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"The ki-lin"- prelude to "The Lady Epona"

by Jade Griffin

It was a very slow night in the castle. Heck, it had been a slow week! Jade Griffin sighed and continued stroking her grey and white manx, Cheira. She’d seen no more than five people in the castle over the last three days. Was something going on that she didn’t know about?

"Well," she told her cat as they sat in the rafters for a change. "Ithyaka’s home. What say we wait a few more minutes and go home, too."

A silvery flash from below heralded someone’s arrival. A magic user of some type, perhaps a fey or gargoyle. Anything would be a welcome guest right now.

Jade Griffin leaned a bit to see who’d appeared and her brow ridges rose. Several yards down, a striking black-haired female stood looking about. A female what, the gargoyle wasn’t sure. The newcomer had relatively small gargoyle-like wings and four-taloned, slender hands but that was all the gargoyle resemblance she bore. Below a beautiful purply garment, a half-haired tail like a zebra’s emerged. And her two legs… Furred entirely in silver hair, they ended in pitch-black hooves. A sharp spike stood out from each fetlock joint.

Unable to contain her fascination, Jade Griffin hopped out of the rafters and lighted softly to the ground. She didn’t think she’d made any audible sound but the newcomer turned about to face the dark green gargoyle.

Jade Griffin, five feet away, saw the female’s face and received a surprise. A short silver horn curled out from the middle of her pale flesh-skinned forehead. The dark green gargoyle thought it rather unique. What could she be? Gargoyle? Or..?

The female stepped closer and inclined her head in greeting. "Let sunset always come swiftly."

Guess that’s how she says hello. "Hi." She waved. "I’m Jade Griffin. What’s your name?" The gargoyle also noticed that, although her own name tag was visible, the mysterious lady had none.

"I am the Lady Epona," spoke the beautiful voice of the lady. "Daughter of Winter Green, my mother of gargoyle kin, and Li Yan Tsing, ki-lin father."

So her mom was a gargoyle, and her dad had a Chinese name. Ki-lin… Having heard the word before, she searched her memory for the meaning. Ki-lin… ki-lin… Oh my gosh! "The Chinese unicorn! You’re half ki-lin?"

The Lady nodded.

"Wow. I’ve only caught a glimpse of one before."

Her large eyes fell. "Then you were very fortunate. We are a rare race."

"Oh…" Was that why her mother was a gargoyle and not a ki-lin? "I’m sorry."

The Lady Epona looked about the room. "Is there no one else here? I was told the castle was always filled with people."

"Well, it usually is. But even this place gets slow days, and nights. Someone is bound to show up sooner or later. Would you like something to eat or drink? I’ve been waiting here for a while."

"If you have any greens, and water."

"Sure." Jade Griffin found some celery in the fridge and brought that plus a cup of water and a can of Pepsi for herself. The Lady Epona had moved to the sitting area and was looking over the pictures hung on the walls. Most were of past and current visitors. She handed the refreshments to the Lady.

"Thank you." Before taking a drink, she dipped her silver horn into the water.

"Um… Why’d you do that?" the other gargoyle couldn’t hold her question.

The Lady Epona looked apologetic. "My diet requires pure water… I can purify with my horn." She pulled off a celery stalk. "Those are pictures of people who come to this place?"

"Yep. I know several of them. Been a regular visitor for a while now." Jade Griffin popped the tab on her Pepsi can and took a drink. "So, did you just recently get a PASS card?"

The Lady turned puzzled eyes on the gargoyle. "’PASS card’?"

"Hm.. Then how did you get here?"

"A fey offered to help me in giving directions to this place. I teleported here."

"Well, I guess I never realized anybody could do that.. So you can do magic?" she asked, taking a seat in a chair. The Lady did not.

"Some. My powers are not as strong as a full ki-lin but I can summon a sphere of light, help plants grow, and lend a healer’s touch."

"And you said you could teleport."

"…Yes and no. It is not easy, and I cannot do so again for some time. Several days."

"Then you’re stuck here?"

"Yes. How long do you intend on staying?"

The dark green gargoyle smiled. The Lady was in need of some company. She could hear it in the other female’s voice. "Well, I hafta go before dawn. It won’t seem like a long wait once the others start showing up, and it goes quicker if you stone sleep."

"I do not like to sleep that way. And I would miss those who come during the day."

It was Jade Griffin’s turn to look puzzled. "You’re half gargoyle, so how do you avoid it?"

"I will not turn to stone unless direct sunlight touches me."

Huh. Weird! But neat.

The Lady walked over to the pictures, her strange unicorn tail snaking back and forth as she ate her celery.

"Are you looking or waiting for someone?" the dark green gargoyle queried.

"Yes. I am here to choose a mate. Isn’t this why you come to this place?"

Jade Griffin was taken aback. "Wha?! No! I come here to see my friends."

"Hm. Perhaps Comp was wrong. He said that many people come here and meet mates."

"No. He was right. This is a great place to meet people, but I’m not hear to pick up on guys."

The Lady Epona drank the last of the water as she walked to the balcony. She looked to the street below, at the moving cars and bright signs. "Such a busy place, yet the castle is empty."

The gargoyle came over. "Yeah. Weird… Are you looking for any particular type of male?" Jade Griffin found the half-ki-lin’s quest extraordinary.

"Any can be a possible mate. I will know who is right."

"So I guess this means there isn’t a male ki-lin, for you."

The sadness from before covered the beautiful face. "Yes. This is why I must find a mate; to rekindle our population."

"But if you choose a non-ki-lin and you’re only half, won’t any kids you have be no more than a third ki-lin?"

The Lady broke out of her sad reverie with a smile. "Not the first born. The child will be more ki-lin than I and when she has children, it will be the same. It is a way in which we have learned to survive."

"And you were the firstborn of your parents?"

A little smile still at her silver lips, the lady nodded once.

"That’s some adaptation!"

The Lady Epona gazed out from the balcony. "Do you think it will be difficult to find a mate?" she asked.

"Well, you won’t have any trouble attracting guys around here. Exotic beauty acts like a magnet. It all depends on how fast you find the one that meets your qualifications. Take my advice, though, and make your choice carefully. You can wait to add to the ki-lin race until you’ve found the right guy."

"Yes. I agree."

"Okay, and because there’s no one in yet, wanna come with me to a different room? There’s bound to be someone here in the ‘cyberverse’!"

"Is it far? My wings are useful but not very strong."

"Nope. Not far." Jade Griffin hopped up to the balcony railing.

The Lady Epona joined her. "Do you have a mate, Jade Griffin?"

"Wellll… sort of. I’ll explain on the way over."

The dark green gargoyle jumped out, spreading her large white wings. The Lady Epona followed on her dwarfed, moonlit wings.

Jade Griffin’s cat climbed out of the rafters and leaped to the balcony, staring out at her departed owner.

….to be continued in "The Lady Epona"…

-JG