Guardians of the Gryphon's Claw

by Todd Calgi Gallicano

  “Good to see you too, Nuks,” Sam said with a smile.

  “And that is my cue. Farewell, Sam London,” Chriscanis said with a flourish and a bow. “We had a whale of a time.”

  Sam shook the cynocephalus’s hand. “Yeah, we sure did. And just so you know, I consider you family now. You don’t need to be related to qualify.”

  “Thank you, Sam. Thank you very much.” Sam could tell Chriscanis was touched by his words. Sam waved to him one last time as he drove away.

  When Sam entered the house with Nuks and closed the door, he inadvertently woke his mother, who had fallen asleep on the couch. She roused and slowly sat up. When she glanced toward the front door she saw two Sams. She snapped her head back in shock. As she rubbed her eyes in disbelief, Sam gestured for Nuks to hide. When Ettie looked again, she was met with just one Sam.

  “That was freaky,” Ettie said. “I saw two of you.”

  “Wishful thinking,” Sam said, grinning. He walked to the couch and sat on the edge of the cushion. As much as he would miss being on an adventure, he sure was glad to see his mom again. She must have noticed the elation in his face.

  “Are you okay, kiddo?” she asked, concerned.

  Sam nodded and gave his mom a long, tight hug. “I’m just happy to see you,” he replied.

  “You’re a strange boy, Sam London. But I’m not complaining. Not in the least.”

  Back in Sam’s room, Nuks returned to his tanuki form and asked if he could stay. He promised to be the best companion Sam could ever hope for. He would be loyal and obedient and wouldn’t make a mess. In fact, he even offered to help Sam clean his room. Sam wasn’t opposed to Nuks’s sticking around, but he was certain his mother would be. Nuks begged Sam to at least ask his mom and Sam obliged.

  After explaining to Ettie that there was a very sweet rescue dog who needed a home, Sam braced himself for the inevitable and was surprised by Ettie’s response.

  “A month ago this would have been a big fat no way,” she confessed. “But you’ve been so incredibly well-behaved lately—always helping out, doing your schoolwork—how can I say no? You deserve a reward, and if this is what you want, so be it.” She then proceeded to give Sam a lengthy list of rules regarding the new pet, including the stipulation that this was a trial period. Sam happily agreed, but Ettie’s reply had him wondering what Nuks had been up to since he’d been gone. It sounded as though the tanuki had set a dangerous precedent. A precedent that became clearer in the days that followed.

  —

  Sam’s first day back at school was another reminder that he missed being on his adventure. Nuks had tried to get him up to speed on what he learned in the time he had been away, but Sam had trouble focusing. He woke up early and took his shower before his mom—a trick Nuks hadn’t mastered, but the tanuki didn’t seem to mind cold water. It was the most well-rested and cleanest Sam had felt since before he left for Death Valley. He headed to the kitchen for breakfast, thrilled to have normal food again. Unfortunately, he found that Nuks had heavily influenced the grocery shopping. Sam’s favorite cereals had been replaced with granola, and his snacks consisted of dried fruits and nuts. Luckily, Sam had two more of Chase’s British cookies. He ate one and saved the last for a special occasion.

  Sam experienced more of Nuks’s handiwork when Ettie dropped him at school and pulled him in for a huge hug and kiss. Sam reacted the only way he knew how.

  “Mom!” Sam whined. “I thought we talked about this!”

  Ettie eyed her son, confused. “What?” Then she seemed to remember—“Oh, that’s right, we’re cranking it up to two kisses and an extra-long hug. Okay, I’m in.” Ettie kissed a horrified Sam twice on the cheek, then gripped him in a hug that seemed to last for hours. When Sam finally extricated himself from her embrace and the car, he was expecting to be instantly teased by a group of boys standing nearby. Instead, the boys spotted Sam and ran off as if they were scared of him. Nuks had informed Sam that he had an altercation with some bullies at school, and word must have spread not to mess with him. But things got even stranger when he entered the school. He was being greeted warmly by fellow students he had never even spoken to before. “Hey, Sam!” and “How’s it going Sam?” echoed through the hallway as he made his way to his locker. He waved and nodded in acknowledgment to these new acquaintances.

