The video feed transferred to an interview with Jordan, his face at the center of the screen. “The monster looked just like the pictures from yesterday. It had the wings of a bat, like a demon, and a scarred face with teeth hanging out of its beak. I ain’t never seen a creature move as fast as it did. There was so much noise, and by the time we got into the room, the guy was dead and the monster was gone. It entered and left through the window in a minute’s time. I don’t know how we could have seen it coming. It was almost like it was a ghost.”
The image flickered to black as Matthew turned the television off. He leaned back in his office chair and tossed the remote on his desk. “It seems he did complete his task.”
He thought for a moment and rubbed his chin. A single desk lamp was all that illuminated his dark office as he rocked back and forth in his chair. This was not exactly how he had seen his plan executed, but he had accounted for the fact Anfang might not return. After all, he had only been killing Daniel to earn his freedom.
A knock came from the far side of the room, breaking Matthew’s attention. “Come in,” Matthew spoke. One of the suit-wearing bodyguards opened the door and walked in.
“Bishop Darnwall, we have located the gryphon’s whereabouts,” he said before closing the door behind him. Matthew sat forward in his chair and leaned on his elbows.
“Go on,” Matthew said calmly. The man walked towards his desk and placed a tablet down on his desk. Matthew picked the device up and tapped the screen, studying the map. A smile slowly appeared on his face as he recognized the area. “4214 Obar drive. Are you certain this is correct?”
The bodyguard stood up straight and held his hands behind his back. “As far as we can tell, this location is current. We have pinged the watch several times, and it seems to be moving slightly, indicating he is still wearing the device and it’s currently operational.”
Mathew chuckled and placed the tablet down on his desk. He leaned back in his seat “It seems our friend has reacquainted himself with his past. This could certainty work in our favor.”
The bodyguard raised an eyebrow and looked down at him curiously. “Sir, I don’t know what you mean.”
“It means that we may be able to kill two birds with one stone.” Matthew commented and looked up at the guard. “Is the new watch prepared for Anfang?”
“Yes sir. Our contact delivered it this afternoon. He has provided instructions on how to detonate it when you see fit.”
“Very good.” Matthew grinned evilly. “We will wait until morning to give our friend his gift.”
Chapter 24 Deceived
Anfang sat at a window in Thyra’s upstairs room overlooking the neighborhood, watching the sun rising higher in the autumn sky. He had heard Johnathen’s car come home in the middle of the night and leave later that morning.
The house was now silent, except for the low noise of the television left on downstairs. It was an odd sensation to be left alone and for the first time, he felt relaxed. He readjusted his wings and watched as a bright yellow bus stopped at the edge of the street and multiple young humans boarded. Curiosity grew inside him, and he left the room to descend the stairs into the kitchen.
“Thyra?” Anfang called out, but the house remained quiet. She must have left with Johnathen to go to the game. Everything in this place was foreign to him, including the sizable strange shining box that he had seen Thyra open to retrieve food. He inspected it, and decided to pull on the handle.
It opened and the light flickered on inside. There were a variety of containers containing odd colored liquids and colorful plants inside. Anfang grabbed one of the containers with orange liquid inside and shook it around. He fussed with the end of the container, and it popped open with ease. He smelled inside and huffed through his nares as a strong citrus smell invaded his lungs.
The gryphon tilted it back and let the orange juice wash across his tongue. The odd flavor ignited his sense of taste, and made him click his tongue against the roof of his beak. His feathers ruffled. He could not parse out the sensation, but it was quite good. Anfang took another swig of the foreign liquid before placing it back in the refrigerator.
He decided to take a green plant out of the fridge and inspect it. He wondered why they would take something that grew outside and place it in this strange box with food. Anfang sniffed the plant and ripped a piece of green from the rest before putting it in his beak. His expression soured as he chewed on the leaf for a moment and spit it out on the ground. He did not like that. Anfang dropped the lettuce on the ground and looked inside the brightly lit box again.
