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Thorns & Lightning

A Heaven & Earth tale

By LonelyRider

Teenage harpy witch-in-training Savera ThornVine opened the front door to the cabin by the sea where she lived with 3 older naga women who were training her in the ways of witches. There was her male friend who'd saved her from from a breeding cage at the hands of a rival harpy tribe. Savera gasped, surprised. Last time she'd seen the huge male, he'd had big wings and a halo, being a lesser angel; they were both gone now; he smiled at her sheepishly, a fierce, beautiful enormous armored war gryphon was behind him, with black feathers and a red lion body.

"Savera...good afternoon, my dear. Is it okay I stopped by? I uh," James blushed hard, he couldn't hold her gaze, his blue/gray eyes gazed at the ground in painful shyness, "I understand if you don't want to be friends anymore, I'm not so cool without my wings, and halo." He swallowed audibly, trying to hide the grief that clawed at him.

"Oh my gosh...no, no of course not my friend, James...what happened? Was it the battle arena?" Savera asked, she knew he was a stalwart gladiator tank, she gulped, now smiling sheepishly herself, "Forgive me, it's not my business." She apologized. He made a kind gasp, his huge arm and hand reaching out.

"Oh, no, not at all, honey. That's fine. I went to make a deal with," James gulped again, biting his lip, "Griselda BlackClawe. You see, Lonely was deathly sick, a witch friend of hers told me about Griselda."

"The Breaker of Men, oh no. You poor thing! Morrigan, Nancy and Ursula have told me tales of Griselda. She sounds so horrid and twisted, with her little man-hating 'bargains' as she calls them. Oh James, how awful for you! Are you okay? Silly Savera...of course you're not. Forgive me, I think it was terribly romantic, though, what you did for your girlfriend." Savera sighed, "I'll be right back, James!"

James gasped and blushed, feeling his hair in a big grin. Savera came out with a big embroidered bag and he held out his hands.

"Allow me, my friend. Thank you for saying that, you're too kind, dear. I love her so much." He admitted, Savera and he grinned at each other as they made their way to the beautiful seaside by the cabin, pink sand strewn with enormous pink crystals jutting forth from the landscape.

"So touching," Savera sighed, interlacing her fingers, she explained, "The crystals here focus magic, it's why the ladies chose this seashore."

"Wow, I wonder if they'll focus my magic too, or just witches only?" He mused out loud.

"I think it's all magic." Savera giggled, but not in a mocking way, she found a dry patch of sand and spread out a blanket for them, and they sat, James dwarfing her in his spiked armor set his father had gifted him for Christmas. He took off his helmet.

"Oh, how very rude of me! Sorry big guy, got distracted. Savera, meet Stormfeather, Lonely and her church got him for me! He was the biggest, grandest gryphon at the auction." James took out a whole roast chicken and Stormfeather screeched in excitement, Savera petted him and James beamed at her fondly, Stormfeather cocked his head and chirrupped at her, enjoying her touch and sensing the bird lineage they shared as she was a harpy.

"He's beautiful, James. Big and strong and beautiful." Savera said, but she was looking at James when she said it, he was so flattered he blushed purple and stammered.

"I....I....I....Ahem, isn't he? Oh here, wanna feed him?" James offered her warmly, taking off the huge leather glove, she scooted closer, gently, he slipped it on her smaller hand, guiding her, but his touches were respectful and gentlemanly as he carefully showed her and she wondered at it. "There you go, good job honey. So you wear this, he doesn't mean to bite, but his beak is razor sharp, and he's a voracious eater. Here boy, Savera has a chicken for you!"

Stormfeather approached, seeming to sense James' fondness and protective aura toward the young lady, he took the chicken from her hand much more gently than he would from James, thowing it in the air, he opened his beak and gulped it down in two chomps. Savera patted him and he growled at her like a lion, enjoying it.

"Good boy." James said, petting him too, Stormfeather sat behind them and laid down, allowing them to rest against him, and they did, sat side by side. "Savera, do you like books?" James inquired kindly, his armored hand in his knapsack, Savera lit up, smiling showing sharp fangs.

"I love to read, yes." She told him.

"Me too! I thought this might interest you, tell me, how'd I do?" He somewhat teased, a little shy, the huge male placed a big tome on their thighs and opened it.

"Harpies & Angels; A History." Savera read, gasping in wonder, her bird of prey hands trailing over it, the cherub motifs and constellations etched across the lovely tome.

