Blog Post

A Keeper’s Trust: Part 3

August 3, 2020

Falling never scared me. Because I always knew Ulric would catch me.

As I watched Daisuke catch the Griffin, Strong Love, I looked for anything to indicate life.

It couldn’t end like this.

I felt arms wrap around my waist pulling me close as the wind rushed past. My stomach lurched as we suddenly stopped as Sheng’s azure wings opened to slow they made to save me. 

“You’re an idiot! Why do you always do this?” Ulric shouted in my ear.

“Because I know you’ll save me!” I turned to shout, smiling as a hint of pink dusted his cheeks. Though it was probably the wind.

I looked back to see Strong Love between Daisuke’s claws.

‘Can you make it to the Reserve?’ I asked Daisuke. 

‘Yes, but we must hurry. I fear his life will end soon if we can not find what caused this.’

The rest of the flight I thought through everything I knew about Griffin’s, about Oregon, and the ocean. 

There was always an answer if you looked at the problem in the right way.

We arrived as I began giving orders for all I needed to save his life, and if it was what I thought it was- the lives of the others there too.

As the Griffin lay unconscious on the table I began my examination.

I leaned in and smelled his breath. Rum. 

“Alright! We have an Ethyl Formate poisoning. I need our Healer, and prep hemodialysis.” I ordered.

“What about an antidote? Since it is poisoning?” Felicity asked as I checked Stong Love’s wings for any injury. Considering his flight loss he may have lost consciousness before, and without anyone to catch him he could have injured them.

“Until the Healer has looked him over I don’t want to do anything other than prep for a potential blood purification. Griffin’s, like all magical creatures, have aversions to certain things in this world. Products only found here that our ancestors never had to worry about before making the cross over to this world.”

“Hasn’t it been thousand of years since they crossed to this one?”

“Yes, but that has not made our kind more aware of the danger that we could encounter, nor does that mean we have found every potential substance that could cause an adverse effect. With commerce, integrating cultures, and individuals exploring things that they would have not tried before it leaves many vulnerable. There are certain substances that are known to create reactions, but in the past hundred years, magical creatures have relocated encountering new ones that we are just now beginning to document. Griffin’s, as a relevant example, has no known adverse effects, only suspected, until now. Griffin’s can in combination with certain berries creates a chemical called ethyl formate. It smells like rum and it is in berries like the Salmonberry. A berry common to Oregon and similar to a raspberry. Griffins have not lived in the area long and seem to not have discovered the berry until recently. But the original people of the area used the berries and know the variety of their uses. They could have protected the Griffins if we only shared that we exist.”

The Healer came and took over as I waited to know the outcome while I made a note to tell the Keepers of the find. No other Griffin would suffer as this one had.

Three days.

Our Healer did the best periodically healing as best he could considering he needed time to regain his energy. 

I stood waiting outside of our clinic thinking as I felt a familiar arm slip around my shoulders.

“It will be okay. You always worry when one of your creatures are ill and they always pull through. He will be okay.”

“What if he can’t be rehabilitated? We keep enough of our creatures in magical Reserves for their protection. I don’t want to keep him from his home.”

“I already called Laurel. She’ll be here tomorrow. We will get him home. As far as the others, you know their Enclosures are created to be an entire world. They do not know any different and they have plenty of room.”

“Alone. They never interact with any, but their own Keepers. We can’t even provide an ecosystem because each Enclosure is so magically specific to the creature. I want to give all of them their best life.”

“And you do. You have given all of us our best home, and allowed the wild to remain strong.”

“Well, no one should feel like they have to be suppressed, locked up, caged, or controlled. I was once, that is no life to live.”

“You never will be again and look at how you have helped others find freedom because of your experience.” 

“What would I do without you?”

“Well, you would be dead by now if I wasn’t there to catch you.”

“True. And you’ve always been there, which makes falling all the more fun.”

Ulric smiled as the Healer called me in to see Strong Love. To my relief, he would live, but if he wanted to fly again that would take work.

Laurel worked every day on Strong Love’s next phase of healing. Exercises, stretches, techniques to help him gain any strength he would have lost between the falls and the toxin. She was one of the best Healers when it came to rehabilitation, a new concept to the magic world.

Then the day came that we transported Strong Love home.

For his safety, it was in a cage, kennel, whatever you wanted to say about the confining box. He wasn’t free to fly on his own just yet.

As we neared the mountain I smiled as other Griffins flew around, curious about our coming.

Hopefully, now that he was healed he would be accepted back into his pride.

We landed as the sun turned to reds and oranges, the trees looking black against the sky.

“Your home,” I whispered into the cage as I opened the doors.

“I’m scared.” He said cowering in the dark.

“It is always scary starting over when we’ve been hurt, but if we don’t step out and live we will live in fear for the rest of our lives. And that is no life.”

Strong Love stepped out as the light hit his amber fur. He looked up at the others flying freely. 

“Thank you. For healing me and returning me home. I trust you.” He said placing his forehead on my own. 

“Go be free.” I brushed his cheek with my hand before pulling away.

He pushed off the ground and flapped his wings. His silhouette against the sunset beautiful as he flew healed and free. 

Nothing holding him back.

How easy it could be to keep what was broken or sick locked away because of fear that it could become worse. When all most want to do is to be healed and set free.

To live their best life.

I felt fingers intertwine with my own.

“You’ve done it again.”

“What?”

“Reminded me how brave you are. How much your caring saves lives. Reminded me of the reason I’m brave. You help us all grow past our fears and explore lives outside of that mindset. Now is it time for you to be brave. You show others they can trust you. Now it is time for you. To trust others again and stop living in fear. To be brave again.” He spoke as I turned to face him.

As I looked into his eyes I realized something I hadn’t before. Overtime my broken trust had been slowly healed. 

And that is why I felt so comfortable falling for him.

Just like my creatures I had finally found a home, a safe place, and someone. Well, someone. 

In a moment of bravery, I hugged Ulric and he hugged me back. 

“I trust you.”

I found someone I could trust.

And as I earned my creatures, Ulric earned a Keeper’s trust.