The Gryphon Generation Book 2: A New Era

by Alexander Bizzell

  “Well that’s nice of him. I’ll have to go by the shop and say thank you.” Thyra replied.

  Johnathen pulled out a pan from the cupboard and turned on the oven, setting it to his desired temperature. He threw butter into the pan and Thyras eartufts perked at the sound of sizzling butter in the hot pan.

  “I’ll be back. I’m going to go shower,” Thyra said and Johnathen nodded.

  She passed through her bedroom into the spacious bathroom. Thyra sighed and looked at her disheveled appearance in the mirror. Her crest feathers were sticking out this way and that, along with the ragged looks of her wings.

  Thyra went over to turn the shower on and sat back down in front of the mirror. She pulled her cellphone out from the pouch around her neck and opened up the sliding keyboard. She began typing out a message to the Aadhya, Antonio, and Rachel.

  I am going to confront Matthew tomorrow. Can anyone back me up?

  She sat the cellphone down next to the sink and started to work the spandex uniform off of her feathered form. It was a struggle to get out of, as usual. The gryphon had to mind her wings and work the uniform off without cutting it with her talons. By the time she was done, her feathers were a heaping mess. She threw the well-worn uniform into the laundry basket and looked over to her phone to see it light up with another message.

  It was from Aadhya.I will be there. Tell me time and place.

  Thyra smiled, knowing she could count on her any time. She opened the keyboard back up and typed in the response. Noon. Macon city hall.

  Thyra closed her phone again and saw the steam building up on the glass in front of her. She quickly hopped in the shower and made it quick, not wanting Johnathen to wonder what was taking her so long. She cut off the shower and hopped out with a ruffle of her feathers. She felt like a whole new bird once again. As she dried off with a towel, the phone vibrated again, this time with a message from Antonio.

  I will also be there. Although, I must ask if you have a plan.

  Thyra took a deep breath, thinking once more. No, she really did not have a plan. She just wanted to show Matthew that she was not going to tolerate being walked all over anymore, by any means necessary. She wasn’t going to admit that, though. A little bit of a plan, yeah.

  She closed the phone. Thyra walked back out into the bedroom and into the kitchen. The heavy smell of pan-fried meat was thick in the house, which only made Thyra’s beak water even more.

  “It smells amazing,” Thyra commented and stood next to the island where Johnathen was cooking.

  “Yeah it does. Zach marinated these for twenty-four hours. What he puts in the marinade is unreal,” Johnathen replied.

  He picked up a pair of tongs and flipped the meat over in the pan, causing the sizzling to grow louder. The oven beeped as it reached temp and Johnathen pulled out an iron skillet from the cupboard. He picked up the sizzling steaks with his tongs before placing them in the iron skillet. “I didn’t have any sweet potatoes, so I just had to whip up some instant potatoes.”

  The meat was slightly charred on each side, with a lot of raw pink showing through from the sides. Thyra could eat them just like that and love every bite, but he always insisted they were better once they were medium rare. He put a generous helping of butter on top of the strips and threw them in the oven. “And I forgot the green beans. So it’s just meat and potatoes,” Johnathen added and wiped his hands off with a paper towel.

  “You know I don’t like vegetables anyways. I wish I could just eat nothing but meat,” Thyra said as she took another deep breath of the rich scent clouding the air.

  The smoke detector suddenly started to scream loudly which made them both curse. Thyra ran over to the one detector chirping and started to fan a wing towards it. Johnathen opened up a window and a cold breeze blew in, bringing the fresh smell of leaves and quickly approaching fall. Within seconds, the smoke detector stopped its annoying siren.

  Thyra rubbed her eartuft, still hearing the ringing. “I hate these stupid things!”

  Johnathen shrugged and moved the pot of instant potatoes off the burner. “Yeah, but I would hate not to have them when we needed them.” He pulled the wooden spoon out to taste test the potatoes. He thought for a minute and opened up the fridge to retrieve sour cream. “And I hope we never do need them.”

  Johnathen scooped out some sour cream and dumped it into the pot, giving it a good mix. “Anyways, how has practice today?”

