FSE

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"Only an hour until my shift is over!" I shouted to my coworker, Cameron.

"Lucky you, Jackson. I picked up an extra shift and wished I didn't," Cameron said, putting on his green vest, "you have any plans tonight?" He asked, tossing a bottle of water to me.

"No, just going to relax back at the apartment," I said before taking a drink.

Cameron clocked into the computer, "Could you empty the dishwasher when you get to the apartment? I ran it but never got to put it away."

'Yeah, that's no problem." I said as I clocked out on the same computer.

Cameron and I had been roommates for the last nine months, and we both ended up working at the same big box hardware store. The pay wasn't the greatest, but we could split the rent and still have some cash left over. We talked about trying to scrounge up the money to rent a proper house, something a little bigger than the current two-bedroom apartment we shared.

"Well, I'll see you when you get off." I took my vest off and grabbed my keys. "You having anyone over this weekend?"

Cameron shook his head, "no, things didn't work out with Amanda. You still with Cleo?"

"Yeah, we are doing pretty good if I say so myself."

Cameron looked confused, "I haven't seen her in a few weeks. You two hardly go out."

I nervously nodded, "she has this thing with being out past dark. I dunno, we still go on dates, but she always needs to be home before sunset."

"I don't know, man. Doesn't sound too great to me." Cameron smiled while shaking his head.

I waved him off and walked to my car. While walking, I couldn't help but think about what Cameron had said. How long had it been since we had an actual date? What if she wasn't serious about it?

My phone's clock read a quarter till five, and I only had a short drive home. Maybe I should ask Cleo on a quick date? Perhaps I could have a chat with her and clear it up. I sent a quick message asking her on a date before starting my drive home. I could feel my phone vibrating as I drove, knowing it was her response. As I parked the car, I checked to see what she had to say.

"As long as I'm home by 7 :)" the text read.

"I thought we could have a late night, like maybe a movie?" I replied. The bubble showed she was typing a response for a while, but the reply took minutes.

"Maybe another time. I don't like to be out super late." She replied.

I sighed before typing my response, "I thought we could be a little more serious. Maybe evenings would let us spend more time together."

"Can you promise me something?" Cleo messaged.

"What's that?" I asked.

"We can hang out at my place tonight, but I don't want it to be weird." She quickly typed back. I tried to understand what she meant by weird. All I wanted was to talk and maybe watch a movie.

"I promise, I'm not after anything. Just want to hang out with you :)" I sent back.

"Okay, come over around 7 pm then," She replied.

"I'll be there!"

I went inside and put the dishes away. Our little apartment was reasonably clean. Although, from time to time, the plates could pile up as they had been for the past few days. With the dishes now put away, it was considerably nicer, plus the dirty dishes did start to have an odor.

Walking into my bedroom, I started getting ready for my date tonight. This was the first time in the over a year I'd been dating Cleo that I had been to her place. Come to think of it; this was also the latest I had seen her. She was always strong in the rule of being home before dark. Everyone told me that was an odd rule, but I never thought too deeply about it.

As the time drew closer, I dressed up nicer than usual. Jeans and a polo seemed fancy but not overtly dressed for a date. I walked out to the car, which was hot inside from the sun beating down on its roof. As I opened the door, a wave of hot air hit me, and I forced my way into the seat. I quickly rolled down the windows, trying to cool the cabin down.

Once I arrived at Cleo's, I parked on the street. Her house was not a conjoined apartment like Cameron and I had. Instead, she was in a small house without other connected living spaces. Similar to what Cameron and I were looking to trade up to. As I walked up to the door, I pressed the doorbell, and a chime sounded inside.

I heard something moving inside, sounding like many people running about before it went quiet. The door swung open. Cleo stepped out and wrapped her arms around me, "Jackson! Glad you could make it." Cleo said as she ushered me in. It was a small home with a conjoined kitchen and living room. The living room only contained a television and two couches covered with a thick blanket.

I sat down on one of the couches and sunk into the cushion. Cleo quickly walked over to the other couch and sat down, both of us taking only a tiny part of each respective couch. "So, two couches? That's a little different." I quietly asked.

"Oh, yeah, it's just more comfortable that way. More space for everyone." Cleo stammered, "You know when you have people over, you need more space."

"Yeah, that makes sense." I chuckled. "Do you have many people over?"

Cleo laughed, "Not as many as you would think, just family."

