early Fall, 1990

Reneyl watched the four youngsters playing with Kinloch and Mosaht, the clan's adult pets. They did not see him watching so they continued their game of fast tag uninhibited. Tai-il nearly tripped as he dodged orange-brown Kinloch. In that faulter, Mosaht, the grey female beast, tackled him good, sending him for a roll. Now tagged, Tai-il of black oil skin, made chase of his three rookery siblings and the two beasts. Malaii tried a jump to escape him but he caught her by the tail. Reneyl smiled at their game, and at his blood-child. Recovering quickly from the tag, Malaii went after Junan and Jade Griffin. The two split up and Malaii pursued Jade Griffin. Both were running out of room, coming to the blocked base of the mountain. Having cornered her rookery sister, Malaii moved in faster but Jade Griffin was quick. Waiting just long enough, she used the mountain as a vault and pushed off to glide shallowly over Malaii's head. Nali, the two beast's offspring, caught sight of the raucous and bounded over to tackle Jade Griffin before she landed. Mosaht went for Junan, along with Tai-il and Malaii, and soon all were laughing and wrestling on the ground.

Reneyl sighed. They'd all grown so much. From stumbling hatchling to talking child to gliding youngster to young adult. He, like the others who raised them, tried to treat them equally but they could sometimes tell who their blood parents were and, on occasion, they provoked favored attention. Malaii knew that he and Tali were her blood parents but tried not to show it. Quid made it a point that everyone know he was Tarquin's son. Most of the hatchling's did not know, and didn't wish to know.

Jade Griffin was different from all in that she continued to look to him; for approval, answers, advise, anything. Tali was the only other adult she would get that close to. Right from the start, she'd been that way.

"Reneyl."

Nearly startled by the brusk call, the black and white gargoyle whirled away from his watching rest against the side of the low cliff to face who had called. He knew the voice to be Bradier's but not that Bretta and Okaiu followed him.

"Yes?" he queried at their approach. They looked very serious about something (more so than usual). He didn't have to think long to know what.

"You haven't spoken to her, have you." Bradier said, nearly angry.

He'd thought right."

"You said you'd speak to her, Reneyl." Okaiu added in her high old voice.

He sighed. "I know. But I fear she will not take the knowledge of her true origin well."

"You must tell her of her original clan." Okaiu responded, adamant. "This has always been the decision. It shouldn't have been put off this long."

"Yes, but I don't want her to feel any less of this clan. I've tried to wait for a good time but she thinks a little differently than us. I don't think it is a good time to tell her."

"Reneyl, you were to tell her several years ago. Each time one of us asked when you would tell her, you said another time. You continue to deny her the knowledge of her past. It can't go on. Tell her, now, or I will."

Bradier's words brought a dread to Reneyl. Jade Griffin did think strangely at times and was sensitive to some things that didn't bother others. He knew she would not take the truth as others might but could not predict further. He also could not disobey Bradier further. He'd put this off for as long as he could, waiting and watching her grow, hoping to see a more accepting mind. She had grown in that area, but he doubted it was enough for this.

Still, it would be much worse coming from another, even if it was the clan Leader, and he would not hurt his little foundling any more than must be. "No. I will tell her."

He turned away from the elders, to have one more second to look at the peace of the youngsters at play, before walking toward them. Perhaps... perhaps he was wrong about Jade Griffin. Tali was always telling him he worried too much about her.

"Jade Griffin." he called to her.

All four young gargoyles, plus the three beasts, paused mid-toussle at the call. Showing slight embarrassment, the group disentangled and stood. Jade Griffin met the older black and white gargoyle part way as he came toward them.

"Yes, Reneyl?" she asked, smiling brightly.

She was totally unprepared for this. "... I must speak with you. Come with me."

As she followed, Jade Griffin glanced behind her. Her three rookery siblings were watching to see what was up. She shrugged to them and walked on.

Reneyl sat at one of the carved stone benches found around the mountain. Jade Griffin sat beside him, wondering what he needed to tell her. He seemed... unhappy; almost sadly resigned. She was nearly the human equivalent of a seventeen-year-old and, along with her rookery siblings, ready to take on the higher responsibilities of the clan. The adults were recently discussing first postings-- deciding which of her generation would get which new position and/or responsibility. Was he going to talk to her about that? Whatever it was looked to be bad news.

"I have something to tell you about yourself that you do not know. It's important that you know but may be hard for you."

Jade Griffin could only listen on, concern and unease growing.

He took hold of her black-tipped taloned hand, the very one he'd taken so long ago. They'd been so small then... "You know of the Stone Gargoyle's Egg that this clan once protected. How it was stolen and how I went after the thief. And how I failed in retrieving it; but I did return with something very important. I came back with you."

The dark green gargoyle did not fully comprehend what she was hearing, though a shock had settled over her, leaving her all but numb. And Reneyl continued on.

"I found you on the eastern shores of Scotland; hungry, scared, and very alone. You were close to two, I think. When I found your clan destroyed and no other gargoyles to take care of you from your own land, I brought you back with me to be raised here in this clan."

The look of utter shock as disbelief melted away would be a sight that would torment Reneyl for many years to come.

