FSE

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Many centuries ago, on a continent half a world away, natives once worshiped nature and gods and spirits and strange beasts that many believed to be legend. The natives lived quite peacefully until a new order marched over them, filled with conquerors and new ideas. Churches and monasteries were erected where temples once stood, priests chanted and sang where old gods were praised and the past was forgotten in favor of the new religions and conquerors. Nestled against a great wild forest was an old village that had been there for as long as anyone could recall, their rich farms and crops had once fed Emperors and temples, and now went to feed the church and her priests. In that village stood a church built on the bones of an ancient temple that was unique in that once, before anyone could remember, a great statue was commissioned to decorate the top of the church.

No one knows why someone had created such a thing, it was certainly no image of a saintly angel or weeping Virgin, it was a fearsome beast cast in loving details. The feathered head held a beak with a wicked sharp curve and curling tongue, the ear tufts jutted up sharply as the broad chest led down to a powerful pair of clawed forefeet. The wickedly sharp talons bit into the rock while the haunches were feline and muscled with claws bared. It crouched with the beak spread open in a silent scream and angry looking eyes glared down at parishioners came and went, as if it were going to pounce down upon them at any moment. Children fled beneath the statues gaze knowing, as all children did, that the statue must surely snap up any child who had dared sin. The statue must have been well loved when it had been created, for many smaller statues had been made to replicate it and each were put at points on the church.

Everyone in the village had known that it had always been there and never thought twice about it once they had grown up, but deep in the wild forest, there was a beast that heard about it and didn't dismiss it so lightly. Chesseth had lived in the forest for as long as he could remember, he had hunted and flown, he knew every herb that would benefit the injured and every plant that could cause harm. The gryphon was very old and very wise, left in charge of the spring rain by a god that no one really remembered, but still Chesseth remained. It didn't matter to him that the temples were all gone, because he rarely left his forest and the deep cave that he called his own. Every spring he saw it as his duty to make sure that the rains fell and renewed the world. It was a sad lonely duty, but he felt pride in what he had been asked to do, it was his place in the world even long after his god had gone silent from the world.

He lived quietly there, spending his days searching out herbs and cataloging their purpose throughout the summer, tended the forest through the fall and slept through the long winters. He supposed he must be the last of his kind, for he had never seen another like him. In all the time that he had lived in the forest, he had never once seen himself. The wild muddy rivers and streams didn't offer enough stillness to properly see himself, and there were no mirrors with which he could peer into. And so, when he heard of the church with the strange statue she had immediately set about to find it.

Surely it must be made to look like me! He thought excitedly, his wings beating higher into the air as he left his forests.

He flew for two days, stopping only to drink water before taking to the air again. He flew until his shoulders ached and his muscles trembled, until he saw the village with its rich golden fields and the people working to bring in the harvest. He called a greeting as he swept down overhead, his wings beating rapidly to come to land at the very edge of the village before the golden wheat started. He politely settled his wings down against his back and waited for them to approach him so that he could see his statue, but the villagers didn't come. Instead, he heard them running, tearing through the fields with screams of fear while he did his best to remain polite and calm. It was not easy, especially not when he could hear some bolting nearby so that they could find a way to run around him.

His dark tail tip began to twitch back and forth as a low growl started to rumble low in his throat and he watched as several farmers appeared with wide eyes before they began running. Not one came towards him as he tried to call out his greeting again, none of them even returned his polite attempts to garner their attention. It had been centuries since he had come to a human village, but surely they couldn't have grown so rude in that time. They had always known that it was good luck to have him visit, there should have been great bells rung and women dancing in honor of his appearance, their leaders should have come to prostrate themselves at his claws.

Surely they are only going to get the officials from their village so that they might greet me and show me my statue. He growled to himself and forced his tail to remain still.They might have forgotten how to behave properly. And if they have, I shall just have to remind them.

He watched another farmer bolting further on down the way and spread his wings so he could leap back into the air. It took only a dozen beats to get enough air that he could arrow in on the farmer who was trying to get towards a large building set on the outskirts of town. With a flash of his wings he dropped down just in front of the helpless farmer, the small goat dropped down onto the ground with a bleat of fear, covering his head with his hands as he made a small quivering ball of terror. The gryphon rumbled imposingly as he flipped his wings and forced his crest feathers to lay flat on his head instead of rousing up with his anger.

"Is there no one here with the courage to speak with me?" He rumbled out with his tail lashing so hard behind him that puffs of dirt began to rise up in the air. "Or must you all run?"

"Th-The school master might speak with you, sir." The little goat bleated, raising his eyes to the monster in front of him. "If you will only wait here I could get him for you."

"Very well, bring me this schoolmaster that I may speak with someone sensible." He snapped out, watching as the goat tried to scramble backwards while still lying nearly flat to the ground.

How much these people have changed. Chesseth watched as the goat fled into the village as if his tail was on fire. It had been so long since he had come to one of these villages that they must have forgotten about him. Has it truly been that long? What else has changed?

~ ~ * ~ ~

"A MONSTER!!! A MONSTER!!!" The cry nearly jerked Biscs out of his chair as Alian, a slight looking brown goat came scrambling into the midst of his school room. "Schoolmaster Bisc, there is a monster outside of town!"

The white rat nearly knocked his desk over as he stood up and got around it, his long tail lashing behind him as he went to try and help the goat up onto his feet. He could smell the fear on the air as he got the fellow up to his hooves. The rat was quite a pale rat, with fur as white as new fallen snow and bright ruby eyes that peered from behind a pair of carefully place spectacles. His pink hand paws were always well groomed and tended, never dirty or smudged with ink despite his long hours writing in his books. And his pink tail was curled, as always, around a small thin switch that used upon his unruly students, though it fell to the ground as he listened to the small goat babbling about the monster at the edge of the building.

"A monster?" He lifted his brows slightly. "A wolf? You should send for the hunters and soldiers so that they drive it away."

"N-no, a monster!! The soldiers are in the town hall, we saw it flying overhead!" The goat was panting shallowly. "It is waiting to speak with you! You must send it away!

Of course... Bisc winced slightly at the hopeful lilt in the little one's voice. Twelve soldiers, six hunters and they still come to me hoping I will solve their problems.

