"You're In for a Pleasant Surprise."
Gallus did his best to ignore everything that was being said in the main room of... well, calling it a house would be a bit too generous. It had all the basic necessities, but like every other building in Griffonstone it was run down, drafty and dusty. And that unfortunately meant that what sleeping quarters were there offered no real protection from anything that went on outside.
"Come on, Grandpa Gruff. He's just a boy, he needs a place to stay where he won't get into any more trouble." Gilda, the griffon who sometimes lent Gallus some bits if he begged and pleaded hard enough.
Grandpa Gruff just hissed and wheezed. It was a miracle that old griffon hadn't already keeled over at his advanced age. Still, he somehow managed to find the words he wanted to say. "Absolutely not, Gilda! It ain't my fault what happened to his parents. I'm not the one who told them to go fly down into the abysmal abyss to find that idol! No griffon who's ever gone searchin' for the idol has ever come back. I'm not running a chick sitting service."
Gilda just frowned. "And after you were nice enough to let me attend that Junior Speedsters flight camp, I figured you would let me be the last griffon to ever have to grow up in this dump without a family."
Grandpa Gruff only roared back. "I'm too old to be takin' care of some hatchling who's barely old enough to know his name. Let him be some other griffon's problem!"
"We both know there's no one else with the means or the income to do that," Gilda pointed out. "Every griffon's struggling just to get by."
"All the more reason why I ain't about to have another mouth to feed!" Grandpa Gruff snorted before he began coughing up a fit. "Now look what you did, Gilda! You aggravated my condition. I swear, you, Gabby and the kid are gonna be the death of me one day if you keep this up. That's the problem with Griffonstone these days, nogriff respects their elders anymore!"
Gilda just sternly declared. "Whatever. You're not dumping him onto me like you did with Gabby. And you're not sending him out the middle of nowhere like you did with Gabby either. You're the only thing keeping Gallus from living a life on the streets. But if anything happens to the kid because of that I'll never forgive you!" She proceeded to storm out of the house, slamming the front door shut with her tail quite audibly.
Poor Gallus had heard everything. The little griffon really hated being a burden to others. If only his parents hadn't made that boneheaded decision to go search for some stupid old idol. Was it really more important to them than their only son?!
But then Gallus stopped himself. "No, you can't think that! Your parents loved you! Every griffon always talks about how great they were," He thought to himself. "The only one to blame is yourself. Every griffon has to learn how to survive on their own eventually. Why can't you do the same?"
Well, it seemed the little griffon didn't have much of a choice anymore. Grandpa Gruff was probably about to throw him out onto the streets again. That old griffon had taken in Gallus as a baby only because so many other griffons told him it was his responsibility. And he seemed to do the bare minimum of making sure Gallus was okay. And now that was about to end.
So rather than wait for the inevitable, Gallus decided then and there that he would leave now. He was already used to mostly doing his own thing during the day when Grandpa Gruff shooed him out the door. So he'd just fend for himself again and prove everyone wrong. Prove that he wasn't useless and that he didn't need anyone to pity him. That's how every other griffon in Griffonstone survived.
Taking advantage of a window that had been opened to let in some fresh air, Gallus grabbed as many of his things as he could into his claws and then slipped out the open window and took off.
Mere moments later, Grandpa Gruff entered the bedroom where Gallus had been sleeping, preparing to rouse the young one from his sleep and tell him that he was going to start looking for work. But when his eyes fell upon the bed he saw that Gallus was nowhere to be seen. The only clue as to where the boy had gone rested with a single blue feather sticking out from the windowsill.
Grandpa Gruff sighed and shook his head. "The kid's going to get himself into trouble all over again, I just know it. And it's going to come out of my pocket too. Why don't the young ones ever do as they're told?"
Although the sun was starting to come out and heat up the ground with its rays, a cold and biting wind made several griffons shiver. Gallus was no exception, and he knew that he was now without any source of warmth. He didn't even have a scarf like some griffons did, and he couldn't fashion one out of old rags because he had none.
Well that wouldn't be a problem, Gallus hadn't spent all his time with Grandpa Gruff just feeling sorry for himself. He had managed to learn a few things about how the world worked, including how to make a fire. You just needed some dry sticks that could make good firewood. There had to be some around that he could obtain, or if worse came to worse "borrow".
So the little griffon set off on his little quest, ignoring the ever so faint rumbles in his stomach reminding him that he'd missed breakfast. He could worry about food after he had warmth and shelter. And as he prepared to set off he started thinking about his parents again. What would they think of him now? Seeing their only son out on the streets like a vagabond?
"Mom, Dad," Gallus thought to himself as he began roaming the streets of Griffonstone. "I'm going to make you proud! Just wait and see! By the end of today I'll be taking care of myself, just like every other griffon. I won't be some other griff's problem any longer, you can count on it!"
None of the older and bigger griffons seemed to pay any attention to Gallus, but then they never did to begin with so he didn't really care. It was usually better if they didn't know he was there, because often if they did know him it was because they wanted something from him. Memories of being chased down by various merchant griffons for trying to take their food without paying for it came back to him.
