~~~

“Knowledge is of the past. Wisdom is of the future.” - Ironfeather wisdom

~~~

Gilda was hungry, alone, and afraid. She’d been gagged, blindfolded, and bound in the dark room for hours. She had given up trying to cut her way through her bonds and instead resorted to obsessing over the confrontation with her father. She couldn’t get over how calm and emotionless he was. Even after realizing the undeniable truth, that she was his daughter, he just walked away. Gilda didn’t know what had happened to the strong red-feather she idolized.

His emotions and temper once burned like a great fire, he was happier and louder than any other griffon when times were well. And he was fierce and terrifying when the clan was threatened. Otaktay always returned from battle victorious and still had a laugh that could fill a room. He was powerful in form and battle but loving and respectful in home. Gilda had learned how to do everything from him: fly, hunt, defend herself, survive, and intimidate. She was strong because of him.

And now she saw only a scared old cock. A weary red-feather who had no fight left.

Gilda begged the spirits for mercy as she wished she could undo it all.

The sound of a wooden door opening filled the room and Gilda realized she was no longer alone. She felt strong talons lift her from both sides and undoing her bindings. A voice met her ears.

“You will not speak unless spoken to. You will not eat or drink unless offered sustenance. You will follow us and walk the path of your brothers. If you falter, the ritual will end. Nod if you understand.”

Gilda struggled to see under the blindfold but nodded nonetheless. She felt the gag being removed from her beak and spit the wool fibers from her mouth.

It was the words she had heard long ago as she underwent her ordeal ritual. She had returned from the wilderness, and she had seen her spirit guide. But to pass the ritual and receive feather dye she would have to speak to her guide in the presence of elder Achak within the ceremonial kiva.

Gilda was lead through the pueblo and outside, she could hear the burning of torches signalling that the walk to the kiva would begin. It was a guarded ritual that only brotherhood members could witness but it was known to even the young clan members that the midnight walk on the top of the mesa would wend and wind to disorient those undergoing the trial and fill them with uncertainty.

Gilda felt a tail brush up against her beak and a talon tap her shoulder. Gilda knew this was the sign that another would join their walk through the roost, she gently opened and closed her beak to grasp on it. When she felt it tug she followed. It seemed she would not be the only one undergoing the brotherhood ritual tonight.

~~~

Chieftain Alsoomse sat in the darkest shadow of the underground kiva and watched elder Achak, ‘spirit’ in the old tongue, as he tended the fire in the center. Alsoomse was certain that every one of the oldest and wisest purple-feathers and blue-feathers were present along the wall of the circular kiva with her. It seemed no griffon wanted to miss out on the historic return of the chieftains supposed daughter.

Alsoomse frowned as she watched the forms of two young griffons as they slid down the wooden chute into the darkened room. They were still blindfolded and landed in a heap. Alsoomse pulled her dark cloak tighter around her and peered between her low-hanging blue crest-feathers to watch the one who called herself Gildalahi stand on all fours.

She felt her husband reach and grasp her claw in his own. Otaktay was trembling as he watched the female griffon make her way towards the fire and elder Achak. The ritual was about to begin.

~~~

Gilda was disoriented and hungry. She could feel the heat of a fire and knew she had been dropped into the kiva with another griffon. She wanted desperately to ask if it was Omawnakw but the firm and reassuring squeeze on her arm told her that her suspicions were correct. She was glad that she would not be alone as she underwent the ritual. She breathed a sigh of relief as they both got to all fours and slowly edged towards the warmth of the fire.

Elder Achak raised his claw and shook a hollow stick filled with grains to make the sound of falling rain.

Gilda and Omaw froze.

“You have travelled far, your body is weary, your mind exhausted, and your soul hungers for purpose as surely as your body does for nourishment.” Elder Achak once more shook the rain stick and two drum beats resounded within the kiva.

“You find yourself in mother earth once more, taking shelter from the elements and the tribulations of the outside world. The rain of hardship and the thunder of misfortune have taken their toll on you and you seek the warmth and shelter of a fire and cave to protect you.” The rain stick and drumbeats rose to a crescendo and then abruptly became soft. The gentle rustle of the rain stick and the murmuring thumps of the drums made up a quiet background noise as they formed a rhythmic beat.

