Cecilia was born with magical powers - but the humans of Elennya feared those witches living among them. To them, they were freaks, an abomination. They marked their faces with an unmistakable pattern and banished them from their cities, leaving them to themselves. Cecilias parents tried to hide her from the authorities, but to no avail. She was cast out at the young age of 6 winters, and her parents were punished. She wasn't even able to use her powers.

For days she wandered through the woods. Every human she encountered, she begged for help. But they ignored her. The next hours of twilight came and a misty shroud engulfed the green of the trees. But still, she carried on. She had to.

A clearing opened in front of her, and it seemed even the fog did not dare entering it, the forest glade aflame with the colors of dusk. A big lynx sat in the middle of the clearing, its watchful eyes on her. Cecilia advanced slowly as if tugged along by an invisible hand, completely in awe of the beauty before her. The lynx stood, and she could not believe her own eyes as the feline began to shimmer and to change. Snow-white wings formed and golden feathers sprouted, its face changing to that of an barn-owl. Razor-sharp talons scraped the ground, and its cry rang out to the sky, silencing every other creature in the woods. In front of her stood the perfect symbiosis between two souls in the same body, a creature born in an Otherworld, a Spheras. A gryphon.

Cecilia did not know if to run or to stay, but that decision was taken from her when her knees gave out. She fell to the ground. Cecilia had heard stories and legends about the gryphons - there were only three left. This one was Silentia, the one usually hostile towards humans. Oh, her luck. Maybe she could get out of the forest alive if-

"You think a lot for such a young human."

Her eyes snapped to Silentia's. Cecilia was still frozen in place and was not able to form coherent words. Silentia took surprisingly silent steps towards her and lowered its head, speaking to her in that silky, androgynous voice.

"Don't be afraid of me, little girl. You should be afraid of the shadows lurking behind you."

She did not know what the gryphon meant, but she turned her head, and saw... nothing.

"Look closely. Look with more than your pitiful eyes."

Only then she started to see. Cecilia began to see more and more of those shadows, only waiting to pounce, and she shivered.

"Look at me, Cecilia."

But she couldn't. She couldn't turn her back to them.

Another soul-piercing cry of the gryphon chased the shadows away. But they were still there, waiting. Cecilia turned her head back, only to come face to face with Silentia. Its dark eyes spoke of thousands of years of living. Still, its face came nearer, until its beak was pressed to her forehead. A warm and tingly feeling spread from the spot, and it felt as if a constricting cage around her broke apart. Eyes wide opened, she reached out to Silentia to softly stroke its warm feathers. For just a moment it let her, but then the gryphon stepped back again.

"This will keep the shadows away, and now you shall be able to use your powers. Weigh your intentions for it with thought, for everything has its price. Now go, and don't come back here."

And so she did. Cecilia continued to wander the woods... until a fateful meeting with a dragon gave her hope.

View the second part of Cecilia's story here: https://www.weasyl.com/submission/333890

I hope it's not too obvious what I think of human society lol

Used:
*Graphite Pencils 2B 6B
*Kneaded Eraser
*Q-Tips