[SierraHigh]

Baird was careful during hunting season, he was known to be overly careful most hunts, but this time around, Baird found himself in a dire predicament. In the arctic, it was difficult to keep track of things. Footsteps became covered quickly, one could get drawn into a lethargic haze simply by staring at the same white, empty terrain for hours, and when you were so far out, reconnecting with your hunting party if you got separated was nearly next to impossible, and the latter was just what had happened to Baird. A half hour had gone by, or maybe an hour, he wasn't sure, and Baird was trudging his way through the snow, bits of ice stinging his face as the sun began to set and the arctic winds grew in strength. Baird had his full bag of equipment on and was protected by layers of clothes, but at this rate, if he didn't get back to town within the next hour or so, he'd be in trouble. He'd lost track of just which way he was going and calling out for his teammates brought nothing, and nearly at the end of his rope was when it happened - he'd stepped into a slight opening that parted the icy ground below him, and the earth fell out from under his feet.

Baird clumsily tumbled down the surprise incline in the terrain, rolling over and over and over again until he came to a stop at the bottom of the small ravine. Above him, he could make out the blurry sight of the wind and snow blowing over the crack he'd fallen into. Nothing felt broken, but his head was pounding and he could barely see around him. Baird tried to move his legs but a sudden pain spiked up them and through his spine and he inhaled sharply, suddenly worried that something might actually be wrong. He threw his head back against his backpack, whining pathetically as he wondered if this would be the end for him.

[bhdire8]

(Thankss!! Hmm forgot to ask... is this modern time or just like ambiguous timing in the rural area... cars? Or sleds?)

The Griffin was startled awake by an unexpected intruder. He had been alone for long, staying in this Arvtic area, unlike most of his kind who preferred the mountains with greenrry and valleys. This intruder had come at a wrong timing, he was in a foul mood.

Standing up and shaking his body to unfurl his giant wings, he stretched his body, extending his front paws to as far as it could, and roared, not unlike a feline. He padded through the cave, which was warm and tranquil from the outside storm, and glanced down at the ball of creature that should be... sniffing a bit in the air, he concluded it indeed should be a human. "Human, you have trespassed on my land, and you will have to pay for it." Getting close to the form, he brushed away the hood that covered his face. His scent hit him and somehow he found himself a bit aroused.

[SierraHigh]

((Probably modern but they're so far from normal civilization the town probably only has a few cars and more sleds than anything))

Baird had thought he'd simply fallen down a usual empty ravine, so he was startled when he heard the voice of another. He thought it fine a human at first, but his eyes slowly but surely adjusted to the lack of light in the cave and he made out the figure of the same creature he'd been hunting for all day. Had it really just been hidden under the ice this whole hunting trip? If Baird had the energy to draw his weapons, he would've, but as it stood he couldn't even move much let alone get into the stance to attack. Baird made a sound of distress when the creature pulled back his hood; at only twenty-four, he was the youngest hunter in town. His blonde hair was short and slightly curly, complemented by his green eyes that would normally be wide and lit with enthusiasm if not for this situation.

Baird brought a hand up and tried to push the griffin away, breathing hard at the throbbing pain in his arm. "Get away from me," he hissed, narrowing his eyes at the beast. "I'll have you dead before you get anything..."

[bhdire8]

(Alright!)

"From what I see... it would seem like you are the one dying before getting anything." Hal, the griffin, said in an amused voice. He found the young man to be quite attractive, all things aside. His face was red, as usual for Arctic people who were always exposed under the Sun, but for him it brought him more feeckles than tanning. Moving his paw down, he flipped open his big coat and scrape away his clothes, brushing away the meek resistance from the human. Under the clothes, the human had milky white skin that almost shone in the dim light, making the griffin's purple eyes darken. He huffed and finally found his paws to be slightly too large for any delicate manipulations, and he changed into his human form, a tall and mediterranean looking large man, with curly and bushy hair. His eyes were purple and his features sharp. He was naked excpet for a pieve of lion fur around his waist which was transformed from his own hide.