He spotted a plate of meat inside with a film wrapped around it and immediately grasped it in his talons. Finally, something he recognized. He looked over the meat carefully and used his talons to pick at the clear plastic wrapped around it until it unraveled.
Anfang bit into the meat and swallowed a sizable piece with delight. All the foreign objects looked interesting and each one had tasted different, but what was the point? Why would they have anything else inside this cold box besides meat? Did Johnathen force Thyra to eat such odd things too?
He quickly dispatched the meat and closed the box before turning his attention to the television. He had seen these devices before. They displayed moving pictures with sound, usually giving humans news or some sort of entertainment.
“The Sabertooth Slasher is still at large and there are no leads to its whereabouts,” said a woman with blond hair who faced the camera, seeming to talk directly to him.
He walked into the living room and sat down before the flat screen hanging on the wall. It was the biggest television he had ever seen and everything on it looked so life-like. He watched as images of himself attacking the police at the diner flashed on the screen, and growled deep in his chest. The image froze with a clear picture of him looking at the camera as the newswoman went on.
“It is still considered highly dangerous and a threat to society. It should not be approached by any means. If you are to see this gryphon, immediately call 911.”
Anfang snorted and turned away from the television. The humans wanted to hunt him down like an animal, just as he thought. There was nowhere for him to turn. Surely, Johnathen would turn him in and he would be locked in chains once again. He felt anger rise within him and he snarled. Anfang lashed out at an innocent lamp sitting next to the couch, and watched it break into a hundred pieces as it hit the floor.
The sound of the front door opening brought him out of his anger. His eartuft perked to attention as he carefully walked out of the living room to look down the hallway. He crouched down as a familiar face entered the doorway. He stared into his eyes. It was Matthew.
“Why you here?!” Anfang hissed and his body swelled as he spread his leathery wings from wall to wall. Matthew held his hands up in defense and closed the door behind him.
“I’m not here to harm you, Anfang. I’m here to help you. Remember, you and I are friends,” Matthew paused and stared into the beast’s slitted pupils until Anfang slowly relaxed. He brought his wings back in, and forced his feathers to sit flat against his body. The old man took a calm step towards Anfang. “You didn’t come back last night and I was worried about you. Are you alright?”
“Yes. Anfang find Thyra. Anfang happy.” He took a step back into the kitchen cautiously. He watched as Matthew walked into the kitchen, taking a look around.
“I know this is where Thyra lives. It certainty seems like a nice place, but it’s all a front,” Matthew commented and folded his hands behind his back. He stood at the opposite end of the island table to put more distance between him and Anfang.
“A front? Not know what front is,” Anfang said. He sat down on his haunches and looked over the counter at the old human before him.
Matthew rubbed his chin in thought and looked around again. “A front is something that is fake, something fanciful that is made up to hide the truth behind it. I know this is a difficult concept, but I believe you’re intelligent enough t
o see what I’m talking about, Anfang.” Matthew turned around to look at the coffee pot. The coffee maker was left on and the pot was half filled with the black liquid.
Anfang narrowed his eyes.“But why is all fake?”
Matthew walked over to a cupboard and began to open the doors, seeming to look for something. “Thyra, like most gryphons, is merely being used for her human’s purposes. She’s a slave, like you once were, before I rescued you.” Matthew let the words sink in for a moment as he searched the cabinets. “Johnathen controls her, but she doesn’t realize that he does.”
Matthew found what he was looking for and pulled out a mug. He turned to look at Anfang, reading his face. The gryphon huffed through his nares and looked away.
“Johnathen angry at Thyra last night. Yelled at her. Yelled at me,” Anfang commented and turned back to look at Matthew.