We sat quietly for a moment before Cleo got up and walked to the TV. "So what do we want to watch? A movie? A show?"

"Whatever you like best!" I smiled as Cleo grabbed the remote, "maybe we could share a couch too?"

Cleo slowly diverted her walking to my couch and sat down. As she selected a movie and we began watching, I couldn't help but notice a few things about her. She kept glancing at the wall as if she was constantly looking out the window. She also had a habit of looking at her phone but never unlocking it, just glancing at the clock.

"Do I need to get going, Cleo? You just tell me if you need me to go. You know, I won't be offended."

Cleo stuttered, "n-no, you are fine. Just- keeping track of time, ya know?"

As we continued watching, Cleo seemed to grow more nervous. To the point, she became very jumpy, almost paranoid about something. I reached for her hand, but Cleo seemed to jump out of fear as I touched it. "Is there something your not telling me? It seemed like something it up with you tonight." I asked as Cleo turned her head to the window again.

Cleo sighed, "Do you promise to keep this a secret? Like you can never tell anyone for any reason?"

"I prom-"

"No matter what you see? Even if it's scary?" Cleo asked, looking me dead in the eyes, "not a soul can know. They won't believe you."

Confused, I reeled my head back, "What are you talking about, Cleo? What could possibly be scary about you?"

Cleo slowly stood up from her seat and held her arms before herself. "Don't say I didn't warn you." As she spoke, she began to fall forward, her arms stretching and her spine lengthening. Before I knew it, her hands touched the ground, and a large beast stood before me. On its back were brown feathered wings attached to a brown body of fur. The beast's head turned to face me, and it looked almost eagle or hawk-like in shape.

Out of fear, I slowly stepped away from the chair and figured out what had just happened before me. The beast's beaked face locked its eyes with mine before the beak swung open to speak, "Jackson, this is the real me." the voice said with substantial similarity to Cleo's.

"Cl-Cleo?" I hesitated as I continued to try and distance myself from the unrecognizable thing my girlfriend had just become.

"Yes, Jackson?" The beast spoke, its wings slightly opening as it stepped forward. I took another step back, and she lowered her head, "It's me, Cleo. This is what I really am."

I looked over the beast that stood before me. Her body was covered in brown fur but was changed to a hood of brown feathers near the base of her long neck. Her head looked like some kind of bird's, but she still had two ears rising from the sides of her head. Her front legs were furred to the knee, or maybe elbow? Past her joints were covered in rough dark brown skin, and her foot looked more like a bird's talons, with claws at each toe tip. She could see my eyes moving back, so she turned her body to give me a complete view.

Her rear looked almost cat-like but like a big cat, like a lion. Dark brown fur covered the skin but did not hide the muscles of her back legs or wings. Her tail left her rear just under a fan of feathers and looked to be tipped with another matching fan of deep brown feathers. Her head lowered as she knelt into a stretch, her tail rising as her wings unfolded. Her head arched back as I heard a loud crack.

"The best part of the day is getting home and getting comfortable," Cleo spoke, rolling her head to look at me.

"Cleo, how... why?" I stammered, trying to find words, "When did this happen?"

Cleo shook her head and stepped closer, "I've always been like this. This is the actual me. The human me is just a disguise."

"But gryphons aren't real?" Questioning her while taking a half step back.

"Not real?" Cleo giggled and swung her head closer to me, "Touch them. They are as real as it gets."

Hesitantly, my hand reached for the gryphon's neck. My hand made contact as it seemed to sink into the soft feathers. Under the hood of feathers was warm, and I quickly withdrew my hand. "Is this why...?"

"Why was I always home early?" Cleo interrupted. "Yeah, I can only take the human form during the day, and well.." Cleo looked to the window as the sun finally set, "I'm like this for the rest of the night now."

I was still confused about how she had kept this a secret for so long. Having a secret is one thing, but being a mythical creature at night was never in my train of thought. My heart rate began to slow as I realized that everything before me was happening.

"You promised. You promise you won't tell a soul about me?" Cleo asked as she began to walk back to the couch.

"If this is the real you, I would have loved to know sooner," I said, taking a half step closer to her. "I... I won't say a word... to anyone."

"Great!" Cleo said, jumping onto the couch, laying on her side, and raising a wing to make space, "Why don't you come here, and we can finish our movie then?"

