Gryphions: The Feathered Feet [Council Applications Open]

[Gryphions]

Welcome!

The Gryphions are a unique race of Gryphons. They are about as large as a horse, and they come in a multitude of colors and designs. They are more commonly found in a more natural color scheme, but greens and purple gryphions do pop up from time to time.

Oooh, you were wondering what is so unique about these gryphon type creatures?
Well, their heels sprout tiny wings when born. These wings are not used in flying, they are simply for show. They can fly, however, with their impressive wings.


Males and females are easy to tell apart. A male has a very lucious mane and a long, flowing tail. The males are also a bit larger than females.
Younglings are of course, small. They are the size of a house cat for about a month, and then grow rapidly to adulthood.
Of course, as a child, there are few differences from male and female gryphions. They develop their diffences when they reach their adult stage.

Gryphions have a long lifespan. No one has ever seen one die, except from battle. So, honestly, we don't even know if they are mortal. We do know, however, that these are exceptionally emotional beasts. They will passionately love their owner, and they will duel for resolutions for problems.

Males are the most moody of the gryphions, so don't ever get on the wrong side of one. Females are  very dangerous too, though, when threatened.
I suggest you just make sure you own a gryphion or hope the owner has no grudge against you, or you might be gryphion meat.

[Looking for staff. Please PM this account if you wish to apply. We need everyone able to color in layers with photoshop. Please Send atleast 4 and no more than 8 coloring examples, each one with a differnt lineart. We also need a file manager and some people that specifically do breedings. We are also needing a roleplay manager, as I hope these will be roleplayed for prizes.
If you are interested, PM here. I hope everyone can color who applies, but it is not completely nessesary, I guess.]

Artwork by the fabulous Silvanon.

Thank you. This is an intrest and application thread. Don't post that you are applying. Only interest. If you are applying, please pm only.

[Math]

I'm here. Are you going to post examples?

[Gryphions]

Here is a youngling.
I'll post more soon. I need to leave at the moment. I'll be back in a few hours.

[red_uni387]

ooohh I love gryphons! I shall need one of my persona definately <3

[Ryuukokoro]

Aww, they are cute!!! ^_^

[Gryphions]

A fancy female lands in thread, being very careful not to break anything or land on someone. Her wings make the thread pretty windy as she touches down.

[red_uni387]

wow yes will need a herd of these!

[springacres]

Ooh, yes, definitely!  Though "herd" doesn't sound quite right...maybe "flock" would be a better term?  or "pride"?

[Ember]

I think I'm in love. *-* These are wonderful. I'll definitely be proud to gatehr a pride of them. =P

[Echowing]

  Oh wow! I really love these! Can't wait to get some *fidgets impatiently*

[Gryphions]

A shadow suddenly moves overhead, similarly to a cloud covering the sun. Looking up, a great creature, muscular and noble, flaps his wings for landing. The resulting gust of wind is pretty large. After touching down, he adjusts his footing and stares into all the eyes surrounding him.



He lowers his great, maned neck, with a suspicious look on his face. He slowly walks to the female and youngling, eyeing everyone else. When he reaches the other two gryphs, he raises his neck and lets out a large, deep 'scree'.
It sounds like a falcon or eagle, only extremely intimidating.

All is quiet as his tail swishes back and forth. The other two are still. They are staring at the people in the thread, as is the male.

[Ryuukokoro]

Lovely!!!

[Echowing]

Geh! *is stared at* I surrender please D:

Anyways, I love them all! I can't even choose a favorite, all of them look wonderful <3

[Gryphions]

A noisy flapping sound fills the air.
"Wait! Wait! Stop, don't go closer!"


The noisy sound was a very young female gryph, probably just two weeks matured.
She nearly crashes to the ground, but finds her footing an dscurries over to place herself between the gryphs and the people.
The youngling backs up a bit, behind the male and female.
The male and female still watch the people with careful eyes.

