To be wanted.
“Why does nobody want me?”
Silverstream had never seen Gallus cry, not fully. Not when his sides got scratched up on a camping trip or even when being stuck by a dozen bees. Yet tears had been streaming down the usually sarcastic and stoic gryphon’s cheeks as he had passed by Silverstream, heading towards a secluded section of the school gardens a few moments ago.
It was one of the few times in Silverstream’s life she had been rendered speechless and that was an odd moment indeed. She had no words, claws partially outstretched to give Gallus’s shoulder a pat- but he was already out of reach.
It had taken only a bit of asking around to discover the cause; a shouting match between the new school counselor and Grampa Gruff during the parent/guardian conferences a few days ago. Gallus had been distant and distracted the past few days; now she knew why.
As Silverstream trotted along the Ponyville streets towards a figure in the distance, her ears flattened at the previous thought.
Parent and Guardian conferences. Who else in the school doesn’t have parents to visit? A few?
Or just one?
A few hours ago, in their dormitories, Yona had actually backed up slightly after relaying the experience, the yak wincing as Silverstream growled.
“Is friend Silverstream ok?”
“Oh, she’s definitely not ok,” Smolder had chimed in, “I mean, what if somepony said those things about Sandbar?”
“YONA WOULD SMASH THEIR........oooooooooooh,” the yak mused, wincing once again. “Now Yona understand why Ocellus didn’t want to be around Gallus for a few days; bad feelings? But Silverstream and Gallus aren’t like Yona and Sandbar?”
“Not yet, but I had hoped for the upcoming dance…” Silverstream added, taking a few deep breaths. “Look, that’s just not ok! What kind of creature says that to another? One who doesn’t even have parents?”
Yona gestured outside, a familiar gryphon walking around the edges of the school and towards Ponyville.
“That creature?”
As Silverstream zipped out of the dormitory, Smolder smacked a set of claws to her face.
“Uh oh.”
Silverstream tried to breath, genuine anger began to make her claws shake.
Is this what it’s like to really care about someone? How DARE that jerk-
“What are’ya staring at missy?” a familiar gruff gryphon hissed, eyes widening as Silverstream snarled in return.
“A rather lousy gryphon, apparently.”
“What? Who are you?” Grampa Gruff replied with a dismissive wave of his wing.
“Why did you say it?” Silverstream asked, still staring at the older gryphon.
“Say what? I haven’t said two words to you before! I’m just filling out these blasted tax forms for that school of friend…thing.”
“About Gallus. You don’t want to be his guardian, nobody does. Why would you say that?”
The gryphon’s lone eye widened in understanding but he did nothing but wave a set of claws.
“Why wouldn’t I? It’s true. Even with Griffinstone ‘recovering’, nobody cares about some orphan who attends a pony school. I’m the only one with legal experience in that dump! I had no choice in the matter!”
Silverstream’s claws curled into a fist, and she took a few deep breaths to try and calm herself.
“Nobody cares?” she whispered, taking a step forward to poke the gryphon in the chest with a claw. “Nobody CARES? Who are you to say that?” she asked, voice slowly increasing in volume and intensity. It was only now that Grampa Gruff realized his mistake as a few ponies looked his way. If there was one thing gryphons valued as much as bits, it was their own reputation.
“Now hold on, missy, I-”
“Oh no, you don’t get to say anything else!” Silverstream hissed, glaring at the increasingly uncomfortable gryphon. “You think that just because you’re so unlikeable that Gallus is the same? That just because you don’t care about what others say means no-creature does? Who are you to tell Gallus nobody cares!”
“I never said-”
“You said exactly that! Nobody else wanted to be his guardian, so you did it. What made it tolerable? The tax breaks? The reputation? It surely wasn’t out of the good of your heart! You took the first chance on never coming back here and ran with it!” Silverstream growled, her beak now pressed up against the other gryphon’s.
“Plenty of creatures want to hang around Gallus, and how dare you tell the one gryphon I care about that He. Isn’t. Wanted!”
Seeing a raging fire behind the two violet eyes that glared his way, Grampa Gruff struggled to backpedal both literally and figuratively. Accusing gazes from ponies were turned his way, the gryphon starting to sweat bullets.
“I never meant to-”
“Oh, but you did,” Silverstream replied, still glaring at the uncomfortable gryphon. “Gallus doesn’t deserve somecreature like you, and I can’t believe somecreature would act so heartless.”
The fire sputtered to a low simmer behind Silverstream’s gaze, the hippogriff shaking her head almost sadly. “If everygriff was like Gallus I think Griffinstone would be a much better place. Instead, they’re stuck with you.”
Grampa Gruff had no words for the hippogriff that trotted off, leaving him backed against a wall as ponies began to whisper with rather nasty looks sent his way. A certain Yak and Dragon caught his gaze- and the older gryphon thought it wise to leave.
Quickly.
Silverstream made it back to the school before her limbs started to shake, the student sitting against a tree in the gardens as her eyes widened in shock.
“Oh, I just did that,” she whispered. “What in the world was I thinking? I just shouted at a representative from Griffinstone! Oh, I’m in so much trouble.”
And yet I’d do it again.
“I think you’ll get a pass. Most of the teachers like you anyhow.”
Silverstream’s heart skipped a beat, a familiar blue gryphon sitting next to her.
“Gallus?”
“Hey, Silver.”
Her cheeks reddened slightly, and Silverstream tapped her claws together in embarrassment.
“I don’t suppose you totally didn’t hear all of that?”
“Well, when Yona and Smolder dashed out of the school like a pack of Pukwudgies were chasing them, I followed. So, I heard quite a bit.”
Oh.
Silverstream’s wings drooped, the hippogriff shaking her head.
“I’m sorry, I just couldn’t help it! I heard the things that gryphon said about you, and just-”
The fact Gallus reached over and held her talons made Silverstream’s words grind to a halt, the other gryphon looking around briefly to see if anyone was close enough to see or hear them.
“Don’t say you’re sorry, not for that,” he mumbled, not quite looking at Silverstream just yet. “No creature has ever stood up for me like that. Sure, the counselor did, but that’s different. So, thank you.”
Silverstream let out a slight squeak as Gallus gave her claws a squeeze, her cheeks burning.
“I know you’re not really a hugger but...” she whispered, scooting forwards to wrap the gryphon up in a tight embrace.
“I’ll let it slide this one time,” Gallus replied with a chuckle as he returned the gesture, then seeming to fidget nervously. “And…maybe a few times after the dance too? If you’d like to go?”
“I’d r-really like that.”
Silverstream could only smile as the words left her beak, fully enjoying that she was finally able to hug her favorite gryphon without him simply tolerating it.
“Hey, Gallus?” she whispered, the pair separating as the gryphon awkwardly looked over to her with a slight blush on his cheeks.
“Yeah?”
“You are wanted,” Silverstream whispered, a bit of emotion rising in her throat. “By so many creatures. Yona, Smolder, Sandbar, Ocellus, the teachers; lots of creatures want to hang around you, want you to be in their life. Don’t ever doubt that.”
His eyes flickered over to Silverstream’s briefly, a tentative smile starting to slide onto his beak.
“What about you?”
Silverstream let out a snort, darting forwards to wrap the gryphon up in a tighter hug than before with an affectionate grin.
“Especially me.”