Gryphon and Tiger and the Black Cat Boy

Halloween was just around the corner, and there wasn’t a person or critter in Town who didn’t love the spooky holiday. The people of Town assembled their fabulous costumes and bought candy and made treats for the children, and hung orange and black bunting from anything that didn’t move. The King was, however, forced to issue an edict requesting that Townsfolk made sure not to hang bunting from any of his Dim and Trembly Knights who might happen to be napping of an afternoon in Town Park.

On the fine afternoon the day before Halloween, when jack-o’lanterns grinned their yellow grins and the rust and yellow confetti of autumn leaves tumbled through the white bath of the sun, Gryphon and Tiger visited Town Zoological Gardens to see the animals. Being semi-beasts themselves, Gryphon and Tiger were admitted to Town Zoological Gardens for free, though they brought along meat to give to the big cats and birds of prey to show their love and appreciation.

A small cloud shadowed the day, as Gryphon and Tiger had had a little fight over their Halloween costumes that morning. Gryphon was going to be a big scary dragon, and he wanted Tiger to be a troll because trolls were “the ugliest things imaginable.” Tiger failed to see the humor in this, and the fight with Gryphon made him pout. Gryphon tried to explain that being an ugly troll was funny because Tiger was so cute and handsome, and besides it was just for Halloween and he didn’t mean anything by it. But Gryphon and Tiger were both fifteen, and boys, and of course their pride got in the way of their love.

Gryphon and Tiger approached the tiger habitat at the Zoo, and Tiger waved and chuffed at his walk-on-all-fours cousins. Suddenly Tiger was hit in the legs by a small, swift-moving black bundle of fur that wasn’t watching where it was going.

The black bundle of fur looked up with surprised eyes behind the black-frame glasses on his curious and round human face.

“I’m sorry,” the black bundle of fur cried, “but I have to get help!” And he almost ran away until Gryphon put his huge lion paw on the black bundle of fur’s shoulder.

“What’s all the fuss about,” Gryphon said to the black bundle of fur, “that you go rushing about bumping into my friend here?”

“I’m Black Cat Boy,” the black bundle of fur said, “although when I’m in my black catsuit I like to be a girl.”

This would have confused Gryphon and Tiger were they not already friends with such interesting people.

Black Cat Boy’s black catsuit covered all of his body with thick black fur, except for his face. Atop his head sat black triangle cat ears, and from his backside swept a fluffy black kitty-cat tail.

“I’m in a hurry,” Black Cat Boy said, “because I just heard a horrible thing!”

Tiger finished rubbing his knee where Black Cat Boy had run into him, and said, “What sort of horrible thing did you hear?”

Black Cat Boy talked while waving his arms and pointing with his fingers and twirling his body about in slinky girl-cat moves. “I was over there in the corner by the tiger fence,” Black Cat Boy said, “right beside those bushes. And I was talking to the tigers, arr-ROOM, arr-ROOM, and they were talking to me, arr-ROOM, arr-ROOM, and we were having a grand conversation about Halloween and how nice and cool autumn is, which is especially important to those of us who wear fur. And suddenly I heard an evil voice hidden in the bushes say, ‘Heh-heh-heh! Tomorrow night while everyone in Town is distracted with their trick-or-treating, I will kidnap these tigers and show everyone in Town that I’m the toughest guy of all!’ ”

Tiger was usually very placid, but when he heard the threat to his cousins he became angry. “Who,” Tiger said to Black Cat Boy, “swore to commit such a horrible deed?”

“I don’t know,” Black Cat Boy cried. “When I peeked into the bushes, the evil man was gone! I have to find the great Gryphon and Tiger for help, because I’m only eleven, and Gryphon and Tiger are the brave heroes who slew Gold Dragon and vanquished evil Wizard and rescued the children, and they even saved the silly shrieking Princess from the trolls!”

This announcement confused Gryphon and Tiger quite a bit, until Tiger bent down and poked Black Cat Boy’s glasses back into place atop the bridge of his nose.

“Oh!” Black Cat Boy blinked at Gryphon and Tiger. “You’re Gryphon and Tiger! I can’t see well with my glasses out of place because I have very bad eyes. Will you help me, Mr. Gryphon and Tiger?”

Tiger looked at Gryphon and said, “We must do something.”

Gryphon shrugged and sulked like fifteen-year-old boys sometimes do, except his shrugs and sulks were much bigger because he was a gryphon.

“But Tiger,” Gryphon said, “tomorrow’s Halloween!”

Though Tiger was also fifteen, he was usually more sensible than his best friend Gryphon, and Tiger said to Gryphon, “So?”

“I was gonna be a dragon tomorrow night,” Gryphon said, “and I’ve always wanted to be a dragon for Halloween. But I was always too shy.”

“He’s right,” Black Cat Boy said. “When I’m not wearing my catsuit, I hardly ever say a word. And the Dean of Polytechnic Academy won’t let me wear my catsuit to school, so everyone there thinks I’m shy.”

Gryphon gently patted Black Cat Boy on the head, but his paw was so huge that he nearly knocked Black Cat Boy out.

“But,” Gryphon said to Tiger, “now that I’ve met you I can relax and have fun and be myself.”

Tiger stamped his big foot-paw, which made Black Cat Boy jump.

“But Gryphon,” Tiger said, “some evil man wants to kidnap my cousins!”

All of the tigers at home in the Zoological Gardens’ tiger habitat roared.

Gryphon, being part lion and having Tiger for a boyfriend, was not fazed by tiger roars.

“They’re tigers,” Gryphon said to Tiger. “They’ll eat the evil man up!”

“Maybe not,” Black Cat Boy said. “The evil man chuckled and said he had a magic potion to put the tigers to sleep.”

“Yeah,” Gryphon said, “but…still…it’s Halloween.”

Tiger folded his arms across his chest. “Well,” he said to Gryphon, “first you wanted me to be an ugly troll, and now you want to let my cousins get kidnapped.”

Gryphon said, “But, Tiger — ”

“Just so you can go trick-or-treating,” Tiger said. “Well, go on! Be your silly dragon or whatever. Black Cat Boy and I will save my cousins.” And Tiger put his paw on Black Cat Boy’s shoulder, and led him away from Gryphon.

Gryphon watched Tiger walk away and he felt so bad he couldn’t think of anything to say. But his gryphon-pride overcame him, and made him turn and walk in the other direction, though one furtive tear did roll from his right eye down the feathers of his face.

* * *

For Halloween, Tiger decided to be something much better than a troll, and instead he was — a tiger!

It was Halloween night and Town Zoological Gardens were closed, and the only creatures in the Zoo who didn’t live there were Tiger and Black Cat Boy. Tiger had taken off all of his fine clothes, which is all he needed to do to look like his cousins. Black Cat Boy carried a long rope and walked very close to Tiger, because from over the park walls came ghostly moans and sinister chuckling, and sometimes even a blood-curdling scream, followed by the laughter and wails of small children.

Tiger made his cousins promise not to eat him, which they did with chuffs and moans since they couldn’t talk like Tiger. Then Tiger climbed over the fence into the tigers’ home.

“Don’t ever do this,” Tiger said to Black Cat Boy, “since you’re not a tiger.”

Black Cat Boy nodded, and hid in the bushes to wait. Tiger got down on all fours and sniffed at things on the ground, like his cousin-tigers would. He was still sad about his fight with Gryphon, but there was no time to think about that right then.

Suddenly there was a rustling in the bushes, and Black Cat Boy screamed. A big man came out of the bushes, and he was as ugly as a troll, but didn’t have the excuse for it. He held Black Cat Boy over his head, and laughed. Black Cat Boy dropped his rope.

“It’s Town Tough Guy,” Black Cat Boy cried. “Let me go!”

“Ha-ha-ha!” said Town Tough Guy to his captive. “Let you go? I am going to take all of these tigers away to my home, and put on my very own tiger Tough Guy show! Every night I will charge Townsfolk to come see me beat up these eight…er, nine tigers! And everyone will know I really am the toughest guy in Town!”

“Tiger,” Black Cat Boy cried, “help me!”

But Tiger was still on all fours, and dared not give away who he really was before he could think up a way to beat Town Tough Guy. Tiger would have simply leaped on Town Tough Guy, but he didn’t want Black Cat Boy to get hurt.

“Ha-ha-ha!” Town Tough Guy held Black Cat Boy up even higher. “Those tigers won’t help you! But I think I will let you go, pesky boy…to be the tigers’ dinner!”

And Town Tough Guy threw Black Cat Boy over the fence into the tigers’ home.

The four-footed tigers roared when Black Cat Boy hit the grassy ground, but Tiger scampered over and grabbed hold of him.

Then Town Tough Guy pulled out an ugly gun, which he thought showed everyone how brave and tough he was. He said, “This is my magic spell! I have potions in my gun to make the big kitties sleep! Heh-heh-heh!”

Tiger stood up, holding Black Cat Boy tight in his arms. He cried out to Town Tough Guy, “I won’t let you hurt these tigers!”