"I don't know how you all wandered here, but don't you know? This is Gryphion territory. There are no humans allowed. It is much too dangerous. The gryphions are not very fond of humans, and being here, unprotected and unprepared? You must be suicidal."

This talking gryph was a soft, pale yellow. She had dark patches randomly on her fur. Her wings had white feathers with soft dots scattered around. She seemed a bit uneasy, and it looked as if she had not slept in a while.

[Gryphions]

The blue female gryph let out an angry sound, almost a grunt but not quite.

The talking gryph looked at her and responded in an angry, frustrated voice, "No! You  have no right to do that. Please just let me handle this."

The talking gryph looked over at the humans and let out a sigh.

"Okay, okay, listen. I'm going to let you all stay-"
A vicious cry came from the male, who immediately got low to the ground, ready to pounce. The female's eyes were terrifying. Her mouth opened slightly, but no sound came out.
"-I'm going to let you stay, but you must be careful here. Without a gryphion that is bonded to you, you are open to attack from any gryphion that does not approve of your being here."

The female lowered her head a bit and gave one last glare. She then pounded the air with her wings as she rose into the sky. She sped away gracefully, more so than the talking gryph. The male remained. His eyes were mean, but he returned to his sitting position and watched.

[Ember]

((I couldn't resist responding.))

"Not the friendliest creatures," I muttered to myself after the talking gryphion explained that the are was dangerous. Gryphion territory...I supposed that made the majestic creatures gryphions. The talking one addressed the angry female  before turning back to me and the other people to say something. It seemed the creatures could understand human language because as soon as the talking one said the word 'stay' they reacted rather angrily. It made me flinch slightly as the male looked ready to eat someone and the female seemed to want to kill someone with a look. I nodded along with what the talking one said. Be careful. Right, I could do that. I watched the female leave but the male sat down again. I watched him curiously. If he didn't like people, (which I assumed he didn't) why did he stay?

[red_uni387]

I'm sorry, I do not mean to intrude upon your territory, only to learn. How might we forge these bonds with your kind?

[Spixy]

I'm in love o__o I won't need a flock or herd of these - I'll need an entire army xD

[Gryphions]

A low, grumbly noise, almost inaudible came from a gryph. The male, the grumbler, sat staring at Ember, not pleased.

The talking gryph let out a sigh and turned to Ember.
"Please, don't insult us. We have incredible senses and we can hear what you say."

The male let out a screach. It was a terrifying sound.
The talking gryph responded, "Oh. Well, of course."

The male waited for a moment.
He tilted his head a bit and then jestured to the humans with his head.

"Oh, now? Okay."
The talking gryph looked toward the human audiance.
"Well, Godric tells me that humans are to be respectful and mind themselves. The council of gryphions will warn all gryphions in the territory of human arivals. They are expected to stay clear and not harm you. Of course, if any harm goes to any gryphion, all humans will be held prisoner, or killed on the spot. It depends on who gets to the crime scene first.
Anyway, I was sent by the council to warn humans. Also, gryphions are not to harm humans. Gryphions that kill humans will be punished. Of course, there is not much we can do to protect you if you choose to stay here. I suggest you befriend some gryphs fast or you leave yourselves pretty voulnarable."


The  male gryph lifted he head in a nod and made a low, soft noise. He stood up.

"Godric, you may take her."

In response, the male adjusted his wings. He took in his front paws the youngling gryph, who had been sitting behind him the whole time.
The gryph threw back his head and sounded a loud cry. The youngling covered her ear tufts with her paws. With a sudden, swift movement, the creatures were gone.

The talking gryph looked at eyed every human carefully.
"Younglings cannot fly and cannot protect themselves. You are never to go near a youngling unless you are friends with the parents. If you are not, then you are waving your rights of living, really. Don't go near younglings."

The gryph remaining started to pace.

"If you are needing help, just ask for me. My name is Raina. I was sent by the council because I can speak to humans. I am new to the council, but I learned everything pretty quickly. So, if anyone has any questions at this moment, please voice them now."

