Gia sat on the edge of the nest, watching the egg wobble before her. The two griffons were watching it intently, but all she could think about was her Vonn helpless at the hands of that madman mage at the top of the mountain. How was she going to ask the griffons to take her, when they were so intent on watching their child hatch?
"It won't be long now," whispered the father, his black and white feathers fluffed out in excitement. "Do you think it will be a boy or a girl?"
"I think it will be beautiful, regardless of what it is," responded the mother, her beige feathers blending in with the nest and rock around them.
"Once it is hatched, do you think I could have one of you take me to the top of the mountain?" asked Gia, deciding to jump in while they were both in good moods.
"Why in the world would you want to go there?" asked the mother in horror.
The father gaped at her in shock, too stunned to say anything, when the egg gave another chirp, and he turned back quickly as a crack started to form. "Look! It's pipping!" he exclaimed, ignoring Gia's request.
"My mate was taken from me, and I want him back before our child is born," said Gia, thinking quickly, rubbing her belly to emphasize her words. She didn't think she had even missed her monthly yet, to guarantee she was with child, but it didn't matter. These two were high on the fact they were about to be parents and she needed to take advantage of that.
"Oh! You poor thing! We would take you, but it's very dangerous up there!" murmured the mother, shaking her head. "That mage has caused all of us that live on the mountain, uncountable harm."
"Could you at least get me closer?" asked Gia, trying to come up with some way to convince them. "I don't have wings to fly up there, and it's so hard to climb with my little arms and legs."
The two griffons looked at each other uncomfortably. It was obvious neither wanted to help her at all, but the father finally sighed. "You returned our egg to us, when we grieved its loss, before it could hatch or be killed. Once my child has entered the world, and I can lay eyes on it, I will take you as far as the ridge. It will save you a lot of time."
"Oh! Thank you!" cried Gia, relief surging through her. She watched as the tiny griffon chick worked its way around the egg, tapping at the shell until a tiny piece broke outward, then turning inside the shell to tap again. It took forever, but soon the whole top of the egg was loose, and the chick could start squirming out. Both parents chirped encouragingly at it, giving it what it needed to keep going, and once it was outside of the shell, laying exhausted on the soft down its parents had prepared for it, the mother settled next to it to keep it warm.
"A fine boy if I ever did see one," stated the father proudly, puffing out his chest.
"Go quickly, and take the human up to the ridge while he rests," said the mother. "It won't be long before he will need to eat."
Nodding, the griffon turned back to Gia and settled next to her. "Climb up and I will take you as I promised."
Gia's hands shook as she buried them into the soft feathers at the back of the griffon's neck. They were high above everything, and all she could think of was how terrified her mother would be right then. Images of her fall in the elven forest kept trying to appear in her mind, but she refused to think about that, focusing on the approaching ridge of rocks.
She needed to make her way up to the castle that sat on the crest of the mountain, find a way inside, and somehow rescue Vonn from the evil mage. Studying the landscape before her, she tried to figure out which way she needed to go when the griffon left her. The winds were very rough, and she would get cold quickly, so she planned to get her cloak out of her bag first thing.
"Be careful up here, human," said the griffon, landing softly on the outcropping of rock. "The mage has many monsters guarding his home, and I would hate to think you died to any of them."
"Thank you for bring me up here, when you have a new son to worry about back home," said Gia, climbing down from his back.
"I wish I could do more, but I can't risk leaving my mate alone to raise our chick without me," he said, jumping back into the sky and quickly disappearing from view.
Gia crouched in the cold wind and pulled off her bag while she scanned the area for any movement. Something may have noticed the griffon land, and she didn't want to be caught so soon. Slipping the cloak out of her bag, she made her way towards the castle near the top, trying to sneak from one rock to another. Pausing to wrap the cloak around her and put on the backpack again, she saw a shadow slinking towards the spot the griffon had been.
Huddling closer to the shadow of the boulder she was beside, she watched the figure pause at the location she had climbed off the griffon's back, before returning the way it had come, back to the castle above. What was it? There had never been anything like it in her life, to compare it to. Its body was almost man-like, with arms and legs, but the body was tiny, like that of a child, and the head was huge. Large frills grew back from the head, like feathers on a bird, but made up of skin and bone, instead of feathers. The fingers and toes that clung to the rocky ground reminded her of lizards who could run up and down cliffs without falling. Was this a monster of the mage's?
Waiting for it to disappear, she started slowly making her way to the castle again. The wind tore at her cloak and ripped at her hair, knocking small rocks and pebbles loose almost constantly. At least it would cover up any noises she made.
A large stone bridge spanned a gorge before her, blocking her path to the castle. Gia could see the small shadow figure, pacing back and forth across the bridge, as a guard would. There was no way she would be able to get across there. She was going to have to find another way across the gorge.
Gia made her way back down, away from the bridge, trying to keep the large rocks and boulders between her and the bridge so she wouldn't be seen by the creature, and then started making her way along the gorge, looking for another route across. Turning a bend, she stopped in her tracks. There was another way across before her, but the sight of it terrified her. Rock pillars stuck out of a deep foggy gloom, connected with thick tendrils of vines that hung out over the gorge. If she could jump from one pillar to another, she would be able to get across the gorge, but the thick fog that filled the space below the pillars terrified her the most. Any kind of monster could be lurking down there, waiting to snatch her up the moment she got too close.
Thunder in the distance heralded the arrival of a coming storm and Gia knew that the only option was to try and cross before the storm hit. Once the moss on the pillars got wet, there was no way she would be able to cross them.
Swallowing her fear, and keeping Vonn in her mind, she stepped up to the edge of the chasm. The first pillar was almost close enough she could just step over, but not quite. Pushing the image of the gap between the tree branch and the elven road out of her mind, Gia took a breath and jumped.
The fog fed the moss just enough moisture to keep it lush and green. It was also enough to make the tops of the pillars already slippery. As Gia slid across the top of the first pillar, she fell to her side and grabbed one of the vines that grew across the top, stopping her from going right over the edge. Breathing hard, she realized the rock under her wasn't flat. The moss gave it the illusion that it was, but it was actually at a slant. If she continued, she was going to slip across the moss on each one of these pillars, and eventually fall.
Glancing back the way she had come, thinking she had to turn back, she was terrified to see the small guard creature pacing back and forth along the edge, waiting for her. When it caught up, she wasn't sure, but there was definitely no turning back now. Gia was going to have to cross these pillars or die!