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Adonijah shrugged. "Tao was the one who always kept me safe," he pointed out, "and most everyone's afraid of her ..."

Was it really so different? He couldn't explain his fear, nor could most people explain their fear of the friendly griffin.

As for humans and their heights ... well, that made no difference. Most humans were scary and even his parents and grandparents would agree with that thought.


Rose giggled at Kara. "How old was he then?" she asked curiously. It was rare that she got to hear stories about people interacting with Adonijah ... she loved to hear those stories every chance she got.

Adonijah didn't reply, but simply continued to stroke the fluffy cat. He couldn't argue ... but he didn't particularly care that most griffins were not friend. His was, and that was all that mattered. And who was to say that others could not be?


Rose giggled. "And now you're seeing him almost as an adult," she smiled. "Has he changed very much?"

She led them into the dining room and headed towards the table where Adonijah, Saki, and Toshiro were sitting.

Rose smiled at Adonijah and slid onto the bench next to him.

"Hello, Saki," she greeted the fluffy cat cheerfully. "Keeping Adonijah company while we went to get everyone?"

Adonijah smiled shyly at Rose as she sat next to him, but when he looked at the others that had come into the room with her, he turned away from them and put his head in his arms, watching Rose and Saki. He knew who they all were - he had seen them at a distance, heard all about them - but they made him feel uncomfortable.

Rose giggled at Saki. "That's because he always spoils you, more than anyone else does," she winked at the cat. "But you're special. At least, to anyone who meets you, you are."

As she recalled, she had been terrified of Saki when she and Roydon had first come to the ranch as children ... but Roydon, always the fearless one, had quickly shown her how cute and cuddly Saki really was, and since then she had also been fond of the cat.

Adonijah's ears twitched slightly as he heard Miyu's soft footsteps approaching him, and he tried his best to appear inconspicuous, hiding his head even deeper into his arms. He budged a bit closer to Rose, his ears turning a bright shade of red.

Rose blinked down at Adonijah in surprise, but when she saw Miyu near him she giggled softly.

Rose giggled and nuzzled Saki's nose with her own. "Of course you are," she grinned. "You help make all of the children who are rescued feel happiness again, help them to lose their fear ... keep them distracted from the thoughts of their families, or what might have happened to them during their captivity. You're very special."

Adonijah was looking very nervous now indeed. He couldn't press any closer to Rose, and he couldn't hide any deeper in his arms, and so he simply closed his eyes and pretended not to hear the little girl who looked, with her white hair and purple eyes, so very much like himself.

Adanedhel returned just then with Elrohir and Ahren close behind him, and he immediately saw the situation his brother was in. He cleared his throat to hide a chuckle, and he headed over to rescue Adonijah from the trouble he was in.

"It's best if you pretend he isn't there," he smiled at Miyu, putting one hand gently on her shoulder. "Perhaps someday he'll have the courage to speak to you, but for now ..."

He chuckled softly and directed her back to her grandmother. "Come, let's eat."

Several weeks later, the Borderlands had changed completely. There was a layer of snow on the ground, and the sky, though clear and blue, was crisp and filled with the promise of more snow.

As with every morning, Rhea was outside in the yard with Kara, doing her magic exercises (though at the moment she was being distracted by her little magic flying horse, sending it around in circles and galloping around her). Though Adonai had brought her to the ranch, he had once more gone off to do his own research, leaving her alone with Kara - he had come with her several times since the first time, and he had finally reached the point where she did not rely on him for confidence.

She had just sent her flying horse towards Kara when the sound of hoofbeats and the creak of wagon wheels could be heard. She looked up to see what the noise was, and her keen elvish eyes caught sight of the wagon appearing from out of the trees to the north.

"Kara! Kara!" she squealed, jumping to her feet, her enormous wings sprouting from her back with her excitement. "They're back!"

Rhea giggled and clapped her hands together, calling her glowing blue horse back to her so that she could make it disappear. She had never been on the ranch when a group of children had arrived - in fact, she had never been at the ranch at the same time as any of the children, and she had never even seen a child of her own kind before ... no children until she had met Toshiro and Miyu.

"Can we go see them?" she asked Kara eagerly, her eyes sparkling brightly as she looked up at the angel.

"Okay!" Rhea beamed. She was glad to be able to help out for once ... and she was glad for the chance to see other children. She knew that not all of them would be her age, but she also know that they would probably all be within a few years of her age, perhaps three years older or younger, but no more, and to her that was close enough.

Celeborn was as usual driving the cart, and on one side Halmir and Arthael rode their horses, and on the other side rode Timaeus. The others were following behind as a rear guard. Rather than the joyful faces that they usually had when they returned, however, their expressions were grim.