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"Oooooh, CHAAAAA!" The four gryphons all cheered in unison as they raised their classes of whine in celebration of this grand occasion: Purpor and Rein were unofficialy engaged!

Well, it wasn't an engagement in the traditional sense, but Rein had finally left his own nest and had moved in with Purpor (who they all affectionately referred to as 'Wineburd' due to his ability to make the best berry and grape wine the gryphon community had ever seen) in his massive castle-cave atop the mountains. They were all in the grand dining hall that Purpor had carved out and were having the most fun of times together to celebrate their union.

It was four gryphon friends all partying and driking, causing a fuss and singing together. Purpor, the mostly purple gryphon, was hosting the party at his home while mr Rein Bourne was his guest of honor. Rein was a part-wolf gryphon who was mostly black, with a purple and blue fade to his wingtips and all blue beak and flesh. It complimented Purpor's own purple feathers. Zuzu Frostwing and Mathinic were both there as well to celebrate, enjoying every hoot and holler as the night went on. Zuzu was a glorious white and blue herm gryphon, whereas Mathy was a jaygryph, with the particular white, blue, and black pattern of a blue jay. They had many things in commom and Purpor had considered expanding his cave-castle to house all four of them, but Zuzu and Mathy had declined at the time, saying they'd prefer to have their own home as opposed to running the risk of upsetting their good friend and perhaps upsetting one another.

It was an in-joke, most wouldn't get it.

The four of them smashed their glasses together and chugged back the small shot of wine the Wineburd had poured them all. It was a grape-berry wine, his favorite and most beloved of all the flavors he'd made.

"Woo! Woo!" Rein chanted as he slammed down his shot glass on the table. "More of that fine drink!"

Purpor laughed and quickly poured them all another round of shots. Normally Wine was for sipping, but tonight they were enjoying a much more concentrated brand, meaning it was far tastier and considerably more potent. The four of them had already long since broken through being simply buzzed and were well on their way to being 4 drunken, hooting, hollering birds. It would have been a truly entertaining sight if not for the fact that Wineburd Manor, the cave-castle that Purpor called his own, was far up in the mountains and well away from any others, only feral beasts were int he area.

"Okay guys, okay!" Purpor announced. "Everyone calm down, kay?" he raised up his wings and front paws to try to calm people down. It wasn't working. "Guys!" he shouted a bit louder. "Guyssss."

"CHIRP!" Rein screeched, trying to get everyone's attention. The other two quickly stopped chirping and pecking at one another to look at the two of them. Rein, the much smaller of the two gryphons, was nuzzling up to Wineburd's side, coddling him.

"Okay, you here with me? Payin' attention?" Purpor asked again.

"Uh, yeah!" Zuzu chirped, his tail gently poking at Mathy's rump. Mathy, in turn, shot a silly glance at him, trying to not show that he was tipsy.

Mathy was never like this, he didn't usually drink and was usually such a quiet, reserved gryphon, but that potent wine was having a strong, adverse effect on him. He usually refused drinks, but he felt it would be particularly rude to say no to his best mates to not join in on the festivities.

Purpor slowly put down his forepaws on the big wooden table, glancing at Mathy then Zuzu, finishing with a long stare at Rein, smiling gently as the two of them locked gazes. "We all know why we're here. Rein and I, we've been talkin' about it for months, and now it's happened! We share this wonderful loft. Wineburd Manor would be so much better with more birds...you guys sure you don't wanna live here?"

Mathy slowly lowered his head, trying to not make eye contact. He didn't want to offend Wineburd, but he didn't wanna live here with the others.

Zuzu threw back another shot glass of wine before letting out a cute belch, a weird mix of a chirp, a squeak; it was a type of burp that only a gryphon could do. "Well, How about this." He said as he covered his beak with his forearm, preparing for another belch. "How about we come here every night, make a mess of the place, and then leave you to clean it up!"

Purpor's eyes opened wide in shock. How could anyone be so rude?!

"Dude, I'm kidding!" Zuzu laughed as he offered him his shot glass. "Now fill this back up so we can get back to the party!"

The much larger purple-feathered gryphon obliged, giving him another shot of his wine. "You know, you don't gotta joke around so much." He mumbled. He didn't always get the jokes and he found himself more often offended than anything else.

Rein nuzzled into his Wineburd and preened at his breast feathers, trying to calm him down. Purpor's emotions were very strong when he was drinking; his happiness, sadness, playfulness, and anger tended to be amplified, and Rein was trying to keep his mate happy. "It's alright, let's just have some fun."

Mathy, on the other hand, had returned to being remarkably quiet, not talking or chirping a single word. Normally he was this type of shy, but this bit of Purpor's fine wine had him hooting and playing with the others like he was a chick and that made him selfconscious so he tried his best to calm himself. As soon as he was asked to be quiet he shrunk down and remained quiet. He was just trying to not cause a fuss amongst the other loud gryphons, so he sneakily tried to get away.

"Whoa, whoa!" Rein said aloud, padding over to Mathy. "No friend of mine is getting out of the festivities! Come cuddle and we can play!"

The jaygryph shook his head meekly. "No it's alright, you have Wineburd to play with, I'll just be getting in the way."

"Nonsense! There will be no talk of getting in the way!" Rein proclaimed as he clamped his beak onto mathy's 5-feathered tail and dragged him back over to the table.

Mathy let out a scree and tried to dig his claws into the ground, but it was no use. Rein had him by the tail and there was nothing the jaygryph could do about it! "Reiinnnn!" He cried out desperately.

Rein spat out Mathy's tail and chirped, staring gape-grinned at the jaygryph. "Come play! Don't be such a wet bottom."

"FEATHERPILE" Zuzu shouted as he hopped over the table and pounced on Purpor, interrupting Mathy's hesitation.

The jaygrph felt a chuckle bubble up from his gullet, and he couldn't stop himself from laughing and pouncing on top of the other two.

Rein laughed happily and pounced on top of the pile. "I'm the king of gryphons and you better believe it!" he giggled as he wiggled into the the other gryphons, nipping at rumps and feathers and tails until it was just one big ball of gryphon rolling around on the ground.

The next morning as the sun was gently emerging over the horizon, sending gentle orange beams of light in through the castle windows and into the grand hall, a peculiar scene emerged.

The four gryphons were strewn around the grand hall. Zuzu was passed out on the great dining table, laying on his back with wings spread over either side of the table. There were bits of fruit and nuts all over the area and on the ground, a mess that both Rein and the Wineburd would have to work hard to clean when they finally came to their senses.

Wineburd himself was leaning over a window sill overlooking the mountainside, his head and front paws hanging outside while the rest of his body was splayed out over the bench that sat below the open window. There was a streak of purple stains trailing down the side of the castle and mountain.

Rein and Mathy were cuddled up together...inside the water trough which had been spilled and was empty. Rein's wing was draped idly over the smaller jaygryph.

It had been one hell of a night.

Mathy was the one who drank the least of the wine so he was the first to wake up. He groggily blinked his eyes and stood up, shaking the bits of dirt and stones that were matted in his fur. He slowly walked towards the middle of the room where Zuzu lay, idly preening at his own chest feathers as he walked. Careful to not disturb Zuzu, he sat at the end of the table and nipped at a few bits of berries that were strewn around. He didn't want to wake anyone else up so he stretched out his wing and began to preen at it, using his beak to adjust and align the long flight feathers. Everyone knew wings were the most important body part on a gryphon, he had to keep them in immaculate condition, especially after a night like the one before.

"Uuuuh." Zuzu moaned as he stirred on the table. Mathy scuffled backwards and waited for the somewhat larger gryph to get up, but he never did. Instead Zuzu simply rolled onto his side and continued to sleep.

Mathy wondered how Zuzu could sleep like that without hurting his wings, but he ignored his own inquiry and continued to preen at his wings. As the jaygryph continued to preen at himself, his mind wandered to the last minutes of the night before.

After jumping into the gryphon pile, they'd been cuddling and preening at one another for what seemed like hours, when Rein and Zuzu started getting really intimate. The two herm gryphons were both starting to sniff at each other, Wineburd had faked being in heat by getting in the position of a gryph-mare to try get one of the other to to mount him, so Mathy had begun to drift away since he didn't care much for sexual things. The jaygryph was a cuddler and he didn't have any interest in any of the more intimate actions that his mates engaged in, in fact he was unable to be interested because he lacked genitals, making the whole ordeal foreign to him.

But he respected the others, so he started to scuffle away when Rein called over to him, saying that he shouldn't ever feel left out, so they stopped their overly sexual activities and got back into their cuddle pile. Amongst the purrs and chirps, Someone said something about "We're gonna be bros forever." and it branched off from there. It was probably Rein, since he was the only one who would ever say 'bros'.

They started going on about blood brothers and yolkbuddies and all these other weird terms they were coining until Rein let out a screech. "I know a guy who can make this real!" he had said before promptly falling flat on his beak, purring and snoring into the carpet

. The others were quick to follow suit.

Mathy had no idea who this guy was or how he was at all important to the four of them bonding, so he opted to ignore it and just fall asleep.

"Aaaaaaaarch." Wineburd let out a long yawn followed by the tail end of a chirp, breaking Mathy's concentration. As he slowly got to his feet, rubbing his chest and cracking his neck, he let out a groan. "Too much wine, eh? Yep indeed, too much wine."

Mathy nodded slowly. "Yeah, just a bit."

Wineburd shuffled over to the table and sat down beside Mathy, also trying his best to not wake Zuzu. "We totally gotta do that again sometime!"

"I, uh, I guess. I don't really drink that much. Do you have any non-alcoholic wine?" The jaygryph asked meekly.

"Well we got some fine grape juice if you want some." Wineburd offered before leaning into Zuzu, pushing him off the table with a loud thud.

"Ooph!" Zuzu grunted before falling off the table in a mess of feathers. "What the hell man?" He poked his head over the table and glared at Wineburd. "I will chew off your beak."

"Birds don't chew, do they?" Wineburd asked, rubbing his chin contemplatively.

"I'd make an exception for you right now." Zuzu grumbled as he got to his feet, arching his back to crack his spine. "What did I drink last night?"

"Just wine." Mathy answered. "You kept complaining that it wasn't whiskey, it kind of offended Wineburd."

"Oh I remember that part...I meant, what did you mix it with?"

Wineburd's jaw dropped. "I would never mix wines! That would totally ruin the integrity of it!"

Zuzu waved a wing dismissively. "I know, I know. It was a joke, but I usually don't get that ruffled up. Musta been powerful stuff. What did you feed me?"

The wine-expert stood tall and puffed out his chest. "Only the finest of berry and grape wines!" It was common for wineburd to puff out and act prideful of his wares, he was one of the best, after all. Easily the best gryphon wine maker. Sadly, he didn't really pick up on rhetorical questions.

The white and blue gryphon shuffled over to the water trough to get a drink, and made it halfway before realizing it was tipped on its side, Rein's back half laying in it as his wings splayed out. "Aw, come on, I'm thirsty!"

"Don't worry Zu! There are a few other troughs around here somewhere, I can get a bucket or you can go down to the lake if you want!" Wineburd was offering as he darted out from behind the table to dash outside. He was a very kind, generous gryphon.

"He'll be right back." Mathy said quietly.

"I know, he's kind of awesome. Why isn't Rein up yet?"

The jaygryph shrugged. "I dunno, Rein drinks a lot. I wouldn't let him fly when he wakes up, he'd end up crashing into the mountainside or messing up the landing and breaking his leg. He's done that, you know. You never drink and fly."

Zu laughed. "I know, I was there when he did it. Silly gryph."

"Oh, sorry."

The two of them sat together at the table, idly munching on nuts and berries that had been strewn around, they made a fine little snack for them as they waited for Wineburd to get back.

"So uh, any idea what the heck Rein was talking about last night when he said he knew a guy?" Zuzu asked as he tossed a peanut into his beak, crunching on it and gulping it down.

"I dunno, I mean...I think I might have an idea but I don't want to assume anything until he wakes up."

"Well who do you think it is?" zuzu tossed back another nut.

Mathy shook his head. "I'm not saying, I wouldn't want to be wrong and make anyone look bad. Besides, he may not even remember when he wakes up." He took in a deep breath and started to lean back, glancing at the rocky ceiling.

"Ceylon." They heard Rein grumble from inside the trough.

Both Mathy and Zuzu looked over to Rein. "What?"

"Ceylon." Rein repeated as he rolled onto his back and spread his hind legs and pointed to the slit that lay nestled under his furred balls. "He gave me this, I'm sure he's the guy to ask for any ritual. Ceylon: for all your bonding needs!" As he continued to speak, his words became slightly more blurred until they could barely understand him.

"I dunno Reiny, I don't think master Ceylon would appreciate being asked for such a silly thing." Mathy squeaked. "Can't we just share feathers or something? Wouldn't that be a good bonding exercise?"

Rein began to respond, but Zuzu butted in. "No, I think he's onto something. Master Ceylon really likes and respects Rein, I don't know what that crazy burd has in mind, but whatever it is I'm sure Ceylon would be happy to oblige."

"Ceylon?" Wineburd chirped from the entrance way, bucket of water hanging from his beak. "We're going to see Ceylon?" He puffed up and smiled, rocking back and forth as he strode towards the table, spilling a bit of water with each step. By the time he dropped the bucket on the table for Zuzu, it was half empty. "When are we going?"

Rein stumbled to his feet before anyone could answer. "Not today, I'm not flying anywhere. Gimme some of that water." He sat up next to the table and dunked his head into the bucket of water, lapping at it greedily.

"I can give you some medicine for that, if you want." Wineburd offered.

"You have medicine?" Rein gargled from inside the bucket of water.

"Yeah, some grape-"

"-No grape stuff." Rein interjected as he lifted his head out of the bucket. "Not today."

"WellI have some flower grinds if you don't mind the taste."

Rein nodded. "Okay, I can take that.

Wineburd happily disappeared into the halls of the castle to get Rein his medicine. The other three stayed there in the grand hall, watching to see if Rein threw up or if he was going to be alright. Usually Rein was fine, even when drinking twice this much, but as Zuzu had pointed out, Wineburd's finest was, 'some pretty potent stuff'.

"Oh don't look at me like that." Rein laughed. "I'm not gonna yop all over the place, I'm just a little dizzy and thirsty."

But before Zu or Mathy could respond, Wineburd came in with a little pouch in his beak that had a bunch of ground up flower petals. "Great for hangovers!" He said through a gritted beak.

Rein happily took it and gobbled a pinch down, blinking a few times, puffing out his feathers, and lengthening his neck in disgust. "WOW these things taste like ass....the bad kind, not your ass. Your ass is gapey and grapey!" He giggled.

Wineburd blushed and shrunk down, a little embarrassed by Rein's sudden proclamation.

"Oh don't act like nobody knows."

"But Mathy, he doesn't wanna hear that kinda stuff." Wineburd whispered to Rein.

Mathy shook his head. "No it's fine guys, I know you have your fun, as long as I get to cuddle!" He perked up and nuzzled into Rein, who happily nuzzled back. The two of them proceeded to get into a mini preening session, nuzzling and purring and chirping at each other.

"Well that was...peculiar." Zuzu laughed. "I think it's time for us to go, Mathy."