  “Good morning, Sam,” a female voice called out. Sam peered over his locker door to find the very blond and blue-eyed Nerida Nyx. Sam and Nerida had known each other for as long as Sam could remember. In fact, the two had had many a playdate when they were toddlers, a result of their mothers’ close friendship. Although they had grown apart in recent years, they remained friendly, often waving to each other in the hall or discussing what their moms were up to. Nerida’s mom, Tianna, and Ettie took the same yoga class and would hang out from time to time. Sam rarely talked about Nerida with his mom, as it usually spurred a great deal of teasing. Ettie was convinced Sam had a crush on Nerida and would often start sentences with phrases like “Well, when you and Nerida get married” or “When you and Nerida have kids…” The latter came when Sam was critical of his mother’s parenting skills. But Sam would be lying to himself if he didn’t admit to having a crush on his childhood friend. She was easygoing, smart, pretty, and enjoyed talking about mythical creatures.

  “Good morning, Nerida,” Sam replied with his warmest smile.

  “Nice to see you,” she added. Sam almost read into that a little too much, but Nerida was already talking again. “Are we still on for after school?”

  Sam was stumped. What had Nuks arranged with her? And how could he have forgotten to tell him? Sam tried to figure out a way to respond without sounding like he didn’t know. “Oh, right…after school. Was that today?” he replied, hoping to subtly procure more information.

  “You definitely said today,” Nerida clarified. “ ’Cause you said it’s always better to forage for berries early in the week before the other animals get to them. Which, now that I think of it, sounds like you were referring to us as animals. But I guess that’s technically true….”

  “Of course, foraging for berries…because you wanted to…” Sam was trying to find out how the heck this had happened.

  “I wanted to learn how you did it. I mean, after you brought all those amazing berries the other day, how could I not?” Nerida answered with enthusiasm.

  It pained Sam to say the following, but he had no choice: “I’m sorry, Nerida, but something’s come up. Can we do it another day?”

  “Oh, sure.” Nerida was clearly attempting to hide her disappointment. “We’ll do it tomorrow,” she added emphatically. Before Sam had a chance to protest, the athletics coach walked by.

  “Sam, buddy, don’t forget tryouts are today at lunch. I’m counting on you!” he announced as he passed, a big, toothy smile plastered on his face. Sam stared back.

  “Tryouts?” he repeated quizzically.

  “Yeah,” Nerida explained. “For track and field.”

  “M-me?” Sam stuttered in disbelief. He was certainly no runner.

  “Yes, silly,” Nerida replied. “The coach saw you at lunch. Running the track, jumping the hurdles. He said you were, like, the fastest kid he’s ever seen. I mean, I didn’t see it myself, but everyone has been talking about it.” Sam nodded in a stunned daze. He closed his locker door and proceeded to his class.

  “See you tomorrow, then,” Nerida called out.

  Sam nodded again, defeated by this turn of events. The raccoon-dog masquerading as Sam London had proven to be more popular than the real thing. It was a humbling revelation.

  When Sam headed to Miss Capiz’s class, he learned that she was out sick and a substitute teacher had taken her place. Although Nuks had turned much of his school life upside down, he had at least done a good job learning. The creature had been maintaining good grades while Sam was gone—in some classes, even better than Sam’s. As the teacher droned on about a topic Sam wasn’t interested in, he gazed ou
t the window and let his mind wander. He wondered how many mythical creatures were roaming around Benicia…creatures he could no longer see. For all he knew, this substitute teacher could be a cynocephalus, or maybe even a dwarf. He couldn’t tell. There was no more bigfoot blood running through his veins, and that left him glum. He knew something almost everyone didn’t, a secret he could never divulge—and even if he did, no one would ever believe him.

  Sam scanned the landscape until something caught his eye. For the briefest of moments, he could have sworn he saw Tashi. She was standing on the lawn in front of the school, dressed in her Guardian clothing and clutching her shekchen. He did a lightning-fast double take, but she was no longer there. Was his mind playing tricks on him?

  He quickly stood and asked to be excused to use the bathroom. Of course, he had no intention of going to the bathroom—he was heading outside to confirm he was merely seeing things.