[red_uni387]

Hearing no response to my question, I repeated it; "How do we form bonds with your kind?"

[Gryphions]

Raina looks at the human who asked the question with a struggled look. She seemed very careful to choose her words, and spoke a bit slower.
"My kind is not exactly open to the idea of being 'owned'. We feel we are if not superior to your kind, we are just as equal. But we are not the same, as each species carries its own customs.
A gryphion will bond with most likely bond to only one human in it's life. He may select the human through a contest, and the worthy human will bond, or he may unwillingly bond. If a gryphion is forcefully bonded, he will not have as strong a bond and will most likely disobey or struggle in learning.
If he is unwilling, though, to bond, he might not bond.
If he is defeated in a battle by a bonded gryphion, there is a chance he will bond also to the human.
But there is no 'set' guarentee way to bond with a gryphion.
Once he is bonded, he will learn to speak human tongue. He will be loyal, for the most part.
If a bonded human wishes to break the bond and let him bond with another human, it can happen.
The gryphion will probably be happy either way, unless he is bonded to a cruel human.

I am sorry this answer is very generalized. Human bonds have been rare for so, so long. It is very hard for me to tell you 'rules' when it all depends. I'll say more on this at a later time. I'll need to speak with the council."


Raina looked around at the humans.
"Anymore questions?"

[red_uni387]

I did not mean to suggest that either of us would own the other, as that would destroy the meaning of the bond. Thank you for your answer, as generalized as it is. I hope to learn more soon about how bonds form, and have a few more questions as well. Once bonded, do the bonded pair evolve and change to fit with their partner more? What happens if a gryphion is bonded with a cruel human?

[Gryphions]

Raina blinked at the human a few times before responding.
"If by 'evolve' you mean that we grow closer, changing to fit each other, working to help each other, yes. I believe that is typically what will happen.
I cannot speak for a human, but I would imagine he or she would learn to work with the gryphion, as the gryphion would learn to work with the human."
She paused and thought over something for a moment.

She seemed to not want to talk anymore.
But she continued.
"If," she said, slowly, "a gryphion is bonded with a cruel human..."
She closed her eyes and let out a sigh.
"He will have no say in the relation. For some reason, when a human is nice, a gryphion can do what he pleases. If a human is cruel, he can't control anything. A cruel human has complete control. His creature is completely obediant. And yes, in this relationship, the human is the owner. The bond is rearranged into ownership. It is why gryphions are so reluctant to form bonds with humans in the first point. A gryphion may not get a say when the human is cruel."

Raina continued, her eyes now open and a bit fierce. Completely serious.
"A cruel human owns the gryphion. The gryphion is changed, then, most likely forever. The gryphion will likely turn quite evil, or as evil as the owner wills him to be. The gryphion will do whatever the owner demands. This is why the Gryphion Territory was set up in the first place. We gryphions we against this ownership that had occured once, long ago. "

Raina had a tear in her eye.
"It really is quite sad. It is not even his fault he is evil. It is the human's."
She stopped talking. Her wings we not folded on her sides, but streched out, the tips touching the ground a few feet away in either direction.

[Gryphions]

Raina streaches a bit. She looks in the sky for something.
"Oh, what's today?" she said a bit franticly.
"Is it only Thursday? Oh good!" She said with relief.

She stood up and looked at the sky still.
"I forgot, two gryphions were looking to bond. When the council heard about the human activity, two gryphions some how found out. They asked permission to head this way. And I believe Friday is the arrival time."

Raina looked away from the sky and toward the humans.
"I think they expect to bond with one of you. If any of you are interested, you should speak up. I am not sure exactly who will be chosen or for what circumstances, but if anyone does -not- want to bond with one of the two gryphions on their way, keep quiet when they arrive so they don't choose you."

Raina's tail swayed a bit.
"I don't know what they will look like, of course. I have never seen them. I believe both are male, but I can't be sure."

She stood up and streched her wings.
"I think if you want to be safer here, bonding to a gryphion makes safer exploration."

