Peony took Aether's hand and pushed to the front of the crowd, muttering 'Excuse us' ever so often. Reidenworth ducked into the den in the middle of the field and clicked her tongue. She snapped her fingers a few times and whistled. "C'mere sweetie…" she cooed kneeling at the entrance. Slowly a small griffin the size of toddler came out. He wiggled his rear and trotted towards Ms. Reidenworth, butting his head against her legs as she rubbed his back. She whispered and baby-talked to him.
"Peony," Aether said in a hushed whisper, eyes wide. "What are you doing?" She muttered apologies as the other girl took her to the front, weaving expertly through the crowds. Aether was plenty comfortable in the back, thank you very much. Plus, she didn't want to cause other people discomfort.
"Giving us sight." She answered. Finally, at the front of the crowd they could see the Griffin. Peony gasped. "Loòk! Thír at i precio babui!" She gushed as Ms.Reidenworth led Spyke over. He pranced a bit and swiveled his head about, nervous and excited to see so many playmates.
Aether looked at Peony confusedly when she spoke the foreign words. "What did you say?" But she soon was distracted as Spyke was led over. Crouching down, Aether held out a hand to the baby griffin.
Spyke chuffed when he saw Aether's hand and walked towards her. He butted her hand with his head and then sniffed it. Ms. Reidenworth smiled as she trailed behind him. "This leads us into our first learning unit – As we look into the history of these creatures, we will the learn the fundamentals to keep them not as weapons, but as companions. We will build trust, learn to not fear but understand, and…" she gestured to Aether and Spyke who licked her hand. "We will bond, a lot."
Aether's cheeks caught a fiery red once she was pointed out to the entire class. So much for laying low, she thought to herself, remembering her father's last words to her. "You're a good little griffin, aren't you?" she whispered, a smile on her face as he licked her hand.
Spyke put his feet on her leg and reached up to nuzzle her cheeks and neck. He cooed and chuffed before bounding back and wiggling his rear, crouching low. He wanted to play. "Babui wants to play!" Peony squealed as Ms. Reidenworth nodded. "He enjoys playing catch and Chase. You're all welcome to play with him."
The wolf instincts in Aether rose, and she placed her arms on the ground, patting her hands on the ground. She wolfishly grinned, canines slightly sharpened from the prospect of playing. She forget about the whole class watching; she hadn't played in weeks.
Peony stepped back as she watched Aether, her eyes widening, but so did her smile. Spyke watched Aether, waggling his tail before he took off, racing across the field.
Forgetting about the class, Aether raced after him. It was a fun little game of cat and mouse, but without the consequences. A bark escaped her lips as she paused, egging Spyke on to chase her instead.
Spyke froze and screeched in reply. He ran at Aether. The class cheered Aether on, whooping and whistling. "Go Aether!" Peony shouted, clapping for her friend.
Aether waited til Spyke was close, and she then dug her shoulder at him, careful to go light. The baby griffin was toppled over, but was back on his feet quick as a jet, tail wagging. The girl grinned. Hopefully he doesn't get too rough.
Spyke zig-zagged across the field, his eyes on Aether. The baby griffin was more intent on the game than actually winning, he found no need to be aggressive.
Aether's golden eyes traced the pattern, analyzing possible "attacks." Suddenly, she leaped in the air, trapping Spyke underneath her. She playfully snapped at him, egging him on.
Spyke used his size to his advantage, backing out from under her before pouncing on her with a mighty leap. He took her down, licking her face the whole way. The cheer bursted into fits of laughter and cheering.
Aether laughed as Spyke licked her face. What could she say? It tickled. "Alright alright, you win this time," she said, gently pulling the baby griffin off of her. Standing up, she brushed off her top and rubbed his head one last time. Aether went to go stand by Peony, still smiling from the little game. Suddenly, her gums started to throb, and she internally groaned. Stupid canines. I'll have to take an Ibuprofen later.
Peony tightly embraced Aether, squealing happily. "You did so good! You and the precio are just wonderful together! And you run very fast." she said within the hug.