Aza waits patiently.

It continues to be a very tricky question! They rustle their wings and give each other sidelong glances.

"- It would mean a lot to the parentss, to raisse our children even when they are misborn and won't live long," Helath admits finally. "Urtho did ssometimess but not alwayss."

"- and the rest of the time what does he do?"

"He ssaid it was more merciful to let them - go painlesssly - I think that is ssometimess true, just..." Wing-shrug. "I sssuppose for the first generation, there were not gryphon parentss to be ssad about it."

"Are you telling me he murders them?"

"I think not murderss? But - he hass the Healers treat only pain, not life-threatening problemss, and will not feed them if they can't eat the ussual way." She leans her head on Kythtar's shoulder. "They did let uss be there."

"Which Healers are specialized in treating you guys?"

"Oh! They have a whole department at the hosspital, around the back. Healerss and also the trondi'irn who help groom uss and ssuch thingss."

"If you make a speciess," Skan declares, "you sshould give them proper handss."

"Hands are very useful! You guys have wings, though, which is cool."

"That'ss true." Skan preens and looks very smug about his possession of wings. "Are you going to talk to the Healerss too?"

"I want to read their policy handbook."

"I am ssure they would let you if you assk!" Kythtar says cheerfully. "You sshow such interesst!"

"I like to know things." And she's pretty sure it is ILLEGAL for Urtho to be making baby gryphons' medical decisions overruling their actual parents. "How old are you guys?"

"I'm twenty-sseven," Kythtar offers. "Helath is twenty-five."

There's a bit more parting chatter and then Skan can fly her home. It's dark and too late to go see the Healers tonight, but they can fit it in around her classes tomorrow and Skan's happy to pick her up and fly her over for that as well.

She will put it in her to-do list! And the next morning she sees Ma'ar in class as normal.

He smiles at her. :What were you off doing yesterday afternoon? I was at the library a lot and I didn't see you:

:I went to the gryphon eyrie to talk to them about being gryphons. We're going to talk about created species later in ethics, I got a list:

:Oh! That's a good idea, getting a list. Was it interesting?:

:Yes. It was very interesting:

:Mmm. I'd like to hear more about it later:

The teacher is arriving and there isn't any more time for conversation unless Azabel feels like multitasking.

She wants to concentrate on the math, but afterwards she can follow up. "Girl gryphons are infertile by default and Urtho has a spell to let them have babies, and he doesn't do it whenever they want, and for some reason he's making medical decisions for their babies instead of them which I THINK is illegal so I'm going to Healer's today when I have a bit to check."

"That - oh. That's...a lot of things. - What sort of medical decisions."

"A lot of them are born so they won't live very long and he's telling the Healers to give them painkillers and otherwise just let them die, which, like, should be allowed but he's not their parents? Their parents are right there and he got to pick them and at least sometimes they'd rather take care of the baby for as long as they can, I asked."