"Nono, I wanna hear what Rein has to say about master Ceylon. I'm curious just what he thinks can be done."

All three of the other gryphons stood around Rein, who was still bulging his eyes out and shaking his head occasionally, trying to pass the nasty taste of the flower petals from his beak.

"Well uh." He spat out a bit of flower. "Well we'd have to go see him. I can't think of anything in particular right now, but when I need ideas I always think of Ceylon, he helps me with inspiration!"

The others all nodded. It seemed like an appropriate enough answer for them.

But after drinking a bit of water, Zuzu felt he was able to fly, so he bid the rest of them a fond farewell, apologized to Wineburd for the mess, and hopped over to the launching pad that had been built up on the opposite end of the castle. It was basically a big wooden plank that jutted out over the side of the mountain, and it gave a little hop to let the gryphons get into the air so they could glide down to the ground below, through the mist and into the forest.

"Well that was fun." Rein said as he rubbed his foreclaws together. So, I was thinking about going to see Master Ceylon, like, right now. You wanna go with me? I was gonna invite Zuzu but he seemed intent on going home for the day." He looked at Wineburd and Mathy, waiting for their answer.

Wineburd spoke up first. "Well, I do have this mess to clean up and some berries to harvest, so I can't go with you. Mathy? You wanna go?"

"Yeah Mathy, I would love if you came with! Emotional support?"

The shy jaygryph chuckled a bit and stared at the ground, scraping his claws on the dirt and gravel. "Well, I wouldn't be much of a cuddle buddy if I didn't offer support when you needed it!"

Rein chirped and gave Mathy a deep hug, wrapping his wings around the smaller gryphon. "Awesome! My hangover is gone so we can leave immediately!"

Mathy blinked. "Immediately? What if I'm still a little tipsy."

Wineburd and Rein stared at him in disbelief. They both knew he barely had any of the wine the night before so there's no reason he'd have a hangover, even though he was by far the smallest of the four.

"I'm just kidding, I'm fine!" he laughed nervously, and the others laughed with him. He still wasn't comfortable flying after drinking wine, but he did feel fine and he didn't want to let Rein down. They all meant so much to the jaygryph, each in their own way. All of them were so very different from each other and Mathy, but they all seemed to fit in together, and other than the occasional time the others would get intimate with one another, he never felt like he was left out. In fact, nobody in their flock was ever left out or excluded, and Mathy knew he was always invited to join in the sexytime if he ever got the urge to, he just never did. "Yeah, let's go! I'll race you to the grotto!"

Mathy quickly raced to the launching pad and hopped off, spreading his wings to gain control before tucking them in and swooping down through the fog like a blue, black, and white bullet. Rein was soon to follow with his own purple, black, and blue combo!

"Be sure to come back for dinner you two!" Wineburd called down as they disappeared into the mist.

Ceylon's grotto wasn't far from the base of Wineburd's mountain. In fact the cave he called his own was connected to a series of caves that eventually weaved through the base of Wineburd's own mountain. It was connected to a massive lake surrounded by jungle so thick that you likely wouldn't be able to get in without destroying the scenery or flying in. It was off limits to basically everyone that wasn't a gryphon or didn't have the money to hire an Aran to deliver mail to the master.

Mathy made it to ground first, a solid thirty seconds before Rein did, so he took the time to hover around in a circle and find a spot to sit. He chose to land on a massive vine-covered boulder on the west end of the lake, from there he could see the entire oasis and the grotto on the other end. A few moments later, Rein burst through the low-hanging clouds with a screech, spinning around a few times and landing on the rock beside Mathy.

"So, you ready to go for a swim?" Rein chirped happily.

"I guess so. Gotta go underwater to get into the grotto, don't you?"

"Yep, you should be fine though, like water off a Mathy's back, right?" Rein patted Mathy on the wing shoulder and hopped into the air, flapping his wings to get some leverage and circling up into the air. Mathy was soon to follow but found it hard to get any altitude over the cool water of the lake. Within only a minute, they were both flying around in circles above the water, flapping hard to keep their altitude while sizing up the angle they needed to enter the water. They couldn't talk while in the air, the wind whipping over the feathers around their head made hearing or speaking particularly difficult.

After a few circles, Rein tucked in his wings and stooped into a dive, aiming his beak right for the water. With a minimal splash his body disappeared beneath the surface and wasn't to be seen again, since he likely resurfaced inside the grotto. Mathy quickly followed.

Down he went like he was hunting for prey. He burst through the surface of the cool water, arched his back to aim himself, and burst back out through the surface in the grotto, gracefully landing on the rock inside beside Rein, who was shaking himself off.

Inside the grotto was a truly magnificent sight. The light from outside reflected off the waves of the water to illuminate the cave they were in. Leading up from the entrance was a massive red carpet lined with brightly burning candles and torches along the cave walls. In about 100 feet the two of them could see the tunnel open up into a massive cavern with walls made of gold.

"Whoa, it wasn't like this last time I was here!" Rein marvelled as he walked down the soft, somewhat damp carpet.

Mathy quickly shook himself off and fell in step behind Rein. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Oh it's fine, if I know Ceylon like I think I know him, none of this will make any difference. To his decision."

The two of them continued to walk down the narrow corridor until they made it to the open cavern. There they saw what they had glimpsed at before. The cave was fairly simple, with the carpet and torches going up a set of finely-chiseled rock stairs that led to a massive set of thrones. What was exceptional was the massive piles of golden artifacts that lay against each and every wall around them. Swords, goblets, plates, nuggets, and any other golden trinket you could possibly imagine, casually strewn against the wall without a care.

"So much gold!" Rein gasped.

"Don't get any ideas Rein." Mathy scolded, knowing quite well that Rein was instantly drawn to anything shiny. Mathy was, too, but he was a little nervous being in the cave of Master Ceylon, because nobody was there. Both of the thrones were empty and there didn't appear to be any tunnels or passages into the room other the one they came from. "It's so quiet in here."

"Yeah, that's odd. Master Ceylon must not be here at the moment. I'll go sit on his throne 'till he gets back!" Rein burst out into a run down the red carpet toward the thrones.

"Hey, don't do that!" Mathy cried as he gave chase. "You don't want to anger Ceylon, he'll...turn you into a chicken or something!"

"Isss that so?" a sultry voice boomed out from behind them. It wasn't Ceylon's.

The two of them stopped dead in their tracks and slowly turned to see who'd emerged behind them. Slowly revealing itself from the small cave that led to the lake was a massive green, red, and blue naga. Bigger around than Mathy was tall, with a head almost as big as he was!

"Oooooooooh..." Mathy trailed off as his feathers dropped in fear as he stared up at the naga who was trying to intimidate him by rearing its upper body over top of him. It was working.

The naga was letting more and more of her body come through the opening of the tunnel, raising her body up above the two of them, holding out its arms to look intimidating.

"I-is master Ceylon...around?" Rein squeaked. "Or....did you eat him?"

Both gryphons shrunk down as small as they could go. They'd never seen a snake so large. It was immensely thick and had to be at least 60 feet long! If it wanted, it could have eaten both gryphons without even having to unhinge her jaw! She could gobble them both up as an appetizer and still eat a small elephant as a main course!

"Oh don't be such wimps." the naga laughed as he slammer his body down besThey pushed its way past both Mathy and Rein, slithering in between their petrified, tiny bodies as they made its way to the thrones, wrapping a few coils around each of them playfully.

"A-and who are you, master?" Mathy asked, sure to call this creature master out of respect.

"Mistress, actually." She corrected him. "Mistress Leera Ssevarine, but you can call me Leera. No need for the formalities. What do you little ones seek from Master Ceylon?"

Mathy was still stone cold petrified, but Rein was beginning to gather his confidence. "Well, I was wondering if he could help us with a task we seek to do for our friends." He asked as his voice wavered, he was feigning confidence but was still a little scared.

"No need to be fearful of me, young gryphons." She assured them. "Ceylon is my mate, he and I have been for many years, whatever you can say to him, you can say to me."

"M-mates?" Mathy choked out. "I didn't know Master Ceylon had a mate."

She closed her eye as she rolled her neck, flicking her tongue out gently. "It'ssss...complicated. But yes he has a mate, we just don't see each other all too often, and few know about us. So what is it I can help you with?"

Mathy stepped forward to be beside Rein as they looked at one another. He was too shy to speak or say anything, but he nodded his approval, so Rein spoke up.

"Well, we have a flock that we fly with, it's the two of us and two others...we were actually hoping we could ask Ceylon for inspiration and help with a ritual that would bring us all a little closer together, I'm just a little too birdbrained to think one up myself." He pointed towards his brain and went cross-eyed as he said 'birdbrained' to get the point across.

"I ssee." Leera hissed as she nodded. "Well, I can think of a few things, such as sharing blood or massive celebratory orgies in worship of the gods and your own bonding, but I can read your emotions, and based on what I've picked up you either have no intention of doing such things, or you already have. No..." she paused and closed her eyes, rocking her body back and forth slowly as she flicked her tongue out. "...No, I think you need something far more intimate, more meaningful than any silly inspired familial ritual. That's why you came here, am I correct?"

Both Rein and Mathy nodded, Rein doing so considerably more vigorously.

"Well, I have an idea, but I'm not sure if you would be able to survive it." She warned.

"What's the ritual?" Rein asked curtly.

"Well, it would be an act of mutual death and rebirth. Master Ceylon has been performing similar rituals in this region for the last six months or so, and he's gotten quite positive responses from it, though it's usually for more...body altering purposes."

"Oh! I know what this is!" Rein chirped. "Is it the ritual where he takes you in his slit, holds you there for a while, then lets you go in your new body?"

Leera was taken aback, she had a clearly shocked look on her face. "Why, yes, that's what I was thinking...How did you know?" her tongue began flicking in and out rapidly in agitation.

Mathy giggled as Rein turned to his side and raised one of his hind legs, exposing his blue femslit. "He gave me this about a year ago, we did the whole process and everything." He lowered his leg and continued his story. "Yep, laid on his back all sexy like, spread his legs, pulled his slit open and told me to dive it! I dove right in! Literally! I actually pounced up and pushed my head in between those lips of his and dug my feet into the ground. There were some issues at first with his hip bones getting in the way, but I made it. Curled up inside his...womb? Clutch? Whatever he called it, and went to sleep for a while. When I came out, I had a slit of my own!" Rein was beaming, with a massive grin upon his face and his chestfeathers fluffed out. "Though, I don't know how that's gonna make Mathy, Wineburd, Zuzu and myself bond or anything, unless he wants to give us all the same slit or something...which would be silly because Mathy here's the only one who doesn't already have one and as much as I'd love to share that with him, I don't think he wants one."

Mathy blushed and shrunk down, laying on his belly and using his wings to cover his eyes. He felt so embarrassed at Rein's diatribe, though that did sound like a wonderful thing, to have his entire body sliding into a massive gryphon slit, cuddling and sleeping in that wonderfully peaceful womb.

Leera continued to nod before letting herself fall back onto her belly and slither back down the rock stairs to put her body between the two of them. Her scales gently rubbed across Mathy's feathers and tickled at Rein's claws as she slowly pressed her way behind them. As she moved, she knotted her body around two of them in a figure eight with her torso raised up in front of them and the end of her body flipped up to expose her cloacal vent, which was moist and ever so slightly gaped. "If you want to earn Master Ceylon's help, you must first prove your strength, by proving to me you can survive such a procedure. Rein Bourne has already proven himself, but in the interest of fairness, you both must prove yourselves to me. Right here, right now. Who's first?" She asked, her voice less demanding and more needy than anything else.

Mathy got back up onto all fours and nervously looked over to the slit of pink that was basically being shoved into his face. The naga's massive body was writing and pulsating with every breath, her vent opening and closing in time with the rhythmic inhalations. "I...I guess I'll go first since I have more to prove."

"Excellent!" Leera proclaimed as she un-knotted herself from the figure 8 position around them and arranged herself into a massive loop encompassing them both, her torso and head curled up into the middle on one side, the base of her tail where her vent opened up pressed in from the other side. Her massive frame was trapping them both from escape, with only her cloaca or maw to escape to.

"Meep!" Mathy chirped as she rearranged herself. He didn't know what to do, but he knew he had to sacrifice himself to that needy slit...in fact, the more he thought about it the better an option it sounded. "Rein...please help me in?"

Rein nodded solemnly and smiled warmly. He'd done this before with Master Ceylon before so he knew the basics of how it worked, not only was he okay but he thoroughly enjoyed it; he knew his jaygryph would be just fine. In fact, his only concern was having to wait for Mathy to finish so he himself could dive in after him.

"Don't keep me wating..." Leera hissed as she pressed her vent up against Mathy's chest, her fluids gumming up his chest feathers.

Mathy licked his beak and nodded slowly, the scent of the naga female surprisingly enjoyable to his avian nares. Normally he'd be upset by such a scent, but tonight he found himself oddly drawn to it. He cautiously and nervously raised to his hind legs and rested his foreclaws on the side of the naga's massive body. Since she was so large, he couldn't get a good look at her cloaca without propping himself up on her. He used a single talon to gently peel back the scales that obscured her opening, revealing a glorious pink canal of flesh that branched off into two other tunnels. "W-where do I go?" he asked nervously, knowing that reptilian females, like avian females had two openings: one for waste and one for reproduction. He didn't know what canal she wanted him to enter.

"The vaginal canal, dear. I fear the other may not be the most pleasant." She tensed up her muscles and rocked her body ever so gently, the flesh inside her vent rippling and tensing up, the posterior canal clamping shut while the anterior tunnel loosened up and gaped open a bit.

Mathy knew what to do, so he used his other foreclaw to press down on the soft, pink flesh, testing its sponginess and moisture. He found it was very tender and slick in addition to being surprisingly warm for a reptile. He was expecting cold, unwelcoming flesh so this was a very pleasant surprise that enticed him further.

Rein poked his head around Mathy, trying to get a look at the moist, pink cloaca, but the end of Leera's tail coiled around and pushed him back. "You'll get your chance, dear. Let Mathinic go in first."

Mathy, now mesmerized by the pulsing canal that was rhythmically gaping and clamping shut around his foreclaw, got a sudden burst of energy, urging him to pull both hands out from underneath the ventral scales to hop up on her body, using all four legs and his wings to keep balance as she tried to hold still for him. He quickly laid down so that he and Leera were belly to belly, his hind legs wrapped around her tail as he pushed his front paws forward, slowly parting her scales and once again exposing her moist pink canal with a wet squelch. He leaned in forward to get a better look at the flesh parting, connected only by strings of thick, slimy goo.

Mathy's body shivered with delight as his paws continued to slide effortlessly into her moist depths; he kept his hind paws clamped tight around her tail for control and balance. Once he had his arms fully extended, and his entire forearms were wrapped in Leera's surprisingly tight but stretchy vaginal orifice, he pushed himself forward, using his beak to push the naga's scales aside.

"Yess, Mathinic." Leera hissed as a wave of pleasure surged through her body starting with her nethers and working its way up her spine and into the base of her skull. "Please...don't be shy, go on."

Rein began to let out a gentle whine. "Hurry up Mathy, I wanna go!"

