Chapter 1

I opened my eyes. I have been asleep for about 10 to 15 years, and we all have been moving through space at almost light speed. I do not think that I would like to be awake the entire trip. The intercom crackled to life “you have been asleep for twelve years, four months, and three days. We are now in orbit around Cianth (key-anth), our new home.” I unbuckled from my bunk and rolled out. I was not worried about hitting the ground even though a) I was on the tenth, or top, bunk, and b), the floor was made out of pure steel. I just hovered there beside my bunk, as we were orbiting, and there was no gravity. I turned myself in midair, and pushed of my bunk toward the window. I pulled up the steel curtain and saw Cianth for the first time.

I have been awake for only about thirty minutes, and everyone is awake. I looked at the calendar. It was October 16, 2016 when we left, and it is now 1/1/1, as we don’t use Earth time any more, and we had just arrived here. My family gets to be one of the first to step out onto Cianth. My father, Dr. Colin, is a biologist/botanist. He will tell us about the plants and if we can or cannot eat some of them.

“Mark! It’s time to go!” Ben yelled. Ben, or as I call him “Yeller,” is my brother. He is blonde, shortish, and always talking. I was happy because when he is asleep, he was finally silent. “Coming!” I yelled back, launching towards his voice. I did not want to be left behind. My long legs, which in turn for “Yeller,” my brother calls me “Track,” were finally coming in handy, making my fly quickly enough that I was there in less than a second. I was in a seat next to the exit door, in the hall before anyone else was on the plane. It took two minutes to finally fill up the pod. I felt a hard jolt as we were released from the ship, then I was flattened against my seat as we accelerated through the atmosphere. Then another jolt as we slowed from 300 mps to about 30 mph in three seconds. I heard a crash as we hit the foliage. The P.A. squawked, “Ladies and gentlemen welcome to Cianth!” The window covers raised, and I saw both my reflection and the new planet.

While everyone was ohhhhing and ahhhhing at the planet, I looked at my reflection. A tall, thin boy of 16, or I was when we left Earth, looking back at me. I was still wearing my favorite pair of pants with large pockets that hold everything I own, except for clothes.

Suddenly, the doors opened right beside me. I was out of my seat and the door before anyone else was unbuckled. Awwww! Freedom! Finally! I ran to the beach, and the first thing I see is a giant tree about 100 yards out in the middle of the sea. In it, I saw movement; I fished out my binoculars and took a look. It looked like a lion, with eagle claws instead of paws, and had large brown wings that constantly flapped. The entire thing was about the size of my arm. Suddenly, I wanted one.
My dad was suddenly beside me and asked, “Mark, what are you looking at?” “Take a look Dad,” I replied, handing him my binoculars. “See that tree? I was trying to figure out what type it is.”
He looked over and said “wow! A tree that can survive in salt water! I do not believe it!”
I asked, “Can I come with you to the tree?” his response: “as you are the one who found it, of course!” “Okay,” I replied, but inside I was partying.

The next three weeks went by quickly, what with finding food and shelter. I kept thinking about those griffins, and how I could get one for my own. After everything was made and collected, my dad came to me and said “come on, we are going to your tree.” I grabbed food and some supplies and headed for the boat.

We pulled up to the tree island and started unpacking our supplies. My father started measuring the tree, taking samples, etc. I just went to the other side of the tree, pulled out a collapsible crossbow I made, and fired a hook into the tree. I got out my gloves, planted my feet, and started up. I got up to a large branch about the size of a desk wide, and started to crawl across the branch. I stumbled upon a nest. In the center, there was an egg. I picked it up, and it started throbbing. It suddenly cracked open and out came a bronze griffin. It looked straight into my eyes, and I felt like a wall dropped in my mind. I suddenly heard in my mind “Hello Mark! My name is Cryin!” I acted automatically, saying aloud, “Hello Cryin!” I felt laughter, and realized that I was feeling his emotions. “Right and you do not need to talk out loud to me Mark. I can hear what you are thinking, if your thoughts are directed at me.”

Suddenly, two things happened. First, I was suddenly attacked by a large griffin. I did not think, I just yelled with my mind “STOP!” The griffin stopped, flipped ends, and took off. Second, I heard from below “Mark? MARK!” I said “Up here.” He looked up as I slid down to him. “Come on, it is time to leave.” I said “Wait!” and yelled with my mind “CRYIN!”
My dad asked, “Is something wrong?”
I asked, “What do you mean?”
“You suddenly had a blank expression.” He replied. He suddenly grabbed me and started trying to drag me to the boat.
“What is going on?” I yelled
“Something is coming at us!!!!” he yelled back pulling on me even stronger. “Stop please, because I know what is going on.” He stopped and asked “What?” I explained all that happened up in the tree, stopping only when Cryin got there. “Meet Cryin, dad,” I said, Cryin sank into a bow and we went home.

When we got home, we went straight to the experts. They started poking and prodding at him. I started having to calm him down. The scientists looked at me curiously after the first time, but ignored me later. They had me left, but suddenly he was beside me, even though the door never opened. The door opened, and the scientists came out smiling. “Incredible! He can teleport, or move where ever he wants. He is the only species known to man to be able to.”

We went outside to calm him down. Suddenly, something flew past my ear and hit the ground. I looked. There was a fish flopping around. It was lime green, and everything around it was disintegrating. “Acid” I whispered. A fish came straight toward my face, but Cryin was there. He caught it and ate it outright, then went back for more. I went straight to the announcement microphone and yelled “STAY INSIDE! ACID FISH ARE ATTACKING!

They attacked for about an hour, and then just vanished. Everywhere, dead areas and dead killer fish were lying around. However, it was just a reprieve. Every hour on the hour, they would come, kill and destroy, then disappear again.
The fish have stopped for now. They have not attacked in a couple of days. We have about ten dead, four injured. “We need a better place to live” everyone said. Suddenly, I had a stroke of genius. “What about the caves? The entrances all point away from the beach, and they cannot destroy rock! We had found a bunch of caves when we first got here.
“Wait a minute!” a scientist yelled. “I saw that Cryin was eating some of them! Couldn’t we make more of them and see if we can make them bigger?” “That might work, but we need time. We don’t have time!”I said
“Where are they? We might be able to get more!” asked the same scientist I pointed at the tree in the sea. “At the top.”
A party, including me, went to the tree to get the griffins. Almost all the scientists were coming with. “Give me the rope ladder.” I said, getting out what I used last time, “and get out of the way.” I launched the rope, and I went up carrying the ladder. When I got to the top, I secured the ladder and dropped it. Everyone there came up. When they got up, everyone went to different nests except for me, as I had one already.
The scientist did their work, and after ten long years, they succeeded in making them big enough to help. They went a little wrong, (“HEY!” Cryin said whom I am sitting on “Sorry!” I replied) but that is okay. Instead of Great Dane size, they turned out horse sized. Therefore, we do not worry about the fish any more.
To Be Continued…