by Caleb Monroe
I listen to the conversation being held between Shadow and the herd, but I have no way of knowing what they are telling him. I decide to let him have this moment alone, and I make my way to the nearest edge of the island to stay out of his way.
When I reach the edge of the island, I sit down with my legs dangling over the cloudy abyss below. I turn my head to find that the talking is over and now Shadow is playing with his new friends. They are running all over the hills, sliding around in the snow, and taking off to play in the air.
I am starting to understand this is the life he was born to have. This is what Shadow was meant to be, not a pet that I trained like a dog to obey his master’s commands. I wonder if he could ever truly be happy living the life he has with me. Maybe this is the life that is best for him, one of freedom and companionship with his own kind in a world where no one will hunt or hurt him ever again.
An unbearable weight begins to rest on my shoulders. As it settles on me, I remember what it was like living the way I did before meeting Shadow. I feel as if the whole world has just come crashing down on top of me, and I am doing everything in my power to hold it up. What if I am wrong for wanting Shadow to live his life with me? Am I being selfish to the point that I am impeding his true potential?
My mind is snapped back to reality when Shadow comes sliding up to my side, beckoning me to get on his back. “What is it?” He starts chirping loudly, so I climb up saying, “Okay, buddy. What do you want to show me?” I turn to look behind me because I am expecting him to take me to the herd. But Shadow barely lets me establish a solid grip before diving off the side of the island and heading straight down. I feel my stomach move up into my throat, but I never get scared. Shadow will never let me get hurt while he is in control.
“Please tell me you can see through the fog!” I yell as we approach a thick layer of fog that brings back memories of the night we fought the Imago in the forest. Shadow begins to berate me with a barrage of chirps. “Of course, I trust you. You know that after all we have been through I trust you with my life.” Shadow chirps at me again, and I yell, “Just get us through the fog!”
Shadow keeps his wings tucked in tight as we plummet toward what I hope is not a fog-covered oblivion. We hit the fog, and I wait for the cold touch of death to hit me, but I have left that nightmare behind me. We fall through the fog and Shadow releases his wings, slowing our descent.
“Where are you taking us? What do you know that I don’t?” Shadow has slowed our descent to the point that we have nearly stopped falling altogether. I lean to the side to get a glimpse of what is below us. “I think I can see the bottom.” The veil that was a dense grey fog shielding what lies below is slowly becoming lighter and lighter, but remains vigilant in holding onto the secrets it is hiding.
Shadow brings us to the lower edge of this dense fog. It is clear that Shadow knows where he is going, but this fog makes it nearly impossible to see where he is taking me.
As we approach the bottom of the fog, I get my first glimpse of the hidden surface that makes up the griffins’ home world. The surface of this world appears as if someone tore parts of the planet’s external features right out of their normal resting place and positioned them in the sky where they were left to soar forever, never being able to return to their natural resting place.
“You can see where that large island we saw earlier used to rest down here.” I point down below us to a mountain that is missing the center portion of its range. “This whole planet has been divided into the parts in the sky, and the rest which is still attached on the surface.” Shadow chirps at me, and I tell him, “But you already knew that, didn’t you? Take us to wherever it is your new friends told you to go.”
With no warning, Shadow stops hovering and sends us rocketing down toward the peak of the mountain range that is missing its center portion. The picture that began as a fractured, rocky mountain range is now becoming something much more beautifully complicated. I can see that there is a large stone stairway leading up the right end of the mountain. Shadow flies up most of the stairs, landing on the last few steps.
“These stairs look like they were carved out by hand. Where does it lead?”
Shadow chirps at me as he takes the last step, bringing us to an interior portion of the mountain that has been carved out to create an amphitheater with a central ring in the middle. The whole back half of the amphitheater is a smoothed-out wall that was once part of the jagged mountain range that creates this breathtaking place. As the sun sets behind us, its rays catch the minerals in the rock wall and they glisten as if the backdrop to this amphitheater were a peaceful starry night.
Shadow begins to make his way down to the center of the ring. “Are you sure we are supposed to be doing this?” Shadow growls at me, and I tell him, “Fine. I was only checking.”
The moment we step inside the ring, I hear a medley of chirps, roars, wings flapping, and talons scraping rocks. The entire mountainside is covered in griffins, who are now leaving their perch and heading this way. They blended in so well that I thought they were rock formations on the side of the mountain. Some of them were even hanging like bats from the roof of the smoothed-out wall.
“They are coming from every direction. I’m hoping you knew this was going to happen.” Shadow remains vigilant in his stance and never moves an inch while hundreds of griffins pour into the amphitheater. The sky is nearly blocked out by the thousands of wings that are approaching us.
It only takes a few minutes, but now the entire seating area surrounding us is full of at least a thousand griffins, and each one of them is silently staring at the two of us as we stand before them.
“You got my back, right?” Shadow chirps to reassure me I am safe.
