Alec walks alone in the late evening through the
woods which lie half a mile from his house. He takes a small,
and seldom-used path through them, lighting his way with a small
lantern. Normally this would not be a way for a young man to spend
his Saturday nights, but during the past few months, he had ceased
to be your typical young man. As usual for a Saturday night, and
sometimes one or two other nights a week, if the workload on the
farm was light, he had gone to bed at his usual time and then
risen after he was sure his parents were asleep to make his way
into the woods.
Anyone else might have felt uneasy traveling into
the darkness of the wood at this hour of the night, but Alec was
used to the journey and the woods had become very familiar to
him. Also the reward at the end of his trek well made up for traveling
alone in the darkness. As he went deeper into the woods, he became
more excited, picking up his pace slightly in order to meet his
secret lover as soon as possible.
As he walks onward, he ponders the uniqueness of
the whole situation which had started a few months ago in early
spring. Now in the middle of summer, as the warm night air surrounds
him, that unbelievable chance encounter had kindled into a strange
romance the likes of which he could sometimes hardly believe.
It had all started on that fateful night as he was
returning home much too late from the spring dance in town. Choosing
to take a short-cut off the road and through the countryside,
he had never guessed what lay ahead of him. His journey had been
abruptly interrupted by a griffin swooping down upon him and carrying
him away to her lair amongst the mountains lying off to the east.
He had passed out from fright, a fact which sort
of embarrassed him now, and when he awoke in the cave, she had
prowled toward him out of the shadows and stood up on her hind
legs, raising her taloned arms, stretching out her body, and spreading
her wings wide. At the time this gesture had extremely terrified
him, but he now realized that it was more a playful pose than
a display of force.
To his surprise and horror, she had made advances
on him which made it perfectly clear that she hadn't brought him
there to be her dinner. At first he couldn't believe what this
creature was suggesting, but as she had become more insistent
he found at least part of himself becoming more agreeable with
the whole idea. She had definitely coerced him into making love,
but was also gentle with him in her way. She had also had a playful
forcefulness about her that had initially shocked him but he then
had become somewhat exciting.
After a long night of love play, they had fallen
asleep in each other's arms to wake up to share the sunrise together.
At first the idea of lying with an animal had seemed unnatural,
but he soon realized that while she wasn't human, she was also
far from a common animal. Not only had he begun to find her unique
form very appealing, but realized that her spirit and personality
were also very agreeable.
After another round of play, she had gently flown
him back to the woods near his house being careful to stay far
away from civilization so as not to be seen. She had wrapped her
arms around him making sure as to not to pierce him with her sharp
talons, after apologizing for causing his wounds the night before
when she had lifted him unwillingly into the air.
The flight home was beautiful, just as exhilarating
as lying with her the night before, and in its own way even more
enjoyable. He had never imagined being able to see the world in
such a way. He had put his trust in her since she obviously could
have killed him at any time but hadn't. Soaring over the landscape
in her tight and comfortable grip was almost too much for his
mind to grasp. The whole trip probably only lasted for about ten
or fifteen minutes, but it seemed much longer to him as he took
in all the wondrous sensations. Several times he had to consciously
force him self from screaming out in wonder and amusement for
fear of being seen.
She had landed in a clearing in the woods about half
an hours walk from his house. They lived on a farm away from town,
so it was fairly safe for them to land there without being seen.
As she released him from her safe grasp, he had turned against
her and embraced her, squeezing tight and rubbing his hands gently
through her silken feathers. She had responded in turn with her
own arms and brought her wings up against him somewhat surrounding
him with her warmth. Looking into her eyes which just the night
before had seemed to be cold and uncaring, he now saw her look
back at him with adoration. After ending that comfortable embrace,
they had set a time for their next meeting on the following weekend
and as he watched with awe and affection, she had turned from
him and taken flight with such wonderful gracefulness.
He had finally returned home in the late morning
to find his parents extremely nervous and rather upset with him.
He had explained his tardiness and torn shirt with a concocted
story about getting into a fight after the dance in town and being
so beat up that he had slept there overnight to let himself regain
his strength. Although they were very angry to hear this, they
had believed him and except for a couple of lashings from his
father's belt his punishment wasn't too bad. He had to work on
extra chores to make up for the whole situation, but he got through
the week with the thoughts of the upcoming tryst clouding out
just about everything else in his mind.
