Stride-Ventures Episode 1

The clear sky, unlittered by clouds, revealed its orange and pink horizon, that unblinking orb peeking into view over the snow-capped mountains in the distance. Still awake, this particular gryphon laid along the road, watching the sun rise, his ears likewise perking as the it did. The corner of his beak upturned into a little hint of a smile, nearly imperceptible to all but other avians. His head swiveled as he heard the beating of wings.

Landing nearby, a gryphoness glanced at the resting creature. Stride stood, using his wings to assist sitting up. He kept his backside against the grass alongside the road, pivoting towards her. The corvid gryphoness was illuminated by the morning sun (what little of it there was), having an outline around her glossy ebon feathers, as dark as her eyes, dancing in the light.

“A good day to you.” She said, cocking her head to look at him sidelong. Her attention narrowed on his tail, flicking slightly off to his side. The long appendage had a strip of lime green fur running the upper length, the rest of it covered in thick keratinous flesh that almost seemed scaled. It curled around itself as he chuckled, aware of what she was thinking. “Yes, I am a gryphon.”

She chirruped into a laugh. “Fine day indeed. What’s this stand of yours?” She gestured with her foreleg to a curious storefront just beside them. Compelled by her acknowledgement, Stride scooted behind the counter of the store and leaned against it with a smirk. She glanced up at the sign, a finely stained piece of wood that had lovely cursive lettering. It read, “Altered Alchemy.”

“Well, I’m an alchemist.”

“Oh please.” She scoffed, waving a foreleg dismissively.

Stride took a bottle and slid it across the counter. It was more of a stylized decanter with a cork in the top. The label had a dark green stripe along the top and had three different writing styles along it. The one she could read said, “Furthered Flight.” It had an odd color, beginning as a sickly yellow at the top and fading to a brown near the bottom, several layers of liquid within.

“I’ll guess based on your stop that you wanted a drink.” Stride said, examining her. She seemed interested, but skepticism was the most prevalent of her body language, raised eyebrows and closed features. Regardless, he gestured to the bottle. “Two talons.” About the price of an equally sized bottle of alcohol.

She shook her head. “No thanks. Too rich for my blood.” She looked towards the horizon, at the sun nearly halfway up now.

“Do you doubt its worth?”

“Well… For me.” She itted. “I don’t believe in magic.” The barely noticeable scowl near the edge of her beak told him everything he needed to know. He felt a pang of pain, feeling for her. Disappointment, conditioned from sorrowful circumstances.

He put a talon to his beak. “I will tell you what. Magic is a matter of perception. If you choose not to believe in it, it isn’t real. Belief is power, my friend.”

“I’m not your friend.” She retorted sharply.

“Free.” He said just as sharply.

She regarded him a moment before she sighed and relented. “Fine.” She took up the bottle and examined it, giving it an experimental swirl, the colors mixing and muddling. They settled back to their original state in a matter of two seconds, which was most peculiar. She hesitated.

“Headed east? Saw you looking at the sun.” His tail whipped back and forth in a curious manner. “Me too. I’ll give you the potion, give you a talon. If you’re not satisfied, keep the talon. Otherwise, consider buying something from me.”

She regarded him a moment, and the instant he removed a talon from his pouch hung around his neck, setting the coin down with a soft, telltale clink, she opened the cork. She downed the bottle, apparently quite thirsty. Reexamining the bottle, she saw a strange characteristic. The neck had two different entries, one of them a glass “straw” and the other the main neck that led into the solution. Apparently the straw was meant to allow the liquid to breathe, making it go down faster.

She made a face, her eyes narrowing on him as she felt a tingle trace along her spine. She felt the tightness in her shoulders, where her wings met her back, loosen, like a knot. The flaming coals that had taken refuge there were now cooling down, rapidly, now tranquil as a glacier and just as satisfying to see. She spread her wings, no fatigue tingling through her any longer.

“What--”

“Take your talon. We can leave immediately.” She took the coin and blinked at it. Shaking her head, she slid it back.

“No-- We’ll leave together, but I won’t take your money. How will you take your store though?”

Stride smiled. He picked up two saddle bags, sized for his haunches. He spread the flaps and took a yellow-striped label from one side, smashing it into the ground. A vapor filled the air, obscuring and scouring the air, fully encoming his stand as well as himself. But just as soon as it had spread, it turned right back around and collected within the other side of his saddle bags. The storefront was now gaseous, and hidden within the satchel. Moments later, he donned the leather pieces and smiled up at her. “Magic.” He offered simply.

Hey everyone! Hope you all like this new format. It’s not quite what I’m used to, but soon enough I will be in the swing of things again. Hopefully it is pretty obvious, but every story will have an accompanying lesson. This one is that you cannot let past experiences sully your new attempts. Leave comments letting me know what you think!

And as always, have a great day, everyone.