[SierraHigh]

"Well just you wait-" Baird was interrupted instead as the griffin pushed away his coat and layers of clothes. It should feel warm down here but Baird's skin was still cold to the touch from the environment outside. He brought his hands around front and tugged his clothes back around his smallish form, pushing himself to sit up with the help of his backpack as support. Still nothing felt broken, but he could see bruises already beginning to form on spots of his body where he'd taken a particularly hard hit upon falling. "I kind of need my clothes," he sneered, rifling around in his coat to see if he could find something that might aid him. He normally had s few knives stuck in the pockets of his coat, but they weren't anywhere he could feel. They probably fell out somewhere upon his tumble. Baird watched stunned as the griffin changed into a man, one that looked completely human by his book. He'd never seen that before... Struggling to stand, Baird groaned softly. "Shit," he cursed bitterly.

[bhdire8]

"I am pretty sure you had twisted your back, and that ankle looked quite swollen to me. Your right elbow is also swelled up, and from how you are nursing your side, I am guessing there could be bruising on.your ribs, though I couldbt rule out the possibility of a minute fracture. I think.you need to figure out who's got the upper hand here." Hal shrugged as he crossed his arms in front of him, his biceps bulging out. He eyed the human as he attempted to stand, his knees wobbling so hard he wondered how he thought he could succeed. "You do realise you shouldnt be attempting that to worsen your injuries right?"

[SierraHigh]

"I didn't realize I was in the presence of a doctor," Baird hissed, sucking in a sharp breath at the sudden jabbing pain in his side. He stepped back once, shutting his eyes and grimacing before he eventually settled for moving awkwardly to sit back down onto the ground. As much as he wanted to do something, Baird knew he was in no condition to do so. He bit his bottom lip, trying to think of a plan whilw also ignoring the pain of his injuries to the best of his ability. "Look... if you can just... bring me back to the surface, I'll make it home and it'll be like this never happened." That all being said, Baird wasn't so sure that he'd be hunting again anytime soon anyways. "They've got doctors and stuff and they'll be able to help me."

[bhdire8]

"Of course I am not a doctor. By definition we are enemies, how would I be a human healer. However I could heal your wounds, through my power, upon one condition. If you will filfill it, then I will not only treat you, but also give you a shelter until, well until you fiulfil fully the condition. If you dont, then I would leave you here. You could figure your own way out and if I am in a good mood, I might really bring you back out for a faster death." Hal said while sizing up Baird. He was quite sure that's not really a choice for the human who could not even stand on his own.

[SierraHigh]

Baird clumsily pulled his backpack around front, rifling through what he had slowly to see if he might have anything that could help him; he didn't see anything that would be of use for long term healing, so he shoved his bag away from him and heaved a sigh. Unless he had a death wish, he was in no position to turn down the griffin's offer, but it had him curious... "What do you mean shelter..? My town isn't that far from here, I can be out of your hair by tomorrow morning." Baird rubbed at his face. "I'm not in any spot to say no if you say you'll help me though," Baird grumbled.

[bhdire8]

"Either you go out to the midst of the storm with all your injuries now, or you stay and I help you.....if you would become my bearer." Hal finally declared. "Just to let you know, the storm outside wouldnt subside until tomorrow evening, and there's anothrr brewing not far away. If you want to brave that, it's up to you too." Hal was reasonably confident this human would have takne up his offer. It had been way too long since he met a potnetial bearer that looked nice enough for him, he found himself looking forward to getting intimate to this human, despite how battered he was now.

[SierraHigh]

Baird wrinkled his nose and frowned, not quite understand what the griffin wanted from him. "Bearer..?" he asked confused, brows furrowing together for a moment. There was probably a good chance his hunting team would come and search for him the following morning, before whatever storm the other spoke of came around. Baird moved a hand to press at his sore hip, pressing his thumb against his pelvis lightly to test his own pain. He'd need a place to stay until at least tomorrow, assuming his friends wouldn't find him. "You're... gonna have to give me more information," Baird said and shook his head. "I'm not sure what you're implying."

[bhdire8]

Hal glanced at him and said "a bearer. Literally. To bear my young. I find you amusing, which surprised myself even. Or you could just leave here." Hal approached him and lifted him up directly. The pained whimper had him pausing his forceful pull. He forwned and picked him up instead, in bridal style, and walked up the slope leading to the outside. "Thr storm was in full force now. If you wouldnt agree to my condition, I would leave you out here since you seemed to be so confident in surviving it."

