FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Part 1

The hybrid's ear flicked in annoyance but the buzzing insect returned only moments later. The harsh high pitched noise was irritating at first but then loud and almost painful as it got closer. Again his brown furred ear flicked trying to dissuade the attacker.

"Why should you sleep...?" Someone mocked, their voice dripping with pain and anger.

Yogoloth blinked a couple of times and shook his head instinctively trying to dislodge something. He couldn't quite remember what, something irritating, probably the leftovers of a dream.

"You'll do it again, it's in your nature!" The voice spat, anger taking over from the pain. "You'll do it to him!"

"Wha- who...?" Yogoloth murmured as he gradually found himself. His ear flicked again in irritation.

The air was filled with the stink of blood. Yogoloth suddenly panicked, his heart filled with adrenaline. Below his pads he felt fur, rather than the small scales of Youngest. He leapt to his paws, backing away a few steps and looked down to see a familiar gryphon.

Her fur was pale brown and the beginnings of a mane was growing in a scruffy stripe down the back of her neck. Perhaps a fifth of Yogoloth's weight, no more than twelve years old. Her fur was suddenly caked in blood.

The voice became a mocking hiss. "What if you've already killed him? Let your hunger consume him!?" She rose and stalked slowly towards Yogoloth.

His ear stung painfully and Yogoloth shook his head, trying not to let the gryphon get too close. But there was nowhere to go, there was no exit from the cave he found himself in. It was just him and the gryphon he'd murdered decades ago.

"You don't deserve a mate... what if she knew the truth...? What if she knew what you really are...?" She rasped from her suddenly ruined throat. Her steps were awkward, broken. The sound of her blood dripping onto the rocky floor was almost deafening.

"Y- you're just a dream. You're not real!" Yogoloth whimpered as his tail and haunches bumped against the stone wall behind him.

"Hungry dragon..." She mocked as she advanced.

"No!"

"Hungry!" A voice cried out and Yogoloth's ear again tugged in sharp pain.

"Please, no..." He murmured, not sure where he was anymore.

"Dragon! Bird! Hungry!" Youngest whined as he released Yogoloth's ear.

The hybrid opened his eyes as consciousness came to him in a sudden jolt. He saw blue eyes on a small green scaled face peering at him. Their snouts almost touched until Yogoloth pulled his head away in a brief confused panic.

"Aah!" He gasped, his heart pounding in his chest, his head filled with fading yet disturbing images. Yogoloth raised a paw to his head and rubbed the space between his horns as he caught his breath. He hated these dreams.

"Smelly dragon bird! I'm really hungry!" Youngest whined and gestured again, now that Yogoloth could see the little hatchling, he could read the body language and understood more about what was being said to him.

"Yes, alright, I'm awake." The hybrid replied sleepily, waving a paw.

Youngest decided that the weird dragon wasn't awake enough yet. So he began to climb up the larger dragon's haunches. Tiny little claws protracted from his paws to aid his grip.

"Ow!" Yogoloth hissed as his hide was abused by sharp pin pricks. The little hatchling stopped and his ear fins drooped a little.

"Sorry..."

"That's alright. Be careful though. I don't have thick scales like your mother."

Youngest decided that was the same as giving permission to continue climbing and he triumphantly reached the top of the mountain. Padding along to the strange dragon's shoulders he gave a little roar and then jumped up and down.

"Wake up, smelly dragon bird!"

"I already said I was awake!" Yogoloth chuckled.

"I'm hungry!"

"Maybe if you weren't standing on me I'd be able to get you something."

The hatchling's eyes widened a little as though the concept was the most incredible revelation ever. He quickly leapt off the mountain and sat on his rump in front of the strange dragon. He put on his best behaviour face.

Yogoloth couldn't help but smile, the last few echoes of fear from the dream were passing, even if the memories themselves never would. A yawn suddenly split his jaws wide for a moment before he snapped his mouth shut and licked his snout. He turned his head to look outside through the entrance of the cave.

It was starting to grow lighter but the sun had yet to cast any rays onto this side of the valley. It was early morning then. Yogoloth rose and poked his head out of the cave and looked about, Natanii and Daragun were nowhere to be seen. Looking further into the valley itself, he could see a number of gryphons moving around or lounging in the first rays of the morning sun on the opposite side of the valley.

"Alright, little one." The hybrid said, retreating back into the cave and turning to face his small scaly charge. "Let's get you out of this smelly bird cave and get some food inside you."

"Food! Food! Food! I want goat!" The hatchling stood and danced in a tiny joyous circle.

"We'll have to see what they can find." Yogoloth muttered. He then began to weave a couple of magical shapes before speaking in the local gryphon tongue. "Natanii? Could you get whoever feeds the hatchling to bring it to us soon. We'll be... I don't know... up on a hill overlooking the valley or something. Can they... catch a goat?"

"You make funny bird sounds."

Yogoloth switched back to Hatchling High Wyrm. "I can talk to the birds. Do you want to be able to talk to the birds?"

Youngest looked unsure and didn't reply for a time. His little wings and head drooped slightly before speaking again. "No. I want mother..." He murmured.

Yogoloth's ears drooped slightly "I know, little one. Do you still trust me to keep you safe?"

There was only a brief moment of hesitation before the hatchling looked up and slowly nodded.

It would be easier to carry the hatchling out of the cave in his jaws, but Yogoloth decided against it. For a dragon to carry another in its jaws was a sign of familial authority, of social dominance. Although Yogoloth was far older, he had only just met Youngest and they were not related. At the very least it would have been rude to do so.

"Alright then. Let me carry you out of here and away from the bird smell." Yogoloth sat on his rump and held his forelegs out as the hatchling approached.

