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Evening with Friends

By

Vikky Mouse

As the movie faded out into the closing credits Vikky let out a pleased sigh. "That was pretty good," the mouse said, pulling her glasses from her nose and giving them a brisk cleaning. "I thought it would be a lot worse."

"It was okay, but the opening set piece was a bit silly, you can't simply free run like that," the vixen next to her said, her nine-tails flicking is amusement as she lay on the living room carpet, her chin propped up on her paws.

"I guess so, but the stuff at the airport was pretty cool," as she spoke she stood up and walked over to the DVD player, removing the disk with deft hands and a touch of magic. As she moved her long shirt fluttered around her hips and over the top of her bare legs.

The vixen shrugged a bit. "I suppose so."

After putting the film away the mouse sat down across from her friend, looking at her blue and white face. Rhea just smiled back and pulled herself into a sitting position. It had been months since they had last gotten together and had spent most of the evening either chatting or watching movies.

"Lazenby was still the best," she said.

The mouse smiled a bit, falling into the familiar patter. "Come on! He only did one movie, that's hardly being the best. Anyways he was more of a pretty boy then a man of action, and that whole marriage plotline was just tacky."

"His performance was spot on, and a lot closer to the books. As for the love story, it worked just fine and was integral to the plot, it wasn't just tacked on," Rhea replied with a knowing smirk, her ears flicking forward just a touch.

The two women gave each other a quick look and snickered in time. The vixen spun around and stood up, stretching out from her neck to her toes. She was dressed much like the mouse, in a long shirt and her under things, a decision more about comfort than anything else. She glanced up at the wall clock and clicked her tongue. "I guess we have enough time for another movie, do you have anything to snack on?"

Vikky stood up and walked back to the kitchen, making a quick search through the cupboards. "Not really, I wasn't quiet planning for company."

"Well, let's go get something! It's only just after midnight, the convince stores should still be open."

Casting a glance back at her friend the mouse smiled a bit. "There's one up the street about half a mile, close enough to walk," she said.

"Fantastic, I could use a good walk," Rhea replied, gathering up her blue jeans from the floor and quickly pulling them on, only to pause for a few moments to work with the tail clasp. The pants had been made for someone with just one tail. Even though they had been adjusted to fit her nine, it wasn't perfect.

Gathering up her own skirt from the chair she pulled it on, followed a moment later by her jacket. She checked it over for her billfold, and then pulled on her shoes. As she tied them up she looked at her staff, wondering if she should take it with her. It was a short walk and the area was pretty safe, but she had learned a long time ago that she could never be too careful. She picked up the tall staff, the white of the wood contrasting with her grey fur. With a simple spell she changed it into a small hair clip, the only sign of its true form a small red gem near the top, and tucked it behind her ear.

With a quick flick of her wrist the vixen picked up her dark blue beret and pulled it down over her head, letting it rest between her ears. "Let's go!"

"You're not going to put on a disguise?"

"It's dark and it's late. Anyone who would see me would just assume I'm a wolf with a very expensive dye job and some extra work," she said, flicking her tails back at the mouse.

Vikky looked at her blue furred friend for a few moments then shook her head with a touch of amusement. "You stay outside of the store, inside people will be able to tell you're not a wolf," she said, pulling the apartment door open.

The pair of woman walked out the door and down onto the street. The sky above them was clear, without a cloud or the moon in the sky. The stars twinkled down over them casting everything in a pail glow that muted the colors of the world. It made the two women look like they had the same gray color of fur.

There was a little traffic on the road, but only one driver took notice of them, slowing down slightly to look at the vixen then accelerating back to full speed. She didn't seem to notice or care, in fact seemed to enjoy showing off her usual number of tails.

As they neared the store Vikky felt a slight twinge as something passed overhead, momentarily blocking the starlight. She glanced up, watching the edge of a shadow pass around the building and into an alleyway. Coming to a stop she reached out and touched her friend on the shoulder. "Did you see that?"

The vixen looked up then back down towards the alley where the mouse was pointing. "No, I didn't. What did you see?"

