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The moment Doris received the letter asking for a name, she whipped out her baby-names book. d**k had named every one of their children, accept for Zeagan, who had died at birth. Doris knew that she would need this book.

Even her cat had been named by someone else.

She needed the perfect name. Something cute, but dignified, and not too english-sounding.

But what..?

Ea (Fire), Taran (Earth), Taru, (small plant), Taye (He Has Been Seen), Tayte (happy), Tegan (beautiful), Terrian (physically strong), Terryal (Reaper), Eden (paradise), Aran (forest), Xylon (walker in the forest), Landen (grassy field), Lynley (meadow near the brook)

After much deliberation, she finally decided on four names, Xylon Lynley Aran Tayte.

So the creature's full name would be Xylon Lynley Tayte ran Meriweather. Yikes, what a mouthful.

She would call him Tayte.

Anthony looked forward to his visit to Mrs. Meriwether's home and was wishing he didn't have such a busy schedule. She seemed such a darling dear woman! He had barely transferred the contents of the jars into one single one when he had to depart, however, but left with the parting promise that he'd, of course, drop by for tea and cookies at some juncture in the near future.




Your new tag is in the first post of your journal.

It was raining outside, as Doris sat down to a cup of hot, salted chicken broth, a week-old newspaper spread out on the table beside her cup. Her now single jar stood perched atop the section that she wasn't reading. She was concentrating on Human Interests, at the moment, because a very interesting article had been published concerning her cousin, Xennik Diagin.

As she read about the man's unendless stream of misfortunes, she reached out a hand to pet Draike, who was in a cuddling mood, submissive due to the rain. Draike hated rain.

Doris took a sip of broth and glanced at Tayte. She wondered if, like a plant, reading to the jars would help them develop. She decided to try it, so got up to fetch a children's book. She didn't want to poor Tayte to be depressed from reading the newspaper.

She found the Dr. Seuss book Yertle the Turtle, and returned with it to the kitchen table.

"Yertle the Turtle, by Dr. Seuss," she read, and even Draike settled down, closed his eyes, and listened, "Yertle the Turtle was king of the pond..."

Doris had been sitting on the couch in front of the hearth, her feet propped up on the coffee table on which Tayte's jar sat, when she noticed the slight hum in the air.

She glanced up and nearly had a heart attack when the jar split open like an egg hatching, the shards falling away in a graceful and almost poetic way. Tayte plopped onto the table as if he'd been there all his life (which, basically, he had), and stretched amazing, vibrant blue wings that reminded Doris of a feathered butterfly. He took a moment to preen himself delicately, before realizing that he was being watched. Large black eyes widened with surprise and he hunched like a frightened cat, and screamed, a long, shrill whistle of a scream that startled them both. Doubly startled, Tayte wheeled backward out of confusion and proceeded to fall off the coffee table, which just made him shreik again.

"Bless my buttons!" Doris cried, abandoning her book and jumping to her feet. She knelt beside the shivering gryphon and reached out a hand to it. "There you go, Precious, don't be frightened...there you are. So beautiful, you are," she cooed.

Tayte obviously enjoyed being complimented, and his fear soon melted away. After a slight hesitation, he scrabbled up Doris's arm and draped itself over her shoulder.

"Huh," said Doris, smiling.

Doris was in the kitchen trying out a new cookie recipe when Tayte came running in, screeching. He leapt up onto the cupboard and scrabbled in circles before Doris could manage to grab hold of him. He shivered in her arms, eyes wide and wild. Doris held him against her chest and pet him in an attempt to get him to calm down.

Oh, whoops.

"DRAIKE!" Doris bellowed, only frightening Tayte even more. "Get your sorry kitty-butt in here and explain yourself!"

Aren't we quick to point fingers.

"What did you do to Tayte?" the elderly woman demanded, brandishing her stirring spoon.

Why do you think this has anything to do with me?

"You haven't denied it, yet. What did you do?"

Draike sat down on the tiled kitchen floor and daintily licked a paw.

"Well?"

He rolled onto his back, sticking his paws in the air.

Well what?

"Don't play dumb, kitty. It's unbecoming."

Dumb?

Doris was about to retort when she noticed a damp spot on her blouse where Tayte's paw was resting. She lifted the paw and gasped. The gryphon's paw was bleeding.

"Draike!"

I bit him.

"Why?!" Doris crossed the room to the cupboard containing the First Aid kit and pulled it out.

The idiot was trying to steal my food again. I had to teach him a lesson.

"So you bit him?!" Doris demanded, grabbing a clean dish rag and wetting it with warm water. She pinned the injured gryphon against her chest and determindely cleaned the wound, despite his protests. She was relieved to find that the wound wasn't as bad as it had appeared when it was soakied in blood. Just four small punctures. While she finished cleaning and then bandaging his paw, she continued her conversation with Draike. "They could take him away, you know, if he's hurt!"

Halelujah.

"Draike! You know how carefully they examined the house before they leet me have him! hen they find out that he's been hurt, they could esily take him from me! This is a child, Draike! You don't bite children! You know that."

Hairiest child I've ever been unfortunate enough to lay eyes on.

"I'm going to have to punish you for this."

Just breathing the same air as that stupid creature is punishment enough.

"Well, good for you, then. You'll be sleeping outside tonight."

Outside! I'm a housecat! Do you have any idea what sleeping outside would do to my coat?

"You might as well start now. Go."

You're always on his side.

"GO!"

Wait. What am I going to eat?

"You'll have to catch something."

What?!

"You're a cat, Draike. Figure it out."

Why do you like him more than me?

"He is a living, breathing child. He was entrusted to me because they believed I would be able to protect him and raise him. You are a self-sufficient housecat. When it comes to the two of you, Tayte will always come first." Doris sighed. She hated to be so blunt to Draike, but he never did learn.

So you're supporting a life of theiving crime? What kind of parent are you?

"Tayte will be punished as well. Your sentence will end sooner if it begins sooner, so go."

Finally! There is justice in the world.