Thyra flew back and forth, stressing her wings to the limits without rest as time ticked by. She began to feel her lungs burning with each breath, and her heart beat so fast that it thumped in her eartufts. She found it harder to keep up with Jason underneath her when they went on the offensive, and even more difficult to block the vulture when on defense.
Suddenly, a loud whistle broke her concentration and looked down to see Victor making a T with his foretalons. She thanked the skies for the break and looked up to see only five minutes remained on the clock. Had she really been flying for forty minutes straight?
Thyra landed on the ground hard a few feet from Victor and took in a large breath. She winced when she folded in her wings, feeling them tingle and burn with complaint. Her nares were wet with secretions from the strenuous flying and it took a lot of effort to jog over to the huddle. Victor waited for the rest of the team to gather around before he began.
“Alright, we have five minutes to go. I want to see one more air goal at least. Hustle up and pour out the last of your energy. Let’s send them packing with their tails tucked between their legs!” Victor yelled and clapped his talons together, looking at every gryphon with his large black eyes. “Thyra, you’re slowing down out there. Get it together and push through.”
“Yes sir,” Thyra replied with heavy breaths. She felt someone tapping on her wingshoulder and looked over. A male human in his early twenties stood next to her holding a water bottle out, and she quickly grabbed it from his hands with a thank you. She took careful sips from the bottle, making sure not to down the contents as much as she wanted to. She remembered her previous mistakes of drinking fast all too well.
The whistle blew again, and everybody turned away from Victor. Thyra handed the water bottle back to the human and jogged out to the middle of the field to take their positions again.
“Just stay above me and keep your flight steady,” Jason said to her as she crouched to take flight next to him.
“I’ll give it my best,” Thyra responded before the whistle blew to start the game once more. She leapt into the air and forced her wings to beat again.
Nathanial sprinted across the field with the gryphball under a wing and attempted to get past their defense. They cut him off at every attempt, and he tossed the ball over to Jason who took it back to midfield. He burned out the clock by passing it between Thyra, Nathanial and himself until an opening presented itself. Nathanial took the opportunity, and rushed past the first guard as the crowd leapt to their feet.
“We have an attempt on the ground goal in the last minute of the game! Can the Redtails do it?” The announcer said as Nathanial tossed the ball up to Rachel. Thyra flew to Rachel’s right, and tried to outfly the vulture air defender as he kept his pace with her.
Phera dove after Rachel, and she quickly tossed the ball to Thyra to keep from being tackled. Thyra was able to get open and caught the pass before feeling the vulture make a poor attempt at a slow tackle against her side. She rolled it off and kept a steady flight towards the air goal. She felt a sudden burst of energy as the goal was in sight with no one between her and the goalie.
“Go for it!” Rachel screeched, relaying Victor’s commands. Thyra beat her wings with all her might and flew straight towards the goal as the crowd held their breath again.
She sought for an opening as she stared the goalie straight in his eyes, and then tossed the ball towards the corner of the goal. The gryphball slipped in her talons. She was helpless to watch as the ball went off course and bounced off the post before falling out of bounds. Thyra quickly carved to the left to keep from slamming into the goalie and hung her head in defeat.
“It’s no good! That was a great attempt from Redtails’ thirteen, but the shot was just shy of the goal,” the announcer called out just as the clock clicked zero.
The stadium shook as a loud siren played over the speakers, signaling the end of the game. Thyra glided down to circle around the stadium and Rachel flew up next to her.
“Get your beak up! We just won!” Rachel called out.
Thyra had almost forgotten they were ahead. For a few seconds, she had felt like the game depended all on that shot, but it did not matter. Whatever defeat she felt in her heart left her as she watched Rachel perform various acrobatics for the crowd. Apparently, Nathanial could not handle her having the entire spotlight because he soon flew up to Rachel and started to show off for the crowd as well.