He had come to Ilsa with high hopes and so filled with books that he only had two good sets of clothes to his name. He had been excited and bright eyed, travelling a far distance so that he could teach the youth of this small town. He had always loved to read and learn, he had spent his youth in old books and when he was old enough to take on the position of schoolmaster had been so terribly eager to fill it. He couldn't imagine a better life for himself than being an honored scholar, and this little village was set in such a beautiful landscape that he had fallen in love. Old Father Charles had accepted him eagerly in the role of schoolmaster, but that also meant that as the newest member of the village and church, he was also given the least pleasant duties.

"I am not a village elder." Bisc answered automatically, stepping away from the goat slightly and pushed his spectacles up onto the bridge of his muzzle. "Why would this monster wish to speak with me?"

"Just go! Please! Send it away, anything! It is at the edge of the village and wishes to see its statue, but you can't let it come into the town!" Alian was trembling in place, his floppy ears set back as far as they could go. "It will kill us all!"

"It speaks?" He lifted a brow slightly and felt a thrill of fear and curiosity both. "And you wish me to go and send it away just for wishing to see a statue?"

"It is a monster! Just like the statue on the church with fearsome claws and a massive beak, ready to rend and tear! You cannot allow it-"

"I will go and speak with the creature, it may simply wish to see the statue and will leave." Bisc picked up his overcoat and slipped it on over his loose white blouse. "There is no reason to fear it just because it wishes to see its statue."

"Please! Sir, you must..." The goat started again, but the rat dismissed it with a shake of his head before striding out the door.

He could almost feel the villagers' eyes on him as they watched him step down the walkway that led towards the outskirts of town where the goat had indicated. This wasn't the first time they had pushed him into a position that no one else wanted, it likely wouldn't be the last. When he had come here he had promised himself that he would better the lives of the villagers and settle himself as a peaceful member of the community. He taught their children, he worked with the ill and elderly, worked with the children of thieves and criminals to teach them proper trades, and the villagers seemed to take that to mean that he would do the things that they didn't care to do. In the winter he was in charge of rationing the food, in the spring he spent long nights with the sheep herds to guard them from predators, but he was content no matter the job that tasked him with. He was doing something good here, he could see their humble village improve with each season that he was here and that brought him more joy than he had possibly imagined.

It wasn't hard to find where the monster was hunkered down, not when he could hear a low growl long before he walked past the stone grain building to face the beast. Alian had not been lying about the creature that was pacing along the thick golden wheat, his tail lashing back and forth as he continued to snarl. He was familiar with the strange statues on the church, he had asked about them when he had first moved here, and it looked exactly like that infamous statue had come to life. But never had such a creature existed, nor at such size! The beast was eagle and wolf mingled together, the dark fur and feathers quivering and splashed with odd patches of gold all along the curve of his haunches. The wings were frighteningly large as they were raised up high in the air as his gold eyes flashed wildly. His claws had torn up massive furrows in the green grass with talons larger than his finger. He was as large as a draft horse, with long feathered ears and wild looking eyes.

Good God... Bisc froze as the beast swung his head around and fixed the rat with an enraged glare that made him take a step backwards, suddenly feeling small and slight before the beast.

"Ssssso, you are the schoolmaster?" The gryphon spoke in a crisp voice from a beak larger than his head.

"I am. I am Schoolmaster Bisc." Bisc answered automatically, bowing his upper body towards the beast that flipped the large black wings against his back. "I was told that you came to see a statue?"

"Finally, someone with a touch of courage. I am Chesseth." The gryphon's ears perked up on his head, some of the tension sliding from the large feathered body. "Yes, my statue. I have heard that it is a striking likeness to me and I wish to see myself. Is it here?"

"Yes, there is a statue that is remarkably like you..." Bisc swallowed and pulled his ears back flat to his head as the gryphon took a step forward, fixing him with a large eye. "I have never seen the like before."

"Then I would like to see it." The beast nodded his head sharply once. "Please, if you will show it to me?"

"I-I suppose so." The rat scholar glanced at the village. Not a single person was on the street, not even a stray dog.

Surely it can't hurt to let the creature see the statue. He will look at it and leave. The rat licked his lips lightly and gestured with a little bow. It would do more harm to deny him, he might very well do damage to the town!

"If you will follow me, please sir?" Bisc was pleased that his voice only quivered a little as he spoke quite politely. To his relief Chesseth gave a dip of his head in happy ascent and took to air with a great flash of his wings to hover above him, bringing to life just how large and how predatorial he was.

The town was silent as he led the gryphon down the main street and past the marketplace. The church was dark, no candles were lit, not even on the altar. He knew that the priest must have blown them all out when news of the monster had reached him, but that gave him no comfort as he gestured up at Chesseth to try and get the creature to land. He had never felt so small and vulnerable as he did when the large creature back winged down to land before him with the gold and black feathers along his ruff roused straight up making him seem large and imposing. He half expected for one of the large clawed paws to swipe out and snatch him up, but he needn't have worried. The gryphon's eyes were locked on the statue that crouched menacingly above the door of the church.

He reared up onto his hind legs, his wings spread for balance so that he stood beak to beak with his statue, and the white rat blinked his red eyes a few times in shock. There was no mistaking the resemblance, they had the same broad head and large beak, even the ear tufts were exactly alike and quite large when compared to the proportion of the head. Every feather seemed to match the ones on the creature that had come to visit, even the fine scaling on his avian paws were exact! The gryphon stared into his own face for several long moments before he sat down and canted his head to one side and then the other, studying the smooth stone as if looking for the slightest imperfections. He closed his left eye to look at the statue with his right eye, and then closed the right one to look with the left. He seemed entirely enthralled as his tail curled quite primly around his haunches and rested the tip right on his foreclaws.

"It is quite remarkable! I believe it does look like I do, do you not agree?" Chesseth finally spoke, but his eyes remained on his statue. "Except, I don't think the wings are quite right, mine are certainly not so broad. They are far more graceful and tapered at the ends."

"It looks very like you, the only difference is that it has no coloring when you are all gold and black all over." Bisc offered shyly, his fear relaxing slightly as the beast seemed to be engrossed in the act of staring at himself. "I should think that the artist must have known you."

"Perhaps he did!" The gryphon's ear tufts lifted up, looking so terribly large as the feathers fluffed out. "I would dearly like to know who created this. You should bring him to me at once so that I might meet him!"

"I'm afraid I don't know who made it, sir." Bisc glanced towards Father Charles' cottage, but it remained dark and uninviting. Had the old priest gone to hide with the others or was he huddled against one of the windows? "But whoever made it is long dead, because it was carved centuries ago."