"I'm not sure, but I think it was magical," she replied, then started down the alleyway, her staff quickly appearing in her hand. As she went along between the buildings the darkness grew deeper. With a small flick of magic she summoned a light from the orb on the top of her white staff. The white light cast everything into a stark relief, the shadows cast by the clutter in the alley where sharp against the stone walls.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Rhea asked. Her ears flicked back slightly around her hat.

The mouse nodded to herself, her red hair bobbing over her shoulders. Lifting her staff up higher she was startled by something moving in the shadows behind a large box. Her first reaction was to jump away, but she held herself in place, even so her fur rose around her shoulders.

Catching her breath she looked around the box, letting out a small gasp of surprise when she saw the source of a movement. It was a gryphon cub, only a few months old judging by his size and the few pieces of down over his wings. The cub jumped back a bit, his brown wings pressed to his tan sides as his beak quivered.

Vikky bent down, resting her weight partly on her staff and smiled at the cub. "Hello. Are you lost?"

The cub looked up at her and shivered slightly. "Yes," he said.

She nodded and offered out her hand to him. "It's okay, I'm a friend, I can help," she said with a small smile.

The gryphon looked up at her and pressed back against the dirty stone wall.

Letting out a short breath she turned around and handed her staff to Rhea, then looked back at the cub. "It's okay, I'm a mage. I know how to help you. How did you get here, how far did you fly?" she asked.

Shuffling a bit the cub looked up at the sky above them. "I don't know, I was in the trees and the wind was strong and it just took me so far," he said, his black eyes glowing in the light of her staff.

She nodded and looked back up at the sky. The mountains could be in either direction, and there were dozens of gryphon colonies in the Seattle area. "Did you fly over water?"

The cub shook his head. "I... I don't know."

"I'll find your way back home," she told the cub with a reassuring smile.

He looked up at her for a few moments then took a few steps forward, nuzzling at the side of her hand.

"I'm Vikky, and my friend is Rhea. What's your name?"

The cub looked up a bit and fluttered his wings. "Robert," he said.

She smiled to him. "Everything is going to be okay, Robert."

Rhea touched her on the shoulder. Standing up she looked at the vixen. "Do you have anything under your hat that can track this young man back home?" Getting the gryphon back to his family was a priority. Gryphon's didn't like the city or the authorities, it would be weeks before they would ask for help.

"Can't you do that with your magic?"

The mouse shook her head. "I can't track with magic, never really was my skill."

"Ah, I see. Well I might have something," she replied, handing the staff back to the mage before removing the beret from her head. With a flick of her wrist she reached inside, her hand, and then most of her arm, vanishing into the hat.

Vikky watched this with a slight bit of bemusement. The hat wasn't magical, it was simply a form of advanced technology that just looked like magic, even to someone who could do the real thing. It was just one of the many tricks that the vixen had, but then again she was out of place herself. It was a tossup which made her stand out more, her blue fur, her tails, or the fact she was the only vixen in the world, and didn't even belong there.

As the vixen searched Vikky turned her attention back to the gryphon. "How old are you Robert?"

"Nine months."

She smiled a bit. "That must have been a big flight for you, have you ever flown that far before?"

The young man shook his head. "I've never been out of the mountains before."

"Could you see the city from there?"

He thought for a moment then nodded his head. "At night, I could see the lights in the trees."

That wasn't any help for her. There were places on both side of the sound where you could see the city lights, and the lights of all the suburbs.

"This should do," Rhea said, pulling out a small boxy device from her hat. With a press of a button the box opened it two, showing a small keypad on one side and a screen on the other. They keys were labeled with colors instead of letters.

Vikky looked at the device then back to the gryphon. "That will find where he came from?"

She nodded and looked at the cub. "It should, but it will take a few minutes, and I need a small sample," she said, and then bent down to look at Robert. "Can I take a little piece of your down? It will only be a little bit," she asked.

The gryphon looked up at Rhea, his feathers ruffling a bit. "I guess," he said in a soft voice, his head dropping down.

Carefully she reached out and picked out a small piece from the edge of his wing. Holding it gently between her fingers she lifted it up and placed it on the screen of the device. There was a small flash of light and the down simply vanished.

With quick fingers the vixen typed on the keyboard, a moment later a few specs of light lifted from the display and into the air. They skimmed down the alley and vanished into the night beyond.