Soon he'd wrapped the hatchling in his forelegs and was gently squeezing him against his chest. Yogoloth gave the slightly squirming bundle of wings and scales a lick on the top of the head before holding Youngest's back against his large chest plates. With one foreleg securing his passenger he hobbled towards the cave entrance on his remaining three limbs.

---

Part 2

Youngest was held tightly against Yogoloth's chest as they left the cave. The air was clean and slightly humid. It had been a clear and cool night, wisps of water vapour drifted up as the heat from the sun evaporated the lingering dew.

Yogoloth wasted no time before spreading his wings ready for flight. A sharp painful twinge in his left wing joint made him wince slightly. That fight definitely left its mark on more than just the dragon's foreleg. He slowly stretched the wing out flexing the joint carefully as he did, working the tender stiffness out of it best he could. Bruised and sore, but still functional.

The hatchling held against his chest looked around the valley as though this was the first time he'd been outside in an age. His little snout sniffed the air and he craned his neck back and forth while taking in all the new sights and sounds. His limbs dangled below him as Yogoloth prepared to pounce into the air.

"Ready, little one?" Yogoloth asked, but didn't wait for a reply as he pushed his wings and hind legs hard to get himself airborne.

It wasn't difficult to take off without a run, but it required a lot more energy. A few more powerful beats of his wings and he wrapped his other foreleg around his passenger. Youngest was now cradled securely below his chest plates as they gained altitude.

"Flying! Flying!" The little hatchling squealed in delight as they began to circle the valley.

Yogoloth hoped that the rest of the gryphons living in the colony had been told about his presence. He imagined that he was probably the subject of a lot of gossip and speculation. With any luck no-one would bother him as he found a spot to take Youngest.

It didn't take the hybrid much time to identify a few nice spots away from the valley but still within sight of it. The south side of the valley was noticeably less rocky and more grassy than the north side. It had a gentle slope which a few gryphons had already claimed for preening and sunning themselves. Yogoloth picked a spot a little further away from the busier areas and headed that way.

"Look! Lots of smelly birds.". Youngest yelled over the gentle rush of wind.

Yogoloth hoped that the little one's voice carried far enough... and that the gryphons could understand the words. It was a futile hope of course. Perhaps the first thing he should teach the little dragon in the local gryphon tongue would be "smelly bird". He smiled at the thought.

He peered down to see what his passenger had been looking at and unsurprisingly there were several gryphons in the valley itself looking up at them as they circled. From this height Yogoloth couldn't read any expressions, but he thought he could see Natanii in amongst them. Taking a deep breath he let loose a friendly roar which echoed slightly around the valley. Another quieter higher pitched roar followed soon after as Youngest joined in.

Yogoloth grinned at the idea of surprised gryphons waking up in their nests wondering what was going on. Natanii would recognise the roar as a friendly exclamation, but he wasn't sure about anyone else. He turned his attention back to the slightly secluded grassy spot he'd picked out a moment before and glided towards it.

As his hind paws touched the grass he pumped his wings to come to a stop on his hind legs rather than dropping onto all fours. Taking a couple of steps back to maintain his balance he gently deposited his passenger onto the ground before turning to the side and dropping onto his forepaws.

"Again! Again!" Youngest laughed as he found his feet and pranced around. He came to a stop, took a deep breath and let out another little roar. "I'm scaring the smelly birds!"

"I bet you are." Yogoloth smiled as he found a decent spot to flop onto his flank.

The sun was slowly rising and although the air still held a slight chill, the warm rays could be felt almost immediately. Tiny wisps of water vapour drifted off on the wind as the dew evaporated from the sunlit grass. The distant sound of feathery wing beats and gryphon voices became easier to ignore.

But what to do about Youngest? If these gryphons were serious about nurturing this dragon hatchling then they had much to learn and even then Yogoloth would have to help them on and off for decades. He didn't mind helping, but he wasn't about to let the gryphons back out of their bond. Whether they liked it or not, the moment they saved Youngest from his fate, they had become wholly responsible for him.

"I'm hungry!" The little hatchling whined. "Go hunting!"

"I got the smelly birds to hunt for us!" Yogoloth laughed and then became a little thoughtful. "Youngest, did your mother teach you any other languages? Any other ways to say things?"

The little hatchling blinked and licked his snout. "A little bit." He paused in concentration for a moment, smiled and then exclaimed in Low Wyrm, "I'm hungry!"

Yogoloth laughed again, but this time much more loudly. Youngest looked proud of himself. As the hybrid's laughs died down he replied in Low Wyrm, "That was very good. Food is on its way."

Youngest looked blankly and didn't reply. Yogoloth shrugged a little and switched back to Hatchling High Wyrm, "We can work on that."

He hadn't heard back from Natanii, but he was sure that she'd received his earlier message. She couldn't have been far off when he'd sent it. Unless she'd been hunting? Yogoloth had no idea how far the colony's nearest hunting grounds were. He drew out some strands of magic, wrapped them into a few shapes and spoke in the local gryphon tongue.

"I... don't know if you got my other message, I hadn't heard back from you. Erm... is food on the way? I don't want to leave Youngest alone to go hunting at this early stage. He's still not completely comfortable here."

Youngest looked at the larger dragon as he spoke and tilted his head as if trying to understand the words. Then suddenly yelled in Low Wyrm, "Dragon!"

"Yes! That's right.". He replied in Low Wyrm before lightly poking Youngest in the tip of the snout, "You're a dragon!"

"Dragon! Dragon! Dragon!" The little hatchling repeated in Low Wyrm while prancing about in a circle.

The sound of nearby wing beats caught Yogoloth's attention and his eyes were drawn to the sky. He saw a couple of gryphons flying towards them, out from the valley. The larger of the two was clearly carrying something in its talons. The smaller he recognised as his mate, Natanii.