[SierraHigh]

"What?" Baird asked befuddled, but he was picked up before he could ask anymore questions. His heart pounded as they grew closer to the outside storm and when they made it to the top of the slope, Baird turned away from the whipping wind and snow, burying his face against the griffin to avoid being blinded. "Okay, okay! Take me back down first!" he called out, bringing his hands up to shield his face. When they got back down into the cavern, Baird brushed the snow from his winter clothes and winced. "A bearer... That won't even work, will it?" If Baird knew anything about anatomy, it was that a human and another species breeding likely wouldn't turn out too great. "I don't know if you've had a good look at me, Mister Doctor, but I'm not exactly the..." Baird made a quick hand gesture. "...the child-bearing-hips type. Not to mention I don't want to be stuck down here for months, what the hell?"

[bhdire8]

"You could choose bearing or face the storm, which by how you buried yourself in me just now, you wasnt too fond of the latter. Us griffins were so rare in numbers we were able to make even male pregnant with our offspring. Your anatomy would change to accmmodate the growing and the final birthing. If we are successful, we would know that in a few weeks. I guess you dont really have a choice here, between a few months of being stranded here and to face your immediate death outside now." Hal looked at the human with a smirk. The human hadnt got off his arms yet, and he wondered if he noticed that, being held by his enemy should have beena disgrace but he seemed to be enjoying it.

[SierraHigh]

Baird's face turned red and he huffed, squirming his way out of the other's arms and landing onto his feet on the ground. He gasped sharply and steadied himself, trying to balance his weight on his weak legs; Baird looked up to the griffin and frowned. "I did that because it was cold up there," he said, "not for any approval of breeding." Baird wasn't so sure he could trust the guy. Sure, he was saving him from this, but did he really expect Baird to be able to carry anything to term? Not to mention Baird had never heard of any pregnancy such as the one the griffin seemed to be explaining. "How long is... is this whole thing?" Because as it stood, Baird didn't seem to have a choice less he wanted to opt out for death. "I expect to be let go once it's all over, no tricks."

[bhdire8]

(Eggs right? Haha sorry lost track a bit.)

The griffin held steady on th3 human as he wobbled. "It would be a month usually, depending on the species. To be honest I have never bred with a human before, usually we chose something that shared more of our anatomy. What could I say, you are one peculiar little thing that had aroused my interest." He smiled and ruffled the blond curls, finding.himself wanting to caress and hold onto.this human. "I am Hal,.what's.your name? I can assure you I would be rleasing you immediately when you fulfilled your side of the agreement. Youngling of our species dont require much care anyhow so I wouldnt need you anyway." He dismissed the human's worry casually.

[SierraHigh]

(yeah eggs! like 2-3 but they're large ones instead of a lot of small ones? and maybe the pregnancy can be like ~9 weeks or so, about two months so it gives them time together?)

"So you're saying it's a month usually but you're not sure since... I'm a human." Baird took a breath in and shook his head. For his life, he supposed bearing a month down here with Hal would be a fair trade. It was either this or death and he certainly wasn't ready for the latter yet. Still, he couldn't help but imagine what was going to happen. He'd never expected this to happen, he didn't get time to prepare himself. "Baird," he stated, running his hands through his hair in an attempt at making it look decent. "Oh well, thanks," he scoffed, puffing air from his mouth briefly. "So I'll just be outta the picture when it's all done?" Baird licked his lips nervously. "How does this work then?"

[bhdire8]

(Ok perfect!)

"Yes you will be released once the eggs were born. Bow to do this.... the good old way." Hal smirked. "However I would wait until your wounss have been tended to. I could only heal one place at a time,.you humans' bodies are much too fragile to contain our magical power. Which part do you want me to heal first? I could give you this liberty." With that asked Hal changed back into griffin form, standing magnificently beside Baird. The diamond between his eyes shonr through the dimly lit cave.

[SierraHigh]

Baird made a face at the reply but didn't say anything about it. Instead, he pointed to his ribs. "Here, my ribs probably. Everything else just feels bruised and sore but I think I might've broken a rib during the fall." With time and rest, his other bruises would heal on their own, but the sharp pain in his chest wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. "Are you going to have to... you know, get intimate with me in that body or..? Your human form..?"

[bhdire8]

"Oh are you worried now? I only changed to heal you. For the intimate part I would be in human form." As he said, a strong white light shown from the diamond, entering into the human's injured side and healed it instantly. Before Baird could react to that, Hal had changed back. "Now we could get it going...." dragging the human fuether into the cave, Hal entered a place that was decorated extensively, in a mediterranean style where silky cushions covered thick angora carpets.