Baldric and Luna fired the cannon directly at the wall. The loud explosion shook the entire cavern as they shielded their eyes and ears. When they opened their eyes, what greeted them was daylight. The explosion created a massive hole that led to the outside. The landraider slowly passed through, revealing the most magnificent sight they had missed for eleven days.

They were on the side of the mountain, and the bright blue, cloudless sky shone overhead. Ada stopped, and everyone stepped outside. There was white, soft snow all around them that was untouched and pristine, while a cold wind refreshed their skin. Baldric knelt on the ground.

"We’re outside!" He cheered.

Luna was visibly crying as well as she touched the snow. Annie and Elizabeth approached her, and she gave both of them the tightest hug she could.

"Thank you, Elizabeth. Thank you so much." She said, with tears running down her face. They both guided her towards Baldric, and they gave him a hug as well, to which he replied tightly. They all then saw Willow rubbing himself on the snow, which made them all laugh.

Taking some of the snow with them and boiling it down, Luna and Baldric had their first drink in days. As Ada drove, all of them enjoyed the ride as they lowered the windows and felt the cold air on their skin. They were on top of a mountain with a breath-taking view of the landscape below.

"Everyone look!" Luna pointed out ahead of them to the oasis on top of the mountain. It was a massive lake with a raging waterfall and a lush green forest around it. They made their way down, and they spotted a lot of wildlife along the path.

"Deer!" Luna yelled.

"Dinner!" Baldric yelled as he quickly headed to grab his rifle.

They picked a campsite near the lake, and immediately Luna, Ada, and Baldric went hunting. Annie, Elizabeth, and Willow set up camp and foraged for some edible berries and mushrooms, with Willow doing most of the work for them. When all of them met up again, Luna and Baldric told them that they had found some hot spring near the waterfall. The girls, along with Willow, headed there to bathe first, while Baldric was left to prepare their dinner.

When they returned, the air was thick with the smell of roasted meat and mushrooms. It was the first time they all ate, drank, and laughed in days. The meat was tender and moist, while the water was cold and crisp. They enjoyed it so much that Ada had to remind Baldric and Luna to not overeat because of the shock it would cause their condition.

Once they were done, it was up to them to clean up while Baldric took his turn in the hot spring.

Ada and Annie then began repairing the damage on the Landraider while Elizabeth and Luna were preserving the meat. They used the freeze grenade chemical to encase the meat to stock up.

"Luna."

"Hmmm."

"Do you think my mama is eating too? Right now?"

Luna paused, but then got back to work again. "Of course she is."

"Really? You think my mama is safe?" Elizabeth looked at her.

Luna smiled. "You know what, I have this feeling in my gut that she is. And my gut is never wrong."

"Really?"

"Sure. I know it’s hard to explain, but I just know that she is safe. How about you? Close your eyes and listen to that feeling here." Luna poked her in the stomach, which made Elizabeth giggle. "What does your gut say? Do you feel your mama is safe?"

Elizabeth closed her eyes and concentrated. "I can feel it. It’s a light feeling, but I can feel it and it tells me that she is. My mama is somewhere safe. Luna, did you know my mama is super smart! Like really smart that she reads hundreds of books and is even a doctor!"

"Really?"

"Yes! One time, we even went to a hospital and she helped perform surgery-" Elizabeth continued on and on about her mother. Luna had to admit she was entertained listening to her stories. Even though they had never met, Luna somehow felt an attachment to Princess Alice through Elizabeth’s words.

Once they finished the sun started to set and they decided to relax around the campfire in sleeping bags and blankets. They decided to tell Elizabeth more stories about their life as hunters, and taught the child how to count cards and play poker. Ada joined them in an automaton body that held a guitar.

"Meatbags I found this. Operate it."

"You want to hear us play it, Ada?" Baldric took the guitar.

"Yes. I hear music helps organics reduce their stress levels. Show me if this is true and I will be checking all of you." Ada sat down next to Baldric, as Annie and Elizabeth sat beside Luna.

"Annie can play this better." Baldric handed her the guitar, which she took and began to strum. "I’m more of a voice type of guy."

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As Annie began to play, Baldric and Luna joined in. They played songs, serenading and laughing, with Elizabeth even joining in. They enjoyed the peaceful night until the moon was high in the sky. Elizabeth was the first to yawn and fall asleep, with her passing her drowsiness to everyone. Soon everyone settled in for the night, with Luna being the last person awake as Ada even returned to her original body inside the landraider, but said she would stand guard over all of them.

Luna looked up at the moon above and stared at it. Then she looked at Elizabeth, who was using her lap as a pillow while she held Willow close. Luna gently stroked Elizabeth’s head. She then took out the vial Gerwulf had given her weeks ago. It was halfway done and Luna drank a drop from the vial, which finally caused her to slowly fall asleep.

=0o0=

Luna woke up when Elizabeth shook her. Everyone was still sound asleep, with Baldric even snoring loudly.

"Luna, I have to go potty."

Still groggy, Luna guided Elizabeth and Willow a good distance away from the camp. She even packed a pistol just in case they ran into any wild beasts. While they were looking for a spot, Luna, who was still under the effects of the medicine, sat down near a tree and dozed off after a while, with her head resting on her palm.

When her head slipped, she woke up.

