StormFeather
Lonely gives her downcast man a fine present with the help of her church. But will it be enough to raise his broken spirits?
Stormfeather
A Heaven & Earth tale
By LonelyRider
Griselda BlackClawe spied a pretty & voluptuous anthro mule female approaching on a white Highland pony mare, approaching her witch's lair. Griselda stepped outside, smiling and towering over the females, but Lonely's mare didn't shy like brave Thunder had, for Griselda had taken an oath to never harm other women. Lonely got off her pretty mare and curtsied before the huge feral cat politely, giving her folded new wings and horns a sad glance; those were her dear lover's wings and halo, the soft warm strong wings that had held her close so many times, the halo that had glowed when her James was happy or discovering something deep.
"I bring you greetings, Ms BlackClawe, the powerful. My name is..."
Griselda chuckled, holding up a huge claw, Lonely stammered, literally silenced by a spell the big witch had cast on her muzzle.
"Oh...I know who you are. You're the reason I have these." Griselda laughed with exiliration and spread her huge batlike wings and felt her beautiful horns, which she wore adorned with little bird skulls. Lonely bowed her head and Griselda released her from the silence spell.
"Speak." Griselda ordered.
"Thank you, your witchiness. I uh....I've come to trade, Ms. I can clean and cook for you, I brought you some of the finest spices and teas, oh you must try some, here, a gift." Lonely laid out a huge array of fine spices and exotic teas on a beautiful cloth, Griselda smiled, deciding despite her policy to humor the girl; she already knew what she'd say.
"I will grant you some tea, and I accept your material gifts. I take cream and sugar." Griselda purred, Lonely nodded, making a fine cup of Nilgiri tea for the huge cat, she placed a sprig of catnip on the side and served it to her with some butter cookies she'd made. Griselda sipped it politely for a huge fearsome feral beast. Her tail danced to and fro. "I know why you've come. You are not the first, nor the last, to my dismay. You want to trade, to get your man's pretty wings and halo back for him. You feel guilty. About right?" Griselda asked, showing a fierce smile of sharp feline teeth, Lonely gulped but smiled politely.
"Yes...oh yes, I do, your most powerful witchiness. I so appreciate you saving my life, I just....he's so sad, God I feel terrible."
Griselda chuckled.
"It was not I who saved your life." She reminded the girl, who wept harder, sobbing into the ground, her pony nuzzled her, trying to comfort, and Lonely hugged her and cried into her.
"Oh, my beautiful James! His dad was right all along, what have I done to him? This is all my fault."
"Hardly, Miss Rider. I'd tell you the truth," Griselda purred, trailing a huge claw along the underside of Lonely's throat, "But I don't need to burden you with it. Simply rest in the knowledge your illness was in no way your own doing. These men you think so highly of, you aren't their undoing, they are yours, and their own. Ahh....so is the nature of men, indeed. Such is the nature of men. As to your other offers....I thank you, Miss Rider, but you see, I do not trade with women. I'm afraid you and I have no pact to make. Another man...oh yes, but I can sense you're far too virtous for such a thing." Griselda said with flair, her hand on her forehead dramatically. Lonely closed her thickly lashed eyes and hung her head sadly. "Now...enjoy the good health I've restored to you, and go, live your life, girl." Griselda said lowly, she chuckled softly, eyes glowing, and taking Lonely's gifts with her, retreated back into her cave.
Lonely returned to her cabin and found James sitting outside, looking crestfallen. He'd been putting on a brave face for her, but she knew his spirits were down from his terrible sacrifice to save her life. He also had some trouble with his father, she knew. Lonely felt terrible; Griselda's counsel had done little to assuage her guilt. Lonely approached her big lover, a small smile on her maw. He looked up and gave her a little smile back, it was the most she'd seen of his joy all day.
"Baby." he greeted. He was painfully shy now, worse than usual.
"Darling, sorry I was gone so long. Come, please. I have a special surprise for you." Lonely begged, gently taking his bigger hands in hers and walking backwards gently, her tail swishing.
"Oh....you...do? Sure." He agreed, again, being kind to her but his usual vigor drained from him.
"Ok, but, you have to close your eyes until I say you may look." Lonely giggled mischivously, his lip twitched into a little smile and he chuckled just a little, he gave her cheek a gentle stroke and she smiled and felt his hand, kissing it.
"You got it, Lonely girl." He promised, she led him carefully and he popped a little joke, feeling a bit more like himself.
"Is it a gullotine? Always wanted one of those." He teased, she giggled and he chuckled lowly, smiling and stumbling, she helped him and stopped him gently.
"Much cooler than a gullotine, I promise babe! When you're ready, please open your eyes."
James did, he was so shocked he gasped hard and stammered back a bit, his eyes wide.
"Sweetheart...is that a war gryphon?" James gasped, an astonished grin coming over him, he put a hand to his mouth and it shook a bit, he pushed it down, trying to hide his emotion.
"He is! The biggest, mightiest one there! I spoke to my church, and we all chipped in to buy him just for you! His name is Stormfeather, and he's all trained, he obeys this whistle." Lonely handed James a golden whistle shaped like an eagle's head. James approached the huge fierce beast; he was magnificent. The gryphon let out a piercing eagle cry, saliva stretching in his sharp beak. He had a red lion's body and beak and black eagle feathers on his avian wings and head. He was outfitted in a saddle for two riders with stirrups and harneses and ornate black armor, including sheaths for James two cherished swords. James patted his huge beak in awe, Stormfeather screeched at him, but settled a bit, sensing James' affinity for animals.