Gilda and Omaw felt their blindfolds being untied and removed. When they finished blinking away their discomfort and adjusted the brightness of the fire and the darkness of the many cloaked figures at the edges of the room they had their eyes inevitably drawn to the great male griffon directly across the fire from them, flanked by four purple-feathered assistants. Two played the drums and two took their seats and stored the blindfolds away. They all bore their ceremonial garb and looked on with black painted faces.

Omaw knew the sight all too well, this would be the third time he had undergone this brotherhood ritual. But for Gilda it was the first. Neither had expected to have such a large audience of anonymous cloaked figures surrounding them however.

“You find sanctuary within mother earth but her strength is limited. She has birthed us all into the world from her womb to fly with father sky. But still we return to her when the rains fall, the winds blow, and the colds bite.” The drums crescendoed once again and the rain stick held by the great purple-feathered griffon shook vigorously.

“It is time for you to create strength of your own. You must master the lessons you have learned on your first journey into the wild and expand upon them. Your fledgling ordeal ritual was representative of your hatching from mother earth and taking your first few steps. You learned to feed yourself and survive. And in the cruelty of the elements you flourished. You found the strength within yourself and embraced the spirits. You heard the calling of your spirit, and you answered.”

The four purple feathered assistants began to hiss and blow air to simulate the whipping winds. The drumbeats crescendoed and elder Achak shook the rain stick vigorously once more while throwing a clawful of powder from his medicine bag onto the fire. A great plume of white flame illuminated the chamber and the wings of each of the purple-feather assistants extended in a flash.

Gilda peered around the room in the bright light to regard the cloaked spectators. The only things visible were the brief glimmers of light reflecting from their eyes and the dyed crest-feathers poking from the black-hooded cloaks they had drawn tight over their entire figures. She saw more purple feathers than she had ever seen in her life, and a large smattering of the rare blue feathers. The leaders.

“Your spirit has taken you far. You have found sanctuary but you must endure the elements that seem to permeate even the physical protections around you. No crafty creation of the mind or claw can stop the permeating chill that threatens even your soul. The rain and wind has turned to snow and the walls of the cave that mother earth has provided you with begin to freeze as the elements of the world encroach upon your very being.” The drumbeats stopped and the wooden mallets were scraped back and forth across the tanned hides slowly. The susurrations of the drums and whistling of the purple-feathers made the sound of wind blowing over an arctic tundra or of a frozen lake shifting.

Elder Achak set the rain stick aside and another clawful of powder was brought from the medicine bag and gently sprinkled on the fire as blue flames jumped forth. The kiva was painted in a deep blue light that seemed to suck the warmth from the room. The cool tones were terrifying in the darkness and Gilda felt a real shudder run up her spine.

“Clan mates Gildalahi and Omawnakw. You have been beset upon by the indifference of the world once more and must find the strength to survive. You must find where to turn to for warmth as your body freezes and your mind fails you. You must find the strength to endure this assault on your soul. Are you ready to begin?”

Gilda and Omaw looked at each other and slowly nodded to each other. Gilda felt like there was something else in the gaze that Omaw met her with. Something other than the flighty but daring griffon that had kissed her in a dream and fed a stranger. They turned and as one spoke to elder Achak. “I am”

Achak closed his eyes and nodded, “Then let us begin. Drink the blank drink Anhalonium once more and find your spirit. Only together may you survive.”

The two outermost purple-feather assistants approached Gilda and Omaw with an earthen cup of the the ‘black drink’. The hallucinogenic brew would put them into a vision quest and they would be unable to wake themselves as if it were a normal dream. With a tilt of the cup they both opened their beaks and felt the hot liquid slide into their throats. They held their breath and waited for it to end. Nothing was worse or more nauseating than actually tasting the foul substance on one’s tongue.

With a cough and wheeze, Gilda doubled over and resisted the urge to vomit immediately. Omaw looked at her briefly with concern and then laid down prone and looked into the fire. His eyes closed calmly and he drifted into his vision quest with practiced ease.

