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As a matter of fact, it's so dark that you're not entirely sure where "here" is. You grope around, trying to get your bearings, but all you can feel are cold, slightly damp stone walls. As your eyes get more used to the dark, you move farther down the wall, away from the safety of the doorway. After a few minutes of exploring, you are shivering with cold, you still can't see very well, and you have no idea where you are. You think about trying to get back to the main hall, but you're not sure which direction the door is in, or what might be between it and you. You're trying very hard not to dwell on what else might be in this room with you--so hard that you stop paying attention to where you're going, and crash into what feels like a big pile of sticks. "Ouch!" you yell, but your voice is lost in the huge roar coming from the pile. You are assaulted by a blast of wind and a flash of bright light, and then find yourself face to face with a very large, very angry gryphon.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" the gryphon hisses, fixing you with a baleful eye. "Oh, ah, nobody, really," you stutter. "I really should be leaving now..." You start edging in the direction where you think the door is, but the gryphon lets out a screech that stops you in your tracks. "Answer me! Are you friend or foe?" "Friend," you answer immediately. You certainly don't want to be the enemy of anything that big! The gryphon eyes you with doubt in his eyes. "Prove it." You think frantically of something to say. In desperation, you shove your hands into your pockets and come up with Juleidah's cookie. "Juleidah sent me," you blurt. "She told me to give you this," and you hold the cookie out in your shaking hand. The gryphon reaches out a razor-sharp claw and takes the cookie from you as gently as if it were made of glass. "I really must remind her that I've redone this place," he says, almost to himself, as he munches the cookie. "That's the third time this month she's sent someone into my bedroom." "I'm sorry I woke you up," you tell him. "I didn't mean to." The gryphon bows. "Don't worry about it," he says gallantly. "It wasn't your fault." He stretches, yawns, and shakes himself from head to toe. "And now, if you would please follow me, I'll take you someplace where I can be a better host." What do you do? |
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