Well that wouldn't happen again. While he didn't have a lot of bits to his name right now, once Gallus had his shelter and had taken care of his other needs he was going to look for work. He'd make some honest money until he'd finally have enough to buy one of those run down shacks. It wouldn't be much but at least it'd be home and no griffons would have to bother him for anything unless he wanted them to. That would get everygriff to stop talking about how he was just a waste or nothing but trouble.
It wasn't easy to find suitable firewood though. Gallus didn't seem to know where to look to find anything that could serve that purpose. What wood he did find it was in poor quality, too damp from the morning dew to produce sparks. So it seemed he would have to buy some. Hopefully there'd still be enough bits left afterward to buy food for the day.
Luckily for Gallus, he soon found a merchant who had what he needed. It was a gold feathered griffon with brown eyes. "What do you want, kid?" The merchant griffon grumbled. "Grandpa Gruff got you running errands for him again?"
Gallus shook his head. "No, he's not the boss of me anymore!"
The griffon's eyes and ears perked up upon hearing that. "Oh? Don't tell me that old coot finally went and kicked the bucket. Should've happened long ago if you ask me."
But the blue feathered griffon protested. "He's not dead, I just don't live without him. He doesn't want me, and I don't need him!" Then he insisted. "Can you please give me some firewood? It's gonna be really cold tonight."
"You got any bits?" The gold feathered griffon asked her young customer. "I'm not running a charity, you know. Pay up or get out!"
The young griffon reluctantly plopped a purple sack onto the counter and started shaking it until some bits tumbled out. "Here," He told the female griffon as he pushed the bits forward. "Now will you give the firewood so I can get out of your face?"
But the gold feathered griffon's brown eyes seemed to widen as she seemed to smirk. "Sorry, kid. Maybe you didn't hear but prices are going up. Firewood is in high demand at this time of year. I'll need at least five more bits, this is the best quality wood you can find around these parts."
Gallus blinked in surprise. "What?! But just last week it only cost five bits," And then he put his claws together as he pleaded. "Please let me have the wood. Those five bits are all I have right now. I promise I'll get more tomorrow."
The gold feathered griffon just replied by snatching away the purple sack Gallus had on him. She promptly shook it over and over again until several more bits plopped onto the counter. "Let me give you some advice, kid," She coldly told Gallus as she scooped up all the bits before he could stop her. "Don't try to pull a fast one on the shopkeepers here. Be prepared to pay more than what you paid before for the same thing. That's just how things go around here. Griffons have to make a living, you know."
"But... but..." The blue feathered griffon stammered in dismay and disbelief.
The gold feathered griffon simply rang up the purchase, tossing several logs at her young customer. "You wanted firewood, right? 'Cause I don't do refunds. Stop wasting my time and get out of here!"
Gallus reluctantly departed with the firewood. Things hadn't gone quite the way he'd hoped in that store. "Oh well, at least I actually got some firewood out of all of this. Now I just need to find somewhere to set it all up." He thought to himself.
At last, the young griffon discovered a little crevice near the outskirts of town. That would offer at least some protection from the wind and rain whenever they came through, and it was better than nothing. It would have to serve as shelter for the time being.
Gallus carefully put the wood in the middle of the cave, putting rocks all around it to make a pit. He'd remembered reading something about that at one point, though he never would've imagined actually doing it. He had plenty of experience fetching firewood for Grandpa Gruff and helping to get a fire started, but that had been inside a special contraption.
Shelter and warmth were now checked off the list as the little griffon finally put those few things he'd managed to hold onto when escaping from Grandpa Gruff's place down on the cave floor. "Those griffons won't be taking advantage of me for much longer," He thought to himself. "Pretty soon they'll all regret that they ever looked down on me. I'll prove that I was worthy of my parents' love!"
Well, there was one more thing that now had to be taken care of before young Gallus could think of doing anything else. By now it had definitely been a long time since his last meal and the rumblings in his stomach were impossible to ignore. But he also knew he didn't have any bits to pay for food.
So that meant there was only one thing to do. It was a trick Gallus had seen Gilda do once or twice, though she made him swear to secrecy never to tell anygriff where he'd learned it if asked. He hadn't had a need to pull it off, until now.
Gallus got up and left the cave, thinking to himself. "I'm only going to do this once. As soon as I start working and earning money I won't ever have to do this again." And he made his way to the market place where he knew he'd be less likely to get caught.
As luck would have it the marketplace was packed with griffons of all sizes, and the merchants and their carts all had long lines. It was the perfection distraction for Gallus. He just casually strolled by them, letting the smells of fresh fruit tickle his nostrils before he settled on something suitable.
"No one will miss one or two measly apples," The young griffon thought to himself as he double checked to make sure no one could see him. Then he casually put his tail around one of the apples and brought it close. His mouth started to water from seeing how delicious the apple looked. He couldn't wait to take a bite of it!