"A pity, for it is quite handsome." The gryphon stood up and padded to one side so that he could look at his statue from one side. "It was well worth the long flight to see it in person!"

Bisc didn't know what to say, he wanted to bolt for his safe school house, but he couldn't simply leave this creature standing alone in front of the church. It was obviously a very intelligent being and he didn't want to see the beast taken down by one of the soldiers while he was distracted. Instead, he stood beside the church nervously, while the gryphon continued his examination from every angle possible, even going aloft to stare down from above as if he might find imperfections hiding there. Minutes passed, and then hours as the white rat finally perched on an old stone bench and watched the strange creature in his examinations. It grew darker rapidly, the shadows engulfing the church as the sun began to set.

"It will be dark soon," Bisc offered softly as he watched shadows starting to creep over the church and were cast over the gryphon's statue. "You won't see much of the statue in the dark. Perhaps-" The schoolmaster hesitated at suggesting the gryphon go home. Would he become offended and angry? "Perhaps you would like to retire for the night?" He amended.

"That is a very good idea." Chesseth ruffled up his feathers and turned his gaze towards Bisc, blinking the great golden orbs several time. "I will go to sleep where I landed, the grass is soft there and I will be comfortable and I will return in the morning."

"O-Oh... That sounds like a good idea." Bisc flicked his ears back slightly, the villagers would not like this, not at all. "It would be better if you waited for me to come and get you, the villagers will be frightened and if I come to escort you it will make them feel better."

"I will wait then." The gryphon nodded his head quite happily. "Come in the morning and I will return here with you."

Oh the villagers will not like this at all... The rat thought miserably as the gryphon took to wing and left him behind. How could he possibly explain this?

~ ~ * ~ ~

The next day, just after dawn, Bisc returned to the place just outside of the field and found the gryphon awake and waiting for him. This time he wasn't pacing and growling, but eager and pleasant as he called a greeting and immediately asked to be taken back to the church. The rat couldn't tell him no, he didn't want to anger the creature, the beast could very well destroy the entire village. And so, he returned to the church to watch the gryphon settle down to stare at his statue just as he had the day before, with no sign of growing bored. The beast continued to explore it from all angles, often stopping to ask Bisc to confirm if the proportions truly were correct or if they were off. It would have been amusing if it weren't for the fact that the village was still in hiding and neglecting their harvest.

And Bisc couldn't even attend his own duties. He couldn't leave the gryphon, it was his duty to make sure their unorthodox guest was safe and his village remained protected. He had never enjoyed sitting idly, his paws itched to do something, anything rather than watch the gryphon watch the statue. He made the most of his time by tending to the small garden that the priest kept on the side of the church, weeding and harvesting the ripe vegetables so that they could be put on the table. It gave him something to busy himself with, as well as he hoped that the villagers would see that the gryphon only wanted to stare at the statue and meant no harm.

The morning passed slowly, but eventually the bravest members of the village slipped out of their houses with many nervous glances cast at the gryphon who was enthralled with his statue. Chesseth, thankfully, didn't notice the villagers as they went to the grain fields and their harvest, but no women and no children came out, they remained securely hidden away from the monster. The soldiers set up a nervous line outside of the town hall to keep them safe, ensuring that Bisc couldn't abandon post no matter how hard it was to remain hour after hour beneath the warm sun. By afternoon, he had completed tending the garden, making sure that it was neat and prim as he stood up and ran his pink paw through his hair.

"I'm afraid that it is getting rather late." He spoke softly, watching the gryphon twitch an ear tuft. "I'm afraid that I need to get something to eat. Would you like something as well?"

The moment he said it the rat wanted to retract the words. He felt a thrill of fear wash through him as the gryphon dragged his gaze away from his statue and looked at him. Bisc could only imagine what bloody meal the gryphon would demand for himself and how he would explain it to his villagers. Would he wish to eat someone? Or would he wish the entire town's sheep herd was driven down his gullet?

"No thank you." Chesseth rumbled. "I only eat at the spring equinox and it tides me over for the whole year round, but please seek something to eat if you need it. I will be fine here."

"I suppose so..." The schoolmaster twitched his whiskers a few times, trying to hide his relief at the gryphon's reply.

The villagers can't take exception now, he only eats once a year and the equinox isn't for months. He let out a happy sigh and padded away from the gryphon, feeling more at ease than he had all day.

That evening the gryphon returned to his small clearing near the wheat field to sleep and the town came together in a meeting. The streets came alive with torchlight that sent ghostly shadows spilling into the alleys as they moved silently for fear of waking the beast that had descended upon them. Father Charles held it at the church with every man woman and child filling the small building so that it was even filled up even fuller than on Christmas. Many were forced the crowd the doorways and crane their heads up and over their neighbors to hear what was being said. Schoolmaster Bisc was summoned to sit nervously beside the priest and the mayor, trying to make himself small as the angry group began to mutter and growl about what to do about the monster that had landed in the midst of their town.

"We should tear down the statue! He will leave if there is no statue!" A little rabbit called out eagerly, his fists clenched as if he would tear the stature down with them alone.

"He might grow angry. We couldn't claim it was an accident because he's already seen it, he would know what we've done." Father Charles, a grand old horse, shook his head slowly back and forth. The old stallion's eyes flickered towards Bisc as if laying part of the blame on the slight albino rat. "We cannot risk his anger."

"Then we shall feed him poison!" A lean wolf that headed the hunters growled smoothly, his bright green eyes narrowing with anticipation. "Feed it to a sheep and give it to him as a meal and we will be well rid of the beast! We might use his hide to sell to bring us food for the winter."

There was more agreement with this idea as the small white rat flinch slightly and dare to raise his paw up into the air. The last thing he wanted to do was make them angry, but he couldn't let them destroy themselves with foolish plans. And to kill the gryphon? Chesseth was intelligent, he could speak and understand, and he had offered not a single spot of violence or ill will towards them. His only crime was in being a creature that they did not know or understand, and how could they fault him for that?

"Excuse me." Bisc twitched his round ears back against his head as the priest glanced down at him and a few people gave him angry looks. "He won't eat now, he said he only eats during the Spring Equinox, he told me so himself. I suggest that we let him look at his statue, he will grow bored and leave eventually."