"Of course I got your message! Why wouldn't I?" Natanii exclaimed in the local gryphon tongue as she landed a little way off.

Yogoloth noticed that she'd chosen to land so that he was positioned between her and Youngest. The little hatchling quietened down and watched as the larger of the two gryphons came into land shortly after. This was Daragun who Yogoloth had met the evening before. Between his talons he carried a whole wild boar, which he flung onto the grassy ground just before he landed.

Natanii didn't approach and instead put on a feigned innocence, "Oh? Should I have replied telling you I'd got your message? Is that what we're doing now?"

Yogoloth sighed and grumbled under his breath. "Fine.." he replied, "I get it, I'll try to remember to reply when you send me a message in future..."

"Good boy. Now, was that Low Wyrm I heard... erm... Youngest speak a moment ago? You said his name was Youngest?"

"Yes that was Low Wyrm, and no, that's not his name. It's... complicated..."

Natanii shifted her weight a little and looked back at Daragun and the dead boar, "We should probably leave you two in peace."

"Natanii, could you stay? Youngest needs to get used to gryphons sooner rather than later." Yogoloth looked back at the small hatchling who was half hidden behind his rump. "I think he'll be alright with you."

---

Part 3

Daragun cleared his throat, "Right. I'll go make myself useful. You two let me know if you need me for anything. Natanii could you channel for me?"

"Oh, of course." The gryphoness drew a strand of her own magical reserves and willed it towards Daragun. He took it and used it to share his unique signature with Yogoloth.

"Here you go. I don't have any magic myself, so if you're able to include a reply shape with any messages, then please do as I can't reply otherwise."

Yogoloth memorised Daragun's signature as second nature and grumbled a little in his chest. He didn't like sharing his signature with anyone. It's not like you could change your signature or unshare it. Why did gryphons have to be so trusting with the one thing that shows absolute trust in another person?

Natanii spoke up, interrupting his chain of thought. "Oh, Daragun, I don't... dragons don't really... share their signatures until they really get to-"

Daragun released the magic and looked a little awkward. "Oh, I didn't- don't worry about it. It's there if you need it." And with that he turned, ran a few paces and took to the air.

"Thank you." Yogoloth murmured, "Why do you gryphons all have to be so sharing and trusting?"

"We can't all be as grumpy as old dragons. You might look twenty, but I know you're far older than me."

"Not that much older than you." Yogoloth laughed. "Besides, to a dragon, age is-"

"I'm hungry..." Youngest interrupted in Low Wyrm.

Both Yogoloth and Natanii turned to see the little hatchling peeking over the hybrid's rump, his eyes fixed on the dead boar that Daragun had left behind.

Natanii smiled and replied in Low Wyrm, "Do you want me to bring it to you, Youngest?"

The little dragon stared at the gryphoness and cocked his head to one side. He knew those weren't smelly bird noises, those were noises that mother had just started trying to teach him. But he wasn't very good at them. Some of them sounded a little familiar though.

"He only knows a few words in Low Wyrm, nowhere near enough to hold a conversation." Yogoloth replied in the local gryphon tongue and then switched to Hatchling High Wyrm and translated for Youngest. "My mate asked if you wanted her to bring the food to you?"

Youngest looked uncertain, his bright blue eyes looking back and forth between the food and the smelly bird. He didn't want to come out from behind the dragon bird, but he really wanted to eat. His stomach growled in protest at his indecision. He looked back to his protector and nodded slowly.

"You can feel safe around her too." Yogoloth turned to his mate and nodded.

Natanii took the nod as an invitation and sunk her talons into the boar. She dragged it across the grass toward her mate and settled down on her flank opposite him with the fresh carcass resting between them. If the little hatchling wanted the food, he'd have to come out from behind Yogoloth and get it himself.

"Thank you." Yogoloth smiled as he sank his teeth into the hide of the boar and tore a thin strip of flesh away. Curling his long neck he passed a piece to Youngest who greedily gulped it down.

Natanii sighed, rolled her eyes and replied in Low Wyrm. "If you want him to get used to me, he can't hide behind you all day. Let him come out and get his food. Also, speak Low Wyrm with me. If that's what he'd been learning before, it's better he starts to get used to it. There are a few gryphons around here who know Low Wyrm well enough to hold conversations."

"That's a good idea."

"Of course it is. What do males know about raising hatchlings anyway?" The gryphoness laughed.

Yogoloth smirked, "Well it's a good job really, because your colony is going to be looking after Youngest for the next few decades or so.".

He tore another piece of flesh from the boar and dropped it between the carcass and himself. The little hatchling had a taste for the meat now and eyed the tasty treat hungrily. But to get it, he would have to expose himself to the scary smelly bird.

Natanii's face went through a journey of expressions. First she was about to refute the claim, but she quickly realised that this is what the colony had brought upon itself. Ignorance was no excuse, they had saved an innocent life without understanding the responsibility. Then she was worried that they couldn't provide everything a dragon needed to be strong and healthy. They were woefully unprepared for this.

Yogoloth recognised his mate's concern. "Natanii, I'm not about to abandon him or your colony, but you all have this shared responsibility now. And like it or not, you all have this duty to care for him now."

The little hatchling, completely oblivious to the conversation unfolding between the two big smelly birds, began to sneak around Yogoloth's haunches. If he was slow and quiet, then no one would notice him taking the tasty treat. He kept his tiny wings pulled tight against his flanks and his belly close to the ground.

"I know." Natanii sighed and shook her head. "Right. How do I say 'Hello Youngest, my name is Natanii.' in this hatchling language?"