The old man wore a smirk for just a second, but quickly shifted to a neutral expression. He nodded and turned his attention back to the coffee pot. “Then I don’t need to explain myself much further. You saw it first-hand. We humans are naturally greedy. We take what we want without concern for others wellbeing,”
Matthew poured himself a cup of coffee. “Johnathen is like every other human. He has taken Thyra for his own agenda, and uses her as he sees fit, much like a pet. I, on the other hand, want nothing but your happiness.”
Anfang growled and dug his talons into the wooden floor as he let the bishop’s words sink in. Matthew placed the coffee pot back on the warmer and turned it off. He looked back to the gryphon and raised his mug to gently sip on the coffee.
“Thyra belongs with her own kind, in the same way that humans should stay with other humans. They don’t belong together. It’s unnatural to think otherwise.”
“Thyra belongs with Anfang, not Johnathen,” the great gryphon said sternly.
Matthew walked around to the bar end of the island and sat down in a stool to face him. “Exactly, she does. But right now, she doesn’t see it. Thyra has had the wool pulled over her eyes, and can’t see the reality of the situation. She’s been living a lie, and without even knowing it, she’s crying out for help. Why else do you think she brought you here?”
There was silence between them for a couple of moments as Anfang searched the old man’s eyes. Finally, he looked down at his talons. Matthew sipped his black coffee and placed the mug down on the table, waiting for a response.
“What should Anfang do?” the gryphon asked.
Matthew smiled and stood up from his seat. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a similar-looking watch to the one Anfang was currently wearing, though it was twice the original size. “Thyra is currently playing gryphball, a human invention to enslave your kind for their entertainment. Do you know this game?”
“Yes. Thyra said she must play today,” Anfang commented and looked at the device Matthew held in his hand.
“Did you know that it is a very dangerous game? Gryphons fly and fight to entertain the humans. She could become gravely injured, all so that Johnathen can make money.” Matthew held out the watch for Anfang to look over. “But you can stop it. I have programmed this to lead you to her. If you take this, you could save her and bring her away from all this. Will you help her?”
Anfang looked at the device reluctantly. He seemed to consider it for a moment.
Matthew shook the device and gave the gryphon a pleading look. “Remember, you can trust me. I haven’t led you astray before.”
Anfang’s eyes gleamed as thought it over. It was true that Matthew had held up to his promises and treated him fairly, more so than any other human had in his lifetime. Anfang slowly raised his gigantic fore talon. “After this, you let Anfang leave?”
Matthew smiled and reached out to undo the old watch from the gryphon’s wrist. “Of course. I only want to see you happy,” he said with a slight chuckle.
He placed the old watch on the counter and secured the new one to Anfang’s wrist. As he did so, the screen lit up with a familiar arrow telling him the direction to go in. This version was much bigger and bulkier than the one he had worn before but the weight was nothing of concern. “It bigger.”
“That’s because you have farther to travel this time.” Matthew watched as the gryphon turned his wrist, looking the device over. “Well? What are you waiting for? Thyra is waiting.”
Anfang stood up on all fours and looked to Matthew one last time. Without another word, he walked over to the back door and opened it to step outside. Matthew picked up his coffee mug and watched as the gigantic gryphon took to the skies, leathery wings flapping hard against the wind. He laughed under his breath and finished off the coffee.
“Good riddance.”
***
“Don’t let up, Thyra! I want you on that heron’s ass before he makes a move!” came Victor’s voice through the earpiece.
She cursed as the opposing team’s forward outmaneuvered her and passed under. The Heron was impossibly fast with its great curved wings. She had never seen anyone maneuver so quickly before in her life. Thyra banked hard, then beat her wings to gain speed.
“It looks like Redtails’ thirteen couldn’t keep up with Roadrunners’ two! He’s wide open!” the announcer called out over the loudspeakers.
Half of the audience cheered loudly while the others remained silent, biting their tongue. The stands were completely packed with fans from both teams. It was the final match of the season, and the winner would take home the title and gain advancement into the first league. Everything rode on this game.
Aadhya moved into position to intercept, and the Heron threw the gryphball down to a teammate on the ground. A bright red gryphon caught it with ease and tucked it into his wings.