"Grow bored?!" The goat that had first talked to the gryphon leapt up angrily. "What if he decides to entertain himself at our expense? He's torn up the ground near the fields, what if the crops are next? Or if an entire flock descends upon us!"

"What if he harms our children?! He might not eat, but a cat does not always eat the prey that it takes!"

"What if he drives away all the animals we hunt?!"

"How dare you support that monster!"

The shouts came from all sides as Bisc sank lower in his chair, his ears splaying to either side while he felt as if he were in the midst of an angry mob. Their voices raised up into near screams to be heard, each one sure that they were in the right. He had never felt so helpless in his life, but he refused to let them do something stupid. Chesseth was obviously here for his statue, he hadn't done a single thing to harm any of the villagers and that's what the rat would support.

"Please! Just let him enjoy his statue and I am very sure that he will leave soon." Bisc finally piped up, standing up straight and tall in front of the disapproving villagers. His pink tail lashed back and forth with his conviction, he wouldn't stand down, he wouldn't be drowned out. "Please, just leave him alone. We can't risk him growing angry."

"If that is how you feel, Schoolmaster Bisc, then you shall be the one to keep an eye on him and ensure the safety of our village." Father Charles spoke in an impressively deep voice, his greying muzzle turned towards the rodent.

"Yes! Let him deal with the gryphon!" The idea seemed to spark interest in the villagers, their eyes trained on the small white rat who flinched slightly.

Oh what have I gotten myself into... He thought dismally. Surely he won't be interested in that statue forever.

~ ~ * ~ ~

In the week after the meeting, Bisc found that looking after the gryphon was quite a bit easier than he had thought it would be. Chesseth remained enamored with his image, spending his days sprawled out on the pathway that led to the church and drinking it in. The rat was able to work around the church and tend to the chores that the priest would no longer do. The old horse remained in his cottage, claiming that he was feeling ill, but it was easy to see that he would not leave with the gryphon looming outside of the church. So each day the rat would wake up early to go to the edge of the fields so that he could escort the gryphon to the church so the villagers felt safe and then he would set about tending to the church. He filled the oil lamps and trimmed the wicks, polished the silver and swept the floor before moving outside to attend to the grounds.

At first, the gryphon ignored him completely except for offering advice now and then or asking a question or two. His advice normally had to do with what plants should be wintered over, which ones he should replace in the spring or how he should trim down the bushes so that they would regrow in the spring thicker than before. But for the most part he remained contentedly silent, gazing at his own form crouched about the church with a fascination that Bisc simply couldn't understand. The villagers took the inaction on the gryphon's part as a sign that they could return to the harvest, and village life slowly began to go back to normal. The town hall emptied out and homes were filled, the tavern was reopened and they began to harvest in earnest, but always they kept an eye on the gryphon, fearful the beast would reveal its true nature.

"I will have to leave you today." Bisc rubbed his hands nervously on the front of his church as he approached the sprawled gryphon. "I must reopen the school, a week is too long and they will have forgotten most of their lessons by now."

"Must you leave?" Chesseth turned his head away from the statue to blink great golden eyes.

"Yes, I truly must." He offered a slight smile, he wasn't even sure if the gryphon really cared or not if he left, but there was something in those alien eyes that made Bisc continue. "But I shall return after my lesson and have tea here in front of the church."

"I think will go with you to see the school." The gryphon nodded his head definitively and heaved himself up onto all fours, his tail curling behind him.

"I.. ah... I'm not sure if that would be the best idea." Bisc licked his lips nervously, thinking about how the villagers would react. "It might frighten the villagers."

"Or it will put them at ease. They will see I am not going to gobble up their children and stop sneaking around me." Chesseth dismissed. "Lead on, I wish to see you teach!"

No matter how hard he tried to dissuade the gryphon, he couldn't, the large creature followed behind him merrily through the town as he went to the school and rang the summoning bell. To his shock the students arrived swiftly and on time, not one of them lagged behind to play games or attempt to avoid class. Not even after a week of being allowed to stay at home and play whatever games piqued their interest. All them only had eyes to the ferocious creature looming behind the schoolmaster and his sharp beak, for them it was all too easy to imagine the gryphon snatching them up if they lagged too far behind. The children formed up into two neat lines and went into the school house as politely as could be leaving Bisc blinking his eyes in amazement before he followed them into the small school room.

Chesseth attempted to follow behind, but it was obvious that he was far too large to fit well into the tightly packed schoolroom. When he backed out of the door the students showed utter relief, but it was short lived. Instead, the gryphon walked around the back and reared up on his haunches to peer through the window curiously as the rat began to teach his class. The children remained well behaved, their wide eyes staring at the fearsome creature that avidly listened to every lesson, even taking pains to repeat the alphabet with them when they stuttered and seemed to hesitate in their recital. By the end of the school day they had learned more in a single afternoon than they had all year, a fact that didn't escape Bisc in the least bit.

The school day started a pattern between the gryphon and the rat, as the fondess the monster showed the schoolmaster increased with each and every day. Weeks passed, and then months as the harvest came and went, but still the gryphon refused to leave. Every suggestion that he must be missing his home was merrily dismissed while the villagers grew more and more nervous when the cold weather set in. Bisc tended to his normal chores and Chesseth always followed close behind him whenever he wasn't staring at his statue. The villagers were rightfully horrified and often protested whenever Bisc went to market to purchase food and gryphon followed, but none of them said anything while the great beaked creature was in their midst. The prices that he paid were suddenly lowered without attempts to haggle and he never had to hunt to find the best fruit or freshest bread, it was always presented right away.

At first, he rat was nervous to have the massive form looming over him and asking questions, but the gryphon soon proved to be a wealth of information. When Bisc made his rounds to visit the ill and elderly the gryphon followed along, often asking to examine patients and prescribing his own herbs and medications. His presence had a marvelous effect, those who were not ill leapt from bed upon seeing their monstrous doctor and proclaimed themselves ill, while those that were sick he taught Bisc what to use to heal them. He knew what herbs to use to help speed healing or chase away sickness. Whenever he healed a patient he seemed excited and pleased, chattering endlessly about how he had only known the theory and never seen it in practice. The rodent found the excitement endearing and contagious, with the pair of them often discussing patients long into the night after a successful day. The dreary jobs that he was given, no longer seemed to dreary as long as Chesseth came along.

