A griffin

Terrence awoke as the sun crested the horizon, the morning light breaking the harmonious symphony of night. For a moment, he thought he was back in the real world, as players logged out whenever their character slept or had to revive. Looking around though, it became obvious he was not in his bedroom.

Terrence was laying in what appeared to be a nest. Groaning as he shook off the morning haze, he realized he was laying his head upon a pillow of soft, white feathers and covered with what could be described as a bear-skin blanket. He pushed the blanket away, standing up and surveying the area. It wasn't until the cool breeze brushed against his lower body did he realize he was fully naked.

Looking down, he noticed that all of his wounds had been healed. His armor and weapons laid a few feet away, cleaned and fixed as well. Dressing quickly, he shouldered his pack before hearing the sound of wings.

Terrence hid behind a large rock so as to survey what it was that was coming. Soon a griffin appeared, a fledgling by the look of it from the few white feathers it still had. When all of its feathers were the gold color griffins were renown for, only then would it be considered an adult.

The griffin swooped out of the sky, approaching the nest. In it's claws was a full grown elk, which it dropped into the nest. It then landed, leaving Terrence's sight. A second later, a distressed shriek sounded over the mountain top. Terrance couldn't see what was happening without revealing himself, and while he could defeat the griffin if need be, there were so few of them in the wild that it had become a crime to kill one without reason.

As Terrance was watching though, a girl climbed out of the nest, looking around frantically. Looking to be about 18, she was clad in a white and gold feathered dress, a white feather stuck in her golden brown hair. She seemed to be searching for something she lost, but it was her presence that confused Terrance. He hadn't seen anyone else in the nest. But she couldn't have appeared out of nowhere.

A moment later, the girl held her hands together, a ball of magic forming. Pouring it over herself, she began to shift. Within a minute, the girl had been replaced by the previous griffin. She took off into the sky, flapping for a few seconds before a shout directed her attention down the mountain.

Two crossbow bolts shot out from behind a boulder, piercing her wings. She fumbled to stay afloat, but soon crashed down onto the rock. Four men came running from the shadows of the boulder, throwing a heavy, weighted net over the griffin.

"Bag it boys. These beasts bring a high price on the market, and I need... I mean we need, every last penny," a balding man said as he stepped out from behind the boulder.