The griffins are so quiet that each time a wing flinches, you can hear the feathers ruffle. Each time a talon accidentally scrapes against the carved-out levels making up the seating area of the amphitheater, you can hear it echo off the smooth wall behind us.
In unison, every griffin around us suddenly bows just like the herd did to Shadow earlier. “Are they doing that for you?” Shadow never responds, and when I turn my head to look at him, I see that his attention is focused on the sky. “One last griffin is coming.”
From a distance, I can see a black dot darting in our direction. This griffin is coming in extremely fast. When it enters the amphitheater, it does not slow down, even a little, and instead tilts its wings so it can, at an amazing velocity, circle above every griffin that is silently watching below.
The audience never leaves their bowed position while this new griffin displays its dominance to us. The griffin makes two full circles before flying over the center ring and folding its wings in and landing perfectly on the ground.
As the dust begins to settle and the griffin comes into view, I feel as if I am looking into a mirror. This griffin is the same size as Shadow, he has brilliant white feathers making up his long mane, his body is a perfect black color, and his eyes are captivating just like Shadow’s.
I slide off Shadow’s back and take one step in the direction of this new griffin, causing an immediate uproar from the audience in the amphitheater. Shadow quickly sticks his left front foot out to stop me from moving any further.
“Did I do something wrong? I just wanted to say hi.” My voice causes another hostile reaction from the crowd. Every griffin in the amphitheater is becoming unruly, and I know that even Shadow cannot save me now if they decide to act.
Shadow’s doppelganger has grown tired of the crowd’s reaction. He slams his foot onto the ground before roaring with such intensity that it covers up all the noises from every other griffin in the amphitheater.
The room goes eerily silent. Not even a feather can be heard moving in the wind. It is very clear that this is their leader. This must be the griffin who told Leda she could never come back.
The black griffin approaches Shadow and me with absolute confidence. I can tell he is not concerned with our arrival here bec
ause there is no hesitation in the way he walks. He knows that he is the ruler here and nothing can challenge that.
The griffin begins to circle us while chirping at Shadow. Shadow never moves. He only listens.
This goes on for a while until finally Shadow joins the discussion. I have no idea what they are saying, but judging by the amount of growling they are mixing in with the chirping, I am beginning to think that this is not going well. I stay silent and never move from Shadow’s side as the two twin griffins hold a very intense discussion. Both of them have their hairs standing up all the way down their backs, and their manes are expanded out.
The other griffin stops when he is directly eye-to-eye with Shadow. They stare at each other for a moment, but neither of them will speak. Finally, the leader gives two small chirps before glaring at me. I stare right back into his eyes doing my best not to let the fear inside me escape. The griffin then turns and lets out a mighty cry that opens a portal in the middle of the center ring.
I feel Shadow nudge me in the back, and I turn asking, “Are you crazy? You want me to go with him?” Shadow chirps and then nudges me in the back once more with a little more authority. “You’re lucky I trust you with my life.”
Shadow chirps one last time, and I make my way to the side of the other black griffin. I can feel every eye in the amphitheater zero in on me as I get closer to their leader. One false step and I am dead.
“Shadow wants me to go with you through this portal, but if this is a trick and you hurt my friend, I will make you pay. I don’t care how big and powerful you are.” The griffin moves forward, and I join him as together we cross through the portal. When we come through the other side of the doorway, I see that we have been taken to a cliff on a large mountain range.
Shadow told me that the two of you had passed through this world recently.
The griffin’s voice in my head is a deep and gruff, but tired one.
“Yea. We came through here while we were chasing someone.” I look out seeing the giant mountains that make up this strange world.
I’m sure you have a lot of questions for me, but I only brought you here so that I could ask something of you.
“What could I possibly do for you?”
It is imperative that you convince Shadow to stay with us. You must get him to dissolve this foolish symbiotic connection he has created with you.
“You want me to persuade Shadow to stay behind and leave me? Why would I do that? He’s my best friend. He’s my brother.” The cold air from this elevation forces me to cross my arms to trap any warmth I can before it is pulled out of me.
The leader paces back and forth from frustration. He is not familiar with people defying his wishes. I can hear the annoyance in his voice when he speaks to me.
You do not understand who Shadow is, or why he is so important to us! You could never understand. He told me how the two of you met, and how you are working with a small band of my children to save another world. Surely you have noticed by now how my children behave when Shadow is around them. Have you witnessed the reverence they hold for him? Have you not come to understand how special Shadow is among the griffin?
“Yea. I have seen them bow to him a few times. It was just like what happened when you flew into the amphitheater.”
The leader stops pacing and sits facing me head on. He speaks in a very pointed way.
That is because, like myself, Shadow is an Alpha griffin. Only one Alpha is born every five hundred years, and it is the Alpha’s job to rule over the griffins of our world. It is our divine duty to protect our children from harm and keep outsiders from taking advantage of our rare abilities. There is no greater calling for a griffin.
“That is exactly what we are trying to do on Liferné. There is a man there who is trying to use your children…”
I know! The Alpha swipes one his talons at the wall next to him. Shadow told me all of this.
