They stopped in front of a heavily-secured door with multiple dead bolt locks. The door itself looked to be sturdier and less decorative than the other doors in the hallway. “Her name is Sandra, not that it really matters to you. Now, listen. This woman is a liar and will tell you anything you want to hear just to save her own skin.” As Matthew fumbled around with the keys, sounds of chains scraping along the floor came from the other side.
When the last deadbolt was turned, Matthew threw open the door and stepped to the side, motioning for Anfang to proceed inside. He glanced at the small frail old man, but Matthew would not even look inside, or at Anfang himself.
It was obvious that Matthew was disgusted with his choices. The old man had backed himself into a corner and the only way to get rid of this woman now was to kill her, but he did not have the guts to do it himself or order his own men to do it. No matter, Anfang did not care. He would feel no remorse for eating this woman. All meat was food.
“W…whos there?” A weak feminine voice called out from inside. Anfang stepped inside the dimly lit room and gazed down at the middle-aged woman before him. Immediately, Sandra’s mouth fell open as she began to back up and clutched her bound hands to her chest. “N…no. No! It can’t be you!”
Anfang heard the sound of the door behind him closing and turned to look. His eyes quickly adjusted to the dimly lit area, and he scanned her face. He recognized her from the abandoned factory he had been held in, and let out a low growl. “Anfang know you, Sandra. You keep me caged. You and those other humans.”
Tears began to roll down Sandra’s face and she shook her head. “No, please no, Anfang. We were trying to help you! We saved you from…”
Anfang took a step forward and screeched loudly, cutting her off. “You lie! Matthew say you lie!”
“Matthew is the liar! Don’t you see he’s just using you?” Sandra yelled and stood up, her back against the wall. “We are the ones that saved you from the experimental military lab! Don’t you remember?”
Anfang continued to walk forward until he was standing before her, but the growling stopped as he thought about what she was saying. He remembered that he had been in a cage inside the labs, and then the next thing he remembered was waking up in a new area, surrounded by a small group of people and her specifically. He had lashed out at one of them, and tore him in half. That’s how he had ended up in the group’s makeshift prison.
“Maybe Matthew use Anfang, but he give freedom. He make promise.” Anfang narrowed his eyes. “And if Anfang keep promise, Matthew will too.”
For just a moment, Sandra seemed to visibly calm down. Her posture relaxed and grew less ridged as she realized that he was letting her communicate with him. “W…what did Matthew tell you to do?” Sandra asked, swallowing hard.
“Get rid of you,” Anfang said calmly. Sandra’s face contorted as she began to weep.
Anfang reached up with one of his gigantic foretalons and wrapped it around her throat. Sandra shook her head and grabbed onto the forearm, beginning to struggle for air. Anfang looked into her eyes and slowly brought his beak muzzle closer.
“No cry. No. You will become part of Anfang. Anfang use you as fuel. You will sleep now. Sleep in peace.” Anfang opened his beak wide, fitted her head in between his jaws, and bit down.
An few hours later, cool air whisked past his patchy body, causing him to ruffle up what feathers he could. The sun rose higher into the morning sky as he spread his wings far out to absorb the rays. With a heavy push from the ground, he was off into the sky, following the directions on his smart watch towards the hospital. His stomach was full from the meal he just consumed, and had to force his wings to beat harder against the air to climb into the sky.
Anfang reached a good cruising altitude and curved his wings to find a gentle breeze. He was beginning to realize that there was no end in sight working for Matthew. It was possible that he would become a slave to the insufferable man, and he knew that, but there was little he could do about it.
Anfang repeated Sandra’s words. “Matthew is the liar.”
The words ate at the back of his brain and he felt an unexpected tinge of remorse for his actions. What if she was not the one lying? Perhaps she had been the one trying to save him, like she had said.
He shook off the confusing emotion and aligned himself in the sky. It was too late now. He had consumed her piece by piece, She had been nothing more than food. Still, he could not help but think about what Matthew’s true intentions were for the future.