His parents had noticed some of his strange behavior,
but had explained it by figuring he had found a sweetheart during
the dance in town the weekend before. They even suspected that
she might have been the reason for his returning home so late
that morning. His mother was a little distressed by this, but
his father convinced her that "boys will be boys" and
that it was good for the young man to go out and live a little.
Had they known how close they had come to the truth of the matter,
it was surely likely that they wouldn't have felt so at ease with
the situation.
But they had never suspected anything. He had been
able to sneak out of the house a couple of nights a week and meet
with his newfound exotic lover for the past few months and as
yet hadn't been caught. He made sure to take the necessary precautions
so that would never happen.
As he walks along through the woods he recalls how
their relationship had grown over the past months. Remembering
the fear he had felt on that first night and how that had soon
turned into a fiery passion which with time had grown into a strong
love between them.
At first there was a part of him that had trouble
with the fact that he was sleeping with what some people might
call a terrible beast. But he had come to realize that he couldn't
deny the feelings he felt for her. He did find her body exotic
and attractive and had found the same appealing qualities in her
personality too. There was a wildness to her, but she was also
a caring and loving person. On their second night together they
had begun to talk for quite some time and had begun to grow closer
together. She had opened up to him, dropping her somewhat gruff
exterior and showing him her affectionate side. During all of
this time, he had discovered that he really did love her for what
she was and who she was. Although she wasn't human, she acted
more like one than some of the animals he had seen walking around
claiming to be men.
So they had come to be lovers and it was the most
wonderful feeling he had ever experienced. Sometimes he regretted
the fact that he couldn't share this with his family or friends,
but it also was a secret which he enjoyed keeping to himself and
reveling in it.
After the first month when they had become fairly
close, he decided he needed to ask her a couple of questions in
order to further their relationship; there were just a couple
of things that he needed to know.
He had first asked her what her intentions had been
on that night when she had dove out of the sky at him and hoisted
him screaming into the air. Although he realized she was kind
and caring towards him, he also knew that she was a predator and
had to know just exactly what her designs on him had been. He
had tried to ask the question in as nice a manner as possible
as they were snuggling together, and she had not taken offense
to it. Although she was a predator she said, she wouldn't have
killed an innocent person for food. There was an honor about her
kind and she explained that although some griffins had killed
humans before, most of it was in defending themselves, although
some had been known to kill in revenge for some grave wrongdoing.
As with most tales which were greatly exaggerated, their malignancy
had been for the most part made up. In fact she had said, except
in very rare occasions, griffins tried to keep their distance
from humans, being rather wary of them.
So when she had seen him there walking alone in the
countryside she had decided to take a chance. She figured that
he was young so wouldn't pose as great a threat to her. She also
had been rather lonely and was in need of some physical companionship
and figured that he would do quite nicely. She had figured that
he would of course be frightened of her, but being of the age
that he was, she could convince him to lie with her and that he
would eventually become eager at the prospect of it. Having finally
convinced him to go along with her intentions she had used a little
bit of his fear to playfully frighten him in hopes of heightening
the passion in a strange sort of way. Later she had apologized
for scaring him like that and had become much gentler in their
love making.
His second question which was a little harder than
his first, was why she didn't have a mate. When he mentioned this,
her eyes had clouded over with tears and she had begun to shake
softly with her quiet sobs. Realizing that he had uncovered a
painful area, he felt incredibly awkward and hated himself for
having asked such a question. All he could do was hold her tightly
and try to comfort her, trying to ignore the guilt he was feeling
in his stomach.
Finally she had told him about how her mate had been
killed while foolishly trying to raid a human campsite a couple
of years ago. He had been young and too bold and when he saw the
small camp there out in the wilderness he had decided in a moment
of bravado to raid it for supplies. Unfortunately it had not been
an ordinary human campsite, but had instead been several soldiers
on a training mission. They had caught him during his raid and
as he was flying off had lobbed a barrage of arrows at him. Several
had made their mark and he had returned to her extremely weakened
having lost a good deal of blood. She had been able to remove
the arrows, but his wounds were too great and by the next night
he had succumbed to them.
Since then she had been alone and grieving. Griffins
were fairly rare to begin with and she hadn't seen a single one
in this area in that whole time. She had chose to remain in this
area instead of searching perhaps in vain for another mate. So
her first night with him had been fulfilling a yearning need,
but for both of them it had grown much beyond that.
