Your Human and You: Adventures of the Griffon Girl

Slasher, Medallion, and Wench were all sitting there at the other end of the table looking at me with a solemn look. Our conversations about me telling Claw and Talon had all fallen flat upon their face. They did not know beak language, and they did not have the slightest clue- to my knowledge at least -that I am intelligent. I would sigh and hold my head, rubbing my temples as they pestered me to tell. I told them that I would do it when I felt comfortable, but they would not stop. There was a time where I actually hit my hand on the table and aggressively clicked at them to leave me be. They looked shocked, and dropped it for a while, but it always returned next time they needed to talk. They wanted me to tell, and I didn't want to yet. I looked around the room with a stressed look, groaning as I stood up. I stretched and walked to the kitchen in the little servants cottage that had become our secret conference room. I made some coffee because it was getting later and later in the night, and I had to stay awake for the painful conversation.

"You can't just... Hide it from them. They NEED to know!" Slasher was adamite that I tell Claw first, and Talon later.

=I don't intend to hide it forever. I just want the time to be right. I need to be alone when I tell her. make her think that this is a thing that only she knows so she won't tell everyone.= I looked at her as I sipped the aggressive and bitter liquid. I choked on the taste and coughed for a moment, making a face of slight disgust. Medallion levitated me a spoonful of sugar and I smiled at him a weak tired smile. It was later than I probably expected. It was around 9:00-9:30. I took another sip, the bitter taste barely changed. I made the face again and set the cup down.

"Why? Would it not be easier to tell them together? With us present? Why are you dragging this out? It makes no sense, Baladia!" She looked at me and scoffed a bit. Her crest fluffing in overly exaggerated disbelief. This made me chuckle. She had a real flare for drama if you sit and listen to her talk. She was an overly excited griffon, smiling at even the mention of the word gossip. She eves dropped on the guards at times, something about the "New Dawn" every now and then. I could barely hear myself mumble at times, maybe subconsciously saying things about how she should mind her own business. I wondered about the bar back in Griffondor. The thought of even speaking still felt strange.

"It's important that they know. They will come to accept it, slowly yes, but they will. I can help you if you need it, I can make it easier!" Medallion flicked his tail, delighted at the idea that he could help me settle a secret that could very well mean my death if taken the wrong way.

=No Medallion. I appriciate what you're doing, but no. What if they think that you trained me to write, or are using magic to control me? What if they get angry because you had to be there? No no, it has to be more personal than that. It has to be private. It has to be alone, one on one, or maybe both at the same time if I decide. Talon has a growing soft spot for me, but Claw? I still have yet to establish a bond other than occasional feedings.= I paced as I sipped my coffee, becoming more focused and energized as the bitter liquid gave me life saving caffeine. I could think clearly after a while. I could have small ideas like going on a walk every day, but I wasn't going to be up to that on the hotter days. I could... I could go for flights? But I was scared of heights. This was hard. They looked like they were having ideas too.

"What about a bath?" Slasher tilted her head and my body froze up, and I couldn't breathe. A plucking what?! Do I look like a pet do you?!… Don't answer that. They couldn't even hear me anyways. This was a good idea, an idea to see if she trusts me in the water. An idea to see if she trusted herself with me near water. It would be good bonding, and it would raise her self confidence to the point where she would possibly have one of 50 possible outcomes I had come up with that were pleasant. There were the... Rest of the options that were violent natured.

=Why. Why would that be a good idea. Why in ANY world would this be an intelligent idea?!= I'm glad I'm black, and they couldn't tell I was flustered. I was glad that they could only tell that I was a bit agitated and surprised.

"Well... It'll give you an intimate interaction, and that is the ultimate bond between owner and human. She'll think you trust her so much that she could see you at your most vulnerable, and you'd be OK with that." Slasher smiled at me, her beak widening, and seeming to know what I was thinking. Like... Like she could see that I was flustered. Oh my god why?!

=Yeah, I guess... I hate you sometimes, but yet I love you too. There is no in between, there's just love or hate. You need to stop doing that.= She gave a snorting giggle and I huffed. She looked at me like I had told the funniest joke in the entire western hemisphere.

"It's settled then! Bath time with Claw!" Medallion used a teasing voice and Wench looked at me with a look that apologized for their rude jokes.

~~~~

I hate this. I regret every decision I have ever made up to this point. Medallion had asked Claw to bathe me a while ahead of time, the next day before dawn even arrived, Claw was in the room with starry eyes and a huge fluffy towel with a human grooming kit, and a friend I had seen her moving around with. I sat up when she clipped the collar to my neck and I whined, trying to keep up with the Griffoness. She squeed with hastened speech, to fast for me to understand.

Before I could properly register the sound of water, I was set into a warm tub. It was relaxing, for a moment. And then, they wet my hair into a straight, matted mop. They brushed and brushed, earning loud groans when the snarl was to hard, resulting in them cutting the sides of my hear to completely remove the hair in general. The top of my hair was styled to the side, stylishly if I might add. They took away my poncho and replaced it with a silky set of human pajamas, which sincerely surprised me. They brushed my teeth for the first time in what? Eight months? They massaged scented oils into my scalp and I couldn't help but make audible purring sounds, making them giggle. Soon, they began shaving me. This I wanted to object to, but I allowed them to shave my skin bare- except for my nethers -with a magic razor. They said my hair should never grow back on my legs. I began to doze as they gently massaged my shoulders with strange scented oils, and when they finished, I was in a deep full sleep.

I awoke in a human floor bed wearing the cool , silky pajamas. There was a heavy comforter firmly on my back, and tucked around my body until I was snug in the blanket. The pillow was cool and soft, possibly. This was incredibly amazing. Claw was sleeping in the bed above and next to mine, snoring quietly. The sun was out, but I was still tired. Claw was nothing more than a big kitten, and this became clear when she purred loudly and kneaded the bed in my view.

I regret regretting this decision. I would tell Claw first before I told Talon.