I slowly walked up to the couch and sat on the cushion. Cleo's now long body stretched most of the way to the other arm of the sofa. Cleo unpaused the movie as I leaned back, and her wing came down to rest on me. The soft feathers of her wing hugged tightly to my chest as the voice continued.

As the movie ended, Cleo lifted her wing off of my body. I stood up from the couch, and Cleo slid off and onto her feet. "Are you doing anything tomorrow?" Cleo asked, "Maybe we could go out and talk about... this over coffee?"

"Yeah, uhh, text me tomorrow, and we can meet up," I said as I started to put my shoes on. My mind was still numb to the night's events, and I was left with more questions than anything. After we said our goodbyes, I went and drove home, where I immediately ran to bed.

All night I dreamt of Cleo. Her soft wings enveloped me, and her fur kept me warm. At first, I feared her as a gryphon, but I began to see her as cute, even leaning into beautiful with her avian face. I wanted to wake up to it being real, but it all felt like a dream.

In the morning, I got ready for the day and messaged Cleo. She only referred to last night as 'The Date,' but I assume she meant her reveal to me. We met at a local coffee shop, but the cafe was mostly empty, and we sat in a secluded corner to talk in private.

"So, what do you want to know?" Cleo asked, shuffling in her seat with excitement.

"I guess I'll start with how it works. Like why only at night?" I asked.

"Oh, I can return to my true form whenever I want. I could even do it now if I wanted to!" Cleo explained, "I just can't be in my human form at night. Everyone shares some version of the same story. The gryphons were in danger by humanity, and the sun blessed our kind with the ability to change."

"So there are more gryphons?" I asked, confused.

"Tons of us! We mostly know the local gryphs, but sometimes we are surprised. Most try to stay home as much as possible."

"Why stay home?"

"Well, I can say from my experience that the human body is sort of uncomfortable." Cleo toyed with a stir stick in her drink, "It just doesn't feel right compared to my gryphon self."

"So your parents are.."

"Gryphons? You bet! I was hatched as an only child and have always been their only kid." Cleo spoke with excitement as I took an interest.

"So, will I get to meet them?" I asked.

"No, probably not, heh," Cleo nervously laughed, "Gryphons are not supposed to date, let alone court humans. They would kill me if they knew we were dating now."

"So it's against their rules?"

"Mostly just general rules. It only worked out in an old fairytale my parents would read me. But that's just old fairytale stories." Cleo lightly swatted the idea away.

"So, what did they think of us before? They knew, right?" I asked.

"They knew, but they never thought it would be serious, and well, I want us to be serious." Cleo tapped her hand lightly against the table. "I think we can make it work, and I want to make it work."

I ran my hand through my hair, thinking. "We will find a way to make it work. I promise."

After our coffee, we drove out to a local walking trail. Being the middle of the day, the trail was empty. Once we were about half a mile out, Cleo guided me onto an unmarked side trail. We continued down the path before Cleo stopped, took a deep breath, and fell forward. By the time her hands met the ground, they were replaced with talons. Looking up from her feet, she was fully transformed into her proper gryphon form.

"Does it hurt?" I asked.

Cleo turned her avian head and cocked it to the side. "Does what hurt?"

"You know, transforming?"

Cleo looked back at her body before responding. "Not a bit! Can be a little disorienting at first, but not painful by any means."

We continued to walk down the trail, I tried to give Cleo room, but she kept getting closer to me. Her feathers brushed against my arm, and I saw her leaning her head against me. I put my arm around her neck and rested my head on her feathered neck.

"You don't know how relieved I am," Cleo said quietly. "I never thought I would be able to tell anyone until now."

I thought the conversation Cleo and I would have the other night would have gone down many ways. But Cleo, a mythical creature? That would have never been close to what I thought was happening. As we reached a grassy hilltop, I sat on the ground and rested my legs. Cleo curled her long body around me, and we napped under the warm sun.

Cleo had me tucked under her wing when I woke, with her head resting on my chest. I wanted to get up but didn't want to bother her, so I laid back and watched the trees sway with the breeze. I felt Cleo move before she lifted her head.

"We probably need to get going. Sun is going to set before long." She said, sounding disappointed.

"We could go back to your place again," I said, brushing my hand down her back. "If you want, that is."

She nodded quickly, "I'd very much so like that."

We walked back to the car and left the park. The sun was starting to get low as we pulled into Cleo's driveway. She fumbled with the door as she looked up at the sky. Once the door was open, she stepped inside, and I followed closely.

"So you want to watch a movie then?" I asked as I kicked my shoes off.