((Also, I may not have added, when roleplaying, you do get to roleplay your Gryphion how you want to. It is up to you. But just know not all gryphions get along great with their bonded partners. Or, they may. But it might take some time. Unless you choose to be a cruel owner, which I don't recomment. If you do... shame on you, but you may have full control over all your creatures during roleplay. You might experiance some difficulty breeding gryphions, though, so make sure you think that through. Cruel owners will rarely get a breeding through.

Also, the males that will be coming are going to arrive tomorrow, not sure when. If you want one, be sure to speak up, as they will not hear anyone that is quiet. Raina will translate if they cannot talk.))

[Ravvana]

I am interested in forming a bond with one of the approaching Gryphions. It would be wonderful to have a partner with whom to explore, if I am given that honor.

[Ember]

I flinched slightly at the rebuke. Oops. Still, I listened to all the speaking gryphion had to say with interest. It was sad that anyone would want to abuse another being, especially ones that were sentient. I personally held a rather high regard for animal life (though since they could talk it was hard to consider them animals). My own pets had never had reason to dislike me.

I blinked out of my thoughts with surprise to hear the worry in the talking gryphions' voice. I looked into the sky when she did, half expecting to see a pair of gryphions flying in. There was nothing but clouds in the sky and I frowned slightly in disappointment. Tomorrow would be soon enough to meet them, I supposed.

At mention of possibly bonding with one I bounced on the toes of my feet in excitement. I may not actually bond with one but the possibility...ooh so exciting! I said allowed, "I'll definitely be here tomorrow to see if one likes me!" So, so exciting~

[Gryphions]

((This is something I never planned to do, but I'll do it anyway. Hopefully it will be helpful.

If anyone is wanting to bond with a gryphion, guarenteed and very soon, I'll make a semi-custom for five dollars, all money goes to Ryuu to hopefully help with her kitty bills <3 <3
All funds are to be sent immediately, I'll work on the gryphs tonight or tomorrow, whenever I can get it done.
If interested, please PM this account.
This is  a bit spur of the moment, and I feel really silly for trying to sell them when there is no team yet, and they are not even in generals. I hope no one will have a problem with me doing this. Any complaints are welcome in my inbox, feel free to PM me. ))

[Pinkshadow]

ID LOVE TOO

[Gryphions]

Something above blocks the sun.

"Oooh, look!" Raina yelled.

A large, dark creature decends to land. He gracefully lands a good distance from the humans. Another creature lands, not as dark as the first. He lands just a bit closer, still a distance away from the humans.

The dark gryphion looks at Raina with a bit of concern.
Raina does not say anything to him, though.


The lighter gryphion walks over to Raina and sits down. He looks over to the other male.
The dark male comes a bit closer, but he decides to stay about 20 yards away, still. He makes a noise similar to a cat's purr, but with more voice in it.
The purring stops.



"These are two Gryphions that have come looking to bond with a human.
If you are at all interested in bonding, don't be shy. Since they are looking for bond, neither should attack or in any way harm any of you. Unless, of course, by sheer accident. Let's hope that does not happen.
We are not toys, nor are we pets. Please do not pull the hair or feathers from a gryphion, and please do not kick, hit, or in any other way, shape, or form, attempt to 'control' or 'train' the gryphion. Training is something that can't happen right now, usually only when the gryphion is bonded. It is not a very common thing, a human trying to train a gryphion. Then again, few humans have bonded with gryphions in such a long time."

Raina gestures her head toward the males.

She then turns to the males and says, "They know it is your choice, so anyone here is willing to bond. Pick who you may"

[YourLoveOnly]

I look at the beautiful fierce creatures and softly speak to them.
"I have a feeling bonding with one of you would really bring much good into my life. It feels like an honor to be given a chance to do so. I cannot guarantee that I am worthy, but I am eager to learn and take this journey together." They make quite an impression on me and I admire them. I simply can't imagine that someone would consider them pets, something they can own that will obey. They seem like so much more. Something truely unique and special.

