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Chapter 1
Chapter 1: The Cave Above the Clouds
Nell heard the sound before she saw anything—a soft, broken whimpering that echoed off the cave walls like a wounded bird.
She had climbed higher than usual that morning, searching for Clover, the stubborn ewe who always wandered too far. The sheep trails twisted up the mountainside above her village, past the tree line where the air grew thin and cold. Most shepherds avoided the upper caves. They said strange things lived there, back when magic still breathed in the kingdom.
But magic had died out years ago. Everyone knew that.
Nell squeezed through a narrow gap in the rocks, her lantern casting dancing shadows. The whimpering grew louder.
Then she saw it.
The creature lay curled in a nest of dried grass and shed feathers, no bigger than her father's sheepdog. Its front half was pure eagle—bronze feathers catching the lantern light, a curved beak tucked against its chest. But its back half was lion, covered in tawny fur with a tail that ended in a tuft of gold.
A griffin.
Nell's breath caught. Griffins were supposed to be extinct, hunted to nothing for their feathers, which held powerful healing magic. She had seen drawings in the old books at the village temple, but those showed fierce, terrifying beasts.
This one was just a baby. And it was hurt.
A deep gash ran along its wing, crusted with dried blood. The cub lifted its head weakly, amber eyes meeting Nell's. It didn't screech or snap. It just looked at her with something like hope.
"It's okay," Nell whispered, kneeling slowly. "I won't hurt you."
She thought of her mother, lying pale and thin in her bed back home, coughing through the nights. She thought of the old stories—how a single griffin feather could cure any illness.
But looking at this small, trembling creature, Nell couldn't think of taking anything from it.
"I'll help you," she said. "I promise."