"I was thinking maybe we could just cuddle tonight. Like we did in the woods." She said, opening a door.

As I followed her, we were in a small room with a queen size mattress. Clothes were strewn about in front of the small closet in the corner. Cleo jumped onto the bed and spoke, "Well, come on before I take up this whole bed."

I climbed into the bed with Cleo as she guided me beside her. She turned away from me and pressed her back against my chest, and her hand reached around, pulling my arm around her chest.

"Don't be afraid of me, Jackson," Cleo giggled, "it's just a little spooning."

I nudged myself closer, taking in the scent of her hair. The warmth of her body against mine excited me, and I wrapped my leg over hers. We lay together as the sun began to set, the two of us finally being closer together, our first romantic embrace. But as the sun set and the windows went dark, I could feel Cleo changing. Her smooth, warm skin was covered in feathers and fur. Wings began forming from her back as I pulled away, allowing her space to change into her true self entirely.

After a few hours of light napping, I decided I should probably get in ready to go. As I tried to climb out of Cleo's embrace, she released me. She rolled over to reveal her belly. "Why are you trying to go so soon? The night is still young, Jackson," she winked as her clawed foot lightly grabbed my arm, pulling me closer. I followed her motions and slid closer. Once I was close enough, she wrapped her front legs around me and pulled me in tight. Met with a face full of feathers, I turned my face as loose feathers acted like a soft pillow. Cleo intertwined her legs with mine, and I could feel the heat radiating off her body.

At first, I was uncomfortable cuddling with a beast. But as Cleo brought her beak down to my shoulder, I leaned in closer. Her beak nudged the side of my face as she whispered, "I love you, Jackson." I reached my arm up and over her back and massaged her back. She brought her wing down and covered us like a feathered blanket. There was no other place I would ever want to be as we both dozed off to sleep.

The sunrise lit up the room, slowly waking us both. Cleo pulled herself out of my arms, and I lifted my head to hear her gasp. My eyes, still adjusting, saw only a blur of the gryphon. "What is it?" I asked, my eyes starting to clear. Only to see her eyes wide, "You... are like me?" She stumbled as she spoke. Looking down instead of my bare skin, I saw a half-cat, half-bird-like body similar to Cleo's, but following the body, I could not see the head, realizing that it wasn't just any gryphon, it was me.

"Oh my god! Where's my body? What the hell!" I shouted as I leaped upright on the floor. I was quickly backing out of Cleo's room into the living room. Looking at one of my clawed hands, I jumped off the ground with my front legs as I hinged into a bipedal stance. As I did, the feathers and fur seemed to blend into my skin, but when I took a step, I was human again.

"Jackson? What was that!" Cleo yelled as she jumped upright into her human form. "You... you were a gryphon!"

"I don't know, Cleo! What happened last night?" I shouted, checking my arms for feathers.

"That means... "Cleo held her hands up to her mouth as her eyes started to water, "you actually love me!"

I flicked my head to face her, "I what?"

Cleo grabbed my hand excitedly and held it to her chest. "The old story from when I was young! It IS true! Even though the sun's gift could not allow the human and gryphon to be together when it was away, it gave her the power to be with him!"

"So what does that mean? Am I a gryphon now?! That can't be. How am I supposed only to be a human during the day?" I spoke frantically, trying to understand.

"No! You're still a human, but the sun has gifted you the ability to become a gryphon while the sun shines!" Cleo exclaimed, "Try turning into a gryphon again!"

Looking at my hands, I flicked them forward, and nothing happened. "I'm sorry, but how do I do that?" To which Cleo laughed, "Just fall forward and catch yourself with your legs."

I took a deep breath and started to lean forward. As I began to fall, I took a step and stumbled back to my feet. Nothing changed, and I tried again. This time I didn't catch myself, falling with the floor zooming toward my face when my arms made contact with the floor. My hands are now covered in scaly skin, leading to clawed toes spread across the floor.

This was going to be interesting to get used to. My clawed feet were covered in dark gray skin before meeting up with black feathers. I could feel the feathers and fur sprouting from my skin as my body slowly changed shape. My body was covered in a coat of black hair all the way to my black feather and furred tail. I was still trying to take inventory of myself when Cleo jumped and tackled me to the ground.

"This is it! Jackson! This is what we needed!" She shouted as she wrapped her talons around my neck.

