Kapitel 23: Baby griffin

"...skweee... skweeee...!"

A little yellow griffin, no larger than a big dog, was crying pitifully.

Its wings were bound with a blue ribbon so it couldn't even flap them and his front legs with sharp talons were held securely by the blue boy.

"Graough. (Shhh, don't cry baby, once we get out of the forest I will untie you.) Graough. (If you keep flapping your wings near all those trees and bushes you will hurt yourself.)"

"...skwee..."

Zombie, who was piggybacking the young monster, growled gently, and as if in response, the baby griffin rested its beak on his head and screeched only a bit pitifully.

"Graough! (Master, look! Our griffin doesn't try to peck me anymore!)"

Zombie groaned excitedly.

Cranberry stopped and turned back to look at her servant and the monster that he was carrying.

"Oh, it doesn't try to peck you anymore, huh... must have realized that it hurts itself more than you."

She shrugged her shoulders and smirked.

"I think that it was making a different noise earlier, more like 'scree' and not this 'skwee', I'm pretty sure it messed up its beak while attacking you."

Cranberry frowned and crossed her arms. Seeing her move the bat around the griffin chick flinched and began struggling to break free.

"Also, don't get too attached to it, we're giving it to Mary, remember?"

She shook her head and went ahead, as soon as she did that, the little griffin calmed down.

"Graough. (Don't mind her, I'm sure that even she thinks you're cute."

"...skwee..."

Zombie groaned to the griffin, and the griffin screeched back audibly scared.

"Oh, and don't even think about naming it."

Cranberry glanced over her shoulder and squinted her eyes.

"Though, while we're at it, maybe we should train it a bit..."

She looked at the little griffin and Zombie felt how the little monster shuddered.

"Graough! (Whoa! Master! There's no way that a baby like this could endure it!)"

Zombie stopped in his track and shook his head.

The red-haired girl raised his brow at him.

"I hope you don't think I meant for this chick to join OUR training. You like it, right? So you can play with it, if it'll run a lot its stamina will increase, and so on."

She explained.

"I guess that it's really scared of all the griffin blood that I got soaked with, after a bath we should be able to raise its stats together."

Cranberry glanced at the little griffin and quickly turned to the side.

Even with how she normally acted, a sight of a griffin chick still covered in yellow baby feathers could melt anyone's heart.

"Skwee...?!"

The little griffin screeched sensing danger and hid behind Zombie's head.

"...cute..."

Cranberry murmured and looked away.

After some time they managed to get out of the woods, and just as he had promised, Zombie put down the little griffin and untied the blue ribbon.

"Skwee!"

The chick spread its wings and screeched happily, but it didn't try to run away.

Instead, it was staying close to the blue boy while cautiously watching Cranberry.

"Graough. (You don't have to worry, little one.) Graough (Since my master decided to give you to her follower, she won't do anything bad to you.)"

Zombie started petting the baby griffin and the monster closed its eyes from pleasure.

"Skwee..."

It screeched and nuzzled against Zombie's leg.

"Graough? (We will be playing a lot until your new master arrives, alright?) Graough! (I can't wait!)"

"Skwee!"

"When I look at you two it's almost as if you can understand each other."

Cranberry rested the baseball bat on her shoulder and smiled.

"Actually, even if we're not naming it, we should at least check its gender, shouldn't we...? Calling it 'it' feels a bit weird since it's alive."

Cranberry tilted her head.

"I've read that griffins hate laying on their backs, so go on and pick it up."

She added and waved her hand so Zombie would hurry up.

"Graough! (Alright!)"

Zombie agreed and grabbed the griffin at once.

"Skwee? Skwee!"

Surprised chick screeched but when Zombie raised it above his head, it spread its wings and started rapidly flapping them.

"Graough! (Whoa! Calm down, little one, I'm not trying to teach you how to fly yet!)"

"Skwee...?"

The monster tilted its head and folded its wings as if it fully understood Zombie's groans.

Cranberry used the confusion and walked closer and took a closer look at the baby griffin.

"I see, just like in the books."

She nodded to herself and glanced at her servant.

"She's a girl griffin."

"Skwee! Skwee!"

Cranberry explained and hurriedly walked away because the monster noticed how close she was and started panicking.

"Graough. (Now, now, calm down, be a good girl.)"

Zombie put the baby griffin down and started patting her head and stroking her back between her wings.

"...skwee..."

The little monster screeched and nuzzled against Zombie's legs.

Not long after, a carriage arrived for them, as Cranberry arranged beforehand.

The coachman was intensely against allowing the young griffin to get inside but a few more coins solved the problem.

"Skwee!"

The griffin chick was screeching excitedly, watching the scenery change through the window as the carriage was taking them back to the Pride's mansion.

If you put aside the baby griffin's fear of Cranberry, the little beast was behaving surprisingly docile, after the initial panic and attempted escape it seemed to get very comfortable with Zombie's affection and was following after him even after they get out of the carriage.

"I'll check in the books for what baby griffins eat and be right back, you can play with her in the gardens, but make sure she won't destroy anything."

Cranberry instructed the blue boy and hurried inside the mansion.

"Graough? (Do you want to go hunt the frenzy rabbits in the garden?)"

"Skwee?!"

Zombie asked and the baby griffin instantly perked up all excited.

"Graough...? (Wait, do you actually understand me...?)"

Zombie asked and looked the griffin in the eyes.

"Graough. (Alright, let's try this.) Graough. (If you understand me, skweek three times."

He groaned and raised three fingers.

"Skwee! Skwee! Skwee!"

The griffin screeched happily.

"Graough! (Ah! That's amazing!)"

"Skwee!"

The griffin jumped around just as excited as Zombie.

"Graough! (So, let's go hunt some rabbits!) Graough? (Do you like them?)"

"Skwee!"

The griffin frolicked excitedly and even climbed on its hind legs and danced around.

"Graough! (Wow, that much? They must be delicious!)"

"Skwee!"

The blue boy and the yellow baby griffin had a whole conversation that was totally incomprehensible for anyone trying to listen in on them, and right at the end the griffin started impatiently hoofing with her front legs.

"Graough! (Perfect! You wouldn't believe how many of them made their burrows near the rose-garden!) Graough! (Let's go!)"

"Skwee!"