“Oh,” said Town Tough Guy, “no wonder I counted an extra tiger. It is the famous hero Tiger who rescues children from evil wizards and ugly trolls! But not this time, Mr. Tiger! I will cut off your head and mount it on my wall! Then no one can deny that I, defeater of wicked tigers, is truly the toughest guy in Town!” Town Tough Guy laughed, raised his gun, and pointed it right at Tiger.

Black Cat Boy sniffled and said to Tiger, “Thank you for helping the tigers, even though we failed.”

Tiger hugged Black Cat Boy and said, “I wish Gryphon were here.”

Then the night air was ripped by a huge, terrifying squawk-roar, just like a gryphon would make. But a dragon appeared instead, diving out of the night sky. The dragon shimmered in bronze and dark blue, and swept out of sky on blue and gold wings, and headed straight for Town Tough Guy. Yellow streaks like fire shot from the dragon’s snout, and there was another ear-splitting squawk-roar, and then the dragon shrieked, “Let those kitty-cats go!”

Town Tough Guy, who was deathly afraid of dragons, fainted.

Then the dragon landed next to Tiger and Black Cat Boy, and even Tiger was scared for a moment until he saw the dragon’s eyes.

“Gryphon!” Tiger cried. “You didn’t leave us!”

“Of course not,” Gryphon said. “Look, isn’t this the best costume ever? My mom sewed all of this satiny stuff and made the streamers to go on my wings! And look, see how I rigged this yellow fabric so it shoots out from my dragon-snout like fire, and…and…”

A few low growls were heard, and Gryphon, Tiger, and Black Cat Boy turned slowly to see eight quizzical and hungry tigers watching them.

“Maybe,” Black Cat Boy said, “we’d better go.”

Gryphon flew his friends out of the tigers’ home and landed on the ground outside the fence. Tiger made Gryphon take off his dragon-mask so they could share a very, very long kiss. Black Cat Boy giggled because Tiger forgot to put him down, and Black Cat Boy liked getting squished between the two bigger boys while they kissed.

Then all three of them went trick-or-treating, and Gryphon and Tiger let Black Cat Boy keep all of the candy they received. And the very next day they took fresh meat to Town Zoological Gardens for the tigers to eat.

Gryphon and Tiger were usually obedient students, but this time they stood up to the Dean of Polytechnic Academy, and Black Cat Boy got to wear his black catsuit to school every single day, where he slinked like a girl-cat and was very, very happy.

Wise Judge sentenced Town Tough Guy to a year of cleaning up animal poo at Town Zoological Gardens. The tigers always made sure to leave the greenest and stickiest poo just for Town Tough Guy to pick up.

And, believe me; it is very, very easy for tigers to make green and sticky poo.



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Gryphon and Tiger Learn the Truth About Stories

One autumn Sunday when the air had turned cool but the sun was still warm, a picnic lunch was held on the beach near Town. Gryphon and Tiger hosted, and Eagle brought along Boy, who was dressed finely but was disappointed that the water was too cold for him to show off his new amethyst bathing suit. Girl and Blue Girl also came, and built sand castles, and then knocked them over, and made Boy cry when they threatened to knock over his sand castle. The girls felt bad about that, so they made it up to Boy by letting him decorate their hair with little live sand-crabs.

After the late lunch, the picnickers waited until twilight, and then Gryphon and Eagle flew Tiger and Boy up to the clifftops overlooking the beach to watch the sunset. They were far from the troll caves since Chief Troll hated Gryphon and Tiger and Girl, and swore revenge on them all for stealing his holiday dinner.

Girl and Blue Girl were not interested in sunsets, though they still had the wriggly sand-crabs tied in their hair because wriggly sand-crabs were very boyish. So the girls wandered north up the beach, holding hands. Tiger was a little concerned because he heard one of the girls mention trolls as they left.

“Will the girls be all right?” Tiger asked Gryphon.

“Hmpf,” Gryphon said. “Pity the poor trolls that run into those two.”

Eagle chuckled; she lay on the clifftop with Boy nestled against her breast. Gryphon and Tiger built a fire for their marshmallows, and sat next to each other very close.

Boy cuddled his favorite stuffed bear and said, “Tell me a story, Gryphon.”

“Me?” Gryphon said. “I can’t tell stories.”

“Yes, you can,” Tiger said. “Try.”

“Tell us,” said Boy, “about Girl and Blue Girl meeting a troll on the beach!”

Gryphon harrumphed, and fiddled with the kindling, and wanted to get out of it by saying he had to flint-start the fire. But Tiger, who was very practical, pulled a small box of phosphorus matches from his vest pocket, and Gryphon could delay no longer.

The story started on the beach, and Boy was in it, and Girl and Blue Girl saved him from being eaten by a shark in his amethyst bathing suit. Boy giggled, especially when Gryphon said Girl and Blue Girl hugged boy in-between them after they saved him, and said he was too handsome to drown.

“Pretty,” Boy said.

“Sorry,” Gryphon said. “Too pretty to drown.”

Boy hugged his bear, and snuggled closer to Eagle.

“Then,” Gryphon said, “Boy ran the girls off by chasing them with sand-crabs.”

Everything was silent except for the crackle of the newborn fire and the sound of chirping crickets.

“Um…” Tiger said.

“Er…” Eagle said.

“Uh…” Boy said.

“Oops,” Gryphon said. “The girls chased Boy off the beach with sand-crabs.”

“I ran to Eagle,” Boy said, “and she made me stop crying about the sand-crabs.”

“I baked him partridge popovers,” Eagle said.

Then Gryphon told how Girl and Blue Girl walked up the beach —

“Holding hands,” Boy said. “Don’t forget.”

— holding hands, and how night fell, and how the girls came across a trio of the King’s Dim Knights. The Knights were very sad because they had been robbed by trolls, who stole the Knights’ swords and horses and rabbit’s foot charms and hot water bottles. Girl placed her hand on the hilt of her sword and vowed to avenge the sad Knights, who were very grateful not to have to go after the trolls themselves. Blue Girl had a dagger, and she vowed to go wherever Girl should go.

Tiger passed roasted marshmallows to Boy and Eagle, and Boy said, “I want flowers and zeppelins.”

So Girl and Blue Girl left the sad Knights and followed the horse tracks up the beach. But soon the rising tide wiped out the horse prints, and the cliffs jutted into the sea.

“The trolls could not take the horses past those cliffs,” Blue Girl said.

“No,” Girl said, “but see where the cliffs shallow out just before? They could take a horse up there.”

So the girls climbed the hill, and atop the hill was a vast field of sweet-smelling flowers. Girl and Blue Girl didn’t care about flowers, for they preferred to wear wriggly sand-crabs in their hair. But the girls were very thoughtful, and each asked the other to remember to take back flowers for Boy.

“That was sweet of them to remember me,” Boy said.

“Then,” Gryphon said, “a zeppelin appeared overhead.”

“Where did it come from?” Boy said.

Gryphon thought for a moment, stuffed five roasted marshmallows into his yellow beak, and said, “Ih wah hust dear.”

“It was what?” Boy said.

“I think,” Tiger said, “he said, ‘It was just there.’ ”

“No,” Boy said. “There has to be a reason.”

Gryphon swallowed his marshmallows and said to Tiger, “I told you I’m no good at this.”

“Perhaps,” Tiger said, “the zeppelin is coming from Big City, up the coast, to deliver travelers to Town for a visit.”

“Yes,” Boy said, “that’s right.”

Girl and Blue Girl called up to the zeppelin, and the zeppelin pilot called back and asked if Girl were the famous Girl who had recently rescued Princess.

“Yes,” Girl cried, “and she was pink and frilly and shrieky and the whole thing was just dreadful! Until we dived into the sea and Princess swallowed a gallon of salt water.”

Gryphon chuckled. “Girl really liked diving into the sea. It made Princess shut up.”

Tiger said to Boy, “Princess is a very girly princess.”

Boy said, “I wish Princess and I could play together.”

“In the next story,” Gryphon said.

“There’ll be another story?” Boy said.

Gryphon shook his head, and wondered what he had gotten himself into.

Girl and Blue Girl asked the zeppelin pilot if he had seen any trolls, and he said yes, he had seen three trolls riding three fine horses of the kind the King’s Knights might ride, toward the north where the trolls’ caves are.

“But be careful,” the zeppelin pilot said, “for the trolls called up to us and swore that if they ever found Girl again, they would chop off her head!”

“Did they?” Girl said. “Ha! Let’s go find these head-chopping trolls, Blue Girl.”

“I wish,” Boy said, “I was brave like Girl.”

Girl and Blue Girl thanked the zeppelin pilot and marched on through the flowers. And then…and then…

“I don’t know,” Gryphon said. “The trolls, they’re on horses. The girls won’t catch up.”

“Unless,” Tiger said, “the trolls stop for supper.”

Girl and Blue Girl spotted a fire in the distance, and they sneaked closer, and they found the three trolls who had robbed the Dim Knights and made the Knights sad. The trolls were gathered round the campfire, roasting…

“Marshmallows,” Gryphon said.

“For supper?” Eagle said.

“Rabbits’ feet!” cried Boy.

“Pigeons,” suggested Tiger.