"Well, there's no word for 'name' and greetings are tied to context, but I guess something like this. Watch what I do with my paw too."

Yogoloth switched to Hatchling High Wyrm and whispered to his mate, "Youngest, I am smelly bird Natanii."

Natanii carefully tore a piece of meat from the boar with her beak and offered it toward Youngest with an outstretched talon. The little dragon took a step back away from the treat he had been stalking a moment ago and softly hissed at the new offering.

"Youngest, I am smelly bird Natanii." She spoke with admirable accuracy.

Youngest looked at Yogoloth. Yogoloth looked back at Youngest and they both started laughing. Natanii, with her talon still holding out the strip of meat, looked between the two of them, her head feathers falling flat against her head.

"What? Did I say it wrong?" She seemed genuinely concerned.

Yogoloth finished laughing and nudged the little hatchling who was still giggling, "My mate won't hurt you, I promise. She just wants to be your friend and give you some food."

Youngest still had the giggles, but eyed the meat held out for him. It certainly looked tasty and the smelly bird was more silly than scary now. He was a big strong dragon, one smelly bird couldn't scare him anyway! He reached forward and quickly snatched the strip of boar flesh and settled back against Yogoloth's flank.

"No Natanii, you said it perfectly." Yogoloth chuckled again in Low Wyrm.

Natanii's eyes narrowed, "Why do I feel like I'm the butt of some joke?"

"Because you are. Sorry, but I felt like it might help him not be afraid of you."

"You'll have to let me know later what I actually said then." She smirked.

The two of them began to tear more strips of flesh from the boar and Youngest was happy to gulp them down as they fell to the ground. Some he took from Yogoloth's jaws and some from Natanii's talons. His confidence grew and soon he paid little more attention to the smelly bird than he did the dragon bird who was probably his friend.

"Little one, I'm going to go hunting later. While I'm gone, can you look after my mate? Make sure she doesn't get into trouble? Think you can do that for me?"

Youngest stopped half way through gulping a chunk of boar that Natanii had been feeding him. He looked up at the dragon bird then at the smelly bird and then seemed to consider the request.

"I'll try to find some goat for you.". Yogoloth added hopefully.

Youngest slowly nodded and finished gulping down the strip of flesh.

Over time, more and more of the boar went down the throats of the larger gryphons than the smaller dragon. But it was hardly a meal for three. One gryphon would have struggled to eat the whole thing. But one large hybrid, one gryphoness and a growing dragon hatchling demolished the boar and soon there was nothing left but bones, fur, entrails and blood.

Youngest felt like he had eaten more than he'd ever eaten before. His belly felt ready to burst and he simply flopped onto his back. Soon the warmth of the sun was lulling him into a light snooze. Smelly bird Natanii wasn't so bad... but the boar wasn't the goat he'd asked for, so he'd have to complain about that later... after a nap...

"He's adorable." Natanii cooed as the little hatchling drifted off still sprawled on his back. "He's been through so much."

"Dragons are tough, he'll get through this."

"Hatchlings are tough in general." Natanii smiled, still admiring their peacefully sleeping charge. "At least now he's not biting anyone..."

---

Part 4

Youngest had woken up less than an hour or so later and was ready to bound around energetically. Both Yogoloth and Natanii had worked on building up the little hatchling's trust enough that he'd chase the tip of her tail. A few more words in Low Wyrm were taught and the hybrid had taken to the sky.

He'd let Natanii have most of the boar that hadn't vanished down the seemingly bottomless throat of the hatchling. Now he wanted to increase his familiarity with the local area so he could catch something for himself and store some of it in his nesting bladder for Youngest tonight or tomorrow.

Whilst gryphons would often eat their prey and then regurgitate it for their young, dragons, male and female, had specialised nesting bladders separate from their stomachs. The thought of all those stomach juices and partly digested meats mixing together and then being vomited up into a hatchling's mouth made Yogoloth shudder. Dragon nesting bladders kept the meat just the way it was when it was torn from the carcass... although maybe a little slimier.

Yogoloth tilted a wing as he circled the gryphon colony. It was around midday and plenty of gryphons were moving about or lazing around. The half-dragon counted a little over a dozen adults and perhaps half as many young, but he knew some would be out hunting, in caves or just simply out of sight. A couple were in the air, flying around each other, reaching for each other's tails in a sometimes calm, sometimes frantic dance.

"Tail Chase." Yogoloth smiled as he remembered that exact game from the times he and Natanii had played it.

He took in the landscape around him. The gryphon valley ran east to west and a mixture of pine and broadleaf forest spread out to the north and south. Further to the north and west the ground became rockier and mountains rose above the horizon. To the south the trees seemed to go on forever. Any areas of open ground were frequented by large stones and jutting rocks. It was very rugged terrain.

Yogoloth turned to the north and gained some height with a few strong steady beats of his wings. He closed the nictitating membranes over his eyes as he gained speed and the air became a little cooler. Casting his gaze across the lands ahead of him, the hybrid breathed in the fresh air as he half flew and half glided on a few thermals.

Time passed and Yogoloth looked down towards the canopy. The trees weren't as dense as they first appeared, the rocky terrain and small but frequent cliffs broke up the tree cover giving plenty of places for gryphons and dragons alike to land. There were even a few rocky areas which would catch the morning or afternoon sun.

Tipping a wing, he decided to land in one such clearing and look for evidence of prey. He felt the wind pressing against his nictitating membranes as he dived down and smiled. Flying was one of the most wonderful things and Yogoloth never grew tired of it. He pulled one wing in and spun himself around before straightening off with a loud roar. The hybrid pumped his wings at the last moment to slow his descent and landed on the ground only a little harder than he'd intended. It was good to feel alive.