Thyra glanced over to see Phera gliding nearby to her proximity. He did not look the least bit amused, clicking his beak with agitation. He locked his black eyes with her and snarled. The Bateleur eagle came in close next to Thyra, causing her to slightly falter back to avoid confrontation. “That was just beginner’s luck. You won’t be so lucky next time.”
Before Thyra could respond, the eagle banked away from her to join the rest of his moping team. She took a deep breath and forced herself to relax. The sound of fans cheering and applauding brought her attention to her showboating friends.
Rachel and Nathanial celebrated together, spinning around one another and dancing in the sky. The two latched talons and rose up into the sky. They separated and folded their wings to dive away from each other towards the ground. The pair flicked out their wings to glide out of the dive and barrel rolled around each other, screeching in glee.
Thyra was close enough to see a certain form of affection in their eyes, one that they had not shown to anyone else. To her surprise, she was certain that was something more going on between them; a connection that neither of them were yet fully aware of.
Chapter 20 Awakening
“I never had any doubt in this team. You all have performed perfectly this season so far,” Coach Victor began as he stood at the head of a long wooden table.
Thyra was sitting next to Johnathen and the rest of the band, including Antonio, whose foretalon and left wing were in a sling, but he did not look to be in pain. A flash from the opposite side of the room caught Thyra’s eyes as yet another person took a photo of the group, possibly to share it on social media.
Victor looked to every gryphon sitting around the table in the dimming light. Shadows drifted across the room as the sun descended lower from the floor-to-ceiling windows.
“Actually, I am not going to lie, some of you worried me, especially the caracara.” The Harpy eagle grinned at his jest, and everyone joined in a low laugh. Nathanial frowned at the comment and folded his eartufts flat against his head.
The talking from other humans on the opposite side of the pub quieted as Victor’s voice carried in the room. The televisions on the wall above the bar were tuned into the sports network channel showing a couple of well-dressed men and one gryphon around a table discussing the game’s best plays. A server wearing a casual T-shirt and jeans walked over with a tray full of beers and started to pass them out to the team as Victor started again.
“We fought hard today, especially Antonio, but I want you all to know your hard work was not in vain. I want to thank you for your effort in the season so far. I know I have been hard on you, but the results speak for themselves. You have been with me the entire time, struggling, fighting, and training every day. But with this victory, comes one last challenge. We have been undefeated the whole season, and have one more game to play. If-,” He shook his head. “No. When we win next week’s final game, we will advance into the First League!”
The whole team erupted into squawks of celebration, causing the other pub patrons to cheer with them. Thyra looked from Victor to the other patrons in the bar, seeing they were all sporting Redtail’s jerseys that matched the team’s. It hadn’t occurred to her before, but she realized the team’s victories had not only made Victor and her loved ones proud, but also the whole city of Athens.
“Tonight, we celebrate our hard-fought battle. Tonight, we dine like kings and queens of the earth and land. Tonight, we join our fans and loved ones in victory. Be proud of the gryphon you are! Keep your beak up, eartfuts perked, and li
ft your mugs with me,” Victor finished and grabbed the cold mug in front of him. His massive talons wrapped around the glass as if it was made for a toddler. He lifted his mug in a toast and every gryphon did the same. “To the Redtails!”
“To the Redtails!” the team and patrons of the bar shouted along with him before taking a swig of the icy blond lager.
Thyra let out a loud sigh and placed her mug on the table as the groups began to converse among themselves. She looked over to Rachel, who was already beginning a heated discussion with Nathanial about who had more screen time on the television replays.
“So, how did it feel?” came Johnathen’s voice. Thyra turned to look at her husband with a confused look, and then it clicked.
“Oh! You mean actually playing a full half and scoring my first goal?” she asked. He nodded, smiling as he sipped his beer. “Amazing! I really can’t describe it! I’ve dreamed of being on a gryphball team ever since I was a gryphlet, as you know. But I never thought it would feel that incredible! All those people screaming and cheering . . .” Thyra beamed and lifted her mug again with a ruffle of her feathers.
“I couldn’t be more proud and happy for you, featherbutt,” Johnathen said with a chuckle, which earned a playful bat of her tail against his side.
