For the first time in a long time I felt the bare cold upon my body. I felt the wind whistle over bare skin, the bare wind, everything was so very very bare. I was bare to the world. It felt great.

I eventually stood up and realized that the reason why I felt so bare was because I was human again and I was standing up on two legs. I was in the snow.

I was in the snow and everything was cold and I was bare to the world and the world was examining me. I couldn't tell if it liked what it saw or not, nor did I know whether I wanted it to think I was to be liked or not, nor did I imagine the consequences involved in that judgment.

I did not think more than I was. I knew that I was a man... Teenager... close enough whatever. The point was that I was human and I was on a strange mountainside that was covered in snow and I was being examined.

It was looking at me. It was watching me. It was indescribable... It was there.

After a while of staring at It, I decided to take a few steps on my humans legs and try to impress It that I was worthy of It's affections.

The first step was easy. Practiced. I wasn't out of practice from a few days of walking on all fours, and my body was perfect for walking on two legs only. It felt great. Perfect. Terrific. The wind whistled and I finally got up the nerve to look up into the sky.

The moon was hanging low in the sky and seemed as large as the mountain was. It seemed that I could almost reach down and grab it, that I could feel how lonely the moon in the sky was.

The moon was lonely because there were no stars.

I think that was symbolic of something. I didn't really know what it could be other than heavy handed dream symbolism and I honestly thought that the creator of this little dream was pushing it on how the moon looked so lonely.

I felt for the moon, though. It had to share the sky with the sun.

There were no stars and it was one of the clearest nights I had ever seen. As I watched, and I must've been watching for hours on end in the snow that wasn't as cold as the wind nor cut at me like the crisp zephyr, it passed behind the mountain. It left me cloaked in darkness apart from the light that emanated from It.

It was brighter than the sun and the moon and all the stars combined. I couldn't stare at It but It stared at me.

I stared back at It and It only stared through me and looked disappointed that I didn't know what It was.

I stared back at It and It only stared and remained silent.

"I am Cale." I finally thought to say.

It must've been an echo from the mountain which hid the too full moon but I heard the reply; "I am Cale." It seemed to say as in echo. It was impossible that It was I, of course. I was me. There was no real way to describe it, but I knew that I was who I was and that It was not me, that It couldn't be me.

I had the sudden feeling that It was a He. He was staring at me. He was disappointed that I didn't know who He was.

He stared at me and He spoke. "Hello Cale. I am Cale."

I took a perilous step towards what was to greet me.

Then another.

Then another.

There was a distinct smell of blood in the air. It hung thick and heavy like a cloak in the snow, like a few drops of crimson ichor that tainted the purity of it...

Then I saw a feather floating down from the sky.

Floating Down.

It was a bloody feather floating down from the sky.

It passed in front of Him and I finally knew what he was.

He was an egg.

I was staring at an egg.

"Do you understand, Cale?"

It was a gryphon egg. I was perfectly calm. I could barely breath. This... this was special. This was something that I could finally understand, could finally be in control of... it was a promise, it was pure... purity... pure... I... I...

"Yes."

The egg cracked open and I came out.