The Two Gryphons

[SilentPsycho]

Listen, child, listen to my words, and I will tell you a tale of old. It is a tale of arrogance, pride, and wisdom.

***

Once upon a time, in the forever far away lands, lived two young gryphons near a lake of glittering blue. The elder, whose feathers glimmered gold underneath the shining sun, was vain and arrogant, and could often be found pruning his glorious plumage, or showing off his flying skills for any female gryphon in sight. The other was a simple brown gryphon, whose feathers of earth tones seemed drab in comparison to his companion. He was quiet, unusual for a gryphon, and often went on long flights alone, or could be found in silent thought on his favourite rock, basking under the sun's rays.
One day, the golden gryphon, after admiring his reflection in the lake, turned to his friend.

"Have you not seen such a wonder as I am. My wonderful golden feathers, the grace and beauty of my flight, and the sheer magnificence of my form. The gods must have smiled upon me the day I was born!"

The brown gryphon stayed silent.

Irked by his companion's silence, the golden gryphon did begin to proclaim his magnificence once again.

"Why, look at my feathers! Don't they shine with a radient light, in comparison to your own dull, mud-coloured ones? Are not my talons sharper than yours? Do I not cause awe amongst the females, whereas none will even look your direction? Therefore, I must be the most amazing of us two!"

Again, the brown gryphon stayed silent.

Enraged, the golden gryphon did challenge his companion to a contest. It would be a contest to persuade a judge to choose which gryphon was the better. The date was chosen, and the golden gryphon flew off to prepare. The brown gryphon just stayed quiet, basking on his favourite rock at the edge of the lake.

Three days hence, the pair met up again at the lakeside. The judge, a wise and powerful phoenix, had arrived, the light from his blazing feathers reflecting in the cerulean waters of the lake. A crowd had gathered, to watch the show.

The golden gryphon went first. With a graceful bound, he flew into the air. Spins, dives, lops, it was a glorious display of aerial acrobatics! His flight had lead him over the lake, where his reflection flew below him in a glorious duet.

"Look at me!" cried the golden gryphon. "Look at how well I can fly!"

The golden gryphon landed and spread his wings wide, his golden feathers glittering in the sunlight.

"Look at me!" cried the golden gryphon. "Look how wonderful I look!"

Suddenly, the golden gryphon leaped at a nearby boulder. Within a few minutes, there was naught left but pebbles and small stones. The golden gryphon waited until the dust had settled, before turning back to the crowd.

"Look at me!" cried the golden gryphon. "Look how sharp my talons are!"

His display finished, the golden gryphon sat back on his haunches, proudly accepting the applause from the crowd. The phoenix stood thoughtful, before turning his gaze to the brown gryphon. The crowd quieted, wondering whatcould the gryphon do to prove that he was even more amazing than his predecessor?

The brown gryphon just sat there, before opening his beak to speak.

"With my eyes, I can see the birth of a newborn cub, the dewdrop on a flower, and the stars above, all twickling brightly in the velvety fabric of the sky. With my ears of flesh, I can hear the whispers of the winds as they play over meadows on a hot summers day, or hear the stories told in a thunderstorm. Within my mind, there are hundreds of fascinating, wonderous worlds, all linked and spinning eternally, all beautiful in their own individuality. When I close my eyes, I go to them and dance above the plains of gold, silver, turquoise and ameythist. Perhaps today I will fly past a unicorn and together we shall cross the plains as one, or swim with the mer-kin under the shining sea, or fly with the crystal-coated dragons that shine iridescent as they dance through the sky of emerald green? When I hear music I am transported to places, from sea to sand to mountains, full of wonderous tales to be told, and laughter and merriment intertwine to form a trancendant melody which propells the mysteries of life. With my voice, deep in this body of flesh and feathers, I can comfort, enrich, weave tales of woe, happiness, sorrow, love, death, life, and everything in between. With this voice, I can sing to another being's soul, and thus we will be forever intertwined in that single moment."

The brown gryphon was chosen the winner.

***

You see, my child, everyone can see the outside of a being, but it is that which is deep within that is most wonderous and mysterious, and it is those who flaunt their gifts to the point of arrogance that are commonplace.

[Kamitsure]

doesnt make sense... are you saying the brown gryphon was a fortune teller? and that he won? or did you mean to say... "The pheonix has chosen the winner"

[SilentPsycho]

The golden gryphon may have shown physical beauty and prowess, but the brown one awed the judge with his imagination and more intellectual skills. Sometimes, it's the things hidden deep inside that are more wonderful and amazing than the outside of a person.