Chapter TwentyTwo

> You grunt in exertion, pulling yourself higher up the stone face
> Your sore fingers search for another handhold, the wind whipping around you
> The air was colder up here, but the sun’s rays warmed your back as you climbed
> This was it, the final hurdle, once you got over this mountain you were in Gryphonia
> Your multi-month trek was nearly over
> Unfortunately, this was the only way into Gryphonia. Griffons didn’t build roads, or even make trails. When your entire race can fly, what’s the point?
> Your boot scrapes against the granite surface, searching for a stable support
> A little over a week had passed since your confrontation with Twilight
> You decided not to seek revenge for Rainbow’s passing. You promised her long ago you wouldn’t go after any p0nies, and you intended to honor that to the end.
> A gust of wind blows up the cliff face, threatening to dislodge you from your precarious perch
> You desperately cling to the rock, your hands cramping from the hours of climbing
> You hear a small chuckle from over your shoulder
> “Having some trouble there anon?” Gilda teased, hovering in the air behind you
“Shut up Gilda.” You retort, your voice shaking far too much for your liking, “You know I hate heights”
> “I still don’t get that,” Gilda says as you continue your slow progress up the mountain, “You climb trees all the time.”
> “Trees I’m fine with.” You explain, searching for another handhold, “Its two hundred foot falls of certain death I have a problem with.”
> “Well can you at least hurry up?” Gilda complains, “I could’ve flown up to the top hours ago.”
> You grumble in annoyance, refusing to respond
> Gilda can tell she’s getting to you, she prods further for a reaction
> “Come on dweeb, you can do it! Work those freaky fingers of yours.” She cheers, imitating a typical sports coach
“You’re enjoying this aren’t you?” you growl
> “Me? Enjoy watching you climb up a mountain?” She repeats with a tone of mock sincerity, “What kind of Griffon do you think I am?”
“I actually have quite the list, would you like to hear it?” you reply
> “What I would LIKE is for you to get moving.” She snaps back, dropping the act
“If you’re in such a rush, why don’t you just carry me?” You ask, pausing for breath, “I’ve seen you carry larger game before.”
> “Carry you? And miss out on this prime entertainment? Pass.” Gilda answers
“So you admit you are enjoying this.” You reply with a sly grin.
> Gilda stammers for a bit, trying to work out of the verbal dead-end she walked into
> With an annoyed huff, she crosses her arms over her chest and looks away
> You grin as you focus back on your climbing, you usually won these little verbal spats you two had.
> The cliff slowly begins to level out, becoming more of a steep slope than a cliff.
> You can actually move without handholds now, the friction of your boots keeping you from sliding
> Gilda flies forward, stopping at the level peak of the mountain
> You move forward quickly on all fours, trying to catch up
> As you near the top, a rock gives way under your foot, causing you to fall onto your stomach
> You scramble desperately for a handhold as you rapidly slide down the slope
“shitshitshitshtshitSHITSHITSHITSHIT!”
> “I gotcha! I gotcha!” Gilda cries, diving forward
> You pass over the cliff, feeling completely weightless for a moment, before Gilda grasps your wrist
> You dangle from the edge, legs flailing in the air
> Your stomach churns as you see at the ground hundreds of feet below you
> “Anon!” Gilda shouts from above you, “Don’t let go!”
“I wasn’t planning on it!” you shout back, grabbing her other talon
> Gilda begins slowly pulling you back over the edge, flapping her wings for extra lift
> “You need to go on a diet Anon” she jokes
“Less talking, more pulling.” You shoot back
> With Gilda’s help, you make it safely to the top, grateful for the mostly level surface
> You take a deep breath, trying not to imagine the grisly fate you narrowly avoided
 “Thanks, G. That was close.”
> “Don’t mention it Anon, just being awesome like always.” Gilda brags, holding her head high
> You roll your eyes at her typical bravado, sitting down on a nearby boulder to rest your weary legs.
> You open your canteen, taking a swig of the metallic tasting water.
> “Hey Anon,” Gilda says, beginning to walk forward, “Follow me for a sec, you need to see this.”
> You rise to your feet, resenting leaving your seat, and follow Gilda
> You walk over the rocky surface, climbing over boulders and crunching thorough small patches of stubborn snow.