"Baby, here, he loves meat." Lonely said, she handed James a thick leather glove and he put it on, taking the raw steak from her.
"Oh..thank you, my angel! Here boy, you're a beauty aren't you, big guy? My goodness, look at you." James gasped at the enormous gryphon as he petted him; Lonely looked at him, sad but happy he liked her gift; it wasn't like him to be so quiet, she knew his heart was still heavy, and he didn't mean to be that way, but the losses were taking their toll on him.
"I promise one day soon, we will restore your beautiful wings and halo. But until then, my sweet boy, let Stormfeather be your wings. He will take you anywhere your heart desires." Lonely said with a kind cursty. James was still in shock and as his girlfriend had noticed, not himself. His love language was gifts, as all his loved ones knew. Normally the big bruiser delighted in showering his attachments in gifts and was thrilled to recieve them back. James turned around, extending a hulking hand, she smiled kindly and took it, giving it a warm squeeze.
"Come fly with us?" He asked breathlessly, still not his usual self, she smiled kindly, looking sad.
"I'm so touched my darling, I'd be honored to, but I get so air sick. My tummy just won't cooperate! Go on, please, take your time. I love you...and I'm so...sorry." Lonely gasped a sob at the last part and turned and hurried inside, she had chores to do and she was so guilty. James gasped, starting to reach out, but he stopped and froze, feeling numb, feeling a slew of awful emotions.
"What is wrong with me? Don't you care about her, about this stunning gift, about anything, or anyone?" He pondered out loud, pensive, angry at himself. Stormfeather startled him with a soft bite on his huge forearm. James felt torn. Part of him longed like nothing else to soar on the beautiful beast, another part of him felt dead, like nothing mattered anymore. He snarled, mounting the gryphon and buckling himself in, feet in the stirrups.
"Yah!" James screamed; this wasn't like him either, as his stallion knew, normally he was gentle and kind to his mounts and pets. Stormfeather, however, being a war mount, was unphased by the big man's aggression. He let out a mighty eagle scream and took off from an impressive standstill, climbing up like a helicopter might without even a run; Stormfeather was huge, he had to be to carry James, who was an enormous, muscular brute himself. James shook the beast's reins hard and Stormfeather plunged onward, the sky rumbled with thunder, but James was in too dark a place to care.
"Take us where you dare, Stormfeather!" James shouted at the bird, who blinked a fierce red eagle eye in comprehension. He soared fast and low, taking James over the sea of doubt, a desolate sea littered with decaying shipwrecks and hungry serpents. Stormfeather was fast, he skimmed the water, catching a fish in his talons and eating it on the fly, he flew James to the shore and landed, catching his breath. James dismounted, recognizing a tired mount. James fastened a net out of his lightning magic and caught a bushel of fish for his new friend, feeding him each one and patting him, he smiled a little, appreciating the might and beauty of his new companion, but still, the heaviness ached in his heart. James started a fire with his lightning magic with some dry driftwood, leaning against a rock and staring at it, lost in depression. Stormfeather blinked at him with beautiful bird of prey eyes, cocking his eagle head, swishing his lion tail. He'd never done it before, but James turned his broad back to his mount, hanging his head in his hands.
"She gave me a beautiful gift....no....an indescribable gift, and what do I do? I fly out here and sulk, like a manchild. What the hell is wrong with me? I hate myself, Stormfeather. I don't deserve you or her. Look at me...I'm so ugly without my wings and halo. Dad's right. What am I? Who will ever want me? I should..." James looked at the sea, and his arm shook hard, he dug his nails into it, so hard he drew blood, his new gryphon screeched at him, loudly. "No.....oh.....no. I'm a coward, I can't even....please, don't look at me, you're so beautiful, like her, and I'm so hideous. I'm so hideous. Oh Stormfeather." James' huge muscled arms shook and he hid his red face in shame, Stormfeather screeched at him again, spit flying; he understood the tongue of men, and he didn't appreciate what he was witnessing. Stormfeather reared and spread his huge wingspan, which reflected in James' wide eyes.
"How I envy you." James gasped hoarsely, tears streaming down his face. He wiped them, ashamed of himself.
"I'm sorry, you must think me a fairy, as my father would say. He wouldn't cry on the beach against a rock! My dad is strong and masculine. Everything I'm not." James sagged, utterly down on himself. He didn't see it, but above his head and behind his back, there was a shimmer. James buried his head in his hands again, defeated, overcome by his dreary state. He'd nearly drifted off when Stormfeather dropped something smooth and heavy on his shoe, and he startled with a gasp, actually smiling a little.
"Stormfeather, you found a conch shell! A grand and beautiful one, just look at it. My Lonely loves shells, she says they remind her of all things feminine. Huh...I guess they do." He mused out loud in wonder, stroking the soft pink and white inside of the pretty shell. Stormfeather chirrupped at James and he stood up, putting the shell in Stormfeather's saddlebag.
"Hey darling, thanks for the shining magnificent war gryphon, I brought you a shell. Signed, your idiot boyfriend. Hah! Whoa there boy, easy! Easy! Okay, here we go! You're right, I have to snap out of it somehow, damn it! What do I do!" James shouted to his mount, as they took off vertically and soared fast and low again over the troubled sea. Stormfeather screeched at him, his mighty beak turned James' way, James buckled in and held the reins tightly as his furious mount bore him back to Lonely's cottage, unphased by the stormy weather all around them & inside his new rider.