  Thyra shrugged her wing shoulders. “It’s alright. A lot of a hard work! Just glad to have the weekend off before the next game on Monday. My wings are so sore, and I’m exhausted every night, but it’s still a lot of fun. Everyone seems nice and wants to work as a team. They have been helping me out a lot.” She watched as he finished up and went back to the fridge. “I’m hoping I can start and not be a bench warmer by the end of the season, but I am new, so we’ll see.”

  “You know I’ll be there to cheer you on.” Johnathen opened up the fridge and put the sour cream back before retrieving two bottles of beer. He handed one to Thyra, who quickly jerked the cap off with her beak. He smiled and grabbed a bottle opener to crack off the top of his beer. “Do you think you can get extra tickets? I’m sure Keith would love to go too.”

  Thyra poured the light beer into her beak and swallowed, considering the question. “Honestly I don’t know. I’ll call Victor,” she replied.

  The beeping from the oven interrupted their conversation. Johnathen put on an oven mitt and reached in to pull the smoking skillet of meat out. The heavenly aroma filled the air once again as he put the skillet down on the stovetop.

  “Your first game was amazing. You did so well! It was nice to have front row seats to see my wife kicking ass and taking names.” Johnathen smiled and looked over at Thyra, who quickly beak-grinned back.

  “I really didn’t do that much! We were so far ahead that the Parrots just felt completely defeated. They barely crossed the half field line while I was out there. But who knows? Hopefully next game I can kick really some ass for you.”

  “Now that’s the gryphoness I know,” Johnathen said before putting the steaks on plates. “So, in other good news, Keith told me when he was helping me clean up that work wants me back since all charges were dropped.”

  Thyra’s eartufts perked up at the good news. “Oh! That is awesome! I’m so happy to hear it.” She grabbed the steak with her talons and brought it to her beak to tear off a chunk of juicy flesh. She swallowed it quickly and let out a gentle trill as the flavors rolled across her tongue. “Skies, that is good.”

  “Told you. That marinade Zach has been trying lately is killer,” Johnathen said.

  “But I know you have been going a little crazy without a daily routine. You happy to go back?” Thyra asked.

  “Yeah! You know me, a workaholic.” Johnathen stood at the island counter with Thyra. He opened a drawer in front of him to retrieve a fork and knife. “It sucks that I lost some of my current cliental, but I don’t think my reputation took a detrimental hit. I should have clients again by the end of next week,” Johnathen said before slicing into the rare steak. He brought the piece up to his eyes with the fork and looked it over, watching the blood drip down onto the paper plate.

  The sound of ripping flesh brought Johnathen’s eyes up to see Thyra rip into the steak again. Her beak shined with the butter and juices. Much to Thyra’s relief, any expectation for manners had gone out the window long ago.

  She found it troublesome to use cutlery, and Johnathen always found it amusing to watch her try to eat ‘normally.’ Johnathen placed the piece in his mouth and slowly chewed, savoring the taste while Thyra devoured half the steak in a minute.

  “Clients by the end of the week? Not with the shape you’re in now,” Thyra said while motioning with a dirty talon to his scruffy beard and long hair. She let out a gentle chuckle. “You look like a progressive rock band player. I mean I like it, but it’s not very professional.”

  “You know, Keith said the s
ame thing!” Johnathen laughed and cut up another piece before pointing the knife at Thyra. “Fine, I’ll book an appointment with Manny at the barber shop tomorrow.”

  Perfect. Thyra thought to herself. She needed him away for a while. She did not want him to know she was going to confront Matthew. “Good. I’ll book him for you after we finish dinner.”

  ***

  Thyra looked over her wingshoulders and banked gently in the cool air. She had to beat her wings more frequently from lack of the warm thermals keeping her afloat. She stretched out her long white and almond brown wings, testing them. They were still sore, but she could fly on them now that she a good night’s sleep.

  Johnathen had gone out to buy a new suit and get his hair cut for his first day back to his job and left her alone at the house. It had been perfect. Now she could meet her friends and confront Matthew without him knowing.