And so their days continued, with the gryphon's evident fondness for the rat growing, and Bisc's respect and fondness for the gryphon increasing with every day. As winter closed in, Bisc was at a loss on where he should put the gryphon. He felt a guilt pang that the beast was sleeping in the grass and out in the cold, but he certainly couldn't put him in the stable. When the first snow fell, the rat hesitantly suggested that the gryphon stay in the small cottage that he called his own, an invitation that was eagerly accepted. The gold and black drake seemed excited and eager to enjoy the warmth of the fire, exclaiming over the interior furniture and small decorations. Bisc couldn't help by smile, and soon it became a comfortable ritual that the gryphon returned home with him at the end of each evening.

"No no no..." Chesseth rumbled one day when Bisc was putting together medicinal packets for the elderly who were feeling the cold in their bones. "That won't work, what is that? Arrowroot? No take that out."

"But we've always used it." Bisc protested as the gryphon used a large forepaw to drag the wooden chest of herbs towards him.

"Yes, but not right." Chesseth rifled through the packages using his beak and paw both. "What you need is this."

"Ivorymoss?" Schoolmaster Bisc blinked his eyes rapidly and picked up the packet. "Are you sure? It's for fever and sometimes-"

"I am positive and use it in honey to make it thick and syrupy. It will be spread on the joints and warm them." The gryphon nodded his head amiably, gaping his beak in a fond smile. "And it will be done sooner than making those packets, so you might tell me another story."

"Chesseth... It's not just a story, they're biblical stories meant to teach you." Bisc reprimanded in amusement, but the gryphon was already puffing himself up in contentment. His gold eyes nearly all the way lidded while he watched his friend work.

"Tell me of the large flood, I enjoy stories about the sea." He murmured, his voice a soft and familiar croon that made Bisc smile to himself. Chesseth was already settled in as happy as a cat with a spot in front of the fire, in no mood to debate.

Strange... It's hard to remember that he is a monster. The rat curled his tail around himself while working to crush the herbs into honey as he had been told. He knows so much about herbs and plants, he would make an excellent healer if he weren't so fearsome.

Bisc smiled to himself and continued his work, the strange spicy scent of the gryphon and the rumble of his purr filling his small cottage.

~ ~ * ~ ~

The snow had finally melted two weeks ago revealing the green grass and the first breath of spring, new life was budding everywhere, but the village felt no joy that the long weary nights were coming to an end. They felt no relief that their crops would soon grow and they would no longer spend the night trembling indoors. Only terror as the Spring Equinox, and the gryphon's yearly meal, were approaching rapidly and he showed no signs of wishing to leave. Bisc tried to convince Chesseth to leave, he tried to recall the home that he must have left, he tried to offer him the statue that he had come to love, but still he was refused. The gryphon stayed, but each day he lost the warmth and fondness that had become a part of the schoolmaster's life, he grew strange and withdrawn and spent many long hours every day watching his statue with darkened gold eyes.

The night before the Spring Equinox Bisc braced himself, he knew that he had to get the gryphon to leave or else find out what he would eat for the next day. He could not allow his village to suffer because of the creature's appetites, even if it meant risking the beast's rage. As he passed through the village, it was silent and still, no candles in the window, no sounds of life. Many of the villagers had fled over the last week, only those too poor to travel remained and they hid for fear at dawn the beast would rise to devour them all. The rat's tail dragged through the dirt as he hunched his shoulders and let his foot paws take him around the path that wound through the heart of the village and to the familiar church. The gryphon was waiting for him in the darkness.

"Schoolmaster Bisc." Chesseth rumbled softly and dropped his head down, the feathers on his head flattening so that he seemed smaller in the darkness. "I've been waiting for you this evening."

"Have you? I thought that you would be staring at your statue again." Bisc grinned a bit, trying to lighten the air as the gryphon continued to stare down at the ground. He didn't rise to the light teasing at all.

"I am fond of you, schoolmaster, very fond." Chesseth's voice was soft, as close to a whisper as the great beast could give. "I didn't realize just how fond I had grown of you until now."

"I am very glad of that." Bisc smiled to himself, it was a strange thrill to have such a powerful creature be fond of him. "I am fond of you as well."

"You should not be glad..." The gryphon spoke to his paws and flattened his feathers. The rat frowned slightly and waited for more, but the drake continued to stare down at the ground. "No, if you should understand the circumstances you should not be glad at all." The last was muttered almost inaudibly.

"We need to talk, my friend." Bisc approached the gryphon with trepidation, but Chesseth made no move to strike, he was staring at his large forepaws. "Tomorrow is the Spring Equinox, the villagers are upset and frightened."

"The villagers." The gryphon's head jerked up and his head twisted towards the houses as he nearly spat the word like an insult. "Cowards and fools all of them! Do they fear I will devour them in their beds?"

"It is... a rational thought. You only eat once a year, and they don't have enough cattle and sheep to feed you properly." Bisc pointed out tentatively.

"I have no appetite for cowards and their selfish ways. They would poison my stomach and I would not be able to serve my purpose." The gryphon dropped his head back down and splayed his ears to either side. "I only have an appetite for one thing."

"Then go and hunt it!" Bisc lifted his ears up and felt a rush of relief. "You can go to the forest and return the next day, you will only miss one day of school."

"No, my friend.." Chesseth's head lifted and in the dim light of the oil lamps from the church the rat could see tears glittering there. "You do not understand... I'm afraid you will all too soon. The only thing I have an appetite for is you. You who are my friend and companion. And I do not wish to eat you...."

Bisc froze, his entire body stiffening as the gryphon suddenly let out a choking noise before an unearthly keen broke through from his throat and rose up in the air. His wings drooped to either side while the schoolmaster swallowed, his tongue suddenly dry. The gryphon wanted to eat him?! HIM?! He had spent countless winter nights sleeping next to him, or staying up long into the night reading stories from fairy tales and the bible to the gryphon's excitement. This was his friend, his strange and monstrous friend, but his friend!

"Y-you don't have to eat me." The rat stammered and swallowed again. "if you don't want to you don't have to! Go hunting for a deer and it will fill your stomach."

"Oh Bisc.." The gryphon stood slowly and took a step forward, his wings spreading open with a shake as he moved. "I wish I could, but it is too late. I am the bringer of rains, and to bring them I must sacrifice so that the rains bring a fertile year."

"You don't have to sacrifice me!" The rat scrambled backwards as the gryphon's dark shape padded forward, his wings spread so that they formed a barrier to keep him from getting around him. The large beaked head was lowered so that he could see the reflection of the eyes in the church's lamp lights.

