She'd been picked up in the same carriage her family usually used to pick her up. The same two strong looking monsters were there to help her with the bags. This time around there was no Charlie coming back with her. The pink haired boil had decided to stay on campus for the christmas time festival. He'd gotten a part in the play or something or other. That was fine with the gryphon. Most of her time lately had been spent alone in her room. She'd finished up quite a few books and even managed to meet a few new faces here and there.

But none of that was important. Her mother was not going to allow her daughter to stay another second at the school for the holidays. Tahki's mother had made it clear how much she disapproved. She'd even went as far as to block off Tahki's bank account to maker her go home.

So options were limited.

And thats why now Tahki was thumbing her game boil in the back of the carriage that would ultimately take her back to the same old mansion just like always. Truthfully, she felt mixed about the whole thing. Part of her wished that one of her few friends was coming with her but part of her was glad to be going back to face her family alone.

Tahki drifted to sleep ultimately in the back snuggled up with quilted blankets. Her game boil hung loosely and lazily from one of her clawed hands. The gryphons hat fell off and served well as a pillow for the arctic gryphons sleepy head. Not even the bumps seemed to bother to wake her as the carriage snailed around unforgiving sharp turns and up rocky paths. No, Tahki was out like a light. There was no bouncing pink haired terror to keep her from her dreams on this trip.

--------------------------------------------------

Everything was dark. The only thing the gryphon could make out were her own legs and arms and torso. She shown with a bright white light through the darkness and it would seem as if she was drifting or floating. Or both. With most dreams, this didn't seem odd in the least to Tahki. The gryphon continued on her parth letting her self drift where ever this world was taking her.

That was until she was coming up to a wall she could make out. It was dark like the rest of this dream world only there was a sheen this wall had that made it easier to make out just what it was. The point was it looked pretty solid and the gryphon was approaching it at a remarkable speed. Tahki didn't bother to put her arms up or even scream. There was no time for that. She smacked right in to the wall, which surprisingly, burst in to liquid all around her. It was cold, surprisingly to Tahki. Even more surprising was the brightness that it held with in this strange wall and or gateway.

Everything was bright and glowing with a gold sheen. The same one the wall before had held slightly.

What ever this world was, it just felt safe. Warm.

This feeling of safety didn't last though as Tahki felt her self falling. The floating from earlier seemed to not work as well in this world and for some reason Tahki's wings were gone. She was falling and she was falling fast. The ground and her hit and seemed to mold with one another as if the two were both liquids and had always been meant to be one.

------------------------------------------------

It was her mothers face that came through first. The gryphon was laying on one of the many sofas in the lounge. Tahki let her self blink a few times before taking in the image. A flash of pain from her forehead caused her to wince and even tear a little in the eyes.

"Shhhhhhhhhh don't move," Her mothers hand was on her shoulder now. Tahki calmed,

"You fell asleep in the carriage and some how bumped your forehead when they went over one of those accursed bumps," Her mother let out a mellow dramatic sigh. "Your going to be fine but that is one nasty bump you got there dear. Its a good thing your spending holiday here."

Tahki normally would have argued the point that if she hadn't gotten in the carriage in the first place then she'd be just fine. But her head hurt so much it was hard to think of cleverly witty come backs. So Tahki just laid there on the sofa with her hand to her forehead and stared up at her mother with a very blank expression. Tears were still welling behind those golden eyes.

Her moms hand rested on her shoulder once more only to pull away. Tahki drifted back to sleep.

------------------------------------------------

It was the scent of freshly baked pumpkin cookies that rose the gryphon from her couch bed. Her mother sat across on the other sofa asleep which made the gryphon tilt her head. She'd never seen her mother actually fall sleep on a couch before. It was...surprising. There was a cold tea kettle one of the maids was busy gathering up along with a half sipped tea cup. Tahki held her head.

"How... long have I been out," The gryphon felt a freshly wrapped bandage around her forehead.

"A few hours miss." The servant gave her a knod. "Your mothers been so worried. She never left your side." The servant said nothing more. Just left with the tea kettle and cup. Tahki helped her self to a cookie. Her gaze never leaving her sleeping mother. Finally she got up, straightened the blanket on her sleeping mother, and kissed her cheek good night.

Tahki then helped her self to one more cookie and then wandered up to her room.