[Ember]

As a shadow fell over where I was standing and the talking gryphion called out I looked up. Two big gryphions landed a bit away from where I stood. They certainly had the sheer size the male from the other day had. Not to mention they both sported manes that had not been present on the female. I hadn't asked, but I assumed the size and mane were traits that males shared.

It was quite different to be faced with non-antagonistic gryphions. It made it easier to admire the two males when they weren't hissing or glaring. The darker one seemed shy or wary, since he stayed further away. I had to admit, it made me biased more towards the lighter one but both were lovely males.

Despite what the talking one said about them not being likely to hurt us I was still a little worried. My first impression had been of a violent species, after all. It was a bit hard to shake that initial impression but I was trying. At the suggestion not to be shy I stepped forward slightly, inclining my head to the gryphions. I was tempted to stick out my hand face up as I would do an animal but it seemed like a rude gesture towards creatures as intelligent as myself. I contented myself with watching and waiting.

[Gryphions]

The darker male stood and looked toward the humans. Then he looked over to Raina and the lighter gryph. He walked to the two gryphs with speed, yet with grace similar to that of a champion show dog. His eyes were curious, but cautious.
The lighter male made a purring noise. This time it sounded like a laugh.
The lighter male swished his tail about in an attention speaking mannor.

[Ember]

Oh, the darker one finally came closer. That was a good sign...probably. I tilted my head slightly as I watched. My attention was stolen by the light male though. I smiled at the sound he made and the swishing of his tail. He seemed to be in a good mood. His antics made me comfortable enough to say, "I hope you two find one among us that will treat you well." At my outspokeness I wanted to retreat behind something or someone but I forced myself to stay. If my eyes looked down at my feet...well it was better than running away.

[Gryphions]

The light male makes a smile, if that is even possible with beaks.
He closes his eyes and bows his head toward the human Ember.

The darker male looks around. He seems confused. He lets out a little whimper.

Raina understood and  translated, "He wants to know if he gets a name? He wants to get a choice in what he is called. I believe he is just worried he will be called 'Fluffy' or something else. Of course, I myself don't find that a terrible name. But, who knows. So, if anyone here is looking to bond with a gryphion, please make sure you tell the dark one what his name will be. Only one name, please.
He will decide, of course, on the person and not the name, but he thinks a name might help him choose faster."

Raina looks around.
"Is anyone else wanting to bond at this moment? I assure you more gryphions will be looking for bonds soon. I believe if the council sees these gryphions bond peacefully, it will find no harm in it, and if that happens, more gryphions will come. If anyone is interested in bonding, please do step up."


((Sorry for not responding. I thought I had made a post in response a while ago, but apparently not. So sorry, I've been waiting for more posts in this thread, but I guess no one wanted to respond before me? Haha. Well, if anyone is interested in bonding, or joining the Gryphion Council (and this is the council that makes rules, makes sure all younglings have the right number of talons on each foot, and  makes the gryphion world go round smooth and nice. We'll be needing a few more applicants to decide, but if no more in a week's time step up, I'll gladly accept from the ones we have now.

Also, if anyone sees anything contradicting in my roleplaying, please to messaage me. I've been thinking things over on how this weill be run, and nothing is set in stone. Things will more than likely change, and everything, changed or not, will be posted in the first generals thread. This is why we have not moved on to the generals. We want to make sure all is in order before we get are in too deep.

Thanks for reading, to anyone who is reading. It means a bunch that people are interested enough to listen to what the gryphions want to say, even if they have no voice yet. It is nice)

[Echowing]

"I...I hope I might be brave enough to bond with a Gryphion. and I would certainly name any willing to bond with me something much more majestic than Fluffy. Really, I am actually quite partial to a quiet personality, not to mention a lovely dark complexion." I said, smiling shyly towards the dark male. "I would give you a name like Aqil. I've heard it means wise in Arabic and you seem wise to me for being cautious about such pet names."