"You are not the sacrifice." The gryphon took another step so that his head suddenly pushed up against the rats, warm soft feathers caressed his cheek while the beak brushed right along the line of his cheek with a warm brush of spices. "The sacrifice is in what I lose upon eating you. The memories and fondness I feel for you will be fed back into the magic, and bring about a rich and fertile spring. To eat something I feel nothing for will dry the earth through the spring. Normally I would have left to find a young animal to raise beside me in the forest, some weak creature to nurture and grow attached to so that during the Spring Equinox I would devour my pet and sacrifice all the love and fondness I had for it. But not this time..." Bisc felt a warm tear roll down along his neck. "This time I did not wish to go and find some silly senseless animal, I wished to know you and kept putting it off until another day and another and another... and now? It is too late."

"That's superstition! No one brings the rain! It just happens every Spring when it grows warm!" Bisc shuddered as the feathered chest brushed against him and the gryphon dropped down on his haunches and the great forepaws moved up to rest against him. "It's impossible to say that you do."

"Am I not an impossible thing, schoolmaster?" Chesseth moved back and rasped his tongue out to glide along the curve of the rat's chin. "So I must do the impossible, but it will not hurt you. I would not hurt you for the world. You are good and brave and honest, and for that I will relish you, but not hurt."

"B-but... just because you are impossible..." Bisc trembled, his eyes flashing open wide as the gryphon's heavy paws caught against his pants and gave a gentle pull.

The gryphon pulled his head back so that the rat was left staring into the large soulful eyes, even in the darkness he could see the torment in them before the tongue rasped over his muzzle again, sliding along the underside of his jaw while the paws suddenly pulled downwards. The rat flushed hot red and he moved his hands out to plunge into his friend's thick feathered chest as he felt his pants being drawn downwards, slipping from his narrow hips. The broad feathered head moved down so the black beak caught against his wool shirt and gave a tug. He moved his hands up too late as the gryphon's head lifted up and peeled the material off him, sliding it from his chest and over his head so the felt the cool spring air brushing over him.

"Ch-chesseth what are you doing?" Bisc stammered as the drake let out a sudden throaty rumble, his eyes brightening as the gryphon looked at him.

"I want you to know pleasure..." The gryphon rumbled to himself, his eyes growing consideringly while the rat was left moving his hands down to try and cover himself. "I will not have you feel pain, Bisc, I care for you too much."

What does that mean?! What is he doing. He trembled in place slightly, eyes flashing wider as the gryphon's warm breath tickled down along his upper chest.

He could feel the golden eyes looking over his nude body, not even the night could hide him, not with his coloration. He could feel the warm softness of his shaft resting over his balls as he used his hands to hide himself, the heat in his cheeks keeping him warm even in the chill air as a deep croon burst out of Chesseth's throat, rising up and up in the air as the feathers lifted along his crest. His pale pink nipples tightened in the moonlight as the drake moved his beak up so that the heat of the tongue suddenly rasped out right over one of his nipples and swirled around it so he let out a startled squeak. The tongue ran downwards slowly, a line of slick heat that left him shaking. And then the gryphon struck, the beak clamped down and he felt something strike hard against his shoulder with a momentary flare of pain.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" He squeaked out in a panic, but his response was a deep croon as the spot that had been struck with the gryphon's venom grow numb and then warm, the warmth began to slide over him as the tongue continued to stroke downwards with the slick slippery tongue.

"No pain... no panic... Not for someone so dear as you." Chesseth rumbled softly.

He opened his mouth to ask what the gryphon thought he was doing, but it was stopped as the great feathered crest brushed over his bare upper body and shoulders. It was a sensuous stroke of soft feathers brushing all over him, the heat of the gryphon radiated from him as the hard edge of the beak nudged down to push right along his fingers. He tried to keep his hands there, but the gentle press forced them away so the warmth of the gryphon's breath tickled over his plump shaft. The rat trembled in place, almost squeaking out before the tongue stroked out right along the base of him in the lightest of touches. It was slick and smooth, silken as it slipped over the length of his pink shaft from the base all the way towards the tip, never even touching with the hard edge of his beak.

Bisc reached out blindly and clutched the full rich feathers of the gryphon, clinging along the sides of the neck as the great avian forelegs reached up to wrap around him and gave a sudden tug. He felt only a moment of confusion and trembling fear before he fell onto the gryphon's chest and stomach. It was warm, almost feverish, pulsing against him as the great paws clutched against the curve of his pale white rump cheeks and the tongue worked again over the line of his shaft. It twisted and curled gently, caressing in the softest of touches so that the rodent started to tremble slightly in reaction, his muscles tensing up as he felt his body react when the tongue caressed right along his glans. One of the paws moved up to gently press against his chest, coaxing him backwards so that he could lay on the softest fur of his friend's stomach.

"This village did not relish you, love you, care for you..." Chesseth murmured tenderly as slowly Bisc could feel himself stiffening and rising up under the attention. The warm touches ran from the base and swiftly worked towards his tip again. "I do, I will..."

Biscuit let out a whimper as the tongue twisted around his cock and suddenly rolled, pulling upwards in a tight squeeze that made his hips lift upwards. He knew he should be afraid, he should struggle, but the familiar comforting spicy scent of gryphon surrounded him and hugged him. The great paws laid him out so he could feel his shoulders testing right against something firm and heavy as his legs were brought up. The tongue twisted along his cock, pulling harder before his legs were bent and his knees were pushed right up against his chest. With a short cry he squirmed against the gryphon before the heavy beak moved to brush right along his bare pink foot paws. The tongue flicked out briefly, fluttering along the soles before the great beak gaped open wide and his toes, then soles, and then ankles slipped along the warm tongue.

One of the warm avian paws moved down to caress along his stomach as the gryphon lifted his head and the rat felt the great slippery throat muscles wrap around ankles and swallow, contracting and pulling as he bowed his back. Nimble fingers wrapped around his cock, squeezing ever so gently as the head pushed down and his feet began to sink lower, slick saliva coated around his calves as the great muscles contracted again. He could feel the croon vibrating along his legs as he let out a high pitched squeak and another inch of his calves was pushed downwards. The tongue stroked along his legs, teasing and caressing while he arched his back and felt one of the toes on the avian paw move up to circle right around his glans.