Tucking her skirt Vikky sat down on the box rested her staff against the stone wall. "It won't be long now," she said.

Robert nodded his head and moved up to her, hiding under her skirt and legs, his short tail flicking quickly against the dirty ground. She wanted to talk more with the young man, to try and comfort him, but he wasn't interested anymore.

Rhea stood next to them, her hat back on her head as she watched the screen with an intense look. A soft glow cast over her narrow muzzle and reflected in her eyes. After a few long minutes she smiled. "Found it, about thirty miles to the east. Do you want to drive or should I?"

"Do you have an image of the area?"

She nodded and handed the device over to Vikky. On the screen was an aerial view of a piece of forest, gryphons moving under heavy branches of the trees. She could see a clearing at the edge of the frame. Turning the display to her friend she pointed at the spot on the display. "Can you get a better image of this?"

The vixen nodded and fiddled with the keys for a moment. The image on the screen moved to focus on the clearing.

Nodded her head she fixed the image in her mind and gave the device back to her friend. Standing up she picked up her staff in both hands. "Both of you, stay close to me," she said, looking down at the young gryphon. "This might be a bit scary, but hold onto me as tight as you can."

Robert looked back up at her then reared back and placed his forepaws against her legs. The tips of his talons weren't dull and poked at her legs through her skirt.

Composing herself the mouse lessoned the light on her staff and took in a long breath. "This is going to be a bit rough," she said, the magic starting to swirl around her, glowing in a color only a mage could see. It twisted around the three of them creating a wind that fluttered their hair and feathers, as the wind grew the light dimmed around them until it was almost black.

Without warning the world moved around them. There was a crash like thunder and a wave of air, and a moment later they were standing in the clearing in the woods.

The butt of her staff hit the ground hard and Vikky leaned her weight against it. An unprepared teleportation spell was more than enough to drain much of her reserves. It would take a few hours before she would be back to full power, until then they would just have to spend a night in the woods.

Rhea touched her on the back. "Are you okay?" she asked in a soft voice.

She nodded and slowly stood back up. "I'm fine, just a little winded. Robert, are you okay?" she asked, looking down at the gryphon.

The cub looked back up at her and nodded his head. "That was strange."

"Robert!" A new voice cried, a moment later a large gryphoness burst into the clearing, running around the trees at full speed her wings partly extended over her shoulders. She came to a skidding stop in front of the three of them, throwing debris in the air. She looked worried, feather ruffled around her head.

The cub jumped up and rushed to the older gryphon. "Mom!" he cried out and pressed to her side. She dropped one wing and wrapped it around the young man, holding him to her side.

The gryphon looked at the two women with a something close to a smile on her beak. "You brought him back. Thank you!" she said.

Vikky smiled. "It wasn't a problem, though I think we're going to be camping here tonight, if that's okay?"

She nodded her head. "Yes, yes. You are more than welcome to spend the night."

The mouse nodded and flicked back her ears. "Thank you," she replied.

Bending down the gryphon looked at her son. "Come on, everyone is waiting for us," she said, turning and walking back through the trees.

Rhea shook her head and kicked slightly at the clearing. "I always liked camping, but I wasn't expecting it tonight, and what is it with you and gryphons?"

The mouse shrugged her shoulders. "I'm a mage, we attract these sort of things. You should know that by now."

"A *gryphon*. Really, what are the odds?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips and giving her find a sharp look.

Vikky pointed at her fiend's hat. "Do you have a tent in there?"

"Just the one."

"That will be fine," she said, and turned too looked up at the night sky. The stars were even brighter now that they were away from the city lights. The sky hung over them, hanging just above the tops of the trees and out of reach. Around them she could hear the sounds of the forest and the gryphons, but nothing else. There wasn't even the distant buzz of the freeway.

With a smile she looked at her friend, a wind brush up around her, fluttering her skirt around her legs. "Well, it beats spending the night at my place watching movies."

Rhea returned the smile as she started to assemble the tent, her tails flicking in the wind.

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This story is copyright 2008 by Victoria-Ann Cutter, hardcopy reprints limited to one a person, all other rights reserved. This story may not be distributed for a fee except by permission of the author, and this copyright notice may not be removed.