FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Icy wind swept through the gryphons crest, her eyes stinging as the currents breezed across her brow. She was focused on one thing, and one thing only, a human man. Not particularly handsome by human standards, though not undesirable either. She couldn't see his face at the moment, covered as it was by a scarf, but she could imagine it, as she had seen it many times before

She could almost see those thin eyebrows, a mouth which always seemed to smile, the slight stubble on his chin as he doesn't like to shave every day(though he probably should). She did see his eye though, which at the moment had a slightly confused look, but she saw the kindness and intelligence in them.

He turned and seemed to look directly at her for a moment, before returning his gaze to the small castle which lay before him. "Hello?" He called, as he took a few steps toward the large iron gate which led into the main courtyard. "Is anybody there?"

Her hear beat loud in her chest, pounding as if it wanted to escape. This was the first time she had actually heard his voice, and though it was rather normal by any standard, it caused her to grip so tight to the flagstones, the stone began to crack under the pressure.

She had left him instructions to walk right in, as it was her home, and he could consider himself at home during his stay. He had come all the way from America during the holidays, to visit her. She had even paid for his flight, and bus ride to the stop nearest the castle, which was nearly a five mile walk away. Now he was here... And she had no idea what to do, she honestly never expected him to come all the way to Scotland.

Here he was, HERE! Walking through her front door now, and all she could do was stand across the way, and watch. She wanted to swoop down, wrap him in her wings, and warm him. She wanted... She blushed at the thought of what she really wanted. It was a pleasant fantasy, but could it really happen? No, what human, what male had ever really wanted her? Her kind are normally quite aggressive, and hot-tempered, but she had always been meek and shy, undesirable to others of her kind.

With a sigh, she lay down in the snow, no longer even noticing the cold. Soon, he would find his way to the dining hall, where she had food already laid out, and a note informing him he would have to spend this evening alone, as she had to leave on urgent business. She knew she couldn't face him, why has she invited him. Tomorrow, she should leave a note telling him to go home, and money for the trip.

A trill escaped from her beak as she sighed once more, this cold was getting to her, and the man already out of sight. She stood gently, feeling the numbness of her limbs, and cursing herself for her stupidity. Taking a moment to see if her limbs would allow her to walk, she shook off the snow that had almost buried her, and turned away.

Walking across the castle battlements, she made her way to the opposite end of the castle which the dining hall was located. Once there, she unlatched the door, and pushed it open with her beak. Once inside, the door latched, she made her way up the long spiraling step of the tower to her eyrie. She lay on the mountain of plush cushions and blankets that made up her 'nest'. Troubled as she was, she was asleep in no time, and a restless sleep it was, filled with nothing.

She came to full alertness at once, hearing the sound of footsteps make their way to her eyrie. Living alone so long, even the slightest strange noise could cause her to wake. She didn't have time to think, he was mere steps away from her door, which she had left unlatched.

The gryphon jumped from her bed and threw herself out the only window to the room. Her back talons scraping against the rough and rounded surface of the outer wall, as she held on to the bottom of the window sill with her front talons. Her wings were spread out, in a vain attempt to catch some warm updrafts to help hold on.

Freezing as she heard the door open, the gryphon listened intently. The man made a soft noise of curiosity, probably wondering why all the pillows were up here, and why it had a lived-in feel to it. He walked first to the window, and the gryphon tensed. Luckily, the window was set so that she could just barely hide herself beneath it. He wouldn't notice her unless he happened to notice a talon or leaned out to look beneath it.

Another soft humm of curiosity from him as he made his way to the left side of her eyrie, where she just remembered she had left a candle burning the night before, and never bothered to put it out. He stood still for a moment, most likely wondering what was going on. She heard a soft puff, as though he may have blown out the candle. Another minute he stood still, though it seemed like eternity. "Where are you?" He said softly, before turning and retreating back down the steps.

An excellent way to start Christmas morning, the gryphon thought sarcastically to herself. With the man now gone, she began to really feel the tension in the front legs, so she pulled herself up and back into the tower. Breathing heavily, she slowly caught her breath, listening for sounds of the man. After what seemed like an eternity, making certain he was nowhere near, she made haste down to the maze of catacombs down beneath the castle. It was unlikely she would be found down there.

The gryphon awoke with a jolt, hearing the sound of a soft footstep not far from where she was. Her crest raised, as she craned her neck to look towards the source of the noise. Her wings half-raised, as if in preparation of a quick escape, though they would do no good down here.

He's here! She looked frantically around for a moment, before deciding it was too late. The gryphon slowly and as silently as possible backed herself into her tiny makeshift shelter. She could feel herself shaking all over as the man neared her location. Silently, she cursed herself for not taking into account the mans persistence. Why wouldn't he give up?

The human, on the other hand, was determined. He had been pacing the castle all night without rest. The manhunt was on, as he surveyed his surroundings. Someone was here, he knew, and he would be damned if he was going to leave without answers. He couldn't help but think something terrible must have happened to Kylthiere, and if that were the case... Then may the Lord have mercy on those involved, for he certainly would not.

The Gryphon held her breath as the human passed, not noticing the shadow in the darkness. She could have reached out a claw and touched him by now, so close, her heart beat quickly. He had only to turn around, and she would be seen. Only a few more steps, and she may be able to make a hasty retreat, it would be close though.

As he passed her, she made the near-fatal error of being impatient. As she prepared to make a run for it, one of her claws scraped against the stone floor. The man turned quickly, one of the knives from dinner in his hand. He surveyed the area for the source of the noise, but saw nothing more than unusual shadows. For some reason, the gryphon was almost brought to tears by that fact. He was expecting to see a human, how disgusted would he be when he saw her for what she truly was?

She wasn't given much time to contemplate this, however, as he reached up to grab one of the few lighted torches she had lit earlier in the night. Gryphons may have decent vision at night, but they still needed light to see. Again, she cursed herself for being so stupid, she was never so careless before this night.

The glowing orb of light flickered against the walls, moving ever closer to the gryphon. Nowhere to hide, too late to run, I'm caught.

"No!" She screeched, "Do not come... Back... Not look..." She was struggling, trying to sound human. It was difficult though, as she couldn't easily use words that had an 'r' or 's' in them, as they were distinctive sounds which she could not easily reproduce.

The man paused in his advance, momentarily startled by the sudden voice. He peered into the darkness, but was unable to make out and sort of distinguishable human shape.

"Why have you come here? What do you ssssseek?" It was hard for her to think up words without an 's' or 'r', especially when she had to think on the fly. She never got much practice, as she rarely had reason to hide what she was. Still, she cursed herself again, with her rasping 's'.

The man was shocked into action by the strange voice, and so stepped forward, waving his torch and bringing light to the darkness. Freezing in place as the flame revealed something he had not expected.

The gryphons face was visible only for the barest second before she gave a loud shrill. Covering her face with one wing, she knocked the torch from the mans hand with the other, sending it spiraling against a wall, the flame going out almost instantly. The man could only watch as the gryphon fled up the stairs he had come down, the torch at the top lighting her form as she paused for a moment. One wide eye gazed at him in what seemed like fear, her body framed by the stairwell walls and ceiling, then she was gone.