The small jaygryph ignored the both of them. The feeling of the warm, wet flesh wrapped around his forearm and the goo moistening up his beak was something he wanted to relish, not start and immediately finish. He was a touch frightened at first, but as he gained a surprising ease as more of him disappeared into her pink folds; he found himself very eager to wrap himself in this naga's flesh, warm and comfy as he curled up inside her. It was an odd wish, a strange desire, but it was stronger than anything he'd ever felt, and he was going to enjoy it.

Keeping both his forearms inside, he began to knead back and forth, massaging her flesh from within as he nuzzled at her opening with his beak. As his feet pushed him in a bit more, inch by inch, he could feel his chest get wet through his feathers, her fluids gumming him up again. With his eyes closed, he nuzzled at her ventral scales and pushed them to the side before pushing his head forward into her open canal alongside his forearms. He tried to hold his breath as he pushed in farther, her opening spreading wide to accommodate his head and shoulders, but he had to exhale and inhale. He tried to angle his head so his nares would get at some air, but instead he inhaled some of her fluid which coated the inside of his nostrilsall the way down to his lungs. He felt a tickling inside like he was about to cough, but the feeling subsided and was replaced with a strange complacency. He wasn't breathing, but he wasn't choking either.

"That's the fluid...Mathy. Are you okay?" Rein asked from within. When Rein first went inside Ceylon, he had to stop and cough for a moment when the thick fluid filled his lungs, but Mathy didn't seem to have the slightest issue with it. He just kept writhing and nuzzling at the cloacal opening, the ventral scales resting on the back of his head as his feet tried to meekly push himself in further.

Leera was flexible and more than able to accommodate Mathy's entire body with ease, but Rein, who was both interested in assuring Mathy's trial and speeding up his own entry, decided to give some help by straddling Lera's tail, positioning his head against Mathy's rump and giving a heave!

Mathy felt Rein's head against his rump for only a moment before the larger gryphon pushed, making Mathy's whole body slide forward effortlessly; Mathy could feel that ring of flesh at her opening sliding over his neck, shoulders, and upper body as he slid forward. The pressure caused his wings to fold downward as that same ring of flesh began to envelop that part of him. A few heaves later and the jaygryph's upper body was almost entirely encapsulated in this naga's cavernous depths. Mathy noted that once you got past the first foot or two of tight flesh near the opening, her canal opened up and almost seemed to suck him it. It was comfy, cozy, and surprisingly warm to him.

He wiggled his body left and right trying to pull the rest of himself in past her opening. That tight ring of flesh tightened and released with every movement inside, allowing itself to swallow up more of the jaygryph. He tried kicking at her tail to get more traction, but his legs were halfway inside already and any movement would only pull him out a bit.

Rein took the hint, grabbing Mathy's legs to push him in farther. He watched from outside as Mathy's squirms inside Leera could be clearly seen pushing out against her scales. Every write, every knead, and every nuzzle could be easily seen against Leera's outer body. It just made Rein wish it was him inside, or at least him inside alongside Mathy.

With another heave, Rein watched as the last of Mathy's wings and legs disappeared into Leera's cloaca. That ring of flesh opened up and closed again as each bit of Mathy was swallowed up into it. All he could see was a bit of his friend's tail and some errant wingtip feathers sticking out as her ventral scales slowly closed over him.

Leera began to move her body in reverse waves, an action that seemed to suck the rest of the jaygryph up into her.

Rein looked on as the last feathers of his friend's tail were slurped up into the massive naga's body. He leaned into Leera's side and pressed the side of his head against the writhing bulge within her that was Mathinic. Rein could see every movement from within push out on Leera's scales. "Okay Mathy, time to come out." He commanded.

Inside, Mathy continued to knead and massage at the flesh that held him as he was sucked deeper and deeper into the massive naga's body. He was even trying to curl up in the fetal position to get comfortable, but he felt the flesh pushing on him from one and and sucking from the other, urging him deeper and deeper, so he forfeited his own motions and let the slippery flesh around him control his movements. He loved the sensation as the slimy walls slipped past his feathers, it was a truly wonderful, warm, fulfulling sensation. To him it felt like being at home, more at peace than he could imagine. Better even than being wrapped under a warm wing of a friend as he fell into a deep sleep.

"No, he doesn't come out, Rein." Leera corrected. "No you go in with him."

Rein paused a moment. "But...how do I know you'll let him out once I'm in?"

"Does it look like he wants to come out?"

As Rein glanced over at the writhing bulge that was still, slowly being sucked up farther in the the naga's tube-like body, Rein agreed: Mathy did not look like he wanted to come out. In fact, he looked downright comfortable and eager to go deeper into her depths. "Alright, I can do this." Rein said.

"Good, don't keep me waiting little gryph." she warned as she arched her tail up a bit, once again gaping open her ventral slit to expose her tender pink flesh underneath.

Rein accepted the challenge and quickly hopped up onto her tail, resting both of his front claws on either side of her opening and used his beak to push her ventral scales to the side. He wanted in, and he wanted to join his friend inside. He did notice that the layer of fluid was much thicker and more viscous than it was when Mathy was pushing his way through, the flesh was softer, and the opening to her vaginal canal seemed to be gaped open considerably wider; probably because she'd just passed an entire gryphon through her.

Rein didn't bother himself thinking of such minor differences and instead thrust both of his foreams into the loose, gaping canal, kneading at the flesh as they pushed their way through the opening. He eagerly dove in headfirst, feeling his beak part the flesh even further and the thick slime clog up his nares in an oddly pleasant way. He giggled a bit as he pushed in further, the vaginal opening slid easily over his head andneck, wrapping around his shoulders and sucking him in a bit until it reached his wings. He happily pressed his wings downward and pushed on.

The naga watched intently as more of the little gryphon disappeared into her. The ventral scales sliding along the wolf-gryphon's backside, between his wingshoulders, and over his rump. She tried not to enjoy this too much, because if she tensed up in pleasure she could accidentally push Rein out through sheer combination of force and the lubricated fluid that lined her inner flesh.

Meanwhile, Rein continued to press forward, massaging her tenderness from inside, doing all he could to pull himself in by using the walls of her more cavernous opening as leverage, but he found his forearms just slid. There was a sudden tightening around his hips that seemed to pass up his body and snagged under his arms, sucking the rest of his body in quickly, his wings, tail, legs, and rump all slipping past Leera's tender opening with ease, leaving a loud and lengthy sucking sound that only ended when the naga tensed up to close her vent over them, trapping the two of them inside.

Rein felt a temporary twang of fear, but it was gone a moment later. He tried to reach out in an attempt to find Mathy, but his arms and head just slid effortlessly against the inside of the walls that held him. He didn't want to extend his claws, but his lack of ability to push forward due to the immense slickness and the fact that he couldn't reach Mathy discouraged him. He opted not to use his claws for leverage, but he did keep trying to knead at her tender flesh, pushing with his legs to go a little deeper. It was an odd sensation to be inside that massive naga, he loved pressing out against her bellyscales and feeling the flesh stretch and distend, but he was more worried about caching up to his friend.

Leera began to tightly curl her body up starting from her tail and working her way forward. Once this tensing of her muscles reached Rein, pressing her muscles tight around him, she began to push him quickly through her body, forcing him down her canal like he was being swallowed. Leera stopped once the two were reunited halfway down her length.

Rein grinned all the way down as he slid through leera's birth anal, keeping both of his hands forward to grab at Mathy once they were reunited. As soon as the two made contact, Rein dragged himself forward and did all he could do resist the flesh that encapsulated them by wrapping his wings around his jaygryph friend.

Mathy murred gently and cuddled into Rein. No words were exchanged, but they both knew what they were thinking.

They passed the test.

"Alright you two, that's enough of that." Leera said to the two gryphons inside her. It was some time later, and neither Mathy nor Rein knew how long it had been.

Neither gryphon heard or comprehended what she said, as they were both in a deep dreamlike state.

Leera, not willing to be patient at the time, clenched down her muscles and pushed them out, enjoying the sensation of them sliding along her inner canal and eventually splashing out onto the cave floor in a messy heap. "Alright, you two. Time to get to your task."

The two stirred gently, still not fully awake. "Uh, what?" Rein grumbled, then coughed up some of Leera's fluid.

The jaygryph found he didn't need to cough up any of the fluid, it just seemed to be absorbed into his lungs. "Whoa." he marveled as he kneaded aimlessly at the air, "That was something else...."

"That's enough you two. Time to wake up." The naga repeated as she clapped her hands and slithered away, leaving a trail of slimy fluid in her wake.

Rein noticed, through his groggy state, a whitish blob near where Leera had slithered over to, and as he cleared his head, the object took shape. There on the throne beside the naga was her mate, Master Ceylon! Rein patted Mathy on the shoulder. "It's master Ceylon!"

Mathy snapped out of his own grogginess and blinked a few times, focusing his eyes on the the larger white and black gryphon, trying to straighten himself as Rein sat to the side. Both were patiently awaiting word from the master.

"I can see the two of you have had your fun." Ceylon said, "Well, miss Leera here has told me about your goal, and I would love to help."

"YESS!" Rein cheered as he jumped up, bits of naga goo flying off him.

Ceylon raised a paw to calm Rein. "Wait a moment, Rein, I haven't explained my terms."

Rein stopped and looked nervously at Mathy before asking, "What terms? There were no terms last time."

"Yes there was, you just didn't have to pay for my services because your friends were kind enough to cover my fee. If you wish to get my help with your bonding exercise I will happily do all in my power to ensure your bond is greater than any gryphons before you, but my price is steep since the ritual would be challenging since there are four of you."

Mathy stepped forward nervously. "What fee do you ask, Master Ceylon?"

The large Gryphon sat up straight and looked around the cave, glancing at the various piles of golden trinkets lining the walls. "Well, I'll leave it up to you to figure that out, you should be willing to give up something of value in return for something of equal value."

Leera writhed a bit, dangled over the sides of her throne with her tail hanging down to the bottom of the stairs that Rein and Mathy were sitting in front of. She yawned a bit and flicked her tongue before flashing them a smile and both got a strange feeling of confidence in their heads.

Neither Mathy nor Rein knew what this sudden burst of confidence meant, but it did put them both at ease.

"I guess we better get going, got a lot of awesome stuff I can trade." Rein said as he turned to walk away. Mathy paused for a moment to get a look at Leera, but then quickly turned and followed without saying a word.

"As a gift from us to you both," Ceylon started with a booming, dominant voice, "You need not repay her for the gift she gave you, as she did that of her own volition and not as an officially sanctioned action."

There was another pause before the two gryphons continued outward, leaving the cave and the two masters to themselves.

"What do you suppose he means by 'something valuable'?" Mathy asked. "Do you think he wants gold in exchange for his services? I don't have any gold, Rein." He was more than a little worried that he wouldn't be able to pay up his part of the fee, and he certainly wanted to do all he could to please both Master Ceylon and his friends. Mathy never wanted to be a burden to the others.

"Oh yeah, probably gold, and lots of it. Mistress Leera said that they'd been asked to do many favors for others, and there was a lot of gold there. Lots of shinies, Ceylon must be rich!" Rein laughed.

The two of them were floating gently above the treeline, sure to keep their speed down so they could speak to one another while in flight. They wanted to return to the castle to tell Wineburd about their barter with Master Ceylon, but Rein wanted to perhaps find himself some gold or something to trade before returning home.

"We should really keep a lookout for some Gold in the area." Mathy suggested. "I know I don't have anything that shiny in my nest, maybe some gemstones, but that's it really."

"I don't really think there's gonna be a lot of golden plates or jewellery lying around here, Mathy, After all, I imagine others would have had the same idea first, and I bet everything within a 100 mile radious has been stolen and delivered to them. No, we gotta find something, maybe ask friends or go real far to see if there's anything in the surrounding area."

"You don't mean steal it, do you? You know I can't steal."

"No, hell no. Barter for gold then we go from there. For now let's just head back to the castle, we can talk to The Wineburd when we get there, maybe see if Zuzu has anything worth trading."

The two gryphons kept circling in the air, higher and higher until the lake that they had come from looked like a tiny coin below them. They used the updrafts and thermals bounding off the side of the mountain cliff to gain as much altitude as they could before circling around and swooping down over the vegetation-rich plateau that served as Wineburd's own meadow and vineyard.

It was really quite amazing what Purpor had done with the area. When he found it, it was a tall mountain with a cave in it connected to a plateau with a lake. Few animals lived this high up and it was almost always enveloped in a thick fog or clouds that kept the lake at the same depth in spite of a tiny stream that sucked water from it and over the side of the cliff.

The castle, which started as a simple cave in the side of the mountain, had been hollowed out and turned into a truly regal estate. Wineburd had gone to great lengths to give the entire castle a noble feel, from the furniture to the decorations and shiny objects wedged in the rock walls. Rein laughed as he remembered all the excruciatingly work that went into bringing all the tables, water troughs, and various other supplies this high into the mountains; the very thought made his wings and back ache.

Mathy and Rein continued gliding around the top of the mountain until they reached the outside wall, where there was a proper perch to land on. They lighted down and stepped into the main hall, which was now completely clean of any mess they'd left before. No gryphon was to be seen.

"Yo, Wine!" Rein hollered into the empty castle. "You here?"

Mathy Nudged him with his wing. "I'm sure if he's here, he would have heard us come in and he would have greeted us. He's not here." He was right, and Rein knew it.

But that raised the question, where were they? Zuzu couldn't really be expected to be there as he had his own nest near another mountain, but Wineburd was never known to leave his castle unless he was gathering seeds or bartering for winery materials, and he wasn't outside or the two would have seen him.

"Oi! Wineburd!" Rein shouted again, trotting over to the door that led to his nest room. "You here?" Not getting a response, he and Mathy continued to search the premises, checking every room and shouting out for Purpor, the Wineburd, but nobody came. They ended up lifting off again and scouring the entire mountaintop plateau, keeping their keep eyes peeled to see if anyone was there, but they found no hint of life.

Eventually, after what seemed like hours of searching and calling out all over the top of the mountain, they returned to the Nest room and decided to take a nap together, with little Mathy cuddled up underneath Rein's wing.

A few moments later, the large purple-feathered gryphon that was known as Wineburd lighted down on his perch and entered the grand hall of his castle, a basket of various nuts and berries from the bottom of the mountain in his beak. Zuzu came in behind him and came to sit beside Wineburd.

The purple gryph sniffed the air. "You smell that? Blueberries."

Zuzu looked back over at Wine and sniffed the air himself. "Yeah, I smell it. Rein and Mathy must be back from seeing Master Ceylon."

Wineburd nodded and picked the basket up again, sniffing occasionally and following his nares to the source of the aroma, which led him to his own nest room. Seeing Rein and Mathy cuddled up together was a sight he didn't want to disturb, so he quietly turned around to leave.

But Mathy's ears were sensitive, and he heard the larger gryphon enter the room which caused him to stir underneath Rein's wing. "Wine?" he whispered.

Purpor stopped in his tracks and quietly turned. "Yes Mathy?"

"Where were you? We looked all over for you." he used his wing to rub some sleep gunk from his eyes, then scuffled gently out from underneath Rein's wing.