[springacres]

I had thought that gryphions were mythical creatures.  Part lion, part bird...surely such a thing couldn't exist.  Yet somehow, there were not one but three of these legendary creatures standing before me, and one was talking?  Translating for the other two, obviously.  How was it that she could speak, and they could not?

Pondering how I ought to react, I watched as the lighter male approached one of the other humans in our group.  The dark fellow seemed a little shy, or perhaps he simply needed time to investigate the situation.  But something about him caught my eye.  The rich brown of his plumage and dusky silver ruff and tail were spectacular, and I found myself giving consideration to what Raina, the female, was saying.  When she had finished, I gave her a smile and said, "Thank you.  I would never call a gryphion Fluffy.  You are far too noble in appearance for that name to suit any of you."

I turned, then, and bowed respectfully to the darker male.  Extending my hand, palm up, in a gesture of friendship, I told him, "You deserve a name much better than 'Fluffy.'  Something that suits your beautiful coloring and regal bearing...what about Donnchadh?  It means 'brown warrior' in Irish, and I think it would suit you beautifully, friend."

[Wolfs Fang]

I stood in the back of the small group of humans, watching, waiting... but for what, I was unsure. The gryphions were majestic, yes, but in a strange way. They weren't beautiful in the harmless way that a flower or a painting or a cloud is beautiful. No. The kind of beauty that gryphions had was that of a sword, of a weapon. Awe-inspiring, formidable, and deadly.
I liked it.

Raina, the talking gryphion, had spoken of danger. But really, I thought, what did that matter? I had a chance- maybe my only chance- to become friends with creatures that I thought had only existed in legends. I listened as Raina spoke of the dark brown gryphion needing a name.

I turned to Raina and said, "I have a few questions, sir- I mean, ma'am," I hastily corrected. "Why would gryphions want to bond with humans in the first place? It doesn't look like gryphions need humans for anything. How would bonding with a human benefit the gryphions involved? To be honest, if I were a gryphion, I would avoid humans altogether." I grinned. "We humans are rather annoying. Also, doesn't he-" -I nodded toward the dark brown gryphion- "already have a name? Can't gryphions choose their own names, instead of having humans choose it for them?" I stared squarely at Raina, waiting for a response.

((~Fang))

[Ember]

Was he..? He was! I bounced on the balls of my feet as I watched the lighter male gryphion lower his head in a bow. I figured that meant he'd bonded to me. I didn't think there was really any other reason why he'd do that. Tentatively I got closer, reaching out to touch his head. I felt the soft fur under my hand and smiled.

He lifted his head and I looked him over even more throughly. He was really handsome. I supposed he needed a name though. There were so many different names though! I wasn't sure which one suited him best. I finally made up my mind. "What do you think of the name Cadeyrn? It's Welsh for battle king. I mostly just like the way it sounds."

The male dipped his head and swished his tail. He seemed somewhat amused but he didn't seem to dislike the name so I let it go. I looked over at Raina and asked, "Will it take some time for him to learn to speak English, or is he just not telling me that he can?" I eyed Cadeyrn and he seemed even more amused. No answer from him.

((I assumed control over him, but if that was wrong let me know.))

[Spixy]

I watched the two approaching creatures with fascination. The two males were both absolutely stunning enough to steal my breath away and I immediately found myself wondering how it'd be to curl my hands in their soft fur and stroke it. Raina's voice cut through my dreamstate and a flush quickly settled upon my face. Backing up a few steps I caught myself guilty in actually having thought about naming one 'Fluffy' - well, maybe not naming it, but probably nicknaming it. Letting out a soft sigh, I decided that it'd probably be healthier for me to bond with a female to prevent my fascination of the male's manes to be too great. I let myself observe Ember's interaction with the light male and Raina's interaction with the lot of us, eager to learn and study the creatures reactions to being approached. Listening to Wolf's voice, I found my gaze drifting to Raina fully again - wanting to hear the answer.