  He didn’t have much time, so he raced to the spot where he’d seen Tashi, but there was no sign of her. Sam trudged back to the school and scolded himself for imagining such things. It had given him a surge of hope. For a few seconds, he’d believed Tashi had come to get him—to inform Sam he was needed once more. But as he settled back into his class, he told himself it was time to stop thinking about the past and start facing his reality in Benicia. He already had enough to deal with from the aftermath of Nuks’s ruse. Daydreaming about Tashi wasn’t going to help.

  Sam faked an injury to get out of the track and field tryouts, then headed to the library to spend the rest of the lunch hour getting caught up on his classwork. After school, Ettie picked him up and dropped him off at home, per their usual routine. Once home, Sam hopped on his bike and took off to the grocery store to stock up on normal food. Nuks tagged along, apologizing on the way for not informing Sam about all the changes at school. The raccoon-dog stayed outside by the bike as Sam ventured into the market. Sam had just shut the door to the ice cream section of the frozen food aisle when it happened again. The reflection of the door revealed Tashi standing outside, peering through a window and into the store. Sam spun around, but sure enough, she was gone. When he got outside, he asked Nuks if he’d seen a Guardian, but the raccoon-dog shook his head, then whispered, “What does a Guardian look like?”

  Sam didn’t bother going into detail. Back at home, Sam relaxed on the couch with a package of cookies and switched on the television. He soon nodded off but was awakened by a knock on the front door. It was dark out by now, and Sam had strict rules to never open the door to anyone while Ettie was at work. He wondered who could be knocking at this hour. He climbed off the couch and headed over for a look. He noticed Nuks was missing and remembered him saying something about going outside to get some exercise. Maybe he’d locked himself out, Sam thought.

  Sam pulled back the curtains on the living room window and was surprised to see Miss Capiz standing on his doorstep. She appeared anxious, her eyes darting around as if she was worried about being seen. Sam walked to the door and reached for the knob, then hesitated. Miss Capiz knocked again.

  “Sam?” she asked in a hushed voice. “Sam, if you’re home it is very important that we speak. Very important.”

  Sam wasn’t sure what to do. The rules were clear—it didn’t matter how well he knew someone; Sam was not to let anyone in the house when he was home alone. But Miss Capiz was his teacher, and she sounded distressed.

  “I know about the gryphon, Sam,” he heard her whisper through the door. Sam froze at the mention of the creature. Miss Capiz knew? But how? “We must talk,” she added quickly. “You’re in grave danger.”

  “What do you know about the gryphon?” Sam asked.

  “I know everything. You must trust me. Please, Sam, let me in; it’s not safe out here.”

  Sam was at a loss. This was the last thing he was expecting. He called back to Miss Capiz, “How do I know you really are who you say you are? You could be some sort of shape-shifter trying to trick me.”

  “That is true, Sam, and wise. I appreciate your caution. You must continue that. As for whether I truly am Ina Capiz, your teacher, I can tell you the day before you saw the gryphon in real life you fell asleep in my class. Drooled on the desk, if I remember correctly.” Miss Capiz gave a nervous laugh. Sam considered her words, took in a breath, then unlocked and opened the front door. “May I?” She gestured inside. Sam nodded and moved out of the way. Miss Capiz stepped into the living room while Sam shut and locked the front door. She sat down on the couch and Sam settled into the large recliner across from her.

  “You said I was in danger?” Sam asked. “What do you mean?”

  “There are forces who are seeking you. But I can keep you safe,” Miss Capiz assured him.

  “How?”

  “We have to get you out of here, but first we need to find out how they’re tracking you,” she said.

  “They’re tracking me? Who? How do you know?” Sam replied, unnerved at the thought that there were creatures following him.

  “I’ll explain later. We must move quickly. Did you bring anything home with you from your journey?” she inquired.

  “Just my book bag, my gryphon book, and a medal from the Guardians,” Sam responded.

  “I’ll need to see this book bag. It may be the source,” Miss Capiz said with concern.

  “Okay…I’ll go get it.” Sam hurried up the stairs, grabbed his pack from his room, and headed back down. He had left the book bag at home that day for fear someone might abscond with it—it held too many memories to risk losing. Sam set the bag down on the coffee table and unzipped it. “This is the book.” He pulled it from the bag and set it down. “The medal,” he continued. “Snacks,” he added, pulling out the last biscuit. But after he emptied it, he noticed something peculiar. “Why is it still so heavy? Everything is out.” Miss Capiz rose to her feet and reached for the bag.