Wineburd raised a talon to his beak and made a shushing noise before cocking his head to the side, a motion that indicated Mathy should follow. He left the room and crept back to the grand hall and Mathy followed. Once the two of them were sitting next to the grand table, Wineburd explained the situation. "Well, we were just out hunting and gathering, Zuzu and I. You and Rein were gone for almost a week."

Mathy's beak dropped open. "What? A week? That can't be right!"

Zuzu butted in. "No, it's true. You were out for the rest of that night and didn't return, nor did Rein, so we went looking for you. Luckily in our travels, we met up with Master Ceylon, who explained what had happened, and that you were undergoing a trial with his mate, Leera."

Wineburd nodded in agreement. "We asked him about what happened, he said you were currently predisposed, and that you'd be returning when your trial was complete. He wouldn't tell us what the trial was or where you were. When we went to find the two of you, he erected a wall, saying we weren't allowed in. Mean bird, he is."

The jaygryph shook his head. "No no, he's not cruel at all, he was just doing the ritual for us. We needed our privacy." He explained.

"Well, what was the trial?" Zuzu asked, leaning forward on his front talons, eager to hear more.

"Um, it's hard to explain, but we're actually not done. Mistress Leera did the first part for us and now we're still working on Master Ceylon's request."

Wineburd nodded. "What is Master Ceylon's request? Can you tell us more about the trial that Mistress Leera had you do over the last 5 days? Like, what could she have possibly had you do that you lost track of time like that?"

"We had some spelunking to do." Rein boasted from the other end of the hall. The other three gryphons all turned their heads to look at the gryphon who had his head held high, breast puffed out in pride.

"Good evening, Rein!" Zuzu Chirped. "How've you been?"

Rein happily pranced over to the table to join the other three, when he got there Mathy nuzzled into him, purring gently. Rein gaped his beak open and laughed. "I've been fan-freaking tastic!" He boasted. "Good glaux that trial Mistress Leera made us do was phenomenal!"

Wine and Zu both leaned in close, eager to hear more. "Well, tell us more!" Zuzu pushed, always eager to hear of the fun things Rein did.

Rein glanced down at Mathy to see if it was okay to share. He nodded his approval. "Well, it was fun, we had to find their cave, which is right at the bottom of our mountain!" he made a swoosh with his talon, imitating his dive into the water that he'd used to enter the grotto that led to the Master's cave. "Then once we were there, we had to fight this massive naga! She was bigger around than I am tall, with fangs the size of my tai-"

Mathy cut him off. "That's not what happened, Rein!" he chirped. "Tell them the truth!"

Rein's head drooped and his mood diminished. "I was just having some fun."

"Well, go on." Winburd urged as he laid down on his belly, eager to hear more. Zuzu did the same.

"Well, we did go into the cave, and we did meet up with a massive naga, but she didn't have fangs, and she was kind. Mathy and I were scared a bit, but we got over it real fast when she revealed herself to be Mistress Leera. She told us she had a test for us...she told us that we needed to prove we could survive."

"Survive?" Zuzu cooed, "What did she do?"

"Well, we explained to her what we wanted to do, right? We wanted to bond closer to one another, and wanted Master Ceylon's help with a ritual for it, but she said she needed to do preliminaries, since Master Ceylon wasn't around at the time."

"Well, what did she have you do?" Wineburd asked, beak agape.

Rein leaned down to pat Wineburd on the head before continuing. "Well, remember what Master Ceylon did when he gave me my own female parts? It was kind of like that, but so much more cuddly and warm, and she held Mathy and myself in her at the same time, deep inside her...and guys, I have to tell you, it was so warm and cozy in there!"

Mathy chirped, "And being inside with a Reinburd's wings wrapped around you is so wonderful! I've never done that before but....." he shivered a bit and nuzzled close into Rein. "I want to go back, it was so...special."

Rein leaned down and preened idly at Mathy's breast, purring and letting out occasional chirps as he did so. The others looked on, somewhat surprised.

"I thought that ritual was reserved for body changes." Zuzu said. "But I won't complain if that's all they ask of us for the ritual. It's been a long time since I was nestled inside a warm gryphon, and I miss it so." He closed his eyes and raised his head, reminiscing.

"But..what else?" Wineburd urged, still on his belly and looking up at Rein with eager eyes. "Tell us more!"

Rein raised his head from preening Mathy and snapped his talons. "Oh yes, and when we awoke, Master Ceylon was there! He told us that we needed to offer gold to him in exchange for the ritual, so we gotta find some gold that we can offer him, I imagine we each need to offer something."

But Mathy tuned and pecked at Rein. "No, he didn't tell us we needed gold, he said 'something of value'."

"Mathy, you saw the walls of the cave, there were mountains of gold items, he obviously meant gold." Rein explained.

"But, I don't have any gold, Rein." Wineburd sighed. "All I have is my vineyard, my wine. I don't have Gold."

But Zuzu stepped forward. "That's okay! I know where we can find some gold! There's a little cave over by where I live that I covered up with rocks and vines, there was some gold in there, but it could take some time to excavate since it's deep in the rock." he turned to Wineburd, "You're good at digging with your beak and claws, right? You did make this awesome castle so maybe you can help get the gold out!"

Wineburd's chest puffed up in pride. "Yes I did make this castle. It's an awesome castle!"

They all nodded in agreement. Rein Spoke, "Well, let's go get it then! All four of us can go over and get it, bring a net to carry it back between the four of us, and we can be offering our gift to Master Ceylon tonight!" he sighed, remembering being inside Mistress Leera's Cloaca. "Oh, I would love to be back there, the sooner the better."

All four gryphons nodded in agreement, and butted their heads together gently before dashing to the perch and leaping into the sky, Zuzu leading the way.

The four of them happily flew over to the hidden cave that Zuzu had found, tools in their talons and a massive net for excavating the piece of gold that was supposedly there. Once there, after flying for hours, they had to move a pile of large rocks out of the way just to get into the cave; they did so with eagerness, dedicated to getting this done before someone else came along and stole their shinies!

Once they got inside the cave, with all of their resources in tow, they noticed that something was amiss, and the piece of gold that Zuzu said he'd seen was much smaller than he remembered. They were disappointed at first, but Wineburd convinced them to excavate it anyway, saying that even if it wasn't enough, it was still a start.

So Wineburd put on his metal mask that allowed him to chip at the rock, and went to work. As they slowly pecked at the rock, Rein and Mathy gave the other two a deliciously detailed recap of their time with Mistress Leera, and with every description of her gaping, moist vent, the other two became increasingly excited and eager to meet up with her. After many minutes of digging, clawing, and chipping at the rock, they discovered that the gold nugget wedged in the wall was actually much larger than they'd expected.

"Luckily we brought the net." Rein had said, knowing this nugget of shiny goodness was much too large even for Wineburd to carry. The Net would allow them all to grab a corner and fly in unison so they could fly it back over to the lake with Leera and Ceylon.

Turns out it was needed more than they thought. After many hours of digging and chipping at the gold nugget, it finally fell to the ground in heap of rock chips and pebbles. To their surprise, the entire nugget was over a foot long and had to be 50 kilos!

They all left the cave together, finding that the sun had already set and the night had taken over the plains. They wanted to stop and spend the night in the cave, since flying at night could be dangerous for day-birds, but with the massive Wineburd at their side they would be safe, and they all agreed that thanks to the stories Mathy and Rein were telling, they all wanted to meet up with Master Ceylon and Mistress Leera as soon as they possibly could. They loaded the nugget up into the net and each gripped on a corner, flying in unison across the jungles, plains, and lakes to get back to the lake where Leera and Ceylon could be found.

After a lengthy flight, the four of them lighted down on the massive, vine-covered boulder that lay at one end of the lake, resting the nugget on the very top. The four of them were very exhausted.

"Wow!" Mathy gasped, somewhat out of breath from the taxing flight. "That was...that was tough! Let's go give Master Ceylon the gold so we can do the ritual right away!"

Rein nodded enthusiastically, panting gently. "Yes, indeed." He went to nudge at the nugget towards Wineburd, but his beak hit it wrong and made it fall to it's side, then slide down the boulder into the water, making a gentle 'plonk' sound as it fell to the lake bottom.

"No!" they all cried in unison as the shimmering gold nugget fell to the lake bed, nestled in between rocks. The gentle moonlight pierced the water's shimmering surface, and the four gryphons could all see how deep it was. The golden nugget was on a shelf of rocks 5 meters below the surface of the water, had it only fell a few dozen centimeters to the side, it would have missed the rock it landed on and would have fallen much, much deeper into the lake, where they wouldn't be able to see it. As it stood, the lake was just a black abyss beside the rock shelf the nugget of gold had landed on.

"No no no!" Zuzu cried. "This can't be happening! We worked too damn hard to lose it like this!"

Rein shrieked in angered agreement. "Glaux Dammit!" he cried "What are we gonna do now?!"

Mathy, who was shaking in fear at the anger his friends were showing, meekly spoke up. "Can't we get it?" he suggested. "I mean, Rein and I dove into the lake to get inside the cave last time, we want at least that deep, maybe Wineburd can dive down and get it?"

All of the gryphons clamped their beaks shut and stared, wide-eyed at one another. "That's a brilliant idea!" Zuzu cheered and happily gave Mathy a wing-hug. "Mathy, my jaygryph, you are a genius!"

Mathy, not used to open praise, shrunk down and blushed.

"Uh guys." Winburd started as he padded down to the side of the boulder, keeping an eye on the chunk of gold that was shining in the moonlight deep in the water. "That may not be as easy as you think. I mean, that's pretty deep, and what if I miss, I might hit my head, or what if it's too heavy and I can't get it all the way back to the surface?"

Rein hopped down beside him, staring at the gold nugget as well. "Well...you really won't know if you don't try, right? I mean, just be careful, and remember, gryphons float so once you grab it, you just gotta let the hollow bones lift you up...flap too, should help you reach the surface." He patted Wineburd on the side, trying to encourage him.

Wineburd glanced sideways at Rein in disbelief. The other two were still atop the rock, laying on their bellies and staring into the water, their eyes trained on the yellow glow that reflected off the gold nugget in the moonlight. Wineburd shook his head and sighed, flying up into the air above the lake, using all his available energy to stay high in the dark night air. After doing a few circles around the lake, eyeing up the underwater ridge and planning his descent, he tightened his wings against his body and fell into a swoop, bursting through the water and sinking well beneath the ledge that he had to reach, as was his plan. He intended to go down deep, and as he ascended back to the surface, he'd grab the nugget and push off the ledge, emerging in the cool open air and throwing the nugget onto the lakeshore. At least that was the plan.

As Wineburd disappeared beneath the surface, Zuzu noticed a v-shaped ripple in the surface of the lake, headed right towards them, "Uh guys...." he said nervously as he pointed at the disturbance that was swimming towards them. "What's that?"

Rein and Mathy looked up. "Oh man, that's big..." Mathy trailed off.

"Wineburd! Get out of the water! Forget the gold!" Rein started shouting as he waved his wings and talons around, trying to get Wineburd's attention. The others joined in, all waving their arms and trying to get the attention of the much larger grypon.

But beneath the surface, Wineburd couldn't hear them. He was slowly rising through the water with bubbles dancing around him, waiting to reach the nugget on the ledge above him. He saw them waving at him, but focused more on the gold. He rose slowly through the water, and once the prize was at his eye level, he reached out and grabbed it, repositioning his body against the rock and pushing upwards towards the surface; as he grabbed the gold, he slowly turned and saw the creature that was swimming in the lake towards him. He only saw a flash of the wide open fleshy maw as it rapidly struck towards him, causing him to shriek and drop the nugget of gold into the abyss as he raised his talons to defend himself, a stream of bubbles escaping his beak.

As he used his talons to shield himself, he was still floating to the surface waiting for the strike to come, but it never did. Slowly, cautiously, he peeked out from between his arms and saw a truly massive naga staring at him a few meters away.

"So you're the Wineburd." Her voice boomed in his head. "I've heard so much about you."

Wineburd stared, open beaked at the naga in front of him, completely dazed and confused at what was going on as his head broke the surface of the water. The snake's head poked up at the same time, still staring cooly at him.

"WINEBURD!" Rein cried as he dove into the lake beside him, patting at his mate. "Are you okay?"

The larger, purple gryphon coughed up some water and idly pushed himself to the bank of the lake, grasping at the rocks and sand while keeping his gaze on the naga that had nearly attacked him.

"Mistress Leera!" Mathy chirped. "You scared us, we thought you were a ferocious lake-beast!"

Leera nodded and slowly slithered to the bank of the lake beside Rein and wineburd, who were still orienting themselves after the dive. "Indeed Mathinic, but I am the only lake beast here, other than me it's just fish and occasionally a black and white striped gryphon." She responded, her voice permeating all four of their minds.

"This is Mistress Leera, guys!" Mathy chirped again. "Everyone pay your respects!"

Zuzu and Wineburd both bowed their heads, their beaks touching the ground in front of them. All four of them were lined up along the side of the lake, the boulder behind them, as Mistress Leera coiled up and raised her torso high above them.

"Back so soon, my gryphon children?" she inquired. "I admit we were not expecting you."

Rein happily nodded. "Yes, we brought you...." he paused as he realized what had just happened, instantly his head hung in shame, "...nothing..." he grumbled.

Leera leaned into him, arching her wet, scaled body in the moonlight. "You brought us what?" She asked.

But Wineburd answered. "We brought you a lot of gold in exchange for your services, Mistress Leera, but when you....struck at me, I dropped it deep into the lake, and I fear we will never see it again...so it'll do you no good."

She cocked her head to the side and flicked her tongue out a few times as she stared at Wineburd. "What do you mean? You brought it to the lake, if it's here, I will find it and I will get it. But since you're here, Go in and see Master Ceylon, now that you're here he eagerly awaits your ritual." She turned and disappeared underneath the lake surface, her voice still booming in their minds. "No worries, my gryphon friends, I will get your gold, you go on without me, I will catch up."

All four gryphons glanced nervously at one another before taking the hint and taking the sky. Like before, they couldn't talk while flying, so they each were quick to enter the grotto at the other end of the lake. One after another, they dove beneath the surface and re-emerged inside the cave grotto that led to the cave of Master Ceylon.

"That was interesting." Zuzu commented as the four of them slowly made their way down the tunnel, his voice echoing off the rock walls. Nobody said anything in return.

As they emerged into the open cave, the four of them gasped in awe. In front of them was Master Ceylon, sitting regally between the two thrones atop the carpet-laden stairs. He seemed bigger than normal, but inside the cave, they could barely tell the difference.

"M-Master Ceylon? We come bearing gifts for your services." Mathy chirped nervously as he looked back to the entrance of the cave, waiting for the naga to return with the gold. "But we dropped it into the lake and Mistress Leera, she's going to get it for us."

Zuzu stepped forward, holding his head high. "I found it Master Ceylon I assure you it's an offering worthy of your finest skills."

Mathy, Rein, Zuzu, and Wineburd all stood in a neat line at the bottom of the staircase, arranged from smallest to largest. All four were tying to be proud of their accomplishment while also a little nervous about having lost the gift they had spent so much time and work escavating and bringing.

"A gift, you say?" Ceylon asked in a proud, dominant voice. "A gift of gold."

Rein nodded. "You bet, it's a big piece of gold, too! All shiney and huge, still raw! Hasn't been tampered with so you can do whatever you want with it! It's the perfect gold!" He was very proud of his apt description of the gold nugget.