Gilda continued to cough and lowered herself into the comfortable position as well but did not find relief from the burning sensation in her belly. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the numbing sensation to hit her. She coughed once more raggedly and then forced her beak shut to clear her throat without looking like a fool. When she tried to open her eyes to look into the warm fire she realized she had already drifted into the vision quest.

~~~

Gilda was in a beautiful valley. The sun was radiant and the wind blew a gentle breeze across the plains. The view was picturesque and perfect. The shimmering wheat and rolling hills seemed to go on forever. Big fluffy white clouds painted the bright blue sky and there wasn’t a stormcloud to be found. With a leap for joy Gilda took wing and flew low across the fields. The breeze was strong enough to let her glide and run her talons through the tips of the wheat stalks as she rushed past them. She reveled in the serenity and happiness of the blissful vista but then remembered that she was being tested.

“Gildalahi! Where are you!?” Gilda searched left and right amongst the grains to find a flicker of the fiery purple phoenix. She flew faster and faster as rolling valleys made way for babbling creeks interspersed with tall shady oak trees and wild grasses. As Gilda looked to the river she noticed her purple spirit guide was shivering on a wet stone protruding from the river. She was motionless as the rapids rushed by her.

“Gildalahi!” Gilda screeched as she dove to the river. With a violent splash she landed in the river and cradled the soaking wet phoenix in her talons. She flapped her wings to lift herself slowly from the waters and approach the sandy shore. Gilda gently laid her spirit guide on the warm sand and began to check for signs of life. The mythical bird was breathing shallowly and was cold to the touch but Gilda knew what she needed was warmth. With practiced ease, Gilda did just as she had learned on her first ordeal and gathered dry grasses and wood from the prairie and fields. She took a piece of flint from the ground and a sharp stone from the river. In moments a small fire was created alongside the river and Gilda was holding her spirit guide close to her breast feathers to dry her out and absorb the warmth.

Gilda saw the first signs of life returning to Gildalahi. The phoenix opened her eyes and flexed her wings weakly. Gilda realized that she was hungry, and that her spirit guide was probably hungry as well. Laying down her spirit guide gently by the fire, Gilda sped to the river and adeptly caught two large salmon swimming upstream in the rapids. She returned to the campfire only to find that her spirit guide was missing. She looked around in panic.

“Gildalahi! Where have you gone!?”

“Caw!” The soft sound of the phoenix emanated from the fire itself.

Gilda looked down to see the head of a comfortable phoenix resting on a burning log like
a pillow amongst the bed of coals. “Stop goofin’ around, Gildalahi! Get out of there and let’s chow down.” Gilda threw one fillet of the raw salmon to her spirit guide and ate the other herself. She had never tasted food so succulent before. With a smile of pleasure she looked to the distant sky and noticed storm clouds rapidly approaching.

“We’d better find some shelter, Gildalahi, it won’t be long before it hits us, and it looks gnarly.”

The phoenix could only chirrup in agreement as they both took one last great bite of their meals and left the bones behind. They flew rapidly away from the storm. The rolling plains and grasslands changed into the forest and dry desert she once called home. The smell of ponderosa pine and ripe pinyon seeds met Gilda’s nostrils as she flew low sweeping arcs over the treetops with her spirit guide. The search for shelter drew them close to a mesa, but what caught her eye instantly was the grid-like pattern of a cultivated field at the base of the mesa.

Gilda circled once and noticed the rushing form of a male griffon darting between the plants rapidly harvesting every ear of maize, pod of beans, and vine of squash he could. Gilda glided in low and landed amidst the field softly and addressed her friend.

“Omaw, what are you doing? Don’t you see the storm approaching?” Gilda gestured to the great dark mass of thunderheads rolling in from the east with urgency. Gildalahi screeched in alarm as well as she looked at the torrential downpour and flashing thunder that was beginning to approach them.

“Perfect!” Omaw and Omawnakw hardly paused in their efforts to harvest as much of the field as possible. “Of course I have to share a dream with you during my ritual as well.” The male griffon sighed explosively, “There’s no time, Gilda! If I don’t harvest all of these crops the fields will burn just like the last two times! I need to be faster! The clan needs me!” Omaw was rushing and filling his baskets and satchels to bursting. There was no apparent danger of fire but Gilda would take the frustrated griffon’s words for it.