My head felt dizzy as I came to terms with the fact that I was no longer just a human, but some kind of half human half beast. I put my arms around Cleo and held her tightly. Maybe this was a sign that we were meant to be. Cleo rolled off of my chest and lay next to me. While her body was pinning my wing down, I couldn't bring myself to tell her it was uncomfortable. She pressed her beak into my neck feathers, and I felt my tail as she wrapped her own around it.

Cleo was almost in tears as she squeezed me tightly. I was still in shock by my sudden change in form. Holding a clawed foot, I playfully opened and closed it, still trying to take in that it was my hand. My feet, or rather paws, were much less flexible and not too dissimilar to my feet before. I put my arm around Cleo's more petite body, and we napped most of the afternoon away.

I was jarred awake by my phone as my regular alarm went off, which seemed odd for how early in the day it was. As I peeked at its screen, I saw the time. "Quarter past one?!" I shouted as I scrambled to my feet. I had to be to work in only fifteen minutes, and there was no way I could arrive looking like I did.

"Everything okay?" Cleo asked as she attempted to focus her tired eyes.

"I'm going to be late for work if I don't leave now. How do I go back to... me?" I asked, standing up from the carpet.

Cleo bent her legs before jumping up onto her hind legs. "Just jump back on your feet! The magic should do the rest." By the time Cleo stopped, her body was fully human once again. As I attempted to do the same, I could feel the fur and feathers begin to recede, but my hips were slow to change. I stumbled around briefly before returning to my stable, bipedal stance.

"Am I all clear?" I asked Cleo as I looked over my arms and legs.

"Not nearly as handsome, but still pretty cute." Cleo laughed, "You'll get better at changing, though. Took me a while before I could do it smoothly."

I grew on my shoes and ran out the door to my car. I tried to rush to work without speeding, and I pulled in right on time and quickly clocked in. I sighed in relief as I walked away from the computer. Cameron shouted for me, "Yo! Jackson!"

"Yo!" I shouted back, feeling my hand to make sure everything was back to normal.

Cameron sat in a chair beside me and spoke quietly, "everything go alright with Cleo? You went home last night."

"Yeah, it went great." I avoided eye contact, "I stayed at her place last night."

"Oh, so it went really well then," Cameron said with a wink.

"No, no! Not like that... really." Embarrassed, I tried to keep a calm demeanor.

As my shift went on, I tried to stay calm. But I was afraid I would somehow accidentally cause myself to change. Whenever Cleo changed, she would lean forward, so in my mind, I wanted to avoid leaning forward. This led to a few moments where I would pick something up and kneel down to prevent falling and landing on talons. But the fear never came to fruition.

After arriving home, I locked myself in my room and tried changing again. I struggled to start as I could not allow myself to fall forward. The natural response is to step and catch yourself. But once I finally did, I made sure to be in front of the mirror.

My hips immediately popped, and my talons met the soft carpet. I looked up to see my beak as it finished pressing through my face. My fur and feathers spread like fire across my skin, and my tail slithered out from behind. My clothes seemed to vanish from sight as my changes finished. My beak was dull gray, complementing my black fur and deep gray feathers. My talons were a close match to my beak, and touching my beak, I could feel the hard surface against my claws.

As I studied the face in the mirror, it looked to resemble an eagle more than anything, with a slight hook at the tip of the beak. My eyes were emerald green, much brighter than my normal eyes. I could feel my wings on my back, and the sensation of having three new limbs was hard to wrap my head around. I tested opening my wings and quickly found my room too small to extend its full wingspan. My tail swished behind me, and with a slight muscle pull, the feathers at its base fanned out.

Quickly, I came to realize what these new limbs were for. If I understood correctly, I should have everything needed to take flight. I felt lightheaded as my heart sped up with excitement. I wanted to sleep but could thing bring myself to close my eyes. The sun was beginning to set as I lay on my bed. I needed to talk with Cleo tomorrow. My excitement for this new body grew, and I wanted to learn more about the new me.

As the sun fell below the horizon, I started to feel slightly uncomfortable. My body was forced to shift back into my human self slowly. At first, this scarred me, but it seemed to make sense. If the sun were the reason I could change, like Cleo, I would be stuck as my real self during the night. Although, I felt better as a gryphon, and I wished that could be my true form.

As soon as I woke, I left the apartment and drove to Cleo's. When she opened her door, I stepped in and attempted to shift into a gryphon. This time, it was still slow, but I managed to kick it off on the first try. Cleo transformed, and as soon as her feet met the floor, I jumped, wrapping my arms around her.