Listening to her tell him this, he had been at a
loss for words. All he could do was gently stroke her neck and
tell her how sorry he was. Seeing his awkwardness she had told
him that it was okay. She didn't hate humans for what had happened,
it was her mate's fault, as much as theirs, for being so foolish
and not heeding instinct and better judgment. She had said that
if they hadn't killed him, he might have tried attacking them,
so in a way they were justified to have done what they did. She
pretty much explained it as the law of the jungle and left it
at that.
The rest of that night had been a bit straining on
both of them, but they held each other tightly and he did his
best to comfort her. In the end it had served to bring them all
that closer together.
As he walks through the woods he realizes that he
is almost upon the clearing which has become their meeting place
for these nighttime rendezvous. This week had been a really busy
one; he hadn't been able to see her since last weekend, so he
is extremely excited for tonight.
As he walks, he also mulls over the current situation
with that girl Laurie Daniels who has been hounding him over the
past few months. Before he had met his lover, he had met Laurie
and had been quite attracted to her, but soon enough he had come
to realize her true colors. She had come across as sweet enough,
but had soon dropped that charade and acted like the spoiled brat
that she was. She was the daughter of one of the town's businessmen,
so she was accustomed to a life more luxurious than his on the
farm. Normally she wouldn't have associated with the likes of
him, but she had somehow developed a fancy for him and had expected
him to jump at the opportunity to be hers. Her parents probably
weren't too crazy about the idea of the two of them getting involved,
but she was extremely head strong and for the most part did as
she pleased.
Alec's parents were of course delighted with the
idea of him associating with her since if he was to marry her
it would greatly improve their family's financial situation. He
had come to realize that he didn't want anything to do with her
but was having a hard time convincing her or his parents of that
fact. Not only did he find her general character and attitude
to have become quite offensive, but he had come to realize that
he truly loved the griffin and wasn't going to let their relationship
get thrown away.
He had realized that he would soon have to make a
choice that would affect the rest of his life. If he decided to
commit himself fully to his lover, it would mean leaving the world
of humans to join her in their own domain. These thoughts weighed
heavy upon him, but he knew when the time came he would be able
to do what was right for himself.
Finally after the walk and all of his reflections,
he comes to the clearing in the woods. Setting the lantern down,
he leans down against a tree and waits. He doesn't have to wait
for long though. He soon hears a slight shuffling sound from above.
She had told him some time ago that she could fly silently without
any effort but could also make slight sounds with her wings if
she wished. She had done so on their first night together to have
a little fun with him, and did so now to signal him of her arrival.
Standing up he walks to the center of the small clearing
just as she makes a graceful landing, lit up in the moonlight
looking as beautiful as ever. Standing up on her hind feline legs
she throws her arms around him as he walks into her embrace and
wraps his arms around her feeling her softness against him. He
kisses her gently on her cheek and she returns the gesture by
rubbing her head softly against his neck. "I've really missed
you this week" he whispers as he squeezes her tighter.
Suddenly she stiffens up all over and her talons
reflexively dig into his back sending shivers of fear up and down
his spine. He doesn't comprehend what could possibly be happening
as she turns her head up to look at him with a mixture of fear
and anger in her eyes.
Just then he hears a sound from the woods just outside
of the clearing. Jerking his head in that direction he sees a
man stepping out from the trees, holding a sword ready down at
his side. As he watches with terror, two other men emerge from
the shadows on either side of them, standing about six feet away.
They too have their swords drawn and ready with a look of cold
determination in their eyes.
"Mr. Daniels..." Alec stammers not believing
this impossible situation.
"Hello Alec. I must admit that I'm surprised
to see you in such a situation, but I should have believed my
daughter when she told me of your strange nightly meetings."
Alec is just too stunned to say anything, he just
stands there with his face a mask of utter surprise. He notices
that the griffin has shifted her position some so she now also
stands there facing the leader of the intruders. She still has
a tight grip on him and is squeezing her talons into him in small
spasms.
"Yes Alec, you heard me right. My daughter is
the source of this information. It seems you have been a bit careless."
At this a fourth figure emerges from the shadows, revealing herself
to be Alec's spurned love interest.
She regards him with utter contempt for a moment
before finally chastising him. "So is this why you have been
ignoring me Alec? How could you possibly commit such a heinous
act. How could you possibly have feelings for such a beast?!"
He is too angry and scared to even come up with a
retort to this. He can only glare back at her with all the hatred
he can muster. She then laughs at him bitterly. "You didn't
think that anyone would find out did you? You thought you could
cavort with this animal all you wanted to and nobody would be
the wiser? Well I had had enough of your games mister, and I decided
to watch you closely and see what you were up to. I followed you
here last weekend and saw you commit those unspeakable acts. It
was all I could do to keep myself from being sick you fiend! I
finally heard you make plans to meet here again this evening and
I decided to put a stop to this once and for all."
