(MLO) In Darkest Mountain


                                            >Day late summer in the Gryphon Kingdom

                                            >What, you thought this would be a story about colourful talking ponies?

                                            >What are you, a ten year old girl?

                                            >Anyway, you are Anon, a thirteen year old human boy

                                            >Through strange happenstance that would take far too long to explain (and far longer for the mind to comprehend) you had ended up deposited in this place

                                            >"This place" of course being a nest high in the peaks of the Heimdal Mountains

                                            >It had been five years since, as a boy, you had appeared here, cold, lonely, and scared

                                            >More terrifying had been the monstrous winged beast that had approached you in the pouring rain and whipping winds, screeching at you as though you were prey

                                            >You, of course, had burst into tears

                                            >You were cold, soaking wet, and scared, and now this big monster was going to eat you

                                            >But for some reason, it, rather she, hadn't

                                            >And as you curled up sobbing, the rain had stopped hitting your sopping clothes and tear streaked face

                                            >You had opened your eyes, expecting the monster to be looming over you, but saw what looked like a dome of brown feathers

                                            >You were still shaking in fear and cold, when something had nudged you from behind

                                            >You had yelped and jumped into the feathery shield, but it simply pulled you towards an inexorable demise

                                            >Or...cuddles

                                            >Yes, this beast had put you under her wing and pulled you against a, in contrast to the feathers on the wing, furred body

                                            >And, perhaps from the cold, or maybe the fear, you curled up against and clung to the warmth of the creature

                                            >A gentle cuff on the back of your head snapped you back to the present

                                            >Right, mummy was up then

                                            >"Hey, dweeb. I thought I told you to get me up when you got up. Get with the program, I can't work off all this fat if I don't work out!"

                                            >You sighed and walked back to your little corner of the rather large nest

                                            >There was the same old clothes you had when you'd arrived, a once nice suit with a striking red tie

                                            >Of course, the only thing "nice" about it anymore was the red tie

                                            >Everything else was stained, torn, patched, and burned

                                            >There was more animal skin on it, sewn in makeshift patches, but making it look absolutely terrible

                                            >Nevertheless, it was your only clothing, so you put it on without complaint, tied your tie, and walked back over to your mum

                                            So where are we supposed to be going for this "workout", mummy?

                                            >An object flies at your face from where your mummy is rooting about in the nest

                                            >In an incredibly cool moment, one of the few you can remember, you grab it from its flight and examine it

                                            >A spear, not just the sharpened stick that you had used on occasion before, a proper spear with  birch shaft and well forged head

                                            >"We're going hunting, Anon. I figure this might work a little better than those twigs you've been using before. Just make sure not to stab my flank again, alright?"

                                            >A grin spreads over your features, from memories of the incident in question, and finally being trusted enough to have a weapon of your own

                                            I won't let you down!

                                            >She chuckles and gives you a peck, not as painful as one would imagine due to the odd maleability of gryphon beaks, on the cheek

                                            >You blush, she didn't need to do that, you weren't a kid anymore!

                                            >"Gilda!"

                                            >A shout echoed off in the distance and your mum sighed heavily

                                            >"Looks like you're going to have to exercise on your own kiddo. I've got to head off and see what new crisis has been contrived for me today."

                                            >That was your mummy, always trying to help out the rest of the nesting

                                            >In spite of being one of the youngest of your group, the Sjurdheim Nest, she was by far the most well travelled and often called on to help work with other groups that the nest encountered

                                            >That, and she was seen as some kind of shaman, mostly because some strange creature no being had seen before appeared in her nest without warning

                                            >You pushed aside those thoughts and began the short climb down a path carved in the cliffside

                                            >It was a narrow affair, barely large enough for you to stand on, but you had walked it so often that it simply didn't matter anymore

                                            >You thought back to that first time all those years ago, as you landed lightly from the slight jump and began walking into the forest

                                            >"Just do it you little dweeb! Come on, I didn't spend two weeks carving out this trail and breaking my back hunting for you just so you could chicken out now!"

                                            >You had been crying in fear, the scary gryphon lady had hovered next to you the whole way down, shouting abuse mixed with encouragement the whole way

                                            >But now she was sitting on the ground, her lion-like tail swishing with impatience

                                            >Bending your knees, you'd taken a deep breath before shouting at her and throwing yourself forward as far as you could

                                            Catch me!