"Woah! You alright there, Jackson?' She laughed.

"Cleo, after yesterday, I was in a little bit of shock. But I spent more time like this and I love it! I wish to be a gryphon with you for the rest of my life."

Cleo wrapped her arms around my neck and squeezed. I thought she would choke me until I heard a soft sob. I tried to pull away to see what she was doing, but she held me tighter.

"Cleo? Are you okay?" whispering s best as possible, "Did I do something wrong?"

She shook her head quickly but never pulled it from my neck feathers. As I tried to pull away again, she spoke. "I was so afraid." She lightened her grip, "I was afraid you would run once you saw what I was. Yesterday, I was afraid you would run because of the change," She pulled her head back, and I saw her bright blue eyes, "I thought you did run."

I ran my hand down her neck, "No, no, no. I wouldn't run from you." I paused for a moment, "I love ah. I love that I can be this for you. I love my new self!" She grabbed my neck again, and her tail wrapped around mine. I wrapped my legs around her, and we cuddled together on Cleo's living room floor. I brought my beak to her ear and whispered, "wanna go back to the trail again? I wanna get a feel for my new self."

Cleo quickly and smoothly transformed back into her human body. I slowly followed suit with my rough and unpracticed transformation. But after a few minutes, I was back to my human self. But the strangest thing came to my mind, a general uncomfortable feeling like I was in the wrong form as if the gryphon felt better. I ignored the thought, and we hopped in my car and drove out to the trailhead.

Once we arrived, we made our way out onto the trail. Being a weekday, the trails were barren of people. We walked a few hundred meters before Cleo performed her quick transformation as we made it to the small off-trail. She didn't seem to want to waste a moment of time today. I tried to follow suit but struggled for a moment. I fell forward and landed on my scaled feet as my wings sprouted from my back. Fur and feathers covered my skin, and my beak rose from my face.

Cleo darted down the trail, and I quickly ran after. My speed on the ground was leaps and bounds faster than I had ever run before. Every step felt natural, and the quick adjustments of my tail and wings felt like second nature. We quickly made it to The grassy hill overlooking the valley. I found Cleo lying on the grass with her wings partially extended, and I ducked underneath her left wing and lay on the grass next to her.

"You know, I was curious about these wings." I said, rubbing my head against hers, "How's your flying?"

"Beautiful, when I can." She closed her eyes and looked up, fully extending her wings, shading me from the warm sun.

"They look as beautiful as the gryphon guiding them." My eyes were locked onto her wings as I wanted to open mine. I stood up and felt them extend, seeming like they would go on and on before finally coming to a stop. I could feel every breeze beneath them and, with a few small motions, felt the resistance of the air.

"You may not be ready to fly yet. But we could try to get you to glide." Cleo said, tucking her wings. I tried to hold my excitement before I turned and nodded my head in agreement.

Cleo positioned me at the top of the hill. A clear path to the creek below should give me enough space to get off the ground. Cleo leaped from the slope and glided down on her wings only a few feet from the earth below. Her tail's base fanned and made small movements correcting her flight. Once at the bottom, she flared her wings and softly landed. She gave me the nod to try it myself.

My first attempt was far from a success. I made it only a few feet before tipping and hitting the ground. But pure determination kept dragging me up the hill. After a few hours of trying, I finally descended the hill over fifty feet before falling. I picked myself up and decided to make one last try. I prepared myself and, with great force, jumped from the hill. My wings tried to make minor corrections with my tail feathers, but it clicked in my head. My body seemed to make minor corrections without even thinking about it. Before I knew it, I was near the bottom.

My landing could have been better if you called it that. I hit hard into the ground and slid, almost knocking Cleo over. She jumped joyfully to see me make it as far as I did. We climbed the hill together before lying on the grass as the sun fell lower into the horizon. Cleo talked about how she would teach me to fly and everywhere we would go on our wings. I imagined us together, flying above the treetops--just two young gryphons in the throws of love.

The sun was getting low in the sky. Only about an hour until sunset, I would return to my actual self.

"I want to be with you for the rest of my days, Jackson," Cleo said, wrapping her tail around mine.

"I want to be with you, but as a gryphon. I think it's only right." I replied.

I loved my new form more than anything, and my feathers and fur felt natural compared to smooth bare flesh. Cleo nuzzled my neck as she whispered, "I've enjoyed the past few days. I never expected this when I told you what I was."

