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Chapter Six: A Pleasant Surprise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 3

and enormous, fanged butterflies.At the end of the room, you start wondering what the “winged lions” are supposed to be, and whether you’ve already passed them (although you’re certain you’ve seen nothing like a lion), when you come to the last two cages.  The creature on the left is definitely a griffin: it could be nothing else.  The size of small horse, the hind half of the beast is completely lion, with a tail as long as the rest of its body; the front half is entirely eagle, complete with a wingspan that might be double its tail-length (though this is hard to judge, as the wings are folded at the moment, the cage being too small to stretch them), dangerous-looking talons, golden eyes, and sharp beak.  The dark feathers of the eagle half contrast sharply with the lion’s fur. In the other cage is a lioness, slightly smaller than the griffin.This lion looks precisely like any other lion except for the wings folded at its sides.  The wings are the same color as the shoulders they protrude from; they blend smoothly into the rest of the animal; this lion wears wings as though they are a natural addition for a lion.Unlike the other creatures in the room, these two look intelligent, perhaps with intelligence equal to humans; perhaps with greater intelligence.  As you think this, the griffin begins preening himself, and the lioness licks at her front paws, grooming.  It looks to you almost as though they are nodding.

 

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