> Gilda stops at another cliff face, gesturing forward with her claw
> “Welcome,” she begins, her voice swelling with pride, “to Gryphonia”
> Your breath was taken away by the magnificent view before you
> Massive, snow tipped mountains towered into the sky. The clouds parted and swirled around their jagged peaks
> Waterfalls tumbled from the cliff faces, spilling into small streams below
> Between the mountains were sweeping valleys, filled with thick pine forests and dotted with ponds and lakes
> The air was pure, clean and crisp. It carried the faint scent of pine needles and wet stone
> The entire landscape seemed proud, strong, and indomitable.
 “It’s…beautiful.” You comment, sitting down of the ground.
> “Yeah, it is.” Gilda agrees, sitting beside you, “I forgot how much I missed it here.”
> You both sit there in silence, content to drink in the majestic landscape
 “Hey Gilda,” you say, breaking the silence, “I just thought of something.”
> “That’s a first.” She jokes
“You just saved my life back there.” You continue, ignoring the jibe
> “Yeah, so?”
“So, you’ll probably be taking off soon won’t you?”
> “Why would I do that?” she asks, confused
“Because now your life debt is fulfilled.” You point out, “I saved your life, now you’ve saved mine”
> Gilda chuckles, “Dude, that was paid off months ago.”
“What? When?”
> “Back when that meteor struck.” She explains, “If I didn’t tackle you, you would have been flattened.”
> You’re silent for a few moments, confused by this revelation
“Then, why did you stick around? Through all the running and fighting, why did you stay?”
> “Because,” she answers, looking away, “You saved my life.”
“But you just said the life debt was paid off.”
> “Forget the stupid debt. It’s not about that.” Gilda says, turning back toward you, “When those wolves had me surrounded, you could have just left, but you didn’t. You didn’t abandon me when things got tough.”
> She looks you straight in the eye, your chest tightening under her gaze
> “No one has ever done that before.” She finishes, her voice tender
> You weren’t sure how to respond. This was a side of Gilda you hadn’t seen before, a softer side.
> You stare at each other, neither willing to speak
> Abruptly, Gilda breaks away, standing up.
> “Come on, we should find a place to camp before it gets dark.” She says, beginning to work her way down the slope.
“Right behind you Gilda.” You answer, following her steps

> Finding your way down the mountain ended up being a lot easier than working your way up.
> You found a much gentler slope leading down into one of the many valleys
> You met up with a small rocky stream late in the afternoon, deciding to make camp along its banks.
> You refilled your canteen from the flowing water, taking a long drink.
> Compared to the stale, metallic taste of the canteen, this was delicious. It was pure, crisp melt water.
> Feeling refreshed, you busied yourself by starting the cooking fire while Gilda hunted.
> You still hadn’t gotten a replacement for your bow, so you couldn’t hunt yourself, something Gilda was keen on repeatedly pointing out.
> You lean back near the small fire, feeling content. After months of constant travel, it was a relief to be free of the constant sense of urgency that pushed you forward.
> You feel even better when you realize you could actually visit the towns and villages here. You no longer had to hide in the wilderness from the locals.
> You could probably find a place to stay the winter in one of them. Maybe find a short term job to put some money in your pockets
> With that in mind, you pull the map you purchased out from your pack, rolling it out on the ground in front of you
> It didn’t take long to orient yourself. If you were on the southern border, then there were only a few villages nearby
> One of them was only a few days away, a small village by the name ‘VhaleStead’. It seemed like a good idea to head there, you’d run it by Gilda when she came back.
> You stow away the map just as Gilda returns, two hares grasped in her talons
> You get to work cleaning them as Gilda walks over to the stream
> You expected her to just wash off her talons, but she walks straight in, splashing through the shallow water
> She dunked her head under, splashing water over her back and ruffling her feathers. She gave her wings a few flaps, running them through the flowing current.
> She reminded you of a bird in a birdbath, not a far off comparison when you think about it.
> She emerged from the water just as you finished skewering the meat, shaking droplets of water from her coat.
> “Hey Anon,” she said, sitting down on the soft grass, “Can you come over here and help me preen?”
“Why can’t you do it?” you ask
> “I can do it just fine.” She answers, “But you’re good at it with those fingers of yours.”
> “Besides, I saved your life, so now you owe me a life debt.” She continues, “So get over here.”
