Top for Moonfrost! Come on I know you can do it!

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Chapter 8~~

The five gryphons wing up into the air, glad to be flying in the clear blue sky. It was decided and the gryphons were on there way to Egghattan. 

"It's too bad Anthony couldn't travel with us." Valley sighs.

"Well, he had to go tend to other things, but he was hinting he may see us there." Nightlynn says.

"That's right!" Nika says.

While the other gryphons were talking and laughing, they didn't notice how quiet Valley was being. She was busy thinking about her dream.

She was flying in the sky, enjoying flying through the low-lying clouds that were stained red, orange, and pink by the sunset. The sky was hers and hers alone. 

Then the dream shifted. She was in a volcano, watching it as though it was her own private window. She was seeing her friends, Skydash, Nika, Nightlynn, Thunder, and herself. 'That's weird' she though in the back of her mind.                                                                                                                     Her friends and she were bristling, facing an unknown threat. They were talking, but no sound was coming out. After a while Thunder flies off, and her dream self with Nightlynn, Skydash, and Nika ran away. Skydash kept looking back, like she was waiting for someone. The Valley watching felt terror, she knows that something bad is about to happen.

"NO DON'T LEAVE HER!" she cries, but the dream gryphons didn't hear her.

After a while the volcano erupts, but strangely it doesn't flow out of the top. A wild shriek fills the air, a shriek of anger and grief. Then she was lifted up, by strong talons into the bright light of the sun.

"I feel sure that was Skydash shrieking. But it was just a dream! Dreams can't come true." Valley thinks to herself.

"Valley, Valley, VALLEY SONGMAI DO YOU HAVE FLUFF IN YOUR EARS OR ARE YOU GOING DEAF!?!?" Nika yells.

"What? Oh, what is it Nika." Valley asks, coming out of her mind and back to the present.

"I've been here yelling at you for a good five minutes. We're going down to that forest to hunt." Nika says, pointing  the the small shapes that were Thunder, Skydash, and Nightlynn. 

Nika dives down to the forest, after a while Valley follows. 

When the gryphons enter the forest a herd of deer leap up and shoot away. Birds fly to safer trees and snails slowly inch there way to safety. Sadly for one, Nika sees it and decides to keep it.

"Isn't it adorable!?!?" Nika coos.

"I thought we were hunting for food, not pets." Thunder growls. 

The snail in question managed to glare at the gryphons who were looking at it. The snail was big, able to  fit in the palm of Nika's talon. It was a shocking blue purple color, with a dark purple shell. 

"I'm going to call her Violet." Nika says.

Violet the snail was offended. Its name was in fact Elizabeth Gonzon Harriet Tulip Annabelle Leaf. But her friends called her Izzy. NOT VIOLET!! 

"How cute! I'm going to get one!" Valley says.

"Right! Let's all go get snails, that'll fill us all up. Not me! I'm going to go get those deer." Thunder snaps, then stalks off in the direction that the deer had run off to.

"We should all go and get them, Valley you can look for a snail on the way." Skydash says. 

The gryphons nod, and Nika tucks her snail safely in a convent pouch on her right talon. The gryphons stalk after Thunder, careful not to make a sound. Thunder spots them, she waves her tail in acknowledgement. After following the deer's trail they find them in a meadow. They stop in sight of the deer, but in a place where the deer can't see or smell them.

"OK here's the plan. Skydash and I are going to chase the deer, they're going to run this way." Thunder says, demonstrating the deer's flight in the dirt.

"You three are going to be here," Skydash says. Pointing on the map. "You're going to be downwind, so the deer won't smell you. You need to circle around behind them, and signal us when you are ready." 

"What's the signal?" Nika asks.

"Can you copy a bird call? Choose your bird noise and you'll each call when you're in position. We need three deer, for a full meal. So you each need to catch one." Thunder says.

"I'll do a crow." Nightlynn says.

"I'll do a cardinal." Nika says.

"I'll do a gold finch." Valley adds.

"Good, once you call we'll chase the deer to you, be ready." Skydash says.

Thunder and Skydash get into there position, the deer look around warily, but deciding the gryphon smell was unimportant they continue grazing Nika, Valley, and Nightlynn circle round, and the waiting starts.

A crow caws, Nightlynn is ready.

A cardinal answers, Nika is ready.