Zuzu chirped and nodded, "And like he said, totally huge, probably bigger than anything anyone else has ever given you. It's a hell of a shiny object!"

Mathy and Wineburd both agreed, churring gently as they waited for Master Ceylon's response. As they were waiting, they heard the wet sounds of a naga pushing her way through the tunnel behind them. They all looked back and saw her slithering forward with the gold nugget in her mouth, tongue flicking out beneath it. Their hearts jumped, happy to see she found it.

"Yess!" Wineburd cheered as the others all sighed with relief.

"These gryphons have all gone through a lot to bring you this gold." Leera explained as she slithered around them. She dropped the nugget down in front of them then continued to slither up the stairs, where she wrapped a single coil around Master Ceylon and raised the rest of her body up behind him, resting her head on his. "They certainly deserve services."

Ceylon nodded, making Leera's head nod with him. "They certainly do. But I have a bit of an issue."

Rein's heart sank at the immediate fear of not being comfy-cozy inside Ceylon again. "What kind of issue." he asked. The others all looked at each other, chirping and squawking gently at one another.

The regal gryphon raised a talon to calm the others. "I can sense, Mathinic knows precisely what I refer to."

The other four looked at Mathy quizzically. "What's he talking about?" Zuzu asked.

Mathy shrunk down and lowered his head. "I...I don't know!" he cried before covering his face with his wings.

Before the others could interrogate him further, Ceylon spoke up. "I didn't ask for Gold, I asked for something of value to you personally. Only two of you have a deep love for shiny objects, so this only works as an offering from mister Rein Bourne and Zuzu Frostwing. The other two, they don't value materials as much as they do other things, so this does not qualify as a true offering from them. I will gladly take the gold..." He raised a paw, making the golden nugget hover in front of the four of them. He brushed his paw to the side and the nugget shot into the pile of gold, disappearing from view. "But the other two, Sir Purpor and Mathinic, you still need to bring me your own unique offerings if you wish to join in on the ritual."

All four gryphons hung their head in disdain, trying to think of something to say or offer, but none of them were able to conjure up an excuse or plea, so they stayed still, heads hung and wings drooped.

"Now, I am not unkind, I give you all the time you need to come up with something you feel is truly valuable worth sacrificing for a ritual as meaningful as what I offer, and for your added troubles, I will give you a special gift to go along with the ritual once you have completed your task, but only if you succeed in bringing me what I ask."

Wineburd stood back up, head held high, but didn't say a word; Zuzu puffed out his chest, proud knowing that he'd succeeded already. Rein, while also having sacrificed what he needed, was particularly worried about Mathy who was too meek to argue and hadn't yet done what he needed to if he wanted to be a part of the ritual.

"What is it you ask for, Master Ceylon?" Rein asked, his voice noticeably less enthused than it usually was.

"I leave that up to you to decide, Sir Bourne." Ceylon said before giving a dismissive wave. "I trust you all know what to do, now embark on your journey and I will see you when you return."

"We have great faith in you, my gryphons." Leera added as they begrudgingly left the cave.

"What are we going to do, Rein?" Mathy asked, eager to return to the pleasant depths that Leera had introduced him to.

"I, I don't know." Rein whined. "This isn't fair, Ceylon told us that we needed him to bring an offering, and we all love gold and other shinies, that gold nugget should have been more than enough to pay for all four of us."

It was the next morning, after all four gryphons had returned home and enjoyed a deep, contemplative sleep. Even Zuzu and Rein, who both had completed their tasks, were trying to think of things that Mathy and Wineburd could offer that would be enough. Rein and Mathy were together in the nest room while Wineburd and Zuzu were in the grand hall, catering to guests. Each and every one of them cared deeply for one another, and if even one of them failed in their quest, then the ritual would not be complete and the proper bond wouldn't be complete.

After being inside Leera together, Mathy and Rein had already formed a somewhat stronger bond than they had before, a bond that may have even rivalled what Rein felt with his mate, Wineburd. If all four of them could feel that sort of bond towards each other as one cohesive unit...

Rein let that thought drift off in his mind as he forced his brain to focus on the issue at hand.

"We have time, my little jaygryph." Rein assured Mathy with a snuggle, idly preening at Mathy's breast feathers. "Let's go out and spend some time with friends for now, we can worry about the ritual later."

Mathy nodded and took in a deep breath, enjoying the scent of his guardian Rein. "You're right, we have other friends, too."

The two of them got up out of the nest and plodded their way into the grand hall to meet their friends, but found that nobody was there, only a series of empty bowls with a few strewn nuts and berries lying around. Rein opened his beak to ask where they all were, but then he heard a splash in the lake outside, followed by laughter. "Oh, well that answers that." He said contentedly as he turned to step outside, with the jaygryph in tow.

Outside were their mates Zuzu and Wineburd, but also some of their friends: Hoot, a tiny-winged white gryphon with a heart pattern on her breast; Shira, a beautiful lithe gryph-mare with similar black and white markings to Master Ceylon; and Jadesay, a brown and white gryphon with glorious green feathers jutting out at her wingtips, her tail, and two of them adorning the top of her head.

"Shira! Hoot! Jadesay!" Rein shouted as he began a gallop over to the lake.

"Horrayy!" all five of the gryphons shouted as Rein jumped up, flapped a couple times for height, and cannonballed into the crystal-clear mountain water, splashing all his friends.

"Everyones here!" he chirped happily, with all of the other gryphons but Mathy frolicking in the water. "Mathy, you coming in?" He splashed some up to the shore where the jaygryph was sitting.

"No thank you, Rein. I'll play later, right now I don't feel like getting wet. I'll just soak up some sun." He said as he rolled onto his back, exposing his belly to the errant rays of light that pushed through the thick fog that covered the mountaintop.

"Okay hun." Rein said, "As long as you're okay with that!"

Mathy nodded and closed his eyes, not saying a word. Rein knew better than to press the issue, so he went on to play with his other friends.

It was a truly fun-filled day for all of the gryphons atop the mountain. Many hours passed as they splashed in the lake, enjoying the occasional snack, and even playing games with one another. It wasn't until the sun started to set, and they all retired inside together at the grand table inside the grand hall that Mathy and Wineburd got their inspiration.

"Oh yeah, I love your wine, Purpor!" Hoot chuckled as she raised a glass. "I can't drink too much of it, total lightweight here!" She laughed and drank her whole glass. This time around, Wineburd had thought ahead and brought out his sweeter, lower alcohol wine, he didn't want anyone getting drunk again because they actually had to fly home.

"Thanks Hoot! I love to share, my Wine is my life."

Hoot laughed and raised her empty glass indicating she wanted more. Wineburd was more than happy to oblige.

"Oh my!" Shira pointed out. "I just thought of something! Wineburd, I can fix your problems!"

All of the other Gryphons, Mathy inculded, turned to look at Shira. While Wineburd and Mathy didn't want to depress anyone by complaining about their situation, the topic of the ritual had been a focal point of the party all day, so everyone knew that they needed payment, though other than the original four, none of them knew what the ritual was.

"Oh?" Wineburd chirped, raising his ears and cocking his head to the side.

Shira pointed to the wine. "You said this is your life, right? I mean, we call you the Wine Bird, even though your name's Purpor....in a way this is who and what you are, wouldn't it make sense to offer wine to them as a symbolic gesture?"

Rein, Zuzu, and Wineburd's eyes all opened wide as the perked up instantly. "That's PERFECT!" Rein cheered as he jumped up, wings aflutter and scattering the errant nuts and berries on the table.

"Yeah!" Zuzu agreed as he patted Wineburd on the back, "That's perfect!"

The three of them nuzzled together while the three females happily laughed, watching the three of them celebrate their breakthrough.

Mathy, on the other wing, was not celebrating. Assuming the wine offering worked, that meant Rein, Zuzu, and Purpor all got their entrance, but Mathy still was omitted. What he valued most above everything else was his friends and the relationship with them. He couldn't offer that to Master Ceylon, because it would defeat the purpose of the ritual if he lost his bond with them. He thought long and hard about what and how to explain this to them, but he couldn't find the words, so instead he tried to slink away, planning on going back to his own nest so he didn't ruin the mood.

As he turned, trying to creep away, Rein stopped with his cheeriness and pried away from the group to confront the retreating jaygryph. "Excuse me Mathinic, where do you think you're going?"

Mathy stopped, but didn't turn around. He wasn't crying, but his eyes were moist and he didn't want the others to see.

"Mathy? What's wrong, hun?" Rein cooed as he went over and placed his talon on the smaller gryphon's back, right between the wings.

There was a pause and a sudden silence as all the other gryphons halted their cheering to give the two gryphons their berth. Mathy took in a few deep breaths and composed himself before answering. "Rein, Zu, Wine, You're all gonna be bonded for life, but I still have nothing to offer Master Ceylon. All I have is you three and I can't afford to give up any of you...I will never be able to do the ritual."

Rein shook his head. "Mathy, dear, Master Ceylon is a kind gryphon, he would never exclude you, we just have to keep looking."

The others all nodded in agreement. "You have plenty to offer, Mathy." Hoot assured him.

"Totally, you're a great gryphon! Rein tells me aaaalllll about you!" Shira said with a churr, her beak gently gaped open in her own unique smile.

Jadesay nodded in agreement. She wasn't a very talkative bird, but her expressions told all she needed to say.

Zuzu and Wineburd both crowded around the tiny jaygryph and nuzzled into him, preening at his feathers as they all cuddle.

Mathy jumped up and tried to hug all of his friends at once, keeping from breaking down in happy tears at the support of his friends. As the four gryphons were all piled up in a snuggle ball, Hoot spoke up.

"Wait a second, Mathy, don't you do art?"

A jaygryphon's head poked out from the pile of feathers and fur. "Meep?"

Hoot continued. "You draw a lot, Rein's shown me all the awesome pictures you've done for him and your other friends, maybe you could draw something for Master Ceylon?" It was an interesting proposition, but Mathy wasn't convinced.

The snuggle pile broke up and Mathy looked at hoot, head cocked to the side. "What do you mean? How is a bunch of scribbles on parchment in any way comparable to a massive shiny hunk of gold or the finest wine in the gryphon nation?"

"It makes perfect sense." Hoot said with a matter of fact tone in her voice. She chattered her beak a bit to get everyone's full attention, then explained herself. "Well, you said in the beginning that he wanted something of value, Rein and Zuzu gave up their shinies...their beautiful, valuable shinies..." she stopped and glared at Rein. "Coulda gave that shiny to me as a gift, but....whatever, right? Anyway, they gave away their shinies, and Purpor here is giving something special to him as a symbolic gesture, so why can't you do an equally symbolic gesture? Purpor's life is wine, so he's giving up part of his life, something that represents his talent, right? Like, you're an artist, and you said your most valuable posessions are your relationships with these three gryphons, so why not take some of your time and effort to make a portrait of yourself with your friends, paint it on a canvas, and offer that as a symbolic gesture?"

Everyone sat in stunned silence, not one chirp was heard. It was the perfect plan and they all knew it, even Mathy's downtrodden heart was jumping up just a little higher with every beat, his feathers poofing out and his ears perking up.

"That....that....That's PERFECT!" Mathy cheered as he pounced over the table at Hoot, knocking her backwards as he licked at her face happily.

"Whoa, whoa! Settle down Mathy!" She giggled ass he idly tried to push him off her chest.

He reluctantly agreed and went back over to Rein, jumping happily and nipping at him. "I can do it! We can do it!" he cheered over and over again.

Rein, happy to see his mate happy, wrapped his wings around the Jaygryph.

Mathy, ecstatic at the prospect of finally having a solution to his problem, quickly excused himself to the nestroom. "Okay, I'm gonna go start working on it now!" He chirped happily as he disappeared into the hallway that was attached to the grand hall.

Shira cooed out gently and leaned into both Zuzu and Rein, in between the both of them. "Well dear, I think this old hen has to leave you all to your devices. Please, invite me back after the ritual." she insisted, then gave Wineburd a nip on his breast. "It's a true shame I can't be there for the ritual, it would mean so much to me, Skies it would mean so much to this old hen to watch her Rein be bonded like that."

"Well, if she's leaving, I'd best leave as well." Hoot said as she stood up. She was the only one who didn't have a full pair of elegant wings, she needed help getting to the bottom of the mountain. She leaned over and gave Rein, Zuzu, and Wineburd a gentle kiss on the cheek. "I've truly enjoyed my time here with you two, come see me often after the ritual." With that, she joined Shira, and the two of them left the grand hall, gliding down the side of the mountain.

Jadesay blinked a few times and nodded gracefully. Quietly giving Rein a gentle nuzzle before hopping off the ledge, following the other two.

After all the guests had left, Mathy's voice echoed out from down the hall. "I need more paints!"

Rein, Mathy, Wineburd, and Zuzu all worked together for the next few days to get their offerings ready for Master Ceylon.

Wineburd was digging around in his cellar for his finest wines, picking and choosing half a dozen different variations that best represented his skill and versatility in the craft. He especially felt bad about getting rid of one bottle that had been part of his first perfected brew, a batch he himself made over a decade before. All the finest wine's improve with age, and this was the oldest example of the recipe he was using today, making it his finest wine. He felt this was the perfect occasion to use it.

Mathy, the now enthusiastic jaygryph, was holed up in the nest room, laying on his belly in front of a pile of canvases; a slew of bowls with all different color inks and paints were splayed out around him. He would start on a picture, get some basics down, and get frustrated with it, clawing it up and starting again on a new painting. After a few lost canvases, the others convinced him not to claw it and destroy it, but to keep it in case he felt the need to return to them later. He was reluctant at first, but the care and dedication of his friends won him over.

Rein and Zuzu were both doing all they could to support their friends, who were preparing their own offerings to Master Ceylon. They would taste the wines, gather berries, hunt for flowers, and search the land for anything that could be made into ink, canvases, or labels for the wine.

The entire ordeal lasted them the better part of a week, where the four of them avoided contact with any other gryphons. This ritual meant the world to them, especially to Mathy and Rein who had done something similar to it already and knew that, with all four of them together, the bonding would be exponentially closer than it was when it was just the two of them.

With their offerings together, each wrapped in a bag to keep the paintings from getting wet during the plunge into the water, or the labels of the wine, the four of them returned to the cave of the Master and Mistress.

Inside the cave with the golden mountains lining the walls, the four gryphons sat in a line in front of the staircases that led to the twin thrones where Master Ceylon and Mistress Leera sat.

They were arranged from the smallest to largest. Mathy was on the far left, with a stack of three paintings sitting on the carpeted floor in front of him. Next up was Rein, then Zuzu, who were both without offerings due to their previous gifts. Wineburd, the largest of the four, was on the other end with a basket of wine bottles in front of him.

As they stood there in silence, the light from the torches that lit the cave made their shadows dance. Master Ceylon and Mistress Leera were both contentedly sitting atop the staircase, but neither were in their respective throne. Instead, Ceylon was sitting pretty, chest puffed out and wings folded gently across his back. Leera was coiled up tight, with only a few meters of her torso reared up. Her arms were crossed in a relaxed and not-menacing way.