They stare at each other with the greatest contempt
for what seems like hours. Finally her father breaks the silence.
"Okay Alec, we don't want to hurt you, even if you have debased
yourself in this way. Move away from the beast and we'll let you
be."
His lover still has a tight grip on him, glancing
into her eyes she looks up at him with the deepest of sorrows
and slowly releases her hold on him. He hesitates to let go of
her as he surveys the situation. "Mr. Daniels, I can't believe
you would do something as ruthless as this just because of what
your daughter might have said."
"It's not just that Alec, it's also the fact
that I have a substantial amount to gain from this venture. Haven't
you heard that the pelt of a griffin has certain magic properties?"
Hearing this Alec can hardly believe that he could
stoop so low. His anger rises a couple of notches which seems
to delight the intruders, especially Laurie. Finally in a burst
of inspiration, he hatches a desperate plan.
Slowly letting go of his lover he slowly steps away
from her toward Laurie and her father. Putting on his best attempt
at a sorrowful expression he holds out his hand toward her. "Laurie,
I'm sorry. She put some sort of a spell on me. Won't you please
forgive me."
Laurie is taken in by his guise, and her father is
too busy sizing up the griffin to realize what he is about to
do. As this is happening the men are cautiously advancing slowly
towards the griffin with their swords out. They are still very
apprehensive at striking the first blow since she has her talons
out ready to strike.
As Laurie walks toward him and takes his outstretched
hand, Alec secretly manages to pull out his small hunting knife
from its sheath. With a blinding movement, he takes her hand and
pulls her toward him, bringing the knife up against her throat.
As she screams out, the three men snap around to
see that the tables have been turned. Her father stands there
disbelieving the situation, finally exclaiming with desperation,
"you won't do it Alec. I know you can't do it. I just know
you can't do it."
"Do you want to try and call my bluff Mr. Daniels?
Are you that certain?"
"But there's no way you could be so barbaric."
"Are you sure of that? It's no more barbaric
than what you were about to do, and at least I am going to do
it out of desperation and love than out of greed."
"But this is different, she's a human for God's
sake!"
"But the griffin means just as much to me, in
fact she means much more to me than your shrew of a daughter here.
Now if you want her to get out of this, I suggest you call off
your goons."
The other two men look at her father for orders,
finally in desperation he has them back up behind him, as both
Alec and the griffin glare at them with utter hatred.
"Now, have your men drop their swords and walk
off into the woods. Don't try and fool with us," nodding
toward his lover, "she has extremely good hearing and will
be able to tell if they try and sneak up on us."
After getting a nod from their frightened and upset
boss, the two men drop their swords and hightail it into the darkness
of the woods. Edging towards the griffin dragging a frightened
Laurie with him, Alec gives his ultimatum. "Now, you're just
going to toss all of the swords into the woods and then sit down
over there against that tree. After glaring at Alec for a few
moments, he finally complies with the orders, giving him a look
of angry desperation.
Alec's lover moves behind him and slips her arms
around him getting into position for flight. At the last minute
Alec releases Laurie and throws her down to the ground. In an
instant the griffin spreads her wings, leaps into the air, and
they are aloft. They quickly soar into the night sky leaving the
treacherous intruders to cower angrily below them.
They make the flight back to her den in silence,
her grip on him tighter than usual but not painfully so. Landing
on the ledge to the cave she turns to him with relief in her eyes
and tightly embraces him. They stand there comforting each other
for a long while, each not believing what has happened and just
glad to have come out of it unscathed.
Finally she looks at him with uncertainty in her
eyes, "now what are you going to do?"
Squeezing her tighter and caressing her back with
his hands he replies in a somewhat shaky voice, "I have been
thinking things over for awhile now, and what happened tonight
just forced me to make the decision earlier then I was going to.
It's obvious that I won't be able to return to town, but that's
not the only reason why I've decided this. In these past few months
I've felt closer to you than anyone else, and I don't want to
lose that. I want to stay with you and make our life together.
Let's leave tomorrow for someplace new, let's stay together forever."
Looking into her eyes he sees they are brimming with
emotion. She leans against him, resting her head on his shoulder
in quiet acceptance of his proposal. Finally she leads him into
the cave and to her bedding where they begin the rest of their
life together.
Copyright 1994, Will A. Sanborn - was1@shore.net