T-Equinox-Young Gryphon-1

My first challenge for The prompt was:

Your friends tell you a rumor that the shamans will be eternally grateful if you bring them a powerful medicinal fruit. Problem is, it only grows on Tookie Island. Do you dare venture to this mysterious island of primitive gryphons? Do you think your friends are telling you the truth or playing a prank on you?

Equinox suspected this 'mission' was nothing more than a joke, but they had seemed so enthusiastic for her to get this strange fruit that she couldn't refuse. To be honest, she looked forward to a bit of adventure on this strange island...though she kept such enthusiasm to herself.

Unlike the Twistoult forests, this land was much more dense. It was nearly impossible for her to twist through the choking vines and thick branches - her long wings were best suited for the open sky. After much struggling and several near-collisions, the young gryphon spotted the tell-tale purplish fruit! Ah, that wasn't too difficult, she thought, and gingerly took the oblong fruit in her bill.

THIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEF!!!

Equinox felt her heart nearly shoot from her chest. The high-pitched scream seemed to come from somewhere in the forest, but she couldn't tell where!

"Ah, hello?" She spoke past the fruit in her mouth, peering into the thick canopy for any hope of finding the source of the accusation. That screaming was getting louder and more urgent...and Equinox decided this would probably be a good time to go!

Just seconds after she launched herself into the air, a small blur of blue shot just inches from her head.

"THIEEF! THIEEEEEEEF! Steal fruit! I steal feathers!"

Before Equinox could even think to react, the creature's little black bill was assaulting her wings and back!

"Wait!" The gryphon clumsily tried to dart through the trees - something her persistent pursuer had no difficulty with. "Please---if you would just---listen!!!" But it was no use - the little gryphon would hear none of it!

"THIEF! YOU STEAL! AFTER MIMSY'S PEANUTS! YOU STEAL FRUIT, THEN PEANUTS, THEN SHINIES! MIMSY STEAL ALL BIG GRYPH'S FEATHERS! ALL OF THEM!"

This was very bad! Equinox decided to try to bolt for the canopy, with hopes to get some speed above the trees, but without warning----

WHAM!!!

Equinox was suddenly seeing stars as a giant force cracked down on her skull, and out popped the fruit from her beak! Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the little gryph with a beak full of feathers, coming back for another head-cracking peck! She had to get out of the trees, but she couldn't leave the fruit! Tensing for another onslaught of frenzied Tookie gryph, she folded her wings and crashed through the thick brush of the ground.

"THIEF! GET AWAY! GET AWAY FROM SHINIES!!!"

The pecking increased tenfold - right beside the dropped fruit lay beautiful stones, strewn in the underbrush. Had they not belonged (quite obviously) to someone else, Equinox might have taken one for herself, but it seemed she had already done enough offense for one day! Ducking and cringing, she managed to find a clearing in the forest and emerged from the canopy above with the fruit once again safely in her beak. A few flaps in the clear sky and she was free from the angry little gryph.

At least she had the fruit...even if it cost her a few feathers and a rather nasty bump on her head...

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The blue jay/melanistic squirrel Tookie gryphon belongs to ! Thanks for letting me use her to attack poor Equinox! :D This was good practice to try doing digital forestscapes.