Evanescence

Chapter 3: Cameron

Three years earlier again....

I got up early to start my chores. My sisters don't really do much because apparently chores are a "man's job". They either sneak around the town with their boyfriend and do you know what, or, if they don't have a boyfriend, go looking for one. That is, all my sisters except Lilly. (she's my favorite) Lilly is a year older than me, and she has a sane boyfriend. Now, you are probably not familiar with those two words paired together, so let me explain. Her boyfriend's name is Max. Max is level-headed and gives Lilly the space she needs. (This can be a lot) He also respects her and treats her like a human being.
     Lilly is like the "woman" of the house, so she does cooking, laundry, dishes, etc. while I do all the hunting, gardening, and take care of the animals. We have a small farm that consists of ten chickens, two goats, a cow, eight sheep, and a large garden. Our farm produces eggs, wool, milk, cheese, and a variety of vegetables that we sell at the Farmer's Market.
I finished my chores early because I needed to do something today. Something insanely dangerous. Something everyone has told me never to do. I am going to capture a griffin egg. A griffin has the head, front legs, and wings of an eagle and the body, tail, and hind legs of a lion. Griffins are considered one of the most dangerous creatures alive (besides a dragon, of course). They guard their eggs with their life and are insanely aggressive towards anything that moves.
I grabbed my knife, sword, and bow and arrow for protection and a large rabbit I had trapped for bait. I decided last minute to pack a few handfuls of nuts and berries for a quick snack, and headed off into the woods.
I was only walking for about 20 minutes when I saw the mouth of the cave that supposedly held five griffin eggs, each only a tiny bit bigger than a football. I crouched down as soon as I saw it; griffins have stunning eyesight and a keen sense of smell. I studied my surroundings and decided where I would place the rabbit. Once I set the bait, I quickly smeared mud all over my body (to cover my scent) and snuck around to the mouth of the cave. I waited. And waited. And waited.
It seemed like forever but I finally saw the griffin make her appearance. She was a beautiful honey color with pure white wings and a very proud posture. I held my breath as she lifted her beak and caught the scent of fresh meat. I hoped it was the rabbit and not me. She spread her wings and, with one large flap, was swallowed in the tree tops. I had to act quickly, she would probably find the bait in a matter of seconds. I darted into the cave and stumbled through the darkness. (I fell on my face multiple times before I actually found the eggs) I gently touched the shells of each one, I had to make sure they had a mild temperature so I could snatch a live one. (I don't know if I could bring myself to come back a second time) I grabbed the warmest and tucked it in my bag. As soon as I turned around to leave, I saw a tiny speck in the sky that had to be the griffin. Running as fast as my legs could carry me, I exited the cave. I barely reached the trail when a honey colored blur landed in front of me. I froze. The griffin's beady yellow eyes narrowed. I knew I couldn't outrun her, but panic took over. I heard the griffin shriek and could feel her breath on my legs as I tore through the brush. I held the egg as tight as I could and the trees blurred together. Suddenly, I couldn't hear the griffin behind me. I took a quick glance behind my shoulder and couldn't see anything. The forest was dead silent. I looked down at the lightly leopard spotted egg. Griffins really are beautiful even before they have hatched.
I gently placed the egg under a bush and hesitated. Did I really want to leave it? I decided I would come back for it when the coast was clear. I took a few more gulps of air and took off running again.
I didn't run for very long before the mama found me again. She was flying right above my head. I zig-zagged through the trees in an attempt to throw her off. (NEVER EVER EVER do this) I suddenly felt a sharp talon slice through my left arm as the griffin pounced. I yelped and realized I had come to a very steep hill. I stumbled as the griffin shrieked again, which made me roll my way down the hill. Don't ask how, but I managed to put a decent amount of distance between us before I tripped over a... Girl? I hadn't even seen her until it was too late. I saw a tangle of brown and silver hair flash before my eyes.
"Ow!" she growled, the tone in her voice made me realize very quickly that I had  made a huge mistake. "I'm sorry!" I attempted to help her up but was greeted by an unnecessary slap in the face. "What was that for? I said I'm sorry!" I rubbed my cheek. "Seriously? You frickin' tripped over me! What did you expect? An apology for my height?" Her silver eyes were burning with anger. "Look, I really am sorry, but you seriously have to get outta here!" I grabbed her arm. "Hey! LET ME GO!!" She freed herself from my grip. I opened my mouth to argue but was interrupted by a sharp screech. "We have to go, NOW. There is a griffin after me and you better put a large amount of distance between us because she'll-" The girl took off. I shrugged and decided I better start running myself.
The griffin caught up to me again. (Honestly, I was surprised she hadn't killed me yet) "Screeeeeeee!" She suddenly realized I didn't have the egg and plummeted towards me. "CRAP NUGGETS!!!" I screamed and tumbled into a small opening. There stood the girl with the angry silver eyes and another girl with mousy hair and a bunch of freckles. Wait, was she floating?
"Hey, you're the girl from earlier!" I pointed at the shorter one with the silver in her hair.
"No dip sherlock." the girl snorted.
I rolled my eyes, "Then why didn't you get out of here?"
"I'd like to take a moment to mention that I have no idea what's going on." the floating girl added.
"Long story short, I made a Griffin mad."
"Why?" the short girl groaned.
"Well I may have-hey! You found it!" I noticed the floating girl had my egg and took it from her. I actually felt like I could kiss her, but her expression showed she was already creeped out, so I didn't. There was another screech from the griffin; she was way too close this time. I looked at the girls in panic. (I think I heard the floating girl call me an idiot) I saw the griffin charge out of the brush and my heart stopped. This had to be it, we were done for. The griffin rushed towards us with incredible speed. I squeezed my eyes shut. Thunk. I opened my eyes, confused. Thunk thunk thunk. The griffin appeared to be running into an invisible wall. I saw the floating girl with her arms raised and the short girl rummaging through a bag. There was flash and I noticed the short girl with two daggers. Great, she better not kill the griffin. Before I could say anything, the short girl intertwined herself with the griffin and hit her on the head with the hilt of the dagger. I watched in horror as the griffin crumpled to the ground. "What did you do that for?" I cried.
"Relax, stupid, she's just asleep." the short girl rolled her eyes. I hoped she wasn't lying to me.
"Let's get out of here." I suggested. Both girls nodded in unison and I rearranged the contents of my bag so that I could fit the egg inside. "I think town is that way." I pointed. "Ok, let's go." the floating girl lifted herself off the ground, grabbing the short girl's wrist as she did so.
"Hey," I looked up at them, "What's your guy's names?"
"I'm Fern." The floating girl replied sheepishly.
"And I'm Ivy." The short girl looked almost annoyed.
"Thanks for saving my life, by the way. I'm Cameron." I smiled at them. I didn't really realize it before, but I really liked those two. "See you around." I waved and started off towards town.