Suddenly, however, there came a commotion! Gallus spun around, so sure he'd been caught in the act!
A brown and white feathered griffon roared at Gallus. "Hey kid, don't just stand there! Go and chase after that apple thief! He tried to steal an entire bushel!" And he pointed at a griffon who looked to be only slightly smaller than Gallus that was running away.
Gallus gave a salute. "Don't worry, sir. I'll track him down!" He vowed. It felt so good to be helpful and wanted. This would definitely prove all the naysayers wrong, even Grandpa Gruff.
Flapping his wings, Gallus chased after the apple thief. He was relieved that no one seemed to have noticed the apple that he'd swiped, and he quickly downed it before anygriff had a chance to find out.
Owing to the fact that he was taller and faster, Gallus easily caught up with the griffon he'd been tasked with chasing and apprehending. "Okay, pipsqueak!" He declared as he managed to corner the griffon. "Just give back the apples you've stolen and no one gets hurt. You don't wanna know what they do to thieves who get caught."
But as Gallus crept closer in preparation to confiscate the thief's stolen goods, he saw a familiar look of sadness reflected in this griffon's red eyes. The griffon's feathers were only a slightly darker shade of blue than Gallus' and from the looks of things it had been a long time since his last meal.
It was almost like Gallus was staring down a reflection of himself from the time just after he'd been orphaned, before Grandpa Gruff had reluctantly taken him in and given him a place to stay. Suddenly, the blue feathered young griffon didn't feel so eager to apprehend this thief. Now he found himself overcome by a new emotion: Pity. It was something nogriff had ever shown him while he was growing up.
Well, that was about to change. "Here," Gallus told the younger griffon as he knelt down. "Get out of here now and feed yourself. If those griffons can't see that you're starving and make an exception for you this once, that's on them. Just don't make a habit out of it or they'll catch on. Get yourself a job, one that pays well. And when you're old enough and strong enough, fly as far away from this place as you can. It used to be great, but now there's something rotten inside of it."
The younger griffon replied without saying much beyond "Thank you", but to Gallus those simple words spoke volumes. "If griffons like that have to fend for themselves on the streets, Griffonstone truly has fallen from grace. Maybe that's why you wanted to find that idol, Mom and Dad." He realized.
The apple stand griffon was not pleased to see Gallus return empty clawed. "Where's that thief?! You thought you said you would catch him."
Gallus shrugged his claws, unconcerned. "He got away from me. He's obviously been doing this for a long time just to get by. And I don't blame him. If I were as hungry and dirty as he was, I'd steal too if I had to."
The brown and white feathered griffon didn't take kindly to Gallus' response. "You've been hanging that Gilda for far too long. She's a bad influence, I tell you. She should stick to baking so she can do us all a favor and leave. She hasn't been the same ever since she came back from that pony flight camp."
"You leave Gilda out of this!" Gallus roared as he tried to swap at the apple stand griffon. A mistake. He was easily overpowered by the much older and stronger griffon.
"You're gonna pay back that thief's tab twice over!" The apple stand griffon insisted. "You don't have a choice in the matter."
But just then, who should show up but Grandpa Gruff? "Gallus! What in the name of Grover have you been doing?! I've been trying to find ya all day!"
"You stay out of this, Grandpa Gruff," The brown and white feathered griffon replied. "Little Gallus here has been nothing but trouble, and now he's gonna have to work his tail off to make up for it."
Grandpa Gruff just snorted. "If anygriff around here is gonna put the boy to work, it's me. I'm the only one with the authority to punish him as I see fit. I'll see to it that I fix this little 'attitude problem' of his, you can count on that."
The brown and white feathered griffon wasn't convinced, but reluctantly shrugged her claws. "Oh, very well. You can take care of the little pipsqueak for all I care. He's not my problem, he's yours. But that also means you gotta pay me back for what Gallus has cost me."
Grandpa Gruff was all too eager to suggest. "If you wanna put him to work to pay off his debts, be my guest. But you make sure he comes home to me with a day's worth of bits so I don't have to put up with his whining. Deal?"
"If it'll get you off my back, fine!" The apple stand griffon agreed as the two elder griffons shook claws.
Grandpa Gruff then took Gallus by the wing. "Alright, Gallus. Let's go home. You need to get to bed early so you can be ready for your first job tomorrow. I may have done something nice for you, but it's only because Gilda would never let me hear the end of it if I didn't."
"Gilda cares about me?" Gallus questioned, surprised that anygriffon actually could.
"In her own griffony way of course. And much as I hate to admit it, you're not half bad for company," Grandpa Gruff declared. "Don't know what you were trying to prove running away like that. You're gonna stay with me until I say you're old enough to move out, sonny."
So Gallus was ushered back home, all the while he was thinking to himself. "I hope my little act of kindness made you proud, Mom and Dad. If not, I hope someday my best is enough to impress you." Had he been looking up at the sky, he might have possibly seen a shooting star despite it being the middle of the day. Though he probably would've dismissed it as him seeing things since it flew over so fast.