(I love them xD Couldn't help the fluffy comment haha)

[Gryphions]

The dark male purrs (or, as it will be reffered to after this point as 'churrs' since it is a bird sound, not a cat sound).
His voice was low, but then the pitch rose and fell. Was he communicating some how?
He closed his eyes and nodded toward every human that gave him a name.

Raina looked up to the humans to translate,
"He would like to thank everyone for the offers. He never imagined he would be popular. He tells me he will not be basing his desicion on names completely, though. He won't, though, tell me what he is deciding on... so I suppose he does not really know exactly what he's looking for.
I suppose just keep attempting to allure him. He's obviously willing. Just with what human is the question."

Raina looked over to the one called Wolf's Fang. She sat down infront of her. Her tone was a bit bitter, more than likely from the gender mix up Wolf's Fang made.
"Gryphions are creatures that are very strong. The only problem is that gryphions with bonded partners can be stronger and smarter and happier than a normal gryphion. It is true, a gryphion bonded to a human might be weaker than a gryphion without that bond.
And, all gryphions have names. But if they are not bonded, they don't speak english. Think about it, most names would be little squaking noises or something of that nature. I don't think you would be able to distinguish that with your human ears. Anyway, the gryphions that have not already decided on an english name for themselves usually ask the bonded human to name them, that only helps the bond since the name of one was chosen by the other. It makes it more personal. But to answer your question, yes we can choose our own english name. Infact, the male that came here first was Godric. He named himself, because he kives the sound of it. It seems very noble to him."

[Echowing]

"Oh, I think I can understand that." I nod toward Raina, "And I really would like to hear him speak English...  Well, in any case I will think about what I have to offer you. I suppose it would mainly be adventure through exploration. I have always wanted to travel the world and see all the wonderful places it has. I actually came here looking for a companion and partner who would not be afraid to go to the farthest parts of unknown lands. I don't know if that appeals to you at all," I say while looking at the dark male, " but it would certainly be wonderful for me to have a partner like you."

[springacres]

I, too, listened to what Raina had to say.  It certainly made sense not to choose a bond based solely on what your partner wanted to call you.  Turning once again towards the darker male, I thought about what I could offer him.  Then a stray breeze caught hold of my travel sack, and as it shifted I felt the weight of the books inside.  To me, they were nearly as essential on a journey as food and water.  Perhaps this male had a similar love for stories?

"I enjoy traveling to different lands, collecting and sharing stories, songs and legends," I told him.  "I would be very glad to have a friend and travel companion like yourself.  I would teach you the stories I know, and you would get to see some interesting areas of the world and learn new legends with me.  Perhaps I could learn some of yours, too."  Surely these creatures had legends of their own?

[Wolfs Fang]

"Thank you," I said seriously to Raina. "This makes a bit more sense to me now." I turned to the dark brown gryphion and grinned. "To be honest, Fluffy does seem like a good name..." I hesitated, to build the suspense. "But no, I'm not that evil. The name 'Ballad' sounds much better. Or maybe... 'Taliesin'? Yes, 'Taliesin' seems to fit. It was the name of a famous bard, from long ago..." I stared off into the distance, thinking of the legend from which the name came. A legendary creature and a legendary name. It just... worked.

Suddenly, I snapped back into reality. "Oh, yes. You wonder what I have to offer you? Okay. Um..." I shoved my hand into one of my jacket pockets, hoping to find something worth giving. I pulled out a moldy old apple core. "How the heck did that get in there? Erm... Want this?" I said hopefully. I held the apple core out to the dark brown gryphion, and then decided against it. "Never mind," I sighed. "It's not worth giving at all. I'm sorry." I threw the apple core over my shoulder, possibly hitting someone behind me in the process.