“Seagulls,” Gryphon said. “It was seagulls, definitely. Anyway…so the girls saw the trolls, um, roasting seagulls…and, um…”

“The girls took the sand-crabs out of their hair and threw them at the trolls,” Tiger said, “and the trolls screamed because they hate seafood.”

Boy giggled. “And Girl said to them, ‘You’ll never cut off my head!’ ”

“That’s right,” Eagle said.

Gryphon rolled his eyes. “Okay. And then…then there was a big fight and the girls rescued the Dim Knights’ fine horses, and Girl chopped off the head of one of the trolls, and the other two ran away with sand-crabs hanging by their pincers off the trolls’ warts. The End.”

“Um…” Eagle said.

“Was there blood?” Boy said.

“Yes,” Gryphon said, “but I didn’t want to scare you.”

“It’s okay if it’s bad guys’ blood,” Boy said.

Gryphon said, “And Girl got blood all over her hands while she chopped off the troll’s head, and she rubbed it on her face and Blue Girl’s face like warpaint.”

Boy shrieked, squealed “Eeeeeuuuw!”, and giggled.

“A bit rushed at the end,” Tiger said, “but very nice overall.”

“No, it wasn’t nice,” Gryphon said. “I’m no good at this.”

“Write your story down,” Tiger said. “It’s easier, sometimes.”

“My handwriting is atrocious,” Gryphon said.

“I’ll copy the stories over for you,” Tiger said. “I have very nice handwriting.”

Gryphon turned his eyes from the fire to look at Tiger.

“You would do that,” Gryphon said, “for me?”

“I would do anything for you,” Tiger said. And then Tiger did something.

Tiger rolled to his knees beside Gryphon, not caring if he got dirt on his fine trousers. Tiger leaned close to Gryphon, toward the soft place at the corner of Gryphon’s mouth just behind Gryphon’s beak, and very gently, for the very first time, Tiger kissed Gryphon.

Gryphon stopped breathing. “You kissed me.”

“Yes.” And Tiger kissed Gryphon again.

Gryphon felt like he was falling, and that the sky and the ground had traded places.

Then Gryphon said, “That was so…so very nice…Tiger.”

“You want to know the truth about stories?” Tiger said.

Gryphon nodded.

“Stories,” Tiger said, “are something you share with someone you love. And if your story is nice enough…it will come true.”

Gryphon said, “Do you have a story…Tiger?”

“Yes. And the next thing that happens in my story is…you kiss me.”

Gryphon barely heard Tiger, for all he could see were Tiger’s huge and beautiful gold eyes. But he heard, “kiss me,” and though it took a moment for eagle-beaked Gryphon to figure out how to kiss his Tiger, he did. And he kissed Tiger again. And then again.

Then Gryphon and Tiger cuddled close and watched the fire. Boy squeezed his bear, and sighed.

“I wanna share a story with someone,” Boy said. “Someone like Gryphon and Tiger.”

“You will, angel,” Eagle said. “Someday, you will.”

It was all very peaceful and beautiful, and everyone nearly fell asleep in happiness, but such marvelous moments never last. About a half-hour later there was whooping and cheering and jumping, and Girl and Blue Girl returned from their walk, and Blue Girl paused for only a moment to hand flowers to Boy, who sniffed them and thanked Blue Girl, and wished he had a boy of his own to give flowers to also. And then Girl and Blue Girl danced around the fire, and the firelight lit up their happy gold faces and the red marks of their warpaint, and Girl tossed the stinky troll’s head on the fire, and Girl and Blue Girl cheered while the head sizzled and burned.

“See?” Tiger said to Gryphon. “What did I tell you?”

“There’s another kiss, isn’t there?” said Gryphon, and whether Tiger planned another one or not, there was another kiss anyway.



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Gryphon and Tiger Trick the Trolls

Crisp autumn arrived in Town, and leaves of red and gold and purple fell all across the campus of Polytechnic Academy. Acorns fell with clicks and pops on flagstone walks and bronze statues. Homecoming Festival approached, and the rumor on campus was that the Homecoming Dance would, for the very first time, have two Kings; namely the brave Gryphon and Tiger. The thought made Tiger nervous because he was shy despite his friendliness, and didn’t like to be stared at even when it was because people liked him.

It didn’t help poor Tiger’s nerves on the day when, right in the middle of classes, the King’s silver zeppelin, all sputtering and chattering engines, came to a halt above the quad. The King was lowered from his zeppelin on a golden chair, using a golden rope. All of the students, teachers, and deans rushed out to see what was going on, and everyone bowed their heads to their good and gracious King.

King scanned the assembled faces and said, in his best kingly voice, “Where are the famous Gryphon and Tiger?”

Gryphon tossed back his elegant mane and strode toward the King, while the crowd parted in front of him. Tiger walked alongside Gryphon, and his paws trembled.

“Are we in trouble?” Tiger asked Gryphon.

“I can’t imagine,” Gryphon said.

The King wanted Gryphon and Tiger for a mission; namely, to retrieve his lovely little daughter Princess, who had been carried off by trolls the night before.

Gryphon, being a gryphon, sometimes forgot his manners, and he asked the King, “Was there no guard at the castle?”

The King arched an eyebrow at Gryphon, but he had no time to be angry with a mere subject; and besides, the King was mighty frightened of gryphons.

“I had some Knights guarding my darling child,” King said, “but as you know, most of my Knights are dim and trembly.”

Tiger was more practical, and said to the King, “Where have the trolls taken your daughter?”

“Don’t be silly,” Gryphon said to Tiger. “They’re trolls, and trolls have no imagination. They simply took Princess to their caves.”

Tiger would have blushed if he didn’t have fur. “But the trolls’ caves are in cliffs that are very steep and hard to reach,” Tiger said, “and below the caves lay sharp rocks and crashing seas.”

The King said to Tiger, “Are you not brave enough, young hero?”

Tiger wrung his tail in his paws, and assured the King he was brave enough. But really, all Tiger wanted to do on this fine, crisp, sunny autumn day was to be alone with Gryphon while they held hands and counted the falling leaves.

Nonetheless, Tiger said to the King, “We’ll have Princess back by evening.”

“Very good,” said the King, and with a little twitch of his finger, the King’s golden chair was hauled by its golden rope back up to the silver zeppelin. The zeppelin’s engines huffed and puffed and rattled and chattered, and they turned the airship back toward the castle very quickly so the King could get home and make sure his Knights weren’t pilfering the silverware.

This time Gryphon and Tiger didn’t ask permission to leave school for the day, since everyone saw that were charged with a mission by the King.

No sooner had Gryphon and Tiger stepped out through the gates of the Polytechnic Academy and into the gold and red tree-lined streets than they were accosted by Girl. She no longer wore rags, but instead sported a sturdy outfit of brown leather pants and a loose white cambric shirt that had patterns of beads and trimmings of fringe. And Girl now had a proper leather scabbard for her sword, though she still had Tiger’s green scarf wrapped around her waist. Girl folded her arms and blocked the sidewalk, and though she was only twelve, she refused to give ground to Gryphon and Tiger.

“I saw the King’s zeppelin,” Girl said. “Where’s the adventure?”

No amount of dissuasion could make Girl relent, so Gryphon had her climb aboard his back. Tiger sat behind Girl, and they held on tight while Gryphon flew them to the cliffs by the sea, where the trolls lived. On the way, Tiger came up with an idea to fool the trolls, but it required that Girl give up her sword to Tiger and pretend to be helpless. Girl protested in language that both Gryphon and Tiger thought quite unbecoming a young lady, but neither of them dared point this out to her. But when Tiger assured Girl that her role in the rescue of Princess was the most dangerous job of all, Girl’s eyes lit up, and she nodded at once.

Gryphon landed atop the cliffs. Tiger looked all the way down at the crashing surf and jagged rocks, and he almost took hold of his tail for some nervous wringing. Girl jumped right off Gryphon’s back, landed two inches from the cliff edge overlooking the sharp rocks and foaming sea, and said to her friends, “Let’s get a move on, eh, fuzz-butts?”

Gryphon, Tiger, and Girl carefully picked their way down a narrow troll path on the cliff wall, and Tiger whimpered every time his foot kicked a small rock off the path to fall way, way, way down below. Soon our rescuers were confronted by a troll guard who hunkered down and stared at them with little yellow eyes in his bulbous green face. The troll waved his spear like a club, and took Gryphon, Tiger, and Girl to Chief Troll’s cave.

Chief Troll was squat and green and smelly, and had warts on his nose and warts on his chin and warts on his ears, and each wart had a single wiry hair growing out of it like a sickly potted plant. Girl almost laughed at Chief Troll before she remembered that she was supposed to be helpless, so she tried to look frightened, which was a very difficult thing for Girl to do.

Gryphon spoke to Chief Troll. “We hear you have a girl who might need a playmate.”

“She doesn’t need a playmate,” growled Chief Troll, “because we are going to roast her for our holiday dinner.” Chief Troll squinted at Girl. “But we can always use a second course!”

Girl had to use all of her smarts and strength to refrain from popping Chief Troll on his warty, runny nose.