  She looked down at the bustling little city bellow. There was a market going on in the town’s center where the fight between the Gathering and the protesters had erupted not long ago. Cars decorated every parking space available on the streets and the trees were starting to show their brown and orange colors. She spotted a small crowd of people around the city hall as she approached, and realized what the commotion was all about.

  Aadhya and Antonio both stood at the city hall’s steps, talking to each person that seemed to want to converse with them. She felt a bit of panic at first, bit from afar, it did not look violent or any way negative. After all, Thyra’s friends had also been in the news on the day of that rally. Not only that but they were growing in popularity among those that followed the Second League gryphball teams.

  Thyra landed softly a couple yards away from the crowd, which caused a couple of them to turn and look at her. A young man smiled and ran over to her, holding a smart phone up. “Thyra! We saw you playing for the Athens Redtails in the first game of the season! What can we expect out of you in Friday’s game?” the reporter asked and held his phone out towards her beak.

  Thyra blinked her big green eyes and looked surprisingly at the brown haired guy. “Y…yeah. I was excited to get to play in my first game with the Redtails. I felt fortunate to have Coach Victor’s confidence in me. I, uh, hope we have a good game on Friday and I hope to perform well for my team.” Thyra nervously swallowed hard and forced herself to beak grin back to the reporter.

  He pulled his phone away and clicked something on the screen before putting it back into his pocket. “Thanks for the comment! You don’t mind if I publish it, do you?”

  Thyra shook her head. “Not at all. Go ahead.”

  The reporter smiled and thanked her before making his exit. The small crowd slowly dispersed from around Aadhya and Antonio after getting their comments and pictures. Thyra walked over to the other gryphons.

  “I didn’t expect that at all,” she said.

  “You will see more of this as the season begins to heat up,” Antonio replied and sat down on his haunches. He was wearing a casual colorful button up top and a pair of khakis. Aadhya was sporting an informal red top, which covered most of her body besides the long white feathers around her feet.

  There was a long silence between them as the group watched everyone else leave. “Thyra, are you sure about this?” Aadhya questioned, breaking the silence. The great bearded vulture looked down at Thyra with her bright red and yellow eyes.

  Thyra looked back up and nodded. “Absolutely. The reason Matthew keeps on threatening us and walking around on us is because we seem weak. I want to go there and let him know that I’ve had enough.” Thyra said, feeling more empowered with her friends at her side.

  Both Antonio and Aadhya looked to one another and then back down to Thyra. “Does Johnathen know about this?” Aadhya asked in her smooth steady tone. Thyra shook her head.

  “No. When I told him I was going to do it, and he got really angry. So I lied and said I wouldn’t,” Thyra replied and gave them both a determined stare. “Trashing our house was the final straw. As long as we don’t get physical, I don’t think this can come back to haunt me. I think we can scare him a little bit. The stupid old man’s never faced three gryphons at once.”

  “Or this could anger him further,” Aadhya pointed out. She was always the voice of reason, but Thyra had made her mind up.

  “Yeah, but I don’t know what else to do, and we are already here, except Rachel, but I think that’s for the best,” Thyra said. She took a deep breath. “Are you all ready?”

  Both gryphons nodded. Thyra turned around and ran with her wings outstretched. With a hard wing beat, she was in the air, Antonio and Aadhya following close behind.

  The Gathering’s church was towards the outer edge of the city, and would be a short flight. They flew side-by-side, and conversed about what little plan they had. Soon they were landing in the large and mostly empty parking lot outside of the church. There were a few cars parked close to the entrance, but that was it.

  Thyra took in the extensive structure before her. Already, her blood had begun to boil and her hackle feathers rose with irritation. Matthew had disguised this cult so well; painting the hatred it hid inside with a fresh coat of white paint. The hypocrites had erected large crosses outside in the front lawn, making them seem as harmless as any other church.

  She clicked her beak with agitation and drew in one more deep breath through her nares before walking forward. The double glass doors to the main entrance were open, allowing access into the main spacious greeting room. The gryphons’ talons clicked along the tile floor, echoing in the chambers.