The exposed stone he'd landed upon jutted out of the ground and formed a slight cliff, not enough shade even for a single gryphon, but the stone itself was smooth and just large enough for a gryphon or dragon to sprawl and bask. The sun had done a good job of warming it and the temptation was strong to simply laze there.

But Yogoloth had a more important task, to top up his belly and help provide some more food for Youngest. He headed for the treeline around the clearing and looked for evidence of large prey nearby. It was a strange thought to be providing food for a hatchling, but it was something that needed to be done. Food from a nesting bladder was better for a dragon hatchling than straight from the carcass anyway.

The sound of feathered wings beating the air caught his attention and he looked back to the clearing. A gryphon had clearly been quietly gliding for a little while and now pumped their wings to land on the rugged rock and earth of the clearing. The gryphon had rich luxuriant brown fur and the tips of their wing feathers were edged with iridescent green.

"Green-Tips..." Yogoloth muttered as his eyes narrowed and a little adrenaline found its way into his veins.

"If you're hunting, then there's more prey an hour or so to the east of here." The male gryphon called out a little hesitantly. "Or even further north towards the mountains there's goats..."

Yogoloth's senses spread out as he looked for any other gryphons nearby but he found none, then he focused on Green-Tips to see if he had any magic shaped into his body, but again found nothing. He protracted the claws of his forepaws and flattened his head feathers and ears.

"You come for that rematch, Green-Tips?" Yogoloth couldn't help but finish the question with a little growl.

"No no no." Green-Tips stepped backwards and then took a deep breath. "You're Yogoloth, right? I'm Nuluvosh."

"What do you want?"

Yogoloth had to admit that the gryphon looked nervous but also perhaps a little embarrassed. His deep orange eyes wouldn't meet the hybrid's own purple eyes and the feathers on his head twitched a little as though they couldn't decide where to rest.

"I just wanted to catch you on your own- not to fight! Just... to talk." Nuluvosh quickly clarified. "Look, I don't like you, I mean I don't know you, but... but you really cracked my beak and... it'll take months to grow out... but anyway I..."

Yogoloth's muscles relaxed a little, this gryphon was making a mess of whatever he was trying to say. Nuluvosh did have a very visible crack on one side of his deep orange beak along with a couple of deep bruises showing around his eyes and nares.

"Spit it out, Green-Tips." Yogoloth sighed.

"Look, I'm sorry for going after you. I just saw Natanii and thought she was in trouble." The gryphon started rambling. "Then she told us to get down to her and she sounded angry and you were all snarly and I've never seen an adult dragon or a hybrid or whatever and I guess I just panicked a bit and then you hurt Maras and... ugh..."

"Just shut up for a second." Yogoloth took a couple of steps forward so he could stand in the sun and Nuluvosh took a couple of steps back. He rolled his eyes at the reaction. "You know, if I actually wanted to, I could probably close this gap and get my claws into you even at this distance."

Nuluvosh swallowed noticeably then glanced at the sky. "I don't know if I can trust you, but I trust Natanii, and if you two are mated, then... well I think she'd choose someone who'd honour an honest apology."

"In that case, Green-Tips, we're even. No rematch required."

The young gryphon sighed quietly with relief, "Good. I didn't fancy getting beaten up again."

"Yeah, you've not been in many proper fights, have you?"

"Not where..." Nuluvosh paused for a second before replying more quietly, "I thought I was going to die... no."

"Then I'll give you a few tips. Where you went wrong." Yogoloth replied and took a few casual steps towards the smaller gryphon.

Nuluvosh's eyes widened a little and his head feathers perked up in mild confusion and concern, but he held his ground. "That's... not necessary..."

"Nonsense. I've made the offer and it would be rude for you to refuse." Yogoloth replied as he came within easy reach of Nuluvosh. He craned his neck and gave the gryphon a few sniffs while studying his bruises and cracked beak. "Maybe your wounds will impress the females once you tell them a dragon gave them to you."

"You're not a pure dragon though." The gryphon muttered nervously, unsure if it was the wrong thing to say.

Yogoloth smirked and looked the gryphon in the eyes. "As close as you're ever going to get to surviving a fight with a dragon. Just be thankful I didn't use my claws or teeth."

Nuluvosh chuckled, "Yeah... I did notice that afterwards." He gestured to the talon wounds on Yogoloth's foreleg. "That's part of the reason I wanted to apologise."

"I've had worse, Green-Tips." Yogoloth said with more bravado than he'd intended. "Anyway... let's begin."

---

Part 5

"Lay down on your flank."

"What...?"

"Or you can rear up on your hind legs and I can knock you over again with my wing." Yogoloth grinned while carefully stretching his left wing joint, "Although I'd rather not, this one still aches from yesterday."

"I thought you were going to show me how not to get knocked down?"

"In a fight, you're probably gonna get knocked down at some point. It's what you do from there that's just as important."

Nuluvosh tentatively laid down on his flank, eyeing the hybrid suspiciously. Yogoloth closed the gap between them and pushed the smaller gryphon over onto his back and with a quick hop sat on his fluffy belly. He wiggled a little to get comfortable on the soft pillow and smiled down.

"So, this is where we were last night with me battering you around the head." Yogoloth demonstrated by patting Nuluvosh gently on the side of the head with a fore paw. "You can't get out of range of my claws, but even if I didn't have this long dragon neck, I could still keep my head out of range of your talons."

Yogoloth continued to demonstrate by alternating between his forepaws and swiping at the gryphon's head and neck. His claws were sheathed and the blows soft, but he still put some speed behind them. Nuluvosh tried to bat them away but some of them still got through.