                                            >Gilda rushed forward, cursing whatever gods had sent this strange, squishy, and flightless creature to her

                                            >And whatever gods had cursed her with this infernal maternal instinct

                                            >She had caught you and you hugged her feathery chest tightly

                                            I-I wasn't sure you'd catch me...

                                            >She cradled you like a baby and nuzzled your teary face

                                            >"Of course I caught you, can't let some godspawned kid go and die on me now, can I? Imagine what the elders would say to that!"

                                            >You had giggled and stretched up to kiss her on her cheek

                                            >She'd dropped you to the ground and stammered, blushing profusely

                                            >"W-what in the hells was that for, moron?"

                                            "W-well you saved me from dying. A-and I don't mean just this time."

                                            >Her wing cuffed the back of your head, not enough to hurt but just to let you know who was boss

                                            >"Well don't! It's not a gryphon like thing to do. And you may not have wings like us, but by the gods I'll whip you into a better gryphon than anyone around."

                                            >The snap of a branch brought you out of your recourse through your early days

                                            >You crouched down into a semi-concealed position in some knee high grass, spear held low, muscles taut

                                            >A bevy of small deer wandered into the little clearing, looking around cautiously and sniffing the air

                                            >Fortunately, you were downwind of them and they didn't catch your scent

                                            >Carefully and slowly, you brought the spear up into a ready position, the haft resting on your shoulder as you gazed at your prey

                                            >One of the larger bucks took shelter at the foot of a tree, barely a meter from your hiding spot

                                            >Cautious of any sound you could make that may startle him, you shifted so that you were facing the deer nearest

                                            >Now...just like mummy had taught you

                                            >With a cry you sprang from the brush and threw the spear, at near point blank range, into the bucks ribs

                                            >The rest of the herd took off loping away, but the injured deer fell to the earth as it rose with a strangled cry, laboured breathing slowing and becoming more shallow by the second

                                            >You stood over your prey and pulled the spear from its side, plunging the iron head of your weapon back into its neck, silencing its cries and stopping its heart in an instant

                                            >It had been hard to hunt the first time, but it got easier the more you did it

                                            >As you hefted the rather heavy catch onto your back, your thoughts drifted back to the first hunting trip you'd gone on

                                            >The wind had bitten your through the thin liner of your dress jacket

                                            >Not for the first time you had wished that you'd been whisked to this place in a thicker coat, maybe some boots too

                                            >A cuff on the back of your skull brought you out of the stupor

                                            >"Hey, do as I tell you and maybe you won't starve through the winter, idiot."

                                            >You snapped back to the moment, as mean as this gryphon thing lady was, she did care about you

                                            >Kinda like your mummy back on...

                                            >Wait, where did you come from?

                                            >You couldn't remember, the first thing you recalled was waking up to a peal of thunder with twigs poking your back and a monster, that wasn't a monster at all, roaring at you

                                            >It shook you, but another blow straightened your thoughts out quickly

                                            >"Now, look at me. Crouch low like this, but not so low that you can't move. You need to be able to pounce at a moments notice, like this."

                                            >Gilda sprang forward, grappling a sapling that was in front of her and ruthlessly tearing it from the ground as an example

                                            >"Now, you don't have talons or a beak like me. Actually, you're pretty scrawny all over."

                                            >She had poked your ribs with the sapling, which you'd winced at

                                            >She shook her head as she trimmed the small tree down and whittled the end to a point, throwing the improvised weapon to you

                                            >"There, now you're ready to take down some food. Come on."

                                            >She'd led you deep into the forest, shushing any attempt at conversation and stopping every so often to listen to the woods around you

                                            >Finally, she held up a claw and crouched low, crawling into a bush

                                            >You'd crouched as well, following her as quiet as you could into the shrub

                                            >And there you lay, waiting, shivering, trying your best to not make a sound

                                            >A fierce wind rippled the leaves and cut through to your skin, making you shake like a green twig

                                            >You huddled closer to Gilda, drawing on her warmth

                                            >The gryphon flinched slightly when you touched her, but lets you cuddle up against her

                                            >Without warning she tears through the brush, leaving a large hole in what was once excellent concealment

                                            >As you'd fallen over, a pained bleat had sounded from the area Gilda had pounced to

                                            >You clambered out of the bush and saw Gilda with her talons gripping the sides of a roe deer, her beak clamped on the back of its neck to stop it from thrashing too much

                                            >She let go with her beak and looked up at you

                                            >"Alright kid, you're gonna finish off this prey. Your first kill."

