Following the tracks left behind by Adolphus, our group were quick on their way back to the carriage. Leona, after having her lighter wounds cleaned and bandaged was hefted onto Adolphus, the mighty elk having no problem carrying the avian lioness. Walking alongside them, on each side was me and Mark, both of us scanning the treeline for possible foes. The air still held a deathly silence, the birds not having the courage to venture out after the death rattles of the demons had dissipated.

"You think there are more of them out there?" I asked as I stared off into the white blanketed forest, with only the crunching of the snow beneath us and the wind answering me before the griffon let out a whimper.

"I know there are…" She whispered, "they're beings of pure hate and malice, I've never seen them killed before. Usually we're just… prey. Not even the drakars are safe from them."

Well that's certainly a surprise, for a people such as the drakars to fall victim to them? One would think that their cliffside homes would protect… These frost spiders must be more versatile than what first meets the eye.

"So how'd you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Kill them, of course!" She suddenly raised her voice in exasperation, making us pause as we looked around for any signs of movement. Seeing none, we continued as I answered.

"We simply ripped and tore until it was done." Mark let out a snort at my words. "From what I had learnt from my teachings, as long as you don't allow fear to seep into your heart, you can rend any demon with the lord's light." I paused as I heard their approach before reaching into my coat.

"Besides, these parasites are little more than vermin needing to be squashed!" I yelled out as I sent three daggers flying out behind me, impaling the beast from thorax to brain, sending it sailing down with a crunch as ice met ground, splitting it apart.

"Fuckers don't know when to quit, do they?" Mark rhetorically stated as he lit the beast on fire with his newly acquired magic. Before turning right back around to resume his place next to the elk griffon combo.

Retrieving my knives from the liquid remains, I smiled at the memory of them. A gift from saint Demetrius to help me ward off any evils, be they heathens, demons or pests like these.

Turning back we began our march once more, though I kept getting glances from the griffon. I gotta say though, it looks so silly, a fierce griffon, huge in stature, being dwarfed by Adolphus as she was spread across his back.

However as time passed on, we eventually reached the clearing, finding our carriage on the other side, though calling it that is like calling a mansion an outhouse.

"Welp, here we are." Muttered Mark as the griffon glanced up from her perch on Adolphus, her eyes widening upon seeing our ride.

"What… the fuck?"

Certainly has a way with words hasn't she? Ah well, not everyone is destined for the past of a poet.

"... I uhh, yeah that's our carriage." I muttered as I tried to get her out of her stupor.

"Carriage?! That thing is a cabin on wheels!"

"... we had a large budget?" Mark offered as the griffon's left eye twitched in response.

"More importantly than the specification of our transport, your kids are inside." I finally said, which got the griffon's attention.

…

Entering the carriage, the creaking of the door made way to the most adorable sight I had laid my eyes on since my children's childhood. The table in the living room had been retracted and the couch's bed had been extended. On top of it lay the most diverse cuddle pile on God's good earth… or whatever this planet will be called. An angel laid strewn out across the bed and in the embrace of her wings, there slept a griffon, drakar and a wolf.

It took all of my manly pride not to squee at the sight, the sound of Mark helping the griffon into the carriage pulling me out of my cute induced stupor.

"Well, miss lioness, here they are. Safe and sound in my daughter's embrace," I sniffed the air as I caught the smell of her cooking. "and no doubt spoiled to no end."

She let out a sigh of relief upon seeing them, walking up next to me and lowering her head before speaking.

"I can't thank you enough… they mean everything to me, these little ones…" She paused as she reached out her talon as Lucia squirmed in her sleep, stopping as she wrapped herself around her mother's foreleg. "If there is anything I can do in return, name it."

Thinking about it for a little while, I reached down with my hand and rested it on her head, making her flinch. That is, before I started scratching, making her let out an adorable squeak in return.

"There is one thing I want, your name." I simply said, making the griffon look up at me with those beautiful eyes.

"Leona. My name is Leona."

"Hello Leona, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Elijah, and these are my children," I gestured towards my son who was currently poking his sister's cheek, making her slowly open her eyes and look up at us. "Mark and Helena."

"Wha-whuh… daddy is that you?" Helena mumbled out as I was suddenly picked up in her magic and pulled away into the cuddle pile.

"You're gonna get cold… join us…" God, what did I do to deserve to be blessed with such an adorable little creature?

And so I was buried beneath a mound of fluff and feathers as both Leona and Mark looked on with mirth at my expense.

"Mark! Help me! Helena has regressed to her preteens!-" I was interrupted by a fit of laughs as she blew a raspberry on my exposed neck. "Quickly! Get the Priscilla plushie!"

Whilst I was struggling against the snuggle barrage bestowed upon me by my daughter dearest, my shouting woke up the trio of fluff. Lifting their heads up they looked around with sleepy eyes at the disturbance, till they spotted Leona that is.

"Oh coc-"

"MOM!/MOTHER!/MAMMA!" and so she too was buried beneath a curtain of cuddles and fluff, although allot more tears and snot were shed upon her than me thankfully. Despite all the snot and tears however she grew a wide smile as she embraces her children, happy that they were safe and sound beside her once more.

Finally and much to my relief however, a plushie was tossed from the back of the living room onto Helena's face. She stopped her snuggling and gazed upon it before grabbing it and shuffled off into the corner of the sofa/bed. Finally being released I breathe a sigh of relief and sit up. Looking over to Helena, she's cringing at what she had done despite not having much control over it.

Rolling over to her, I wrap my arms around her and whisper to her. "It's alright, my little angel. There there, I know you can't help it…" I paused for a bit as I felt her relax within my grip before I grinned and pecked her cheek. "Besides, you're adorable." She let out a squeak and pushed her face deeper into the plushie before letting out a muffled groan.

Chuckling, I pat her shoulder before turning towards the pile of sentimental fluff beside the bed. The little ones having finally quieted down and resting against the plumage and wings of their mother.

"So Leona," I began "I get the distinct feeling that you aren't as inclined to throw yourself out in the cold again." As if God wanted to prove my point, a skittering was heard outside before being silenced with a mighty crash and thud. Silence reigned for a second before Adolphus let out a muffled snort outside.

The lioness looked between me and the door before nodding. "You're right, I never am. However I don't have a choice, we have nowhere else to go." She let out a sad sigh "Unlike you, we have to claw, fight and die for every bit of ground to live off of, we aren't warriors like you…"

I almost let out a snort in amusement, I am far from a warrior after all, although my son might claim otherwise. Leaning down towards the sagging Lioness, I placed my hand on her beak to make her look into my eyes. As they reflected my visage, I used my other hand to scratch her behind the ear.

"So, if that is the case, my gentle little griff, why don't you stay with us?"

I barely had time to brace myself before I was once again launched back into the couch/bed, yet unlike before I didn't fight. I closed my eyes and accepted my fate as a bodypillow as Leona's and the children's sobs filled the air. Wrapping my arms around her, I held her gently and whispered to her.

"It's alright, you're safe now, my child." Nuzzling her head, ignoring the feeling of her beak pushing against my chest, I comforted the first of many. Looking over to Helena, I saw her eyes lock onto me and I pointed to Liona's paw. Nodding in return, I went back to nuzzling my gentle little griff whilst the warmth of Helena's healing washed over us both. "You don't need to fight anymore."

Author's Note

Sorry this one was a little short but I wanted to get it out there. I'm not dead yet!