The hybrid stopped his demonstration and continued, "Even if you're really good at blocking, you're still going to take a beating. What you need to do is get me off you. While you're down there and I'm up here, I'm going to win."

Nuluvosh began to wriggle and tried to shove the larger creature off him with his forelegs. Yogoloth shifted his weight to counter the movement and deflected most of the shove attempts. Every time he saw an opening he softly batted the gryphon around the head once more.

"Ow, I still have a headache from last night, I get the idea!" Nuluvosh grumbled.

"There's a few ways you can do this, the first is to get your hind legs between yourself and me so you can push me off. Realistically, it doesn't matter how heavy I am, your hind legs should push me off pretty easily."

Nuluvosh wriggled again but Yogoloth was sitting firmly on the gryphon's stomach and there was no way to get his hindlegs into position. "How?"

"You need to make some space. Arch your back as much as you can and then thrust up hard against me. You should be able to lift me and make some space. Then quickly pull one or preferably both hind legs in between us."

The gryphon's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Thrust against you? This better not be some kink of yours."

Yogoloth swatted the gryphon across the head, "Sex later, for now focus on training."

Nuluvosh yelped and rubbed his head, grumbling under his breath. But he soon focused on the task at hand by arching his back then thrusting his hips upwards. Yogoloth lifted up a little but the gryphon struggled to get a hind leg into the small and brief space. He tried again, this time with more force but still to the same effect.

"You're too much of a fat lump."

"Try lifting your hind legs as far from the ground as possible and then swing them down as you thrust..." Yogoloth swung his paw towards the gryphon's head but stopped short. "... and keep your talons up to protect your head and neck."

The gryphon raised his talons into a guard, took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Yogoloth could have almost laughed at the level of concentration and determination on the gryphon's face. At least he seemed to be taking it fairly seriously. Nuluvosh shifted his weight, lifted his hind legs and then thrust. The space he created between them lasted just long enough for him to pull one of his hind legs in.

"Yes!"

"Don't congratulate yourself too mu-" Was all that Yogoloth managed to say before the gryphon shoved him off to the side before rolling the opposite way back onto his feet.

"Finally!" Nuluvosh laughed as his tongue panted in his beak, "I can breathe properly again!"

Yogoloth simply sprawled on his back in the sun where he'd fallen and chuckled, "You did alright."

A new voice spoke up from the shadows in the nearby tree line, "If I'd known you two were having this much fun I would have joined in sooner."

---

Part 6

Yogoloth tilted his head back and cast his gaze to the source of the voice. From his position everything was tilted to the side but he recognised the other gryphon as Black-Beak, or rather Marasoon; the gryphon who had attacked him the day before with Green-Tips.

"Marasoon, I was wondering if you were going to turn up or not.", Yogoloth spoke carefully. At this point he was fairly sure he was safe from attack, but it never hurt to remain cautious and observant.

Nuluvosh squawked in indignation, his head feathers standing up on end. "What!? Why do you use his name, but I still get called Green-Tips!?"

Marasoon cooed in mock sympathy, "Oh, don't worry Green-Tips, I still love you."

Nuluvosh looked between the two of them and grumbled. "If that was true you wouldn't call me that."

Marasoon padded over to the other gryphon and preened a couple of the feathers on his head, trying to flatten them down. Initially it looked as though Nuluvosh was going to pull away in protest, but soon leaned into the ministrations. For a moment there was silence, but it was soon followed by a gentle rumble from Nuluvosh's breast.

"Besides..." Marasoon cooed between nibbling a couple of feathers, "I bet there's a certain tip that you still want from me..."

Nuluvosh seemed to snap out of his temporary daze and made a sound that was half squawk and half grumble. He pulled away just enough to look the other gryphon in the eye and scowl.

Yogoloth had been idly watching the two male gryphons in silence but that last comment made him cuckle. "If I was under any doubt that you two were mates, I wouldn't be anymore."

"We're not mates." Nuluvosh replied very quickly and looked over to the half dragon still lounging in the sun.

Marasoon placed a taloned forepaw on his breast, his beak gaping in mock offence, "My love, you wound my heart." He moved the back of the forepaw to his head and melodramatically looked up to the sky. "How can I compete with his muscular half-dragon who you've been brazenly frolicking with?"

"We were training, not frolicking!" Nuluvosh squawked, clearly taking the whole affair far too seriously.

Yogoloth tried his best not to laugh as he mimicked Marasoon's acting and placed his own forepaw against his head in mock offence. "Oh Green-Tips, I thought I meant more to you than that! Wasn't our frolicking exciting enough for you?"

Nuluvosh was speechless as he looked between the two of them. His beak hung agape as he tried to find the words while Marasoon pretended to stumble a little as though faint. He eventually found his tongue. "The... the both of you are... equally terrible creatures..."

Yogoloth couldn't help but laugh at that, "You're definitely mates."

Marasoon cleared his throat and shook a single talon in the air, "No, my mate doesn't like that word. He prefers the term lovers."

"I don't dislike the word mates. It's just not accurate, we can't produce young."

Marasoon returned to preening his mate's feathers, but this time focusing on the side of his neck. "Maybe we're not trying hard enough... or often enough... Green-Tips..."

Nuluvosh pulled away and half scowled at the mention of his pet name.

"You pull away from me? Perhaps you want to be with Yogoloth? I don't mind sharing you if Natanii doesn't mind sharing him." Marasoon cooed suggestively, pointing his head at the nearby hybrid.

Yogoloth decided to chip into the increasingly fun conversation, "My mate doesn't mind sharing me with other males." He rolled from his back onto his side and lifted his head up to look Nuluvosh in the eyes. He sunk his claws into the rocky earth and slowly licked his snout. "I did enjoy our frolicking, I nearly got an erection."