He could run away and live somewhere in the woods perhaps, but he would surely be found over time or maybe starve to death if he could not find food. He had not lived without humans a single day of his life, and the thought of becoming weak and dying in the wilderness disgusted him, even more so than being a simple tool for Matthew.
Other birds passed Anfang by, shouting warnings to one another as he flapped his wings to keep his current altitude. Already his strength had returned, and he found flying easier than he had the previous days. It was amazing how quickly his body adapted, as if he was made for it.
He thought of Thyra, and how she must look at her current age. He wondered if she would still recognize him. He had been through multiple operations, and looked different than he once had. Also, how would she feel about him?
Thyra had understood him in the past, but even then they’d had their differences. Although they had been young, she was years ahead of him in her understanding, She had a greater grip on the world and all its interworking’s such as society, what humans felt was acceptable behavior. He still remembered many of the lessons she tried to teach him.
As he thought over those old memories, he felt ashamed for a reason he did not understand. Thyra had been so innocent, so peaceful despite what naturally felt right. Would she understand the way he acted when he saw her again?
Not that he believed he was doing anything wrong. Sure, the humans who had taken him from the government facility had tried to tell him that it was wrong to want to kill humans, but in his mind, it was a natural part of being a gryphon. He had been trained and raised to kill. That was his purpose and acting on his instincts made him feel good. Besides, if his time in the labs had taught him anything, humans could be more vile and monstrous than he could ever be.
***
As the morning light shined through the open window Thyra groaned and pulled the covers over her face. She reached for Johnathen, but found his side of the bed to be empty. As her senses slowly returned, she could smell the fresh scent of cooking bacon, and hear the sizzling of the oil in the pan along with the drone of the television. She pulled back the covers and stared up at the fan spinning on the ceiling as the memory of last night came back into focus.
Thyra had told Johnathen everything about Anfang; her memories of him, their time in the lab, what she thought he was, and how they forcefully took him away one day to never be seen again. She had been worried that Johnathen would be upset that she had not told him about this sooner, but of course he was supportive.
She had cried during most of the car ride back, thinking about the pain Anfang must be in and how lost in the world he was. She had to find him and whoever was responsible for telling her that he was dead. Why would these people want Thyra to think he was dead in the first place? Who has been keeping him alive all this time? The questions raddled around in her brain, one after another.
The sounds of popping grease and a quiet curse from Johnathen brought her back to reality. Thyra threw the covers off and stood on the bed, stretching t with a loud yawn. The bed was covered with little tufts of down which drifted into the air as she hopped down onto the ground.
“You awake?” she heard Johnathen call out.
Thyra made her way to the cracked bedroom door and opened it up to see her husband standing at the island table with a pair of tongs in his hand. She walked over to the island table. She sat on her hindlegs and placed her talons on the counter, putting her head about even with his.
“Yeah. I heard you cuss. Get burned from the grease?”
“I always do,” Johnathen confirmed sourly and flipped the bacon again with the tongs. Thyra reached over to the heat dial and turned down the flame.
“It’s because you run it too hot, dummy. I told you this a hundred times now,” Thyra said as Johnathen rolled his eyes. The sound of the coffee maker caused her eartufts to perk. She turned her head to look at the coffee pot and then back at Johnathen. “Dark roast?”
“Of course,” Johnathen replied. Thyra took a couple steps on her hindfeet over to the coffee maker. She grabbed her favorite owl mug from the cupboard and filled it with the stark black joe. “And I’ve got biscuits in the oven, the flakey kind.”
“Thanks, hun.” Thyra raised her mug to her beak, letting the bold aroma wash over her as she looked at the television. The police were still investigating Anfang’s attack and were desperately asking people for more information. The interviews started out professional, but soon veered into actual gryphon bashing.