"So," I continued. "What I have to offer you... Um..." I scratched my head, trying to think of ideas. "OH!" I almost yelled. "I know now." I coughed, clearing my throat. "Well, if you become my gryphion-partner-thingamabobber, I promise that I'll be fair to you. If I ever get any pie, I'll give you half, and I'll help you whenever you need it. You won't have to obey me, and I won't have to obey you. We'll be co-workers and friends. 'Cuz that's what gryphion-human partners are supposed to be, right? And if you come with me, I think I can promise that interesting things will happen. Strange things tend to happen around me; I'm just weird like that. So... yeah. That's what I have to offer you." I pointed behind me. "Oh, and if you want, you can have the apple core, too."

~Fang

[Gryphions]

The dark gryphion looked at the humans Echowing, springacres, and Wolfs Fang, respectivly.
His eyes seemed stressed over something. He looked at each human again.
He was quiet for a few moments, thinking all he had heard over.

Raina spoke: "He does not mean to hurt any feelings in his choice. He thinks each of you are valuable humans, and could he split into three and bond with each of you, I bet he would. But he can't do that. He knows that. He will be making a choice."

The make made a soft noise.

Raina explained,"He wants to say that the two he is not bonding with should not feel discouraged. He finds all of you very good humans. He wants the two humans not chosen to know that any gryphion will be lucky to bond with either of you, and if you stay willing to bond, someone will come your ways and will be the right gryphion for you."

Raina looked at the male. The dark gryphion looked once more at all three of the humans, and then walked forward.

He stopped a few feet in frong of Wolfs Fang and moved his head toward the ground in a bow.

((Alright, I believe we are just about done here. We'll be opening some things in generals very soon. If anyone has last minute applications for being on council, please PM this account.

I hope to see you all in generals! Thanks so much for helping the gryphions get started in Secundi.))

[Wolfs Fang]

I listened to Raina's speech, and wondered how in the world the gryphion would decide. It must be a very hard choice to make, I noted. I just hope he's not angry... The dark brown gryphion started walking slowly towards me. Oh no, I thought. No... No! I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but the words seemed to be caught in my throat. I began to slowly back away. Running wouldn't do me any good in this kind of situation. I had only gone about two steps when I tripped over something that was squishy and slightly sticky.
It was the apple core.

I tried to avoid the fall by twisting in the air, but I fell anyway. I landed sideways, smashing into the ground, the impact slightly jarring me. But it was this that finally brought me back to my senses. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I yelled at the approaching dark brown gryphion. "I'm sorry if you didn't like the apple core! Just please, don't eat me! I'm too young to die, and I don't even taste that good. Honest!" I squeezed my eyes shut, expecting the end to come at any second...
...Nothing happened.
A few agonizing minutes passed.

Finally, I slowly opened one eye. I saw grass, and four lion feet. And then I opened the other one... and saw the rest of the dark brown gryphion standing a few feet away from me. And it was... bowing? "Wait," I said, slowly getting up and standing, dusting myself off. "You're not going to kill me? You're..." I gasped, fully comprehending the situation, and then squeed loud enough to break glass. "You're Talesin!" I walked a few feet toward him, and then hugged him around the neck. "Thank you," I whispered, and then let go. I stepped back, and then grinned, saying softly, "This is only the beginning."

~Fang

[springacres]

((Wow, congrats Wolfs Fang!))

I listened once again to Raina's words, indicating that the dark male had made a choice.  The images that popped into my head of the gryphion splitting into three in order to bond with each of us made me smile, but even without that I knew I couldn't be angry if he hadn't chosen me.  That was life.  Sometimes you got passed over for reasons you didn't understand at the time, but that made sense later.

I still couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when he chose Wolfs Fang, however.  Clearly, he saw something in her that suited him.  But, again, that was life.  He had said that each of us were valuable humans, that he felt each would be the sort a gryphion would be lucky to bond with.  I had to hope that someday, one would come along that would share my passion for stories and animals (and, it must be said, for good food).

Approaching Wolfs Fang and her new friend, I said with a smile,  "Congratulations to you both.  May all your journeys be safe ones, filled with friendship and discovery."  I couldn't have said why, exactly, but it seemed proper somehow to congratulate both of them.