Marasoon took the reins of the conversation once more. "As long as you don't mind me watching..."

"... as I mount your mate? Feel free." Yogoloth added.

Nuluvosh was speechless for a moment. He looked back and forth between his mate and the half-dragon and eventually smirked. It was brief and he soon straightened his face and cleared his throat. But a chuckle found its way to break through his resolve and he started laughing. It was a genuine laugh and Marasoon quickly joined in.

"Fine! I give up! You win!" Nuluvosh sighed as his laughter faded. Marasoon leaned against him and he turned to give his mate some gentle nibbles around the head and neck.

Yogoloth sighed a little and rolled back onto his feet. He stretched his wings and winced a little at the sore joint of his left wing. He flexed it out a few times to work out the stiffness. He looked at the sun's position to gauge the time.

"I should probably get back to actually hunting. Goats are north you say? Towards the mountains?"

Marasoon looked over towards Yogoloth, "Well, we haven't eaten today, so we could all go and we can show you the best spots?"

The half-dragon nearly refused out of habit, but if he was going to be spending more time in and around the colony, he'd probably better get used to gryphon norms. Besides, Yogoloth had already spent a lot of time away from Youngest and although Natanii would have messaged him if there had been any problems, it wasn't fair to leave her alone with the little hatchling any longer than needed. At least not until they could communicate properly.

"I'd like that, thank you."

---

Part 7

Three pairs of feathery wings flew in a rough triangular formation over the forest canopy. Yogoloth had taken the lead and had set a punishing pace. His many years of long distance flying and a more athletic build gave him the advantage over the younger less travelled gryphons. He looked back and couldn't help but smirk, Marasoon and Nuluvosh were doing their best to keep up, but the exertion was showing in their heavy breathing and panting beaks.

The gryphon colony wasn't too far away by Yogoloth's reckoning and the trees were beginning to thin out. The sun was still fairly high in the sky, but most of the day had been spent flying, training, chatting and hunting. The two gryphons were capable hunters, once they found a herd of prey, they would plan an ambush. One would hide ahead of the herd and the other would flush them that way.

It wasn't a technique that Yogoloth had used very often, after all, he mostly hunted alone and really enjoyed the chase. But it wasn't long before they had caught three goats. One had been quite an old goat and another had a slight limp from either an injury or perhaps a birth defect. The last had fallen behind the rest and was quite young and thin. It was good that the gryphons observed good animal husbandry.

The gryphons had been happy to give Yogoloth the dragon's share of the meat as he was the larger predator and was also taking food back for Youngest. Now the hybrid's stomach was satisfied and his nesting bladder was full. He had been sure to keep a few big leg bones from the goats as marrow was always a nice treat for hatchlings to work for. Apparently giving hatchlings bones to break open for marrow wasn't a gryphon thing.

The valley which the gryphons called home was just over the next rocky ridge and Yogoloth went in to land upon the stoney peak. Marasoon and Nuluvosh followed him down and soon all three of them were standing together overlooking one end of the valley. Yogoloth could just make out a couple of gryphons where he'd left Youngest, one he recognised as Natanii and the other he wasn't sure about.

"Alright Yogoloth, we're here. Thanks for not killing my mate, and I'm also sorry about the rough first impressions we gave." Marasoon smiled, drew a thin strand of magic from his pool and shared his magical signature with the dragon.

Yogoloth automatically memorised it and then grumbled awkwardly. "Thank you, I..." He sighed, "Dragons don't really share their signatures as often as you gryphons seem to. Sorry if I seem rude for not sharing back."

"Oh, well, I guess that's something new we've learned. Either way, you have it if you need to message me for anything."

"That might be sooner than you think."

"Oh?" Marasoon replied with more curiosity than concern.

"Yes." Yogoloth smiled without elaborating. He turned to Nuluvosh. "Were you also part of the hunting party that brought the hatchling back to the colony?"

Nuluvosh looked momentarily sheepish. "No, I was resting."

His mate laughed and nudged him with an extended wing. "He was hungover."

Yogoloth chuckled a moment and then stopped, "Wait, you have alcohol in the colony? What sort?"

Marasoon looked back towards the hybrid. "That depends on what the traders bring. I think most of the barrels were kept by the elders for the Festival of the Autumn Moon. Green-Tips here got drunk on some plum ale we managed to trade for."

"A festival?"

"We sit around fires and tell stories, drink and eat till we're bursting. As the sun sets, the stories get less and less hatchling friendly. Some flirt, pair off and go flying together. Others pass out together with friends or family, others play with magic or wrestle or whatever... it's just a tradition while we still have the summer's warmth."

"That just sounds like a party."

Nuluvosh chuckled. "Pretty much. The elders would tell us it's an important tradition to celebrate a successful summer and hope for a mild winter. But mostly we just have fun and get drunk."

Yogoloth smiled. "I should get back to Youngest." He sighed and then paused as if deciding whether to say something or not. "But you're both welcome to come and meet him properly if you'd like?"

Nuluvosh began, "Oh, no, that's alright. Hatchlings aren't really my-"

"Why Yogoloth! Are you beginning to like us?" His mate interrupted with a laugh. "We'd love to."

---

Part 8

They decided to land a little ways off in case the sudden influx of gryphons scared the hatchling. Yogoloth put the pair of big goat bones in his mouth and landed as gently as he could. The two gryphons stayed a little ways behind as he approached on foot. Before long they caught sight of Natanii lounging on her flank watching Daragun walk around with Youngest riding on the big gryphon's back shouting instructions in Low Wyrm.

"Left!" The hatchling yelled excitedly and Daragun slowly turned to the left. "Stop! Forward!" He yelled again and the gryphon he was riding stopped turning and walked forward in the new direction.

