The Big Shiny Bird

They walked side by side. Bob held the compass. He watched the path. It was a good job.

The path led them down into a long, wide valley. The air was still. The only sound was their own footsteps on the gravel. The grey mountain was closer now, filling the sky in front of them.

Suddenly, Bob stopped.

He did not stop because he was tired. He stopped because of a feeling. A new feeling. It started in his chest, right where the compass lay. It was a cold, spiky feeling. Like the thorny bush from yesterday.

He put a hand on his chest. He looked down the path. He could see nothing wrong. It was just an empty valley. But the feeling was strong.

He tugged on Traveller's sleeve.

Traveller stopped and looked down. "What is it, Bob?"

Bob shook his head. He pointed down the path with his stick-sword, then drew a big 'X' in the air with it.

"No... go," he said, his voice serious. "Bad... feel."

Traveller looked down the valley. Their eyes scanned every rock, every shadow. They saw nothing. They heard nothing. The path was clear. Logic said to keep going.

But they looked at Bob's face. His plain, serious face. There was no fear in his eyes. Just a simple, sure 'no'.

Traveller was quiet for a long time. They trusted their own eyes. But they remembered the compass. They remembered the pat on the head.

"Okay, Bob," they said, their voice soft. "We find another way."

They turned and began to climb the steep side of the valley. It was hard work. The rocks were loose, and the bushes were thick. But they climbed.

When they reached the top, they looked down into the valley they had avoided.

And they saw why.

In the middle of the valley was a huge nest, made of whole trees and branches. And standing beside it was a creature as large as Jorn's cart. It had the body of a lion and the head and wings of a giant eagle. Its feathers were not feathers. They were sharp, shimmering shards that glittered like broken glass in the sun.

It was a Shardwing Griffin. A very rare, very dangerous creature.

Traveller's whole body went tense. Their hand rested on the hilt of their hidden sword. They had walked right towards its nesting ground. The 'bad feel' had saved their lives.

The problem was, the ridge they were on was a dead end. They had to go back the way they came, or find a way past the griffin.

As Traveller planned their next move, Bob just watched. He did not see a monster. He saw a big, shiny bird. It looked lonely. It kept looking around, as if it was scared something would hurt its nest.

Traveller's voice was a harsh whisper. "Bob, stay back. We need to be very quiet."

But Bob had a different idea. He saw the big bird was scared. He remembered the sad musician. He remembered the man with the broken cart.

He started walking along the ridge, in plain sight.

"Bob, no!" Traveller's voice was sharp with a rare panic. "Get back here! It will see you!"

Bob did not listen. He had a plan. He reached into his small pouch and pulled out the glowing blue mushroom he had picked for the campfire. It was pretty. A good gift.

The Shardwing Griffin saw him. It let out a piercing shriek that echoed through the valley. It spread its glittering wings, ready to attack. It had seen Traveller's tense, hostile posture from the start. It saw another threat.

But then it looked at Bob.

The small, grey-cloaked boy was not hiding. He was not holding a weapon. He just walked to the edge of the ridge, placed the glowing blue mushroom on a flat rock, and then took several steps back. He gave the big bird a small, simple wave.

The griffin froze. Its shriek died in its throat.

It looked at the tense, cloaked figure half-hidden in the rocks, hand on a sword. A threat.

Then it looked at the small, calm boy who had given it a light. A curiosity.

The giant creature tilted its sharp, beaked head. It let out a different sound. A low, questioning coo. It took a hesitant step towards the glowing mushroom, its glittering eyes never leaving Bob.

It did not attack. It was just as curious as Bob was.

Traveller watched, frozen in disbelief, as the giant predator stared at the small boy, and the small boy stared back, neither of them afraid of the other.