Child of the Gryphon

by David Lugsden

Gabriel had been shocked to discover that the sphinxes actually evolved from the same genetic line as that of the gryphons. The main contrast was that the sphinxes, whilst they had retained their lion-like body and eagle’s wings, had developed a human-like head. In stark contrast to the noble gryphon, the sphinxes were a vicious, evil breed that took pleasure in torturing their victims. Their harsh nature was one of the main reasons that they were hunted to near extinction many hundreds of years before the gryphons met with their own demise.

  Unicorns were actually a kind of missing link between horses and goats, both of which they were relatively closely related to. With a lavish silvery-white coat, luxurious flowing mane and beard, and their single protruding horn, the unicorns were held in high regard, even by humans. Their speed also equalled that of modern day cheetahs.

  Species Awareness lessons were almost always enjoyable too, if for no other reason than watching the gigantic Madame Cryptid lumbering clumsily around her classroom, accidentally crashing into cabinets and tables. Seth, Gabriel and Sattan had taken to placing bets with each other prior to lessons on which furnishings or artefacts she may knock over or break next. Prior to their falling out, the three boys had invited Tamera to join in the bet, to which she would berate them for their lack of respect of a teacher. After their falling out, however, she would simply walk past them in disgust. Although comically clumsy, Madame Cryptid was nevertheless a popular teacher in the school, particularly amongst the female students whom respected and admired her extensive knowledge of the many animal species of the world, passed onto her from her mentor, Master Canis.

  Habitat Geology was Gabriel’s least favourite subject. Master Laniger was often quite bad tempered and painfully boring in his droning lectures about such equally dull subject matter as the oldest stalactite and stalagmite in Sanctuary and how Wingtail Lake was formed over millions of years through erosion by the sea. Even when Archimedes Flattail was brought in as a guest speaker to explain the process of tapping for geothermal energy, it failed to evoke any real interest.

  Advancement Theory wasn’t much better either. The content of the lessons was always very philosophical and involved a lot of conjecture and speculation. Neither Gabriel, Seth nor Sattan could fathom why something based purely in guesswork and hypothesis was of any use to them whatsoever.

  Without Tamera’s help, the quality of both their work in class and at home inevitably plummeted from being moderately satisfactory to barely acceptable.

  Two weeks later, and after repeated attempts to reconcile and make amends, Tamera still remained distant from them. Gabriel had noticed that Seth seemed to be taking her coldness towards them particularly badly. He even suggested to Seth that they tackle the issue in the same way he once had with his human friends, Ashley and Jessica, by facing it head on and waiting outside her house for her before school.

  The result turned out to be much less successful.

  Tamera had looked upon them derisively before finally saying, ‘You humiliated me in front of everyone. That is not something easily forgiven. Or forgotten.’

  During a subsequent Monday afternoon Survival Studies lesson, Master Tigris informed his students that he had arranged a special treat for them on the coming Friday. He had finally been granted permission to take the students out onto the surface for the entire school day. Hearing this, the students let out a great cheer. He explained that as they did not normally have Survival Studies on a Friday, their other masters would be setting them extra work to complete over the weekend. Also, Physical Potential would, for the next week only, be replacing their regular scheduled Monday afternoon lesson of Survival Studies. As they would be on the surface for an extended amount of time, additional security would also be needed, in the unlikely event that anything untoward should occur. They would be accompanied by Guardsman Tolero of Ursidae and Captain of the Guards Styne of Phacochoerus, courtesy of the Elders Council.

  In the days that followed, the students could barely contain their excitement. Even Victor and Fungus who were normally very nonchalant about anything to do with school were noticeably more excited than usual. Friday morning could not come soon enough. Tuesday dragged on at an agonisingly slow rate. Wednesday seemed to crawl by even more monotonously. And as for Thursday, time seemed to come to a grinding halt altogether.