Gilda grasped the male by the shoulders and turned him to face her. “Omaw, we have to leave the harvest and get to shelter. Remember what old Achak said, we have to survive. The elements will crush us if we don’t find the strength!”

Gildalahi screeched at Omawnakw, the two spirit guides struggling as the smaller and more agile hummingbird darted around the slower and larger phoenix to get at a pods of beans.

Omaw sagged and looked to her in hopelessness. “I was a fool, this brotherhood ritual will end the same way it always does. With me alone and separated from my spirit guide as the fire consumes me. I will fail alone and the others will succeed. It has always been this way.” Omaw let the maize he was holding fall to the ground. His spirit guide landed on his head and looked downcast as well. “You should just fly away from here Gilda! I’ll only slow you down. Besides, you can’t possibly fail. You never told me you were the daughter of Alsoomse, the Chieftain!”

Gilda reeled from the words. She had no idea her mother was the chieftain. When Gilda had fled home the blue-feather that gave birth to her was simply a leader. It seems that much more than she knew had changed.

But Gilda knew she couldn’t abandon Omaw. She reflected on the way Rainbow Dash had abandoned her in every dream she had for the last week. How her salvation was torn away from her just as surely as their friendship was torn asunder. Gilda would not turn her back on a friend, not when they needed her.

Gilda also dwelled on the fact that the brotherhood ritual was always attempted in groups. The ordeal ritual was done as an individual and the vision quest was meant to identify the ability to survive and find shelter. Almost an exact copy of how this one had gone so far. But Gilda did not expect to once again be sharing a dream with Omaw. There had to be a purpose behind it, she reasoned.

Suddenly, a wall of fire burst over the mesa top and approached the fields. Finding a cliffside cave dwelling would be out of the question now. Gilda turned to look at Omaw and grabbed him forcefully as he had sulked to the ground and resigned himself to hopelessness. “Omaw, listen to me! I didn’t know who or what my parents were when I returned. You were the first griffon I’d seen in years. If you want to pass this test we have to work together, there’s a reason the brotherhood is always done in groups and I think it’s because we’re meant to be in each others’ dreams!” Gilda held on fast to the male griffon as he looked at the approaching elements in fear.

“What would you have me do Gilda? I’m no purple-feather. I know nothing of the spirits. I’m too weak to fight, I’ve got no strength. I gather my crops, harvest, pollinate, zip around and work work work like a busy little hummingbird. I have no other use to the clan, it’s only logical that you succeed in my stead. I’ll support you, just, go on without me!” Omaw struggled in vain against the larger female as the flames of the fire reached the fields. His instincts to flee from danger were nearly overpowering.

“Logic shmogic, dweeb! I need your help!” The thunderstorm boomed on the east side of the field and the fire raged on the west side of the field. Two extremes rolling to collide right on the center where the griffons stood.

Gilda noticed her own spirit guide holding the smaller emerald hummingbird in its talons as well. The situations were mirrored, exact copies.

Gilda looked down at Omaw and pondered their differences, the phoenix and the hummingbird. “You’re just like your spirit guide, Omaw! That’s your strength! You tend to the fields, and you’re so busy that you forget to live your life. Your hard work doesn’t drive others away, it drives you away from others. There’s no need to feel alone. You have to stop being content with just doing your duty! The hummingbird is a symbol of vitality and determination. It shows that even the lightest and smallest creature can fly high and fast. You’ve got that same strength! Be the griffon that invited a stranger into their home and kissed her!” Gilda felt heat rise within her cheeks and she held Omaw close. She didn’t want to let him go because she knew he’d be lost to the storm winds or the fire flames.“We’re in this together. We either help each other as friends or fail as individuals.”

Omaw sobered up as he realized the truth of the words and he poured his heart forth. “You’re just like yours, Gilda! You are so beautiful and special, but you’re afraid of how different it makes you. You put so much effort into making yourself seem ‘cool’ and aloof but all it does is drive others away from your true self. Your fiery feathers burn all that would come close to you because you can’t believe that someone might like you for who you really are. And when you’re under stress you explode and start over. You lash out at the world and run away, just like you did from your home. You have to stop trying to be what you are not. The phoenix is a symbol of undying knowledge and passion. You understand others, connect with them, inspire them, and see what makes you different from them and value those differences.” Omaw was panting. The heat and moisture of the fire and downpour was upon them. He knew he didn’t have much time left until his body and mind would be burned away, leaving only his soul to be nestled by his spirit guide.