“I always knew gryphons were dangerous! But everyone just keeps saying, ‘Oh they are harmless! They are just like us and just let them live their life and we should be considerate!’ But look how easily one could take out a fleet of cops with ease! I say…”
Her hackle feathers ruffled with irritation. With a scowl, Thyra picked up the remote off the island counter and switched it over to the gryphball channel. Johnathen cleared his throat to bring her attention away.
“Looks like it’s still bad,” Johnathen began. “Anfang is—.”
“It’s not his fault. It’s not the gryphon I knew. He’s drugged, or confused, or someone is making him do this. He doesn’t know what he’s doing.” Thyra turned to face Johnathen with a serious look in her green eyes. “He’s out there, all alone, and with no one to turn to! I have to find him and clear his name.” Her emotions overcame her and she slammed the coffee mug down on the counter.
“Honey, honey, it’s ok. We will figure this out. But right now, breakfast is almost ready. So, let’s just eat. Relax for a bit then we can discuss this,” Johnathen pleaded.
Thyra looked over him for a second and then down at the coffee that had splashed on the counter. She took a deep breath and nodded.
“Ok. You’re right. We have to think about this instead of just jumping right in,” Thyra admitted and watched as Johnathen moved the cooked bacon to a plate. Her stomach rumbled, rudely reminding her of her hunger. “I think better with a full crop anyways.”
“Yeah, you’re not you when you’re hungry,” Johnathen said with a smile. Thyra nodded with agreement. He put on an oven mitt and reached down to withdraw the baking sheet covered with golden-brown biscuits. “Plus, you need to focus on tomorrow’s final game. You have a lot of homework to do today. Victor said you could skip their meeting today only if you studied his playbook and wants you there early to go over strategies and warm-ups. It’s going to be big day.”
“You’re right. I have to concentrate on that. It’s important.” Thyra grabbed her coffee with her beak and moved over to the living room.
Johnathen fixed two plates and followed behind her to sit at the couch. He placed the plates on the coffee table and turned down the volume on the television. Thyra picked up a piece of bacon and chomped into it. Pieces of the well-cooked meat crumbled as she let the greasy and salty meat slide easily into her crop.
“You’re going to work today, right?” she asked and picked up a biscuit.
“Yeah. I’ve only been back a week, but I have a couple clients already lined up for next week,” Johnathen responded and then looked to the television. “Hey, I recognize that beautiful bird.”
Thyra bit into the flakey and buttery biscuit, swallowing it quickly. She watched as the television played a couple scenes from the game, one of them being her flying with the gryphball in her talons. She felt a swell of pride at seeing herself perform and grinned. “It looks like the camera adds ten pounds though, especially at that angle.”
“I don’t think so,” Johnathen commented and scarfed down the rest of his breakfast. He looked down at his watch and picked up his plate before walking into the kitchen. “I’ll be right back. Can’t go to work in my pajamas.”
“I thought Fridays were casual,” Thyra commented and swallowed the rest of the biscuit.
“Not this casual, but I wish!” Johnathen said before disappearing into their bedroom. She heard shuffling around in the room as he grabbed the appropriate attire. “Thyra, your phone is ringing.”
Thyra quickly stood up off the couch and walked into the bedroom to retrieve her phone, looking at the picture of Isabell on the front screen. “It’s Isabell.”
“Oh! Tell her I said hi and I’ll bring her a cheeseburger later tonight,” Johnathen said while buttoning his shirt in the mirror.
Thyra answered the phone and put it to her eart. “Isabell! Hey how are you?...” She listened for a moment and walked out of the room, hearing concern in Isabell’s voice. “Wait, what’s up?... Yeah, I’ve seen it. It’s been on all last night and this morning… I know its him… wait, you talked to the guy who was attacked?... Well, yes I want to talk to him!...ok ok I’ll be there in a little bit…Yeah?...No, they don’t serve them this early! Just breakfast stuff. Johnathen said he will bring you one later… ok, see you in a bit.”
Thyra locked her phone and placed it on the counter, mind racing. She had to get down there and talk to the victim. She had to know why he was attacked and maybe he knew more than what he leaned on.