“Well, you two are a fitting couple,” Victors low voice interrupted.
Thyra turned her head to see the great gryphon standing beside them. Thyra’s eartufts perked to attention as she spun around to face him completely. “Thank you, Sir! We’ve been together for six years now.”
Victor nodded his large beak and sat down on his haunches, extending a foretalon for Johnathen to shake. “So I hear. You must be Johnathen. Nice to meet you.”
Johnathen looked at the gigantic talons extended towards him, and quickly clasped them with his hand, which was dwarfed by the gryphon appendage. “Nice to finally meet you as well. Thyra has talked a lot about you.” he said with a warm smile.
Victor’s gray beak curved in a wry grin. “I’m sure it was nothing positive,” he responded and pulled his talons away.
Johnathen let out a nervous laugh and looked over to Thyra as he rubbed the back of his head. “Well! She does talk highly of you. She also says you can be an insufferable ass, but that’s to be expected with a coach.” Thyra frowned and flicked her tail against his side again.
Victor let out a deep laugh, causing a couple teammates to turn around and stare at them. Victor rarely laughed. “An honest man! I like that. Seems she has chose well, even it is a human.” Victor grabbed his beer mug from the table and easily downed half its contents with one swig.
“As I said earlier in the speech, there’s a good reason I’m hard on them. It’s because I care. And your wife is no exception. She came to me a greenwing, fresh from the nest. And now look at her!” Victor motioned to Thyra with his gray foretalons. “Scoring against one of the best second league teams in the nation. I’m proud of her.”
Thyra could feel the heat from her nares as she blushed, listening to her mentor speak so highly of her. The butterflies in her chest came back while her hackle feathers roused up from the attention. “Now you’re just being sappy, Coach.”
“You should enjoy the praise for once,” Victor responded. “I rarely give it out. Normally, I am the one dealing tough love, but I just want you all to know, it is love.” A few voices called out from the other side of the room and Victor looked away from the two of them. “Excuse me, seems they want my attention.”
Thyra watched Victor leave, heading towards a small group of men holding pens and photos. The huge gryphon began talking with them while signing various memorabilia and taking selfies with the fans.
“He seems like a good guy,” Johnathen said and threw an arm around Thyra to bring her in closer.
“Yeah, he has a lot of heart. And he’s very talented,” Thyra said while watching Victor interact with the fans. He was putting on a smile and shaking hands with the humans.
“Pfft! Back in his day he was maybe half as good as I am, but now I would bet he couldn’t outfly a pigeon!” Nathanial chimed in from across the table.
“Please! You’re about as talented as a wet rat with stumpy wings!” Rachel retorted back and laughed. “I bet he could still outfly you with one wing tied behind his back!”
Nathanial slammed his beer mug down and leaned across with his beak grinding against itself. “You runt! I’m gonna..!”
“You two, please use your inside voices,” Aadhya interrupted, placing her tea mug down gently. “If you must behave like gryphlets, then take it outside.”
Rachel and Nathanial sat back and looked away from one another with their feathers ruffled. Antonio could not help but smile as the hot head gryphons settled down.
Nathanial noticed Antonio’s smile and frowned. “What’s so funny, amigo?!” he asked, making fun of Antonios’ accent.
“Nothing. Nothing at all, mi amigo,” Antonio replied and sipped from his beer mug. Nathanial’s head crest raised and flattened multiple times.
“Whatever. I’m going to the bathroom,” Nathanial huffed and looked to Rachel quickly. He finished up his drink and stepped back from the bench.
Rachel watched him leave and then cleared her throat quickly. “Oh yeah, me too. I’ll be right back,” she said before following along. Thyra watched her speed up to catch Nathanial and watched them talk for a moment.
“They couldn’t make it any more obvious, could they?” Jason said while walking up behind Thyra and Johnathen.
Thyra let out a chuckle and turned to look back at the golden eagle gryphon. “I was starting to wonder if I was the only one that noticed.”
