Sapling and the Black Griffin

Sapling broke through the last line of berry bushes, scattering the tiny blackberries as she shook out her fur, some still clinging stubbornly to her pelt. She growled and took a bite into the first hard berry.&nbsp; 	“Why is it so SOUR?” Fern moaned. A blackberry piece slipped out of her beak and bounced across the dirt. “And HARD. Did I mention they were hard?” 	Sapling didn’t reply, too busy staring at the mountain range brightened by the starry sky. A huge waterfall cascaded down the slopes, bubbling into a large lake.

Sometimes a change of perspective is all it takes to see the light. -Dan Brown

“Well… guess we made it.” Dove’s familiar face popped out of the bushes, her beak covered in juice dripping onto her silvery white fur. Joining Sapling, she briefly looked at the large expanses of farmland, and then went back to gazing at the small, cozy brick and wood cottage. “Is that a library?” she asked, gesturing towards a shed. 	“It’s a garden shed.” Fern said. 	“It actually is a library,” a griffin said as they stepped out of the long grass. “Welcome to my home, everyone! My name is Alpine.” Her fur was even lighter than Dove’s, and her large wings gleamed like icicles in the starlight, with eyes the deepest blue Sapling had ever seen.

About The Author

As a third grader, Crystal has written many books in her short career including An Unknown Threat and A Song of Stars. In her free time, she likes to read and make art. She lives in the Bay Area with her parents and her brother, Felix.

The siblings decided to play a game called, ‘Who Can Stare At The Griffin Longest?’ 	“Well.. hi,” Fern muttered, breaking the silence. 	“What she means is, since you used to work for Flick’s organization, we were hoping you could tell us where Flick’s base is.” Sapling added quickly. 	“Did you hear what happened to our mom?” 	“I heard something from one of your dad’s friends but I wasn’t sure if it was true. What happened?” Alpine asked, as she nibbled on some mushrooms she had gathered. 	“Mom was flying out of sight ahead of Dad while they were scouting Feather Mountain for more suitable territory for the Tundra group. When Dad finally caught up, he noticed Mom lying next to a gas spill on the side of the mountain. As he flew closer he realized that she wasn’t moving.” Dove’s voice shook as she spoke. Alpine stopped eating, and listened intently. 	&nbsp;“He hoped for the best, but once he reached her, and concluded she wasn’t breathing, he knew something was seriously wrong. Scanning the mountainside, he noticed an all-black griffin flying towards the other side of the mountain. Dad knew it was Flick because he had seen him in the battle with the Forest group, and everyone knows Flick is the only all black griffin.”&nbsp;

This book was made in collaboration with Maya Sissoko, founder of Whole Child Education - a highly personalized and collaborative education platform for creative and motivated young people. Creativity, curiosity, and community are the values at the core of all of our work. To learn more about us, please visit: <a href="https://www.wholechildedu.com/">https://www.wholechildedu.com/</a>

Dedicated to my family and friends for supporting me, and Maya for helping me with the story.

Alpine was remembering when she used to be part of Flick’s organization, The Kingdom of Flick, working as a message carrier. She believed in the mission of the organization to unite the tribes for a better, more peaceful and powerful world. Once Flick hired a general from the Shadow Skies, a distant and violent group, things started to change. She was assigned to be a backup soldier and was no longer allowed to read the messages she carried. But that didn’t stop her. Once she realized Flick's general's plans to take over both territories, she decided to leave and set up her own home so that she could help other griffins.

&nbsp;As a young griffin, Alpine was abandoned by her parents who were too hungry to feed her. She figured out how to survive in the Tundra, and told other Tundra griffins about the mystical berry bush, helping them to find food more easily. It was a large, emerald-jade bush scattered with blueberries that gleamed like sapphires, blackberries that glittered like polished onyx, and raspberries and strawberries that sparkled like rubies.

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