The Griffin Sanctuary Volume 1

Chapter 3-1

The next morning, I woke up before sunrise so I could call Tina before I had to leave for my commute. It was painfully early but I didn’t mind because I got to tell my girlfriend all about my first day.

While tucked in snuggly under my warm blankets, I dialled her number.

It only rang twice before she picked up. “Hello, hello. You’ve reached the girlfriend line.”

My stomach fluttered when I heard her voice. “What am I supposed to press to speak to the most beautiful, adorable girlfriend?”

“Press… one,” she said, attempting to mimic a robot.

“Beep, pressing one,” I joked.

“Hello, this is Tina speaking,” my girlfriend answered in her normal voice.

I laughed as I snuggled into my fluffy pillow. “I’ve been dying to talk to you.”

“We’ve only been apart for a week.”

“And it’s too long. How are things over there?”

“New. I’m still settling into my new flat but I really like it here. How are things over there? How was your first day?”

“Pretty amazing. I got to see a silver blush unicorn up close. I was so close. It was the best day of my life. And to work with them, the herd had to approve of us as keepers and they did. I passed. I’m actually going to be a unicorn keeper. Can you believe it?”

“Wow, that’s fantastic. I’m so proud of you. I wish I was there to celebrate.”

“I know, I feel the same. I—” My phone vibrated as my second alarm went off and I got a glimpse of the time. “Ugh, I have to get going or I’m going to be late.”

“That’s alright. I’m just glad I heard your voice.” Tina made kissy noises. “I love you. Have a great day at work.”

“Love you too.” Reluctantly, but not that reluctantly, I got ready to go to work. It was early but who cared? There were unicorns to be fed and checked and stables to clean.

I rushed through my morning routine and hopped on my bike. With the wind in my hair, I pedalled as fast as I could, pretending I was riding a unicorn. The Sergeant didn’t look like he’d ever tolerate it but maybe under the right cirumstances, Sunshine could be convinced? Or Jun-Jun, the oldest member of the herd. In all likelihood, it would never happen but a girl could dream.

It took a good twenty minutes before the large entrance gates appeared and the sanctuary came into sight. Slightly out of breath, I parked my bike and joined the group of interns by the front. Felicity and Aaron were chatting with each other and as much as I disliked them, I didn’t know anyone else.

“Morning,” I greeted, giving a little wave.

“Good morning,” Aaron returned politely. Apart from his sexist comment yesterday, he seemed perfectly nice.

I hoped he only parroted misogynistic things but didn’t actually believe them.

Felicity looked down her nose. “You made it.”

“I live to see another day,” I answered, not able to keep the sarcasm out of my voice.

“We’ll see about that.” She turned away and raised her arm in the direction of the approaching woman. “Good morning, Gwen! Lovely day, isn’t it?”

Bootlicker.

I would’ve been more irritated if I didn’t have a day of working at the Sanctuary ahead of me. The prospect of seeing the unicorns again excited me and I could hardly wait.

The group set in motion after the copper-haired woman and my excitement grew as we entered the Sanctuary. It was so early, the fountain hadn’t even been turned on. Despite that, there were keepers and other workers around, all in uniforms or outfits with the Griffin Sanctuary’s logo stitched on, finishing up whatever tasks and duties they had.

Instead of pausing at the fountain, Gwen brought us all the way to the primary staff facility in the middle of the sanctuary. The path led to a large building decorated with wooden slats and plants. I stepped inside, amazed by all the natural light coming in through the large windows. The entrance hall was clean, spacious and had nice white tiles and columns that supported the balcony on the second floor. A wolf-whistle would"ve been appropriate under different circumstances but my very first workday was not one of them.

Aaron and Felicity made some appreciative comments as we followed the copper-haired woman to the dressing area. A wall of metal lockers on both sides reminded me of my old changing room at the gym or the swimming pool, except that there were a lot more and in better condition.

“You can use any free locker for your belongings and clothes. Individual changing rooms are over to the side. There are also showers and laundry bags for your uniforms.”

One of the other girls raised her hand. “So we don’t have to wash our own overalls?”

“Luckily not. Uniforms are kept in this cabinet. There are also sweaters, caps, jumpers, whatever you might need,” Gwen responded, reaching into one of the cupboards. “There are all kinds of sizes. I need a large one myself but I like some extra room. There’s a lot of lifting and bending when you work with kitsunes. They’re mischievous little buggers.”

“Ooh, you’re a kitsune keeper?” Aaron asked from my left.

“When I find the time. I oversee all the enclosures in the left wing.”

That explained that. There was a strict-ish hierarchy at a place like this and we were right at the bottom of the food chain. That was fine by me, I was grateful for the opportunity.