  Just being inside the church made Thyra’s crop sour. She felt nauseous and her feathers tightened in against her body. The band stood silently, looking around for any sign of movement.

  “Thyra, there is a sign that says offices this way,” Antonio said quietly, pointing out with his foretalon. “He could be back there, if he is here at all.”

  “I know he’s here. I can feel it!” Thyra hissed gently under her breath and turned down a hallway where the sign pointed.

  She stopped at a set of doors and gently opened them, peering inside. They were at a side entrance to the main chapel room. Light poured in from the stain glass windows from the opposite wall. The room was eerie even in the colorful light. Pews sat empty in perfect rows in a half circle facing the stage. Thyra stepped back and let the door slowly close on its own.

  “It seems to be just the same as any modern church.” Antonio commented, also getting a look inside.

  “In a way, I find it disturbing,” Aadhya observed.

  “Tell me about it.” Thyra said and continued back down the hallway.

  Her heart began to beat faster in her chest, thinking that anyone could come out at any time. The claws and talons from the small group of gryphons clicked and reverberated in the cramped confines of the corridor. Aadhya’s wings touched either side of the walls and scrapped gently against them as they walked. Thyra’s eartufts twitched as she stopped at another door.

  Aadhya and Antonio both stopped with Thyra and perked their eartufts as well. “Do you hear that?” Thyra asked. The sounds of metal chain scrapping along the ground and a gentle groan came through the door.

  “Yesm” Both of them responded, thoughts racing as to what was behind the door.

  Thyra reached for the door handle, and tried to open it, but it was no use. They were all so concentrated on what lied behind the door that they did not hear the footsteps of two men approaching.

  “Beasts,” one of the men said.

  They were both wearing black suits and ties. All three gryphons turned their heads and stared directly at the two men. They stood calmly before the gryphons, and showed no sign of a threat, despite the aggressive nature of the comment.

  “Come with us.” The same bald man spoke again.

  “Where would we be going?” Thyra questioned, taking an assertive step forward and pushing her chest out. Both men looked at her without flinching.

  “To see Bisho
p Darnwall.” The men began to walk away from them, leaving the gryphons behind.

  Thyra turned to Antonio and Aadhya, who both nodded in agreement. The band began to follow the two men down the curved hallway.

  “This is what we came to do, after all. They are leading us straight to him.” Antonio said as he continued to watch the men.

  “Yeah but how did they know we were here?” Thyra asked the two of them.

  Both gryphons shrugged their shoulders in response to Thyra’s question. They came to a stop in front of a set of large wooden double doors. The two men stood on opposite ends of the doors and opened them. Thyra stopped and glared at the two men who simply motioned for them to step inside.

  “I don’t like this…” Thyra said out loud. She gathered up her nerves and walked past one of the men to step inside Matthew’s office with Antonio and Aadhya walking at either side of her.

  The first thing she noticed was the back of Mathew’s head rising over the top of his chair. He was staring out the massive bay windows covering the outer wall of his office. Thyra turned her head as she heard the doors being closed behind them with a loud creek.

  “And what do I owe the terrible company of you hideous abominations?” Matthew demanded, breaking the silence between him.

  His words were like the hissing of snakes to Thyra’s ears, and immediately it caused her hackle feathers to rise in anger. Even calm Aadhya’s eyes narrowed at such a cruel and racist greeting.

  “You forced my talons this time.” Aadhya spoke up, forcing her voice to remain steadfast.

  She took a couple of steps forward as Matthew turned around in his chair to face the group. His eyes widened slightly with shock seeing that one of them was a rather massive gryphon that was already becoming angered. They all stood before Matthew’s desk and looked into his cold dead eyes.

  “And what do you plan on doing? Kill me? I hope you know it would be the worst mistake you could ever make,” Matthew said and leaned on the meat of his fists. He glared to Thyra, then to Aadhya and Antonio with his bushy eyebrows raised, waiting for one of them to make a move.