Golden Feathers (rough draft chapter)
Kojin squinted his eyes as the dusk of Celestia’s setting sun began to takes its hold on the surrounding forest. The Griffon attempted to focus his eyes squarely through the bifocals resting on his beak, but attempting to maintain his eyelids half-open without letting them slide closed proved to be more of a chore than originally calculated. The twigs and foliage kept poking his feet as he padded through the wilderness, a constant reminder of the trail less traveled he had chosen to trek for the last three days.
“By Jove, why did not flying through this bloody country sound like a novel idea again? When I get home to the Griffon Empire, I’m having myself committed I am. Going to another country to find myself and to find my meaning in life; what was I thinking? I wasn’t, that’s the problem. I should have stayed home in my nice library, but no, I had to go to go to an exotic local, blow half my savings, and have some blimey ‘adventure’ like some hatchling. Now look at me. I’m in the middle of nowhere and I’ve started talking to myself!”
Well, as long as I don’t ask myself why I just said though, I guess I’m still mentally stable Kojin finally conceded as his eyes continued to fight a losing battle to remain open. As he walked the golden Griffon stretched out his wings and stretched, and a tired yawn that spoke of miles long traveled escaped him. Tentatively he took a couple of test flaps, but while the breeze was a welcome breath of cool air, it caused more than a few aches down his spine. There would be no flying tonight, even if he wanted to.
The forest thinned as made way for a rocky outcropping, allowing more dying streams of violet and pink light dance on the forest floor and illuminating the way. Luna’s moon had begun to peek up on the opposite horizon to take her sister’s position. The Griffon continued on for another fifty meters of labored walking, the trees continuing the thin and the rock continuing to encroach, finally ended into the open nothingness of a cliff.
By this point the sun was only peaking over the mountains, a last gasp before laying to rest from a long day, but it seemed to know its impending leave exit; the display of lights and colors dances a vibrant hue across the canvas of the leave canopy below. It could have taken Kojin’s breath away, if the slight snoring that had started coming from the Griffon hadn’t already done so. As his beak touched his silver feathers he awoke with a snort, his head snapping back up with a defiant shake. The view had already passed and the sun had descended beneath the mountains in the distance. In their stead was a sea of stars, more than could be counted in many lifetimes, displayed in chaotic harmony with each other and the moon centerpiece that had begun its pilgrim’s journey across the sky.
Kojin gave a snort and a second, more forceful shake of his head to shake the cobwebs from his mind. The sound of rushing water down below tickled his eardrums, indicating the presence of a river on the bottom of the cliff. Where he not so exhausted, he might give a glance over the side and give it a look, but general lethargy won the day. Looking across the vast expanse of forest once more, he turned back away from the cliff edge and dragged his weary carcass to a large tree with an exposed and raised vine system. While interesting in its own right, it would also serve to make a makeshift camp for the night. The last thing the Griffon wanted to do was bother setting up a tent. Sizing it up quickly with a glance, Kojin determined that it would be more than big enough to accommodate him and his equipment.
The heavy backpack, its interior filled with the imagined necessities of a wilderness adventure, was casually thrown to the back. The Griffon soon followed, throwing himself under the tree in more or less a heap, using the backpack as a makeshift pillow. With scant but a few mumbles about maybe taking the blanket out of the backpack or maybe eating a little something first, Kojin finally passed into blissful slumber.
Someone cried in the distance. They were practically inaudible at first, barely louder than the whisper of the wind. They were so muted, Kojin assumed he was dreaming and his imagination was playing a trick on him. It made sense after all. Who in their right mind would be out here anyway?
The wind shifted and the cry grew. The Griffon, curled up in a little ball on fur and feathers, could no longer imagine that the sound was not in fact reality, and a single eagle eye opened. He tried to ignore it however, to pass it off as something else. Maybe it was a wild animal or a wind through a rock formation. Flopping his front paw around, he grabbed his backpack and pulled out the blanked and pulled it taught around his head to drown out the noise and try and go back to sleep. Civilization was only a couple of days away, but only if he got an early start, and waking up – he checked the sky for Luna’s moon – a few hour after midnight didn’t do one good for being rested for a long trek the next day.
Then, the sound did something. It formed in a way it should not have been able to. Between the cries echo a whine that stopped Kojin’s heart cold.
