by B.A. Savage
Chapter Five
Archan looks at this massive creature in his living room; it must be at least 7-8 feet long. It appears to be half-bird, half-feline.
“You’re... a griffin?” asks a bewildered Archan.
“Yes, you are correct,” answers Cana.
“But, I thought you were a myth, a made up creature.”
“You thought wrong.”
“What are you doing here? Wait, did you save me from the fall?”
“Yes.”
“And the bruises and injuries?”
“Let me explain. Adjust yourself, master, it will take a while to explain, hopefully not too long.”
“Master?” asks Archan as he sits down.
“Yes. Now, you are wearing the ring of Windloam’s Array. The wearer of that ring becomes my master. I am the champion of the guardian of all creatures in the air and walking the earth. Your responsibility as the guardian is to help prevent the destructions and abuse of creatures great and small.”
Archan can’t believe his ears or his eyes, “Wait, wait, wait... me some kind of guardian?”
“Yes.”
“What if I don’t want this responsibility? I’m nobody’s hero, I’m a thief.”
“And so was the guardian before you. Also, you are a lover of animals.”
“How do you know that?”
“I have become one with your thoughts and emotions, and I know you care more about the three birds in this room than for yourself. Have you not noticed that during our conversation I have not moved my mouth?”
It dawns on Archan that he’s right. While Archan has been speaking with voice, Cana has been speaking directly to his thoughts.
Then Archan thinks, “So, you can read my thoughts?”
“Precisely.”
“This is too much,” Archan gets up and goes to the window for some fresh air.
Cana asks, “Why is this so hard to understand? Never mind, after all these years I should remember that humans have a tougher time than others, understanding the simple.”
“Hey now! Put yourself in my shoes.”
“Trust me, master, I have been. I was once human like you. That was a long time ago and a long story which we don’t have time for right now, cause we need to get you up to speed on your new abilities.”
“Wait a minute, I never said I wanted to do this.”
“But your heart does. You strive for a purpose. Stop fighting it.”
Archan knows Cana is right, he’s been looking for a purpose. He walks back to his desk. He looks into the mirror and is shocked to not see the griffin in the mirror. Archan turns around immediately to find the griffin still in his living room.
“So, you’re a figment of my imagination? I’m still drugged up aren’t I? That would explain a lot of things.”
With a tone of disappointment and frustration Cana answers, “No. Only the bearer of the ring can interact with me, no one else can see, hear, or touch me. And neither can I with anyone but you. Well, there are a few exceptions, but I will tell you those later. We need to get your abilities honed.”
“Why? What’s the hurry?” asks Archan.
“The company your father talked about did capture the Shelto, and they’re bringing it back to the States to experiment on it.”
“Man, I can’t avoid that company, and how do you know they caught it?
“The Shelto told me.”
“But I thought you couldn’t interact with anyone but me?
“I said there are exceptions. Anyways, we need to go to the park that you woke up at. Meet me there soon master.” Then the griffin vanished in front of Archan’s eyes.
He scratches his head as he tries to figure out everything and realizes that during all this excitement he still doesn’t know what happened to those missing days, but he knows this ring and Cana, the griffin, holds the answers to that question and a whole lot more. He grabs his jacket after a quick shower and change of clothes and heads to the park.