                                            >Your hands had begun to shake as you stared down at the doe

                                            "K-kill it? B-but I don't..."

                                            >Her wing caught the back of your head again, causing you to stumble in the moment

                                            >"No time to be afraid, kid. You do this and maybe I won't leave you out in the cold."

                                            >Well it was already hurt, and you really didn't like the cold

                                            >You looked into the deers eyes, wide with fear as your own were

                                            >You'd taken a deep breath, closed your eyes, and plunged the makeshift spear into its throat, feeling it spasm under your attack one last time before laying still

                                            >You'd sank to your knees, vomiting onto the grass beside the corpse of the steaming fresh kill, as Gilda had taken some of the running blood on her talons and wiped it in patterns on your forehead and cheeks

                                            >"Well kid, you've done better than some of the chicks that went through this. Not as good as me, of course, but not so bad. Looks like you're a real gryphon now. But you'll need a name. We can't just have some anonymous gryph..."

                                            >She trailed off, a smirk coming onto her face

                                            >"That's your name, 'Anonymous'. We don't know where your from, what you are, or what your name is, so that's what we'll call you. Congrats, kiddo."

                                            >You looked up at her, your tears streaking the runes of blood drawn on your face

                                            >Her smirk and stony visage had faded when she saw the look in your eyes and had wrapped her forelegs and wings around you, a warm, loving embrace

                                            >"Hey, don't cry kid. You won't have to stay out in the winter cold on your own. I-I'll take care of you, okay? How does that sound, a winter being looked after by the coolest gryphon around."

                                            >Your sobbing had slowly faded away and she'd let you go, hefting the kill onto her back

                                            >"Come on, looks like a storm is brewing and we should get back to our nest."

                                            >You had nodded and walked beside her, resting a small hand on her neck to comfort you

                                            >For her part, she hadn't berated you or hit you the whole way back, or even for the next week

                                            >She'd really changed towards you, acting more like a mum than she ever had before

                                            >And maybe, just maybe, that was okay

                                            >Smacking into a tree brought you out of your memories, making you fall back onto your butt

                                            >You really needed to watch where you were going, but at least the nest was right there

                                            >It took some time, hell by the time you reached the small cave that sheltered the nest the sun was creeping down and turning a burnished orange

                                            >You drag the carcass of the buck to the rear of the cave, where the filleting tools were along with the salt for treating it, and get to work

                                            >Another hour and you're done

                                            >The pelt hangs at the front of the cave, salted and ready to dry the next day in the August sun, the offal deposited off the edge of the outcropping

                                            >The bones, cleaned with a mixture of vinegar and water, lay across from the cleaning place, waiting to be made into tools or trinkets for bartering

                                            >And the meat has been cut into strips, salted, and stored in different conainers both for consumption in the coming days and in the long term

                                            >And you had cut a fresh steak for your mummy, she loved roe buck, especially with sprigs of nutmeg

                                            >So now all you had to do was wait

                                            >And wait...

                                            >The moon had risen, a gigantic disk of bright silver, accompanied by twinkling stars

                                            >Finally, a shadow begins to take shape against the moon

                                            >It took her long enough, but you couldn't be angry at your mummy, she was busy trying to help everyone

                                            >You saw the frenetic beat of her wings, the stark white of her feathered head, her yellow talons glinting in the sky, her...

                                            >Sparkling silver wingtip highlights?

                                            >No, this wasn't your mother

                                            >You immediately dash back to the nest and grab your spear, charging back to the front of the cave to meet the strange gryphon approaching you

                                            >As the strange gryphon lands, you notice the darkness of her coat, a clear difference from your mummy

                                            >You level the spear at the intruder

                                            "You're trespassing on the nest of Gilda and Anonymous. State your business or leave now!"

                                            >The gryphon shakes her head and bats the spear aside

                                            >"No time kid, hang on."

                                            >She picks you up as easily as a fawn, but with considerably less aggression

                                            "Hey what are you doing? Put me down!"