The sound spoke a word, naught but a single word.
“Momma!”
The Griffon’s head popped right up and hit the ceiling of his makeshift shelter. Letting out a little curse as the pain in his head began to register, he ripped off the blanket (shredding it slightly) and rolled out of the tree, tearing up dirt and plants in his mad dash. Sleep shocked from his system, he pulled himself together and made towards the sound, going back only briefly to grab his bifocals.
Why is there a child here? Why is there ANYONE here? He couldn’t fathom the reason anyone would be out here. He chose to walk through this wood because it was both remote and relatively safe. No large monsters, no real hazards that could really get him in trouble. It was quite the ideal area, and the closest towns from his locations were a three day walk and a two day hike, respectively. As far as he knew, no one lives in this area.
The child’s crying came from beyond the cliff. Peering over the edge, it didn’t take long for Kojin to locate the source of the sound. A jumbled pile of wood and metal lay embedded in the cliff, the remains of a small airship. While it was difficult to gauge from this distance and due to the damage, the looked like it would only be large enough to seat three to four passengers. The cliff went down a good hundred yards into a series of river rapids.
It must have crashed some time before I got here, I’m sure I would have heard an airship crash otherwise. Silently he cursed himself. Had he simply looked last night, he might have caught sight of the crash sooner and have been able to do something about it then. Still, if wishes were fishes every Griffon would be a fishmonger. Steeling himself, Kojin stretched out his golden wings to their full length and without another thought threw himself off the cliff.
The wind whipped past for a brief moment before Kojin’s wings gained purchase on a weak thermal. While not enough to offer true lift, it was enough to keep him level. As his still aching back complained in protest to its treatment, the Griffon beat his wings a few times and descended in a gentle arch towards the airship. The closer he drew the louder and more pitiful the child cried.
With another beat of his wings, Kojin landed into the rock face next to the airship. His claws scrapped against the unyielding wall to find purchase, and as he felt gravity finally take hold finally latch onto a handhold with his left talon. With his hold now secure, he turned to view the downed airship.
The ship was in worst shape that he had originally imagined. Metal jutted out in every conceivable angle except in the shape it was meant to hold. The wood was hanging on with naught but a hair and a prayer, a fact illustrated when he lightly touched one of the planks and it fell off into the darkness bellow.
And through it all, the distressed crying of the child within continued unabated, only broken up by it choking on its tears or a cry for its mother.
“Don’t worry child, Mr. Flatbeak is coming. I’ll have you in a moment…”
Kojin carefully reached for the airship. Against the side was a hole he could fit through, but he would need to be careful. The wood was weak and the whole thing looked like it could go at any moment. Fully extended in all his lanky glory, Kojin moved his right paw to gently place it on the only section of deck still intact.
It was at this point his handhold decided to give way.
The Griffon felt his stomach leap into his check for a moment as he fell onto the deck with an audible thud. Kojin’s eyes shot open and he let out a hiss as his chin hit the deck. Remaining still, he took stock of his souroundings and listened intently for the telltale sounds of the airship giving way. Assisde the the continued cries of the child however, there was nothing. With a sign of relief, Kojin began to pick himself up.
It was then the airship shifted under him and began to break away from the cliff face.
There were many times in Kojin’s books when the protagonist, when faced with a deadly situation, would enter a state of heightened awareness and time perception. A purely literary device he thought, a bit of a cliché but enjoyable.
Now Kojin knew his books were telling the truth.
Time began to crawl and the Griffon noticed how the wood in sections of the airship was beginning to break off and fall. The metal, which had imbedded itself into the rock face, was coming out one at a time. It made a screeching sound each time it did. Idly Kojin considered the force that the airship must have been flying to imbed its steel into the cliff itself instead of simply bouncing off. He became acutely aware of his own body, of his silver feathers rustling in the wind and the feeling of the rough wood beneath his hind paws, the taste of the night forest air and the sight of a crib below deck – viewed through a hold in the wood – with a body wiggling underneath it under a mound of blankets…
The child!
The opening for below deck was blocked by a toppled metal pole. Grasping the smooth surface with both front talons, Kojin gave a grunt and began to move it out of his way. With each inch it moved, another piece of metal seemed to dislodge itself from the rock face. There wasn’t much time.