"I'm..."

"You are a foundling, Jade Griffin. My little foundling." He smiled a bit, trying to pull her out of the spiral.

And it was a spiral: I'm an orphan. I had a different clan. I have no place. This is not my clan. I have no place. I'm an orphan... Until her eyes focused on Reneyl. The one gargoyle whom she most trusted, whom she opened up to, whom she thought of as 'father' though she'd doubted that was true. This gargoyle now seemed only a stranger to her. The three gargoyles a short distance away talking amongst themselves, once recognizable as brother and sister, were now false company. Strangers in a lie. Did they know she was not truly of their clan? Did everyone know? Her name... Was it one her original clan had given to her, or had they named her? What was she to the elders, for surely they knew. Was she considered an outsider? Would she have been given higher clan responsibilities like the others her age? Was this why some in the clan did not like her? Because she was... she was... What am I? What am I?!

Shock, fear, anger, and a swiftly kindled hollowness volleyed back and forth within her, neither of them settling enough to be thought out or dealt with. One she did grab onto firmly as the only stable thing she could find. She stood in one quick motion, pulling her hand away from Reneyl and giving him a piercing hurt and hateful look at what he'd now given her before walking swiftly toward the three gargoyles close by.

Junan was quicker than the other two, though all saw the anger on her face as she approached. Stepping forward, he asked, "What's wrong, my sister?"

"Your sister?" she repeated, all but hissing in anger. "You don't know? Reneyl has just told me I am a foundling he brought back from Scotland!"

By the looks on their faces, they had not known. Malaii took a few steps forward, arm extended but Jade Griffin backed quickly away. All she knew had just broken down before her. She was not a member of this clan. She was not a part of this. She was neither sibling nor child to these people and so could not have a place here. She was not true clan. She was not clan.

Before her anger could wear down enough for the other emotions to attack her, Jade Griffin leaped up for a hold on the mountain around them, climbed until of sufficient height, then pushed off and opened white wings to let the rush of air carry her high and away. The tears did not come till later as the tearing hollowness struck out from within the anger.

Reneyl hurried to the three shocked youngsters as he watched Jade Griffin take off. "What did she say to you?"

Malaii recovered enough to answer. "That you found her? Is that true?"

"Yes, when you were all hatchlings. I must go after her, but treat her no different because of this. Remember that." he stressed.

They nodded and he climbed the mountain-side as she'd done to push off into the night.

He did not know where she would go. He could only rely on his tracking abilities to find her. She was already out of sight; perhaps even on the ground. Think. He had to find her. What would she do to hide from him?... What did she do in games of hide and seek?... She would never go far; and she'd watch, waiting for the seeker to pass completely by. This was no game, and there was no 'home-safe' in her eyes, but it still might work. He continued in one direction for a ways, certain he'd fully passed her by (if he guessed her strategy correctly), then landed. There was not much but trees for miles. They were both on the ground for now. Reneyl began backtracking, to catch his hurting foundling.

She was not easy to track but he persevered and finally found a good lead. she was heading south? Jade Griffin had not been far in that direction before. Many humans were to the south, but so were the next closest mountains. She could not be too far ahead. He had to cach her quickly.

And he did. Not long later, the sound of her weeping reached his ears. He followed it silently until he spotted her very visible white wings as she moved on through the trees.

"Jade Griffin," he called gently, walking toward her.

She stopped at the sound of her name but did not turn around.

"My little one, I am so sorry. I should have told you long ago, but I wanted you to grow up comfortable in the clan. I-"

"You deceived me." she replied coldly.

He sighed, containing his own sadness. This is what he'd feared.

"You let me believe I was something I'm not. I was raised believing Clan was everything but I'm not Clan."

"You are not blood clan but you are part of the clan. Come back home. The others will be wondering about us."

He'd only touched her shoulder when she whirled away, facing him. "No. I'm not going back. I've always been a little different than the others. Now that they'll know why, I won't have a hope of being fully accepted."

"But, Jade Griffin, you-"

"Reneyl, I want to go to Scotland. I want to see my birthplace. And I need you to show me. Please."

This he could have guessed. Still, "You've never left Canada. Plus it's difficult getting by humans..." He could tell by the look in her eyes, the set of her mouth, that she would not be talked out of it. This might be what she needs to cool down and see things clearly. They could talk more during the trip, make her understand that she was clan, loved and welcomed, in Canada, her home. She could not be convinced of that now. "It will not be easy, but since word of the Hunter's move to France, it is allowable to go. Are you certain?"

"I have to go."

He nodded, understanding. "Then we must first return to the clan. We cannot leave without some preparation and not without telling them."

"No. I'm not going back. You go. I'll wait here."

"But I might not return tonight."

"I'll be alright."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded, eyes on the ground.

Then he'd better leave now. She hadn't spent many days away from the clan mountain and never alone. He did't want her to be alone for any amount of time but she wouldn't budge. He turned to leave for a probably long walk back.

"Reneyl?"

He looked back, hopeful, but her eyes were still on the ground.

"Thank you." was all she said, her voice flat.

He walked on, hurrying home.


still typing...