I need to run! I need to flee! He screamed to himself, but his body felt flushed and warmth in the gryphon's grasp, the venom that spilled through him didn't let that panic rise to the surface as he groaned and arched up higher as the free paw pulled him upwards and the beak tip soon grazed his knees.

His fear was pushed away as the slick warm saliva caressed over his knees, the tongue curling lightly as his lower legs bent along the tight muscled throat. There were ridges, he could feel them clutching around him as the movements rippled from the knees all the way towards his foot paws before he was pulled upwards. The warm breath tickled higher as he was dragged along the thick feathered chest and the paw moved to curl just beneath his shoulder. His body was flushed and warm as the tongue caressed right between his legs, sliding and trailing up higher. The contracting muscles stretched around his knees as the throat was growing wider and wider, straining around him tightly as he could feel each and every caress working over his legs. He tried to push backwards, a brief struggle before the beak surged higher and the slick smooth tongue caressed along his inner thighs.

A low vibrating croon ran along his legs as the paw that was teasing along the length of his shaft slipped to one side so that the great avian paws cupped against his hips pulling him upright. Bisc scrambled, his fingers moving down to clasp against the broad feathered head as the tongue intimately curled upwards and pushed right along the swell of his white furred orbs. He could feel the warmth of the breath tickling against him as his legs were entirely enveloped in that hot slick throat. Every ripple pulled along them, caressing higher as he squeezed his eyes shut and let out a muted noise low in his throat. The tongue curled and wrapped right around one of his balls, rolling it back and forth as he let out a short cry. The tongue tip curled upwards, pushing a bit more firmly just behind the orbs and glided upwards and sent a shudder through the line of his back.

"Ahh..." Bisc's cheeks were burning hotly as he felt another rush of warmth flowing through him, his heart beat faster with a mingling of pleasure and fear both. He needed to get free, he knew that, but the fear was being pushed away by the flush of desire and lust.

The throat was bulging around his legs, he could feel it straining wide open before another contraction pulled around his upper thighs and the warmth of the tongue pushed upwards and caressed right along his hardened cock. It stroked upwards, pulling from the base towards the tip as he moved his paws downwards to grip against the familiar large beak. His breathing came out in short shallow bursts while the paws caressed right along the line of his chest and the tongue curled right around the length of his spire as he was pulled in deeper. His hips gliding over the hard edge of the broad beak pressed along the curve of his ass cheek. His cock throbbed along the line of his belly as the tongue began to push up higher caressing and stroking along his glans.

With a contraction that pulled along his upper legs he slipped downwards so that the beak worked along his waist and his cock was pulled into the heat of the gryphon's maw. The powerful contracts massaged him while his tail was pushed up along the line of his back, baring the crease of his rump the warmth of the bottom of the beak. His entire body trembled as he felt the tongue sliding from his quivering shaft and pushed down to run right along the curve of his ass cheeks. It pushed along the underside of his tail as his hips slipped down along the clutching muscles, so silken and slippery. The pushing ridges of the throat ran right along line of his captured cock as the powerful paws worked up to run lightly along his back. It was so tight, so hot, and slippery that his hips arched upwards despite the fact that his legs started to curl into the empty gryphon's crop.

His beak was open so impossibly wide, his torso slipping down the length of the cavernous passage as the walls worked from the base all the way to the tip. Bisc could feel a dribble of precum spilling out of him, coating the saliva slickened throat. He was being milked by each tensing and relaxing of the muscles that pulled him downwards. It felt good, the fear was fading away entirely under the tremors of need that the movements filled him with, his hips rolled upwards, grinding and trying to thrust as he let out short high pitched cries. He could feel the tongue tracing tenderly along the line of his spine while the heat enveloped his back and lower chest, the paws pressed right along his shoulders as the gryphon let out a vibrating noise that ran through him.

It pulsed against his cock, caressing it with a flush of movement and sound that drew the rat's hips upwards in the cramp tight space. His entire body stiffened as the flush rose high up to his cheeks and the world was drowned out in the pounding of his heart beat in his ears. He leaned his head backwards, his mouth open in a silent cry as his glasses fell off the bridge of his muzzle to fall to the ground. The heat of the maw closed up and around his upper torso, forcing his arms upwards as he slipped downwards and the gryphon suddenly moved. It didn't matter, the first rush of his orgasm crashed over him as the throat tightened with the gryphon rolling over and lurching up to his feet. The first and last rush of his seed splattered out from his tip and erupted down the eager swallowing maw. His hips quivered in place as rush after rush spilled deeper, swallowed down as his lower body slipped down and towards the rapidly filling crop. He couldn't get out, there was no way to escape, no hope to scramble out as the gryphon's head craned backwards and a paw suddenly pushed on his head, edging him towards the darkness.

~ ~ * ~ ~

Chesseth felt his throat spread open so wide as he used a paw to push the schoolmaster down towards his stretching crop. The rodent squirmed and twisted, arching and bucking as he clenched down and pulled lower and lower towards his throat as he felt the first chamber of his stomach bulging his chest outwards. The legs were curling up so neatly, he could feel them pressed against him as the rump dropped down and the thick seed oozed down to join the white rat's body. Each flexing of his throat drew him deeper while he lidded his eyes and concentrated on making room. He was so empty, so terribly empty and hungry, his stomach was still cramping despite the feeding he was offering it. But that slight discomfort faded to the background as he worked to devour more than just the rat. He had to devour the bond between them, digest it, feast upon it, no matter how much pain and sorrow it brought him.

The narrow shoulders slipped into his maw, the head gliding along his tongue as the rat let out a muffled cry before the drake was able to partially close his jaws. He ran his tongue along the arms and dragged up the memories of the last six months that he had spent. Bravery; the rat approaching him outside of the town, trembling with fear, but still standing straight and tall. He had admired that as the bright ruby red eyes had studied him without backing down. He had been impressed. Loyalty; Bisc standing next to him day in and day out as he looked over his statue, always ready to protect his village no matter how badly they treated him. The arms slipped lower and he felt the rodent letting out a vibrating cry along his throat, the legs pushing out as he began to struggle despite the application of his venom to try and keep him subdued and calm. They always struggled when it came to this part, but he had a duty to attend to, he had to concentrate on it.