Finally a gold finch chirps, Valley is ready.

But the gold finch wasn't really Valley, it was a real gold finch. Witch is why the gryphons had no idea that Valley was busy chasseing a butterfly when the deer ran.

Thunder and Skydash burst from the bushes, screeching and growling. The deer look up, and seeing  the gryphons after them they leap up and race away, right into Nightlynn and Nika's waiting talons. Valley, hearing the sound of running deer remembered where she was supposed to be. She runs back, but she was too late. The deer had fled, and she didn't get a kill in.

"WHERE WERE YOU!" Thunder bellows.

"I was chasseing a butterfly." Valley whispers.

Thunder is about to answer when her friend puts her tail on her solder. The feeling seems to calm Thunder.

"Thunder, don't be so hard on her. Everyone makes mistakes, and don't tell me you where a steely eyed gryphon at Valley's age. Don't you remember missing a few kills too? But I must agree it was pretty irresponsible of you Valley." Skydash says.

"I'm sorry! I get so distracted, and the butterfly was calling me! It was flying and leaping and seemed to be telling me something important." Valley says, her eyes looseing there focus, "I think I needed to follow it...."

Thunder and Skydash share a concerned look, Valley was wobbling and was shivering.

"I don't mind sharing my share with Valley." Nika says.

"Thanks Nika." Valley sighs.

"All right! Let's eat now, I'm starving!" Nightlynn says.

The gryphons settle down to eat, Nika let Valley hold her snail. The evening was peaceful, with Thunder preening Skydash as the three young gryphons do mock battles in the field.  

Oooooo..... WOW! Moonfrost you are the BEST at this! Keep up the Gr-8 writing!

Thanks! Here's the next part. 

~~~

Chapter 9~~ Back in the Sky

The gryphons wake up to the sound of birds chirping. The meadow that they decided to sleep in was bathed in a fine mist of fog, with the grass covered in dew. The sun shines down on there camp, lighting up the fog making it seem like they were flying in the clouds.

"GOOD MORRRNING!!!" Valley calls, she had sleep well and was ready to face the day, "You can't sleep the day away! Come on! Up and at em!! Wakey, wakey!!!!"

A symphony of groans answers her, no one wanted to get up. Valley sighs, and grabs the bucket she found when she was looking for a river early that morning. She flys into the trees, following the sound of a river. Upon arriving she scoops up some of the clear cold water and brings it back to the campsite. She gets there and dumps the water onto her sleeping friends.

"I said WAKE UP!!!!!!!" Valley roars.
"WHAT? WHAT? I'M AWAKE!!!" Nika gasps.

Valley sits down, and watches as the gryphons wake up.

"Why am I soaking wet?" Nightlynn asks.

"All right! The best way to get dry feathers is to fly!" Valley says.

"Fine, fine. Let's go" Thunder growls.

"What about breakfast?" Skydash asks.

"We can grab something in the air, come on!!!" Valley says.

The five gryphons leap up into the air. The sound of the wind in there ears woke them up more than being splashed with cold water ever could. Nika looks in her bag and sees her snail, she grabs her pet and holds her in her talons, letting Violet feel the wind on her shell.

"Valley, did you ever get that pet snail?" Nika asks.

"Yes I did! I found him when I was looking for a river while you guys where snoozing." Valley says.

She shows Nika her snail, a handsome green one. His shell was a dark green, with darker splashes on it. He shined brightly in the sun, and was slightly bigger than Nika's snail.

"His name is Arbor." Valley says.

"AW!! What a cutie!" Nika coos.

The gryphons continue flying through out the day, stopping only once to grab some food. Valley and Nika where surprised to find out that there snails ate the mint leaves that they fed to them. The day was uneventful, and they settled down to rest for the night, they where glad that they didn't encounter any trouble. 

Thanks! I' glad you feel like your in the story, that's what I'm going for, a book so real you can feel and taste it.

~~~~ 

The gryphons walk up the flowered path way to the door of Happy Roost Hospital, it was a pretty place, made to look like a cottage in a field of flowers to help there patients to feel relaxed and happy. They enter the hospital, a quiet place with the same feeling of quiet as a library They walk up to the receptionist, tiptoeing softly.

"Hello and welcome to Happy Roost Hospital, are you checking in or visiting?" The receptionist asks, the gryphons see her name tag reads Cherry.