Yogoloth hadn't been noticed by either of them nor Natanii, so he watched for a moment. Youngest yelled his commands and Daragun obeyed until the devious little hatchling intentionally guided him into a tree. The big gryphon made a big show of bumping his head against the tree and complaining while rubbing his head.

Youngest laughed loudly and hopped off the 'injured' gryphon as Daragun flopped onto his rump and continued to hold his talons against the top of his head. It was clear that he wasn't really harmed. Yogoloth couldn't help but chuckle between the bones in his jaws.

Youngest looked up to see Yogoloth and his eyes widened in happiness. He began to bound towards the hybrid but stopped, pointed at the hybrid and yelled, "Natanii! What!"

Natanii looked over and spoke very clearly a single word, "Yogoloth"

Youngest resumed his energetic bounding and started chanting, "Yogoloth! Yogoloth! Yogoloth! Yogoloth!" Before leaping up to lick at the hybrid's mouth. It was the sort of greeting a hatchling would give their mother after returning from a hunt. The significance tugged a little at Yogoloth's heartstrings.

"Hello, little one." Yogoloth spoke in Hatchling High Wyrm after dropping the pair of goat bones onto the ground. Youngest ignored them for now as the hybrid gave him a few affectionate licks on the top of the head. The bundle of green limbs and wings was quickly scooped into the larger dragon's fore paws. "Did Natanii protect you like I said she would?"

Youngest nodded quickly and tried to wriggle free. "Yes! She taught me new words!"

"So I heard! Have you been keeping the smelly birds in line?"

The little hatchling wriggled some more but Yogoloth kept a tight hold. Even through the squirming, Youngest began to show off his new knowledge of Low Wyrm. "Left! Right! Forward! Stop! Sun! Gryphon! Daragun! Grass! Rock!", he poked the big hybrid in the snout with a paw, "Yogoloth!"

Yogoloth laughed and gave the increasingly wriggling hatchling another lick before releasing him back onto the ground. Youngest tumbled over before finding his feet again, looked around in apparent bewilderment and then whined, still in Low Wyrm. "I'm hungry!"

"What took you so long?" Natanii joked now that her mate had properly greeted the little hatchling.

"I bumped into these two." Yogoloth tilted his back back. "Hurry up, it seems like Youngest likes gryphons now."

Natanii chuckled as she looked at the two gryphons stood a little ways behind Yogoloth, she switched back to the local gryphon tongue, "I don't think Marasoon and Nuluvosh know any Low Wyrm." She raised her voice before adding, "Come on you two."

"Oh yes, I forgot you said that not many gryphons do." Yogoloth turned his attention back to Youngest and settled down onto his belly.

"So I assume you've all preened and forgiven each other then?" She quipped.

"Well, Green-Tips and I skipped the preening and went straight back to me batting him around the head while sitting on his belly." Yogoloth smirked while Youngest tried to get his attention by scaling the much larger dragon. "But his mate thought it might be better for both of us if I climb on his back instead."

Marasoon grinned while Nuluvosh's head feathers rose in indignation, "Firstly, my name is Nuluvosh and secondly I'm not... well, I'm not really into... erm... ah... exotic gryphons...?" The young gryphon finished uncertainly.

"You can just call me a hybrid or a dragon or- although..." Yogoloth stopped to think for a second, "I actually rather like that. Exotic. Exotic gryphon." He smiled.

"I'm hungry!" Youngest whined again in Low Wyrm from between Yogoloth's wings.

"Alright, alright, one second." Yogoloth replied automatically in Low Wyrm.

It had been a while since he'd done this and it felt strangely unfamiliar. Tensing his nesting bladder he opened his mouth and spat out a few pieces of the goat meat onto the ground. He'd intentionally swallowed the more grisly pieces for himself and stored the meatier and fatter pieces for Youngest. Yogoloth had also included half a liver and a kidney, although he wasn't sure what the little hatchling preferred yet.

Youngest hopped down from Yogoloth's back and pounced onto the nearest chunk of meat and bit into it enthusiastically. He stopped mid bite, dropped the still bloody flesh and stared at it in wonder.

"Goat!" He celebrated in Hatchling High Wyrm before gulping it down, sparing it precious few bites.

Daragun recovered from his earlier near mortal collision with the tree and had joined the other two gryphons as Yogoloth deposited the slightly slimy meat onto the ground. He seemed curious about the whole scene while Marasoon seemed baffled and Nuluvosh looked slightly disgusted. The hybrid looked back at the three gryphons and eyed Nuluvosh accusingly.

"It's better than puking on our hatchlings."

"Naty!" Daragun cheerfully interrupted, "I know you've already got a wingful looking after one hatchling, but if you can keep an eye on this one as well..." He tilted his beak towards Yogoloth. "I can talk to the elders for you."

Natanii did an admirable job of keeping a straight face. "I've been keeping this one in line for years, it's no problem. Thank you."

Yogoloth opened his jaws to retort but thought better of it. Daragun nodded his beak to the hybrid and smoothly took to the air and flew down into the valley vanishing from sight. The hybrid turned to Youngest as the greedy hatchling downed the last piece of goat and gave out a little belch.

"More!" He grinned up at Yogoloth. The big half-dragon did as he was asked and spat up some more pieces of goat meat and the kidney plopped out along with them. He didn't have much control over what came up, only roughly how much. That left his nesting bladder about half full now, probably enough to last until breakfast tomorrow.

"Should we come back? After he's eaten?" Marasoon whispered.

Yogoloth kept watching Youngest as he chomped down his meal. "It's fine. The more gryphons Youngest meets the better." He smirked back at the two gryphons as they cautiously approached. "Just don't try to take his food."