  “Let me have a look,” she said, and grabbed it. She guided her hand into the largest zippered compartment and felt around. Sam could hear a slight ripping sound—fabric being torn from its stitching. When Miss Capiz’s hand emerged, it was clutching the golden gryphon’s claw. Sam was too stunned to speak. How did that get in there? He had given the claw to Dr. Knox in the yeti village. Who had put it in his book bag? And why?

  Nuks bounded through the patio doggy door but stopped dead between the kitchen and the living room when he spotted the claw and Miss Capiz. The fur on his back stood on end, and he began to growl viciously at Sam’s guest.

  “Chill out, Nuks,” Sam called to the tanuki. “This is my teacher, Miss Capiz. She’s helping us.”

  “No, Sam,” Nuks warned in a trebly growl. “Get away from her!”

  “Don’t be ridiculous….She’s my teacher,” Sam reiterated. He looked to Miss Capiz, who eyed Nuks nervously. “Tell him, Miss Capiz.”

  Nuks moved in closer, growling louder now. He spoke slowly as he approached. “She is not human.” With those words still echoing in his head, Sam faced his teacher and quickly realized he had made a terrible mistake.

  Miss Capiz let out a terrifying shriek as she reared back and transformed. Her fingers lengthened and sprang into sharpened talons. Pitch-black wings burst through the back of her sweater. Her skin grew pale as her teeth narrowed into pointed fangs, and her eyes turned blood-red. Sam tripped as he flinched backward and fell to the ground.

  Nuks lunged, but Miss Capiz swatted him away. The raccoon-dog flew back and hit the wall, taking a few framed photos with him as he slid to the floor, unconscious. Sam was still trying to process this terrifying information. His teacher was an aswang…and not just any aswang, but the one Sam had met at the yeti village. The one that had nearly killed him.

  As she watched Sam say his goodbyes, Tashi of Kustos was torn. She and Sam had a connection. Tashi had healed him, which had caused her to face a Guardian’s greatest fear and emerge triumphant. This miracle healing, followed by the Guardian rite of passage, had formed an unbreakable bond between the two. B
ut now that bond was being tested by circumstance. As a Guardian, Tashi’s first duty was to protect the gryphon’s claw; however, her link to Sam meant she would be required to protect him as well. How could she do both, especially when Sam lived thousands of miles away? No Guardian had ever faced this kind of quandary. After all, the village of Kustos rarely had visitors, and even when it did, the Guardians didn’t heal them. This case was unique, and Tashi hoped for some wise counsel and clarification from Yeshe.

  Fortunately, Yeshe had requested a meeting with Tashi to discuss recent events. But when Tashi arrived at Yeshe’s quarters, she was surprised to find that he was not alone. Dr. Henry Knox was also present. She bowed to both men, and Yeshe gestured for her to sit.

  “Please, Tashi. We have much to discuss,” Yeshe said with a smile.

  Tashi sat down, then looked at her leader, but it was Dr. Knox who spoke next.

  “Yeshe and I have decided you should travel to Benicia, California. To be close to Sam London.”

  Tashi was not expecting that, and it showed in her puzzled expression.

  “I know you must be confused by this order. But I also know that like any Guardian put in an unusual position, you are struggling with your purpose,” Yeshe concluded. “You are a Guardian of the gryphon’s claw, of that there is no doubt. But you are also the boy’s protector.”

  “But I cannot be separated from this place,” Tashi noted.

  “Of course you can. Your fellow warriors will continue their mission without you. And you will take your mission beyond these mountains, protecting the claw in a new way.”

  Dr. Knox spoke again. “You see, Tashi, Sam London will be left unguarded if you do not go. The universe brought the gryphon and Sam together for a reason. A reason we don’t yet fully understand.”

  “Perhaps it was to save us in the yeti village or to expose the plan to steal the claw,” Tashi offered.

  “Perhaps. But what if there is more for him to do?” Knox asked. “We believe Phylassos would want this.”