                                            >You start thrashing as best you can in the tight grasp

                                            >She gives your body a rough shake

                                            >"Hey kid, calm down. I'd hate to drop you all the way down there. Your mum would kill me, assuming Arvid didn't get me first."

                                            >Arvid, he was the alpha around here, a proper titan of a gryphon. If he wanted you present...

                                            >Well you certainly stopped struggling

                                            "Can you at least tell me what's going on?"

                                            >You feel the skip in the otherwise steady beat of wings

                                            >"Well, your mum she's...she's been hurt pretty bad. Can't bring her back to her own nest, and she swore to all the gods she'd walk back there if you weren't beside her inside of an hour."

                                            >Your mummy had been hurt?

                                            >Oh gods, what had you been thinking!

                                            >You were so selfish, treating this gryphon like an enemy, being so mean to her

                                            >And daring to think your mummy might be late because she valued the tribe more than you

                                            "I-I'm sorry miss. What's you're name?"

                                            >Her wings skip another beat

                                            >"Call me Inge, kid. And don't worry about it, you were just defending your home, alright? Your mum would be proud."

                                            >How would she know?

                                            >The rest of the trip, the ten minutes it took at the frankly breakneck pace that strained Inge to the limit, passed in baleful silence

                                            >Finally you reached the peak where your mother was

                                            >It was rather far out on the rim of the nestings territories

                                            >What had she been doing out here? The only thing past here was...

                                            >No, there was no possible way

                                            >Ten feet from the ground you wrench yourself from Inge's grasp and land lightly, sprinting into the warmly lit cave

                                            >There's a gryphon in grey and white robes in the way

                                            >You use her back as a springboard and leap over her, landing on the edge of an oddly shaped nest

                                            >And there's your mother, bruised, bandaged, and battered

                                            >Her beak has a long crack in it, her left eye is nearly swollen shut, both wings wrapped in blood soaked bandages, along with her hind legs and ribs

                                            >And somehow, she manages to sit up and smile at you

                                            >"H-hey, kiddo. G-guess I've looked better, right?"

                                            >You're too shocked to say anything, and you barely even react when a hulking talon is laid on your shoulder

                                            >"Anonymous, we understand your pain but you have to move and let the gothi work her magic. It's the only way your mother is going to heal."

                                            >The rumbling voice could have belonged to a rockslide, but you knew who it was

                                            >You step aside, closer to the giant that is Arvid, and let the priestess work

                                            >She paints all manner of runes over different parts of your mother, sometimes using her own blood, sometimes using Gilda's, and muttering strange incantations

                                            >You knew the basics of runes, stuff for a good night sleep, or courage in a fight, but this was a whole different basket

                                            >You could practically smell the magic in the air as the fires changed to a sickly blue colour and smoke began to fill the cavern

                                            >You drew closer to Arvid, but he simply stared at the gothi, engrossed by whatever ritual she was performing

                                            >It was certainly a surreal sight, strange shapes weaved themselves in the smog about the cavern

                                            >A horse with eight legs, able to outrun the sun

                                            >A giant swinging a sword that rent the cloud it was a part of in two

                                            >A great wolf stalking behind the moon, and swallowing in whole

                                            >It seemed to take hours, and yet was hardly recallable when it had finally run its course

                                            >The gothi slumped back, only to be caught by Inge before she hit the floor

                                            >She turned to the chieftain and spoke in a whispering voice that echoed through the chamber

                                            >"I have done all I could, Arvid. She will live, but she won't fly until perhaps the next summer, if even then. "

                                            >Your pupils shrunk to dots in your irises and you ran forward

                                            "What do you mean my mummy can't fly until next summer? Why can't your magic fix her? It's done it before for other gryphons!"

                                            >The gothi stared at you, he milky eyes still carrying the weight of terrible knowledge

                                            >"Child, your mother is lucky to have survived until I arrived here. So unless you want to offer yourself as a sacrifice to fix her faster, I suggest you get used to the idea that YOU are going to have to care for her."

                                            >You feel a lump rise in your throat and sink to your knees

                                            >But you feel a claw tap your shoulder weakly and see your mummy sitting up, he eye far less swollen than before and looking somehow better

                                            >"It's not so bad, kid. All you're really going to have to do is go hunting once in a while, and even then not too often. A couple nests already promised to help us out."