Humor; Bisc smiling at him on the long nights when Chesseth had asked after his favorite stories. The rat's laughter and joy when something surprised him and those bright red eyes had glittered with mirth. Generosity; the schoolmaster opening up his cottage door as the snow began to fall, no matter that his home was so small and cramped with the addition of the gryphon's form. Honesty; the memories of listening to Bisc as he spoke to the villagers about Chesseth, the gryphon had hunkered down and never once had the rat lied. He had been so terribly honest. He was a good creature and the memories, the emotions, filled him as the rat began to curl up in his crop, making it feel heavy and laden as he heard the last muffled noises of the little white rat. No longer was his nervous voice raised up in bright clear tones, it would never raise up again to call his attention to a new story or some part of the village.

The large drake slowly closed his beak as the fingers ran along his tongue, caressing it slightly before he closed his jaws the entire way and gulped heavily. His throat tightened down and pulled the arms so that he could feel the slender white body curled up in a tight ball, still struggling and squirming in an all too familiar sensation. He wouldn't struggle for long, soon his natural venom would force the rat into a somnolent state and he would pass peacefully. There was no need for pain and terror, not for the schoolmaster who was his friend. The drake dropped his head down and drooped his wings to either side, his throat tightening slightly as he felt the warm sensation of being full and heavy, but it was offset with his own sorrow and regret.

"I did not mean it to be you..." He whispered softly to the dark earth, his large ear tufts flattened down over his head. He truly hadn't wanted his yearly meal to be the rat, he had promised himself at the start of every day for nearly a month that he should leave. But he couldn't.

He had tried a dozen times to go and watch the herds, to find some little lamb that didn't flourish and attach his affections to it. Always before he had had a deer or wolf or animal that he enjoyed, they blended together sometimes, but he remembered them. Sweet creatures that trusted him, dumb animals that didn't understand that he raised them for his yearly meal just as surely as these villagers raised their cattle. And now he had done the unthinkable, he had put it off for so long that he realized it was too late. All week he had known what it would come to as the hunger grew day by day, pangs in his belly demanding him to fill it. He could only think of one creature that would fill him, the lovely schoolmaster that he had grown to care so much for. The draw had only increased every day they came closer to the Equinox, filling Chesseth's mind and leaving him no peace or tranquility.

He had wanted to ignore it, for the first time in his long life he had wanted to walk away from his duty and not make his sacrifice. He had promised himself he would leave, but the very nature of his creation had kept him beside the rat and basking in the companionship together. But he couldn't, he couldn't just ignore what he had been created for. How could he call the rains with an empty crop and no sacrifice? And now... Now his friend became a still heaviness in his crop as the night slowly showed the barest edge of lightening towards the east. He carefully reached down to pick up the discarded spectacles and held them reverently in his beak. A slow tear rolled down his long beak as he lifted his head and tasted the moisture in the air.

The gryphon's heart felt as if it were breaking as he spread his wings and began to spin out the memories and grief that he felt. Yes, Bisc was gone and would be mourned, but not by this pitiful village. They had taken advantage of him, ignored him, used him. He had been wasted here. Chesseth crouched and leapt into the air as his heavy crop settled with the beating of the wings and a heart broken keen spilled from his throat. The magic that had created him spun outwards, carrying with it his grief and memories towards the heavy white clouds that had begun to gather. Yes, Bisc would be mourned, the rains that fell would cry for him as the gryphon surged into the dawn sky higher and higher.

And as the rains fell over the world, answering the sacrifice and keening of the gryphon, Chesseth returned to his lonely cave deep in the wild forest. The discarded spectacles were carefully placed on a large rock, right where the first light would hit them before the gryphon settled down on his belly. The lump in his crop starting to pass towards his lower stomach as he rested his eyes on the reminder of what he had lost and the tears rolled down his feathers. In all the world he had never had a friend such as the schoolmaster, and he had never sacrificed so much as he had the moment he had realized he could not give up his duty. For once, the spring rains did not wash his sorrow clean from his sacrifice, they did not still the ache in his heart.

That spring the rains came as a monsoon, never stopping, never easing, flooding small valleys and making streams surge into rivers as Chesseth's sorrow and loneliness grew. He didn't leave his lonely damp cave to wander his forest, he did not fly through clear spring days to enjoy the new life. He sat in his cave and huddled around the memories he had of the schoolmaster, of the days they had spent together and would often try and close his eyes and pretend the white rat was there beside him. The spring storms seemed to mourn with him as villages lost their crops due to mudslides. The world had never seen such a violent spring as town after town suffered under the pounding torrential rains, many villages being wiped away completely.

It was in such a downpour, that the gryphon's sorrow was broken by the sound of something chipping and cracking. A tap tap tapping that made him lift his weary head and stare as the rock that held his friend's spectacles began to shake and shudder. Tap tap tap. The sound of the rain falling grew wilder as the rock shifted and bucked before Chesseth's wide eyes. It twisted and turned with a louder TAP TAP TAP that grew more frantic by the moment. The gryphon stumbled to his feet as the storm began to lighten, making the tapping noise grow even louder to his keen ears. The edges of the rock began to crumble and quiver, dust falling down as suddenly there was a great cracking sound that sent him stumbling backwards as something very small and very white broke through the dark rough surface. He leapt backwards, his eyes flared open wide and feathers puffed up in alarm.

In the dank dark cave, in the heart of the forest, the gryphon stared at a small miracle cracking and tapping, breaking and wriggling from a shell made of solid rock. Small white-pink hind paws kicked free as the rock--no the shell--fell away to the ground in a small damp mess. Sugar white feathers, still damp and sticky roused up as a long pink tail coiled itself right along the rodent hindquarters as the inhabitant of the rock shook himself out quite neatly and primly. A gryphon, no bigger than a pony, stood up on swaying legs. With the haunches of a pure white rat, and the forebody of a sparrow he blinked ruby red eyes several times and gave a sneeze while looking around him. After a few moments he reached down with a pink forepaw and plucked up the spectacles to try and perch precariously on the ivory beak before noticing the gold and black gryphon huddled against the wall.

"Well that certainly took longer than I thought!" A high clear voice piped up from the small gryphon while he regarded his friend with his round pink ears twitching up. "I do hope you haven't been waiting for me all this time. It must have been dreadfully boring if so."

Beyond the dank dark caves opening the rain that had pounded the world and nearly destroyed it began to lighten and slow. For the first time in five weeks the first ray of sunlight broke through the darkness, allowing for a glimpse of new life to shine through.