  Nevertheless, Friday morning at last arrived and as they had been instructed, the students met at the north gate of the Suburban Caverns with permission slips in hand. As Gabriel and Seth arrived, they noticed that Master Tigris was already there, standing with Tolero and Styne, discussing plans for the day. Many of the students, whom resided in the dormitories of Wingtail Academy had travelled across the lake with Master Tigris himself. Tamera was also there, chatting with Verbera. The mertwins had once again been taken out into the open sea by Master Octus.

  Shortly after everyone had arrived (Aures was the last again as he had overslept and arrived looking very flustered) the group began its long climb to the surface. Master Tigris led whilst Styne and Tolero brought up the rear. They passed through the same familiar passageways as they had on their previous excursion, feeling the temperature of the air growing ever warmer.

  They rounded the final bend and approached the entrance where they were once again halted by Hookbeak. This time however, he seemed much more respectful, even pleasant, almost. Gabriel assumed that with the towering Council Guardsmen, Hookbeak thought it better than to push his luck and try to assert his own authority again. He seemed particularly wary of Styne and made only brief eye contact with the imposing Captain as he graciously took from him the official documentation and permitted the group to leave. Hookbeak acknowledged the authenticity of the documentation and then bid them farewell and good luck (which Gabriel thought odd), bowing deeply as the group passed by him.

  ‘Wow,’ Seth whispered to Gabriel as they left the cave, ‘they must really have read him the riot act after last time. I’ve never seen him like that!’

  Gabriel said nothing. He glanced back over his shoulder to see Hookbeak, still bowing deeply, but now with his head raised slightly, watching them leave. He couldn’t be sure, but it seemed that Hookbeak was staring directly at him... and smiling sinisterly. Unnerved, Gabriel held Hookbeak’s gaze until the entrance gates shut, blocking the guard from view.

  Master Tigris continued to march the group away from the confines of Sanctuary for almost an hour. He brought them to a stop deep in a valley, at the edge of a large clearing in the forest.

  ‘Alright, everyone, your attention please. Thank you. Now as I explained in yesterday’s class, you will be given a series of challenges throughout the day. So without further ado, onto your first problem: you are lost in the wilderness. What is the first thing you must do?’

  ‘Find shelter.’

  ‘Yes! Very good, Rostrum. Now, Guardsman Tolero, Captain Styne and I will be on hand if you have any questions. In teams of two or three you have the challenge of building yourself a shelter good enough to withstand the wind and rain whilst keeping you warm and dry. Do not venture too deeply into the forest and stay within sight of the clearing. You have one hour. Go!’

  Quickly the students divided themselves into groups. Gabriel and Seth glanced briefly over at Tamera, before partnering with Sattan. Unsurprisingly, Tamera once again teamed up with Verbera. Victor paired up with Fungus. Willow, Aire and Alae formed another group, each of them looking rather disgusted at the thought of having to scrounge around the forest for materials. Brutum and Rostrum also paired up and did not attempt to disguise their apprehension of allowing Aures into their group.

  An hour later Master Tigris walked around inspecting the different shelters. Gabriel, Seth and Sattan had thrust a number of branches, roughly the same size, into the soft ground, propped them together and covered them with ferns. The result was that although the shelter kept the wind out, it lacked adequate protection from the rain and only one of them could sit in it at a time. Tamera and Verbera did substantially better, build
ing their shelter against a tree, adding a soft carpeting of ferns inside and waterproofing the roof with moss. Victor and Fungus leant a few branches against a tree before they got bored and gave up. They were scolded for their lack of effort and ordered to work nearby Styne for the rest of the day; both of them seemed quite intimidated by this prospect. Willow, Aire and Alae had spent the hour plaiting leaves together, which they dangled from a low hanging branch. Theirs looked to be a very pretty shelter indeed, however the protection it would have offered, as Master Tigris pointed out, left a lot to be desired. Brutum, Rostrum and Aures had constructed the most effective shelter of them all. The base was strengthened with rocks and the walls were cemented together with mud and waterproofed with moss. Master Tigris commended them on it. Equally impressive was the time in which they had assembled the shelter. Three times during the hour they had had to begin again from scratch after Aures tripped and fell on top of it, utterly demolishing it. In the end, Brutum and Rostrum had ordered Aures to collect the materials they needed and to not come within five metres of the shelter.