                                            >You stand and wrap your arms around her neck, careful to not squeeze her too hard

                                            "How did this happen?"

                                            >She licked her mended beak and gave you a kiss on the forehead

                                            >"That would be the dragons. We were trying to barter usage of a section of their hunting grounds for some gems we had, but one of our diplomats...panicked. When the dragon approached him for a ceremony, he swiped at its face. After that, well...It's a little hazy, but I don't think anyone else made it out."

                                            >A cold pit forms in your stomach

                                            >Dragons

                                            >What other creature could cause this kind of injury to your mummy, she was the strongest around

                                            >"Look kiddo, don't worry about me, alright? Let's just get home and get some sleep. I'm going to need a lot of it for the next while."

                                            >You gently help her up, careful to not put pressure on the bloodstains across the bandages

                                            >Arvid picks your mother up and motions to one of his huscarls who had been standing in the shadows, watching for any threats to his employer

                                            >The sizeable retainer scooped you up without any show of strain, followed the giant gryphon out of the cave and took flight

                                            >Perhaps because you were consumed with thoughts of your mummy, perhaps because of fear, or shame, or even relief that she was going to live, the trip seemed much shorter

                                            >Arvid deposited your mother gently into your shared nest, while the huscarl left you standing on the rocks beside it

                                            >You thanked the chief and his retainer in turn and offered them the steaks you had out for yourself and your mother, which they politely refused

                                            >Without further conversation, they left you and your mum in peace, departing back to their own peak

                                            >You brought the still fresh cut of meat to your mummy and put it down beside her head, sitting in the nest beside her

                                            >She let out a weak chuckle

                                            >"Sorry bud, but you're going to have to feed me. At least for tonight, I can barely move."

                                            >You pick up the hunk of meat and hold it near her face

                                            "C'mon mummy, make way for the choo-choo train."

                                            >She gives you a look that would likely still a lesser beings heart

                                            >"I swear, you're having too much fun with this."

                                            >But she finally lets her hunger get the better of her and tears a piece from the steak

                                            >You smile, knowing that if you didn't at least project confidence, you'd get mercilessly mocked

                                            "Well you tease me all the time, I'm just getting back at you."

                                            >She puts a talon to her forehead, dramatically

                                            >"Oh cruel child, how could you do this to your poor injured mother. Have I not suffered enough at the tooth and claw of the scaly monstrosities beyond the rim?"

                                            >Even though you knew it was a performance, it still made you feel a bit uneasy

                                            >But Gilda knew you better than anyone and dropped the act as soon as your face began to fall

                                            >She took the claw from her forehead and put it on your back to comfort you

                                            >You cuddled closer to her, holding up the rest of the steak without comment

                                            >Her hunger overtook her maternal feelings momentarily and she gulped down the deer meat, licking her beak to clean if afterwards

                                            >She nuzzles your neck and wraps her uninjured foreleg around you

                                            >"Come on kid. You know I was just messing with you."

                                            >You shudder as a breeze rolls through the cave and curl up tighter, and your mummy tightened her own grip on you

                                            >All was quiet, besides the whistling of a harsh wind outside, precursing the cold winter that would be on them all too soon

                                            >Your mum was the first to break the blanket of silence

                                            >"Look, I know I'm hard on you. I just want you to be a tough kid, alright? I'm not going to be around forever, a lot less if I keep this up."

                                            >She lets out a throaty chuckle, and though the joke itself doesn't make you feel any better, her laugh somehow does, and you let out an involuntary giggle yourself

                                            >She sighs and nuzzles your cheek, a gesture that you return with abandon

                                            >"It's just something that my parents did to me, and I turned out well enough. The truth is, and I swear if you giggle at this you're going over the edge, but I really do love you, Anonymous. You're not a gryphon, not a chick, but you're still my son. Alright?"

                                            >You stretched your neck and look at your mum, feeling a warmth for her you never had before

                                            >She really did love you?

                                            >You knew she cared, but you figured it was more like a pet than anything else, something that appeared in her nest one day and she had to care for

                                            >The only reason you had started calling her mummy was because, years ago, you couldn't remember what your original mother had looked like, but you still wanted to have one

                                            >You stretch up and kiss her cheek, and you can see a blush cover her entire face

                                            >"Hey, steady on kid. You're gonna make me pop a scar at this rate."