Gryphon and Chief Troll sat down and played cards, and Gryphon pretended to want to win lots of Chief Troll’s gold, and he didn’t complain when Chief Troll changed the rules in the middle of a hand. Of course, Gryphon lost.

“Your Girl is mine!” cried Chief Troll.

Tiger stood beside Girl and wept profusely. Then he looked down at Girl and nudged her.

“Cry like you’re very upset,” Tiger whispered to Girl, and Girl did, even though the thing she hated most in the world was to cry.

Then Tiger gave Girl a hug and whispered to her, “Find Princess and be ready to escape with us when we return.”

Gryphon flew away from the troll caves carrying Tiger on his back, and the trolls laughed at them for losing their little friend to Chief Troll. “Don’t forget to bring us another girl for dessert!” cried one of the trolls. Then the trolls took Girl to meet Princess. The trolls had not locked Princess in, for they figured girls were too scared to escape along the sheer cliff wall overlooking the jagged rocks and the crashing sea.

Princess wore a pink fluffy dress with a pink fluffy bow in her curly blonde hair and pink fluffy satin rosettes on her pink satin shoes, which would have been fluffy too, except it was hard to walk in fluffy shoes. Princess was ten years old, and was busy trying to make a troll child’s doll look pretty by pasting dried flowers onto it.

Girl approached Princess, and Girl’s black curly hair was tangled, and she had dirt on her face and mud on her boots and scuff-marks on the knees of her brown leather pants. Princess stuck out her tongue at Girl and said, “I don’t play with stinky boys!”

Girl sighed; this was going to be much more difficult than she first thought.

Meanwhile, Gryphon and Tiger went to ask their wonderful friend Eagle for help. Eagle came with them at once, and flapped her huge wings while her white feathers with their russet and black arrow-shaped markings shone in the sun. Eagle showed Gryphon and Tiger how to fashion a flamethrower from a barrel of pitch, a hand-pump, and a nozzle.

“I’ll carry the barrel in my claws,” Eagle said to Tiger. “You ride on my back and shoot flames at the trolls.”

“I don’t want to roast trolls,” Tiger said.

“Just scare them, then,” Eagle said, “so Gryphon can rescue Girl and Princess.”

Gryphon shook his head, and said to Tiger, “You are being so contrary today.”

Tiger pouted because back in Town, all the autumn leaves were falling without him and Gryphon being there to catch them and run through them and roll through the leaf piles until, exhausted, Gryphon and Tiger would laugh and hold hands and say nothing at all.

Gryphon, Tiger, and Eagle waited until dusk, and then they flew to the troll caves. On the ledges in front of the many cave mouths, the trolls all bustled and swept, preparing for their holidays.

But Gryphon ruined the trolls’ holiday plans when he swept in and batted at the trolls with his claws extended. The trolls scattered away with grunts and shrieks. Tiger worked the flamethrower and was careful not to burn any trolls, because he didn’t want to hurt someone unless he absolutely had to. More trolls wobbled out of the caves and shook their fists and called our friends funny names, and threw their spears at the attackers. But trolls were very poor spear-throwers, and did no harm.

Tiger worried how they would find Girl and Princess, but he needn’t have bothered. Girl heard the fighting, grabbed Princess by the hand, and hauled the pink beribboned girl to the cave mouth. Princess took one look down at the twilight-ghostly crash of surf on the jagged rocks far below, and shrieked.

“Serves ya right,” Girl said to Princess, “for making me play with your stupid dolls!”

Gryphon turned and dived toward the cave where Girl waved and Princess shrieked. But Chief Troll appeared in the next cave mouth up from the girls’ cave, and he began to climb down the cliff wall toward them.

“No one,” cried Chief Troll, “is stealing my holiday dinner!”

Eagle swooped toward the cliff, just above Gryphon. She cried back to Tiger, “Let go of the nozzle!” Tiger let go of the nozzle, and Eagle threw the barrel of pitch at the cliff wall beside Chief Troll. The barrel exploded, and knocked Chief Troll off the wall.

“Oh, no!” Tiger cried, for the explosion also knocked Girl and Princess out of the cave mouth, and they tumbled down toward the jagged rocks and the crashing sea below.

Gryphon moved fast, and used his wings to thrust his body after the falling girls. He got there just in time and grabbed both girls to his chest, and then veered sharply away from the jagged rocks. But his momentum was too great, and Gryphon and the girls crashed into the sea.

“Gryphon!” cried Tiger. “Oh, no! Gryphon!”

Eagle banked down toward the sea to look for her dear friend. “Wait.”

“Eagle,” Tiger cried, “Gryphon can’t be gone! We never got to run through the autumn leaves together! And now we’ll never — ”

A huge splash threw seawater on Eagle and Tiger, and Gryphon burst out of the ocean carrying Girl and Princess. Gryphon shook his body wildly to throw off the water. Princess spat up seawater and shrieked. Girl tossed water out of her hair and cried, “That was the most fun I’ve ever had!”

Somehow Chief Troll managed not to get smashed on the jagged rocks, and he cursed and shook his fist at the heroes while they flew away, and Chief Troll grumbled that the trolls would now have to eat cold potted meat for their holidays.

Girl and Princess rode atop Gryphon, and Tiger rode on Eagle, as they flew to the King’s castle. Girl had really had enough of Princess’ shrieking, and used her green scarf to tie up Princess’ mouth.

The King gave gold to everyone for rescuing Princess, and Gryphon and Tiger received cheers when they returned to the Polytechnic Academy. The Dean offered Girl a place in the school, and though Girl felt she needed no education, she accepted. And she was partly right, for even though she was twelve, she was placed in the same class as Gryphon and Tiger, who were fifteen.

The next afternoon, Tiger chased Gryphon through a pile of fallen leaves, after which the boys curled up close together in the leaves, and slept.

At the Homecoming Dance, Gryphon and Tiger were voted Kings, and Girl was made an honorary Queen. But Girl refused to be Queen and so she traded titles with Tiger, who rather giggled when he was pronounced Homecoming Queen. Girl met another girl whose favorite color was blue, and Girl and Blue Girl danced together all night long.

Gryphon held his Tiger very close while they danced, and Tiger no longer felt the least bit contrary.

The King had almost been upset when he saw that Girl had gagged his precious Princess. But five noisy minutes after he removed the green scarf from Princess’ mouth, the King asked Girl if he could have the scarf back.



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Gryphon and Tiger and the Boy Filled with Dreams

Gryphon and Tiger could not hide how they felt, and before long everyone in the stone halls of the Polytechnic Academy knew the two fifteen-year-old boys were in love. But Gryphon and Tiger weren’t teased, because everyone liked the dapper and happy Tiger, and nobody dared make fun of Gryphon, who was bigger than all of them, and had a temper. The wistful eyes of certain boys and girls in the Academy watched adoringly how Gryphon and Tiger adored each other, and soon formerly hidden couples took heart, and found the courage to hold hands.

Word spread quickly through Town about the bravery of Gryphon and Tiger. One evening a small delivery boy who was furred like a zebra gave a secret note to Tiger, and the next morning, Tiger showed it to Gryphon.

“A Mother needs our help,” Tiger said to Gryphon. “Her son has been kidnapped by a giant Eagle with red and black feathers.”

“That’s not possible,” Gryphon said. He was a little annoyed because even though all of Town knew how he and Tiger had slain Gold Dragon and vanquished evil Wizard, it was not easy being a hero, what with all of the tree-stranded kittens he had been begged to rescue in the past week. But Gryphon could not resist Tiger’s big, gold, imploring eyes, and so he agreed.

This time, Gryphon and Tiger got permission from the Dean of the Polytechnic Academy to take a day from school to rescue the missing Boy.

The secret note puzzled Gryphon, for he knew Eagle from when he was a small cub, and he remembered her as being very nice, and treasured the memory of the warm feeling he used to get when she baked her special partridge popovers just for him; because eagles and gryphons are all cousins once-removed. It was not like Eagle to go about kidnapping children, which was something the vanquished evil Wizard had once done.

Gryphon and Tiger rode a trolley to the north edge of Town, where they hiked into the dense forest of towering trees, toward the tall tree where Eagle lived. The day was sunny and the birds sang joyously, and ironically it was Gryphon who had to keep reminding the dewy-eyed Tiger that they were on a dangerous mission, and they should remain focused.

They found Eagle’s tree, and Gryphon flew Tiger up to Eagle’s nest. They found Eagle and Boy, and though Tiger was fretful that the secret note seemed true, Gryphon and Eagle shared a happy hug. Eagle was twice as big as Gryphon, and her white feathers bore swept patterns of striking russet and black arrows. Boy was ten and had blond hair that curled about his high, starched collar, with sapphire blue eyes and a nose as cute as a little pink gumball. Boy dressed even better than Tiger did, and had a fondness for touches of lavender color, which made Tiger jealous as lovely lavender went quite poorly with the copper-gold color of his fur.

Gryphon and Tiger settled into Eagle’s nest while Eagle served tea. Gryphon waited until the tea was poured and everyone had sugar before he spoke.

“This is not like you,” Gryphon said to Eagle. “Kidnapping children is an evil deed.”