"We're just visiting. We're looking for a gryphon named Bright Feathers." Skydash says.

Cherry looks shocked. "Are you family? He's in room B5." she says.

"Nope, just concerned gryphons." Thunder says.

"I dare say he'll be expecting us." Valley mumbles, as they walk down the halls to room B5.

"Did you say something Valley?" Nightlynn asks.

"No." Valley says.

The gryphons stopped at the door to room B5, seeing the heavy duty lock on the door they almost turned back. But sealing there courage they nock and enter. The room was dark, with the curtains drawn and not a light in sight. The walls were pale white, Bright Feathers didn't have any room mates. The gryphon was in his bed, Anthony was right his feathers were indeed gray. They were falling off in patches, displaying the hot fevered skin hidden under the feathers. His struggling breathing filled the air as he turned to look at them with his eyes running with water and turning blind. His eyes widened, he looked to be in shock.

"YOU!" He cries.

The gryphons look at each other in shock, who was he talking about?

"You brought HIM???" Bright Feather hacks.

Then, leaping out of bed he tackled Anthony At least that was the plan before he fell short of Anthony, having been struck by a coughing fit.

"LEAVE ME! AND DON'T BRING THAT TERROR BACK WITH YOU!" Bright Feathers yells.

Quickly the gryphons leap up and leave the room, they couldn't wait to get out of the room that smells like death and decay. And leaving the crazed gray gryphon behind them, his skinny ribs heaving for breath.  

~~~~

Holly says "ykkk",   I know, pretty scary right? 

Luv it, Moonfrost! Why did Bright Feathers attack Anthony....MYSTERY! (that are there names isnt it?)

TIP TOP! Skippidy hop! That was totally unexpected! 

Thanks! I had trouble deciding if I wanted him dead when they first got there, but I wanted him to attack Anthony too. So I mixed the ideas together!

~~~~ 

I can't believe that the Snikes have taken over Mt. Ignis, I wonder what are they going to do with that much fire power. But my home is in danger, as well as the whole island of Tinnais. What are we going to do? My boss has decided that I should go check out the volcano, see what's up. I'm camping outside, about to sneak in. Sadly for me there's not a drop of mud in sight! Hopefully my green feathers won't give me away.

After that they turn the page to see drawings, in black and red. And the words weren't nice and neat anymore, they were scrawled about the page in random bursts.

He's coming..

The black prince. The one who knows......

If that, then what?!

I thought I felt something....

                        There here! IN my mind..... clawing and tearing and eating...!!!!!

He seemed to of forgotten what he was writing about. And the pictures, were volcanos and a strange pair of glittering eyes, surrounded by black.

The Snike prince will come.................... And I must be ready.

That was the end of the journal, all the pages had been used up. 

"That is really disturbing." Valley says, looking a little green.

"It's creepy too." Nightlynn whispers, her voice not working.

"It makes my skin crawl." Nika says.

"I wish we didn't read it." Skydash says.

Even fearless Thunder looks a little scared, and that is what scared everybody the most. If that little innocent looking book was scary enough to make Thunder uncomfortable, how are they going to decipher it. 

"I must say, it doesn't make for pleasant reading." Anthony says dryly. "But, I hear that there's a Flight Celebration happening tonight, we could go, it might take your minds off the Book." 

The gryphons perk up, in such a big city they didn't think any Flight Celebrations would happen. A Flight Celebration is when gryphons join together and celebrate a fledgling's first flight. They would of course been already flying, but this is when there Flight Feathers come in, so that they can do sharp turns and fly longer and higher. Nika, Nightlynn, and Valley where remembering there Flight Celebration, it seemed that everybody in Gryphon City was there to celebrate and enjoy the young gryphons happiness.

"Why is it going on a night?" Valley asks, hers was in broad day light.

"I hear it's a tradition for there Flight Celebrations to take place at night, I hear it's quite pretty with the fireflies coming out." Anthony says.

The gryphons could only gasp, the fireflies only came out in huge numbers once a year. They had heard that there where so many fireflies that it light up the night.

"I think we should go." Skydash says.

"Yes, it sound enjoyable." Thunder adds.

"You should all probably get some naps in, the celebration last through the night, until dawn when the fireflies leave." Anthony says cheerfully. 

The gryphons nod, and leaving to there rooms they lie on their bed and try and get some naps in.