                                            >You curl up against her again, clinging gently to her neck and closing your eyes

                                            >You feel her breathing drop off to slumber, leaving you alone with your thoughts, which wouldn't let you fall asleep yourself

                                            >Kissing wasn't a gryphon thing to do, so why had you done it at all?

                                            >Well because you loved her of course

                                            >But what did that mean?

                                            >You'd caught looks at your mums privates when she had stretched out, but you'd always looked away!

                                            >You didn't like her like that...right? She was your mummy!

                                            >But did it matter, she wasn't your real mum...

                                            >A yawn broke your train of thought. Well, it could all wait until tomorrow anyway

                                            >Until tomorrow...

                                            >The winter passed surprisingly quick, and before you knew it, it was already late into May

                                            >It was a rather mild season, in spite of how cold the autumn had been, but food had still been hard to find

                                            >You grew, taller and leaner, most of your food went to your mum, since she was still recovering

                                            >But you certainly dug in when the Solstice gathering came around

                                            >It was near certain you'd bloated that night, just from the sheer amount of drink alone

                                            >And finally, the thaw came, the animals migrated back, or came out of hibernation, and the world was finally warming

                                            >And best of all, the gothi was coming today to remove the bandages

                                            >Permanently!

                                            >You rise and stretch, the morning sun warming your chest

                                            >And from behind you, the ticking of claws on stone and a warm nuzzling at your side

                                            >You put an arm around your mum and gave her a hug, which she returned as best she could

                                            >She'd been much warmer to you since her impairment, likely due to you spending so much time with her

                                            >It was far from unwelcome, but you'd always felt a bit...

                                            >Weird

                                            >As the winter passed by and you got ever closer to her, you began to be attracted to her, more than ever before

                                            >When you'd helped her preen her feathers, what few weren't bandaged, you would always stay a bit longer with the light plucks and strokes

                                            >When you washed where she couldn't, your caress lingered on her unmentionables, and followed the curve of her body

                                            >You weren't too sure what she thought of it, she would either say nothing or, when you flushed the first couple times, would simply tease you about it

                                            >But all that was passing by now, she'd have the bandages off and be able to reach for herself, no longer need assistance

                                            >But it would all be okay

                                            >Because she was still your mummy, and you still loved her

                                            >In the distance, the shadow of the gothi and her assistant grew, those same silvery wingtips you had threatened in the late summer coming once again to deliver a bad time

                                            >Inge and her grandmother landed at the front of the cave, accepting your bows with grace

                                            >"Well, shall we get started? I'm certain your mother is very eager to be out of those dressings."

                                            >You both nod and Gilda submits herself to the gothis orders

                                            >An hour later, the stained bandages were on the ground and your mother was stretching her now unburdened wings

                                            >Inge was lecturing Gilda while the gothi cleaned up her tools

                                            >"Remember, take it easy. You may not be able to fly for quite a while still. Give your bones time to strengthen. And you'll need to exercise the muscles too, they'll be atrophied by now."

                                            >Gilda nodded eagerly, stretching like a housecat and giving you an excellent view of her rear

                                            >You tried your damndest not to let it show

                                            >Inge gives you a knowing smile and flies off with the gothi after getting confirmation from Gilda

                                            >You mum turns back around to you, folding her wings back down to her sides

                                            >"Come on, hon. Let's go for a walk"

                                            >As you followed her out, you reflected that new name for you, or names rather

                                            >'Hon', 'sweetie', 'peanut'

                                            >Pet names

                                            >It really showed how close she had gotten over the past nine months of being around you

                                            >That, or how much she'd softened from it

                                            >Either way, you made your way down the narrow path, behind her for the best view

                                            >She never once said a word, if she noticed at all

                                            >"Come on, I want to show you something."

                                            >With that she took off running into the brush, and after a moment of surprise, you followed hot on her heels

                                            "Mum, wait up!"

