(My muse spent a nice holiday at the Bahamas without me, thank you. *Sigh* But it returned with the fierce winter wind, so here I am)
The gryphon's fear would be understood quite easily by the local mountaineers, and the valley folk down below, had any of them come upon Althaira's immense profile twisted so grotesquely by the wavering light, and hunched diabolically over the bloodied carcass by her feet. Her sharp claws and teeth beheaded the poor creature with little trouble at all, and effectively peeled off its skin; which were then shuffled into a corner to be saved for later use.
While the meat was heating above the open fire, the dragon pushed aside a loose segment covering a gap in the stone floor, in which was stored the evidence of her diet being supplemented at times by herbs and vegetables given her in gratitude by simple farmers whose fields was threatened by famine and invasive species - such as wild boars, which she eagerly hunted.
It was true the shepherds guarding their semi-domesticated goats still despised her, but down the valley their relatives owed much to the mythical beast residing the mountain.
The loud noise startling her, Althaira spun around to face the creature whose uncontrollable panic betrayed him to the very beast he feared so much. Her nostrils wide open, a puff of smoke escaped quite accidentally as she stood eye-to-eye with the intruder, ready to defend her home and her life against ----- a rather miserable looking enemy, he was. True, he had formidable claws as well as she, but the fear in his eyes calmed down her defensive instincts. She watched him unblinkingly, a rather bewildered look was upon her scaley features when she took in the scent of gryphon; helping her identify her unexpected guest as something the likes of which were as respectable as they were uncommon (particularly around the immediate area, though she never encountered a great number of gryphons in total)
"I am not going to hurt you," Althaira spoke at last, her voice calm and reassuring now that the initial surprise had worn off a bit. She had no reason to, notwithstanding the fact that he was technically trespassing; which was of course terribly rude and uncivilized, and had she been a different dragon she might have found it hard to forgive. The boundaries of one's personal space was somewhat sacred, after all. However, given her experience with the howling storm outside, the she-dragon could hardly fault him for seeking shelter where it could be found.
"It is warmer near the fireplace," she proposed, gently stepping aside as to allow him to pass, should he choose to accept her offer of a more favorable spot near the fire. "Dinner will be ready soon, if you care to share a bite with me. You don't have any trouble with goat, I hope?"