"I never expected this either. A week ago, I thought gryphons were a myth, and now it's all I want to be." I rubbed my head against hers. Cleo rolled onto her side, revealing her underside, "I want you, Jackson."

"Want me? As in.." I asked, but she rotated to face away before I could finish, lifting her rear skywards. "I want to be yours, Jackson. I want to be together until the day I die." Her tail was waving, wafting her scent to me. I'd be lying if I said it didn't get me excited. I could feel my member sliding from its sheath.

"Y-you want me too..." I stuttered as I stood up, letting my member hang down. It began to drip with anticipation, and its alien feeling only added to my strange feelings.

"I want you in me, Jackson. I want to be your gryphoness." She spoke strained, lifting her tail high, giving me another clear look at her privates.

"Are you sure?" I nervously asked as I felt myself grow harder with anticipation.

Cleo's voice sounded strained as she lifted her head to the sky and spoke, "I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

Stepping closer, I could smell her ready, pulsating folds, only getting me more excited. I placed one clawed foot on her back as I readied myself. I guided myself over her, carefully trying to line up my member with her hole. But as I inched closer, she rolled onto her back, staring face-to-face with the gryphon.

She wrapped her clawed arms around my neck and pulled me closer to her hole. I could feel the heat radiating off it as my tapered rod drew closer. Until contact, as soon as the tip of my member touched her burning hole, I pressed in, sliding deep into the gryphoness. My first sexual encounter, and it felt mind-blowing. My hips met hers as her contracting walls massaged my sensitive rod.

"Ohhhhh, Jackson," She groaned, her body twitching as I pushed deeper. I stopped before withdrawing partially, only to push back in again. This was my first time having sex, nonetheless, as a mythical creature. I started into a thrusting rhythm, adjusting based on Cleo's sounds. Her moans and murmurs caused me to thrust faster, deeper. A pressure began to build in the base of my rod, signaling it was close to the end.

"Cleo, ahhh, I'm getting close, ahhh, I'm gonna-" I started to say between moans. I attempted to pull myself out of her, but something was causing it to stay locked in. I could feel her flesh tugging as she gave out a squeak.

"Don't pull OUT-ah, leave it-uh, inside me," Cleo spoke, struggling to get words out.

My thrusts grew slower and more powerful, and the pressure built higher and higher, ready to burst. As I bottomed out, the pressure began to rush the length of my member. I attempted to withdraw, shouting to Cleo, "I'm cumming! I'm pulling out!" But as I tried to withdraw, Cleo's rear legs wrapped around my hips, pulling my throbbing member deeper until I bottomed out.

"AHHHHH!" I shouted as my cock began to pulse, pumping spurts of semen into Cleo's burning folds, significantly more than I had ever felt before. She shook as she received my seed, her tail wrapping around my tail. "Jackson, ahhhhhh." She shouted before going quiet. As my rod finished unloading everything I had, her legs released and relaxed. I started to pull back before Cleo contested, "Stop, the barbs... You have to wait... You can't pull out yet!" I stopped and rested my head against hers as the sun was setting, and I would be a human again in a matter of minutes. I closed my eyes as we snuggled closely. The feeling of excess cum leaked out onto my fur as my member slowly softened.

As we held each other, we drifted off to sleep.

My eyes opened to see the sun had just risen from the horizon. Looking down, I saw Cleo's legs wrapped around me. I was in my gryphon form and still covered in a mess from the previous night. We had unknowingly slept in the woods all night. However, it wasn't like anything would have stood a chance against us if we needed to.

As I separated myself from the still-sleeping Cleo, I saw my fur matted near my sheath. It was odd to think I no longer had to cover myself to hide my genitalia; my body did it naturally. I stepped off the hips and felt the need to empty my bladder, I was going to try to aim, but the tip poked out from the furred cover just enough to expel it away from me. In a way, I was glad I didn't have to deal with this daily. As much as I loved the gryphon body in almost every way, preferring it to my human self, I am glad I wouldn't have to deal with the animal anatomy.

Cleo stirred away as I came to lay with her again. She ran her beak through my feathers, and we never said w word until we went to go home. "Jackson," Cleo spoke, "Thank you for last night. I... have been wanting that for a while now."

"The... sex?" I asked, trying to keep my voice quiet.

"That was great, but I meant you. I've always wanted someone who loved me for who I am." She spoke quietly, leaning against me.