Suddenly the wood that the metal pole was fastened to broke off. His leverage suddenly shifted, Kojin fell below deck and the pole and wood section joined in the rain of airship pieces.
The Griffon attempted to catch himself as he fell, but with another screeching sound and shift the airship moved and caused him to hit the bottom face first. Eating a face full of aircraft floor is never a pleasant experience, less so when it’s about to plummet to its impending demise with you along for the rise.
Grasping the side of the airship for balance, Kojin picked himself up bit by bit, bracing himself against the creaking wood waiting to give way at any moment after each shift to stop himself from falling back to the floor.
Inch by inch, hugging the treacherous wall, Kojin made his way to the crib with the screaming child. What only took a few seconds seemed in his mind to take almost a full minute under the effects of his heightened perception. As the Griffon made it to the crib, the airship gave one last buckle, pushing him from the wall and spilling him into the crib. Shifting his body so the crib was on top, the both landed with a thud. Grasping the child’s blanket Kojin ripped it off.
An earth pony foal lay inside, a light blue body with a mint green tail, bawling his cute baby blue eyes out like there was no tomorrow.
With the blanket removed the foal quieted for a moment and hicuped. He scrunched his face as though he would launch into cries and tears again at any moment. While he was deciding one way or another Kojin scanned the room. There was no one else; it was empty save for himself and the baby.
While Kojin was the blue pony took a good look at the Griffon’s wings. Suddenly gurgling with excitement he lunged up as much as a foal could and grabbed one of primary feathers between his two front hooves. Kojin’s beak gaped and a little squawk eked out in surprise. That was not what he was expecting. Stealing a quick glance at the infant, the Griffon noticed that the foal was nuzzling his wing with some affection.
That circumstance however was overshadowed by the fact that the airship, with one final gut-wrenching metallic screech, had finally come lose from the rock face. The airship began the plummet, taking both passengers with it.
Kojin commemorated the return of gravity by reciting all the curses he had even known, several he only half remembers, and even invented one or two just for this occasion.
The Griffon looked upwards. The top of the cliff was starting to draw further away. They didn’t have much time. Evaluating the side of the airship for wear and damage, Kojin determined where the hull was weakest on his side. Picking up the crib basket from the crib frame and holding it and the foal to his chest, the Griffon threw himself against the weakened wood and burst out in a explosion of feathers and wood.
Wings opened wide, Kojin tried to catch an updraft of air. Finding no such luck, he and the foal continued to fall. The rushing water below kept coming closer and closer. With nothing else for it, the Griffon began to beat his wings. It was seemingly useless however; they had fallen too quickly and the ground too close.
The airship hit the water first, bursting apart against a rock just peaking over the surface. Wood and metal flew in all directions, some large pieces just missing the two falling figures that would be joining the airship in the waves in a few seconds. With nothing else for it, Kojin covered the crib with his body and opened his wings one last time to try and slow their decent.
A sudden gust of wind caught up Kojin, pushing him up and forward until dry land. The spray of the river kissed his legs before they touched down on solid ground. Hitting the soft clay, the duo rolled once before coming to a rest a couple meters from the river bank. The crib’s basket rested on the Griffon’s chest as he breathed in and out heavily. Time and perception finally returned to normal as both the adult and child lay there, the Griffon not making a sound except for his labored breathing and the Pony with his cooing as he played with the Griffon’s feathers.
Once his heart has started beating at a normal pace again and he could think, he looked at the foal. Except for being a little red in the face from crying, the infant didn’t look the worst for wear. How long he was hanging there along was anyone’s guess, but it couldn’t have been for an extended period considering.
Something sticking out of the basket caught Kojin’s eye. Reaching into the basket, he pulled out a photograph. While slightly worn, it was still pretty well preserved. The image showed a ocean blue Earth Pony mare with a fiery orange mane with a Pegasus colt with a white mane and a golden coat, much like Kojin’s own fur color. He glanced from the image back to the foal, who was still happily playing with his feathers, and back again, before letting out a sigh.
“Well, this is going to be interesting.”
“Are you sure you can’t figure out who his parents are?”