“This cardinal is too fast! I can’t catch up! Nathanial, come at his right and slow him down!” came Jason’s voice on the intercom.
Thyra knew he was right; the sleek cardinal gryphon could outrun any of them on the ground.
The cardinal gryphon glanced over and saw Nathanial rushing at him from the side. Nathanial leapt and threw his body squarely into the red gryphon’s wide flank. It was a successful hit, but it seemed to have little effect on the muscular beast.
Thyra watched from above, still sticking with the heron as he doubled back to get open if needed. She was amazed this gryphon could take such a good hit and barely even be phased. The last time she took a hit from Nathanial like that, she had the wind knocked out of her.
“A tackle attempt by Redtails’ five, but it seems to have no effect on Roadrunners ninety-nine! He’s clear for the goal!” The crowd stood to their feet, screaming at the top of their lungs.
Brandon, the Redtails’ corvid goalie, was all that remained between the cardinal and a ground goal. The black gryphon spread his wings out and hunkered down, staring down the opposing team player heading straight towards him.
Everyone held their breath as the cardinal jumped to switch the gryphball from under his wing to his foretalons, and threw the ball towards the left corner with great speed. Brandon maneuvered quickly and blocked the throw with a wing, causing the gryphball to bounce down on the ground and out of bounds.
Redtails’ fans cheered loudly and a loud whistle blew in the stadium. “A failed ground goal attempt by the roadrunners! The score still remains four to three, with the Redtails in the lead and twenty seconds remain in the game. Will the Redtails be able to hold them off long enough?”
“Thyra, take the opposing corner and remain in position alpha. Aadhya, Rachel, do not let your air opponents get open. We will control the ground,” Jason said across the intercom as he walked over to the corner of the field nearest to the goal.
Thyra circled around, looking to Aadhya and Rachel as they assumed new positions. Another opposing team gryphon took the ball in talon on the sidelines and waited.
The whistle blew again and the Roadrunners’ team began to flutter about, trying their best to get open. The cardinal gryphon was the first to break formation f
rom their defenses, and caught the ball as it was thrown to him.
Thyra looked to the sky and briefly caught a glimpse of a large bird flying towards the stadium, but as soon as she did, the Heron broke away from her. The cardinal gryphon on the ground tossed the ball skywards for the heron to take possession.
“Damnit Thyra, get your head out of your tailfeathers and block him!” Victor yelled into the intercom.
She screeched and quickly adjusted her to intercept. Thyra beat her wings hard, heading directly for the heron. She clamped her beak hard, put her wing shoulder in and collided with the heron hard.
Thyra’s vision faltered as they collided. Her wings went limp as she spiraled out of control to the ground along with the heron. She tried to adjust her body to catch wind as she saw the sky, the ground, and sky again. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as she separated from the other gryphon and began to right herself.
Then a large dark figure flew in out of nowhere and slammed into the heron that was falling next to her. The sound of surprised shouts echoed through the stadium as the two gryphons hit the ground hard, sending the gryphball flying in the air.
Thyra flicked her wings out slow her decent right before colliding with the ground. She felt the impact of the earth against her and everything went black for a second. She gasped and winced as she tried to stand. Her vision was blurry, but she could make out the large figure standing above the heron. Anfang’s talons were digging into the lifeless gryphon below him. The packed stadium yelled in disbelief at the sudden violent interruption.
“Folks! I don’t know what is going on! It seems another gryphon has come into play!”
Anfang pulled his talons out of the dead gryphon below him and looked to Thyra. Her eyes grew wide, at first with fear, and then anger grew inside her. “What have you done!”
A loud whistle blew, interrupting the game. All the players paused on the field and turned their shocked attention towards the two. Thyra looked at the Heron, watching blood pour out of his torn throat and onto the green grass below.
The Gryphon Generation Book 2: A New Era Page 27