I waited until the others had grabbed their overalls before I grabbed a medium for myself. It was a little long so I had to roll up the legs but I needed the extra space around my waist. I put my clothes in one of the lockers and closed it up with the little key.

I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and a sense of pride rushed through me. There were not a lot of people who had been able to wear this uniform but I was one of them. This was real and wilder than my dreams. I was really a worker at the Griffin Sanctuary.

To top it off, Gwen handed out walkie-talkies and ID badges with our names on them. “Here are your entry passes for the gates and the service entrance. They’ll give you access to all the staff facilities and you’ll also need them when you’re getting a meal from the cafeteria.”

I eagerly accepted mine. My picture was awful but that wasn’t enough to ruin my good mood. I pinned it on the front of my overalls and pulled the badge out as far as the cord allowed before letting it snap back. So official.

With my radio attached to my belt and everyone geared up, we all went to our designated zones. I wasn’t looking forward to another day with Felicity and Aaron but luckily, there would be unicorns.

With the early sun on my face, I enjoyed the little walk to the unicorn house. I could tell a lot of effort had been put into making the sanctuary feel as natural as possible and it really felt good.

I arrived first which gave me the chance to unlock the gate. I pulled on my badge and pressed it against the scanner, grinning as the light turned green. So freaking cool.

With my head held high, I marched into the stable, feeling a little smug that I arrived before Aaron and Felicity. Not by much, but first was first.

“I see you all made it bright and early,” Nissan said from by the feeding station. He grabbed a large bucket and placed it on a set of scales. “The unicorns get fed two times a day and need a varied diet. We provide them with purple carrots and cored twin apples in the morning, which is when we do our first check of the day. There are also suspended enrichment feeders in the rest of their enclosure for hay that need refilling and water checks have to be done before the silver blushes leave the working area.”

“Does every unicorn get its own portion?” Felicity questioned as she leaned in to check the scales.

“More or less. We make multiple piles to discourage fighting and keep an eye on every individual’s weight.” Nissan filled the bucket with the vegetables and fruits and checked the number on the scale. “There we go. Since you’re all new, I’m going out into the enclosure by myself but over time, as the unicorns get used to your presence and you build a bond, you’ll be able to go out into the paddock as well. We also try to feed the unicorns a carrot or two by hand so they remember where their food comes from and later, we’ll have some training sessions with treats.”

I pulled out my notebook and lightning-fast, wrote down everything he said. Next to me, Felicity shot me a glare and whipped out her own journal as well. The competition was on.

Nissan grabbed the heavy bucket, straining from the weight. “When I feed them, I also do our daily checks. It’s important to examine their legs for any sign of limping or discomfort. Take The Sergeant, for example. Even from here, I can see he’s walking without any problem so that’s good. I’ll have to get closer to take note of his eyes, nose, and mouth to make sure they’re nice and clear. If there is any discharge or discolouring, make a note of it and log it into the system. The vet checks our reports every day but if you think there’s an urgent problem, there’s a button to alert the vet straight away or you can use your walky-talky. I trust you’re trained in doing these checks?”

“I am, of course.” Felicity chirped immediately. “I don’t know about the others though.”

Aaron scoffed. “I learned this in my first year.”

“I know it too,” I added, not wanting to give Nissan the impression that I wasn’t as qualified.

He handed us each a page and gestured to the unicorns. “Great. Prove it to me. You can each observe a unicorn and note down their conditions. I’ll check it after I fed the unicorns.”

I was stunned for a moment or two. I knew everyone always talked about this being a hands-on learning experience but I hadn’t expected to be thrown in the deep end immediately. While it was just a routine check, this was an important part of the wellbeing of the animals. If we missed some symptoms or signs, a unicorn could really suffer for it.

Unsurprising, Aaron and Felicity immediately ran off to observe their unicorn and I only shot into action a beat behind them. I scanned the name on my form, surprised to find I was given Candle’s sheet. It was clear that she was one of the pride and joys of the Sanctuary so this was an even bigger responsibility.

Nervous but excited, I scanned the white herd for the filly with the grey star on her face. She looked quite young so she was probably near her mother… Ah, there. As expected, the young unicorn was standing not too far away from Sunshine.

I moved to the side to get a better view of her. Despite being in their stables, they were still a good distance away so it wasn’t super easy to get a good look at her. I kept my eyes locked on Candle, watching her every move. She scraped her hoof along the sand and sniffed one of the large leaves on the ground. With a soft nicker, she threw her head up, her beautiful white coat glistening in the sun. Her eyes were large and clear, attentive without being skittish. She looked healthy to me and I checked all the boxes. At the bottom of the sheet, there was a space for the keeper’s name, the date, and my signature.