"Elizabeth? You done?"

No one answered, and Luna went to the spot where she last saw Elizabeth and found her missing. Slightly panicked, she looked around.

"Elizabeth, Come on out."

The silence was deafening.

"This is not a funny joke, young lady."

Her stomach dropped, and she began to fully panic.

You fell asleep watching the child?! Luna yelled in her head as she looked around.

She stopped and composed herself. She saw some tracks on the ground. It was Elizabeth and Willow, and there weren’t any other tracks anywhere.

Alright. She just went somewhere that’s good. Not taken or anything.

Luna followed her, and the tracks led past the forest onto the mountain edge. Luna ran when she realised where she was going.

She could fall or worse!

She sprinted until she saw a cave near a steep mountain cliff. As she got closer, she could hear Elizabeth laughing? When she got to the cave’s mouth, she found Elizabeth and Willow were being cuddled by a group of-

"Luna look!" Elizabeth giggled as she was being cuddled by gryphon cubs. Four gryphon cubs were nibbling and tickling her inside a giant nest.

Luna was in total disbelief when somethin heavy suddenly landed behind her, and it cast a large shadow. It was a full-grown gryphon that towered behind her. It spread out its massive wings, which made Luna fall to the ground and back away as it growled towards her. Its powerful claws popped out as it snarled and poised to strike.

“Wait!” Elizabeth ran up and got between them. "She is a friend!"

The gryphon turned its head sideways and flapped its wings. It went past Elizabeth and got up close to Luna, who began sniffing her. Luna could feel its warm breath on her as it smelled her from head to toe, its eyes scanning her to see if she was a threat. It stopped sniffing but did not move.

"Luna." Elizabeth called out from underneath the gryphon. "Touch her beak."

Luna looked at her and then at the gryphon. "Like this." Elizabeth touched the gryphon’s underbelly and rubbed it, but the gryphon did not budge as it continued to stare down Luna. "Do it."

Luna shakily reached out and slowly touched her beak. The gryphon sniffed, then started to back down. The gryphon then picked Elizabeth up with its beak, then headed towards its nest and plopped her down among the gryphon cubs. It laid itself inside and adjusted itself until it was comfortable.

Luna was rooted on the spot. The gryphon was a magnificent beast with the head of an eagle and a large and powerful leonine body. Its wings were so massive that when they were extended, their full span was the same length as its body. It had a gloriously soft mane and the feathers on its wings and tail were incredibly beautiful and seemed to shine as though they were made of gold.

"How could this be?" Luna observed the magnificent beast and her cubs. "Gryphons are extinct."

The mother gryphon cawed when she said it, and then laid her head back down again.

"Elizabeth, come on... We have to go back." Luna said, but the gryphon quickly stood up and approached her again.

"Woah woah wait wait." Luna backed up until she hit the cave wall. The gryphon approached her, picked her up by the collar, and plopped her down with Elizabeth and her cubs. Then the mother gryphon adjusted itself again in the nest as it laid down. The gryphon cubs then began to approach Luna, sniff her, and when they found she was not a threat, rub and cuddle her as well.

"They like you too." Elizabeth said as one of the cubs went back to her while the other three continued to cuddle with Luna.

"Uhhhh Elizabeth, I think... We have to go back." Luna said to her, but the mother gryphon cawed angrily again.

"I think she wants us to stay." The child said to her, and the gryphon happily cawed.

"It’s not going to eat us, right?" Luna, still unsure of what to do in the situation, looked at the beast as it cawed angrily again.

"I think that’s a no." Elizabeth smiled. The gryphon then turned to its side, as if inviting them to lie on her. Elizabeth laid her head and snuggled in its incredibly dense and soft fur.

“Luna, try it! She is so soft.” Luna slowly laid her head and found that the gryphon’s fur was unbelievably soft and warm. The gryphon cubs and Willow snuggled with them as well, and began to close their eyes.

"Luna, can we stay here for tonight?" Elizabeth said as she stroked the cub that lay beside her. Luna had to admit that it was incredibly comfortable. The mother gryphon gave off a comfortable heat that felt great against the cold.

"It’s not like we have a choice, do we?"

The gryphon cawed as if approving. It then used its large wings to cover all of them like a blanket. Elizabeth yawned and soon she and Luna fell asleep.

=0o0=

When they woke up, the gryphon family was gone, and the three of them were alone in the dark cave. Luna barely felt them leaving, and all she could find was a single feather near them. Elizabeth began to stir.

"Awww, they’re gone."

They looked outside. It was early dawn, with the sun not even visible yet, but there was already light in the sky.

"Yeah." Luna felt down as well. It was a surreal experience that they cuddled and fell asleep with a creature that was said to have died centuries ago. "Ready to go back?"

They made their way out, with Elizabeth holding onto her hand and Willow trotting behind them.

"I think I know why they liked you, Sunny." Luna had placed the gryphon’s feather on Elizabeth’s hair, which she enjoyed.

"Why?"

"Gryphons are the ancient guardians of your family."

"Really?"

"Yeah, they said your ancestor, the first emperor of Braenarim, rode a gryphon to battle when he won the war that split the continent."

"I wish we could have ridden them." Elizabeth said happily as she swung Luna’s arm.

"Yeah." Luna smiled. "Me too."