Part-Time Griffin

Others

I land in the river that passes by the sawmill. My wounded leg throbs now. I turn to see blood trickling down my right hind leg.
Felicity lands beside me with a huge splash. She clumsily gains her balance. Her wings stretch out to help right herself. I'm accidentally smacked in the process.
I'm not in the mood to complain so I stay silent.
Felicity smiles, "Isn't this cool? I'm like you now. We didn't think I was gonna change, but I did!"
I hold back the pain as I reply, "Yeah, it's great. When did it happen?"
"I woke up like this, but I'll explain everything when he gets here." Felicity tells me.
"He? You mean Diesel, right?"
"No. You'll see."
A few seconds later Diesel lands at the sawmill. Ash quickly jumps off his back as Diesel gives him an annoyed snort. Diesel then turns to give me a questioning look, but I nod to let him know that I'll join him soon. Diesel nods back and shifts as he and Ash walk into the office at the sawmill.
With a serious tone, I turn back to Felicity, "It's important that you understand that you've become half mythical for a reason."
"I'm a pumagriff." She corrects me.
"Okay, a pumagriff. Felicity you have a destiny waiting for you, and you must be ready to except it no matter how dangerous it may be."
My pumagriff sister seems to loose her self confidence, "I know... That was the first thing that hit me when I realized that I had changed."

"Back there", I indicate toward the lake dam, "is an example of how dangerous this life can be."
She nods with an apprehensive expression, "I understand."
"I'm not trying to scare you, but occurrences such as tonight's will pop up in life. We're different, and that's because we have a destiny to fulfill." I explain to Felicity.
We start to walk down river toward the sawmill. My leg hurts, and I'm limping too.
Suddenly, a small wave causes the river to rise by a few inches. I whip around to come face to face with the creature that had been in the lake earlier.
Its long white horn protrudes from its forehead. The creature's eyes are a brilliant cobalt blue. Fins run down its backbone. Scales cover most of its horse-like body. Its front legs are exactly like a horse's. So is its head and torso, but the rest of his body has silver scales running across it. The hind legs can't be seen underneath the water. A few seconds later my question is answered when a huge finned tail lifts above the water.

Backing away, I stare at the creature in front of me.
It looks like... a hippocampus.
"Hello, it's nice to see you again, Olivia." He says in a friendly voice.
I stutter, "What? I've never met-"
I instantly turn back to Felicity, "You have a lot to explain, young lady."
Footsteps walk toward us from the riverside. I look up to see Diesel, as a human, and Ash coming toward us. They're eyes are locked onto the hippocamp.
The creature begins to shift into his human form. His front legs become human arms, and his tail splits to become legs. The scales are absorbed into his skin as his clothes reappear. The fin along his spine sinks into his back and disappears.
I stare at the familiar person in front of me as his cobalt eyes turn dark brown. His every feature matches Diesel, except for the fact that he's taller and more muscular.
"Garret?" Both Diesel and I say bewildered.
Garret, Diesel's older brother, smiles pleasingly, "Yes, it is I."
_____________________
We wander into the office of the sawmill. Diesel, Ash, and I are still dumbfounded by this new discovery. Felicity follows with a smug smile on her pumagriff face.
When we're inside, Diesel asks his brother the first question, "Why did you never tell me? How long have you been... this way?"
Garret sighs, "For the same reason why you didn't tell mom and dad."
He pauses momentarily then continues, "I've been this way since I was your age."
"That was years ago!" Diesel gasps.
I turn to Felicity who is still a pumagriff, "How did you two met? You seem to already know each other."
"I'll explain."
Everyone turns to listen to my sister explain her tale.
She clears her voice then tells us, "I woke up to use the bathroom, but I found that I had wings and fur. My first thought was to find Olivia for help. I jumped out the window, and for some reason I thought it would be okay to attempt flying. It didn't work out. I ended up crash landing in the lake. The water weighed down my fur and feathers. I couldn't keep myself afloat, but then Garret came along and saved me. We talked some, and he explained that he knew where Felicity was. So we found you and then followed you to the lake dam."
Diesel turns to Garret, "What's your side of the story?"
Garret sighs and says, "Ever since I came home from college, you've acted funny. Eventually, I figured out that you were going out at night. Then I started watching what you were doing and where you were going to after dark. It didn't take long to find out you were a pegacorn and discover that Olivia was a griffin."
"The other night I felt like someone was watching us when we were at the park. Was that you?" I ask Garret.
"Yes."
"What are you?" Diesel randomly blurts out.
"I'm either a hippocamp or a kelpie. I'd rather be referred to as a hippocamp since kelpies aren't really what you call 'nice' creatures."
Diesel is as shocked at finding out that his sibling is a mythical creature as I am about Felicity.
"I saw you had a tail. Does that mean you can only stay in the water...?" I turn back to Garret.
He nods, "Yes, that's one of the reasons why my college is in Florida. I wanted a nice place to swim while enduring college."
Well, that's sad. He can probably shift anytime or anywhere, but he can't do anything unless he's in the water. I guess he had to be in his human form when he followed Diesel and I.
Felicity tugs on my sleeve with her cute little cougar mouth. I crouch down to see what she has to say.
"Can you help me change back to a human?" She whispers nervously.
With those few short words, I recognize my scared baby sister underneath that pelt. She needs her big sister more than ever. And I'll gladly be there for her.
"Let's go outside." I tell her as I push the office door open.
Her concentration will be better out here in the fresh night air.
"The first time you shift it may be difficult, because it's like trying to figure out how to drive. After the first time you shift, it's like a lightbulb goes off in your mind. You'll be able to shift just like turning off and on a light switch." I assure Felicity.
"Just imagine your human body and concentrate on that. Don't strain. Loosen up any tense, tight muscles" I instruct her slowly.
Felicity closes her eyes and stands perfectly still. Her breathing slows as she concentrates on morphing back to her human self.
Slowly, the pearlescent feathers on her wings shorten. The white fur recedes. Her long, thick tail starts to shorten as well. Her ears become smaller as her paws turn into hands and feet.
And then it's over. Felicity, the humans, stands there in front of me. I grab her and hug her tightly.
"How does it feel to be a pumagriff?" I ask her happily.
I suddenly realize a major factor. Felicity and I are sisters, and we're both a type of griffin. Garret and Diesel are brothers, and they're both a type of horse creature. Except Garret is more of a water element while Diesel is earth and sky.
Felicity finally replies, "It feels... weird and exciting at the same time."
The door to the office abruptly opens and Diesel tells me, "Hey, Olivia. I saw you got bit by one of those dogs. We need to do something about that."
I almost wish he hadn't said that, because my leg immediately begins throbbing once more.
Hobbling back inside, I hear Ash complain, "No fair. I want to be a chimera."
"Chimera?", I ask confusedly as I sit on a stool.
Diesel starts doctoring the bite created by the dog's teeth. I grind my teeth as he applies a burning antiseptic.
Ash smiles, "A chimera is any mythical creature with parts taken from various animals. You, all of you, are chimeras."