So sorry about the formatting errors! This should be readable at the very least.

We get chased out of the establishment. -Alyx

In an instant the hellhound was pouncing, claws outstretched as saliva dripped from its teeth. Cinder shoved me one way as he fell the other, narrowly missing the opportunity to become dogfood in the process. The hound crashed into the ground, its snout snapping upwards to look at me as it landed on nothing but air, white fangs glinting in the light from the barn.

Instinctively I reached for my sword, my knuckles white around the hilt as I unsheathed the blade. The hellhound paused for a splitsecond at the sight of it, its snarl faltering. It regained its composure as I raised Skotono before me, cursing the gods as my hand trembled.

Cinder yelled something from behind the hellhound, ducking beneath a blow from a troop of Dracaena, who appeared to be equipped with pool cues instead of actual weapons. The cue splintered on impact, the griffin unleashing a torrent of curses as he backed away. His words were obscured by the low rumble of the hellhound before me.

It jumped again, missing me by a hair's breadth as I ducked beneath it. I whipped around, brandishing my sword like a flaming torch as a wave of monsters rushed from the open doors of the barn. Most of the bar's patrons had, thankfully, been inside. The few monsters that had been too big to fit through the entrance lurked just beyond the dim light cast upon the yard area by a pair of filament bulbs fixed either side of the barn doors. I noticed a few too many sets of reflective eyes in the darkness, in small clusters of three or four. I didn't particularly want to find out what those were. Cinder appeared beside me, having managed to escape the Dracaena for now. They slithered towards us menacingly, their pool cues making surprisingly effective weapons. The hellhound howled in annoyance, its battle cry joined by a number of others. They were advancing slowly but surely, and I could hear the movement of the monsters in the darkness as they moved to surround us.

"On my cue," Cinder started, his voice a whisper, "Turn around and run before they surround us."

I glanced at him, "Are you serious? We can't get away from Hellhounds on foot!"

"Yeah well I can't switch forms and take off with you as a passenger before they kill us either," he snapped, taking a step backwards as the monsters advanced. "Even if I could take off in that time, our feathery friend over there will be on us in seconds, she'll take off the second she sees us flying and catch us before I get a chance to start moving. It's our best option." He paused to take a breath, "We run for the trees-"

He was interrupted as an impatient cyclops lurched forwards, and the two of us broke into a sprint.

The trees were only a few feet behind us, the woods thick around the bar. If the trees hadn't been that close, I don't think either one of us would have made it. We ran behind the first tree we came across, breaking line of sight with the monsters not a second too late, as the charging cyclops streaked past us to the left. We didn't stop, immediately pushing away from the trunk and continuing to run into the trees.

I was somewhat experienced in running through forests, with the weekly games of capture the flag. I leaped over roots and fallen branches, the few brambles that snagged on my clothes removed in a split second as I continued forwards. Cinder seemed to be faring about as well, searching the canopies ahead of us for somewhere the leaves weren't as dense. The monsters behind us yelled and snarled, a few bursts of fire illuminating the way ahead as some fire-breathing serpents hissed in frustration.

Glancing behind, I realised with dismay that a few hellhounds were gaining on us. Our initial dash to the trees had proved to be quite effective in putting more distance between us, but the monsters had since recovered. Sadly in this case, four legs was proving better than two.

"There!" Cinder cried from beside me. I glanced over to see him pointing towards a break in the trees, a small area covered in knee-length grass. I veered toward it, following Cinder.

We slipped through a narrow gap between two trees, bursting into the clearing as our nearest pursuer, a large black hellhound with foul breath, slammed into the trunks with the force of a full size elephant, and crumpled to the ground. Cinder took a few steps back, taking a deep breath.

The griffin slammed into him, knocking him off his feet into the ground, shrieking and snapping its beak.
I lurched forward, bringing my sword up to swing, stopping mid-way.

The white griffin was thrown into the air, Cinder snarling as he switched forms and got to his feet. His feathers were fluffed in agitation, his wings splayed menacingly. The enemy griffin regained its bearings, spreading its wings to steady itself. It looked up, its own snarl half-formed before it stopped dead in its tracks.

Cinder mirrored its actions, his own snarl trailing off, his feathers flattening a little.

I frowned, reaching Cinder's side. They stood staring at each other, unmoving. My sword still brandished, I nudged him with my elbow. "What are you waiting for?" I hissed, the hellhounds that had been further behind slowing as they entered the clearing. They were low to the ground, stalking us as they waited to see the outcome of the fight between the two griffins. They seemed just as confused as I was.

Cinder glanced at me, his yellow eyes revealing nothing, before he flicked the wing closest to me. "Get on, I'll explain when we're out of here."

Our escape calmed down considerably after that. Cinder flew with relative ease, the darkness not seeming to bother him in the slightest. The few flying monsters at the bar that night hadn't taken up the chase, leaving us to the mercy of the land-dwelling monsters and the other griffin.

Ah, right. The other griffin. It trailed about twenty feet behind us, its white feathers and fur oddly luminous in the moonlight. I could feel its green eyes fixed on my back as we travelled, and I didn't need any demigodly powers to know it still wanted to kill me. I suppose what mattered was that it hadn't. Yet. Cinder was strangely quiet on the matter, ignoring my attempts to start a conversation, although I supposed he must have known the other griffin. You don't just mutually decide to not kill each other after an intense chase and fight if you don't know a griffin personally.

I kept my mind focused on the mystery of the other griffin as we flew, doing my best to try and forget that we were in fact quite high above the ground. The forests had given way to fields, left behind in favour of winding roads and the occasional house.

After about an hour, Cinder started to descend. For once, he didn't dive to the ground or crash, instead coming in gently and landing with hardly a bump. I dismounted, a shiver running down my spine. As the second griffin came in to land, I found my hand once again resting on the hilt of Skotono.