As we approached the end of the side trail, we shifted back into our human selves. Walking the last part of the trail back to the car. I dropped Cleo off at her house, and I prepared to go to work, stopping at my apartment to shower and wash off the last of any residue.

Work was like any other day. I tried to keep on task, but my mind wandered back to Cleo. Thinking about not just the fun, we had that night, but the time we enjoyed during the day. I couldn't be any more excited to see her again tomorrow. After finishing my shift, I drove home and sat on the couch watching TV until bedtime.

As I sat on the couch, I could see the sun setting. I thought about spending the last few moments of daylight enjoying my body but decided to wait and experience it with Cleo. As the sun fell, I had an odd feeling fall over me. Looking down at my hands, they turned gray and scaly. Feathers began to explode from my neck and arms as fur covered my body. I tried to run as quickly as I could to my bedroom. With the remaining time in my fingers, I slid the lock closed. I hopped onto my bed and watched the moon rise over the sky. Now a full gryphon yet again.

I never slept a moment last night. It seemed as though the entire blessing was turned around. Somehow I could not transform into a human until the sun rose again, after which I could change freely. As soon as I had my fingers back, I called Cleo.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Cleo? I need your help!" I shouted through the phone.

"What's wrong? She asked.

"I changed into a gryphon last night and couldn't change back."

Cleo was silent for a moment before she gasped. "Jackson... how soon can you be at my house?"

Without question, I sped off to Cleo's home. Worried that something may have been wrong with her, I couldn't think what else could happen next with all that had happened in the last twenty-four hours.

As I walked in, I found Cleo in her Gryphon form sitting on one of the couches. I took a few steps before closing the door and beginning to shift myself. I took my spot on the other couch as Cleo smiled.

"You really are taking a likening to the new body?" Cleo asked as she adjusted her posture. "You didn't;t even hesitate to change that time."

I rolled onto my side, getting more relaxed, "It just feels... right. You know?" I looked down at my black fur, "but last night, I changed after the sunset, and I couldn't control it." My head turned to look at Cleo, "I couldn't change until morning..."

Cleo closed her eyes and sighed, "Jackson, last night we... courted. I think that the old story wasn't just a story..."

"Yeah? I know that, but what does it...." I stopped as I began to put the same pieces together. "Cleo... in that old story. How does it end?"

Cleo hesitated before answering, "They fell in love, and after courting, the human... turned into a gryphon and was given the blessing." She answered slowly.

"So I'm now a gryphon? But I can..." I started,

"You are now a gryphon with the blessing," Cleo answered quietly, "You are like me now, a gryphon who can become human. When the sun is in the sky."

With the new broken, I expected to be bummed that I would no longer be a human at night. But for some reason, it only raised my excitement. Although I was now in the same situation as Cleo, at least we had each other to live through it. But I would have to find out how to hide this long-term from Cameron. But for Cleo, I would figure it out.

"Jackson..." She called out.

"Yes, dear?" I answered, still distracted.

"Are you okay?." She said quickly.

"I'm.... happy, Cleo. As long as I can be with you, I wouldn't trade this for anything." Gesturing my clawed foot to my body.

"Jackson..." Cleo's voice shook as her ears folded flat to her head, "I love you-" Her voice cracked as she began to cry. I walked over, laid my head on her neck, and rubbed her back. I began to feel warmth and light as my heart seemed to speed up. Not out of fear, but this time it was pure joy.

I got into a new routine, now having to work around the sun's motions. I started to fully understand all of the times Cleo would tell me she could not do things past dark. I had to work around the schedule and plan everything, giving myself time to get home. It wasn't difficult, but it led to some odd conversations.

At some point, my parents would have to learn about the changes and my mate. Otherwise, holidays may be awkward when I have to hide away for twelve hours. Cleo seemed confident everything would be alright, but it would have to work out. As far as we knew, the road to becoming a gryphon wasn't two ways.

"You and Cleo get everything situated?" Cameron asked as I finished clocking out.

"Everything has been going great! Couldn't ask for a better partner."

Cameron chuckled, "so you good for next Tuesday night? The movie?"

As I began to walk out the door, I turned to Cameron, "As long as I can be home before dark." The door shut as Cameron started to shake his head. I could have stayed and chatted, but I was supposed to meet Cleo in the woods again. Maybe today I could get a real taste of flight.

But I think Cleo may have other plans...