“Then why don’t you come help us free your children? If you bring your griffins with you, we could liberate Liferné with ease.”
The Alpha gets up and spins away from me.
My job is to protect my children and my home. I am not willing to risk either of those by joining you on this trivial errand! I need you to convince Shadow that he must abandon this reckless mission before he gets himself killed! I need him to stay here with me and prepare for what he was born to do, what he must do for the sake of all griffins.
The wind picks up and I have to get closer to the mountain wall behind me to avoid being pushed off this cliff.
“I can’t do that. I need Shadow and the other griffins’ help if I want to save Cecilia. I can’t do this alone.”
Your trifling problems are not my concern. If you wish to attempt this futile undertaking, then do so, but there is no reason for my children, nor my successor, to be put in unnecessary danger over a world that does not even matter to us. You must stop being selfish. I need Shadow to remain here to ensure he will be ready to lead when I am gone, which is coming much too soon.
The Alpha anxiously paces in front of the edge of the cliff.
Without an Alpha in place, my children will run wild jumping from universe to universe. They will be caught and used just like they are being used on this Liferné you speak of! My children need an Alpha to lead them! This is what Shadow was born to do. He was not born to be your pet!
I want to lash out and yell at the Alpha that he is wrong, or that he has no idea what he is talking about, but deep down inside I know he is right. I have seen Shadow exert his power over the griffins at our base, and it has become clear to me that he was born to lead the griffins.
I am caught off guard when the Alpha does something that I know is beneath him. He comes to sit at my feet putting himself at eye level with me.
Shadow will never become the Alpha unless you tell him that you will be alright without him.
“What?” I can hear the drastic change in the tone of the Alpha’s voice. The frustration he was berating me with a few seconds ago has transitioned into a more comforting tone.
Shadow knows that he was born to do this. Deep down he has always known the truth about who he really is. A leader always knows who they are, and they can never escape that duty.
The Alpha finally breaks eye contact with me and stares out into the cloud-filled sky that has begun raining.
He told me how you helped him grow and become stronger than he ever believed he could become, but he is adamant that he will never leave you. He believes his self-pledged duty to protect you is more important than anything else in any world, that you are his responsibility. Can you not see that you are hindering him from what he was born to be?
“I never wanted him to feel that way, that he is responsible for me. I just treated him like family.”
You two are family. He loves you like a brother and will go to the ends of every universe to make sure you are taken care of. He will never abandon you to take up his rightful claim as the Alpha.
I turn around running my hands through my hair. Did I do this to Shadow? Have I made him feel as if he cannot leave me? I only want what is best for Shadow; I never wanted to make him feel responsible for me.
I spin around quickly asking, “Are you sure he would do this if I ask him?”
Shadow told me the only way he would ever leave you is if you gave him permission. For reasons beyond me, he needs your approval.
I can feel tears starting to form in my eyes, so I quickly wipe them away. “I never wanted to hold Shadow back. You must understand that. I only want what is best for him. He is my best friend.”
I can see how much you love him, and how much he means to you. I know what I am asking is not easy. I am asking you to let him go.
“No. You are asking me to TELL him to go.” I slam my fist into the wall next to me so hard that it begins to throb.
You know that it is the right thing to do. Deep down you have always known that things could not stay the way they are.
The c
old wind no longer stings my face as it tosses about across the cliff. There is a fire inside me that is growing. I throw my hands down in frustration saying, “Of course I know that! I can see that this is what he was born to do, but I also know that he will never leave my side until we save Cecilia. He loves her, too, and he wants to see her saved just as much as I do. Nothing is going to stop Shadow from helping me save her, not even me telling him that it is okay to do this.”
Once again, the Alpha begins to pace back and forth against the wall. He stays silent for some time until he swiftly takes his right talon and cleaves a rock from the wall sending it hurtling toward the ground far below.
I step back because I am not sure if I am going to be the next thing thrown off this mountain.
Then take some of my children and save her and her world.
“Really?” I can hear the annoyance in the Alpha’s voice as he is forced to give in to me.
The Alpha growls at me in frustration.
But you must promise me that you will release him from your care after you are done. You must promise to bring him back so that he can protect my children when I am gone. I must ensure that Shadow takes my place. There is nothing more important to me in this life than the safety of my children.
I want to say yes, but I catch myself before I agree. There is a lump in my throat that I am not sure I can move. I close my eyes and force the lump down, but the hollow feeling growing in the pit of my soul is beginning to expand as I realize what I am about to agree to.
“Shadow won’t even discuss this with me until we save Cecilia, but I promise after we save Liferné, I will convince him to come back to his home. I will make him understand that this is where he belongs and that this is where he can do the most good. I will prove to him beyond any doubt that I can take care of myself without him there to help me.” I am clenching my fists so hard that I am starting to lose feeling in them.
Then it is done.
“Wait.” I get right up in the Alpha’s face, and instantly I start to tremble, but not from the cold. “Will I ever be able to see him again?”