  The students’ next task was to forage for resources and start a small campfire. All teams eventually managed this to varying degrees of success. Some of the campfires were so small they barely singed the tinder, whereas others billowed out so much smoke it threatened to suffocate the whole class. In Victor and Fungus’ case, they built one so large that it was in danger of consuming the entire forest. Under Master Tigris’ careful instruction however, all campfires were finally brought under control and to a manageable size.

  For lunch, the students had to search the forest for sustenance. Victor and Fungus pulled out a bag of multi-coloured sticky sweets they had purchased from Mr Suricata’s sweet shop. To their chagrin, Master Tigris promptly confiscated them.

  After two hours of foraging, the students returned to camp with the fruits of their labour, which for some, was quite simply fruit. Gabriel, Seth and Sattan managed to find an assortment of edible berries and mushrooms, as did Aire, Alae and Willow. Tamera and Verbera brought back similar berries and mushrooms but also wild growing apples, plums and a few root vegetables which they cooked up into a tasty broth. Victor and Fungus went hungry as their berries and mushrooms were declared by Styne to be poisonous. Aures, Brutum and Rostrum cooked up a hearty fish and vegetable soup which they shared with the three adults. Aures had been ordered by his teammates to pick the vegetables (after he was told where to look) whilst Brutum and Rostrum had waded out into a nearby stream to catch three large trout.

  Once everybody had finished their lunch (which was inevitably much briefer for some), Master Tigris gathered the class together and gave instructions for the afternoon.

  ‘We shall finish with a series of navigational exercises,’ he explained, ‘Each of your groups will be blindfolded and led to a different part of the forest. From there it will be your task to find your way back here. There is but one rule to follow: make it back.’

  Styne stepped forward, grasped Master Tigris’ arm and spoke into his ear loud enough for everyone else to hear, ‘I must interject. I do not believe this is wise. I sense... something. I think it is the best option to return to Sanctuary. Now.’

  ‘Styne, I assure you, if there was something nearby for us to worry about, I would know of it long before you. There is nothing for us to fear, at least for the moment. If our situation changes, I will amend our plans accordingly.’

  Styne clenched his jaw and reluctantly relented.

  And so the students tied one another’s blindfolds and were led into the forest. Within moments Gabriel felt totally disorientated. Master Tigris and Styne took the lead and Tolero followed behind. The group twisted, turned and backtracked through the undergrowth, making it impossible for any of the blindfolded students to remember the route they had taken. Occasionally the two leaders would call out for the students to duck for a low hanging branch, or to step over an exposed tree root. Aures repeatedly mistimed his ducks or steps and so quite often would be swiped across the face by the branch or end up sprawled across the floor. At irregular intervals, one team at a time were given instructions to wait where they were for five minutes, only then could they remove their blindfolds and begin to make their way back.

  Eventually it was the turn of Gabriel, Seth and Sattan to stop and wait. The three boys were given their instructions and then heard the remainder of the group traipse off into the forest.

  ‘Seth? Gabriel? You are both still there, right?’ Sattan said after a few moments of silence.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Yeah.’

  He let out a long sigh. ‘What a relief! I had the sudden feeling that I’d been left on my own!’

  ‘Has it been five minutes yet?’ asked Seth.

  ‘I’m not sure.’

  'You haven’t been counting either?’ asked Gabriel.

  ‘Let’s just say it has been. I can’t hear anyone anymore anyway,’ Seth said, pulling off his blindfold.

  They were standing in a much smaller clearing in the forest surrounded by dense brambles, nettles and ferns. The grass in the clearing was almost knee height. Although the sunlight had filtered through the tree canopy overhead to bathe the clearing in its warm glow, the forest around them was not nearly so well lit. Apart from a rhythmic gurgling of water they could hear in the distance and the repetitive chatter of birds, the forest was quiet. Even the summer breeze could not penetrate the thick wall of trees.

  ‘How long do you suppose we were walking for?’ Gabriel said.

  ‘I don’t know, an hour or two, it was difficult to tell. Why?’ said Sattan.