“What did Isabell say?” Johnathen asked as he walked into the kitchen now wearing black slacks and a collared button-up shirt with a matching paisley tie. He grabbed his keys and wallet.
“Not a whole lot. Just asked me to bring her some lunch,” Thyra lied and walked over to Johnathen. She stood on her hind feet and readjusted his tie for him before giving a gentle peck on the cheek. Johnathen returned the kiss and ran his fingers along her cheek feathers.
“I don’t understand how she eats so much junkfood and stays so small,” Johnathen commented as Thyra hoped down on all fours again.
Thyra shrugged her wingshoulders and looked at the keys still remaining. “Some gryphons are just engineered for it, I guess. You’re taking the Mach today?”
“It’s a nice day, so I figured, why not?” Johnathen commented and grabbed his briefcase.
“Well you have fun today and I’ll see you later tonight!” Thyra said and watched Johnathen walk out the door into the garage.
Seconds later, the symphony of exhaust noise rumbled the house as the engine grumbled to life. Thyra walked over to grab her coffee cup and watched out the window as the grey mustang pulled down the street. “Finally.”
She quickly walked over to the sink and poured out the rest of the coffee. She had to get to the hospital right away.
Chapter 22 We All Have the Hunger
Thyra landed at the hospital entrance and folded in her wings. She readjusted the gloves on her front feet and walked towards the entrance. The double sliding doors opened automatically to a spacious lobby with rows of seating all around.
The room grew quiet as Thyra walked in. She felt everyone’s stares on her. They must have seen the news and were fearful the killer gryphon was walking in. She stood still for a moment until they relaxed and returned to their business. Still, it gave Thyra the feeling that she was unwanted, much like it had been in the past.
It was a reminder that the relationship between humans and gryphons was still tender. It bothered her that all the years of work between the races could so easily be upset by the foul actions of one gryphon. She approached the nurses station, and forced herself not to frown as the nurse backed away slightly from the desk.
“Good morning. I’m here to see Isabell,” Thyra said calmly. She looked into the brunet nurses wide eyes and could see that the woman was uncomfortable with her presence, despite knowing she was not the murderer they had seen on the television.
“A
…alright. If you would please fill out the visitor form…” the nurse said while handing over a clipboard. Thyra reached out with a foretalon and watched the nurse extend her arm as far away from her body as she could to hand it over. Thyra took it gently and thanked her before filling it out quickly. Once the paperwork was done, Thyra handed it back without a word and continued down the hallway.
She found herself met with similar stares and reactions from the groups in the waiting area. People moved out of her way quickly, acting as if she was a beast that could strike at any time. Thyra tried to ignore them, but the old feeling of being an outcast welled inside her crop. She entered the elevator alone, despite their being a line of people waiting for the elevator, and rode it to the third floor. She continued down the hallway and saw Isabell’s room number. Thyra knocked on the door gently.
“Come in,” came the familiar singsong voice of the gryphoness from the other side.
Thyra opened the heavy metal door and walked into the plain white hospital room. Isabell was sitting on the couch as comfortably as she could. The small violet gryphoness was holding her bulky shiny cellphone with one foretalon and flipping through the television channels with the other.
She looked up with a big beakgrin. “Well! If it isn’t the famous gryphball player, Thyra!”
Thyra laughed and shook her head, letting the door automatically close behind her. “Well, not famous.”
“Practically! You’re going to have your big game tomorrow,” Isabell said and placed her phone down on the small round table next to the couch. “You’ve had some good runs for a greenwing this season. Even though you’ve never started a game, every gryphball channel mentions your name in conversation as the most promising rookie in a long time.”
“I was hoping to prove my worth before the end the season. I mean, I always did pretty well out on the field whenever I was substituted in, and I got to play in every game so far. But I am still new, so I know why Victor doesn’t want me to be a starter yet.” Thyra explained and shrugged her wingshoulders.
The Gryphon Generation Book 2: A New Era Page 24