Rein, the most talkative of the four gryphons, stepped forward to initiate the trade. "Master Ceylon, Mistress Leera, we come bearing offerings in exchange for your services. While Zuzu and myself have brought you the purest form of gold to add to your collection, Mathinic the jay-gryphon and Purpor the Wineburd both have come baring gifts of the heart." He motioned toward each one in time as he said their names, then happily stepped back, allowing his friends to begin the speeches they'd prepared.

Ceylon nodded in understanding, not saying a word as he waited for the other two to step forward.

Mathy and Wineburd both glanced nervously at one another, neither wanted to be first to say a speech. Wineburd, however, was considerably less shy than Mathy so he grabbed the basket in his beak and took a few steps forward before gently placing it on the carpet again. "I, Purpor, also known as Wineburd by my good friends here, offer you a gift of the finest wines I have to offer. While my given name is Purpor, I have dedicated my life to learning how to create the tastiest, sweetest wines in the land, this goal has given me the nickname of Wineburd, which says much about my dedication to the craft.

"This wine I offer you isn't just a gift of a drink, but a representation of the time and love I put into it. This wine ranges across all the flavors and variations in my repertoire, and one bottle in particular is the last bottle I have from my very first batch that turned out well, which in turn inspired all my recipes and flavors during my time as the Wineburd. That bottle represents the time I take and the adoration I have not just for my craft, but for my friends here. If you would accept this gift, you would be accepting part of my soul." As he finished his speech, he leaned down and used his beak to nudge the basket forward, careful to not spill it. As he looked up meekly at Ceylon and Leera, he was pleased to see that both were visibly smiling at his offering.

"Purpor, your gift of wine is easily one of the most meaningful and insightful offerings I have ever been given, and for that I happily accept your offering, I am indebted to you, and I am at your service." the massive gryphon bowed down and closed his eyes, expressing his trust and respect for Wineburd.

Purpor blushed and stepped back in line with the others, trying to hide his gaze from Master Ceylon. He was embarrassed but eternally proud of himself for his speech, and grateful for Ceylon's acceptance of it. The others quietly and respectfully congratulated him before attention turned to Mathy.

"Go on Mathy, don't be shy." Rein urged. "You can do it! We all have faith in you."

"Mathinic, my dear gryphon child." Leera's voice gently filled their minds. "I can tell you are nervous, but I see what you have brought, and I know you can present it with the love and care your friend did. Please, be courageous and share with us what you have prepared."

Mathy, bolstered by the naga's kind words, nudged the paintings forward on the carpet and took the time to carefully place them beside one another, angled so that they were facing Master Ceylon and Mistress Leera. He took in a deep breath and began to speak.

"Master Ceylon and Mistress Leera, I offer you three pieces of art from my own beak and talons. Rein, Zuzu, and Wineburd all helped me gather the materials needed to put them together, and after many days of failed sketches and ideas, I finally settled on three pieces of art that represented the things that meant to me most." He pointed his beak towards the first image. "This picture is a painting of the castle where Rein and Wineburd live, high in the castle where the four of us have spent many years of good times together, playing and bonding like we have. The castle in the cave represents my home, even though I don't live there, because as they say, home is where the heart is."

He put down the first painting and picked up the second. "This image depicts the four of us together snuggling and preening at one another. I painted this because of how much my friends mean to me, and because the thing I value much is the relationship I have with Zuzu, Wineburd, and especially Rein, the kindest gryphon I know. This image represents the bonds that we share, which are what I value most."

He put down the second painting and shakily picked up the third, somewhat embarrassed to share it due to its graphic nature. "This third and final piece depicts, Rein and myself inside Mistress Leera during the ritual she performed with us last week. This event means a lot to me because the ritual she did for us brought Rein and I closer together than we have ever been, and I hope that this ritual that we're preparing for brings me as close to Zuzu and Wineburd as I am with Rein. This third and final image represents my hopes for the future with these three wonderful birds." He gently put the painting down and stood up proud, content with his delivery of his speech.

Master Ceylon slowly nodded, slowly moving his head up and down in deliberate motions as he tried to think of what to say. After a few moments of contemplative thought, he spoke. "Sir Mathinic, that was one of the most inspiring and heartfelt speeches I have ever heard. By not only the words you've shared, but the sincerity in which you shared them, I know that these pieces of art and the things they represent mean more to you than anything else in this world. There are no gryphons, dragon, or any other species more worthy of this bonding ritual than you and your friends. Not only do I accept your offers and in turn offer my services for you today, but given the sincerity of your words and my own eagerness to please those who deserve it, I eternally pledge my services to the both of you for as long as you shall live."

All four of the gryphons were taken aback by Master Ceylon's words, unsure of what implications that meant. Rein wanted to say something silly, but stopped himself for fear of ruining the moment. The other three were so incredibly happy with this turn of events that they all quickly fell into fit of heartfelt 'thank-you's and 'you've made us so happy's.

But Leera butted in with a smile and a laugh. "My gryphon children, you need not thank Master Ceylon for his gifts, for you have earned it through your love and dedication to one another. He and I feel, together, that we should be thanking you for showing us a bond so strong and rare that it restores our faith in all gryphon-kind. And for that, he and I both offer our eternal gratitude and services to any of you when you need it." She gently bowed and flicked her tongue gently across her own body.

Rein, the only one still able to keep his composure, stepped forward and asked bluntly, "So, when does the ritual start? I speak for all of us when I say we're all eagerly anticipating it."

Ceylon stood up on all fours and slowly descended the stairs two steps at a time. "We start now, if you so chose." He continued to walk until he was at the bottom of the stairs, standing in front of Rein. The black-and-white gryphon towered over all four of the gryphon mates, even Wineburd, who towered above the other gryphons by a full three head heights.

"So, uh, how do we do it? I remember the last ritual you did for me involved taking me as your own and rebirthing me with a new body, but how would a bonding ritual work? Mistress Leera made it sound like it was similar or the same." Rein asked, head cocked to the side, eager as could be to get the show going.

Ceylon chuckled. "Well like she said, it's very similar to that ritual, only this time the method is slightly different." He explained, but then looked up to Leera and nodded in acceptance. "But Leera here has to perform a ritual of her own before we begin."

The group of gryphons all looked up with confusion at the massive naga, who was slowly and sensually slithering down the stairs headfirst towards them, much like she had when Rein and Mathy had been there the first time they came to visit only this time she nuzzled up in between Zuzu and Wineburd, flicking her tongue at each of them in turn before backing off and rearing herself up beside Master Ceylon. She quickly coiled most of her body up in a ball beneath her torso, purposely leaving the her tail and the last few meters of her hind end forward and flipped upwards, exposing her cloaca. "Zuzu, Wineburd, in the interest of equality in respect to your friends Rein and Mathy, I must prep you two for the bonding ritual in the same manner I did with them." Leera explained, her voice transforming from the firm but caring voice she usually had, to a more supple, sly voice that was like music in their heads most akin to the cooing of a fellow gryphon and it had the same calming effect.

Mathy and Rein grinned, churring gently at one another as they slowly stepped backwards to watch. They were both eagerly anticipating the show they were about to get; being able to see what happened to them from another perspective would help jog their memories and relive their own experiences. Rein was lucky enough to have two instances to reminisce about, but Mathy had only one intensely vivid memory.

Zuzu and Wineburd glanced at one another nervously, unsure of how to proceed. Both were sharing a bit of anxiety and worry about the ritual; deep down they were hoping to see Rein and Mathy go first, to prove it was safe.

"Go ahead Zuzu, don't be afraid." Leera cooed at them, pushing her tail end out more towards them. As he exposed herself, she clenched her muscles ever so gently to peel back her ventral scales, revealing a slit of dark pink underneath. The dim light of the torches in the cave reflected off the glistening fluids that coated her, giving her nethers a wonderful sheen.

Zuzu looked back at Rein, who nodded his head and extended his wings in a brushing movement. "Go on!" he urged, grinning from eartuft to eartuft.

The white and blue gryphon took in a deep breath and looked up at Mistress Leera, who had the warmest of smiles spread across her face as she nodded her approval. He then looked over at Ceylon, who was giving him the same warm, encouraging smile; Wineburd, on the other hand, had a look on his face that was confused and he appeared worried about the ritual. Zuzu, sensing his mate's hesitation, padded up to the naga's hind end and reared up, placing his paws on either side of the ventral slit as Mathy had done before.

Leera was quite large compared to Zuzu. When the gryphon was on all fours, his shoulders just barely kept above her form, which meant that when curled up in the fetal position, he was no bigger than an egg would be to a creature that size. Wineburd was twice that tall, even if he curled up tight and shrunk down as far as he would go, he was still bigger around than the female naga was, his worry was based solely on the fact that he wasn't sure if he was physically able to enter her like Zuzu, Mathy, and Rein.

Zuzu, with both talons still resting on Leera's scaled body, his chest leaning against her side, looked up at Wineburd with a smile of his own. "I'll go first...and I'll help you." He offered.

Wineburd smiled and nodded, still unsure but a bit less anxious.

Leera lowered her body and rested her arms across her hind end so that she was eye-level with Zuzu. The naga flicked her tongue out a few times, slowly tasting the air mixed with the fear Zuzu was having and she laughed but didn't say anything; she just pushed her body forward and nuzzled Zuzu's chest a bit before backing off again and flicking her tongue in time with the muscular contractions that continued to gape her ventral scales, releasing a hint of eager serpentine pheromone with each pulse.

A sudden wave of confidence surged through Zuzu as Leera's scent permeated his nares, a musk so thick it seemed to coat the inside of his beak and nostrils; the sudden shift in demeanour became evident to those watching when he leaned his head down and used his blue beak to push her sales to the side and nuzzle into her moist, pink flesh.

The naga's tail writhed and curled happily as Zuzu pressed the first of himself underneath her scales and into her slit.

Wineburd, seeing the writhing tail tip, idly pawed at it playfully, trying to take his mind off Zuzu and the slit of moist flesh that he was nuzzling into. It didn't work, every few seconds he stopped to stare, transfixed by the scene.

But Zuzu wasn't paying attention to Wineburd or the twitching tail he was pawing at, his focus had completely zoned in on that inviting slit before him; he wasn't even thinking of the owner of that slit staring intently at him as he pushed his beak downward, nuzzling at the flesh and revelling in the sensation of her fluids and flesh dragging against the side of his head. He was careful to not let the hook of his beak catch on any of the tender flesh as he rubbed back and forth underneath the ventral scales. He kept one paw on her tail and the other above the cloaca to keep steady as he lifted his own body up higher, pushing with more force on the fleshy slit as he came back down.

Wineburd, still a little anxious but getting more intrigued with each passing second, slowly scuffled forward, glancing back and forth between his mate nuzzling happily in the naga's cloaca and the naga herself, who was still resting her torso over her coils and sitting her head on her lower body, watching Zuzu intently; she was flicking her tongue every few moments to get a taste of their mood, and made slight adjustments to her body to accommodate them.

Regardless of his friend and the naga watching him, Zuzu closed his eyes and continued rubbing his face and neck across the available parts of Leera's fleshy slit. Leera, sensing he needed the leverage, rotated her body ever so gently so that her slit was facing slightly to the side instead of straight up. The change in angle gave Zuzu a bit of an advantage by forcing him to reposition his front talons; by doing so he accidentally inserted one of his forearms into her vaginal canal. There was no resistance, he slipped right in to the elbow. Instead of backing off or getting nervous, he let out a gentle churr as he kneaded at the flesh deep inside her.

He was actually quite incredibly surprised at the warmth that Leera's body exuded; reptiles were cold blooded and the cave wasn't particularly warm so it made no sense that her body was not only warmer than her surroundings but also warmer than Zuzu was, and Zuzu was a warm blooded creature. While initially taken aback by this revelation causing him to pause a moment, it wasn't long at all before he was back to kneading at her flesh, pressing against her outer walls as he tried to push in deeper. While he couldn't see what was happening, he could feel the weight of his body stretching Leera's flesh downward, gaping the opening to her vaginal canal that was still exuding a persistently sweet and pleasant smell directly into the gryphon's face, the moisture sticking to his beak.

Like a hound to a fox, Zuzu sniffed eagerly at the moist air that was emanating from the slit, letting the musk draw him in closer and closer until his beak was buried in the warm, tender flesh, the top half of the opening stretched around his cere while the bottom half was being pushed in the opposite direction by his kneading paws; the two parts of him that had made it inside the naga created a massive gape that the naga happily enjoyed.

Leera tried her best to stay relaxed as Ceylon had instructed her; she didn't want to get too excited and tense up, closing cloaca and pushing the eager little gryphon out. Instead, she did her best to remain calm, letting him stretch her flesh out as wide as it needed to go to fit not only him but his much larger gryphon friend who was still waiting nervously for his turn. With each heavy breath, her coils inflated and deflated, a motion that created a nice flow and pattern for Zuzu to use to push bits more of him inside at a time.

Taking the hint, Zuzu leaned more of his weight against the naga's body, murring happily as he felt his body part her flesh and slide past her vaginal opening, the thick layer of fluids mucking up his feathers and intensifying the sensations of tender flesh sliding, almost frictionless across his body. At this point he was still holding his breath, unsure of the safety of inhaling the thick fluid that coated his upper body and dripped down his torso; his breath was beginning to run out.

Wineburd edged closer ever so gently, one paw still resting on the end of Leera's tail as he vied for a better vantage point to watch as more of his friend disappeared into the naga, his body slowly enveloped by the ring of pink flesh that hid under her ventral scales. It was a peculiar sight for Purpor, because from one angle it just looked like his friend was slowly sliding under the ventral scales, but as he repositioned himself, he could see Leera's vaginal ring seeming to press outward and grasp onto Zuzu's body, swallowing him like a snake.

Right then, with the image of a tender pink ring reaching out to suck on his friend's body and the accompanying sweet scent of the naga filling his nares, Wineburd found his anxiety dissipating, replaced with a sense of neediness; a need to follow his mate into the fleshy abyss.

Having finally exhausted his oxygen reserves, Zuzu let out a deep exhalation and paused for a moment before trying to inhale. AS the fluid entered his nares and crept down his nostrils, he was at first overwhelmed with an almost painful sensation that made him feel like he needed to cough, a tickle in the back of his throat and irritating his lungs; just as he was about to violently release, he felt the tickle calm to a tingle as his system numbed to the sensation of his lungs being filled with the thick, slimy fluid that the naga's vaginal walls secreted. Within only a matter of a seconds, it was like he was breathing normally, albeit much slower and with much deeper breaths as the fluid slowly passed through his body.

Everything around Zuzu seemed to slow down, every sensation on his body amplifying. While only half of his body had penetrated the serpentine depths that Leera offered him, he still felt comfy and cozy like he was nuzzled up in a warm blanket or underneath a wing. Like a chick trying to get deep into a cuddle, he dug his feet into the ground and pushed forward, the tender ring of pink flesh sliding over his wings and enveloping the rest of his upper torso.

Leera took a moment to rotate her body a bit more, since Zuzu was getting no more traction or leverage with her body up so high.

Thanks to this new burst of leverage, Zuzu continued to press forward, unconsciously careful to not accidentally grab at her scales with his hind claws. Inside, his front talons were kneading outward against Leera's immensely stretchy flesh. Those on the outside could his his pawprints pushing outward until they were stopped by the cave floor.

