The Harpies had a well-known yet difficult to reach roost within the Featherwind cliffs; it was carved literally into the very walls of the canyon which had once been a mountain range. Rains and water had worn it down, carving winding passages through the rock and creating the Featherwind cliffs. A small river still ran some great distance below, the whole pass on which most would travel actually an outcropping above the river below. They could be found at most times of day flying to and fro in the air above their home, dancing through the air gracefully.
They were simple peoples, loving most their absolute freedom over other races, flight something that few other sentients experienced. They didn’t spend much of their collective time interacting with other races, skittish of the brawn which they had over the avian. There were things which the Harpies did do with the other peoples who inhabited their world, trading and some cross-culture interaction. The Harpies would take in orphans left at the base of their cliffs; bring them up within their feathered culture, though rarely able to fly. The orphans would grow up with quick reflexes and sharp eyes, taught in the ways and tongue of their adoptive race, never questioning or caring that they were unlike the mothers, fathers and fellow siblings they had been adopted into.
At the age of eighteen, or at least the equivalence, the children would be released into the world with a companion on a pilgrimage. They were to leave the Roost and journey out into the world to find something which the Roost could use. Often the child would be out for a year or more, and would return with cartloads of fish, enough to feed the whole Roost for at least a week.
It’d been a sunny day when the Roost had welcomed back another of their children, the Harpy returning with a few carts of furniture. Bookshelves for storage, a closet or two, and what space hadn’t been taken up with the heavy wooden furniture had been filled with cushions and mattresses; dozens of them. This had been a good return, the pillows good for bedding or egg comfort.
The Harpies had been cheerfully welcoming their clansman when something large with slate black fur slammed into the ground right in the middle of them. Understandably, the Harpies had panicked and fled, taking to the air in fright. They’d fled in all directions until the confusion had died down, and a few returned to the creature lying on the unkempt grass. Worried about this creature, a clansman Behemoth was summoned, and the slate-coloured creature moved to one of the new mattresses for care.

The creature stirred, curled up into a ball to sleep, as it slowly awoke. He groaned and groggily raised his head, looking about the small cave he was in sleepily. He didn’t remember coming here. His body protested, but he struggled to his feet and stretched, yelping as he tried to flex his wings only for his right one to stay rooted in place and scream pain at him in protest. He glanced back at his wing, finding it wrapped in bandages. The gauze was wrapped somewhat haphazardly, whoever had done it had keeping his wing still in mind, and he could see what looked like a splint amongst the wrapping on the inside of his wing. His cry had attracted attention, and a taloned foot brushed aside a fabric curtain between the room he was in and the rest of the cave, a feathered individual stepping in.
She stood about four foot three, her body covered in a soft down of orange and green, her arms wings and her legs ending in taloned claws. She had a beak on her face somewhat like an eagles’, and she looked at the male worryingly. He backpedalled away from her, backing himself into a corner, and she only poked her head back out of the curtain. Her attention returned to the room, and another figure entered.
This one, also female, was about six foot ten, her pert ears rubbing against the roof of the little cave as she moved. Her face was somewhat triangular, and she had a long tail behind her. She was covered in a brown fur, head to foot, and her legs ended in digitigrade paws, walking on the balls of her feet. She carried a bag with what looked like more gauze hanging from a pocket. She stepped over and knelt down, becoming roughly the same height as him.
She spoke in whistles, chirps and clicks.
*Awake are we?*
He looked up at her incredulously, before calming a little and replying in kind.
*Y-yes.*
She smiled faintly at this, though it was an unusual dialect of Harpy she still understood him.
*Ah, the Gryphon speaks.* She said with a cheeky tone. *You took quite a nasty tumble, frightened some of our elders when you landed amongst us.*
The gryphon groaned, sitting back on his haunches. *I didn’t hurt anyone did I?*
The female chuckled and ruffled the fur between his ears. *No, everyone’s fine, just a little skittish.*
He lay down and put his head on his forelegs, looking down at the ground disinterestedly.
*Sorry.*
*Can you tell me what happened?* The Harpy Clan asked curiously. *I mean, it’s odd for a Gryphon to come crashing down from the heavens even during hunting, but…* She pulled a snapped arrow from a nearby container. *I’m going to assume that this isn’t yours.*
He cringed from the metal, wood and feather projectile still stained with his blood.
*N-no!* He yelped. *P-please!*
She blinked confused at his reaction before tucking the arrow back away.
*Sorry, I didn’t think you’d be afraid of it.* She mumbled apologetically. *I found it embedded in your wing, through the bones.* She held her arm out and indicated what she meant, pointing at her forearm. *In turn, the bones were snapped and I’ve had to set them with a splint, I’ve bound your wing to avoid you moving it while it sets.*
He huffed sadly. *I’m grounded.* He mumbled. *You… you at least saved me from losing my wing.*
*It was no trouble.*
*But… how did you know to do this at all? A-and these are Harpy canyons, why is a Swordslammer here?*
She chuckled, giving his head fur another tousle.
*I was an orphan adopted at the foot of these cliffs, and I spent three years on pilgrimage learning medicine. I’ve never had the opportunity to try on a gryphon before though.* She smiled and gave him a gentle scratch under his chin. *And I must say, my first is cute.*
He blushed and pulled his head away from her claw.
*Do you know who did this to you?*
He nodded irritably. *Human poachers, I caught a glimpse of them as I tumbled once they shot me.*
The Swordslammer nodded and waved to the Harpy behind her, the other female stepping out.
*We will find them.* She chirped. *No-one hunts winged creatures around here and gets away with it.*
He nodded faintly.
*Now, are you hungry? You’ve been out cold for a few hours.*
He shook his head and went to say no, but his stomach grumbled and he chuckled shyly. *I-I guess a little.*
She giggled and stood back up, beckoning him to follow.