Gilda heard his words and took them to heart.

Omaw spoke to Gilda one final time as the elements closed in on them, “I am glad you remained with me Gilda, I’d hate to fail alone once more.”

They both knew it was only moments before the only thing left was their souls and spirit guides.

Gilda was glad she could always count on her spirit guide to protect her. Omaw had said it was a part of her, after all.

Gilda blinked as she drowned in a deluge of understanding.

“It’s us.”

Omaw looked up to the female, “What?”

“Our spirit guides, they always live with our souls because they’re us. We are our spirit guides. They’re a part of us, just like you said!”

Omaw blinked in confusion.

Gilda frowned and looked to Gildalahi. The phoenix was hovering calmly next to her and watching her with patience. “Gildalahi, I’m ready. I want to take the next step down my path. Protect me from the elements. Give me your strength, give us our strength.” Gilda held a claw towards the phoenix and felt the burning purple bird land on her extended talon. With a rush of vertigo her perspective shifted into the eyes of the phoenix. She turned her new head and looked to where she once stood and saw nothing.

Omaw gasped. He turned to Omawnakw and with a slow gesture he cupped his talon and made a small spot for the delicate hummingbird to rest in.

Omawnakw sat into Omaw’s talon and looked at the griffon expectantly.

“Is it really so simple, Omawnakw? We’ve been together for so long and gone through so much, are we truly one and the same?” The hummingbird remained still and regarded the griffon. “Make our strength as one Omawnakw, we can only pass this test together, as one.” Omaw felt his vision distort and his perspective shifted to that of his spirit guide. His body was no longer sitting in the field and the baskets and harvested crops all fell into a pile.

Omawnakw looked to Gildalahi and blinked in awe. The duo felt the winds pick up around them and looked about in fear. It seemed the test was not quite finished. They both dove to the fertile soil below and held onto the vines of the squash with their much smaller claws.

The thunderstorm and the forest fire slammed into each other and then swirled into white mist. The intense flames and thick rains mixed and whirled until the entire world was coated in snow. A gigantic wall of wind surrounded the two griffons in the shape of their spirit guides. They were in the center of the storm. The eye of it was calm but eerie as the temperature plummeted and the two glowing feathered creatures watched the harvest freeze and shatter around them.

“G-gildala-ahi,” Omawnakw forced out through a chattering beak, his small form was the first to feel the bite of the arctic temperatures. “I just want-t t-to t-thank you for ev-verything.”

Gildalahi reached with her large fiery phoenix wings to embrace the small hummingbird and keep it warm. “I couldn’t have d-done it without you, Omawnakw, you are the f-first one - pony or griffon - that showed me my t-true self. Remember, if we f-fail this test, we fail it t-together, as friends.”

The two avian forms embraced tightly as the wall of ice and snow spiralled in closer and closer. Their feathered embrace was slowly being encased in ice. Their senses were dulled and overloaded by the freezing temperatures and thundering noise. And then, just as soon as the storm had begun, it dissipated.

“No, Omawnakw and Gildalahi, you will pass this test, as brothers of the Ironfeather Clan.”

A large glowing purple eagle landed amidst the thawing field and the sun appeared high above to part the overcast winter sky and bring the warmth of summer once more. The shimmering purple bird flexed its wings and folded them to its sides as it looked upon the two newest members of the brotherhood. The spirit guide of Elder Achak spoke once more to them directly.

“Open your eyes, Omawnakw and Gildalahi, and embrace your brethren.”

Gildalahi and Omawnakw looked to the sky and saw a myriad of winged spirit guides soaring around them. Three spirit guides broke away from the flock to glide down to the trio standing on the earth. A blue falcon and a red hawk landed beside the purple phoenix. A yellow owl landed beside the green hummingbird.

The purple eagle spoke once more with finality, “When you ascend from the womb of mother earth tonight, you will both be reborn into the world as brothers. Not just with the ones you hold dear, but with the ones that have joined the spirits as well.”

As Elder Achak finished speaking through his spirit form another figure joined them. A red cardinal swooped in low to land next to the green hummingbird and the yellow owl. Both families embraced, immortal souls reaching across time and space to reaffirm their bonds.