Eagle slurped tea through her beak, and explained. “A year ago I had some chicks, and one of them was a poor flyer. One day while my chicks practiced flying, my sweet poor flyer fell out of the sky and was lost to his siblings. He landed beside a stream where a weeping Boy dressed in rags hid from his Mother. But Boy dried his tears when he saw my chick was in trouble, and he carefully carried my chick all the way home, right here to my tree.”

“We had cake to celebrate,” Boy said.

“Since then,” Eagle said, “Boy comes to me when he’s sad. His Mother makes him work like a slave and she teases his nice clothes, and she won’t let him play with his friends.”

“Why not?” Tiger said.

“My friends are all girls,” Boy said. “I like to dream, and my friends and I tell each other stories about kings and princes and dragons and trolls, and in my stories I’m hardly ever a boy.”

Eagle glowered her rust-gold eyes at Gryphon and Tiger, daring the youths to laugh at Boy’s dreams; but of course, Gryphon and Tiger understood.

“Boy has an Aunt,” Eagle said, “in Village, up the river. I’m taking him there to live. Aunt will let Boy be a child and play with whomever he wants, and if he wants to wear pretty things and become a girl someday, that’s okay, too.”

Boy sipped his tea, and smiled.

“Then we’ll help,” Gryphon said, and when he looked at Tiger and smiled in a sweet way that gryphons hardly ever do, Eagle knew she didn’t have to glower at Gryphon and Tiger ever again.

Boy rode Eagle’s back, and Tiger rode Gryphon’s back, as they all ascended into the air from Eagle’s nest. To the south, tall trees marched down to the edge of Town, while to the north the trees hiked up the mountains, over which lay the river valley, where Boy’s Aunt lived and toward which our friends flew.

But they had not flown very far when a loud shriek-roar pierced the gentle air, coming from behind them to the south. Gryphon’s fur and feathers immediately hackled up, and scared Tiger half to death.

“Another gryphon!” snarled Gryphon, and he swung about to face his foe, for the shriek-roar had been a challenge-call in gryphon-tongue. Approaching swiftly from Town was Other Gryphon, who had fire in his eyes and hate on his brow, and had a reputation for taking humans’ gold to do their dirty work. Atop Other Gryphon’s back rode a woman with long dark hair streaming haphazardly behind her, with a face if anything more hateful than the face of Other Gryphon.

Eagle came about to see what was happening, and from atop her back, Boy cried out, “Mother!”

Gryphon and Eagle feared for their riders, and did not move fast enough. Other Gryphon swept in, slashed at Eagle’s face with his claws, and then seized Boy off her back. Eagle cried out with blood in her eyes while she fell toward the treetops. Gryphon went after her, his beloved friend, while Other Gryphon escaped back to Town with Boy. Mother screeched triumphantly atop Other Gryphon’s back.

Eagle was stunned but grabbed hold of a tree, and she perched impatiently atop it while Tiger licked clean the wounds on her face. Then the three of them flew swiftly to Town under the noonday sun.

Eagle was curt and angry, and her eyes burned with fierce anger. “Do you two know how to fight?”

Gryphon nodded while Tiger, riding Gryphon, told Eagle about Gold Dragon and Wizard.

Eagle ruffled her feathers. “Boy saved my chick, and I will do anything to save him.”

They found the home where Boy lived with Mother on the northeast edge of Town. The house sagged with moldering beams and rat-eaten thatch. Only patchy grass grew in the dusty yard, where a weathered and wheel-less old carriage sat upon overturned apple crates. Boy was in rags again, with dirt on his pretty face, while he hauled water from the well to fearsome Mother standing in the doorway. He was crying.

Atop the roof-peak, watching the skies, sat Other Gryphon.

Gryphon did not hesitate. “Take Tiger!” he cried to Eagle, and she swooped in and snatched Tiger off Gryphon’s back with her talons. Poor Tiger was terrified, and held on tight while Eagle gently lowered him to the ground.

But no one was watching that, for the air was filled with the fur and feathers of two gryphons fighting. Gryphons are proud and jealous, and at times they hate nothing so much as other gryphons. Gryphon battled Other Gryphon, and the neighborhood shook with eagle shrieks and lion roars, and there was much slashing of claws and jabbing of beaks; and Tiger whimpered when he saw blood on Gryphon’s face. Eagle hovered in the air and stayed back, knowing that gryphon pride was greatest in their fighting prowess, and she didn’t dare take that pride from her dear friend Gryphon by interfering. A quartet of King’s Knights rode up on their fine horses, but being dim and a bit trembly under their polished armor, they pretended not to know which gryphon was good, and so they watched the battle while eating apples. Boys and girls drawn away from their games by the fight knew which gryphon was good, and they cheered him on.

Gryphon fought for his friends and for honor, while Other Gryphon only fought for money; and, truly, Other Gryphon was taking a tremendous beating from the young and powerful Gryphon. Other Gryphon finally shrieked a surrender-cry, and flew off like a frightened bunny would fly, if bunnies could fly. The laughter of merry children chased Other Gryphon far away. Tiger finally stopped wringing his tail, and cheered.

But it was not over, for Eagle looked down and saw Mother knock Boy down into the dirt, spilling his pail of water. Mother reached out to strike the fallen Boy again, but before she could she found enraged Eagle in her face.

Eagle hit the ground hard and skidded in the dirt, and thrust her beak out until it was but an inch from Mother’s face. Then Eagle ripped out an eagle-shriek that blew Mother off her feet, caused part of the old thatch roof to collapse, made the dim Knights drop their apples, and forced Town’s lively stock market to shutter early for the day.

Eagle’s words to Mother were nearly as loud as her shriek. “You’re attacking your own son!”

“He’s a sissy,” cried Mother. “A worthless little freak!”

Eagle’s next shriek halted rail and zeppelin traffic in and out of Town until the next day.

With two steps Eagle stood over Mother like a feathered gallows, and Eagle raised her beak. “You are no mother,” Eagle said. “Prepare to die!”

But Boy sat up and cried, “Eagle, no! She’s…she’s my mother!”

Gryphon and Tiger watched with their shoulders touching, and each shed a tear.

Eagle turned to Boy. “You love her still?”

Boy looked down at the dirt. “Yes…”

“She doesn’t deserve you.”

Boy nodded, and said nothing.

“Do you still,” Eagle said, “want to go live with Aunt?”

And Boy nodded again.

So Eagle explained to Mother how it would be, and Mother got angry and demanded to know who would do the chores.

Gryphon laughed. “Hire Other Gryphon to do that. I hear he’s available.”

So Boy, riding Eagle, and Tiger, riding Gryphon, flew to Village. Along the way Boy fretted, for he was still raggedy and dirty. But Aunt drew him a hot bath, and Boy came out to the picnic supper in the front yard wearing the fine new outfit that Aunt bought just for him, and already the girl from next door came over to play with him, and in Boy’s dreams he was always a girl.

Before she went home, Eagle promised to always watch over Boy in case Mother tried to steal him back again. Tiger nestled in Gryphon’s thick mane while they flew back to Town, and once he whispered, “I love you,” into Gryphon’s tall ears. That made Gryphon so happy he would have done a loop-the-loop, but he didn’t want to scare his wonderful Tiger, who was afraid of heights.

That evening, Tiger took flowers to his mother and kissed her pink nose, while Gryphon gave his mother a smothering, warm hug, and then took out the trash without her even having to ask him.



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Gryphon and Tiger and the Valiant Girl

Gryphon and Tiger hiked down from the mountains toward Town, carrying the bag stuffed with gold taken from the dragon they had slain. Gryphon and Tiger were not exactly taking the gold to Wizard with alacrity. The day was radiant, and Gryphon and Tiger walked slowly and laughed at the birds and stopped to smell some purple flowers, because Gryphon and Tiger had just become friends, and they didn’t want this precious time alone together to end.

But end it did with a flurry and a bustle and a burst of fallen autumn leaves. Onto the forest path tumbled a Girl of twelve, and her eyes were black and her curly hair was black, and her skin was the color of rich tea with just a little milk. Her clothes were ragged and colorful, and some bits of her clothing had fringe and other parts had beads, and she had leaves tangled in her hair. Girl nearly fell when she spilled onto the forest path from a ridge above, and then she looked around, glowered at Gryphon and Tiger, and raised to them a heavy sword that was much too big for her.

“Do you work for Wizard?” Girl said.

“Well, um,” said Tiger; but he was interrupted by Gryphon, who said, “No, we don’t,” because Gryphon knew right away that something was wrong.

“Good,” Girl said, “because I just escaped from Wizard, and I have to leave Town.”

“Escaped from Wizard?” Tiger said. “But everyone loves him!”

“Ha!” cried Girl. “You haven’t seen his secret dungeon under his Magic Tree where he keeps children locked in cages so he can turn us into beasts.”

This news made Tiger very unhappy, and he tugged on his tail a couple of times and stood closer to Gryphon.

“But where,” Tiger said to Girl, “are your parents?”

“Dad tried to save me,” Girl said, “but Wizard turned him into a manticore, and Dad had to go hide because he had become all big and scary.” Girl turned her head aside and shed one tear, which was enough for her. Then she said, “Mom lives in Town, but if I go back to her, Wizard will turn her into a troll.”