                                            >A stray branch smacked you in the face and you fall over

                                            >Blushing from the blow, you feel your nose to see if it's broken or bleeding, and finding it's not you charge after her once again

                                            >Only to stumble into a little clearing

                                            >It's properly beautiful, a small pond lays in the center, sparkling under the spring sunlight, wildflowers cropping up all around

                                            >It looks like a dream

                                            >You step towards the mirrorlike pool and peer at your reflection

                                            >You think back on how much you've changed, how much you've grown, how much--

                                            >Your thoughts are interrupted as you splash down, face first into the shallows

                                            >Coughing as you come up, you look around angrily for the source of your humiliation

                                            >Gilda is standing at the edge, peering down at you and laughing loud and long

                                            >"Oh man, that was priceless. Sorry hon, but I just had to!"

                                            >She holds out a forelimb to help you out of the pool

                                            >Vengeance shall be yours!

                                            >You grasp her limb and pull her into the pond after you, dunking her under the water with one arm and tickling her wingpits with the other

                                            >One of her wings flares and smacks your face, knocking you off balance for just long enough that she gains the upper hand

                                            >Now you're under the water and flailing as she tickles your sides

                                            >Oh gods, you can't breathe

                                            >Something in the way your struggling must have changed, because your mum let you up after that

                                            >You claw to the surface, gasping for air and turn to face your mother

                                            >She's looking down at the ripples in the pond, shameful

                                            >"Sorry, hon. I thought you were just having fun and I wanted to play along."

                                            >Without thought, your hand stretches and two fingers lay under her beak, pushing her head up so she looks at you

                                            >She simply stared into your eyes with those golden jewels glistening in the sunlight

                                            >You swallow heavily and lick your lips

                                            >This was it

                                            >You inch closer

                                            >Now or never

                                            >So close you can feel her breathing on your lips, hot and heavy

                                            >No one lives forever

                                            >You clamp your lips around her beak, kissing her as best you can with your lack of time doing this

                                            >Her beak scrunched back under the surprise, but soon molds to meet your lips as well as it can

                                            >Your tongue snaked forward of its own accord and met hers, dancing clumsily around it

                                            >Finally the moment was over and kiss broke, leaving you both panting from the lack of breath and the experience

                                            >"A-Anon, what was that?"

                                            >You look down shamefaced

                                            "I'm sorry mummy, I've just wanted to do that for so long and I--"

                                            >She cuts you off with another kiss

                                            >It ends far too soon and leaves you confused

                                            "But I thought that..."

                                            >She shushes you with a wingtip and leans in closer to you

                                            >"Don't think, hon. And hurry up before I do."

                                            >You push her over onto the shore and kiss her again, more fiercely this time, and she returns it with just the same fire

                                            >You feel her guide a hand down to the same place you've lusted after for so long, and you feel the heat and dampness there

                                            >You keep kissing her, starting a clumsy massage around her folds and making her moan into the kiss

                                            >You feel a talon slide along the bulge in your pants and you press into her more, loving the new sensation

                                            >A breeze hits your skin as she pulls your pants down, and you squeeze her pussy, making her squeak

                                            >The kiss is broken once again, and this time she shoves you on your back

                                            "M-mum what are you doing?"

                                            >She presses her talon to your lips, gazing at you with half-lidded eyes

                                            >You get the picture

                                            >Her tail wraps around your cock, lifting it straight up, you didn't even know she could do that

                                            >And then, she lowers herself down onto you, moaning as you fill her up

                                            >By the gods, you had fantasized about this for months but nothing compared to how it felt

                                            >Your hips move on their own, thrusting until you hilt inside, making your mum chirp in the cutest way

                                            >Your smile must be obvious because she glares and guides your hands to her hips, then starts bouncing on your dick

                                            >The pleasure is indescribable, and you grit your teeth as she rides you, down up then down again

                                            >She's clearly enjoying herself, her wings fully extended and flapping on occasion

                                            >Her muscles contract and you feel the heat spread over your crotch

                                            >It's too much for you anymore

                                            >A pressure builds in your cock for an instant, then releases inside your moaning mother

                                            >She chirrups in surprise and grinds herself against you for a minute more, torturing you with a painful amount of pleasure

                                            >Finally, she collapses on your chest, panting and purring, her heart beating as fast as yours, and in time with it

                                            >You wraps your arms about her, holding her close

                                            >A pregnant silence hangs in the air

                                            >Finally, you break it

                                            "I love you, mommy."

                                            >She looks down at you, her cheeks blazing red and eyes reflecting the love only a mother could feel

                                            >"I love you too...son."