Nervously he stood and followed her out of the little cave, his mouth dropping open when he stepped past the curtain. The roost was huge. Whilst it was only a few metres high, it was really wide, not to mention that the caves were mirrored on the other side of the canyon. Harpies of all shapes and colours flitted about, seeing to the roost. He could see their hatchery on the other side of the canyon, over a dozen Harpies either watching dutifully or fussing over the white spheroids.
He followed the Swordslammer female to a room in which dozens of Harpies sat at long tables, enjoying meals of their own while the air filled with fantastic smells. The place where the Harpies cooked their food had to be nearby, though he didn’t care where it was cooked; the thought of cooked food alone was making him salivate, and he was worried he was drooling.
The Swordslammer female moved to what appeared to be a counter before walking him over to a quiet corner and putting a plate of meat down for him.
*I hope you don’t mind eating off of the floor, I’m not sure how the Clan would react to you at the tables…*
He shrugged. *Quite alright.* He said, sniffing the meat hungrily. *A… Are you sure I can have this?*
*Of course, dig in; I’ll get you a bowl of water and when you’re finished we can introduce you to the Clan.*
He rumbled appreciatively and snapped up some of the meat as she walked off.

He’d been fed and had a drink, and after eating he’d been taken to the elders of the clan. They were still somewhat skittish around the gryphon, despite his small size, but introduced him to one another regardless. The poachers had been caught and punished, their crossbows broken and their catch confiscated. The Harpies had left quite an impression on them, and it was doubtful they would be poaching in the area again.
After the elders dismissed him, he was led to another part of the Roost, where he could hear little voices chirping away childishly. The Swordslammer led him into what appeared to be a school, and the young Harpy clan children swarmed around her. She greeted them cheerfully before the elder Harpy at the far wall of the room called them all back to their desks. They were only a young class, appearing to be about eight or nine years of age, and they sat as quietly as their teacher had instructed.
*Class, Leilani is here with rare a rare experience for you.* the instructor said.
The Swrodslammer nodded. *I’ve not been in here in quite some time, so I must admit it’s a nice experience for me too, not since I was eighteen.* She said, signalling for him to stay put before walking to the front of the class. *Now, who can tell me what other creatures share the skies with us?*
A dozen arms, wings or otherwise, rose into the air. Their suggestions friendly to the female who had taken temporary control of the class, birds, dragons, the mythical Wind Serpents…
They’d run out of suggestions before ever saying what he was.
She smiled in a helpful way and cleared her throat.
*And what about one of these?* She asked, waving him in.

He stepped in worriedly, timidly stepping back when the children rose from their seats to see him better. The swordslammer, Leilani, only smiled encouragingly and waved him further into the room. He walked up to her nervously, standing beside her and looking over the class with nervous curiosity.
Leilani smiled. *And who can tell me what he is?*
The amount of hands that met the air was impressive, but the speed and the student’s sudden increase in apparent size intimidated him and made him shy away. One of the children was picked out and did correctly identify him as a gryphon.
*Correct.* Leilani said. *This young Gryphon was injured and has been given medical aid, but he has been grounded until his wing is repaired. I’m probably taking liberties by using him to teach the class, but I don’t think he minds too much.
“Gryphons are as intelligent as we are, capable of speaking with us in a dialect which is taught by their parents. Being slightly more… animal than we, Gryphons run more on instinct; you may have noticed he shied away when your attention was all on him, or when you all held your arms up. Remember, you should never treat Gryphons as animals unless they allow you to.*
He nervously moved so that the room could see him better, still staying within her protective reach.
*If he doesn’t mind, we could arrange for some of you to interact with him closer, but on his terms.* She suggested, looking down at him hopefully.
He nodded up at her.
*N-not too many?* He asked worriedly.
She smiled and motioned for him to follow her.
*We have a second classroom, but it’s empty at the moment, you can wait in there for the children to come see you; that should give you some extra space.* She said, leading him to the adjacent room. *And thank you for this.*
He shrugged a little. *It’s the least I can do.* He said. *Besides, maybe I’ll get some ear scratches.*