Seriously? I couldn't talk you into a griffin?

I am probably going to be gone for a few days. My computer has committed hara-kiri, the housing office is baying for my blood, and I have been entrusted the care of a blood-thirsty baby manticore, so all in all I'm rather busy right now.

(And all the other kids got cool mythological animals. They got dragons and unicorns and pegasi. I talked to the mystical purveyor of magical creatures about it, and she just laughed and spit the pit of a date at me. She's going to be so sorry when the manticore grows up.)