasn't just sugar rush spaz attack like Pinkie Pie, but that she's a pretty grounded and aware person under that exuberant surface, and that was the main thing I wanted to portray with her. I'm so glad to know that I've succeeded there! Love you, bro, thank you for all your help these past few years
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Crushing hard, like a looney toons character under a piano
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True. And, well... Silverstream here is both rather pushy and has a sense of entitlement to her in regards to her loved ones' attention. Understandably so, what with the past trauma of losing the open sky, and the all but official separation of her parents. Still, Gallus's emotional manipulation of her was shown to have a negative effect, at the very least causing him a great deal of guilt. Silverstream is much more oblivious to her faults. I wonder if that will be addressed at some point.
that was beautiful
Ladies and gentlemen, we got him.
Finally.
I'm so glad she just cut to the chase, love it! Just, agh, it's perfect.
Thank you
And throughout all of this, Silverstream seems to want to avoid the question of whether she honestly crushes on him and has done so for some time now, or whether she's doing this as a favour for a friend. Both of them act like it's just Gallus's crush... with Gallus, it's understandable, because he IS Gallus, but Silverstream had better work out what her feelings are and soon, or he's going to ask the very legit question if she's just doing this out of pity, and she won't have a good answer ready then.
This was so freakin cute!!! As always great job bud, can't wait to see what's next
They better. If not, I know where you live. And I will not hesitate to punish you for your crimes.
Can I post balls here?
I know I'm late to the party but... FINALY!
11167827
To me if your Tardy then your right on time!
Ooooooh, this was so satisfying a point to get to.
Hold hands?!
How lewd!