Kojin sat in the magistrate’s office of Foalsom, a small city. The air was thick and muggy with the scent of old, yellowed paper. In the background curriers went about the usual hustle and bustle of an office environment.
The officer, Miss Cherish, a Pegasi with a cream colored coat and yellow mane, simply shook her head. Her makeup couldn’t mask the worry lines along her face or the bags under her eyes. It was obvious that she cared about her work, but it left its mark on her. Even her voice sounded tired and older than her actual years.
“I’m sorry. We’ve looked into all our records for missing foals matching the little guy’s description and for missing individuals matching the picture you found. I even had Manehatten and Canterlot run a cross-search for those with an airship license. We found nothing. We have no idea who the child is.”
The aforementioned child lay on the ground playing with a small toy ball. His little face scrunched at times to scrutinized the round object, then break into a grin as he lunged and smacked the squishy thing with his hooves. With a satisfying squak the toy would go bouncing across the room, causing the foal to go after it only to repeat the process all over again.
Kojin laid back in the sitting couch and rubbed his temples. He had trekked from three days from the forest to the nearest town. It had been slow going, as he had an infant to watch over. The child had been surprisingly well behaved, preferring to be tied to the Griffon’s back in a makeshift carry sling made from Kojin’s blanket, where the infant would have access to the play with as many feathers as he wanted. They seemed to comfort the baby, as whenever he was upset simply grasping one of Kojin’s golden feathers cheered the foal right up. The little guy also enjoyed applesauce, which the Griffon had picked up in the previous town, Jonagold, supposedly known for their apple sauce so they had convinced him against his better judgment to pick some up. It was a good thing he did.
When Kojin finally got to the town, a little bit of nowhere called East Distaff, he had stayed for several days with no answers as to who the occupants of the airship might have been or who this little foal might be. It was the same story in the next town and the next town.
And now, over a week after their little adventure, Kojin and Bluey, his little nickname for the foal, were in the city of Foalsom, where the actual authorities could take over.
And he had to admit, he was very glad he was the one who decided to take the foal all the way to the city. In the short time he traveled with the infant the Griffon had gotten somewhat attached. He wasn’t sure if it was the power all infants had over grownups or is the way Bluey had seemingly taken a shining to him, but he was a delightful little guy.
Honestly, it was going to be somewhat sad to see him go.
“So… what will you do with the little tyke?”
“Well, until we know which family he belongs to, he’ll become a ward of the country. We’ll take care of him from here.”
The officer smiled weakly, her face almost rebelling against the effort.
“You did a remarkable thing. If you hear it from no one else, I just want to say thank you. You’re a hero.”
Kojin nodded his head. Several people said how similar things. Honestly however, he didn’t think he was that heroic. There was a need, action was required, and no one else was available. He did what needed doing.
“Well…” Kojin cleared his throat after speaking. The foal looked up towards the Griffon and crawled on over to him in a suitable adorably awkward way, as infants are wont to do.
“Hey Bluey. Well, I’ve gotten you to where you need to go. This nice officer will take care of you, and will help you find some family.”
Patting the little tyke on the head a few times, Kojin turned and headed towards the door. The foal gurgled and attempted to follow. The officer moved out from behind her desk and picked him up in her hooves. The little guy began to struggle, then to whine, and when that proved ineffective began to cry pitiful, soulful cry. With a parting look Kojin opened the door. He tried to push the infant from his mind. It wasn’t his business any more. He saved the child’s life; he’d even spent over a week getting the foal to the proper authorities. What more could be expected of him?
As Kojin went to walk through the door, the foal cried out one word that stopped him cold in his tracks.
“Daddy!”
The child’s cry hung heavy in the air, the silence it generated broken up only by the small sniffle from the foal.
Kojin couldn’t move. The child had just called out to him as his father. How do you respond to that. How could he respond to that?
The only way he could.
With a sigh and a small smile, Kojin turned around and looked Miss Cherish in the eye.
“Well, it looks as though our little friend has selected his own family. Who am I to refuse?”
A small part of the Griffon’s mind rebelled against the idea. He wasn’t married, he’d never had kids, and what did he know about ponies anyway? If he just waited for a few weeks the kid’s family or a relative will probably show up anyway. Why are you setting yourself up for this the voice asked?
But then Kojin took one look into those adorable now knew he had found himself and his meaning.