"Ahha...I struck rich, it interests you, I see. I just love studying history. Savera, here is an intriguing fact from this tome; did you know angels and harpies, in theory, share a distant common ancestor? They split off long ago, with the harpies growing smaller and more agile and fierce, and the angels favoring size and power. Thus, our respective feather placements. We also share fangs, although the harpies' canines are larger, I never noticed before, I do have little pointy fangs!" James chuckled, Savera felt his canine as he tongued it and he blushed and chortled, grinning at her; he was enjoying the attention from his pretty friend.

"Wow....so you do!"

"Yeah, I'd show you my feathers if I still had them." He sighed wistfully. She shot him a kind look, placing her hand on top of his, he smiled back at her, appreciation on his face, his eyes shining.

"You had the most beautiful wings." She remarked. He blushed again, scratching his hair.

"Aww shucks Savera...you...you think so?"

"You did." She nodded solemnly. "Let us have a moment of silence for them." She added kindly, she took his hands in hers and closed her eyes; he inhaled, moved by her thoughtfulness. He closed his eyes too, biting his lip, which quivered, and he wiped the silent tear that escaped his eye; James was trying to emulate his tough father, and he didn't want his loved ones to see how much the loss of his wings was tearing him up inside. Cause it was. They sat in silence for a little while, he sniffled, she could see he was hiding his tears and shot him a kind look of empathy.

"Thank you, Savera. You're an awesome friend."

"As are you, brave gladiator." She nodded gracefully. From her sack she withdrew a red tambourine with two of her feathers tied to it and a medium sized harp.

"Forgive my nosiness, I may have spied on you a little with my tarot cards, they have herbs on them, see?" She showed him a glimpse and he gasped in wonder.

"Oh hey! Lonely reads those too, how neat! You spied on me, huh? What did you learn?" He guffawed, tickled she'd done that, finding it sweet.

"They said you play the harp, that your friend taught you. I brought one, just in case that was true." She teased.

"Your cards speak impressively! I'm not anywhere as good as Raziel, but I'd love to play for you." He agreed with a shy grin.

"I'll play my tambourine too." Savera said excitedly, she got up and danced around, playing her tambourine against her thigh, her floral magic danced with her, around her legs and arms and her instrument, then up his thick, strong legs and arms and over his harp, huge thorned vines that bloomed into red roses.

"Savera, that's gorgeous!" He gasped.

"Oh, I am sorry! She has a mind of her own sometimes!" Savera gushed, the vines wrapped around him tighter, some creeping up his inner thigh and blooming there, they started for his groin and she scolded them. "Stop it!" She hissed at her magic, abashed it was betraying her crush on him so blatantly.

"Oh, that's all right honey! Let me try too...lightning, come say hello. Ahh, there you are." James said, his lightning magic surged down his arms and over his harp, "Hey Savera, it's helping me play better! Oh...oh my goodness, I'm so....so.....s...s....sorry!" He gasped, his magic surged over her hips and thighs and up across her buxom chest, she giggled and blushed, clearly enjoying seeing she wasn't the only one holding back romantic interest. She laughed joyously and danced, playing her tambourine like a gypsy might, James looked spellbound as he watched her, his lightning magic guiding his hands to play a gorgeous tune on his harp, she smiled at her reflection in his eyes, which narrowed at her in attraction, he didn't mean to ogle her, but Savera was young and beautiful, with a full, lithe figure and a head of red hair and freckles. They laughed together and blushed and smiled as they finished their song. Savera laughed and hugged him, a little worked up, he felt the same, he leaned in, hugging her tight, and gave her forehead a gentle, quick peck.

"If I still had my wings, I'd hug you with those too. Oh...my, was that too much?" He wondered, blushing.

"I think it's wonderful, James. I think you're wonderful, too." Savera admitted, gently holding his groomed bearded face in her smooth hands, he was tongue-tied, his face red, he didn't see it, but in the outline of his former wings and halo, for a moment, something sparkled. His magic surged, he tried to speak but he was too flattered, too worked up. She hugged him close and felt him gently stroke her head, patting it affectionately. Stormfeather seemed to understand, he laid a wing on her back, covering her protectively.

"Good boy, Stormfeather! How's that, honey?" He whispered, his voice dripping with affection for her.

"It's angelic, you both are, thank you. I'm so glad you came." Savera admitted, resting on his chest with a sigh. He beamed at her, sighing happily, gently rubbing her back with his big hand, his gaze at her rather adoring.

"Stormfeather and I will always be your friends, sweetheart. On my heart."

Savera was out, the huge gladiator and his equally big gryphon watching over her as she slept on his strong chest, Stormfeather's shiny black wing keeping her warm as James watched her, a rapidly growing fondness swelling in his heart.