~~~

Gildalahi sat atop Black Mesa looking west as the sun faded. She reflected that only a few days ago she was in Ponyville, Equestria. She was walking out of a bakery and calling her best friend a flip-flop. With harsh words and a rude temper, Gilda said Rainbow Dash should contact her again when she wasn’t being lame. She walked away from her only friend and her old life.

“Gilda, dinner is ready!”

Gilda turned to look at the head of Omawnakw poking from the entrance to the grand pueblo. She knew now where her true friends were. For the first time in five years, she didn’t feel lame or different. She didn’t feel the need to change herself or behave in a certain way to get what she wanted. She didn’t need to pretend to earn approval. Her fiery temperament was slowly losing its control of her and she had a support net of individuals who understood where she was coming from. She had found herself.

Alsoomse, Chieftain of Clan Ironfeather, moved to sit beside her daughter and wrapped a comforting wing around her. “What are you thinking about, my little purple-feather?” She peered under her blue feathers at her daughter and smiled reassuringly. She knew it would take time to fully heal the divide that existed between them, but progress was made with every word and embrace.

Gilda looked up at her mother under her freshly dyed purple crest feathers and smirked, “Just thinking about all of the lame-o ponies I made the mistake of living with for the last five years.” Gilda looked to the ground and chuckled to herself. She idly flicked a loose rock off the mesa before looking up to the sunset in the west and the ocean that divided the Griffon lands and Equestria.

“Don’t be so quick to dismiss your old acquaintances, Gildalahi. As you learned in your brotherhood ritual, the greatest strength of all comes from others. The bonds we share make us greater as a whole than we ever could be as individuals.” Alsoomse leaned to nudge her daughter playfully. “I think you will return to that distant place some day, and you will have the strength of your friends and family to support you when you do. But for now, just remember elder Achak’s words, ‘Don’t let yesterday, use up too much of today.’” Alsoomse smiled at her daughter.

Gilda smiled, “Thanks, mom, I won’t forget.”

Alsoomse chuckled softly and Gilda looked up at her in confusion. The chieftain looked pensively to the horizon and narrowed her eyes, “What is it they call the daughters of the leaders in Equestria again? Princess?” Alsoomse looked askance and saw her daughters smile disappear in horror. “Ah yes, princess, such a pretty little title, don’t you agree?”

Gilda frowned at her mother, “Don’t, even, think about it.”

Alsoomse looked to her daughter and laughed, “Oh... Come now, Gildalahi, surely you don’t mind being known as a griffon princess. I’m sure little Omawnakw would love to call you that.”

“NOT gonna happen, Mom!” Gilda crossed her forearms and huffed. She threw a warning gaze up at her blue-feathered mother through her purple-feathers and felt a little jab in her side.

Alsoomse began to poke Gilda with a curled up talon. It almost instantly devolved into tickling. The mother continued to tickle torture the daughter through her protestations and only paused when the tell-tale sign of hiccups began. Alsoomse missed hearing her daughter’s hiccups after making her laugh too hard.

“What was -hic- that for!?” Gilda said in an almost painful mixture of happiness and discomfort.

Alsoomse smiled and raised her daughter, “I just wanted to make sure you were real.”

Gilda rolled her eyes. “Yeah -hic- well, I’m real, so cut it out. Now let’s go eat, I’m starving. 1-2-3 go!”

Gilda raced her mother to the pueblo.

She was home.

Author's Note

This was written for the Equestria Daily Flash Fanfiction Event #4: SQUAWK!

I had never imagined writing a griffon story before and I hate having to break canon, so I had to choose between a Gilda story and a Gustave LeGrand story. The choice was obvious but the setting was not. Gilda doesn't have a french accent or any real hobby besides being a jerk. I decided to take up a "Native American" theme mixing elements of Algonquin, Hopi, and other tribe imagery. The setting of the "Native Griffon Lands" would be something similar to the Santa Fe, New Mexico area in my mind with mesas and mountains along the Rio Grande (Twinfeather River).

If you notice some similarities between the brotherhood ritual and the hearth's warming eve pageant then high five! That was exactly what I was going for. I wanted to have a deep cultural connection that would connect the griffons to their ancestors and the idea of coming together as friends to survive a harsh winter was too good of a metaphor and symbolic gesture to pass up.

I also wanted to tackle the idea of cutie marks as applied to griffons and that's where the whole idea of dying the crest-feathers different colors to represent roles came in. But more importantly I wanted to have the spirit guides, which as you know are more than just guides, be something that griffons use to differentiate themselves from each other and feel special. I find that humans tend to do that with clothes, mostly because we are so vain and materialistic. But if griffons were to be spiritual and very tight-knit communities then the idea of a self-identifier might be more important and special to them and not be shared as openly as a tattoo on their butts.

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. It was certainly uncharted territory and very challenging.

Submitted to EQD on 7/15/13 for Flash Fanfiction Event #4