Wineburd saw this and decided he wanted in now, so instead of patiently waiting for Zuzu to slowly push himself in, inch by inch, the much larger purple gryphon placed one fore-claw on his friend's rump and pushed hard. With a wet, sloppy squelch followed by the passing of air that had gone in with him, Zuzu disappeared into the naga's wet slit, only the tip of his tail was still poking out of the pulsating, pink orifice that was now sucking gentle on Wine's arm. Purpor, now feeling Leera's flesh wrapped around one of his own body, fell into a dazed state of stupor. He laid down on top of her, all four legs wrapped around either side of her body, one front talon pushed underneath her ventral scales.

He had enjoyed the sensation of having his talon buried inside Rein's slit before, and had even tried to put it inside Zuz with occasional success, but this was entirely different to the Wineburd. There was so much more room inside the naga's canal, he could easily move his fist back and forth rather than just in and out. In addition to the leeway the stretchy flesh gave his hand, there was also a surprising amount of dexterity in the muscles that pulsated, constricted, and relaxed in a gentle wavelike motion that urged more of his arm in her, sucking gently on him without actually creating any suction.

It was a hypnotic feeling, and like Zuzu before him, Wineburd closed his eyes and concentrated on the sensations of Leera's body: the gentle heaving of her body as she breathed, the constant contractions and relaxations of her muscles, and most importantly her surprising warmth. He focused on it all and had even completely forgotten to watch the last vestiges of his mate, Zuzu, still inside her vaginal canal, kneading at her flesh and making pawprints in her belly.

While feeling around, inside Leera's canal, Wineburd could still feel the last bits of Zuzu's tail poking out, but the pulsating waves of muscle contractions were slowly drawing him in deeper, and a few moments later, Wineburd could no longer reach the tail of his friend, which drove him to push his paw in deeper to keep in contact.

Leera, being as perceptive as she needed to be, slowly and sensually rotated her body once again so that her cloaca was facing right up at Wineburd's beak. She tensed her muscles and peeled back her own ventral scales to release a blast of musky pheromones in his face, the mist covering his beak and overwhelming his senses.

Wineburd went from being his usual self into a more primal one. He kept his one talon in Leera's canal and took his other talon and thrust it forward into her depths; he alternated both of his talons, left and right, back and forth, trying to smear as much of her fluids and scent all over his face and upper body as he went. He found movement somewhat challenging since his two forearms together were almost as girthy as Zuzu's entire body, but Leera's body acclimated to the new sensation very quickly.

Her flesh was truly remarkable in its pliability. It didn't seem to matter the angle he thrust his fore-claws into her, the vaginal opening easily accommodated him. It was like he was pushing himself into a wet balloon, even lifted his claws while inside and glanced at the imprints they were leaving in her flesh.

Happy with what he saw, Wineburd backed up a bit and nuzzled his beak into the same orifice that was sucking on his talons, her ventral scales resting atop her head and the pink flesh inside her cloaca pressing against his ears and gumming them up with her juices. He nuzzled in deep and stuck his tongue out to give her tender, elastic flesh a taste and found it to be amazingly sweet, almost no bitterness to speak of! Greedy for more, he continue to lap at he edge of her orifice, sucking back as much of her sweet nectar as he could, swallowing down gobs of it and delighting in the sensation of it coating his throat and gumming up his beak.

Wineburd's talons were still extended in front of him, and as he moved them back and forth he could feel and hear them sloshing around in her canal; he knew that there was much more fluid the deeper he went, so he dug his claws into either side of Leera's tail and pushed forward, using his head and beak to part her slit further as he slid forward. The tighter ring of Leera's flesh that was her opening pressed hard against his cere and seemed to not want to stretch as far as it needed to wrap around his head. He was just too big to make it past that first, tight opening to get to the much juicier, more roomy canal that was just barely out of his reach.

Feeling the tenseness as her opening tried to stretch far enough to allow the form of the massive gryphon into her canal, Leera slowly inched her upper body further down towards her slit, feeling Zuzu still kneading against her torso as she slithered past. Aiding Wineburd, who had appeared to already have ingested and inhaled her fluids, she reached around either side of her ventral scales and pulled upwards with all her might, gaping her vaginal opening wide, allowing Wineburd to dive right in.

In he slid, his front talons leading the way in a diving position as the naga's tighter ring of flesh slid over his head and around his shoulders. Deeper and deeper he went, both of his hind legs digging into the carpet on either side of her body making him rock back and forth, each step gaining him an inch at a time as Leera's tight ring of flesh enveloped his wingshoulders.

With the thickest and most challenging area of Wineburd's body having breached her tightest part, with only her canal and womb left to hold them, both of which were flexible and roomy enough to hold the gryphons with ease, she used her muscles to lift her hind end in the air, letting go of the sides of her cloaca and letting gravity and her copious, slick fluids do their work letting the massive gryphon slowly pass into her, the ventral scales acting as a guide to keep the majority of his weight focused on her slit.

It was very hard for Leera to keep her body at such an angle that her gryphon toy didn't fall to the side of slip in the wrong way. He was much thicker than she was and it was a huge challenge for her to allow an object thicker than she was to slide through her cloaca into her vaginal canal. As more of his body got sucked up into her, she noticed her belly was greatly distorted and distended to fit his form. She could see the outline of his head, neck, and even wings as they slowly slid deeper and deeper into her.

All but his rump, tail, and the tips of his wings were now wrapped tight in elastic naga flesh, so he squirmed eagerly with anticipation of that final lurch where his hips would breach her opening and fall into her, the last bits of him getting sucked up like a bird sucking back a worm.

Leera took in a deep breath and did her best to relax her cloacal muscles as best she could. Her release and his wiggling made the perfect combination, and with a sudden, powerful lurch, wineburd slipped past her opening and disappeared into her; the massive shape that was a feral gryphon passed through her lower body, the imprints of his wings and body pressing out against her bellyscales as he slid through her depths to meet up with his friend.

Her eyes rolled back in her head as the intense sensation of being stretched like that surged through her body, the friction of feathers passing through every inch of flesh making her entire body tense up and her tail coil tightly, pushing Wineburd into the already-sleeping Zuzu. Neither were conscious enough to piece together the wave of various sensations of the naga's fleshy tunnel constricting around them and tensing up over them in waves.

Exhausted, Leera fell in a heap on the ground, the massive bulge in the shape of two gryphons that distended her form about 5 meters down her body from the cloaca a powerful reminder of what she'd done.

She let out an extended hiss that somehow resembled a growl as she let out a deep sigh. "Wwwoooowwwww." She groaned as she curled up her body and let her coils pulsate beneath her. "You're soooooo right, Ceylon, that truly is the most wonderful, fulfilling sensation."

Rein and Mathy snapped out of their hypnosis and took their eyes off Leera's cloaca, which was now dribbling a steady stream of the fluids she'd secreted to help the two gryphons pass into her. "Wait, you mean...what do you mean?" Rein asked, somewhat shocked at this revelation.

"By what?" Ceylon asked, not sure what Rein meant by his question.

"She...has never done that before?"

Ceylon chuckled and shook his head. "That's not what she meant. No, Mistress Leera has done such things plenty in the past, but only to a select few, she's never done it for our guests." He leaned down and caressed the side of her maw, aiming her face to look at him as he smiled warmly.

Mathy blushed and shrunk down. "So...we were her first?"

The large gryphon flicked his tongue out to kiss Leera on the nose before looking over to Mathy, smiling warmly. "Yes my friend, you and Rein were her first. In fact, she wasn't supposed to do it but did anyway. I think it turned out phenomenally, I think she will continue to be my partner in that respect." He nodded and released Leera's head so she could curl up around herself in a tight ball.

Rein flicked his canine tail and cocked his head to the side, staring at Ceylon and Leera. "So, uh, when does the next phase start?" he asked in between anxious twitches.

Ceylon turned towards Rein and lowered his head in a show of submission. "We must wait until Leera rebirths your friends, when they return to us as bonded brothers, we can continue with the next stage of the ritual. Until then, we wait."

"How long will that be?" Mathy asked quickly, then covered his beak, worried he'd came across as impatient.

Master Ceylon laughed at Mathy's bashfulness. "Mathinic, my dear, I assure you it will not be long, a few minutes is all it should take. She kept you and Rein inside her for longer because She could tell the bond between you was very strong, and it would mean more to you."

Both Rein and Mathy glanced at each other a moment, smiling. Rein opened his beak to say something but Mathy practically pounced on him, nuzzling into his side and purring. "Master Ceylon's right, it DOES mean a lot!"

Rein churred and preened at Mathy's headfeathers, tickling the jaygryph's skull with his beak. "Yes he is, it does mean a lot."

Ceylon returned to Leera as the other two gryphons were cuddling and preening one anothe. "Are you okay, everything fine?" He asked the coiled naga.

"I am fine, my love." She answered, closing her eyes and flicking her tongue out slowly. "But the large one...he seems quite agitated, I don't think I can hold him for long." she looked back at the coil that held Zuzu and Wineburd, and she could see the distinct outline of Wineburd's wings pulsing and pressing out, his paws kneading at the soft flesh of her womb and pressing out against her scales.

Ceylon laid his talon on her belly and felt the creatures moving around inside her. He nodded in agreement. "Yes, I think we should move onto the next step."

Leera rose up and wrapped her arms around Ceylon's neck, giving him a gentle tailflick. She uncoiled her body and pressed her cloaca down against the ground, rubbing some of her juices into the carpet. This immediately caught the attention of Rein and Mathy, who stopped preening one another to get a look at their returning friends.

"Watch Mathy, we get to see them be reborn!" Rein chuckled, aware of the extreme absurdity of the situation but loving it nonetheless.

Leera took in a deep breath then tensed up all her body muscles at once, creating an immense pressure on the gryphons inside her, instantly making them slip through her tunnel, their shapes moving with ease through the naga's length, like a massive egg being passed with just as much resistance. Only a second later, Wineburd's purple tail popped out from underneath her ventral scales and started flicking back and forth, splashing bits of her juices all over her tail.

But there was a slight issue, his rump wasn't coming out, it appeared to be stuck. Part of his hind end was sticking out with his tail, but her ring of flesh was still wrapped around his hips and pushing out, not ready to release the large gryphon.

"Leera!" Ceylon gasped as he dove down to help.

"No, I can do this." She assured him, holding her hand up to stop him. They exchanged glances and Ceylon backed off, so she continued. Once again she took in a deep breath, but this time she closed her eyes as she tensed down her muscles; it was an odd sight to see a snake close her eyes.

Her ventral scale flipped up as wide as it could, exposing the entirety of her velvety pink cloaca and the tight muscular ring that was holding the gryphons inside her. As she pushed, the other gryphons could see her individual scales part and stretch to the point they could almost see through them, getting glimpses of the purple feathers and fur through her distended flesh.

Mathy was about to say something, but one sudden lurch and a burst of strength from Leera and the ring of pink flesh gave way, spreading wide and letting both gryphons slide out in a heap of gooey feathers and fur, a wave of fluid from the naga's womb bursting forth with them.

The two gryphons lay still for a moment as they groggily came to their senses, wiping off their faces and trying to open their eyes. The thick, viscous fluid was covering their entire bodies, and the hole that had birthed them was still hanging open, strands of goo trailing from the edges of her cloaca to the two gryphons.

Leera took in a deep breath and sighed, her tail and lower body writhing in a glorious pain. "Rahhhh!" she cheered happily, lunging forward into Ceylon, coiling her body up around him, over his shoudlers, between his wings, and over his rump; she licked feverishly at his beak as bits of goo were still dripping from her abused cloaca.

"Eheh, careful dear, we're supposed to look more presentable in front of guests." Ceylon cooed.

She paused and slowly slithered off the gryphon's back and coiled herself back up in a presentable manner. "Forgive me."

Wineburd and zuzu were still emerging from their groggy state, licking idly at each other to clean the fluids off each other.

"Zuzu, Wineburd." Ceylon said, getting half of their attention. "You'd do best not to clean each other, you'll need that to get inside, you have another womb to visit before this day is over."

All four gryphons stopped and stared at each other, beaks agape.

Mathy pounced up and tackled Zuzu to the ground, the goo smearing in between them and soaking Mathy's feathers and fur as he chirped happily, rubbing his beak and head into Zuzu's chest.

Zuzu didn't respond, he wasn't fully awake yet.

Wineburd got to his feet and stumbled about a bit, almost falling over on Rein, who in turn had to keep the bigger gryphon up, using his head as a support to keep him standing.

Ceylon stood tall and spoke, "Now that we are done with that phase, I'd like to know if you feel you're ready for the final phase of this ritual, the rebirth that will leave all four of you forever bonded as brothers not in blood, but in spirit."

Mathy dragged Zuzu over to sit beside the others so the four would be once again in a groggy, messy line in front of Master Ceylon and Mistress Leera. "I...think we are." Mathy answered, glancing at the others to ensure there were no protests.

"Very well then." Ceylon stepped forward and placed a paw on Mathy's head, then Zuzu, Wineburd, and Rein. "The four of you, close in heart and in body, shall become closer than you ever have been before, and in your rebirth, not just friends or mates, but be bonded eternally, in this life and your next." He slowly nodded his head as though he was praying, and he turned around, tail raised high in the air to show off his entire rump.

Ceylon's massive slit was about as tall as Mathy and it was surrounded by some of the most fleshy, puffy, tender looking vulva any of the gryphon had ever seen. The entire opening was scaled up in proportion to the rest of the gryphon's body, clearly a transformation he made to accommodate the four gryphons that were about to pass through it, most notably wineburd, the largest of them all.

Atop that fleshy slit was an equally large and tender looking anus, puffy and almost circular. The jet-black flesh of both orifices linked together in such a way you'd almost think they were of the same slit if not for the fact that the moist, pink insides of the vulval slit were showing and dripping with the gryphon's own concoction of fluids and juices meant for passing eggs and, in this case, gryphons.

Rein, Mathy, Zuzu, and Wineburd all stared, gape-beaked at the massive fleshy slit that was in front of them. They didn't know what to say or how to progress, so they stood still, awaiting order.

"Don't be shy." Leera advised as she poked her head over Ceylon's shoulders.

Ceylon licked at Leera before resting down on his belly, spreading his legs wide to push his hips back, his vulva pressing out and showing even more of the cherry-pink flesh showing. "I offer you my body for your ritual, but you must initiate the action yourself. Rein knows this, perhaps he should set the example for you all."

Mathy, Zuzu, and Wineburd looked to Rein, who perked up and squawked. "Chirp! I shouldn't go first, I already had the pleasure of being buried in there...I nominate Mathy!" He leaned into the jaygryph and churred happily.

"I agree." Zuzu exclaimed. "Mathy is the smallest, he should go in first, get that wondrous canal ready for us!" He stepped over to the jaygryph and nudged him towards the massive vulva that lay in front of them all.

Mathy blushed and shrunk down, not wanting to be first, but not wanting to hold back any longer. "M-master Ceylon, with your permission...?"

Ceylon nodded his head, which was as big as Mathy was. "You have my permission."