“What? But I never gave you any orders!” you protest
> “Too bad, you should have.” She grins
> You grumble in defeat, leaving the food to roast and heading over to Gilda
> You take up position behind her as she spreads out her left wing
> You begin running your fingers through her soft feathers, realigning them into position and removing the ones that have come loose.
> You could feel her powerful muscles under your touch, gently stretching and contracting as you worked
> As your fingers reached the soft down beneath the feathers, you felt a faint rumbling from Gilda’s body
> Intrigued, you begin gently scratching the soft fluff, and are rewarded with another rumble from deep within Gilda’s chest
“Gilda, are you purring?” you ask, surprised
> “What? No. Shut up.” She hastily replies
> You press down on her wing, scratching more forcefully. Gilda’s back arches down, a long throaty purr escaping her beak
“You are! Gilda the mighty huntress in purring!” you taunt
> “Easy there dweeb, I can kick your ass any time.” Gilda threatens
“Ha! I’d like to see you try.” You challenge
> Abruptly, the wing is pulled out from your hands as Gilda quickly turns on you
>She pounces, knocking you backward and tumbling through the grass
> She tries to pin you down, but your worm your way out from under her.
> You tackled into her side, trying to force her into the ground.
> The two of you tussled and wrestled for several minutes, each of you trying to escape from the other’s grasp
> You leap onto her back, wrapping your arm her neck
> She shakes back and forth, trying to shake you off, but you hold firm.
> Suddenly her wings flare open, propelling herself into the air
> You sky whips past your vision as she flips onto her back, slamming you into the ground
> You gasp for air as the breath is knocked out of your chest
> Gilda quickly flips over, pinning your shoulders down with her talons
> She smiles triumphantly as you struggle under her grip, unable to break free
“Alright, alright, you win.” you concede, “Now can you ge-“
> You’re cut off as Gilda’s head shoots forward, her beak clamping around your mouth
>Your eyes widen in shock as her tongue forces its way inside, exploring the inside of your mouth
> She breaks away after a few moments, looking down on you with a seductive grin
> “Yeah, I just did that.” She breathes, “Now what are you going to do about it?”
> That was a good question, what were you going to do?
> You never really thought about Gilda like that. She was a griffon and you were a human, the thought simply never crossed your mind.
> But when she kissed you, it felt right somehow. The two of you had been through a lot together, you couldn’t deny there was a bond between you.
> You supported each other, you watched out for each other, but did you love each other?
> Looking back on it all, through all the competing, taunting, and running, it was obvious. You really did care for each other, and on a subconscious level, you did love Gilda.
> You smile up at Gilda, finally finding your answer
> Gilda takes your smile as a sign to continue, bringing her head back down to yours
> You take a more active role this time, your tongue fighting hers in a twisting battle for control
> You could have stayed here for hours, but you weren’t going to allow her to dominate you forever
> You press your feet against her stomach, pushing her off of you
> She landed on her back with a surprised squawk as you pounced atop her
> You lock your lips around her beak, Gilda softly moaning in pleasure as you take up the dominant position
> She clutched you tightly and rolled over, retaking her position above you and maintaining the embrace
> The competitive wrestling from earlier resumed with a new purpose. Rather than try to escape, you both pulled each other closer while vying for position.
> Your bodies churned and writhed for what seemed like hours, rolling through the soft grass
> Gilda’s claws dug into your back as you bared down on her, the soft tearing of fabric could be heard
> You gently push yourself away, both of you sweating and gasping for breath
“Hey, watch the clothes,” you warn, “I can’t exactly get them replaced.”
> Gilda looks up at you, her eyes gleaming and hungry, like a predator stalking it’s prey
> “Then lose them” she purrs

> You stared up at the night sky, the cool air softly blowing against your bare skin
> Gilda gently slept beside you, her head resting on your shoulder and her wing draped over your body
> You could feel the heat radiate from her body, warming you against the chill of the night
> Your entire body was sore and aching, but it was a good ache, the kind that followed a long day of satisfying work
> You also acquired a few large scratches on your back. Gilda tended to get a bit… clingy
> You stare up at the night sky, watching the northern lights dance among the stars
> You couldn’t deny the stars were beautiful here, even if they changed position every night
> Maybe you could get used to that though…