Gryphon said, “What does Wizard want to do to you?”

Girl cried, “He wants to turn me into a unicorn!”

Tiger tried to smile. “Unicorns are nice.”

“Yes,” Girl said, “they’re nice and pink and flowery and pretty, and I don’t wanna be one!” She waved her sword at Gryphon and Tiger to show how serious she was.

“How does Wizard change people?” Gryphon said.

“I dunno,” Girl said. “All I know is, it takes a lot of gold.”

Tiger cried a little bit then, for it was he who had asked Gryphon to help on the quest Wizard had given Tiger, to kill the dragon and take his gold. Tiger said to Girl, “We didn’t know.”

Gryphon comforted Tiger, and told Girl the truth. “Are there more children in Wizard’s dungeon?”

“Ye-e-e-eah,” said Girl, who was now suspicious of Gryphon and Tiger. “Lots.”

“Then,” Tiger said, “we must go rescue them.”

Gryphon and Tiger hid their bag of gold in the woods, since now they would never give it to Wizard. Then they walked with Girl out of the woods and into Town, toward Wizard’s Magic Tree. Along the way they stopped and bought a green scarf from a street vendor; and Tiger, who liked to make things, fashioned the scarf into a sling for Girl’s sword so her arms wouldn’t get so tired carrying the heavy weapon. Girl loved Tiger for that, but she was still suspicious of big and powerful Gryphon. Gryphon had black eyes, and Girl knew that creatures with black eyes, like her, had smart and busy brains. But while they all walked down the street past carriages and jugglers and traveling eggcup salesmen, a retinue of the King’s Knights rounded a corner and came toward our adventurers. The King’s Knights were proud and noble, but they were a little dim, and they might not have believed raggedy Girl’s tale of the evil Wizard and his dungeon, because Wizard might have sent the Knights to look for her. So while the Knights demanded that a hapless eggcup salesman show them his eggcup-selling license, Gryphon used his huge wings to shield Girl from the Knights’ view. Then Gryphon, Girl, and Tiger ducked behind a passing trolley and ran away. After that, Girl loved Gryphon, too.

Wizard’s Magic Tree was in the center of Town Park, down in a little valley shaped like a soup bowl. Few people ventured close to the Magic Tree since the valley rim was patrolled by little brown wriggly creatures that looked like moles but had teeth like sharks. But because Tiger had been there before, the mole-sharks let Tiger and Gryphon pass. Girl hid on Gryphon’s back underneath his folded wings so she wouldn’t be spotted.

Tiger shivered after they passed the mole-sharks. “Those little creatures are so ugly,” he said. “Why did we never realize that Wizard is evil?”

“The powerful ones have special magic,” Gryphon said, “and can fool people into thinking they’re good.”

Tiger thought Gryphon was very wise, and that made him feel a little warmer inside.

Magic Tree was one of those places that look small from the outside, but are really as big as palaces when you go through the door. When Gryphon and Tiger entered with hidden Girl, Wizard waited for them in his blue and silver Wizard robes and his blue and silver Wizard hat, while standing at his blue and gold cloth-covered magic-making table.

Wizard stroked his very long and silver Wizard beard. “Where,” he said with a sniff, “is my gold?”

Girl jumped up from under Gryphon’s wings, and stood as tall as she could atop Gryphon’s broad back. She thrust her sword out toward Wizard as if it weighed nothing at all.

“The only gold you’ll feel, evil Wizard,” Girl said, “will be the gold on the hilt of my sword!”

Gryphon’s long ears twitched, and any doubts he had were dispelled.

“I can hear children crying in your dungeon,” Gryphon said, “you evil, evil man.”

And so they fought, and there was much shouting and tussling and flashing of magic fireballs. The mole-sharks ran in to help Wizard with their greedy, dripping fangs, but Tiger took care of them one at a time by popping the monsters with his sharp tiger-teeth, and the wriggly little creatures’ bodies burst like bloody little balloons. Gryphon flew about the high-ceilinged chamber and batted back Wizard’s magic fireballs with his wings, and slashed at Wizard with his beak and claws. But it was Girl who was bravest of all. She sneaked under gryphon’s mighty, flapping wings, ran up to the distracted Wizard, and plunged her sword deep into his body. Girl never broke a promise, and indeed the only gold that Wizard felt that day was the cold hilt of Girl’s sword on his belly before he died.

A trio of very dim Knights waited outside the Magic Tree to arrest those who had attacked wise and good Wizard. But Gryphon held the Knights back while Tiger and Girl brought the newly-freed children up from Wizard’s dark dungeon.

Tiger never frowned, but right then he was very angry, and he ordered the Knights, “Take these children back to their proper homes!”

The Knights obeyed, though first they had to free the eggcup salesman whom they had arrested for not having the proper eggcup-selling papers.

Gryphon looked at Tiger, gave his new friend a sad smile, and said, “Your fine clothes are all bloody and dirty.”

Tiger smiled, and nuzzled Gryphon’s beak with his muzzle. “That’s okay,” Tiger said, “because I’m with you.”

Girl giggled at them because to her, there was nothing sillier than being in love.

Gryphon, Tiger, and Girl went back for their bag of gold, and divided the coins three ways. Then Gryphon and Tiger took Girl home, and there was much happiness even before Girl’s Dad showed up. He was no longer a manticore, for Wizard’s evil spell had worn off when Wizard died. Dad hugged his Girl, saw her gold, and being a very practical sort of Dad, he reached at once for the newspaper to find his family a nice, new home.

Gryphon and Tiger hugged, and said good-night, and each went to their own homes. Gryphon and Tiger both got in trouble, for despite bringing home gold and slaying Gold Dragon and vanquishing Wizard and freeing the children, the new friends had missed a day of school without permission, and the Dean of Polytechnic Academy was very upset. Mr. and Mrs. Tiger were understanding, and only sent Tiger to bed early and without dessert. But Mr. and Mrs. Gryphon were fiercely angry, which is simply normal for gryphons, and they made poor Gryphon take out the trash every night for a week; for, you see, taking out the trash is the thing gryphons hate to do most.



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Gryphon and Tiger Find a Treasure More Valuable than Gold

Tiger lived in a pretty little Town that sat in a kingdom ruled by a wise and merciful King. The sea bordered Town on one side, with mountains to the north and rolling hills to the south. Town bustled with people and mythical beasts and semi-beasts like Tiger, and one could always hear the clatter of trains or the hum of zeppelins carrying Townsfolk from place to place.

Tiger was fifteen years old, and he went to school in the ivy-covered halls of the Polytechnic Academy. He was handsome in a cute-ish sort of way and he liked to dress well, which was not always easy as his trousers and shirts and vests and ascots had to match appropriately with his white and copper-gold black striped fur. Tiger walked on his hind legs like most semi-beasts did. He was shy and dreamy and quiet, and therefore Tiger had few friends although his disposition was pleasant and helpful. But Tiger would have done anything in the world if he could become friends with one of his schoolfellows, the big and serious and sometimes kind of scary Gryphon.

It was when Town’s most powerful Wizard gave Tiger a chance to be brave that Tiger hit on an idea of how to make Gryphon his friend.

Everyone thought Wizard was good and judicious in his use of magic, and he must have spied some kernel of bravery within Tiger. One day Wizard summoned Tiger to his home, the Magic Tree in Town Park. When Tiger arrived, Wizard spoke.

Wizard wore his blue and silver Wizard robes and his blue and silver Wizard hat. “Tiger,” said Wizard, “north of Town lie the terrible Dragon Caves, where the giant winged lizards hide and plan ways to attack Town. Of all dragons, we most fear Gold Dragon, for he is the largest of his kind, and keeps for himself the greatest hoard of gold in the world. In my auguries I have seen a Townsperson kill Gold Dragon and take his gold.”

Tiger stood respectfully before Wizard’s blue and gold cloth-covered magic-making table and said, “Who performed this feat, Wizard?”

“You did, Tiger.”

So Tiger was charged with the quest to kill Gold Dragon, who liked to steal gold from Town’s tradespeople and sometimes ate one of their children just for fun. But Tiger didn’t believe he could achieve his task on his own, so before school the next day, Tiger screwed courage into his tail with his nervous paws, and dared speak to Gryphon for the very first time.

Gryphon was three times as big as Tiger and walked on all fours, but he used his forepaws as hands like all gryphons do. He wore no clothes over his magnificent chocolate and gold fur-and-feathered body, and when sunlight struck his enormous dark wings, gold sparks appeared to fly off the barbs of his feathers.

In class, Tiger liked to sit where he could always see Gryphon, and he wished and wished that Gryphon, just one time, might look at Tiger and smile. But Tiger never saw Gryphon look at him at all.

That morning, Gryphon frowned at Tiger when Tiger made bold to talk to him.

“Who,” Gryphon said to Tiger, “are you?”

Tiger trembled, and twisted his silk handkerchief in his paws. Talking to Gryphon meant so much to him! Tiger told Gryphon about his quest, and asked Gryphon if he would like to help.

“We’ll split the reward Wizard promised me,” Tiger said.