The jaygryph looked back at his friends, who all nodded him encouragement. He looked back to the massive slit and the fleshy vulva that lay in front of him. He blinked a few times and ruffled his feathers as he gained the courage to take action. After taking in a few deep breaths, took the final steps until his beak was only one head length away from the moist, fleshy lips. He could feel the heat and humidity emanating from Ceylon's hind end, the thick scent of the slit gently tickling Mathy's nares. It was a truly wonderful scent and it seemed to hit Mathy's brain like mind control.

Mathy reared up onto his hind legs and pounced forward, resting his front paws on the vulva on either side of the pink, fleshy slit. As he landed, he found the vulva was far too moist and slippery, and both his paws slipped right into the slit. "Rrg!" he exclaimed, but calmed down immediately as his beak parted the lips even farther and he got an up-close view of the cherry-pink flesh within.

Ceylon wiggled his hips and shifted his hind legs to try and give the jaygryph a better angle to work at, but it really wasn't enough, as the canal was raised at too high an angle for Mathy to crawl into without resorting to using his claws.

Nevertheless, Mathy pushed forward as best he could, using his real paws to get traction on the ground as his head and upper body slid deeper into Ceylon's velvety canal. The others looked on as the fleshy lips parted ever so gently around Mathy's form, eagerly anticipating their own turn. He kept trying to push deeper, but every time he tried to push up into the canal, his paws slipped downwards and he rested against the bottom of it. The slit was tender and stretchy, but also surprisingly tight so it worked against the jaygryph, keeping him from going any deeper. Mathy paused for a moment and began to idly knead at the velvety wall of the fleshy canal.

"This won't do!" Zuzu exclaimed as he trotted forward, pressing his beak against Mathy's rump. "You'll never get in without some help!" He dug all four paws into the carpet and pushed forward, lifting Mathy up off the ground to slide effortlessly into the cavernous canal, the tender velvety walls pressing up against him.

Mathy let out an elongated churr and tucked in all six of his limbs so he could go in deeper. His front paws were still kneading at the flesh, but he didn't want to stop that; to him that was like cuddling into his best of friends. After most of his body had pushed past the moist, fleshy opening of Ceylon's slit, he felt his beak poke against a tight rim of flesh deep inside; it was Master Ceylon's cervix. Mathy reached forward and kneaded against the tight muscle to encourage it to loosen up; in only a few moments he was able to reach into it with both paws and pull himself forward into Ceylon's spacious, especially tender womb. He pressed both of his paws against the interior rim of the cervix and pulled as best he could, and in only a few seconds his entire body had slid effortlessly into Ceylon's deepest depths.

Zuzu watched as the last bits of his jaygryph friend were sucked up into Ceylon's slit, his 5-feathered tail disappearing in between the cherry-pink folds with ease. "Huh, musta slipped into the womb." He commented then turned to his friends. "Help me out here guys."

Rein and Wineburd both stepped forward and leaned against Ceylon's thighs, each plunging one arm into the massive slit and prying the fleshy lips apart, gaping the canal open and exposing the entire length of the moist, pink insides. They could see right into the depths of Ceylon's vaginal canal up to the cervix, which was still closing up over the last vestiges of Mathy's body.

Zuzu sighed dreamily and stared into the pink abyss happily for a moment before jumping forward, leaping beak-first into the gaping canal. His body made it most of the way with a single lunge but the flesh of Ceylon's canal, tender and moist as it was, stopped him from disappearing completely inside. He happily wagged his tail as the walls of flesh smothered his upper body and wings, the slick fluids mixing with the thicker, gooier fluids of the Naga's cloaca to create an incredibly viscous mix. He writhed in pleasure inside, relishing in the sensation of the velvety walls rubbing against his feathers, fur, beak, and paws. It was a truly wonderful sensation in every way, the same sensation of having a gryph-mare's lips wrapped around his member, but this was encompassing his whole body. If he could have had a full-bodied explosion of pleasure, he could have.

As he was writing around inside, he felt Mathy's paw penetrate the tight cervix from the other side to grab him, pulling him in deeper.

Mathy repositioned himself inside Ceylon's womb and placed his hind paws on either side of the cervix, pulling with all his might to bring Zuzu in to share the warmth of that cozy womb.

Wineburd could see that Zuzu was being pulled in, so he used one of his own paws to press on the white and blue gryphon's rump, pushing with all his might. With a sensual lurch, Zuzu's lower half slipped past the tender opening of Ceylon's slit, disappearing into the canal with a wet squelch.

Mathy was still tugging on Zuzu's front paws to pull him inside, but only his head and arms had penetrated the cervix, the wings were proving to be a bit of a challenge.

Zuzu was hardly paying any attention to the gryphons pulling and pushing on him, he was concentrating only on the full-bodied sensations of the velvety flesh that pressed against every inch of his body, save the bit of tail that was still poking out from the massive lips. He had a massive grin on his beak as he nuzzled into the tender flesh around him, writhing with increased intensity to boost the sensation of flesh dragging across his every inch.

Mathy was still tugging and grunting inside, but outside Wineburd was scratching his head. "Uh, he doesn't seem to be going in any further..."

Rein smiled warmly. "Well go in after him, dear, I think you're next."

Wineburd's eyes opened up wide. "Me next?"

Rein nodded. "I wouldn't have it any other way, dear."

Wineburd happily chirped and nuzzled into Rein gently before leaning his head and upper body into the massive folds that Zuzu's tail was still sticking out of. He found it amazing how easily the lips parted for him, and it was even more sensual than he'd expected, since the mix of fluids from the naga and the new gryphon juices were mixing to help him slide through the canal with ease. Forward he stepped, pushing with all his might as the pink flesh slid past his beak and around his head, stretching further around his body. He wiggled his body back and forth, and before long his beak was pressed up against Zuzu's rump.

Rein pressed his beak up against Wineburd's backside and nuzzled gently around his friend's tailbase, urging him to push forward since most of his body was still outside of the fleshy slit but he had appeared to stop. Rein could see the bits of pink flesh showing above and below Wineburd's body as it parted to accommodate the large gryph. Due to the great size of Wineburd, there was no longer any gape as his body filled up the canal with ease.

Mathy was still pulling on Zuzu's body, tugging on his front paws to pull him into the womb, but he was beginning to lose hope that his strength would be enough to pull his friend inside with him. He stopped and slumped down, defeated, as he leaned into zuzu and nuzzled their beaks together. They couldn't see each other inside the womb, but it wasn't hard to feel around and find what needed to be found.

But right as Mathy had given up tugging, Wineburd pushed forward with renewed vigor, putting each of his own forepaws on Zuzu's legs and using his beak to press against the rump. With only one quick push, wineburd was able to not only make Zuzu burst forward and slide happily through Ceylon's cervix, but he even poked his own head and forepaws through before it could close up around Zuzu's rump.

Mathy and Zuzu both were cuddled up together inside Celon's womb, but they still found there was an oddly permissive amount of space left over. While the flesh was pressing down on both of them from every angle, they found it remarkably easy to push out against it and even stretch out to full length, and every time Wineburd moved, a bit of air passed through the canal and into the womb alongside a single beam of light that burst through for only a nanosecond before being snuffed out by Wineburd's massive form that blocked the way. Each bit of light was like a photograph in Mathy's mind, highlighting the fleshy walls around him with an almost translucent property; for that split second, he felt like he could see the veins that pumped the blood to the walls that encompassed him.

Zuzu, on the other hand, left his eyes closed and was paying more attention to the soft flesh that pressed up against him and the rhythmic heartbeat of Ceylon that sounded and felt incredibly close.

Rein, on the other paw was a touch perplexed. Wineburd's body filled up that slit with ease, and it was a truly wonderful view to see Ceylon's massive fleshy lips wrapped around his mate's body, but Rein knew he wasn't nearly strong enough to push Wineburd in should he not be able to go in himself. Nevertheless, he continued to lean into Wineburd's rump, pecking at the back of his thighs and pushing with all his might.

The much larger gryphon was constantly wiggling and writhing against the soft flesh, using his paws to get a grip on the inside of Ceylon's cervix so he could pull himself in further, but it was proving to not work as well as he'd hoped. He slid in an inch or so every few seconds, but he was many feet long, this would take ages!

He took in a deep breath, inhaling more of the fluids that the walls of Ceylon's slit secreted, and used all his upper body strength to press against the inside of the cervix to pull himself in. While it didn't seem to work at first, only a few inches breaching the tight ring of muscle at a time, there was great lurch forward as the thickest part of his body passed the tight ring, and the muscular contractions sucked him up, leaving rein to fall against the massive lips as Wineburd disappeared.

In only a split second, Wineburd was completely inside Ceylon's womb alongside Mathy and Zuzu; his huge frame was pressing both of his friends outward into the deepest depths, and for the first time the womb felt a touch crowded. None of the three gryphons wanted the others to leave, but the flesh was really starting to stretch to its limits and neither Mathy nor Zuzu were able to press out on it like they could at first. The warm tender flesh of Ceylon's womb was no longer tender and instead felt tighter, like a stretched rubber band.

Rein let out an exasperated churr as the last of Wineburd's tail disappeared into the massive gryphon's equally massive slit. At this point he was the last of the gryphons to perform the final stage of the ritual and unlike the others he had nobody to help push him in once he started. He looked over Ceylon's body to see the great gryphon breathing in heavily, his partner Leera coiled up around him in an encouraging hug as his body adjusted to the great stretch of having not just one or two, but three gryphons snuggling about in his spacious womb.

Rein chuckled a bit at the prospect of an apparently male gryphon having a womb, but he shook off the amusing thought and instead returned his focus to his own dilemma. He pressed his own body against the moist slit and chirped with delight as he felt his entire upper body slide into the now-gaping tunnel of flesh.

He was gently kneading at the flesh as Mathy was known to do as well as nuzzling it as he tried to concoct a plan to get up to the massive cervix he saw just a few feet out of reach, without digging his claws into Master Ceylon's flesh. He would never, ever want to do something to hurt someone that had done so much for so many, so he simply nuzzled at Ceylon's inner flesh as he thought.

Before long, Rein heard and felt the deep squishing of a tail poking out from the other side of the cervix. He felt around to grab at it and once he got a hold of it, he recognized the 5-feather split as Mathy's tail!

Content and eager, Rein got a strong hold on the tail and pulled himself forward, sliding inch by inch through the slick canal that was feeling more and more like home to him the closer her got to his friends. As his feet pushed past the opening of the slit and settled into the cavernous, fleshy passage, Rein found a wave of lethargy creeping over him. He could feel the muscles pulling him in so he knew he was in no fear of falling out, but deep down inside he knew he had to keep going if he was going to be warm and safe inside with his mates. He squirmed and nuzzled at the flesh a bit more as he carefully tugged at Mathy's tail, careful to not hurt the jaygryph.

Inch by inch Rein crept deeper into the massive slit that held him, taking his time to relish every sensation, every heartbeat that tensed around him, and every wet, sloshy sound that erupted around him every time he moved. He loved the sensation of the slick goo encapsulating him almost as much as he loved the tender flesh that compressed around him in gentle patterns, sucking him in deeper. After a few minutes relishing the sensation, he was somewhat disappointed to feel his beak press up against the tight ring of the cervix. It wasn't that he didn't want to be with his friends, he just wanted to enjoy the sensations of the canal a bit more before joining them.

His wishes were not to last long, as two hands reached down through the cervix and grabbed rein on either shoulder. Based on the size of them, he figured one was Zuzu's and the other was Wineburds.

Through the tight sphincter and into the womb Rein burst, joining his friend. He shuddered in delight as the tightest point of Ceylon's nethers passed over his body, leaving only the last bit of his tail resting in the vaginal canal alongside Mathy's. The two of them twitched their tails against one another and tried to entwine them but the angle and pressure of the vaginal walls kept them from doing so.

After a few moments of that, both Rein and Mathy tugged their tails into the womb beside them, letting the cervix entirely close around it, trapping the four of them inside. Rein was leaning with his back against the tightening cervix with Mathy curled up in his arms. Wineburd was on the opposite side of the womb, his own back pressing agaisnt the deep throbbing of Ceylon's heart, whereas Zuzu was in the middle. While each of them were pressing against their own portion of the womb that held them all, they still felt comfy and cozy as could be.

As the cervix finished tightening, a gummy fluid completely plugged it off and the walls of the womb began to secrete a new fluid that invaded their lungs and put each and every one of the gryphons into a deep, dreamlike state. It was like they were all floating in an eternal void, surrounded by their friends and the fluid that they all shared, where every sensation was amplified and they could even feel what the others were thinking.

While they all had their own variations on it, they all were unanimous in thinking this was the most wonderful thing they had ever felt.

As they all drifted into what felt like eternal nirvana, Ceylon let out a deep sigh and got up, his belly distended with the form of four gryphons all comfy and cozy inside him.

"Wow, I'm actually quite surprised you were able to fit all four in this form..." Leera laughed. "You have got to teach me how to do that, I would love to have four gryphons in me at once."

Ceylon stepped up to the thrones, his womb heavy with gryphon. "It's...as diffiult as it looks. I'll certainly be restricting the number of occupants if this ever comes up again." He sighed and slumped down on his side, sloshing the four gryphons inside him around, but they barely felt it and didn't even realize it. "But for these wonderful gryphons, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. They really do mean the world to each other."

Many days passed with Master Ceylon lazing about with the gryphons comfortably nestled deep within his womb. Life was hard for both Ceylon and Leera, who found hunting for food to be a particularly difficult task to handle. After almost 10 days, the two of them climbed to the top of the mountain where they knew Rein and Wineburd lived.

"Uhh, what happened?" Rein groaned as he blinked his eyes and looked around. He noticed that he was back in the nest room with Wineburd, Mathy, and Zuzu all nestled up beside him. There were beams of light streaming in through the window and reflecting off the goo that still smothered them all. "Why am I, how did I get here?" He tried to stand up but found himself somewhat weak so he slumped back down, waking the others.

Mathy was the first to stir. "Rein, sweetie?" he asked, blinking his eyes groggily. "What's going on where's Master Ceylon?"

Rein shook his head, bits of goo flying off the sides of his beak. "I don't know, is this a dream?"

"I don't think so." Mathy cooed as he licked at Rein's beak. "Doesn't taste like a dream."

Just then, Wineburd stirred and stretched out, flexing his wings and taking up all the room in the nest, almost pushing zuzu out.

"Hey!" Zuzu shouted as he quickly jerked awake.

"AAAH!" Wineburd gasped as he opened his eyes, looking around at the nest room they were in. "What happened?! Where are we? What's going on?" He quickly got to his feet and stumbled out the door, the others followed as best they could on wobbly legs.

The four of them stumbled together through the castle walls until they burst through into the grand hall. They saw nothing, but heard a splash outside and the chirps of voices playing in the lake.

Curious and led by Wineburd, they all went to the huge door to look outside at the source of the noise. What they saw brought tears to all of their eyes, except Zuzu, who wanted to keep his steely resolve.

It was all their friends lined up beside the lake: Hoot, Shira, and Jadesay all clapping, with Ceylon and Leera behind them. On the ground in front of them all were three distinct items: a massive nugget of gold, a basket of wine bottles, and three beautifully painted canvases.

"Happy birthday!" they all shouted in unison as they dashed forward for a massive group hug.