“You would have to be blind to not see it. Typical high school relationship right there. Not that I ever went, but I’ve watched plenty of movies. You know, the classics and such,” Jason commented. He gave Johnathen a beak grin. “Well! This must be the lucky man. How goes it?” He reached out and took Johnathen’s hand in a strong grasp.
Thyra could see her husband wince at the strong grip. “Ah, it goes well! Yeah, man, you played one hell of a game.” Johnathen responded awkwardly.
Jason shrugged his shoulders and finished his mug off before setting it on the table. His nares were already flushed and eyes a little glazed. Thyra would have never pinned him as a lightweight.
“Good! Yeah, Thyra tells me you’re a lawyer. That’s pretty interesting!” Jason’s wings flared out excitement, almost knocking over Antonio’s beer mug. “I watch a lot of criminal investigation shows. Live PD stuff too. I like the intensity of a good court case! You ever have a good murder case? What’s the best, most exciting case you ever had?”
Johnathen ran his fingers through his clean-cut black hair and laughed nervously again. He wasn’t allowed to discuss the particulars of his cases, but he could speak in generalities. “Well, um, I had this one domestic violence case that was pretty interesting.”
Jason’s golden eartufts perked up and he placed a foretalon on Johnathen’s shoulder. “No way! Was it the one in Atlanta where the guy murdered all three of his wives?”
Johnathen looked over to Thyra with wide eyes. She shrugged her shoulders with a chuckle and sipped casually from her beer. “I, um, no. It was divorce court actually. Something about the guy ripping the heads off of the wife’s beanie babies.”
Jason pulled his foretalon away and his eartufts relaxed. “Well, that’s lame,” he said, readjusting his wings to fold them back in.
“Yeah, I don’t handle any of the more serious stuff. It’s really rare actually. Now my partner…”
“Thyra???” Rachel’s high pitch voice broke the conversation from across the room. The whole team became silent and turned to look over at Rachel and Nathanial standing in front of the bar. Thyra saw worry in Rachel’s eyes as she glanced back up to the television, and the bartender turned the volume up.
A news report showed a female reporter standing in front of an old-fashioned diner. There was police tape all aro
und the building with several cop cars in the background and the scrolling message at the bottom read, “Maddened gryphon in Macon kills two officers, leaving two others in critical condition.”
Thyra felt her heart skip a beat in her chest as all the conversation and celebration was pushed into the background. Johnathen and Thyra stood up from the table to join a group standing in front of the television. “They are talking about a gryphon in Macon that went on a rampage, but I thought you were the only one in Macon.” Rachel said as the other team members gathered around with them.
“I was. I don’t know who…” Thyra paused as the bartender turned up the volume loud enough for everyone to hear.
“… Several witnesses described this gryphon to resemble a rabies infested wild animal with mange. Several report the gryphon had multiple scars across its body, patches of fur missing, and wings like a bat.”
“No… it can’t be.” Thyra’s mind raced and her breath quickened, The description reminded of someone from her past, except for the wings. No, it could not be Anfang. He had stubs in the place where his wings should be. Besides, he was dead. She dismissed the idea out of her head, but something still ate at her.
The television showed an interview with a couple that had seen it firsthand, describing the gryphon exactly as the newscaster had but in a less professional way. Their voices were heavy with southern accents, but they got their point across.
“Thyra? Are you ok?” Johnathen asked, noticing all her feathers flattening against her body.
She shook her head as the next images on the television was a recording from a cop vehicle as it pulled up to the scene. Then she saw him. His deformed face clear as day in the window of the diner.
“No…” Thyra said.
Everyone watched the television silently as shots rang out and the gryphon darted across the screen. There were more shots, and they saw the gryphon leap at an officer before disappearing off screen. More yelling and screaming ensued before the images cut back to a still image that was zoomed in on the gryphon’s awful face, his upper jaw a beak, his lower jaw a lion’s.
The Gryphon Generation Book 2: A New Era Page 22