Gryphon lowered his sharp yellow beak close to Tiger’s face. “If I do more work, I want more gold.”

“Certainly,” Tiger said, though he would have given Gryphon all of his gold just to hear him say, “Yes.”

“When do we leave?” Gryphon said.

“Today,” Tiger said. “Right now, if you like.”

Gryphon nodded; he was Tiger’s age, and craved adventure. “I will enjoy missing a day of drowsy lectures and alchemical experiments to go chase after dragons.”

The heroes set off, marching toward the mountains north of Town. The morning streets were filled with busy Townsfolk going hither and thither on horse or on foot, with street-sweepers sweeping and cookware vendors vending and potholder and tea cozy carts rattling and fine ladies promenading, and the busy Townsfolk all turned to stare at the unusual couple. Tiger tried not to smile, though he was happy enough that his heart almost burst. Me, he thought, here I am, walking along with handsome Gryphon! But the Townsfolk shied away, fearful of gryphon’s size and power. Tiger’s heart pinched with a tiny grain of hurt, and he tried to ignore the fearful people.

Into the autumn-changing densely forested mountains hiked Gryphon and Tiger, and while they hiked, they talked. Each found that the other loved books and music and painting as much as he did. Only when Gryphon let Tiger climb onto his back to fly him across the raging rapids of a wide river did Tiger ask his companion, “But why don’t you fly all the way anyway instead of walking on the ground with me?”

“Because I want someone to talk to,” said Gryphon.

On the other side of the river they walked again, and Tiger recalled how no one, not even he, ever talked to Gryphon because everyone was so afraid of him.

Tiger let Gryphon walk ahead a few paces before he whispered, “I’m not afraid of you, Gryphon.”

Gryphon’s tall ears twitched, but he didn’t turn around.

Walking together again, Gryphon and Tiger soon heard the heavy clink of gold coins being counted, one by one. Only one dragon dared count his gold coins so everyone could hear, and that was Gold Dragon, and it was because Gold Dragon was big enough and fierce enough that he feared no other dragon in the world.

Gryphon and Tiger crouched low in the bushes, and crept toward the mouth of Gold Dragon’s cave. Gold Dragon’s body filled the maw of the cave entrance, and his long scaly body was as gold as autumn sun, and his huge leathery wings were as black as winter coal. Smoke rose in elegant curls from his nostrils, and when he smiled his yellow fangs shone like polished daggers. Gold Dragon stopped counting his gold, raised his long snout, and sniffed the air. Then he roared.

Gryphon and Tiger knew they were caught, and stood up on the small ridge in front of Gold Dragon’s cave.

“Who,” cried Gold Dragon, “has ventured into my forest and up to my cave to spy upon my wealth and then lay themselves out for my supper?”

Tiger forced himself not to wring his shaking paws together. “We are no spies,” he said, “and it is us who shall eat you for supper!”

“The people of Town,” Gryphon said, “are tired of your theft and butchery, Gold Dragon. We have come to kill you and take your gold!”

Gold Dragon, we must confess, had never laughed so hard in his life as he did right then.

“You, kill me?” said Gold Dragon. “Two different furry beasts, and one with pretensions of dragon-flight?”

“I fly like a lion,” Gryphon said.

“And I creep soft, like a cat,” Tiger said.

“And we both fight like heroes,” said the youths together.

Gold Dragon dropped his fistfuls of gold, which clattered and tinkled like Gold Dragon’s laugh. “Well, then. Come and get me, lads!”

Gryphon flapped his mighty wings and took to the air, and came at Gold Dragon from the sky with beak slashing and claws bared. Gold Dragon was still in his cave, and couldn’t spread his wings. Tiger, during the hike, had whittled a spear from a tree branch using his claws, and harried Gold Dragon from below with the sharp wooden point. Before long, Gryphon and Tiger learned that Gold Dragon’s blood was green.

Gold Dragon roared at his injuries, and breathed streams of fire that Gryphon and Tiger leaped and dodged. Together the youths kept Gold Dragon from exiting his cave, and for one moment it looked as if they were about to win.

But with a swoop of one giant-taloned paw, Gold Dragon broke Tiger’s spear and grabbed him up, and nearly crushed poor Tiger in his strong, bony fingers. Then Gold Dragon held Tiger daintily before his snout, dangling his victim from two pointed claws like a bracelet charm, and prepared to barbecue Tiger with fire-breath.

Tiger looked up at Gryphon, and he felt a cold knot in his heart. Gryphon hung in the air and watched, as if waiting for Gold Dragon to finish off Tiger. It was Tiger’s worst fear: that strong and solitary Gryphon, in need of no friends, planned to betray Tiger all along, and would keep all of the gold for himself.

Then Gryphon’s dark wings with sparks of gold spread wide, swooped around like a town dandy’s cloak, and dived down toward Tiger. Gryphon seized Tiger and pulled him away just as fire shot from Gold Dragon’s snout. Gryphon threw Tiger over his head and onto the thick mane that covered his shoulders.

“Hang on!” cried Gryphon to his friend.

Gryphon swept down again and again, and with his sharp claws he took out both of Gold Dragon’s eyes, and shredded Gold Dragon’s leathery black wings. Gold Dragon wailed and cursed, and lashed out and spat fire. Finally Gryphon seized hold of the underside of Gold Dragon’s neck. Tiger crawled forward up Gryphon’s shoulders, and together Gryphon and Tiger each delivered a kill-bite to the soft throat of unlucky Gold Dragon.

Gryphon landed next to Gold Dragon’s body and let Tiger climb off his back. Gryphon glared at Tiger with his black and gold eyes, and then he reached out and grabbed Tiger close to his warm chest in a long hug.

“I don’t understand,” Tiger said. “For a moment I thought you would let me die, and keep all of the gold for yourself.”

“Gold Dragon surprised me,” Gryphon said, “and for that moment I couldn’t decide whether to save you by grabbing you, or save you by killing Gold Dragon first. Then I saw your eyes and I knew.”

Tiger’s gold eyes gazed up at his new friend. “Knew what?”

Gryphon’s voice was no longer harsh. “I have waited so long for you to talk to me,” he said. “But I thought you didn’t care for me.”

“I…what…not care for you? I watch you all the time!”

“And I watch you too, when you’re not looking.”

“But you never talk to me!”

“And you?”

Tiger lowered his head. “I’m sorry.”

Gryphon held Tiger even closer in his dark gold fur. “I so love you, Tiger.”

Tiger freed his arms and pulled Gryphon closer. “I love you so too, Gryphon.”

Gryphon and Tiger held each other close for so very long that, when they headed back to Town, they almost forgot to fill their canvas bag with gold for Wizard.

Gryphon and Tiger didn’t really have Gold Dragon for supper, because dragon meat is very tough and gamy, and only very hungry coyotes will eat it. Which the coyotes did.



Return to Gryphon & Tiger Stories

"Straighten up your gay kids or find another agent!"

Here's a great blog entry about a pair of writers who encountered trouble when a prospective agent demanded that they "write the gay away" -- i.e., remove the gay elements of one of their teen boy characters in a YA fantasy novel they had written. The writers stood their ground and wrote this excellent blog post alerting fellow writers and genre fiction fans to the problem, which appears to run pretty deep in the publishing industry. There's not much I can add to what the writers say or to some of the terrific comments that follow their post. This incident makes me anxious to finish my gay YA steampunk fantasy novel Wrath of the Gryphonwind and get it self-published. It also convinces me that I was correct to go ahead and publish WotG myself. Keep an eye here for updates on that novel, and go read some gay YA fiction! If you want to read something shorter than a novel, try one of my stories listed on the left side of this blog and enjoy!

"Authors Say Agents Try to “Straighten” Gay Characters in YA" -- Genreville

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Have an adventure this weekend!

Need a good book to read for the Labor Day weekend? Try one of my novels, The Glasschanger's Child or Orphan Stone. The Glasschanger's Child is a contemporary fantasy with wizards and dragons, an opera-composing gryphon, and the the Greek god Pan. Orphan Stone is a science fiction adventure about a young girl battling furry pirates among the rings of Saturn. Follow the links for more details about the novels and where you can buy them. Enjoy!



Orphan Stone

The Glasschanger's Child

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This kid is AWESOME!

Here's a terrific story about 12-year-old Grant Mower, who not only designs dresses but hopes to design a gown for First Lady Michelle Obama. Be sure to watch the video at the link; it's very cool. Here's to a kid who knows who he is and what he wants out of life at such a young age! And I hope the First Lady takes Grant up on his offer.

12-year-old boy designs dress for first lady Michelle Obama (KSL TV)

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My Little Sondheim!