  ‘Just so that we have an idea as to how far we’ve come.’

  ‘With all that backtracking and changing direction, I don’t think there’s any way to tell.’

  'Alright, so what’s the plan?’ asked Seth.

  ‘We need to scope out our location and see which way we need to head in,’ Sattan answered.

  ‘And how do we do that?’

  ‘Get up high. Climb a tree,’ Sattan suggested.

  ‘OK... any volunteers?’

  ‘It’s gonna have to be you, mate,’ Gabriel said.

  ‘What! Why me?’ protested Seth.

  ‘Simple,’ said Sattan, ‘Gabe’s too big to get up to the highest branches and with these hooves of mine... let’s just say me and trees don’t get on very well. Rocks, yes. Trees, no way.’

  ‘Brilliant,’ said Seth sarcastically, ‘well at least give me a boost.’

  They picked a tall pine whose branches seemed the most stable. Unfortunately the lowest branches were still incredibly high up. Seth, standing on Sattan’s shoulders, who in turn was standing on Gabriel’s, still had to reach out with his fingertips to grasp the lowest limb.

  ‘Any time you want to start climbing would be fine with me,’ Sattan grunted as Seth’s tail tickled his nose.

  ‘I’m trying! Quit your whining!’

  ‘Seriously, Seth, get a move on!’ Gabriel winced as Sattan’s hooves dug into his shoulders. ‘I’m enjoying this so much and all and would gladly stay here all day, but I have dinner plans later!’

  ‘Yeah, yeah everyone’s a smart Alvin!’

  ‘I think you mean – Alec,’ Gabriel corrected.

  ‘Whatever. OK, OK, I got it!’

  Seth swung up onto the branch and hoisted his feet up. Gingerly, whilst grasping the trunk, he stood up and reached for the next branch. He tested his weight on the branch before he heaved himself up again and reached for another. Further up the tree the branches were more thickly clustered together which made Seth’s climb easier. Before long he was scampering up the tree as easily as one could on a ladder and was lost from view in amongst the foliage.

  ‘OK, I’m nearing the top,’ he called down. ‘There! Made it!’

  ‘What do you see?’ Sattan shouted back.

  ‘Trees! Lots of ‘em!’

  ‘Very funny.’

  For a few moments the two boys on the ground heard nothing else f
rom him.

  ‘Seth?’ Gabriel ventured.

  ‘I’m coming down,’ he replied.

  They heard a rustling of pine needles and a snapping of twigs and soon Seth came back into view. He made his way quickly down the tree swinging down from limb to limb like a professional acrobat, then dropped down gently onto the ground.

  ‘Well?’ the two of them asked hopefully.

  ‘Well, we’ve got the mountains on either side of us, so we can either go that way or that way,’ he said pointing with his hands.

  ‘So which way is?’

  ‘Take your pick,’ he said, ‘it’s impossible to tell which way we came and this forest seems to stretch throughout the entire valley. In that direction,’ – he pointed north – ‘the valley seems to angle off to the right a few miles ahead. Whereas in that direction,’ – he pointed southwest – ‘it starts to slowly bear left after a mile or so. There’s also a river filtering down from the mountains not far from here.’

  ‘And then where does it go?’ Gabriel asked.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Well does it run alongside the forest, or cut through it? Cos if it cuts through then it definitely isn’t that way. I know for sure we didn’t cross any river.’

  ‘I can’t tell. There doesn’t seem to be any break in the trees, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t cut through.’

  ‘A great tracker you are!’ Sattan scoffed.

  ‘Hey! I didn’t volunteer to go up there, Twinkletoes!’

  ‘Look let’s not argue,’ said Gabriel, ‘that’ll just delay us further. Why don’t we head north and if we come to a river that needs crossing, we’ll know it’s back the other way.’

  ‘And what if we think we’re going the right way, but what we’re actually doing is heading further and further away?’

  ‘We’ll deal with that problem if and when we come across it. We’ve wasted enough time already. Come on, let’s go.’

  CHAPTER TEN

  A NARROW ESCAPE