I took a deep breath and turned around.
My heart stopped when I saw him, purple eyes.
He was beautiful. Horrifyingly beautiful. A griffin. I'd read about these. In a book Aunt May kept around the house. The head of an eagle and the body of a lion. His purple eyes pierced me, prodding and poking around my being. I had to look away. My anxiety wouldn't allow me to return his gaze so I looked at the ceiling again. He seemed to, sniff me? He looked curious. Unafraid or worried about the guard with no concern whatsoever to just where we were.
I took a deep breath to calm myself.
He watched me.
I returned his looks this time with a firm gaze of my own.
I absorbed his massive body, his gold fur, his wings, his beak, his feathers. Just completely breath taking.
I took a sharp step back.
He brought his head closer to me. Against my better judgement I began to walk towards him. Sitting beside him, I started to rub his sides, the soft fur from his body was satisfying to the touch. I felt him purr and then sigh, leaning into my touch. We lay like that for a few minutes. Me rubbing him slowly and him laying on his stomach almost asleep.
"I should go back." I said aloud. I jumped up with a start when I realized that I hadn't seen the guard anywhere. He watched me, purple eyes dim and lazy. He was nonchalant about the whole animal, busted out of his cell thing. A little too much for my liking.
"Hey! Stop right there!!" Another orderly called out, only this one brought an entourage. Almost sixty guards came along with him. Running past me they went and tackled a now growling griffin. Hackles raised he tried to paw his way out of the crowd until they finally subdued him, administering a needle filled with an unknown sedative.
I turned away; looking for an exit as I was more concerned for my own safety.
"Where do you think you're going?" The warden asked, seizing my arm. I tried to pull my arm away but he gripped me tighter. "Pin her down, she's resisting." He called out and my nurse came and grabbed me by the waist. I tried to shake her off but her grip was too strong. The warden pulled out a long syringe, turning my arm upside down so that my elbow faced the ground. Pulling the safety cap off with his teeth, he hastily jammed the needle near a vein he'd spotted. "Wait what is that - " I started before blacking out.