Okay, I confess -- I have become a fan of the latest incarnation of the My Little Pony TV show, called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. No, I haven't lost my mind. The show's popularity among adult men has taken the show's creators by complete surprise. We're called "bronies," and if you want more background on the topic, here's the famous Wired article about us. It's really very simple -- Lauren Faust, the force behind the show, trashed the saccharine sweetness of older My Little Pony shows and replaced it with sharper humor and the same girl-power sensibility she brought from her work with her husband Craig McCracken on his hit show, The Powerpuff Girls. (Faust also worked as an animator on two wonderful animated feature films, The Iron Giant (directed by Pixar veteran Brad Bird) and a forgotten treat, Cats Don't Dance (directed by Mark Dindal, who went on to direct Disney's hugely funny The Emperor's New Groove).) Faust has managed to make the new My Little Pony show innocent and fun without condescension or over-cuteness. It's more enjoyable than you might imagine, and yes, I cannot believe I am singing the praises of a TV show based on those silly toys from the 80s!

What does this have to do with the video above? Simply that I love semi-obscure references, in this case creating a parody (in the old-style sense) of a song by Stephen Sondheim for one of the episodes of MLP: FiM. The song was adapted by the show's composer, Daniel Ingram. I about fell out of my chair when I saw this! Not since I encountered the first semi-obscure Shakespeare reference in an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 have I been so tickled. The song above is derived from "Putting it Together," from Sondheim's Pulitzer Prize winning musical, Sunday in the Park with George (one of my two favorite musicals, along with West Side Story). I love the tribute, and wonder what Mr. Sondheim thinks about all this.



Here's the original song (above) included in this scene from Sunday in the Park with George, featuring Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters. The comments section on YouTube already has quips from bronies who've just discovered this; and yes, that is Brent Spiner in a portion of the scene.



And if you're interested, here's the complete episode of MLP: FiM (above) that contains the parody song. Enjoy! As Rainbow Dash would say, inclusion of Sondheim references instantly makes this show 20% cooler!

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P.S. Bonus video below! There are pony mashups, of course. This is the first thing I ever saw the ponies in, even before I caught up with the episodes of the show. It's a mashup of the trailer for The Dark Knight with images from MLP: FiM. And it ... is ... AWESOME!!!

The Dark Knight Rises Teaser Trailer!

Is anyone else excited? I'm excited! I will probably explode from excitement before the year is out, but, yeah! I'm excited!

Seriously, I haven't looked forward to a movie this much since the days of the original Star Wars trilogy. And I expect Chris Nolan's flick to be much better than any of those! I've loved every movie I've seen by Nolan, particularly The Dark Knight and Inception.

The Dark Knight Rises Teaser Trailer at YouTube

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"Sinews of the Heart" is coming; or, The Furries Have Inherited the Earth!

My short story/novella "Sinews of the Heart" will be published as an e-book next year by WolfSinger Publications! The story is set in a post-apocalyptic world where human civilization has fallen in a war with anthropomorphs. A family of anthrotigers hiking across the Yellowstone Territory comes upon a hidden family of humans. Whether to kill the humans or let them go is a decision that has dire consequences for Nikki, a twelve-year-old anthrotiger, whose true identity her father refuses to acknowledge. It's a compelling story of coming-of-age, forgiveness, and the importance of being true to one's real self. Plus, it has furries!

"Sinews of the Heart" is one of my favorite tales, and I'm very happy that it has finally found a home. I'll post an update when the e-book becomes available.

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Drawing from here.

Justice for Living Children

This is for everyone who is upset about the CAYLEE ANTHONY case.

That case is over. Our jury system has decided, rightly or wrongly, and it is a system we should prefer since I, for one, do not wish to live in a police state. I hope you feel the same way, too. We seem to have forgotten that many other murders, including that of children by their parents, occurred during the time since this crime was committed.

But if you feel bad for hurt kids, it is time for you to step up.

There are children out there now, ALIVE, who need your help. Children who have been kicked out of their homes for being gay. Children who have been raped and abused by their parents and protectors. Children dumped on the road for simply being a nuisance. Children who have run away because they simply could not take it any more.

These children aren't always pretty and they aren't always sweet. But they goddamn sure could use your help.

Give to The Trevor Project or to the Ali Forney Center. Or find a children's home or charity in your town and give. No money to give? Then donate time and work. GET OFF YOUR COMPLACENT BUTTS AND HELP THE CHILDREN WHO SUFFER TODAY.

Leaving your porch light on will help no one. DOING SOMETHING WILL.

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Photograph from here.

The Glasschanger's Child

My novel The Glasschanger's Child is now available in an Amazon Kindle edition! This one is a contemporary fantasy-adventure tale with some fascinating characters and lots of interesting twists.

Young Ciar Allyn pleads to the heavens for news about her vanished father, but the only reply is a gold glass star given her by two mysterious faeries. Years later Ciar discovers the Fledglings, a free-spirited band of mytho-magic creatures seeking Ciar’s powerful star aboard their fantastic flying vessel Orpheus. Ciar learns that her father was secretly a glasschanger, a powerful wizard who left Earth to help the Fledglings save the throne of their home world, Klyrrok. Swept up in their quest, Ciar fights side-by-side with werewolves, a gryphon, a man made of blue glass, the goat-god Pan, an abrasive and well-armed guardian angel, and a world-famous opera singer who sometimes turns into a tiger. Together the Fledglings battle an evil wizard and his cheerfully sadistic henchmen to save Klyrrok’s true king. But only Ciar’s growing mastery of her newly discovered glasschanging powers can carry the Fledglings to final victory.

This novel is one of my favorite creations, and I hope you enjoy it!

The Glasschanger's Child is now available in a print-on-demand paperback edition (just follow the link to Amazon) and in other e-reader formats. Also, some independent bookstores have the print-on-demand paperback edition available, too. Check with your favorite book retailer!

The Glasschanger's Child at Amazon.com

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Siberian Siblings at Cedar Cove

THIS VIDEO IS AWESOME! It comes from Cedar Cove, the park where I used to volunteer. Gunny and Sierra are littermates, and I love them both. Sierra especially was my sweetie during my days at the park! It is so awesome to work with these cats. Tigers are the most amazing and beautiful animals I have ever seen. I really miss them.

Look at how big those two tigers are in the video, and then check out how they looked when they were itty bitty little kitties! This picture was taken by Cedar Cove's founder, William Pottorff, who raised these cats himself. That's Sierra on the left looking up, while her brother Gunny figures he'd better get some eatin' done before his sister takes the rest!



Cedar Cove Feline Conservatory & Education Center

My animal pix at SmugMug, featuring thousands of pictures of Cedar Cove's cats!

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Founding Father

Like the revolutionaries of our nation's past, this man took a bullet so that, today, our legislatures can peacefully pass laws that recognize the full humanity of gay people in New York State and in all of America. After all the bullshit, this is what it comes down to: we progress with determination, with pride, and with arguing, but in the end we do it peacefully.

Sometimes I feel like burning the buildings down. But that's not necessary tonight.

Tonight, Harvey Milk is smiling. Those of you who fought on the front lines for this victory are his inheritors. Be proud.

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Pictured: Harvey Milk's inauguration, January, 1978.

"Rainbows & Unicorns" is coming!

My story "Rainbows & Unicorns" has been accepted by Aeon Press Books and will be published this fall in a volume called "Transtories". "Rainbows & Unicorns" is a sweet fairy tale with blood splattered all over it, in which a gang of hurt kids encounters a brand of helpful magic that, for some people, turns into a nightmare. I will leave it for you to discover why it fits perfectly in an anthology involving stories that in some way are based on the word "trans". I believe "Transtories" will be available in both print and electronic editions. I'll post an update when the story is published. Meanwhile, please check out the list to the left of my other published stories. Enjoy!

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Orphan Stone

My novel Orphan Stone is now available in an Amazon Kindle edition! It's a novel I first wrote a few years ago and had no success placing through traditional channels, so I decided to try the self-publishing route and see what happens. Here's the description of Orphan Stone:

Erzsébet Warren doesn't let anything get in her way. It's been just a few months since Erzsébet was made an orphan when her father murdered the rest of her family. Now she wants to do something fun, like mining diamonds in the dangerous rings of Saturn. But Erzsébet doesn't anticipate that the place is crawling with hated chimera-boys, humans who genetically alter their bodies to become part animal. Nor does she count on a ship full of vicious pirates, who not only want to steal the miners' diamonds but also have a personal grudge against Erzsi. And least of all, she never thought she'd fall in love with a chimera-boy. Erzsébet's adventures rack up no end of trouble for both the daring diamond miners and the dissipate and deadly pirates. But when pirates try to take over the huge mining station, it's Erzsébet's cunning improvisations that help the outgunned miners fight back.

Orphan Stone is a rip-roaring adventure tale with lots of drama and humor. I hope you enjoy it!

Orphan Stone is now available in a print-on-demand paperback edition (just follow the link to Amazon) and in other e-reader formats. Also, some independent bookstores have the print-on-demand paperback edition available, too. Check with your favorite book retailer!

Orphan Stone at Amazon.com

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"The Yellow Bike"

My story “The Yellow Bike” is now up at the Toasted Cheese Literary Journal website. The narrator is a high school boy who falls in love with another boy named Stefan, although Stefan doesn’t share the first boy’s feelings. When Stefan’s home life falls apart and he runs away, the boys’ friendship seems doomed. But an overnight trip to find Stefan teaches the narrator that their friendship matters more to the boy he loves than he thinks.

“The Yellow Bike” at Toasted Cheese Literary Journal

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